Acappella

Hi guys. Finally getting around to editing down some videos to post. The working title of this one was "Maria Callas Being Strangled!" Enjoy:P http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/Schemda/?action=view&current=NoPavarotti.flv

OK, this may reveal more about my thought proces than anything else, but here's another way to approach this! You said that Smokey has always been more bonded to your husband. What if you look at the situation as an opportunity to usurp your hubby and become Smokey's new favourite person.:silly: Do everything you can to 'suck up' to Smokey and take note and celebrate every small step towards having a good trusting relationship with him. It will help you put your focus on what is getting better rather than on what has been lost. After all "there's nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so"

Dorian was 4 years old when I bought him and we're doing great. Progress can be slow, but when you consider the average lifetime of a grey (and a human) you've got plenty of time. I have a few more questions you should ask his present owner. Did they get it as a baby or did they re-home from somewhere else. If they got him directly from a good breeder as a baby they should have been given a hatch certificate, maybe even dna tests. You say it's not clipped. Does it fly? Was it ever allowed to fledge? Do they give it time out of his cage now or is it cage bound? Does it know the step-up command? Do they step-up onto a hand, arm or perch/dowel? I knew Dorian was afraid of sticks so I know I would have less luck teaching him to step-up onto a dowel or perch. As for cage placement the bird will usually feels safer against at least one wall or in a corner against two walls. They are flock animals so they want to be with their people. Let it observe the activity in your home. If you can place the cage next to where you and other family members sit then you can sit by it and talk, eat, read, and just let it get used to your presence. Do you have to open the cage door to replace the food and water or can you do it from outside? IMO it's best not to invade its' cage space until it trusts you. This will lessen the chance of it becoming cage defensive and of you getting bit. What is the present sleep routine? How many hours of sleep does it get a night? Greys' need 10-12 hours sleep in a darkened space every night. Do they use a sleep cage? Do they cover and leave it in a room where there is still activity, like tv watching? Dorian's in a room where I can turn the lights out and leave so I don't need to cover him. Some birds can sleep covered in a room that's still noisey. Some can't stand not to be involved in what's going on around them and won't sleep until it's quiet. A bird that's getting enough sleep will have less chance of developing behaviour problems like plucking, and will be more resilent and better able to accept change. Bringing an older bird into your home is a lot like adopting a four year old child. How quickly it adapts depends partly on how it's been treated before it comes to you, and partly on its' basic personality. Some are very resilient and curious right from the start, some are cautious and slow to trust. Same thing with introducing new toys. Some want to explore and play right away, some think every new item is a potential, even likely, parrot killing device:P Dorian never speaks in front of strangers, but around here he talks, and talks, and talks . . . In fact, one of the things he came to me from the store saying was "does he talk?":silly: You can't have too much information. Also, how open the present owners are to your questions can tell you a lot. After all, a good owner will be just as concerned that their pet is going to a good home as the new owner is curious about the bird. It is sooo worth it to take in a previously owned bird, and as you're learning, there's lots of support and information here. Good luck bringing your new family member home and getting to know each other.

I've used earplugs around Dorian when I'm trying to ignore and extinguish a loud and obnoxious noise he's discovered. Just in the last few days he's been playing with bouncing the sound of a really high pitched scream off the concrete block wall behind his cage. I may be reaching for my ear plugs again soon. My sympathies to you and your ears!

Dorian was so hand shy when he got here it took almost 6 months before he would let me scratch his head, and he's still not thrilled about being on my hand (but a dowel or perch is worse) I made the decision right at the start that my shoulders are off limits because I know his personality. He's never mean, but if he feels unsafe he's going to latch onto whatever he can, and I don't want it to be my earlobe:P Like the others said, don't rush him. I know it's frustrating because we want their worlds to get bigger and not be limited to their cage but first he has to feel confident with you. What worked a treat with Dorian was I spent a lot of time sitting on the floor by his cage playing with his toys, petting and paying lots of attention to the cat, opening mail, that sort of thing. One day I was sitting with my back to the cage (they hate being ignored) and all of a sudden I hear the pitter patter of little feet and here's Dorian 'helping' me open the mail. I stepped him up onto my hand and put him back on his cage. Well, when he thought I wanted him on his cage he wanted notheing more than to be on the floor with me. He got soooo stubborn he forgot to be scared:lol: It takes time but it's worth it. There's lots of good advice here. Happy reading!

Here's a link someone here on the forum listed a few months ago. http://www.mdvaden.com/bird_page.shtml Also, do a search here on bird safe wood and you'll get a lot of info. Have fun.

Be careful what you wish for! I'm sitting here listening to the verbal diarrhoea that is Dorian in the morning!:lol: The only reliable way to stop him is to turn the camera on:) But seriously, enjoy Dolfes' baby talk. Congrats!

You are taking great care of your baby. The only thing you didn't mention in your post is how much sleep Jenna is getting every night. You obviously take care to make sure she's well looked after though, so I'm sure you've got her sleep covered as well. Sounds like the vet has given you a reasonable theory about what is happening. I know us humans can experience hair loss a few months after stressful events. Keep up the good work and try not to stress or let your anxiety level soar. {Feel-good-00020114}

My instinct is to use his natural desire to be with his flock to help him recover. Try going into your room without him. If he calls out to you call back to reassure him. After a while go to him and offer your hand or a perch for step up, ask him if he wants to. If he growls don't make a big fuss, just say ok and go back to your room. By nature they are so curious he may decide to come with you. If he choses to step up give him lots of praise. I'd have his favourite treat in my hand every time I asked him to step up so that when he does he'll get a reward right away. It won't happen overnight, but I'll bet his desire to be 'with' will win out. It's a challenge, but he's worth it.

I agree with daveyj. He's been spooked and it could take a while for him to come around. He's associating his pain and fright with being handled, so in his mind being handled is a threat. A month is no time at all in the life of a grey. I know your hearts are breaking because his trust was broken through no fault of your own but he will come around with love and patience. Another thing to take into account is that when a grey reaches Smokey's age they often begin to cuddle less. They move out of the baby stage and become more independent. Try to look at it another way. Thank goodness your husband was home when he injured himself. With the blood loss you describe you could be dealing with an empty cage instead of a spooked bird. He needs your love, calm, and consistancy more than ever right now. Celebrate every little victory, don't rush him or force him when he's clearly frightened, and he'll come around. Remember, you can alway come here to vent:)

Have you ruled out the possibility that he's hurt with a vet visit? Is he behaving normaly when you're keeping your distance? I'd want to be sure his behaviour change isn't because he's in pain from a injury, like a break in his keel. If he has checked out physically and he's simply spooked you'll just have to give him time to trust you again. In the wild his survival would depend on his ability to constantly evaluate perceived threats and until he's convinced himself you pose no threat he's going to be guarded around you. It's part of the bargain when dealing with an intelligent animal. Their smarts are what keep them alive. It must be very hard for you to feel like he's rejecting you, but he'll figure things out if you give him time. I hope he feels better soon.

I need some input here. Dorian has always been clipped, sometimes severely, and he was never allowed to learn to fly. I've had him clipped once (not a severe clip) several months ago. Most of his feathers have grown in now and I have been trying to decide what is best for him. We're in a basement with low ceilings. When he does get startled he's very clumsy and usually stops by flying into something. I'm not worried about him flying and getting out. He'd have to go from being a bird that doesn't know how to fly, to one that can clear doorways, round corners, go up stairs, turn on a landing, more stairs, another corner, just to get near a door. I was wondering if I could let him keep all his feathers even if he isn't in an environment where he can fly. Something happened tonight though that has me worried. Dorian was playing with his new favourite thing, his boing, hanging from the bottom of it and swinging. Well, he got really excited and started flapping his wings. What he wasn't expecting was the loft he got. I don't think he's ever flapped his wings like this before, certainly not when his flights were intact. He started pulling away with the boing in his talons, which scared him, which made him flap more until he had to let go of the boing and ended up crashing into a wall. He's got a small cut above one eye. I rescued him and he calmed down right away. Now he's fine, chatting away getting ready for bed, but mom's freaked out. Do I need to get him clipped just to make him safe and not let his feathers grow in until we're in a place where it's safe for him to learn to fly?

I was wondering how Kaskoo's eye is doing?

Warning works with Dorian as well. I tell him 'loud noise, ready?' and he's fine. I also let him know if I'm coming into the room carrying something that might be big or scary to him. I've found over the months that his tolerance for noise and activity has gotten way better!

Kook, how are you doing these days?

That yellow discharge looks like an infection to me. I'd get Kaskoo to an avian vet right away. These birds are so delicate, better to over-react than under. Let us know.

Babies are adorable, but personally I'm biased toward re-homing. Each bird comes with it's own issues but every challenge makes every accomplishment that much more meaningful. Good luck in your search.

I'm so sorry you're going through all this. Is there a parrot rescue around you that might have advice for you. I don't have any experience but hopefully other more senior members here will be able to offer help.

Karma to you for taking in an older grey. It sounds like she's doing very well talking and coming out of her cage already. Enjoy getting to know her, and we're always here to help.

If anyone was still in doubt about how much of a character Bella is, this will end it. She's got so much personality, and she's pretty as well. Don't let her stardom go to her head:laugh:

So Berna, where's the update on your new baby grey? Inquiring (or just plain nosy) minds want to know:P

What a cute, petite, little (I'm guessing) girl.:kiss:

It can be frustrating I know. I have a boing story for you. I bought one in the fall and started it out on the floor on the other side of the room, moving it closer all the time until it was propped up in a corner. Then I leaned it against the cage, then attached it low on the cage, then higher and higher. We got to the point where Dorian was climbing on it when it was attached to the cage, and then I hung it from the ceiling. It wasn't until last week that the following finally happened. Now it's one of his favourite things, so it's worth the patience!

Plus, if you find somebody local, or at least within a possible drive, you can visit the baby and get to know each other!

Kyle, karma to you for really thinking this through. My first reaction to your situation was to advise you to wait until you are older to make a comittment to a grey, but reading thorugh all the posts I've kind of changed my mind. Yes it's true that life tends to be more turbulent when we're young but we all know that life can turn on a dime for better or worse no matter what age we are. All that we can do as grey owners is to make the best possible life for our birds no matter what is happening in our lives and it seems to me that you would make your bird's needs a priority. Keep in mind they're not all like Bella, and as much as we love stories from the Bella and Jiggy show, I for one am glad to have a bird that's a little more laid back. I think, just like people, there are nature vs nurture issues. Bella seems to have been born with a real "let's put on a show" character, and found a home where that nature is loved and encouraged. My Dorian is basically a very shy but resilient little guy. Many birds who had similar lives prior to him coming to me have become pluckers but, knock wood, he's a happy healthy boy. Find a bird that choses you as its' person, do everything to give it the best start in it's life with you, and then set about discovering it's personality. One thing is for sure, you'll never be bored:cheer: