Acappella

Reading all your posts, you're doing a great job with Sammie. She's very lucky to have found you:)

Dorian lets me trim the very sharp part of his talons, because I've gotten him used to me playing 'this little piggy' with his toes. I do it all the time, but sometimes I have that sneaky set of trimmers in one hand! I don't always get them all done so I go for the sharpest ones first, just to spare my poor hands.

An update today. I decided Dorian was leaving his cage even if I had to towel him. It was just too nice outside to be down in the basement. I chased him around the cage outside, using my arms to herd him onto his cage door, then forced him to the end of the door until he had nowhere to go but my hand. (Much biting, growling, shaking and screaming). He stepped up from hand to hand for awhile, then I put him in his small cage and took him upstairs and out to the front porch. Doesn't look too traumatized does he? I don't understand his body language. He was shaking most of the time, but also preening, yawning, stretching, beak grinding and shaking his tail. Is he scared, relaxed, or confused? Anyway, we were out there about an hour. You can see he's back in the corner of the porch where he was sheltered from the breeze. I just sat beside him and talked to him, told him what all the sounds were. Then I decided it was time to go in. I took him into the kitchen, gave him fresh water and a treat while I ate supper beside him. Then I opened the door and tried to get him to step-up. Here we go again with all the hysterical behaviour, plus copious biting. My poor hands and arms. He finally made a tactical error and climbed outside to get higher, at which point I put the cage on the floor and using my arms to corner him, forced him to step-up. Lots of praise and happy voice. Stepped him down onto the table (where he promptly pooped on dad's crossword, I'm in big trouble), then stepped him up again. Now I know there's only a problem when I try from one of his cages. After about 25 repeats, with lots of praise and happy sounds every time he did as he was told, he was still growling at my hand, but one foot was up by the end of the growl, so I'm cautiously optimistic that he's realized I'm the one in charge here. Hope he remembers tomorrow. Now it's early to bed for both of us!

Very cute, but I'm a little dizzy from the circle dance!

I'm sorry some of your family aren't supporting you trying to do things the right way. The last time my brother and his family were here I caught him with Dorian saying "s#*!head" over and over again, so he's never going to be alone around Dorian again. I know you don't have this option, so a couple of suggestions. To try to communicate how seriously wrong what she is doing is, give her a few worst case scenarios. Tell her she is interferring with Ozzy's bond with you, and birds that aren't bonded with their caretaker can feel unsafe and develop all sorts of problems. Say they may be baby bites now, but maybe there are some pictures on this or other sites that show how bad an adult bird bite can be, and ask her how she would like it if the bird turned into a biter and she had to feed it one day for you. Tell her how much harder it is to find a new home for a bird that bites or has other behaviour problems, if you ever had to. Tell her a bird with problems loses a great deal of his $ value (I know this doesn't matter to us bird lovers, but different people have different currency they care about) I also encourage her to come to this site to learn exactly how difficult it is to get a bird to un-learn a bad habit. If she won't, print out a few pages of examples and give them to her to read. As far as what to do with Ozzy, bringing your bird up to eye level with you (but not close enough for him to go for your eyes), a very stern, low voiced 'No' plus a sad face, and then putting him into his cage for a birdie time out works well. Don't let your aunt near him during this time out, even it that means standing in front of the cage door with your back to it. If he's decided he prefers her to you for some reason letting him go to her after he bites you will absolutely guarantee that he continues to bite you. Her behaviour is also going to have serious consequences for your relationship with her, this I know from experience. It's good of you not to blame Ozzy in this, and I hope the situation improves. You'll get lots of support here.

I agree that it sounds like you'd made your rational decision before you posted and just needed some back-up to deal with the irrational voice screaming "but I want NOW!!!" Grey's give a lot, but they also require a lot. Just read through forums here and you'll see people saying they don't go out as much, take shorter vacations, only travel where their bird can go, and otherwise change their schedules to accomodate their little grey soul. Make owning a grey a long-term goal, along with finishing your education. If you need a reminder of your intent, save up a bit of money, even it it's only spare change, to put towards your parrot fund (also because they are definately not cheap to own) Then when time feels like it's really dragging you'll have a reminder that it's really going to happen. By making the mature decision now you have a great chance for a rewarding relationship with your bird when it's time for it to come into your life. Good for you!

Andrew, I haven't even been able to make myself watch your video, just the thought makes me feel ill. As Shanlung says, if you get enough people out there aware of Tui's loss no-one will be able to 'aquire' a new grey without being noticed. They're not exactly a pet that's easy to hide. One thing I would try is carry cards/slips of a bright colour card stock with your name and contact info, and the youtube link printed on them and pass them out to everyone who will take one. If even one out of ten goes to the site only the cold hearted wouldn't be touched by your situation. So they tell two friends, and they tell two friends . . . I won't watch the video until you are able to post that Tui has returned to you. I hope and pray I'm watching it soon. Love, Marguerite and Dorian

Thank you for my morning laugh, especially #'s 18 & 33:laugh:

I've never let Dorian onto my shoulder, and one reason is the jewellery issue. If (when) he gets better at stepping up when I want him to I may change my mind about this, but then I will also go earring-free:)

Who knows, your baby may be so relieved to see you at the end of it's ordeal that it would settle fast. On the other hand you may have to deal with weeks of acting out, but what are a few weeks in the life of a grey? Good luck with whatever decision you make.

Pat, you just made me laugh so hard! With you, of course, not at you. I didn't realize that me father has the habit of yelling "Hey" every time he can't find something, he screws up the tv remote. . . from whatever room he's in. So now when I'm downstairs I have dad yelling from upstairs, and Dorian yelling hey hey, hey!!! When I'm upstairs and he wants me down. I guess at least I feel needed, right?:unsure:

Christo, just a thought, but your mention of the weather got me thinking. The big swing in temp, along with a probable change in the barometric pressure, would have almost certainly caused me to get a migraine, and I know greys can be sensitive to enviromental changes. Do you think it's possible he's reacting to the weather changes?

It's done!

Is Sammy clipped? An bad, too severe or uneven clip can make it virtually impossible to glide evenly to the ground.

Ok, here's an update and another cry for help. Dorian was startled off his perch a couple of days ago, by what I don't know. So I grabbed the opportunity, and the bird, and did some step-up training. I even got him to let go and step onto his table-top perch for the first time ever. We were in my living-room and in my office. See. Doesn't he look content, like a very happy, tail-wagging, preening, well-behaved boy. Well, he's barely let me near him while he's on the outside of the cage since then. Won't even take an almond out of my hand. I tried putting my hand between him and a treat & got a shaking, growling nutbar. As soon as I get near him he climbs to a part of the cage where can hang on for dear life. What should I do? I can't just wait for his next unexpected adventure to the floor, and I don't want to make him more hand shy than he is right now. Am I down to towelling him to get him off/out of the cage. Can anyone recommend a training site/dvd/book that deals with older birds. I love the little b*#@%*! so much and I want to be able to take him elsewhere in the house and outside with me this summer, but it feels like one step forward, two back.

Ruby, you're a cute little cotton ball. So lucky for her she has such loving parronts, and many years ahead to work out her issues.

Jimmy. Never Never Never do that again! Now I've got to go dye the grey hair you just caused!

Isn't it amazing how happy little steps like that can make us? I was around Dorian for a year in the pet shop before he let me touch him anywhere but his beak. Made me sooo happy. He also grabs a cage bar with his beak when he wants scratches. Very cute!

I don't have a label infront of me, but check the salt level in V8. To me it tastes salty and I wonder if it's added in.

Thanks for the update on Tobie. I've been thinking about you all. Hope the meds + all the tlc give you lots more time with her.

Does she let you give her head rubs against the direction of feather growth? Dorian loves it when I do this, and when I feel a new feather coming in I give that spot a bit of extra attention. I don't know if it helps the feather come in, but he turns into a contortionist to give me better access to these spots so it must feel good.

Dorian has a nightly battle with his bell that drives the cat out of the room because of the noise. It's a sign of a healthy happy bird. Rascal's a cutie!

You can always use their flock mentality to your advantage. Like judygram said, take her into the washroom when you shower. If you have counter space use a table top perch/playstand. Let her see it's fun, that mom doesn't melt when she gets wet:P

OK, here's another tough parront moment I had to learn the hard way. Don't let her associate being inside the cage with being left alone. Dorian started to figure out that my workout clothes meant I was leaving and became impossible to put in. As I type, he's inside his cage making the most pathetic chirps that seen to say 'bad mommy, I've been inside here forever' but I'm leaving for the gym in 15 minutes and I know I'll never get him back in! You'll have to leave her inside the cage sometimes even when you're in the room with her. Sit by the cage, talk to her, find a toy she likes that she only gets inside the cage. Play a game with her inside the cage. A big hit around here is I hold loosely rolled white tissue paper outside the cage, poke it between the bars, and Dorian attacks and rips at it. (Introduce slowly. Dorian was conviced the paper was out to kill him at first) Then I make a big deal of picking up all the paper. Do not give in to whatever sound she finds that rips your heart in half, and trust me, she'll find one! Another tip, when you do have to place her inside, put her in backwards. It's hard for them to grab onto the cage that way.

If her reation was so severe I wonder if someone along the way made the mistake of using a spray bottle of water to try to correct behaviour like people do with cats. Try a shallow dish of cool water, not the aloe juice. You don't want her drinking large amounts of the juice instead of drinking water. Try droping in a desired foot toy or maybe a fav nut. See if she will get herself wet that way. Ultimately, they do need some way to bathe even if they hate it. Warn her before you spray her, use an excited tone of voice, like it's a game, and end with lots of praise and a treat. Some come to like it, others tolerate it, but it's part of being a good parront!