Acappella

There's this commercial on tv for a local furniture chain called 'Bad Boy'. They say "Who's better than bad boy" then respond "nooooooobody", so Dorian spontaneously started doing the "nooooobody" part. I started calling "who's better than Dorian?", and just yesterday he started responding with his "noooobody". (Anybody else here ever glad no one is around to hear our bird induced craziness?)

Dorian loves adding/cash maching paper tapes. I just tie one onto the side of his cage with a leather strip. He'll grab the end and pull it all the way across the cage, fighting with it and giving it heck, then go to town shredding what he just unrolled. Really cheap toy that takes up no space inside the cage.

Dorian did something new yesterday. I've been spraying him with aloe juice for a few weeks now, thanks to tips from this site. Can't say he's loved it, but he hasn't hated it either. So yesterday I'm sitting next to his cage watching tv, after just changing his water, and he comes over and climbs right into it! Spashing around, getting water everywhere, hanging upside down to get his head wet, just having a blast. I took the cue from him and got out the aloe spray and soaked him all over in places where he just couldn't get wet from the dish. Here are a few pictures.

Yeah, the sounds he makes when he's scared just kill me. The good news here is that all is finally forgiven, although there were a couple days of him turning his back on me and tossing his food (more than usual that is) He's back to his goofy self now!

Dorian's cuddly, on his terms of course, which means he doesn't let go of his cage. But he lets me touch him anywhere, and at night he loooooves head scratches. He sits on his exterior perch, puts his head down, holds onto a bar of his cage with his beak and lets me rub and scratch his head and neck. He really loves it when I massage against his feathers, starting at the base of his neck and going right to the tip of his beak and around his eyes. He closes his eyes and butts his head against my fingers for more. It's become part of our nightly ritual.

The vet wasn't able to trim it back as far back as he would have liked because the quick (sp?) was too close to the tip, so he'd like to trim it again in a couple of months if Dorian doesn't become able to wear it down himself, which of course is my goal. That being said, the vet didn't think it was a huge problem. His beak is growing straight, it was just getting a little long & could have started getting in his way climbing around. The apple juice was the only suggestion re: teaching him to chew. Any other ideas would be welcome!

I'm sure one day I'll regret this wish, but Dorian doesn't chew things, he just doesn't know that's something he's supposed to like to do. I guess he was never given a chewable toy. He rips paper, but that's all. I had to get his beak trimmed today because it was so overgrown. He never does anything to wear it down. This will probably end up a bad case of 'be careful what you wish for' but right now I'd take a chewed up lampshade! Oh, and the pictures of Sweetheart hanging from the wall sconce are priceless!

Hi Joe. I agree he needs to be comforted. I've been sitting next to his cage talking to him, ate lunch with him and gave him a treat to eat. He even let me scratch his neck for a few seconds before he remembered he's mad at me. I long to hold him and comfort him, but he's not there yet. Unfortunately he lived for the first almost four years of his life without being handled at all so he's extremely hand shy. He's usually very affectionate, beaks me gently, lets me pet and scratch him anywhere, holds 'hands' with me, but the only time he willingly lets me hold him is if he gets startled off a perch and wants a ride back to his cage. I do worry about his socialization, as most days I am the only person he sees, but I do make a point of asking people who come over to come down and talk to him, even invite people who he used to like at the pet store into my home so he can see them, and he talks back and forth with my father, as long as they're in separate rooms. I just feel like a better mom now that he's been seen by a vet. Hopefully I'll be able to teach him better how to play and chew and introduce some different perches and toys to him so he can take care of his beak himself. The vet suggested soaking some toys in apple juice to teach him, so I'l probably try that this weekend. Anyway, I just peeked around the door and the poor guy is sleeping with his head tucked under him, which I've never seen him do during the day before, so I think I'll give him a couple of quiet hours. He hasn't spoken a word since the vet left. I guess I'll know we are heading back to normal when he starts talking again.

Excellent idea, but retail therapy will have to be limited to a dollar store, as the nasty man left with most of my money;)

Hi guys. This morning Dorian saw the vet for the first time. I actually found a vet that does house calls, so he was here first thing this morning. I'm not sure who's more traumatized, Dorian or me! I'm fast getting a headache because my heart was beating so fast! The vet even towelled him and got him out of the cage for me. I hate, hate, hate, upsetting/hurting my baby even when it's for his own good. The sight of a bit of blood, the sounds he makes when he's scared or angry, just break my heart, y'know? The vet agreed that his beak was quite over grown and trimmed it down a little. Also trimmed his wings and talons. He told me that the last person who trimmed his wings did them un-evenly so he evened them out and advised me to now let them grow out completely. Anyway, he got a clean bill of health. He's in his cage right now completly silent and looking very indignent. I think I'm going to go out and run errands in a couple of hours and just let him be quiet, dim the lights a bit. I hope he forgives me!

Beautiful pictures. Congrats on the new member of the family. It's so nice to hear of a parrot being re-homed that was well cared for. Will her former dad be able to visit her? I don't know, would that confuse her bonding with you?

Dorian's not potty trained (doesn't really leave his cage yet so not an issue yet here) but it's a long-term goal, so whenever I'm around him and I see the pre-potty dance start I say "go potty" and then lots of verbal praise when he does. From reading other threads here on the topic, the goal is to observe his body language then, when the 'dance' starts, say something like 'wait', carry him over to wherever you want (garbage can, cage, newspaper) then say 'go potty' Take a look around on the forums, there's lots of info on the subject. Angie looks like she's really letting her feathers start to grow back in, she's so fluffy and cute. Especially the first photo, she looks like a little grey cotton ball!

Another thing is everyone in the house has to respond the same way, by ignoring it. If anyone responds in a way that isn't consistent, the behaviour will only be reinforced. If you or someone else gives in and says "no" after she's made the noise 10 times, she'll learn that she has to do it 10 times to get attention, which is not exactly what you want:S

I said the same thing about healthier foor on another thread today, called it "The Grey Diet". Think we should write a book??

Welcome. This is a great forum, great people. Would love to hear more of Marley's story, and your's of course!

Yeah, I know the salt is bad, the bbq spices might not be good either, I don't know. Might irritate his system as they 'travel' through him. Dorian's sooo interested in whatever I'm eating, I find myself choosing healthier food when I'm eating around his cage. Guess I could call it "The Grey Diet":laugh:

Hi TubeScreamer. What's your new grey's name, or are you going to re-name him with his new home. Quite a few people here who re-homed birds have I think. I know what you mean about letting him know who's in control. I'm waiting for Dorian to start saying "you're not the boss of me" 'cause I say that to him a few times a day:lol: When it comes to safety, like heading for the bathroom where a bird can easily drown, or not wanting to go back into his cage when he needs to, he does need to know that what you say goes, but with other things I think you do have to chose your battles. Just like a child they need to feel some control and independence to be healthy mentally and emotionally. With him already letting you hand feed him, pet his beak, and venturing away from his cage, it sounds like you've adopted a resilient little guy who's on his way to bonding with you. If he learns to love and trust you he will want to do things that get a positive reaction from you. Dorian's happiest when I praise and reward him for good behaviour, and I can see his little brain spinning, "Wow, I like this reaction. What did I do to get it and how can I do it again" Also, like dogs are pack animals, birds want to be part of the flock. I think one training technique is to 'punish' bad behaviour by removing yourself from the room he is in, but just for a couple of minutes, not for a long time. Just like time-outs for kids, too long and they forget what they're being disciplined for. Sometimes just turning my back to Dorian's cage, without saying a word, he'll stop with an 'annoying' noise. The trick is to reward as soon as he changes to a more acceptable behaviour, either with a treat, praise, whatever motivates him. They are so smart they figure out very quickly how to connect the dots. "When I do this, I get ignored, when I do this, I get love" Dorian still does his ear piercing budgie imitation sometimes, but no where near as much as he did when I moved him here, and I never, never, never respond to it! (did I say never?) Had to tell other people in the house to handle that noise the same way. Don't think of this as letting the bird run his adgenda, think of it as using a bit of birdy psychology to get him to conform to what you want. I know what you mean when you say watching him is relaxing. I find myself putting on the tv or radio way less than I used to. He's become my feathered entertainment unit! Wow, this is long, hope it helps. Most is stuff I've learned from people on this forum. Let us know how you're doing. p.s. If he's making noise when your girlfriend comes home he could be trying to divert your attention back to him and could start getting jealous of her. Y'know, you're his and she takes your attention away from him. You might avoid this problem if she makes a fuss about him when she gets home. Lots of praise, gives a treat etc. . . She might feel silly doing it, but you could teach your grey that her coming in is something to look forward to! Ok, I'll stop typing now:P

Yeah, if you get an older grey who's a talker you will learn lots about it's life before it joined your family. Dorian came from a pet store and still answers the phone 'Hello Chew Choos' sometimes, still says 'settle' (owner was a dog trainer) speaks in previous owner's voice etc. . . It's like having a whole group of people move into your house. Luckily for me, in his previous home they were very careful of their language around him, though 'boobies' isn't bad at all. The parrot at the nursing home in town here swears like a sailor:laugh:

I can only comment on the banana peel from some reading I've been doing for my own diet. For people, who do not eat the peel, I've read that organic bananas are largely a waste of $ because the peel provides enough protection from pesticides & other 'undesirables' for the fruit inside. For a bird eating the peel as well I would either buy organic for her, or wash it very well. Like I said, this is from human based research. Anyone else have thoughts about this?

When I got Dorian I also got a blue 1 1/"dia concrete perch, a short T perch and a large wood perch (pictures attached) They were used by her previous bird, a Macaw. I want to make sure they're safe since I don't know anything about the other bird's health. I can scrub down the pvc perch but will that be good enough with the others because of their texture? I've read something about putting things in the oven. Would that work here and how do I do it?

Thank you for the reassurances. I keep imagining what it looked like with me crawling to the cage with him hanging onto my face. One of those times you're glad no one is around! Hopefully he'll forget the getting scared part of the day and will keep geting more confident about letting go of the cage. I think his little adventure wore him out because he's making his 'it's bedtime' noises about an hour early tonight, just like an over tired child

This might be a long post, bear with me. As some of you will know, my boy Dorian has hardly ever voluntarily let go of his cage. The first time he came to me on the floor was a major milestone. So today I was sitting on the floor near his cage going through the paper. I could tell he was longing to get hold of the paper and rip it, so I placed it just out of his reach and after some thought he came down. I spread the paper out and he walked around and played for about 20 minutes. He loved tipping over my (empty) tea mug! I was laying on my stomach on the floor giving him paper, petting and praising him. A few times he stepped onto my fingers so we were working on "step-up" with me saying it every time he was about to do it on his own anyway. He was on my finger and something, I don't know what, startled him, he lost his balance and grabbed the closest thing, which was my nose! After about a nanosecond it was clear he wasn't going back to my fingers so I had to sit up and crawl over to his cage. All the while I'm talking calmly to him, but my brain is screaming 'OW OW OW' I put him on the cage bottom praising him big time and telling him what a brave boy he is because I didn't want our lovely session on the floor to end with him being fearful or angry. He went up to his perch and I gave him a treat & more praise until he was calm and gave me a little kiss. Then I went to the mirror. Could have been way worse. He didn't break the skin thank goodness. That wound would be hard to explain! Just swelled up a bit where he had hold. He clearly wasn't trying to hurt me. He's in the other room chattering away. Do you think this will set back my efforts to increase his confidence and teach him how to step up? Here's a blurry picture of him and the mug with my very cheap camera!

Aidan, I'm so sorry for your loss. We're all so attached to our babies, having something happen so fast that you can't intervene is devastating. If it's not too hard, please let us know what you learn and how you're doing. I hope you and your family will be ok.

Those are great photos Dan. What a healthy happy bird should look like!

Well, this morning as planned DohDoh (what I call him when he's being goofy) got his first spritzing with AV juice. I'd just cleaned his water dish and put fresh cold water in, and he was actually trying to get his body in there, so I followed his lead. Luckily he has a serious attitude! Instead of retreating from the mist, he comes right to it wings spread and fluffed and tries to attack the bottle, which makes it easy to get him wet under his wings and belly. I thought he'd be seriously annoyed for awhile, but he's next door chattering away. I'm going to start doing this a couple of time a week at first and gradually try to make it a part of the daily routine. It's good timing because he's starting to drop a few feathers and I think he may be heading into a moult.