Acappella

Congrats. As a new bird mom it's great that you and others are here to let me pick your brains. I hope when I reach 1000 posts, they haven't all been questions:lol:

:woohoo: Dorian ate a couple pieces of steamed (and cooled) broccoli and carrot today! He's always only eaten a food mix from Kaytee called Fiesta, and taken peanuts, walnuts and almonds as 'treats'. Reading on your website I realized how poor his diet is. He started eating socially with me last week, eating from his dish while I ate meals next to his cage, and today he ate a bit I offered off my plate. Didn't care for cauliflower though, and preferred the carrot to the broccoli. I was wondering if my next step should be trying to get him to try pellets, and if the best way to do that is to mash them with warm water like I've read some people do? Advice, as always, is very welcome.

danmcq, you're soooo cruel. :silly:

Thanks guys. One less thing to worry about. Maybe I can use the morning bomb to begin using the 'go poop' phrase! I'm so glad I found this web site and group.

Does the old wives tale that getting pooped on the head means good luck apply when it's indoors, I wonder:lol: Thank, Judygram, for the reassurance. New mom syndrome here and none of the books I've read mentioned the morning poop!!!

So glad lovemybird! broached the poop topic below! Dorian's still almost totally cage-bound so poop outside the cage isn't a problem yet, but he's started holding it through the night and doing a really big poop as soon as I turn up the light and greet him in the morning. I don't remember him doing this in the store. During the day he's right on schedule, about every 20 minutes. Does anyone else have a bird who does this, and do you know if it can hurt him. (not that I can think of a way of changing it!)

I'm so sorry you are going through this loss. Whenever you love there's a chance of pain and I know Beaker already had a place in your heart. You were doing everything right, and I hope you'll soon bring home a grey you can love for decades like you would have Beaker.

Dorian came from a pet store, so he does a frightfully loud budgie and canary. Mostly uses them to get my attention, or at night when it's close to bedtime he goes a little nutty with them, like an overtired child. Is there a way to download sound clips here? I'd love to share (misery loves company!), plus some of his more hilarious vocal antics. Other than not responding or coming to him when he makes these sounds, is there any other technique to discourage them that anyone believes in?

OK, I can't attach the photo. Can anyone direct me somewhere to learn how to re-size and post pictures?

I've been learning so much browsing around on your different forum topics, I thought I'd give you all an update on Dorian. He's settled in fairly well but it's clear reading all your posts that I have alot of work to do. He's hand fearful (although he's letting me scratch him through the bars) and won't let me hold him, which is hard for me. I just keep telling myself to be patient. He's terrified of any strange perch, stick, brooms. I was moving an easel, keeping my body between it and him, and he still freaked and fell off his perch. He's a shy talker and does most of it when I'm out of the room, but once I had my cat Jac in my arms near his cage and Dorian said "Hello, good boy" which I am totally convinced he was saying to the cat. He also does complete conversations, both sides, mostly in the pet store. He does the door bell ringing, a conversation, and then the door bell again when the customer leaves! So there's no question he's brilliant, right? I spend a couple of hours a day sitting next to his cage talking, scratching, feeding him walnuts and almonds. I'll post a few new photos on my profile page. A couple show him getting brave enough to come out of his cage, but he won't let go of the bars or let me get near him when he does. A picture of him and Jac follows here. Enjoy.

Dorian came to me with his name. I don't know if it's a common name for a grey, but as I love the story by Oscar Wilde and the idea behind it, I like the name. Good thing, as he loves saying his own name over and over (and over. . .) again!

What about a very slight shaking or shiver? I know it's not cold, does it always mean fear, especially if he's not at all fluffed when he's doing it?

Thank you. I'll try TVOntario, our public station. I want to eventually be able to take him from room to room on playstands, but right now he's terrified of any perch except the long dowel in his cage. I have a small concrete perch and a long manzanita branch, but if you bring anything stick like, even a broom, anywhere near his cage he retreats as far as he can. I'll look around on the site to find tips on reducing that fear. I'm a new parent and I'm hungry for all the advice you can offer me:cheer: Another question. Dorian loves shredding paper. Is coloured dollar store tissue paper safe incase he swallows some?

p.s. I move around the basement quite a bit from office to living room to studio. His cage is on wheels. I'm wondering which is better, moving him when I'm going to be staying in one space for a while, or working in the next room and calling and talking to him.

Well, I moved Dorian from the Pet Store home yesterday. Actually had to do it in two stages. Moved him from his big cage to a sleep cage in the store on Saturday so that I could disassemble and clean the big cage. It hadn't been thouroughly cleaned in over a year! So he was already quite freaked out. Getting him out of the sleep cage and into the travel crate yesterday was also not fun, but at least when he got home his familiar cage with his toys and everything set up the same way as usual was here ready for him, and he went right in. He does seem a little thrown by how clean everything is! It's hard to see that he no longer trusts my hand inside the cage because of this weekend. I have to open the door to change his water and when I did that this morning he gave me a bite, not bad, but hard enough to draw a bit of blood. (I didn't react, just said no and walked away) He has, however, let me feed him a peanut and a walnut through the bars, and even let me scratch his head, so I'll have to content myself with this for awhile I guess. I put him to bed very early last night, at 7:30, but that's late for him because he's used to lights out at the store at 6:00. I've spent the morning with him, talking and sitting by the cage, but I have to leave for 2-3 hours this afternoon and I'm already feeling guilty, he's been through so much. He has a history of 'turning' on people and not forgiving perceived slights, but I don't want him to think I'll be beside his cage all day every day. He's never seen tv before, so I've left the small set on in the room. I don't have cartoon network so I've just left it softly on CNN. I guess I'm just looking for reassurance and advice/tips on how to make him feel safe and happy.

Hi. Maybe we can support each other, as I just moved a grey named Dorian to my home yesterday, and I don't know who is more stressed about it, me or him. In the store where he's from he was cage bound, but I could open his cage and pet, scratch, and play with him. Since I'm the one who moved him into the travel cage and then again once he got here, now he's afraid of my hand and the trust we had is damaged. I just keep reminding myself that it took a long time in the store before he trusted me. He has let me scratch his head and feed him peanuts through the bars, so that's hopeful. I'm sure that just like Dorian, your new baby sees her cage as her safe place. Grey's intelligence is a double edged sword. It makes them wonderful companions, but you have to prove to them that you're worthy of their trust and love. I'm sure if we're both patient they'll both figure out they're safe and their curiosity will get the better of them!

I would also be tempted to report this person to the authorities. I work part time in the pet store where I'm getting Dorian from, and I'm always amazed at people who will come to the store in expensive cars with designer bags, and complain about the cost of the food for animals they're supposed to love. Thank goodness you found him. Whatever long-term health challenges he may have, i've found that rescued animals really bond with the person who saved them. You'll be able to teach him to trust and love again. My thoughts are with you.

Hi. I need advice, fast. I'm bringing a grey named Dorian into my life and my home. He wasn't supposed to be coming to me until the spring, but for reasons way too long to type right now, I'm actually getting him this coming Sunday and I'm scared I'm not ready. His story is in this forum under the topic Pet Store Grey., if you want the details of his life until now. My main concerns are these. 1. Earlier today, before I found out he had to move on Sunday, I was using paint thinner to clean paint out of carpet in the room he will be in and the smell is all through the house. I have air cleaners going, and all the windows open, and I'm going to rent a carpet cleaner tomorrow, but I'm really worried. The smell may be gone by Sunday, but how do I tell if the fumes are gone? 2. I thought I had the winter to teach him to step up, get him less fearful of leaving his cage, and start moving him from his present cage to a sleep cage at night. Now I don't know where to put his cage. Just moving here will be traumatic enough. Do I put him in the office where it is quiet and dark at night (where his sleep cage will eventually go) or do I put him in my living space where there is more natural light, but more noise and activity at night? Also, my cat Jac has open access to my living area, while the office is blocked by a door. These are just the top two of a whole list of concerns, but I'd be grateful for any help.

Well, Dorian got up the courage otday to venture onto the outside of his cage wall, and I got up the courage to gently get him to let go and come onto my hand. He flapped alot, and kept trying to make his way onto my shoulder, and I kept putting my other hand infront of him and saying step-up when he transferred from one forearm to the opposite hand. He was shaking quite a bit, but then he let me put him against my chest and stroke his back until he calmed down, and then his curiosity got the better of him and he started looking around from his new perspective. The little monkey did make it onto my shoulder at last, and was trying to figure out how to get on top of my head, so I calmly moved over to his cage and let him transfer there instead. He promptly went to the top of the cage, but when I shelled a peanut and told him he could have it if he went to his perch (one of our rituals for treats), he came down and went in on his own. I really praised him, and then I let him watch me load a foraging toy I bought him with peanuts. When I left he was trying to get them out, and he gave me a quick kiss, so I think I'm forgiven for taking him out of his comfort zone. If you guys will bear with me, I'll tell you a bit about his life. My friend Bev bought him as a baby and he spent the first months of his life in their home. When Bev and her husband opened the pet store they were spending so many hours there she was worried about him being alone all the time, so that's when she moved him to the store, always intending to take him home when things settled down. Then Bev was diagnosed first with stomach cancer, had that surgery and treatment, then 5 months later found a malignant lump in her breast and had that removed, chemo, and all that goes with it. Of course from Dorian's perspective all he knew was that his flock, Bev and her husband, were suddenly gone. I started filling in a few hours at first to keep the store going, and when it became clear that Bev was going to be missing for months, I found a mutual friend to take over running the store. (Now she's actually buying the place!) Dorian transferred his affection to Debbie and me, but has from the start loved me (He knew a sucker when he saw one). When Bev and Brian started coming back in, he was hostile to Brian, and barely tolerated Bev. When she saw me interacting with Dorian she asked me if I was interested in buying him. Knowing what the cage he is in alone cost, I told her it was out of my reach financially. That's when she decided to sell me Dorian, his big cage, his 'moving' cage (which I want to use as a sleep cage) and all his perches, and toys, for $1500, which she's letting me pay off by the month. So she really only wants to know he's in a good home. Anyway, that's why he probably won't physically be in my home until the spring. Oh, and that brings me to one of many questions I'm sure I'll bring to you all. Is it true that he shouldn't be moved when the weather is cold, even if it's just from store to heated car to house? I want to do everything right and make things as easy and as healthy for him as possible! Thanks to everyone for their words of encouragement. G'nite!

Hello. Glad I found this site, as I am full of questions and concerns about my imminent parrot parentage. His name is Dorian, and he has lived in the pet store of a friend since he was a year old. He is almost five now. He is already bonded to me (and me to him) but I probably won't be bringing him home until the spring. I actually work a few hours of the month at the store so I have a key, and permission to go in and work with him when I can. I'm worried because everything I read is telling me that he should be a sickly, neurotic, feather plucking mess. His diet is extremly limited, he rarely gets new toys (I've been trying to introduce some) and he doesn't like to leave his cage. If I leave the door open, he actully closes it! I have gotten him to come out to explore the outside of the cage but he won't let go of the bars, and the only time he's come onto my hand is when he was startled and glided down to the floor. Obviously, he's never been taught to 'step up' All that being said, he seems to be a very healthy and happy bird. He has many words, phrases and sounds, although most are not interactive except hello (and he says "Hello, Chew Chews" Whenever the phone rings). The first thing I want to do is teach him to step up onto my hand. Any advice on how to do this with a bird that isn't a baby would be welcome. I want to be a great parent to this furry little soul I've fallen in love with!