chezron

I think Jeff and everybody is right on! Just provide loving kindness and guidance and allow your grey to develop into his/her uniqueness. Brutus went through the terrible twos and came out the other side a sweet calm guy. He is probably the cuddliest a grey can get which is NOWHERE near what a cockatoo requires. He likes kisses all day long, but petting only in the morning and at night. If I don't pet him by a certain time at night he stands around with his leg in the air because he wants to be picked up so badly! I, of course, do not allow him to go ignored in this position if I notice it. He loves Wheel of Fortune because knows he will be in Mommy's lap for 30 minutes. After the show it is sometimes difficult to convince him to change positions, usually if I mention his favorite food he will allow himself to be transferred to the kitchen. He is so sweet! Love my feathered kid!

Ordered a quartz infrared heater -- thanks! I have a big house and am only interested in taking the chill off the bird's room (my office/kitchen too) in the coldest months. Most of the time it is a fine temperature, but when it gets down below 59F I get a little concerned. I don't need to heat the whole house. I figure using a space heater very occasionally would save energy costs over heating the whole house. I am new to energy costs. Am I right about that?

What is better than the smell of fresh air coming into an open window? :>)

I really would be careful. I don't think scented candles are a good idea --ever-- with birds.

Even though Brutus knows his name he usually refers to other people or parrots instead of himself. He says, "Pancho is a good boy" or "Bye-bye Mama" or Yeah! Mom's home!"

What, if any, space heaters are safe for use with birds? Electric ones tend to have a bad weird odor and I am sure they are polluting the air. Are there any that are safe?

Found this on the web. It talked about how Glade plug-ins killed several people's birds. I would be leery of any product with a scent because it means the scent is volatilizing in the air. "The take-home message is that any volatile oil (fragrance) has the potential for causing illness and possible death in birds. Obviously, the concentration in a product and length of exposure are factors to be considered. Products containing a high concentration of volatile oils, as in Glade Plug-Ins, should be avoided completely."

Brutus LOVES to unlatch Jimpster's food and water and dump them on the floor. I use locking metal clamps to stop him but he still tries. The clamps do work. And yes, Nancy's right they get bored with doing this after awhile and look for a new target to destroy. Because they are so smart, this kind of stuff is part and parcel of owning an African Grey. For me, it comes down to giving them better choices in order to draw their attention elsewhere. For example, Brutus has lately taken a liking to destroying some wood trim in my bedroom. I am going to cover it with paper, plus I have moved one of his perches nearby, so he can learn to land there instead. It SHOULD work, in theory anyway...

Favorite sound---lately Brutus is extending the "kissing" sound --all on his own! Is is so sweet! BIG KISSES!!

Sorry to hear about Opey! I lost my first Quaker after around 20 years. I still miss him. He was a sweet little guy. Opey will always be in your heart.

Congratulations on Radar's development. Just curious, does he get to go outside? I know I say this quite frequently, but direct sunlight can often stop beginning feather plucking. It did for my guy. He started to barber his feathers at about your parrot's age. My vet suggested an outside trip (weather permitting) most days for 15 minutes. Since then Brutus has never mistreated his feathers. The health benefits are enormous as sunlight helps nutrient assimilation, as well as, conversion to vitamin D which affects ALL the body systems and their mood (brain). Really just trying to help because this simple act improved Brutus' life immeasurably.

I remember Opey being in the prior Sig. Did he die recently? Nice job!

Yeah Escher! I do love to watch them fly!

I'll start. I got up on a ladder this morning to replace the battery in the chirping smoke alarm. As I replaced it I heard another smoke alarm chirping. Then I thought, hmmm-- I don't have another smoke alarm-do I? And if i do, what are the chances of its battery going dead at the same time? No, actually I do not have another smoke alarm, but I do have a parrot who is a mimic. Thank you Brutus. So now I get to hear the smoke alarm even though the battery is changed. Actually he hasn't been that bad with the sound, but he does say, "You're smart" pretty often. I have no idea why.

It concerns me that all of the birds I have seen Irene working with-- pluck, and are clipped.

I would never have believed it unless I witnessed it! Anna communicates with a vicious black leopard and changes his life. Have your tissues ready. This woman shows us how to listen to our animals. I always did believe that if you tell your birds exactly how you want them to behave they will. Before I leave home i remind my Grey not to go on my desk, and you know what? Nothing is disturbed when I get home. A couple of times i forgot and some things got chewed--oops! Also, I always tell them how long i will be gone. It turns out I was doing this right. As an experiment I pictured Pancho laughing, and within 5 minutes he was laughing! He rarely does this normally. I am so happy to have found these videos! i hope you enjoy them too. I knew I wasn't crazy! Think in "pictures" on how you want them to behave, and they will, because they love us. Let me know what you think.

I recently found a very "singable" internet station, so they get LOTS of karaoke from me. They do LOVE when I have people over for dinner. I do talk to him all of the time, and especially when he is talking. Although after the 3 millionth time of him saying, "you're smart!" and me replying, "Yes, you are a smart boy too Brutus" ... Just kidding, it NEVER gets old! I love him so much!

Hi All, Has anyone else shared trauma with your grey and how has he/she reacted? This is what happened in our case: Just five months ago my husband unexpectedly moved out and moved in with the wife of his best friend. Surprise to us all. Anyway, I not only lost a husband but the three parrots lost a semi-regular person in their lives. I say "semi-regular" as he is a pilot and gone for days at a time. Anyway, after being left adrift, we are finally gaining strength and acquiring our "sea legs." My question is Brutus initially shared my grief, and he seems to come out of it--as I have. Although, he doesn't talk nearly as much now. Once, every few weeks he will really go through his repertoire, so I know he hasn't forgotten anything. Lately he has been saying, "That's smart!" all day long. That's about all he says except for, "see you in a little while" when I leave. Brutus learned his vocabulary from the STBX exclusively. I can talk to him until I am blue in the face and he will not repeat ANYTHING I say. He does say exactly two things in my voice though, "Are you okay?" and "Want some water?" and I did not teach him those. Do you think he will ever talk as much as he used to? Do I have to get another man in my life before Brutus will learn more words? What has been your experience?

I rock Brutus on his back all the time! He loves it. If he can perch on your finger and you can rest a hand on his back, slowly dip him a little further each time. Brutus will now sit quite motionless on his back but he still is gripping my finger.

Hi Steve 2, I am so glad you were sensitive enough to figure out there was something wrong, and fixed poor little Toulouse. Yeah! Thanks for the safety reminder!

So sweet! I love seeing these photos! I look forward to more. Please keep us posted.

My guy, Brutus, hates showers. He will sometimes dunk himself, but I can't wait that long. On the weekends I roll his cage outside. Even though he holds his feathers tight to his body, if I use a hose attachment and set it on "mist" I can get him pretty soaked. Mist is deceiving because it delivers a large quantity of water without force. He tolerates this kind of shower. Besides a bath, make sure your grey gets some outside time in the sun! So important for your bird to get some direct sunlight most days.

I have turned in several lab reports and take-home tests with beak marks in them. Thank goodness my keyboard slides out-of-sight! I always leave the house telling Brutus to, "stay off my desk and don't chew my books." I find that if I specifically tell him what I don't want him to do--he doesn't do it. Now when I forget...

Funny! Thanks for sharing.

I think Brutus is messy just so he can get a refill. He tosses out any food that he deems unpalatable. I guess he thinks the space he creates will allow in extra food, more to his liking. It sometimes works:)