chezron

So sorry for your loss. What a sweet way to remember Ivan, close to your heart.

Swiss cheese, cooked chicken drumstick bones, walnuts, apples, cherries, pomegranates, corn, and cantaloupe. Oh yeah, and sardines and salmon, too. Walnuts are my Amazon's favorite. He gets a little piece every day. They also like GREEN grapes and sprouted peas. Pancho, the amazon, likes a little yogurt, now and then. Is it okay to feed them yogurt? I figure the live cultures might be good. Brutus, the grey, loves to say, "yogurt" but he hates to eat it.

Cheese is king, and so are chicken drumstick bones at our house. Brutus' eyes only seem to pin for pleasure. When I was gone for a couple of weeks and walked in the door, his pupils all but disappeared. Also, if i ask him if I can pet his head, his pupils get really small, and I know he would like a head scratch in the worst possible way. I aim to please!

Since we got the amazon, it has been no problem putting our grey, Brutus, to bed. He used to be difficult, but since he has seen Pancho, the amazon, go to bed easily, Brutus is easy. In fact, now he actually tells me it is time, "Wanna go to bed." I am not sure how to fix your problem, except that CLB said it nicely, do "step-ups" at different times than bedtime. I think that will get him used to stepping up and then put him in his cage, too, at that time. Try to make it a pattern and an automatic response. Also, you can widen your bird's circle of loved ones. Even though i am Brutus' "favorite" my husband can handle him, carry him, take him to his office, etc. I think it is in your bird's best interest to give him more people to love on him, rather than just one. It is nice being "the chosen one" but it does limit any affection your bird receives to ONLY you. It doesn't have to be that way. It is kind of a relief to me, at times, that not all of that responsibility is mine, that other people can contribute to my grey's human experience. I think the more people you can get your grey comfortable with the better. Certainly, they won't be on the same terms as you, the favorite, but any positive human interaction is a definite plus for your bird.

How cute! Just wait until she talks... Does she fly yet?

Great points Thenabird! You must not give up on this! Be strong and figure out a way, because there IS a way to get him back. Is the guy responsive to your entreaties?

My guy HATES showers, but he gets one every Sunday. We just roll his cage outside, put the nozzle on mist and let 'er rip. I got tired of trying to coax him into the shower, so now he has no choice. I always make sure and praise him when he is showing signs of toleration, rather than active avoidance. It is funny because his brother, the Amazon, LOVES showers, and it hasn't rubbed off on Brutus. Nice thing about "Shower Sunday" I clean the cage at the same time as the shower. I have posted 1000 times with this post. Wow!

Cute little wet boy. Brutus continues to hate showers, but sometimes he dunks himself. I found a great way to get him wet without him realizing just how wet he is getting. Does that make sense? My hose nozzle has a setting of "mist" and it is pretty amazing how thoroughly wetting it is. I clean the cage at the same time he gets a shower. Win-win!

Misty aims to please!

I think if it were my bird I would have him checked out by the vet. Sometimes unseen physical problems manifest themselves as a plucking issue, even when that is not the real problem. Just to be safe I would rule out other health problems before addressing only the plucking. I know this is terribly upsetting for you. Let us know how it progresses.

Brutus is a lefty just like his Momma.

Great news! I think Gracie knows what, "I love you" means. What a fun word game. She sounds like a real smarty! Happy for you both.

He certainly is beautiful close-up. He is blushing in the second picture because he is so happy. You know they blush when they are happy? Fascinating

How sweet! It is special when they say "I love you." I love that Simon says peek-a-boo in a bucket, that must be hysterical. He sounds like a smart little guy. Be prepared for all kinds of wonderfulness!

I guess it's time to haul out the avian lights!

I got my husband off of diet coke. It is really bad for you. http://www.fitsugar.com/Diet-Coke-Healthy-Choice-7794668 It is not innocuous and it causes many health problems. Water is sooo good. I really feel diet soda is addictive after watching my husband deal with it.

You cannot overfeed a grey when it comes to healthy foods. My guy seems to eat all day long and he is a good weight. I cannot wait until your guy gets to fly for the first time. Flying does so much for their self confidence. I wish i could convey how wonderful it is that my grey flies. He is so proud of himself when he lands well, executes a difficult path, etc. He practically glows and puffs up with pride. He knows he is spectacular, and he is! Let's hope Romeo's wings were not too mangled by that horrendous clip. I am so happy for your family! So great!

"he stepped up while holding onto my hand!" That is soooo fantastic! Yeah! I have a really good feeling about this new addition. I can't wait to hear more about him.

Beautiful bird. Good luck. How exciting he will get to fly when his wings grow out! I am so happy you have family with him all the time.

That's the one! You know they did evolve from dinosaurs which would explain the resemblance. Have you ever looked at your soaking wet bird? He or she looks an awful lot like a lizard. At least I think so.

My Amazon loves the phone because he says, "hello" when he hears it ring, and he won't stop saying it until I answer the phone.

Hi Sanzoni, I feel for you. Please read this article. http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-diet-and-health/bird-nutrition/food-for-african-greys.aspx I think at least 15 minutes a day of outside sunshine, plus better nutrition, as per the article, can help. My grey started to mutilate his feathers at 6 months of age, and completely stopped after I instituted regular trips outside and added organic palm oil, and one cooked chicken drumstick a week to his varied diet of organic fresh fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains. I also offer organic pellets with palm oil. He is now beautifully feathered and hasn't mutilated since a few days after the behavioral and feeding changes. The big caveat is, if your bird has been plucking for awhile sometimes the behavior becomes a habit, and then it is more difficult to stop. My feeling is do the best you can to maximize the health of the bird and let that be enough. These birds are from sunny equatorial regions and get much of their diet from palm fruit. These are the conditions in which they evolved. Replicating the historical variety of their diet, plus providing them access to sunshine will definitely help your bird's health. Good luck!

Your crew is almost the same as mine, except for DJ.

Wild! Unfortunately I have no idea why.