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"Mistypie", that's so cute!

Today a wonderful thing happened. Pancho, who is normally a couch potato on his cage, I assumed only gets exercise when Jimpster, the quaker, upsets him so much he flies to get away from him. Many times I have returned downstairs to find Pancho in various locations in the living room. I always thought he got there by duress, but today Pancho did something that got me thinking he went on his own volition. Both Brutus, the grey, and Jimpster were up in my husband's office when I went outside for a moment. As I was coming back into the house from the deck i see Pancho's little face in the kitchen window looking at me. He flew by himself because he missed me! Or at least that is how I take it. I mean neither bird was with him at the time, so what else can it be? Pretty wild huh?

That is how seeds get distributed in the wild because of the "messy" food habits of birds.

We always tell Brutus our status, meaning that we say, "We will be right back" or "We will be back in little while" or some other phrase that lets him know HOW LONG it will be before he sees us again. Maybe it is because he has other birds with him, but he never makes contact calls. He pretty much chills until we get back. Also, our house has a lot of windows, and frequently we are just outside, so he knows where to fly to see us. For some reason he has faith that we will return, even though he doesn't like us to leave. Maybe because we have a track record, in that we return when we say we will return. I always tell him how long I will be gone. I say, "I will be back in three hours or I will be back before it is dark, or "Mama is going upstairs, she will be right back" or something to that effect. i have no idea if he understands, but it is worth a try. One thing Brutus does do which is sort of like a contact call is when I am gone he asks my husband, "Where's Mama?"

Please be kind and patient. It can take a long time to develop trust and sometimes you take a step forward and then you go back a little. Have faith that it will happen, because a good relationship will come. Greywings had great advice. If I can add that sunshine is really important. Take your bird outside most days for fifteen minutes. Cooked chicken drumstick BONES are a great source of calcium. Chicken bones have to be my guy's most favorite food. They freak out if I pull them out of the freezer to thaw. I feed them one drumstick bone once a week. Good luck to you. Your bird is in good hands and he is a lucky bird to have you.

Welcome to the forum Daniel! Ruby and Virgil are precious. Ruby is quite remarkable. I can't wait to hear all about you guys!

Nice to meet you Heidi and Casper and we look forward to hearing more about you.

Dave 007 you are so right about "Being bitten is dealt with by learning to avoid doing thing things that may cause it to happen." Definitely learn your bird's body language. The thread on body language just scratches the surface. I have had my guy for four years, and I can say that only lately do I feel I have a handle on what he is thinking. I do not attempt to make him do anything he is not in the mood to do because it just doesn't work. If i were you I would not allow Alfie on your shoulder. Brutus is only allowed in my lap where i can keep an eye on him. i also to do not force him to step up unless he extends his foot. If I ask and if he quickly lowers his head, I know he will not step up. I wouldn't say he is grumpy, i would say he is not in the mood. Also, if I ask to scratch his head and he jerks his head slightly, I know he is not comfortable with my request, and I refrain. If, however, I ask, and he puffs up his feathers and pins his eyes, I know he is "in the mood" for a scratch. Biting is not a mystery if you pay attention and respect your bird.

Dan you are SOO right about the praise thing. When i tell Brutus he is handsome, he is the best, and that I am so proud of him, he looks like he gonna explode he is so happy with himself. I love that!

I love happy stories like your's and Zandir's. It really makes my day, and brings a smile to my face every time i think of your reunion.

Yeah Katrina and Alfie! You have a home here on the forum.

Hey! Whatever works is good. Poopy toys are definitely a "no go" item.

I am so happy for the both of you. Please share details soon! Yeah!

What are siggs?

Hi KimKim my husband is like that too, quick to yell, thinking it will help, and it makes the situation worse. The best investment I made is a pair of earplugs i pop in when Pancho or Jimpster escalate the decibel levels. Another thing we do that helps is to try to get Pancho to switch his annoying sound with a nicer one, like a chicken cluck or cats' meow, and when he does, we praise the heck out of him. This works somewhat. It is best to get them to switch right when they start making the annoying sound, because it is not habitual at that point.

Bonding is good: regurgitation is not. Brutus initially tried regurgitation with me, but I ignored his efforts, so now it is a lot more calm around here, yet he still loves me. i do think encouraging regurgitation is confusing for the bird because it encourages sexual behavior that cannot be acted upon. The great thing is your bird obviously is trying to bond with you! Good job!

Great advice Acappella!

I think i can add to this conversation since the same thing happened to me. The grey I initially picked turned out to be unfriendly, in spite of much cajoling on my part, and bribes of fruit. I finally decided, right before i would be able to take him home that he was not the right bird for me. I am VERY GLAD I made that decision since I found the perfect bird a year later. They chose you, and Brutus chose me. I picked him up and knew right away that the relationship was right. He was calm and enthusiastic all at the same time. It was an amazing experience for me.

Hey Salad Ninja, I did a little more research on 5-HTP and maybe i shouldn't have recommended it carte blanche. You definitely shouldn't take it if you are already taking an anti-depression medication. So ignore that part of my advice. The exercise thing is still a good idea, as is yoga and meditation. Andrew Weill suggests SAMe and kava kava as safe supplements for depression and anxiety.

You have a lovely girl. So much fun in store...

Congratulations! I think you are a wise woman for holding off just now. Good luck to you, and again congratulations on your positive life changes.

Anxiety totally sucks and I, too, deal with it. I exercise daily because it takes the edge off, it makes it better. Plus, I just discovered a supplement called 5-HTP which supports serotonin synthesis. Anyway, your body makes it naturally, but sometimes not enough. I take one 50 mg anytime I am freaking out. No, it is not a drug and you can't take too much. It is pretty amazing! i am going through a VERY stressful time and this helps a lot. I am also in grad school and it is not a party, let me tell you. Please have faith that it will all work out. You also have the support of your husband which is extremely important.

How are his calcium levels? Scary stuff!

My amazon and my grey get along just fine. They mostly ignore each other even though their cages are right next to each other, and they are physically a couple of feet away from each other.

I think it would be much more stylish on you Dave!