chezron

He sure looks like he is having fun! Thanks for the video.

Nice job on the ladder! It sure is gratifying when they enjoy the fruits of your efforts.

We have had Pancho (Panama Amazon) since the end of July 2011. He is slowly becoming more adventurous. He loves his toys and is guaranteed to destroy any soft wooden toy, and all its parts, within minutes of receiving it. Today, however, he did something new. I found him hanging upside down and furiously bashing a toy with such glee and abandon. This is a real first for him as he is normally reserved. He has also been flying more and I often find him in another room or location. I have no idea what spurs him to venture out, but he is doing it more and more. He is also visiting the other bird's cages. This development worries me as Jimpster, the quaker, is a feisty little guy and known for inflicting a volley of bites to all who get in his space. But, I am encouraged, because the other day I was in the kitchen and Pancho hopped over to Brutus' cage where Jimpster was playing and no one got hurt. All of a sudden I see Jimpster lunging at Pancho and biting his feet, but instead of attacking Jimpster, Pancho flew away. I see this as a positive sign that no blood will be shed. Jimpster regularly tempts fate by going IN Brutus' and Pancho's cages to get snacks. I don't know if you are familiar with Quakers, but they have no concept of their size limitations.

Pancho is around 10 and hasn't been ornery at all. Now the Quaker on the other hand...

How wonderful for you both. Keep us updated with stories.

She looks so young. She has those "baby eyes." Hope to hear more about her.

Please tell us how your trip went. I wish you and Roxie (Moxie) the best.

Excited about your future together! Hope to hear new developments.

Great news! Thanks for the update.

Just to let you know, that is his little brother's cage and not his. Brutus' cage is much bigger. For some reason he likes to hang out on Jimpster's cage. I don't know if it the same for your parrots, but Brutus seems to only remember phrases or short sentences, although; he can whistle the whole Andy Griffith's theme song.

Hardwood floors throughout. We use plastic tarp cut to shape for strategic areas. It is easy to hose off outside.

Here is Brutus "singing" and he sings about as well as the guy who taught him. In this clip he sings a little and dances a little. The words "dance" and "office" give him problems. He seems to be obsessed with saying, "laser boy."

Brutus knows the Andy Griffith theme song, and sometimes I wished he had never learned it <G>. He always says after whistling the song, "Good Song!" He "dances" to some songs that he likes. He bobs his head and sometimes moves his feet. Lately, because his brother amazon knows the first line of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" he has been singing that too. I never knew that Greys could sing.

Yeah Buddy! Happy for you both. has he ever been out in the sunshine? Regular trips outside for my guy is like "birdy valium." I have mellow guy as a result. It could help the feather problem.

Pancho, the amazon, is fairly new to our house and timid. He mostly hangs out on his cage, although he has started exploring and flying places. He flies about three times a week. Yesterday, this is a first, he tried to follow us out the door and flew into a window. He did not hurt himself which I am thankful for. He didn't really smash into the window, more like tried to land on the ledge and missed. He is sweet and timid and I hope he flies more in the future. He sees his other two parrot buddies, CAG and Quaker, fly everywhere and all the time, and I think it must influence him somewhat. I wish him freedom from fear. I hope he finds confidence and delight in our home.

Good luck with this situation. Don't worry, soon you will have your own apartment and a Grey. Keep the faith.

Sometimes when I can tell Brutus (CAG) is going to bite if I ask him to step up, I use a small throw pillow against his legs and he steps up on that. Once he is on the pillow I carry him to his cage. Also, I like the idea of giving him a pencil, cork, cloths pin, etc. as a beak distractor. If you use the same sequence of events every night ending with a bite, you have to change it up because the response is, by now, automatic. Teaching step ups using a stick would be good for this situation too. My amazon was trained very well on step ups with a stick, so if I sense he is ornery, I use a stick rather than my hand. Watch Barbara's Heidentreich's videos on how to get started. It would be good to do this in the morning rather than close to bedtime. Good luck. I think team Penny will win!

You sound like a wonderful person to adopt a rehomed CAG! I could use some lessons in clicker training myself. Keep us posted, but it seems like you would be a great new owner.

Hi Artoo. Hope we will hear about your new baby soon.

Congratulations. I bet the Gracy news will get better and better.

You know we have the same situation. I would wait to see if this situation is really a problem. We thought our super high ceilings with super high window ledges would be a problem, but he rarely goes up there because he wants to be closer to us. Because so many of the things we worry about rarely come true, I would put off any structural changes until it becomes necessary.

Funny, thanks for sharing her story.

Acappella I have goosebumps reading how patient you were with your guy! Thank you so much for sharing your experience. So gratifying to know how loving patience leads to a wonderful bond.

I live in CA and I have Queen Palms in my yard. They produce nuts frequently that are favored by the wild parrots in the area. My Amazon likes them, but my Grey could care less. I end up using organic red palm oil mixed with their soft food as a supplement. Given that Greys in habitat eat primarily red palm fruit as their sole food it makes sense to include some oil or fruit in our home bird diets.

How sweet it must be to fly. I can only imagine...