chezron

Bel oiseau!

So sweet! She wanted to be near Rom!

Honest-to-goodness Brutus has never made a burping or farting noise. (I won't admit to doing either.) He doesn't swear either. He does make a police siren noise when i am leaving--like it is a real emergency in his world! I have no idea how he made the connection of outdoor police siren and emergency situation, but he did. I don't cough much, so he doesn't do that one either. He did learn Pancho's sneeze and does that on occasion. Sometimes I have to ask them, "Okay, which one of you did that?"

Only problem with the paper towel dab-and-throw-away method is the cumulative cost in trees. I like to use cheap washclothes that I wash with soap and vinegar to clean. I use them over and over again.

How old is he? Nice set up you have for him.

Blue Dawg, You are in my thoughts as you go through this difficult time. Best wishes for you and your Mom.

Do you ever wonder about depriving your Grey of a natural existence? Meaning that, if left to his or her own devices they would be mated and setting up a nest situation with eggs and babies. My guy is definitely in the mood this year. I cannot let my hand drift past his head or he is instantly in the mood. He will start bobbing his head, or regurgitating or clicking his beak. I feel bad for him. I am not his mate and I never will be, yet he sees me as such. How do you deal with this situation?

What an amazing story! You are incredible to have the strength and determination to do this with your grey. I am fairly certain that few people could tolerate the level of abuse that you did. Good for you and way to go! Please post and ramble more because we all learn from your experience! I think your lessons could help many a grey owner who may choose to give away their bird in frustration, and choose instead, to weather the storm of testing. You have my admiration.

Are you alright? Boy, that sounds like a bad day! I know i have a couple of couples who would be willing to take my guys if I die or become incapacitated.

What a nice husband you have! Hopefully she won't lay more eggs. It is so hard on them to do that.

Brutus tends to make our other parrot's communication sounds, and he mimicks the outdoor bird sounds, like the orange warbler. Thank goodness it isn't the Red-Shouldered Hawk!

It always strikes me when I see videos of other greys how much more energetic they are than Brutus. He is just a couch potato most of the time. I call him and he flies to me in whatever part of the house I am in, but otherwise he is never frantic or moving fast. We hang out most of the time. I worry that maybe he is not okay health-wise, but i think it is really just his personality. He is not twitchy or fast--ever.

Brutus talks when he is happy. He usually has a couple of times a day where he will sit and just spill out all of the stuff he knows. When he is content and when my husband and I were together he talked SO MUCH! Sometimes all day-nonstop! Lately, he talks periodically. When he gets daily sunshine and a bath outside he tends to be very content and much more talkative. Also, if I am happy he talks more. Normally, he just says the stuff that he has been saying lately, but when he is really happy, I hear stuff from several years back. I think I like that as much for the fact that it shows he is exceptionally happy as I do that I get to hear all his repertoire. He intersperses the talking with a few "connector" noises that change from month-to-month. The connector noise i hear all day long. If I ask him if it is okay to pet his head and he gives me the "noise du jour" I know I have his permission.

Wow! Way to go Dorian!

Another thing to think about is the sterilizing properties of full sun! I get local spring water in glass bottles that i reuse. I set them out in the sun and I bet that kills just about everything! Haven't tested it though.

This is so good to know. You must be a scientist too! I stopped using a microwave in 2010. Initially, it was tough, but I am totally used to it now. It just takes a few more minutes to heat up dinner in the oven. I wash all my dishes by hand using a sponge-topped soap wand. It is just me in the house and I tend to use the same dishes over and over, so I never have enough to run the dishwasher. I have never have sterilized the sponge, and i would hate to think what is growing on it! I use vinegar (organic) in my laundry to allow for better cleaning with my alkaline water. I guess i will start soaking my dish wand sponge in it too. It is truly a wonder cleaner. I clean my white sinks with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide and a little vinegar too. They are SO white! I have never had whiter sinks since I switched from toxic cleaners to simple ingredients.

You guys crack me up! I have a ceiling fan in the bedroom and he doesn't go near it if it is spinning. I use junky pillows and a set of comforters I bought cheaply to cover things he is likely to shred. i still have to keep an eye on him though, and if it is quiet it is a sure sign he is getting into something he shouldn't! l also learned to buy things that cannot be destroyed so easily like furniture and lamps made of metal, glass and hardwood--no plastic, no vinyl. The cheap vinyl and metal kitchen stools have been munched on. I will never buy vinyl anything as it is just like butter when met with a beak. He alternates on what he is interested in, so I rotate the pillows and comforters around as his interests change. I have given up on the door frame headers on most of my doors. I try to give him stuff he CAN shred when he is in the mood. He likes to show me how big and tough he is by putting big gaping holes in cardboard boxes. He has about a zillion wooden toys that he works on from time to time, and various atoms, and play stations with toys around the house, so he has places all over where he can let loose.

Brutus has never been clipped and I like it that way. He LOVES to fly and it shows. He is so proud of himself when he makes a tricky landing. I do have to keep a careful eye on him because he can fly, but I am okay with that. All this being said, he flew out of the house a few months back and I was able to get him back, and I do not regret my decision to keep him fully flighted. It is the risk we will take and I take it knowing full well the consequences. I do believe that once he got out that having unclipped wings and full flying abilities kept him safe from hawks and crows. I do not even believe in little trims because that compromises a bird's safety if they ever have to fend for themselves.

Both of your birds are so beautiful! I am glad everything is going well.

Thank you for your support! I really couldn't have lived with myself if I hadn't taken him into the vet's--around midnight--thank you very much. I am so glad he is fine. He cracks me up everyday and I think he is the cutest bird to walk and fly on this earth! Truly, he makes my heart swell to twice its size every time i look at him. I treasure every moment we spend together. I am thankful he is healthy.

He is spunky and just fine today. His morning bomb was completely normal. I guess I over-reacted. I have seen unusual droppings before and rapidly connected their appearance with a colored fruit or whatever he had just eaten. No problem. I guess because i hadn't been home to witness what he had been consuming made my a little crazy. I think I NEED a life. I started taking a backpacking course and am now gone in the evening one night a week, which is my attempt to meet like-minded people (hopefully, some single men) and to experience some beautiful places.

The office i take him to is open 24 hours so we just spent the last few hours in a room at the vet's office. He started to poop completely normal after about an hour, and I made sure he did it a couple more times before I took him home. I think he is okay, but i will keep a close eye on him just to make sure. I looked all through the house to see if he could have gotten into to something, but nothing was different. The only thing i can think of is I was gone later than usual and maybe he was upset and/or I put red palm oil in his food and maybe there was a chunk that i didn't mix up well? I will make sure and heat it a little so it will mix better next time. In the winter it is difficult to mix well into food. I hope he is truly okay.

Brutus is pooping liquid. Gold-colored liquid and I am worried. What should I do? Please advise. If it were daytime I could take him to the vet, but I can't now. Help!!!!

This is a great thread. Thank you very much for the laughs!

Birdhouse, That sounds great. Do you have a photo of it I could see? My boy does like to chew whatever can be chewed.