chezron

Hilarious! What else has he got in store for you?!

Very interesting. I think they meant to type "zygodactyl" instead of "ygodactyl."

That must have been scary and heartbreaking! This is purely anecdotal, and possibly conjecture, but when my bird was younger, we had a similar situation happen. He flew at my face without provocation. I was standing there looking at him quietly and then all of a sudden he flew at my face. About that time we started taking him outside for 15 minutes of sunshine a day. Like I said this may be pure coincidence, but taking him outside for his "Vitamin Sunshine" has REALLY mellowed him out. He no longer has bratty outbursts of any kind. You might want to try it. My vet says it is because Vitamin D is a mood hormone, as well as, a vitamin.

Wow Elvenking i just read that your WHOLE house is carpeted! Now that makes cleaning up much more difficult. The Bissell Spot Bot sounds like a great investment.

Potty baskets! Great idea!

I get a light weight plastic tarp and cut it to size for the appropriate area where they hang out. My two tend to sit for long periods in predictable locations. For example, there is one particular window ledge that has a good outside view of the trees, so I put a 15" wide strip of the tarp under the whole ledge. That way I can just take the plastic outside and hose it off with a high pressure stream of water. I also use this under where they eat and sleep. Of course, there will be "accidents" in other locations. We use a product called, "poop-off" for that. It is enzyme-based and non-toxic for birds. The key is to squirt it on and let it sit for a few minutes, to allow it to work, then wipe up. Brutus, the grey, is courteous enough to not go when I am holding him, but Jimpster, the quaker, is liable to go at any time. I usually look for signs of "squatting" and move him to a better location.

How old is your bird?

Brutus is not jealous at all. He just adjusts. He is happy to have my undivided attention at dependable times during the day. I really am not worried about him. I am, however, worried about the little hellion-child, Brutus the quaker. He IS jealous, he DOES claim everything for himself, he WOULD rather be the most cherished and heavily worshipped ruler of the earth. He IS my problem child.

Thanks for sharing the depth of your love for Isaac. It is nice to know that this, perhaps, is a common experience when one has a grey. I know this is also the experience for me. I thank my lucky stars that Brutus came into my life. He is the source of laughter, fun, and heart-rending emotional attachment.

Dare I say---he looks SOOO intelligent! Good luck! I think his behavior bodes well for a successful future!

Thanks for all the valuable advice. Jimpster, the quaker, was in our home first. Brutus came later. Jimpster is fast and aggressive, and he has amazing strategy. Brutus is slow and methodical and never stands a chance when Jimpster comes flying at him. Brutus pretty much flies away and Jimpster struts and vocalizes about his superiority and superlative skills. I think initially Brutus wanted to be friends with Jimpster, but Jimpster sees all birds as a threat to his time with me. He is an attention hog! It is funny, when we are gone Brutus and Jimpster are found usually sitting close to each other when we come back. I worry if I get this little clipped-feathered and flightless amazon will Jimmy fly at him too, and send him crashing to the floor? I do not worry about Brutus and the new bird at all, except for possibly him being worried about losing my affection for him. I hope I can convince him he is still number 1. I just thought the amazon would provide some comic relief, and I do want to make life better for him.

Great idea to post a picture of the birds!

Great picture of the three of you! You are as beautiful as your birds. Happy for your situation of best friend birds---good for you!

Cute! how fun to sing together! Enjoy your little girl.

Malikah I am so happy for you and Kito! Good luck for the future and keep us posted with progress reports.

We also give our grey a weekly drumstick bone and occasional nuts, cheese, and fish. I forgot that part in the initial post.

At this point I am contemplating adopting a 10yo Panama Amazon and this is GREAT information! I leave bowls with Harrison's organic pellets out all day for my grey and his usual bowl of whatever fruits and vegetables are in season with a mix of cooked grains, beans, sweet potato, and topped with palm oil and chia seed. So tell me, this is how I feed my grey, how would I change what I do for an Amazon? I certainly want to improve the life situation of this little amazon. He is visibly not in optimal health. His feathers are not glossy and his beak is flaking. I also think a little sunshine would do wonders for him as he has lived under another bird cage in a roomful of birds with no windows for three years! He is sweet though.

I am so glad Nilah is okay. Organic fruit has no pesticides. Colorful fruits and vegetables are filled with phytochemicals that help the eater fight disease and cancer. I think fruits and vegetables are an important element of a human (and a grey's) diet.

Thank you for all you do! I value and appreciate the Grey community and the advice and support all the great members provide and the coordination and kind guidance the Forum leaders give on a daily basis.

Just a late Happy Birthday wish for you! Hope you had an enjoyable day!

How traumatic for you and Marcus. I sometimes think these types of events are worse for us than they are for them. Meaning that, once they figure out they are okay, they usually get over the event quickly and continue to "live-in-the-moment" while we replay the trauma and think of worst case scenarios.

I think you need this bird! You don't have a large parrot yet, and I think you would be perfect parront.

How cute Blueberry is! Perfect name!

Cricket IS adorable. Perhaps pass on the African Grey? Just being devil's advocate. You can always get a grey later...

I wouldn't worry about it. I may even be encouraged by the fact he is: imitating another living creature (showing potential to copy human voices) and demonstrating his vulnerability and congeniality.