chezron

Hi Forum, Brutus LOVES cherries! It seems like half the fun for him is dismantling a vegetable or fruit that is not prepped for eating. For instance (all organic)corn-on-the-cob, or unskinned kiwi fruit, cantaloupe with the seeds, the top of a pear without seeds but with the stem, and peas in the pod. My question is: Do you give your bird whole cherries? He loves holding the stem and digging out the pit. He spits it out immediately because I watch. Is this okay? I know pits and seeds from stone fruit and apples contain a cyanide compound. Or should I take the pits (and the fun) out before giving him cherries? My second question is about sprouted beans and peas. I get a mix of organic adzuki beans, lentils, and peas that are sprouted. He loves these. These are okay to feed him right? Thank you for indulging me my silly questions. I am an over-protective new mother.

Update- Brutus likes my Husband more now. I think my Husband was stressed out about something and maybe he was reading that when he avoided him. Brutus definitely likes the way he scratches his head, and will sit for as long as he continues to scratch.

After reading all the posts about your precocious birds first talking at a very young age, I thought maybe Brutus would just be a very good whistler. He is now one year and about three months old. He just started saying,"Hello Brutus" and "How's my boy." He is working on other stuff, but so far it is not recognizable. He is speaking in my Husband's voice. Is it true they use the voice of the less favorite person? Anyway, this development is exciting for us. We have never had a Grey before.

Brutus has started blowing air out his nose when I pick him up. Like a extended snort or sort of like a raspberry. It sounds like when horses do it- only a bird-sized horse. Do your birds do this? He only does it with me. He breathes just fine otherwise.

Thank you, and you are probably right that it is a seasonal change. I mean our weight tends to increase in the winter too, why wouldn't a birds'?

We have had Brutus for a year now. When he first came home he gained weight from 390 g up to an average of 420 in a month and a half. He kept his weight between 418 and 430 for at least six months. Recently, however, his average weight is running about 10 grams less around 408. He has never been a chow hound, more like a thoughtful, picky eater. I must mention he got a complete physical when he came home to make sure he was in good health, and he is. We feed him two bowls, one with Harrison's organic pellets (always available, that make up the majority of his diet, and the other with a temporary bean and grain mix with cut up fruits and vegetables, sprouted beans, and sprinkled with flax seed. He loves raisins, cherries, mandarin oranges, pomegranite seeds, and grapes. He does tend to eat one food to the exclusion of others, and he loses interest easily in prior favorites. Walnuts, almonds, and pumpkin seeds are treats and always deemed desirable. He really would much rather play than eat. Please let me know if I am needlessly worrying. He also makes a sniffing noise once in awhile that concerns me a little. The noise is not associated with any obvious discomfort on his part. We do not smoke or allow it in his vicinity. Thank you

Thank you for the replies. My husband is an airline pilot and is gone for several days at a time. The last time when he came home Brutus was SO happy to see him, and let him scratch him, and carry him around. Good sign.

Brutus is now just over a year. He recently developed issues with my husband. He clearly prefers me and will not leave his cage when my husband wants to get him out. He acts antagonistic and waves his beak around. We are trying a tactic, so that Larry, my husband gets him out in order for it to happen at all. Meaning that he doesn't come out unless Larry gets him out. Do you have any suggestions for us? He easily lifts his leg to go anywhere when he sees me which is different than how he treats my husband. We want him to be a family bird rather than "my" bird. Thank you for suggestions.

Thank you for the reassurance

I think Brutus ate the small metal piece out of the jingle bell inside of the wiffle ball he was playing with. The reason I think so is because I cannot find it and the jingle bell is bent and opened up. Just like the grey on the welcome page he loves playing with wiffle balls. Should I be worried? If so, what kind of balls can he play with that are safe? He is tired of clothespins, corks, soft wood, and popsicle sticks. He LOVES wiffle balls. Thank you.

Hi all, We have had Brutus about three months. He is terrific and we are enjoying his company immensely! He is so sweet and loves to have his head, and under his wings, scratched. He is mastering flying, and more importantly, landing accurately. He has gotten very attached to both my husband and I. I know he is still a baby, but he has not demonstrated any aggression or fear. He is one laid back bird! We got a bird backpack and have taken him to the local outdoor coffeehouse. He seems to enjoy watching all the action on the street. My husband shares his shower with him, although he is not too crazy about it. He doesn't seem to like being wet, but we are working on making it seem fun. He is practicing all kinds of sounds which is so amusing to listen to. Some of it almost sounds like talking. He has the wolf whistle down though, and used it appropriately on my friend. Very impressive, already knows how to work the ladies! Just wanted to let you know about our progress. It certainly seems like a good decision purchasing Brutus. We are very happy he is sharing our home!

I think you guys are right. He loves to fly and it shows! We retrieved him from the shades at the other side of the house about 20 times this evening. I will let him practice as long as he wants. We ordered some High Potency pellets today. Thank you for the advice we appreciate it since we have no experience with greys. Brutus does seem very happy and he chirps happily when he sees us.

Hi Grey Owners, Brutus has been home three days now. He seems very content most of the time. I wish he ate more. The owners said they had finished weaning him, but I don't think they "abundance weaned" him which is unfortunate. Now that I know about the concept, it seems the right way to go about weaning a grey. He does love grapes, apples, and brazil nuts. All the pasta, brown rice and beans go uneaten, as do carrots, broccoli and sprouts. I am willing to indulge him in anything right now, as long as he is eating, because I don't think he is eating enough. We have a vet visit tomorrow which is good. the other thing that we don't know how to react to is, although he has clipped wings, he flies periodically to the other side of the room, and either, crashes into the wall, or lands skillfully on the shutters. From what I have read flighted birds gain confidence, so even though he is clipped I hope he will learn how to land well. He does not fly to either of us. Initially, we took him into the carless garage and thought he might fly between us, but he just sat on our arms. I think he does it for the exercise as I see no desirable destination. Thank you for reading this long explanation. Do you have any suggestions for food or favorite brand of pellets? Secondly, do you know how we should handle the abrupt flying expeditions? When he flies we wait a couple of moments and go get him. Is this okay? A couple of times I caught him midair because I was afraid he might crash and hurt himself. Maybe I shouldn't do that. Any advice will be appreciated. Newbie Mom

Tycos Mom, It wasn't just the flight, but the whole process, that took 11 hours. Check-in and wait for flight (2 hours), flight (4+ hours), waiting for bags (2! hours), car ride home and getting to car, (3 hours)= 11 hours.

Quick update on Brutus, the baby- We got home about ten hours after we left. Brutus was great! I almost put him to sleep stroking his beak at the gate. He was quiet during the entire plane ride. Today he was very comfortable. He ate lots of food, preened, gave kisses, got head scratches, and played with all his new toys. Jimpster, the quaker is not crazy about anyone sharing his parent's affections though. I hope we can all get along and learn to value one another. Thanks for the encouragement.

Karma, Thanks for the reply. Definitely no xray! And, he will be riding with me in the airplane cabin. I sure will be relieved when we get home, and I KNOW he will be too!

I should also add, he steps up wonderfully already.

I should add, we almost bought a grey last year, but decided to wait for a better match.

Hi everybody! I will be bringing home my 16-week big, baby boy tomorrow. I have visited him a couple of times and am impressed with his calm demeanor. (I hope he stays that way:) My husband and I currently have one pet, a sweet quaker, Jimpster. He is a total love-puppy ands his favorite thing is giving kisses to anyone nearby. We have no experience with a large parrot like a grey. We have also spent lots of time reading and learning as much as we can, yet nothing beats hearing from you about what to expect the first days he will be home. I feel bad that I have to subject him to a transcontinental airplane ride and a two hour car trip before he gets home. He will be crouched in an air line carrier for almost eleven hours! Has anyone else brought home a grey from a long distance? Any advice would be appreciated!

Emanstl, Thanks for your first post I enjoyed your experience and anecdote. Chezron

I meant to say my quaker was "unlike."

Thank you for the words of experience. Your tales really help me. I must say my quaker must have been completely like any other typical quaker. I always called him my mongoloid child because he was permanently happy. He let you mess with his food, his cage, and even him in his cage with absolutely no problem or territorialism, not even a hint of it. He loved my husband and I equally, even preferring the company of both of us to one, as a sort of flock. I feel very lucky to have spent so many years with him, and I know he is leaving a hefty legacy to my new bird.

Bob, my quaker, never drew blood, nor did he bite hard. I am working on communicating with Yabo to bite softly. Hey, it is worth a try.

Thanks for all the great, heart-felt advice. We really hope to nurture a socialized grey that gets along with both of us. What I meant was my husband would be better able to handle any possible misbehavior. We had a good visit today. I brought a nice juicy apple which was enjoyed by all. I held her steady while she flapped her wings. We even tried laying her on her back, and tickling her tummy. I noticed she makes a vocal fuss when trying to extract her from her cage, but I just tried to ignore the complaining and took her out anyway.I am trying to be more assertive and dominant. Thanks for the advice.

We do step ups when I visit. She does them readily and easily. I talk to her too. I really don't know what else to do that would be entertaining for her. I will bring a sliced apple next time. I guess it is a learning process for both of us. I am afraid that my husband, who is assertive and gregarious, will become the favorite, but I would rather that it be me. Thx.