LisaM

If you do get the 2 year old, it make take awhile for it to talk in your home. Or, it may talk the second you get it home or in the car on the way! My CAG didn't say a word for several days...but she hasn't stopped talking since then! Also, she was 12 when we got her and she has learned a TON of new things from our home and this continues...new things every week it seems. Also, though Greys are known to be the best talkers, there are some individual birds that don't talk at all for whatever reason. It is possible if you get a baby that he/she won't talk. If talking is that important to you, you should definitely get an adult that is a proven talker. That said, my CAG talks, my female Ekkie talks periodically and my male Ekkie has never said a word. They are all wonderful and though the talking is fun, it's just a tiny, tiny part of what makes them such great companions. Lisa

That's fantastic Tracy! And to be able to rehome one from someone who was really taking good care of her is a bonus! I hope he does join the forum. I know I "hovered" around bird forums for a few years before I even owned one. Actually, I think I was on them more then because I had the time! She's adorable.

One more idea...when she makes a sound that is less "offensive", make a huge deal out of it and give her lots of attention. That may get her to make the new noise more often because it's more fun to see your reaction. We tried this with the infamous "smoke detector beep" and got her to do a "whoop...whoop...whoop" instead. Good luck! Lisa

Here is the playstand I built out of PVC. It cost me about $30. I have another one planned with more spots to hang toys, etc. Lisa

Lysis - I totally get what you are saying and is why I stopped giving my parrots Harrison's (though it is the pellet my vet recommended..and one that they sell). (And I should probably mention that I did discuss this with my vet so she is aware of the diet change). Here is the list of ingredients in the dry food I just bought and am trying out with my CAG (and a slightly different mix for my two SI Eclectus): 100% human-grade, natural and organic ingredients: Bananas, squash (variety depends on seasonal availability), alfalfa, hemp oil (a perfectly balanced source of Omegas), sesame seed meal, cranberries, flax seed meal, hemp seed meal, yams, kiwi, almonds, unsweetened coconut, mango, buckwheat groats meal (not wheat, actually a berry!), papaya, palm oil, quinoa, black beans, pumpkin seed, safflower seed, flax seed, hemp seeds, carrots, bee pollen, buckwheat groats, Brazilian marine coral calcium, CA-Montmorillonite clay, persimmon, red bell peppers, basil, cilantro, eucalyptus leaves, cinnamon, ginger, kelp, schisandra berry powder, parsley, proprietary edible flower mix, rose hips, rosemary, wild mountain oregano. In addition, dehydrated, finely ground mealworms providing essential "animal protein", representing less than .25% of total protein sources in any of our adult formulas. *Est. Protein 12%-14% We cannot list the worms in our general list of ingredients because they are not considered "human-grade" by the FDA. However, they are raised on human-grade foodstuffs, usually carrots and barley. All fruits and vegetables are unsulphured. Our ingredients are of organic quality and most are human-grade certified organic. That means no pesticide residues, no artificial preservatives, no artificial coloring, no artificial flavoring and no added hormones, sugars or starches. None of our ingredients are GMO's. We DO NOT use fillers such as corn, wheat, soy or peanuts (common fillers, common allergens). I don't know if it's in order of composition % as it's from their website, not from the bag (and I'm too lazy to go check the bag to see if it's in the same order). I ordered it from www.bird-elicious.com). So far my female ekkie loves hers, my male will eat it, but it isn't his first choice, and my CAG has nibbled a bit here and there. All the ingredients are blended together more or less so they get a blend of the ingredients vs. picking through. I use this in conjuction with an organic, human-grade nut/seed/dried fruit/dried veggie mix as their "all day in the dish" food. I'm still trying to get my CAG off her PrettyBird pellets.

Rhonda - I think that's HUGE! What a great feeling for you! Also, i think it's good that you recognized she was getting a bit antsy and put her on her playstand. That didn't give her a chance to do something like nip or head-butt or screech in your ear to let you know she wanted to do something else (which would have then been reinforced when you put her back on the playstand afterwards). I think it was a big step in her showing an increased level of trust. Congrats! Lisa

Thanks Judy!!! The Safety Pumice Perch is super easy to clean also...which is an obvious bonus! I just lowered the perch they used to sleep on and put this one in its place to get them used to it. Now I have both at the same height but on different sides of the cage and they use this one quite often. I haven't had to trim nails at all ever since. Lisa

I had the same problem with one of my birds - they got so sharp it was like needles. I bought some of the safety pumice perches from drsfostersmith.com. It has a smooth top where their feet rest and their nails are the only parts that touch the pumice. It helped within a matter of a few days! Lisa

Kenya came into our lives when she was 12 years old. She would step up within a few days and would let me skritch her neck after about 3 weeks. She bonded very quickly to me but is still more aloof with the rest of the family. That is not uncommon though. She will step up onto any of my family members, but only because she wants them to bring her to me! :-) Lisa

Both of the behaviors you've been describing aren't anything I've seen in my almost 14 y/o CAG (I've had her for a year an a half), but it sounds like another "nesting" type behavior. I'm very interested to read what other people have to say though. Lisa

Had to actually leave the house today...it's -7F right now...windchill -25. Had to go downtown Mpls to hear hubby sing opera at a recital and it was WINDY WINDY WINDY. Fortunately it warms me up to hear him sing. Have to go out again as my daughter finally wants to get a haircut so I'm taking advantage of it before she changes her mind! Gonna come home and settle in front of the fireplace with a cup of hot cocoa with a splash of butterscotch schnapps in it. Mm-Yummy! Hope you have fun on your cruise, Laurie!

But you lose your passport and all ID and can't get back into the U.S...ever. I wish I had the discipline to get up every morning and go to the gym.

TwoGreys - that is perfect. One more example of the "not in my backyard" mentality. Or, "it's a great plan as long as it doesn't impact me". Thanks.

You find time to study all day and night, but then forget to set your alarm so you sleep through the test. I wish I was fluent in at least two more languages (other than English).

I have a hard time just getting my Kenya to play with toys. She came to me when she was 12 and she never had toys in her previous home(s) so doesn't know what to do with them. Most of them scare her. We're working on it slowly.

Hi Leigh! My father lives down in the Keys also (Big Pine). I love it down there. As far as the biting, particularly face/ears, you may want to keep Nittles off your shoulders for awhile to not even give the opportunity. I have three parrots and only one of them has regular "shoulder priviledges". I don't trust my Grey to not bite if she startles (and she's such a nervous nellie that it happens often). So she sits on my hand, my arm, my knee, my leg, etc..but not my shoulder. As she's so young she may just be testing out the boundaries and getting a feel for the "rules". I think the best way to stop a behavior is to prevent the possibility of its occurrence in the first place, whenever that is possible. If Nittles is off your shoulder for a few days/week, she may forget about what it is getting her. Any reaction to it may be reinforcing it at this point. Just one idea...i'm sure others will chime in with many, many more! Good luck! Lisa

They are lovely BMustee! I miss my Gouldians and Owl finches so much! Lisa

I would be careful with that, even though I'm sure it's really cute. Not only is beer bad for birds, but human saliva is full of bacteria that is bad for them as well so even if he's not getting any beer, he may be "licking" the bottle where your husband had his mouth. Probably not getting anything enough to be troublesome, but thought I'd let you know. Lisa

Awesome Rik! I'm very happy for your, Buster and Diamond! Can't wait to hear more as they adjust to you and you adjust to them. Lisa

Well I just got out about three years of pent up tears reading through that blog! I at times had to stop reading as I couldn't see the words anymore. Wow. I can't imagine going through that, but I also can't imagine the sheer joy of being able to share the outdoors in such a way with your parrot. I am so happy that Tinkerbell was found. Lisa

That sounds like fun! We have an XBox. Maybe I need to go out and get that game. I'm assuming you have to get a guitar or other accessories to "play" it?

Laurie - I'm with you on the marching bands...they're the only reason to go to parades in my book! Shamelessmuse - my husband and I are huge foodies also (took a trip to Nevis, W.I., last fall because we decided we were going to go wherever one chef whose food we had eaten previously was...we thought he was in Oregon but he moved to Nevis! So off to Nevis we went (it was spectactular). Unfortunately, I can't cook very well without a recipe. I'm jealous that you can make up your own! :-) Maybe we should have an entire thread dedicated to Mike! :-) For you girls: http://www.hunkdujour.com/blog/coverman/mike_rowe_2.jpg Lisa

I actually just got the acrylic cage. It was "used" by someone who had a CAG. It's one from Parrot Island store in Burnsville, MN. (I don't think some of the others out there have adequate ventilation ... these cages have been thoroughly tested for air flow - they have 1"x15" slots spaced every 2" on all sides as well as the top. They are what they keep all their parrots in in their store and in their homes). They're also what our local bird boarding place keeps parrots in as they feel they are easier to sanitize between birds). It's SUPER easy to clean (Oxyfresh and paper towels). I think it's a lot easier than the other cages. And the best thing is that you can tell when it's not...no place for it to hide. I have a bugger of a time cleaning the other cages when they poop down the sides and it gets in the tiny crevices where the vertical bars meet the horizontal, etc. It takes me about 1/4 the time to clean the whole acrylic cage as it does to "spot clean" the others. Oh, the one note I should put is that I don't feed her "soft" foods in there...they're all given at the kitchen table or on their playstands. So that helps keep the "food spray" down in the cage itself. She has access to her dry mix all day in there. The cage she came with was only 24x24 and was the worst designed cage I could ever imagine as there was a groove along the bottom of the door and the sides that junk would collect in...never felt I could get it clean without hauling it in the shower or outside. Plus it was WAY too small. She's a very dominant bird and with her old cage the minute I would open the doors when I got home she was going over to the other birds cages (I think she was jealous). She loves this new cage. Went right into it eagerly, checked it all out (I put perches and toys from her old one in there so it wasn't ALL new) and won't come out unless I have her step out to come out. She'll hang out just inside the door or on the little ledge on the door (I'm going to get some sort of perch routed out to slip on the front ledge to give her something more comfortable to hang out on if she wants to, or a rope perch I can hook to the openings under the door). This used one is a little test for me because if I like it I may get them for the others, at least the male ekkie because I don't like his cage either. They have them in 48x24 size so that's what I'll likely get next (this was was really cheap for a "trial run" compared to new).

Just tried uploading pics to Photobucket and rotating them...trying to see if I can post into a message here... Katie Katie's Cage Here's a close-up of Max Max on his cage door Let's see if this works...

Do you have anything in particular that you are looking for in a parrot? Realizing they are all individuals, there are some that generally are more active, cuddly, sweet, noisy, etc...do you have any "wish" list characteristics?