Tycos_mom

My birds are out from 9 am til 8 pm 7 day a week I have no problems with this as I only work three days a week from 5pm til 11pm so by the time I leave for work my daughter is home from school. at bed time my birs all go into their cages by themselves so all she has todo is close their doors and cover them up. smaller birds I usually put in their cages before I leave for work as they are younger and not as easy to put to bed. But both Tyco and Fergie are a bit older now Tyco is 5 yrs old and Fergie is 11 yrs old and all you have todo with them is say come on its bedtime in your house you go and both of them will climb own from where ever they are and get into their cages. They are very well trained that way. Hope fully in time all my birds wil be as cooprative as they are. Its all in the way you teach them. They have lots of out of cage time but they also spend time in their cages they go in and out when they want to. I noticed lately Fergie spends most of her time in her cage.Fergie is a Yellow crowned Amazon she is going through a extreamly heavy molt the worst I've ever seen in all the years I've had her so she is very uncomfortable and not very social right now I feel so bad for her it hurts to touch her so I just let her be poor baby. she loses about 10 feathers everyday she has so many pins all over her I can't wait til she done and gets back to her normal lovey self again I really miss the cuddles.

I got rid of my doggie dor when I got my birds I figured better safe than sorry. like you said. they are to smart for there on good I don't want to ever find my birds gone when I come out of the bathroom or back from doing a chore. You better lock that doggie door now or you may find you will lose your Grey. What a scarry thought.

They sure do pick up on our emotions don't they Your mother was sad and Maxi knew it. He wanted her to feel better. Thats so sweet mabie Maxi will feel more of a connection to your mom now.

:evil: :laugh:Thats what it sounds like to me also she was throwing a little hissy fit so to speak. she is spoilt and used to getting what she wants when she wants they are so much like little kids its almost scarry;)

Oh my when it rains it pours. In your case literaly. You and your poor birds are just haveing a heck of a time. I wish you the best and I'll keep you in my prayers. hopefully soon you will get back on track and you and your fids can get on to a more stable lifesyle. May God bless you all

Oh my I'm so sad for you the loss must be just about unbearable.You have my deepest sympathy and prayers. I hope with the help of the people who new Alfie on this forum we can help get you through the ache your heart must be feeling.

It sounds to me like your grey is afraid of you try not looking straight at her/him try a sideways look or look at her with one eye. that way she will understand that you aren't a preditor thats going to eat her for dinner. never aprouch her cage straight on, always from the side or zig zag. I had to do these things with my bird so that she would understand that i was not going to hurt her. It took a while but it works well. I also use time outs for bites although she has never biten me really hard I still don't want her to bite at all. so even a little grab and she gets a time out. I only time her out for 5 minutes or so.

I hope your little Spike gets well soon. I have a little Guy named Spike as well and I can just imagine what it would be like if mine was sick I would be just beside myself. Your little guy is in my prayers for a swift recovery he sounds like a little trouper running from his meds is a good sign that he starting to feel well again.

Touch wood sofar I've been luckey all my bird have managed to stay very healthy. I make it a point to sterilize their dishes everynight. I put then through the sani cycle on the dishwasher. I steam clean their entire cage once a week and clean their papers, toys, and perches everyday. I change their water water at least twice a day. I make sure they get only the highest quality food I can find. I live in a farming comunity so most everythinng comes straight from the farm including eggs. So everything is as fresh as can be. I have thought about getting the 2 larger birds insured because I know if anything major cam up I would be in big trouble. So far so good My birds are in perfect health and Feather their feather's shine with an beautiful arredecent glow of health Thank God.

I have a Cag and she is a rescue when I first got her she was a pretty leary of anything new. I've had her for a year now and I can honestly say that has change. I can introduce anything to her and and as long as I tell her what it is and that its safe she takes my word for it. She was in a Cocateil size cage for 4 years I bought her a Macaw size cage and within 24 hours she went into her new cage by herself and was eating out of the food dishes. I would say thats quick for any Cag or Tag for that matter. Playstands and toys she always accepts imediatly. If it has anything todo with haveing fun she's there.

I think all birds get moody like that. I don't think that its meant as a mean thing I think they have to learn to deal with their hormones changing constantly like a teen ager or a woman going through menapause. their hormones are always up and down until they reach about 8to10 yrs old then their hormones start to equalize a bit so there more steady again.

Tycos very favorite kind of nut is brazil nuts that bird will do anything for a brazil nut. I try not to use treats as rewards for doing something. I use praise for learning new things. I want her todo thing because she enjoys doing it. not because she's going to get something for it. I use brazil nuts for speical bonding time to show hwe that I love her when she sits and let me preen her pin feathers. or when were sitting watching tv together. Its just something speceil to give her that she doesn't get all the time.

I was thinking that also. I know that Tyco seems to be more dusty than usual latley usually she manages to kepp her beak pretty black but latley its more grey because of all the dust and you canactually see the dust on her head and neck. when I give her scritches I get just covered and I soak her every second day in the shower. it seems the more she baths the more she preens and the more she preen the more dusty she get :laugh:

Your Grey needs to have a balanced diet of fruit and vegetables,eggs,legunes, squash ,sweet potatos, cooked and raw vegetables . Potatos should always be cooked dark green leafy vegetable are very good for them pretty much anything you eat your bird can eat except for avacados,and onions.your bird needs all these things to stay healthy and happy. My birds prefer their vegetable steamed and mashed. they will eat snap peas,green beans, and dark leafy things raw. But most things like carrots squash, turnip, yams. and even peas they like mashed so three times a week I cook up all those thing and mash it together and feed it to them for their dinner they love it. Ont oyher days they get pasta and sauce with a peice of multi grain bead or raw veggies made into a salad like romain lettce spinach beet greens, hot red peppers, snappeas, grated carrots, what ever I have in the house. You ge the Idea anyway they need to eat like we should eat. at breakfast I make omlettes, french toast, oatmeal or fruit salad, for them If you feed your birds all these thing it will be healthy and they feathers will shine. a good seed mix and pellets. and a variaty of nut can also be offered as between meal snacks. I feed my birds twice a day

I don't worry about christmas to much around here because there is just my and my 13 yr old daughter. I put up a little 2 ft table top tree and decorate the outside of the house A bit but we live so far out in the tully's that we just go into town and spend Christmas there both my older daughter's have baby's of their own now so they take turns on cooking Christmas dinner for the whole family there use to be 18 of us when I did it now there is 20 so now I get to relax and they do all the work. I like Christmas.

Its been almost a year since I rescued Tyco. When I fist got Tyco I didn't think I would ever have a touching kind of relationship with her. I was her 4th owner in 4 yrs Tyco turned 5 in February I got her so that she would no longer have to be locked in a Cockateil size cage with no toys and no human companionship she was put in the back room of a house with a heavy blanket over her most of the time. her cage was so dirty it was disgusting. I brought her home and got her a huge Macaw size cage with a play top. I open her cage door at 8am and most days its open until 8pm which is bed time for my birds. I started teaching her things like colours and how to count and she learned very quickly. She went from knowing 1or2 words to a huge vocabulay and speaking in context allot of the time. I never tried to touch Tyco except to give her a beaky rub or a kiss on her beak because thats what she was comfortable with. One day she indicated to me that she wanted more. She came over to where I was a climbed up onto my lap. after that she would step up for me when everI wanted her too. A little while later she started putting her head down indicating she wanted me to scritch her head. at first this was a 2 second touch before bed but every night it got a little longer and went from a top of the head scritch to a good neck and head scritch. Now just this past three days or so she has been turning her face so i can scritch around her beak, ears and eyes she has started closing her eyes and just enjoying the love. Its incredible to me how forgiving these birds are. If someone had done to me what they did to Tyco I would never trust anyone ever again. She has not only forgiven but she has an outward love of life she is such a playful happy bird she's like a child that is very excited about something. she just a joy to watch I'm so glad she part of my life she has come a long way in a very short time. Things are moving along very quickly now she is starting to want to play with others as well as me my Neice was over this weekend and Tyco was haveing a great time playing her favorite games with her. She certainly has a zest for life that she didn't have when I got her. I'm happy that I had the opportuninty to make her life worth living again. The joy she outwardly shows is so rewarding.

Well thats great news I'm so excited for you Quakers are great little birds and since its a baby you are going to be in for a treat as they just attach themselves to you and never want to let go. I knew there had to be a bird out there for you and a quaker is a good choice because they talk very well. it will get you ready for your Grey also. Its always best to start off with something a little smaller and work your way up

I agree if you volanteer at a rescue for birds there is a very good chance of getting your bird allot sooner. I know its hard right now and being let down so many times can take its toll you could buy a white hand fed cocateil from a breedter for around 150.00 I was going to buy one last Christmas for that price and then just before I was going to have it shipped someone left a wf cockateil on my doorstep that wasn't even weaned yet. There are so many needy birds out there that need homes don't give up there is a bird out there for you.

That so great that Sweetheart has come to love and trust you. It sounds like you have your hands full with all your birds and a new rabbit farm. I would love to hear more about. all your birds and their progress, so please hang out for awhile So we can all get to know you better.

I purchased one of my birds from a breeder out of province. I live in Canada and had to have my baby shipped to me. (not a Grey) I love that bird he's the sweetest little guy and was from the time I got him I bought him the day he was hatched so I had updates and pictures about him via email for the whole time he was growing up. I felt like I knew him even though I had never met him. I've had him for amost 2 Years now and what a great bird he is he will go to anyone and allow them to play and pet him he is so well socialized. I'm sure that has todo allot with his breader. I just continued where she left off.

That cool you captured it thats a 1 in a million photo you could probubly sell it if you wanted too. mind you its a beautiful picture of your African Grey also. What a pretty bird. Good shot<br><br>Post edited by: Tycos_mom, at: 2008/09/14 19:32

I can't beleive there are so many bird out there that never learned to fly. I hope your bird does learn in time. I also hope Tyco learns to fly also. She is only 5 yrs old so hopfully she will want to try soon. I know what you mean about watching them fall its so sad to see a bird fall and not even try to fly to stop itself. Tyco falls at least once a month and she falls like a rock. I hope it happens and she flys soon she has all her primary flights now she is still missing 2or 3 secondarys but her wings are beautiful. The guy I got her from said she had always been without feathers on her left wing he said he thought it was a birth defect can you imagine. Anyway he had her for 2 yrs and she was like that when he got her so she barbered her wings for a very long time. I was so happy when they grew in. I thought for sure that there might have been permanent damage. I'm Tyco 4th and last home. poor bird is only 5 yrs old and has been passed around like potato chips.<br><br>Post edited by: Tycos_mom, at: 2008/09/14 09:30

That incresible Dave. You have done a awesome job with Jazz. You should be so proud of yourself Jazz is very lucky to have you in his life. You are both very blessed to have found each other. Tyco use to Barber every flight feather on her left wing. Since she been with me she doesn't barber her wings any more. She is fully flighted but doesn't know how to fly she is 5 yrs old now. I've had her for since Oct. 9th 2007 I'm hopeing she will learn how to fly from my other birds.I don't know if she will or not. I don't have any Idea how to teach a bird to fly

I have both rescues and babies. three are rescues. i find that rescues can be extreamly rewarding it takes allot of work,patients and love with a rescue. After all is said and done I find my rescues to be just as loveing and wonderful as if I got them as babies. Babies are easy and will except everything you offer them a rescue will also but mabie only from you. they may turn into 1 person birds. My Amazon is a rescue and she is very loving and cuddly she will alow other to give her scritches if i say its ok but that has taken years. My Fieryshouldered Conure is also ver cuddly but will not alow anyone but me to touch her. Tyco My Grey I'm trying a new way with her. Myself and my dautghter both work with her. I find that its working well and I'm hoping the when she is finally total excepting of us she will also be more excepting with others. so far so good.

I also beleive a bird is meant to fly and my birds are flighted but I also clip my birds once when I get them so that I can train them easily. I have a lot of large windows in my home.and when I get a new bird I take them around to each window and tell them see it solid and I tap the window and get them to beak it also I do this every couple days until their wings grow out. I have never had a bird fly into a window yet because of this training. You could do this with your bird also. I call it a little adventure and the birds all know when its time to go on a little adventure after awhile I also do this with any large mirrors that I have. Welcome to the world of African Greys My Grey weighs 575 gr she's a very big girl