Kibibi

I've heard (read?!?!) that the scratching behavior is a latent wild behavior that helps them keep their nesting locations clean and clear of unwanted debris. Of course it's just a theory but it matches my Grey's behavior because she only does it in closed locations like under covers, in corners etc. There is an excellent DVD about Greys in the wild if anyone is interested. I highly recommend it and the cost of the DVD goes toward a good cause. Here's a link to it. http://store.wptestore.com/servlet/Detail?no=23 It's heartbreaking but it is very informative and awesome to see Greys in the wild. You will never look at your Grey the same way after watching this DVD.

His parrot was probably a nervous wreck with all those cats (Some accounts say he had more than 50 of those extra toe cats)

Too bad all pet stores don't have experienced staff like you BMustee.

Some of us don't realize how lucky we are to have multiple avian vets within a short driving distance. The important this is that he seems to be doing better. I've heard that low-fat yogurt is good to give pets after being treated with antibiotics. Is this true for birds if given in small doses?

Hello and welcome. Great introduction. Living with a celebrity must be fun

Hello and welcome Tasha and Mojo Making motorcycle noises is a downside Some would call that an upside

Ok this is not Grey related and it's very old so it might be old news to everyone but me. But here it is anyway. http://www.omarsexoticbirds.com/wedding/weddingFinal.html

It sounds like she's just beginning to talk. The "mumbling" is common. Some things that my Grey says sounds exactly like one of the members of my house while other words don't sound like anyone in particular. She has a wide range of vocalizations. In fact, there are some words that she uses that we can't tell what she's saying.

Hi Mike, welcome to the forum.

Hi Sean and Cleo. Welcome.

Most boxes have stove-top and microwave directions. The only thing to keep in mind is that you should make sure they are well cooked. Also make sure they aren't too hot when feeding them.

Putting the seeds in with pellets works when first introducing them to pellets. But most birds (especially those raised on seeds) will pick seeds over pellets any day. So if you slowly diminish the amount of seeds with the pellets and feed the pellets on a regular schedule then your bird will eventually start eating the pellets. Obviously you need to continue to give them a well balanced diet of fruits, veggies, etc. to keep them from starving I feed my Grey vegetables and other perishable stuff in the evening so I can clean it up before going to bed at night. I then replace her food bowl with pellets for the evening and the next day because the perishable stuff will spoil. I never put seeds in her food bowl. I have a "treat" cup that I'll occasionally put a pinch of seeds in for her. This is a rare occasion for her but she loves them.

That's very sad. I'm sorry to hear about your story but I'm grateful that you shared your story. I noticed some time ago that some avian publications listed it as safe and other sources listed it as unsafe. So my site lists garlic as "Garlic is listed as SAFE on some lists and UNSAFE on other lists. It appears that either a large quantity (I don't know how "large" is defined) or a lot of small quantities would be required to cause problems. Just to be safe, you may want to avoid garlic." I guess this is a lesson to all of us, if something is questionable then we should just avoid it. Have you sent Birds-N-Ways an email? Even though the necropsy wasn't conclusive, they may want to add a note to their article. Thank you for sharing your experience.

It looks like cooked oatmeal seems to be the crowd favorite. Instead of milk, I think you can use Soy milk, Rice Milk, Almond Milk, or Oatmeal Milk. All of these are lactose-intolerant substitutions. I've never tried the Almond, Oatmeal, or Rice Milk. I do know that all soy milk Brands taste kinda different so you should try a couple different brands before giving up. Also check the other ingredients because some of these (Almond milk for example) add sweeteners which of course aren't healthy in large doses.

Greetings and welcome MazyAK. Very well done introduction.

Hello and welcome hobbo!

BMustee's advice is excellent (as usual). Ideally (if possible) you should leave them both there and slowly move the really cool toys over to the new cage. Eventually it will migrate to the new cage. Make sure that you provide a lot of treats in the new cage too. Bribery usually works

judygram's advice is probably the best you can do. But you can also try posting it as "Found" on a couple popular lost and found sites like ..... http://www.birdhotline.com/ and http://www.911parrotalert.com/ ... and of course the best site ( my site ) http://www.infosuperflyway.com/articles/lostparrot.php I'm not sure about the other two sites but my site is predominantly used by people in the US but it should work for you too. It's a long shot but try it out and let me know if it works for the UK.

I agree with dblhelix. Everyone says that Greys like a set schedule (which is probably true) but I agree that it's important to expose them to many different conditions, schedules, foods, toys, etc. IMO it's very similar to a young child. They'll develop better and be more open to new experiences. The "Contact Calls" are also very common and can be trained to a more pleasant call (ie from a Screech to a kissing sound). One other point about leaving your Grey, if I'm leaving my Grey for a long period of time then I tell her "I gotta go to work" and if I'm leaving for a short period of time I tell her "I'll be right back". I don't know if it helps but I like to think she's smart enough to know the difference.

I looked into chipping some time ago. There isn't a standard chip (4 major types) or chip reader (2 major manufacturers) in the US but there was in Europe. So frequently the vets and animal shelters don't have a scanner that reads all the variations of the chip. Unfortunately for us in the US, there's no standard in the US but outside the US there exists an international standard (ISO's 11784 and 11785). So based on the hit or miss capability of it in the US, my conclusion at the time was that the only real use for it would be if your bird was stolen and you needed proof of identification in a court. In that case, you could force the person holding the bird to have it scanned using all the different technologies to prove that it was your animal. Using it to retrieve a lost bird isn't very useful. If lost, you should notify your local vets and animal shelters immediately. If someone brings in a bird matching your description then scanning probably won't be necessary. That of course assumes that someone finds it, that person takes it to a vet or shelter, the vet or shelter has been notified by you, and the vet's personnel are aware of your notification.

Here's a good link to read about FS lighting. http://users.mis.net/~pthrush/lighting/spectrum.html

It's common with Greys as long as it happens occasionally.

Hello Frank. I'm sure you'll find a lot of useful information here and friendly people.

I'm sorry to hear that. That's very sad.

Awwwww. Cute pic.