chapala

Most sources give the age of secual maturity at 4 to 6 years for African Greys. They bond for life, and I've heard that they can breed for many, many years. A breeder would be the one to ask at what age they no longer mate and raise chicks. Reta

With young birds (not mature), there is no problem handling the wings, back, tummies. It's when they reach a certain age that we need to change our handling methods. Kali is nearing 6 years and clearly is mature. I am more careful now with my handling to encourage him to think of me as a flock member, not his mate. There also are certain times when they are more "amorous" - that's when we want to avoid over-handling that can result in confusion and frustration for the bird. Reta

A caution here on handling your Grey, male or female, in ways that they interpret as courtship. You may end up with a frustrated, hormonal bird, or in the case of a hen, egg laying. I recently read an article by Dr. Brian Speer who is a noted avian vet about the problems people experience with mature parrots because of over-handling and mis-handling them. The safest way to handle a mature bird in order not to encourage hormonal or mating behavior (we want them to think of us as members of their flock, not their mates) is to scratch their heads. Leave the rest of their body alone for the most part. No patting on the back, under the wings, because the mature bird can't help but interpret these actions as sexual. It's something for all parrot owners to think about. Not fair to the birds who are left without a mate to encourage these types of behaviors, and it can create behavior problems. Reta

Fresh food is important to feed daily, more vegetables than fruit. Ideally a vegetable mix should have 5 or more different vegetables in it, especially the high vit. A ones like kale, collard, mustard, broccoli. Steamed sweet potato, carrot, or winter squash is also excellent mixed in with the raw vegetables. A little bit of fruit is great, especially berries, cantaloupe, mango, papaya, pomegranate, citrus. Re the nipping, maybe best not to use your fingers as a toy. You could hold a toy while you have her on your hand and let her beak and play with the toy instead of your fingers. Reta

double post, sorry!<br><br>Post edited by: chapala, at: 2007/12/30 20:16

Cabbage actually is quite nutritious, much more so than lettuce. As a member of the cole family (kale, collards, mustard, bok choy, broccoli, cauliflower), there is good nutrition in green and red cabbage. Perhaps less in Chinese cabbage - I haven't researched that since it's not available here in Mexico, ut it would be easy to find out. Glad you all caught the onions, I overlooked that. Onions are not good to feed parrots. A little bit won't hurt however. I would be more concerned about the noodles - probably made from a refined grain, wheat or other. Whole grains are best to feed parrots - no refined grains if possible. Reta

Fresh or dried chili peppers are fine to feed as a small part of a varied diet. I include a dried red chili or two per day in Kali's dry mix. He opens them and eats the seeds. I also often put fresh chili peppers in the fresh vegetable mix. I try to find chilis with some color (ripeness) because they are higher in Vit. A, but any are fine. They don't experience the heat like we do, so even habaneros (yikes!) are okay for them. Reta

Thank you Dan for correctng this often stated misconception!! So important especially for people new to birds to get the correct information. Reta

How old is the Grey? I assume you have the cage all set up for her in a fairly quiet spot. Sometimes they appreciate having part of the cage covered, a secure area while they settle in. Has the breeder told you what the diet has been so you can provide familiar food? Maybe a few toys in the cage but not too many at first unless you know she is used to it. Some birds are bolder, ready to be handled from the first day. Others want to check everything out first, get to know you before they want to be picked up. Try to read the body language. Sit near her, talk quietly. If she shows any fear, move away a bit. and, let us know how it goes! Reta

It sounds okay, especially if the dressing didn't have a lot of salt or oil in it. Raw vegetables are fine. I give my Grey a bit of salad or coleslaw sometimes too, but no rich mayonaise type dressings. Reta

13 weeks is pretty young to be fully weaned, and even when weaned some young birds regress to wanting hand feeding when they move to a new home. It sounds like your baby might be begging for food. I suggest you either soak pellets (if the bird is eating pellets) in a little warm juice and feed from a spoon, or steamed, mashed yams, or cooked oatmeal (no sugar) also fed from a spoon. A baby that is begging needs the security of being fed. Re the biting, remember that everything in your home is new to this bird. Birds are prey animals and are afraid of new things and situations. The calmer you can keep the bird's surroundings, and go slowly with any attempts at handling. Let the bird show you when he is comfortable and ready for more interaction. It sounds to be me like you have a scared baby there, and helping him feel more secure - keeping him in his cage (probably too soon for a playstand until he gets to know you), not letting the children play with or tease the bird. Take it slowly, be patient. Reta<br><br>Post edited by: chapala, at: 2007/12/30 02:56

Some seeds are very high fat (sunflower, safflower, pumpkin), and others are not. Grains and seeds can make a valuable contribution to the diet as long as you also include fresh vegetables, some legumes, fruit, a few nuts. My grain/seed mix includes red and white millet, oat groats, hulless barley (not pearl which is refined), quinoa, amaranth, raw buckwheat. To these low fat grains, I add some hulled sunflower, and canary seed. I mix up a two month supply, and then scoop out some in the evening, rinse in a small strainer, then soak overnight in a cup or bowl. Drain in the morning, rinse, then feed. This overnight soaking starts the germinating process and increases the nutrition dramatically, while the fat content is lowered. The birds like it and it's good for them. I mix the soaked seed (or you can continue to sprout for another 12 to 24 hours, rinsing several times) with sprouted or cooked legumes, finely chopped fresh vegetable mix, and a little fresh fruit. These soaked seeds are a daily part of their diet, and remember most of the mix is grains, not high fat seeds. Reta

Salty foods are not good for parrots, even as snacks. One corn chip to a parrot doesn't sound like much but it is, and is too much in my opinion. Salty foods are on the do not feed list for parrots, any salty food. Much better to find snacks that are parrot healthy and feed them that. There are no salt crackers available. One brand is Wasa or Wasabrot, something like that, European. They come in several varieties, one or more are whole grain. I break them up and put them in the dry mix. Plain air popped pop corn is fine for parrots - do they still sell air poppers? Microwave popcorn is not fine - even the lower fat kind has too much fat, and all of them have too much salt. Better to choose healthy snacks - pieces of fruit, nuts (unsalted of course), whole grain bread. Many diseases and health problems of captive parrots are due to poor diets, so best to feed them healthy food. Reta

Yes, do let her sit on the egg(s). If you take them away it does stimulate the bird to lay more, and it's hard on their body (calcium depletion) to keep laying. I would suggest talking to your vet about a calcium supplement if the vet thinks it is necessary. You also can include more calcium rich foods in the diet (broccoli, dandelion greens, kale, almond, bit of non-fat plain yogurt, sprouted sunflower seeds). AFter she finishes this bout of laying, you might want to look at her environment and see if something can be changed to discourage further egg-laying. Some hens are determined, others might respond to day length changes, etc. Please come back and ask once you get beyond this episode! Reta Reta

I am so sorry you lost your bird. A terrible loss. If you want to know the cause, yes you do need to take the body to a vet for necropsy. The body should be kept refrigerated, and should be taken to a vet asap. Reta

Re using a stick, I am far from the only person recommending this approach at times, and only at times. I almost always handle my Kali on my hand, no problems. But occasionally I go north for a visit and my husband is here for a week or 10 days taking care of the animals. If he could not handle Kali on a stick, Kali would be in the cage for the entire time. With Kali and other birds I've used a stick with, there has been absolutely no problem going back to the hand. The stick is just another way of stepping up, not a substitute for the hand. Now I do have a friend with a hormonal male DYH. She finished his hand-feeding so has had him since he was a baby, and he was very tame. When he reached maturity, for several months of the year, she must handle him with a stick or get bitten. With a stick, she's able to move him around from his day cage to night cage to shower, etc., instead of just letting him sit. So I see using a hand-held perch/stick as a way of having more interaction with a bird who may be moody for some reason. I try to avoid moving a bird that doesn't want to be handled. But, sometimes we're leaving and the bird has to go back in his cage. The stick handles the bird nicely without inviting a bite. I see it as a useful tool, and haven't seen any regression to not wanting to step up on a hand from using one. Now, when stick training first before the bird is hand tame, yes, you do have to take that extra step and work on getting the bird familiar and comfortable with hands. They are two separate things for the bird to learn about. I usually choose to familiarize the bird first with hands, later with a stick. But sometimes with a fearful bird, it's possible to get him out of the cage with a stick and into another location for training, where it might not be possible with a hand at first. Reta

Sorry for double post! Reta<br><br>Post edited by: chapala, at: 2007/12/29 01:12

Excellent news! Glad your bird is able to enjoy flying and gain some skills at it, even starting so late. Reta

I just wrote an entire reply and tried to find a reference to post on height and dominance, and my post disappeared. Yikes!!! Oh well, here goes another try. First I want to mention Steve Martin's website, Natural Encounters. He is a well known parrot trainer in Florida and has partnered with Susan Friedman, PhD, also very well known in pararot and animal behavior circles. Please scroll down and read about what he says on height dominance in parrots: http://www.naturalencounters.com/trainingEducationFaqs.html And, please do not continue to worry about where he is perching, lowering the playstand, etc. As I'm sure you know, parrots often choose a favorite person, and it appears that your Grey has chosen your girlfriend. I strongly suggest that he be trained to a stick perch, using treats, positive reinforcement, going slowly so that he is not at any time frightened of the stick. The stick is simply a way to move him when he needs to be moved and is not in the mood. A way to avoid a bite. My opinion is that ignoring bites is a bad idea - the bird is trying to communicate with you, and most likely showed body language even before the bite. He will continue to escalate (bite and bite harder) if it seems that you're not getting the message. I think it's very important to read the body language and avoid the bite whenever possible. We have a Military Macaw and I am not her favorite - she is very bonded to my husband. Over the years, I have worked on developing a relationship with her and have been bitten only once (an ambush) in the past five years. I am the treat giver. Most of the time she will step up for me, usually on a stick. I can bring her in from the aviary, take her to my husband, etc., and she is quite good with me. This has taken awhile. But I don't do things like stick my hands in her cage and start moving toys around. I avoid the bite, and encourage positive interactions. We have come a long way, but I don't ever expect to hold the same place with her as my husband does. There are some other articles on Steve Martin's site that deal with biting. A little hard to find but worth looking for. Good luck in working with your Grey! Reta Post edited by: chapala, at: 2007/12/28 20:42<br><br>Post edited by: chapala, at: 2007/12/28 20:44

I think it's best not to give tastes of "junk food" to our parrots. It encourages them to want more, and they really shouldn't be having that kind of food at all in their diets. Here's an idea - how about you switching from Kool Aid to some kind of pure juice (no extra sugar added)? Then your Grey could have a little sip! Reta

So glad you got him back! I can imagine the incredible relief you felt when you found him safe! Reta

Sounds like he could be stressed by the arrival of the new pup. I think trying to keep the area where your bird is "puppy free" at least some hours of the day would be helpful (and it's good for a pup to have some naptime in a crate, in another room). I hope your Grey eventually will recognize the pup as part of the "flock", and that this stage will pass! Reta

You mention that he often makes the noise when he's on your shoulder. What I would do, is say in a normal tone of voice, "too loud" and put him down on a playstand or his cage, and walk away for a few minutes. Give him another chance by picking him up again, talking to him, etc. Reward him with attention when he's making pleasant noises or is just quiet. If he makes the screeching noise again (each time he does), say the same thing "too loud" or whatever you prefer, and put him down. It sounds like he wants to be with you, and he will quickly learn that making a screeching noise in your ear will get him placed on the cage or stand. Be consistent and clear, and I think he will figure it out! Reta

Glad you found a good vet! RE the water, that's why I use a Lixit water bottle. So many parrots like to drop food in the water, and bacteria will grow. It's hard to be home all day every day to keep changing the water every few hours. A water bottle keeps fresh water available all day, no food spoiling in it! Reta

Better late than never! Hello Elmo, beautiful Grey bird! Reta