Bertbert

Hey, I just saw this thread now. Gizmo screams when I leave the room too. I tried ignoring it, but when I'm only a foot away, it really hurts. I tried telling him "no" but that made it worse.... now I have started saying "bye" everytime I leave. His yelling is slowly being replaced with "bye". Whenever he says Bye instead of screetching I come back into the room and praise him. I put him back into his cage and say bye to him again. This time in a very calm relaxing voice. When he's very agitated, he yells BYE!!! very loudly at me, but it is still wayyyy better than yelling

So, we all think we are training the bird, but in some cases, they are training us. I had Gizmo trained to only poop when he is sitting on perches. Then he started going on the floor one day. I thought maybe he was mad or just purposly disobeying. So I began picking him up when I would see he was about to poop and take him to a perch. No, he didn't ever actually have to go, he has began using this against me to get me to pick him up!! Now, how do I reinforce pooping only on a perch or when asked? lol, I really don't want him doing this on the floor, but I don't want to encourage this behaviour by picking him up. I'm always right by him so if he wanted me to pick him up he used to just walk over to me, now he figured out the lazy bird way! I began picking him up, letting him poop when he's on the perch, then putting him back down on the floor again right away, but then within seconds he's doing it again...{Emotions-000200C6} <- pretty sure if he could do that he would! haha

I have to say, I've had my grey for only a year now, and he is the twitchiest, scared and most high strung bird I have ever cared for! He goes for car rides now, but that took months to overcome his enormous fears of going outside, then entering a moving vehicle. He loves being on a tree, but that too terrified him for a very long time. He is terrified of new toys and perches, the wind, open spaces, the window, anything and everything depending on his mood. I take him for short walks periodically, but that depends on his mood. I read all the time that greys were very particular about their atmosphere, but the way he really is, isn't explainable until you own one! My grey is anything but outgoing and calm. I've been working with him to expose him to as much as I can, and though I've had him for a year, it goes very slowly and there's nothing to be done about it, has to be on his own time. But the longer you take, the more stuck in their ways they become. A grey may never be comfortable with everything you would like out of it that's all. If I were to use two words to describe a grey, it would be "high strung" lol. Just the last thing you want is a bird that isn't fitted to you as a person, my budgies and cockatiels were way more easy going than my current scardybird, and I've met other parrots that were happy going places. But for my grey, a one month goal as to not overstress him would be experiencing a new room. Going on a bike.....I don't know if that would ever really happen without him having a heart attack, plucking all his feathers or chewing off his nails. Lots of patience and time is required to train them, and as slow as you go, they will probably never be happy with going places just because they like consistency and are terrified of anything new or different. I love my grey, but he is the most fragile bird I have ever been in contact with...maybe it's his personality, but I think a lot of it has to do with his natural temperment.

I think part of it is so funny because he is also the biggest wuss ever. He's afraid of leaves, the breeze, even a fruitfly has the capability of scaring him. Yet, put him in his cage with familiar toys and they are completely destructable to him! I couldn't believe how much of a chicken he was the first time he went outside, now it's nothing, but it's just surprising how "brave" he can be when the things he picks fights with don't fight back...usually. But there's always the times when he hits his bell then it hits him back, so he hits the bell harder, so the bell hits him harder! :silly: You're right though, there's is nothing better to fight with than a big blue bell!!!

haha, this is good to know. I was thinking maybe he had some built up anger problems...I have just never seen a bird be so violent!

Does anyone elses grey attack toys for the sake of attacking them. Gizmo will sit for an hour and beat any one of his toys from different angles clicking and squaking at them. He spends a lot of time outside of his cage and with people, but several times a day he retreats to beating the pulp out of his toys. lol, anyone else?

that looks awesome!!

Lol, where did you get that name from? My bird is named Gizmo too, what are the odds??? I got it from the movie Gremlins!

I take him out to play with him and his head goes down and he waits very patiently, then clicks, nudges me and puts his head down for me to pet him, he doesn't want to play, only be pet lol. It's cute, but just bathing him isn't doing enough. I read about the aloe juice but not the red palm oil...I'm heading to the mall tonight, so I'll grab some of both. He isn't a biter, but HATES spray bottles which then he bites so we'll see how it goes lol. When I pet him, it doesn't seem to bother him, but the casings just seem like they would feel so uncomfortable!

Gizmo is molting right now and is very itchy, all the feathers are growing in their casings. I was wondering when we pet our birds and scratch over top of the casings, would this hurt/irritate them at all. I'm thinking it would if the casing was to be forced down onto their skin, but otherwise it is fine. It doesn't seem to bother him or my last bird usually, but it seems like it would! Also, I heard that hard boiled eggs were good for birds when they are molting (in moderation of course), any opinions on this? Just a couple of random questions that were in my head lol

I had one in my budgies cage and it had to be removed because she wouldn't come out otherwise...but my grey plays with it but still plays with his toys and enjoys coming out

Thank-you!!

Hi, just a quick post to see if anyone would like to recommend a vet for me to take my Grey to. I have been refered to a couple in the region, but wanted to know if anyone has found one in the K-W area that they really liked and would recommend? I just don't really like taking my pets to new vets, but I need to find one for Gizmo that I know the prices are reasonable and the vets are good and trustworthy! Hope there is someone in the area that has some input, Thanks again everyone!! {Nature-00020095}

I'm guessing there are people here that have taught their birds to count and/or their basic colours?! Well, one of the things that made me really want a grey is the potential to teach them their colours, I've seen it done. Just wondering the process about how to do this and how long it took. I'm thinking I will buy coloured rings or keys that are all identical other than colour, and start with one colour then work from there. I have one year left and then I am a primary/elementary teacher, so I think this could be neat. Thanks!!

Also I was jsut on e-bay and bought a bunch of toys, there's one store that I used called Bird Toys for Less Store, and they will combine shipping, but the prices there are about half of a typical pet stores prices and the shipping rates are good to ranging around 2-5 dollars. I also went to the dollar store and bought some baby toys and he likes those a lot, but you have to be cargeful about the material it is made out of.

Gizmo does this too, the most keys he has managed to pull off at one time is three. But then he puts the keys in his mouth and starts running away, then if I catch up he puts them in his foot and swings his foot around in all directions and angles thinking i wont be able to get it back....they think they're so smart!

I'm glad you posted this, I was told by a vet how to trim nails so I always did my budgies nails, my cat, my dog and my aunts dog. First time I trimmed Gizmos nails there was no problem, the second time I knicked him and he bled a lot too. He made a noise that scared me so i took him, dumped a bunch of flour on the table and made him stand in it, but it didn't work right away either, and I was terrified too! But he started clicking, whistling and just kept eating his seeds that I was feeding him (they're his treat), couldn't have cared less that he was bleeding...if I knicked the budgie or dog it dribbles and that's it, so this is assuring to hear that it does happen and I didn't seriously gouge him (he's fine now, but I'm taking him to a vet next time...) Thank-you!

I was talking to a friend that works in a pet shop, she said they had TAG but a pigeon got into the store and sat on top of it's cage, in so doing the pigeon gave the grey a parasite and it died! so, my grey spends half the week at my house and half the week at my boyfriends house, he's good in the car in the carrier, but come summer I would like to take him outside, but now I am afraid he will get a parasite or something else... so -are there vaccinations he should get for anything? I've heard mixed things about it?! -does anyone else take their grey outside? I did it with my budgie in a cage that is), and my grey I would put on a harness or wheel his cage out (but not in direct sunlight) TIA again Brittany

Nope, no training! He honestly runs full tilt around the house so I bought him a cat ball with a bell in it to chase, if he would, I thought he may play fetch. Instead at first he just watched the ball when I rolled it to him and would let it roll over his toes. I guess my mother decided to play with him and after a few minutes of rolling the ball at him he chased it and hit it back to her. I'll have to try and get a video, I think it is so funny! He'll do this for a long time too!

I came home the other day and my mother was sitting on the floor (hard wood) with my CAG she asked me to come and watch. She rolls a cat ball with a bell in it (that I bought for him) and Gizmo chases after it and hits it with his beak back at her. She did this for half and hour with him, he's gotten pretty good at it, good aim! Just thought I would share that with others to try if you haven't already. He really likes running full tilt around on the floor from room to room and since all he does is eat it is probably good for him lol! These birds are hilarious!!

My grey is more attached to me, but talks and plays with my boyfriend (who spends a little less time with my bird than I do). I think it really depends on the amount of time that you are able to spend with the grey. My mom will spend a day with my grey and at the end of the day, Gizmo doesn't care if it's me or her that is with him, but then when he doesn't see her for a couple of days, it's back to square one again.

That's something I can definately see my family doing! lol B)

When I got Gizmo about 2 months ago at a year, he didn't talk, just whistled. Now on command I taught him to make chicken noises, laser gun noises, we're working on an evil laugh, water noises and "feed me cookies!". The only trick I taught him is to shake hands/foot and finger. Question is: I am ready for a new trick, what is the best way in your opinion to teach him to hang upside down/play dead on the floor or table. And: how would I go about teaching him to dance or something there abouts? TIA Brittany PS. Good bird dancing video if you haven't already seen it! http://youtube.com/watch?v=FYcqGWajKCQ

I find Dish Soap works really well. I also put olive oil on the bottom bars of the cage so poo doesn't stick as bad to it. Only down side is that his feathers stick to the bars more, but that is more easily taken care of.

I've never seen a bird play like that and it does look like his legs should become dislocated!