casper

You cant see the bottom but its quite a large base which collects everything. Mine love to hang out on here. Caroline.

Berna they are beautiful! I used to have a canary years ago and I used to love hearing him sing. That is a great set up you have there. They are lucky to have you.

I have just got back from the vets with Charlie. They wouldnt do anything without anasthetic because they said it is painful for the bird. Anyway, I am just pleased that Charlie is back home and apart from being a bit quiet seems fine. Out of curiousity, I rang around three Avian vets this morning to ask their procedures. They all said they would have to use an anasthetic. Just thought I would update you all and let you know what had happened.Thankyou to all of you for your posts. Caroline.<br><br>Post edited by: casper, at: 2008/11/06 15:09

I hope you can get the problem sorted Cindy. I dont allow two of my greys on my shoulder as I had the same problem. I was worried I would get a nip as I couldnt see what they were doing. The middle grey will step up on command any time so I dont have a problem with him, I have yet to receive a bite from him as well! I would stop the shoulder until he fully recognises to step up each and every time. Good luck.

Hello and welcome Imraan and Buddy. Its great you could join us here and I look forward to seeing some pictures of your lovely grey. Caroline:)

Cindy, what a great update about ZZero! I can hear your happiness posted in that thread! He sounds like he has fit into your life and your family so well and I can tell how much you are enjoying your new companion. Play time is so important for our babies, its great you are stimulating his mind so much as he sounds like an active young grey! Keep us all posted with his progress and thankyou for sharing those beautiful pictures. Karma to you for being a great mom to ZZero! I look forward to the next update. caroline:)

Congratulations! Cherry is one beautiful baby grey. I love the name, what made you decide on this for your new baby? Take a look around the Nursery room which will give you advice on bringing your new baby home, but looking at those wonderful pictures, Cherry has been handled very well and you look like you will have no problems with socializing your new baby. Please post and keep us all updated with Cherry's home coming. I look forward to hearing more from you. Enjoy your new baby grey:) Caroline

No I havn't She. I suppose I am lucky that I dont have as much waste cooking for three. I have started buying less and shopping a few times a week to make sure everything is fresh. I know this wouldnt be practical for everyone though. Caroline.

What would happen if it wasn't removed Dave? The vet said it would be okay to leave it if it didnt bleed anymore. What is the worse thing that could happen? Thanks Sheila, I am going to have to think about everything tonight. I feel so sorry for Charlie he dosent have much luck. I will do what is best for him. Caroline.

My eldest grey Charlie had a bad landing today and broke a blood feather ( where his flights were growing.) I have read about this before but never had this happen with one of my greys. I would never have believed there could be so much blood it was squirting to start off with. I got some corn flour and managed to stem the bleeding then rang the vet who advised me to take Charlie in for him to see. I took him to the vets which was very traumatic as he is a nervous bird and does not like to travel. He didnt want to handle Charlie as I am the only one who can, and at this point he didnt even want me to touch his wing. I showed him what is left which is a broken shaft, it had clotted at the end. He said he would remove the shaft but wanted to do this using an anesthetic! I said I knew how there are risks involved and opted not to do it. What should I do? I am to observe him tonight and if there are any more problems to take him back tomorrow. Will the bleeding start up again if he catches it tonight? Will he be okay overnight? Charlie wont even step up for me at the moment, I think its all been a bit much today. Thanks everyone. Caroline.

When I brought my youngest grey home, he would only eat seed as well. I let him settle in for a couple of weeks then gradually started to add some pellets as well as Zupreem fruitblend to his seed dish. He started to choose these over his seed and a month later is on a pellet diet with a small amount of seed each day mainly given for treats. As far as the veg/fruit goes, my three all get their fruit first thing in the morning before their pellets when they are at their hungriest! Your grey is only young and you may have to encourage her to eat! Try eating the foods in front of her so she will be curious then try to hand feed her if she wont eat out of the dish! Also offer fruits as treats, I use pomegranate seeds which is one of their fravourite fruits! Try offering foods in different ways, mashed, warm, cold, sliced. Mine like to be spoon fed sometimes for example if I feed mashed sweet potatoes! Other members use Kabob sticks which you can buy and thread the fruit on making it a game while they are eating. Keep trying, curiousity will get the better of her and hopefully she will be enjoying her fruits and veggies soon. Caroline.<br><br>Post edited by: casper, at: 2008/11/05 12:59

This must have been an exciting moment for you and like Harvey said, once they find their wings there will be no stopping Hootie now! How old is Hootie? I just looked at your previous threads and Hootie is beautiful! Please feel free to post as many pictures as you like in the Nursery, and keep us updated with any news you want to shout about! We all want to hear! Caroline.

I do as well HaRRo, they are beautiful and I look forward to more pictures from Jen so we can see these lovely birds develop and grow. Please keep this post up for everyone Jen. Caroline.

I arrange my social life around the birds! I walk round covered in bird poop! I find myself talking and whistling all day! I plan my birds meals before the rest of the family!

Hiya Steve, I hope you and your family are well! Keeko's eyes have started to change colour as well, but believe me, he gets cheekier every day! He is the troublemaker out of the bunch! I hope young Alfie is doing well, have you taken any recent photos? If you have, try to post some when you get time. Nice to hear from you and Alfie. Take care:) Caroline.

DNA testing. What are the two types of African Grey's?

Welcome to you both! I am glad you have joined us! I wouldnt bother about the feather, Larry could have caught himself on the side of the cage! Hopefully its a one off and you wont find anymore. Caroline:)

Congo really is a beauty! Thanks for sharing with us all:)

How is the lovely ZZero doing? I think its time we all had an update!:whistle: Caroline:)

Firstly, the decision is yours wether you choose to purchase from a breeder or a pet store.Whichever you choose, be sure to ask lots of questions before you buy your baby grey. I never had the opportunity to purchase from a breeder but many of the members here have done and paid regular visits to their new baby! A good Breeder will allow and encourage this. Mine were purchased from the same store who used the same breeder, I was made to feel very welcome to visit and ask questions about the grey's. The staff were excellent and treated each baby as an individual. These are some questions you will need to ask the Breeder/Store. * The hatchdate of the baby. * Have the babies been fully weaned? If not what method of feeding do they use and what food do they feed their babies? If weaned, what kind of diet does the bird eat? Pellets, seed? What fruits and veggies pulses etc does the bird enjoy? Ask if the grey tends to have a favourite, this will be useful to know to settle the bird into his new home. * Is the baby fully flighted? Has he had the opportunity to briefly learn to fly before clipping? *How socialized is the baby? Ask to handle the bird outside of the cage if possible.Will he climb on to your hand? When handling/observing the baby, look for any signs of ill health. * Does the baby look underweight? * Look sleepy or fluffed up? * Any discharge from ears or nostrils? * Have a messy vent area? * Does he seem alert/active? * Any breathing problems or wheezing? * Feet look healthy? How does he react with you? If choosing from a few birds, let the baby choose you! Many of our members have let their grey's choose them to be their parronts! These are just basic questions/guidelines. No matter how healthy your new baby appears to be, always have a full health check done with an Avian vet! Enjoy looking for that special baby:) Caroline.

How is the beautiful Harvey doing? Thanks for asking about Jasper. He is doing really well! We had a few problems with his diet in the beginning which I have managed to sort out and the other two are slowly but surely accepting Jasper within the flock. He can still give a nasty nip now and again but I am working on this with extra training ( and the help of his favourite pine nuts!) He is such a joy to have, he has learnt excellent flying skills and enjoys playing, especially beak ball which always makes me laugh. I will try and get some new pics of him soon and we can compare lovely greys. Keep us updated with Harvey. Caroline

George is beautiful! You must be very proud! Keep those updates and pictures coming for us all to share George. Welcome to the family George.

The key is never to give up! Offer the veggies in a different style, some like certain foods lightly cooked or steamed, others like them mashed. If they dont eat them the first time you offer them re-try again in the future! Ive done this with mine and its worked second time round.

Every grey is different! Nobody can buy a grey and plan what you are going to be able to do with it beforehand! For example, my eldest grey Charlie was traumatised by an earthquake earlier this year, he went from being the most outgoing, loving most easy going grey to being a very scared, timid grey who is now unable to fly! This is due to the damage he caused to his wing after thrashing round his cage. He also lost his confidence and I am limited to what Charlie can do now,I know his limits, he is a very special bird. I suppose what I am trying to say is you might have great ideas of companionship and involving your grey in your lifestyle but what if you ended up with a phobic bird or one who didnt feel at ease with the things you want him to do? Would you be happy with this and still love that bird as much? There is no way I can take Charlie on outings anymore like I do my other two, it would stress him to much and I wouldnt want to do this to him. Just make sure you do lots of research and make sure a grey is the right companion for you, a grey is for life, and such a big commitment! Caroline.

I think that buying another cage was a good idea! I have three greys and each grey has his own cage. They like to have their own territory, I would never try to put them together. I have a central playstand and find when they want to hang out together this is where they will play with each other or will have a look around each others cages, even though they are more or less the same! They must be checking out if one of them is getting something else! Were they together in the pet store? They look as though they get on quite well together in your photos. I hope they will get on a lot better now they are seperated. Caroline