Kaedyn

I woke up fairly suddenly at around 5:30AM Friday morning, wide awake and hearing a bunch of crashing sounds coming from the bird room. I made my way through the dark to their room and cracked the door just enough to see Rigel (my grey) fall from the top of his cage to the bottom, crashing into everything on his way down. He then promptly climbed back up, circled the top of his cage, hanging upside down from the bars and again fell to the bottom of the cage. At first I was concerned that it was a health issue causing him to fall, but in actuality it appeared that he was purposely letting go and falling. I turned on the light and he continued to climb around the cage in a very frantic manor as if I wasn't there. I was hoping to see him fall again to prove that he was doing it on purpose, but he never did it again. I was fairly certain that he was doing it on purpose, since he had no problems navigating the cage while upside down or between one hanging object to the next. I was a bit concerned with his behavior, especially since he managed to scrape up the area above his beak. Also, he typically sleeps through the night and wakes up with the dawn. All I could really do at this point was put some aloe on the injury and wait to see if it happened again. ------ My eureka moment ----- So, I was watching the news last night and caught just a few words before they broke for commercials. A few minutes before 4:37AM central time Friday morning, a magnitude 5.2 quake hit about 128 miles East of St. Louis. The shocks were felt as far as Atlanta, GA (where I am). As soon as I heard that, it all made sense and I felt a lot better. The last quake that hit around the Atlanta area, a few years back was also in the early morning. I remember waking up instantly and being wide awake then too. What I didn't mention is that when I woke up this time, my bed was shaking ever so slightly. At the time, I just thought it was a train. We have tracks near the house and at times it will shake the ground ever so slightly. Anyway, that's my story and at least now I know. Considering that trains come through all the time, feel a lot like the quake aftershocks, and that Rigel completely ignores those, it's interesting that he knew the quake was something more. I wonder if it's related to his hearing or some other sense? Maybe he was able to hear the low frequency sounds produced by the quake. -Jim

Thanks for all the replies! I'll assume it to be normal and keep a close eye on it for any changes. Thanks Rhonda for the detailed info!

I noticed it about 2 days ago. I don't know about the missing white, since he was on the shower perch at the time and the tub was wet. It wasn't until tonight when he was sitting on his play perch that I could get a good look. There are a few smaller drops he's left since I posted that photo which do have some white. They are still the same green.

My CAG's name is Rigel. I noticed early on that he was a lefty, which as it turns out is predominant in Greys and possibly other birds. His name comes from the constellation Orion. Rigel is the brightest star in the constellation (and the 7th brightest star in the entire sky) and just happens to be Orion's LEFT foot.

I hate to post this image, but I'm a bit concerned that this isn't healthy bird poop. I'm sure you've all seen your fair share of it anyway. Is this just a normal variation or is this bordering on bird diarrhea? The only thing he's eaten recently that's not an everyday food is sweet potato, but it's not something he doesn't eat on occasion. Everything was looking normal until about 2 days ago. It typically isn't this green or liquidy. Any opinions?

Heather, Your photos look nice. Were you shooting with a 105mm macro? I've always liked that lens. The only thing you might consider changing is your depth of field. I typically shoot in aperture priority mode, especially with flash. If you aren't happy with these images, you could try playing with some creative composition and lighting angles. I personally am not particularly fond of the solid blue background, but it does provide plenty of contrast.

I have to second CeasarsDad's recommendation. The Pepperberg book can really enlighten you as to how far reaching the intelligence of our Greys extends. The book details some impressive examples of cognition, reasoning, and abstract concepts, such as "zero". It also gives you insight into her modified model/rival approach to training Alex, should you desire to go this route with your own bird. I have to think that when our birds can accurately communicate their desires to us, it makes life easier all around. Of course, as was already said, it's not an easy read. Also, Alex was Irine's pupil for the last 30 years. So, it'll take quite a commitment to get to Alex's level.

When you all say "not talking" do you mean not even an utterance? Rigel is about 5 months old now and he says "Pretty bird", "Ut-OH!", and "Hello". It's not very clear. It's still baby talk, but every now and then a fairly clear word is mixed in. Clear enough that you know exactly what's being said. What Rigel's not doing just yet is hearing new words and instantly repeating them. The few words he does speak are those that I've repeated over and over. I hear him practice quietly all the time. His most vocal times are either right after a shower when he's soaked and when he's sitting on the shower perch and I'm running my electric shaver. I think he believes I can't hear him practice when the shaver is making noise.

Hi all, I don't know if this has been posted here before, but I came across this Techno African Grey Parrot link on a blog site, which was pretty hilarious. Aside from the video--the author, Shelley Batts, seems to always have interesting Grey or parrot related articles each month. Just look through the archive links on her page. I enjoyed the Irine Pepperberg interview she did on Dec 2006. In the same month, there's also an article about a "death metal" band called Hatebeak with a Grey on lead vocals. I kid you not. http://scienceblogs.com/retrospectacle/2007/11/techno_african_grey_parrot.php I edited the URL so that it should now work.<br><br>Post edited by: Kaedyn, at: 2007/12/15 16:31

Thanks for the care info! I had to use the cotton ball and water solution initially, which briansmum mentioned. It seems that pure aloe is a rare creature here in the Atlanta area. I finally found a bottle, last night, at Rite Aid. It just so happens to be the same Fruit of the Earth pictured in Dave007's post.

Rigel has what appears to be a minor scratch on his head this morning, right above where the beak and skin join. With reptiles I used to just coat minor wounds with a bit of Neosporin. Is there something similar that is recommended for birds?

Thanks all! I appreciate all the replies. I would just switch back to an inkjet, but I've just never had the same luck with those as I have the lasers. I keep a HEPA filter in the bird room, which might help with the dust. -Kaedyn

I know that there have been a lot of recent reports saying that toner dust from laser printers or copiers is not healthy for humans. I'm sure if it's not safe for us, it's also not safe for our animal friends. I try to limit my own and my birds exposure to the printer, but was wondering if anyone has any evidence that it's more toxic to birds than other creatures? Basically, should I be even more cautious? Does anyone keep or allow their birds in the same room as their printer or copier? -Kaedyn

Hello everyone! I suppose this is my first post, if you don't count my introduction in the welcome forum. I have a quick behavioral question, but first let me say thanks to judygram, Kibibi, chapala, FairY, danmcq, lovemyGreys, Laurie, dblhelix, and ziggy for the warm welcome. I have a new baby CAG named Rigel which has a strange behavior and I'm curious to know how common it is. He/She likes to dip certain pellet foods into the water bowl to get them wet before eating. Rigel doesn't do this with Harrisons or the fruity colored Zupreem, but loves to dip uncolored Zupreem. It's amazing how smart they are. I suppose the bird thinks he/she is making gravy. Oh, if you'd like to know more about Rigel and see a few pictures, please visit my "Hello from Georgia" post in the welcome forum. And, as an update to that post.... Rigel just received a clean bill of health from the Vet this morning. I'm still awaiting the DNA sex results. -Jim

Thanks for the welcome! The other two are both lovebirds. Behati (creamino) is the troublemaker and Harley is assistant troublemaker. You can see them both here: http://emberdaze.net/birds/

Hi all, This is my first post. I've been browsing the forum for a few weeks and finally signed up last night. I've had my hands full with a new Grey named Rigel which is now about 20 weeks old. I grew up with several birds in the house, including a TAG, but this is the first AG I've owned personally. He/She (don't know yet) has been raised by a local breeder who emphasizes socialization with the entire family. So. Rigel is quite comfortable around people and very friendly. This wasn't the case with the Grey I grew up with. He/She seems happy and very accepting of the new home. We've already worn our first flight suit, learned to use a shower perch, and are currently trying to babble with a lot of baby talk. Rigel even appeared to enjoy visiting with the vet. The only moderately scary thing we've encountered is the great outdoors. I have two smaller parrots, but Rigel only knows them by sound at this point, since we're still in quarantine mode for the next few weeks. I have plenty of questions, but I suppose I'll save those for the main forum. In the mean time, here is a link to some photos. http://emberdaze.net/birds/grey/ -Kaedyn