Kaedyn

I leave pellets in the cage all the time, along with treats such as apple cinnamon Cheerios, nuts, or Harrison's Power Treats in their foraging wheel. Every other day, I'll chop up fruits and/or vegetables and place them in a separate food bowl for them to eat throughout the day. In the evenings, when it's meal time, they sit on portable perches around the dinner table and I hand feed them the fruit or vegetable treat of the day. If I just so happen to make something for myself that's avian-safe, such as pasta, I'll offer that too. One thing I do--to make life easier--is to cook a sweet potato, cut it into half inch slices, and freeze it. That way, I can quickly pull out a slice or two, throw it in the microwave on a very low setting, and be able to offer this treat at a moment's notice. Other vegetables, I typically offer raw.

I like how they go from inquisitive and captivated to "hold me and protect me mom!", then back. All within 30 seconds.

I've been lucky that my pest control company isn't fond of spraying indoors at all. They'll do it if you ask, but they'd prefer to spray the outdoor perimeter of the home instead. I was skeptical at first, but I haven't had any pest issues and I don't have to fear for the safety of my fids. Oh. I think I have to side with Elmo on this one. I really don't care for going to work either.

I just put the padlocks on my house and keep the family out. B)

Thanks for the info LMG! I've seen them go for a day or two after a night fright where they were freaked out, but the only time I've ever seen it last longer was due to a lingering issue, such as an unseen injury, or mites, etc. Don't panic Nims, I don't think that's the issue here! I'm just bringing it up for discussion, since I haven't experienced a trauma (yet) that caused such an overnight change as LMG mentioned. Was this a permanent change in behavior or just a very long lasting issue?

I've never experienced a situation where a bonded grey, suddenly unbonded. Of course, I've seen them get angry and pout for a while, but they typically snap out of it given a bit of time or comforting. From your description, it sounds as if this happened last night and now it's later the next day and she's still upset? Or has it only been a short time, since she got frightened?

Are you positive something scared her? Has anything around her or within view changed? My grey did the same sort of thing when the earthquake hit in Chicago, and I'm in Atlanta. So, they can sense things that we may not. Which means, you might have to do some investigative work. Are you able to remove her from her current environment--such as taking her outside on a harness--just to rule out something within her room or the house? Of course, if you can't find a reason for such a sudden change in behavior and she doesn't snap out of it real soon, you might want to have her checked by your avian vet, just to be safe.

If your grey is still willing to eat baby food, you are probably better off continuing to offer it, along with a variety of interesting foods, including pellets, fruits and vegetables. As Siobhan said, you might want to offer baby food at night to ensure his crop is full. Eventually, you'll find that he'll have eaten his fill of other foods and will refuse to eat the baby food. Studies have shown that allowing your bird to decide when he/she is no longer interested in being hand fed baby food, creates a more trusting, confident, and emotionally stable parrot.

One thing I forgot to mention is that I always ask my fids if they "want spray?" before I even show them the bottle. They prefer to know what's going to happen, instead of being surprised. Now, instead of complaining or flying away, they fluff up their feathers in anticipation. Obviously, it might take some time before you get to that point, but it's something that might help later on. If you spray them directly, you might find that they are less offended if you spray a portion of their body, such as just their feet. Over time, if they accept that, you can slowly migrate to other areas. Try to find a spray bottle that puts out a very fine mist. I use AViX Bird Rain, which contains aloe vera, among other things. The AViX sprayer does a good job of diffusing the liquid and it's by the same people as Harrison's bird foods.

You could try bathing him while he's caged. Try spraying a mist up in the air--well above where he is paying attention--and let the mist settle on him. Also, If he likes being outside, you could place him in a smaller cage with one of those garden misting hoses nearby. If it's too traumatic for him, don't force it, but you might be able to get the mist so fine that he doesn't really notice it.

While interesting if true, I really hope this doesn't prove profitable, since this sort of breeding has been known to produce variations with genetic deficiencies. If they can turn a profit, it'll just encourage them to make more, without care for the species or individual bird.

I don't know the origin of the word, but to the best of my understanding, it describes an area in Western Africa around Sierra Leone, called the "Timneh Country". This area is very central to where both our CAGs and TAGs live. Hence, one could assume that the birds were named for where they were first discovered or believed to have first originated. The full name for a Timneh Grey is Psittacus Erithacus Timneh. Psitticus is derived from the ancient greek word Psittakos, which means Parrot.

Thanks all for filling in some of the gaps!

Remember that no member of this board can substitute for a visit to your avian vet. If you are experiencing an emergency or suspect your bird is having health issues, please do not lose critical time waiting on a reply to your emergency post. Find your local avian vet using the Association of Avian Veterinarians search page at: http://www.aav.org/search/ If your bird is currently perfectly healthy, be thankful and take this time to find your local avian vet and store their information in your cell phone, on your refrigerator door, and in your avian first-aid kit. Post edited by: Kaedyn, at: 2008/09/01 18:23 Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/10/29 22:17<br><br>Post edited by: Kaedyn, at: 2009/09/08 15:40

I really like the black and white with the bright red tail.

It doesn't sound abnormal. Every grey is different. I have one that settles right down when the lights go out and another that will eat in the dark or play with toys for a few minutes before going to sleep. Mine are just like little kids, they don't like being told it's bedtime. I turn off the lights and close the door to the room they are in. If I didn't do that, they'd think they were missing out on all the fun and never go to sleep. If he isn't already and you can place Pogo in a dark and quiet room away from any commotion, that might help.

Oh the dreaded name subject. Sadly, I'm still working on it. :unsure: Since you asked, here are my top three: Sienna, Sierra, and Marin. I might be leaning toward Sienna, but I could use a push. A friend of mine didn't care for the name Sienna and suggested Sierra instead. All that did was make matters worse. It's just like when I go to the diner and get the menu with 200 items. I just can't make a decision! Any thoughts? :blink:

In case you can't tell from this video, she REALLY likes apples. My apologies if the video is a bit dark. You work with what you have in the moment. http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dKSQ_CPjyC0

Yeah. Talon hit upon the big downside to these machines. Filter replacement can be costly. If I remember correctly, the company I was considering buying an Austin Air from offered a 30 day money back guarantee. I didn't buy an Austin, so I can't vouch for the company, but it's a place to start if you decide to go that route. They can also give you an idea of replacement filter costs. http://www.sylvane.com/ You might find that just bathing your bird often is all you need anyway. That's a lot cheaper than any filter and good for your bird.

Broomer, I did a lot of research on filters and both the Austin Air and IQ Air units were considered the best. The IQ Air having the edge over the Austin, but both being very good. The IQ is the last step before you have to move away from portable filters and into even more expensive whole-house systems. What makes all of these units so much better than others on the market is how well they are sealed. It doesn't really matter how good of a HEPA filter you install if air can just slip around through the cracks. Air will follow the path of least resistance. The main differences in the Austin's you are looking at are really which filters they include, how much material is in each, and the square footage they cover. As far as filter stages go, my IQ has a first stage pre-filter, which removes the large particles, such as my grey's powder down. In reality, this first stage filter does what a HEPA filter would. A second stage carbon and alumina filter removes gasses and odors. If you aren't allergic to gasses in the air, then you might not need to spend the extra money on one with this stage. This is the stage that would remove off-gassing from new carpets, wood floors, etc. The third stage is a clean-room grade HEPA filter. This is the stage that removes fine particles, such as mold, viruses, and the like. If you know that all you are allergic to is the powder down, then you could get away with the lowest cost model. Even after all of my research, I still get confused when I read the descriptions on the Austin Air site. It only made sense once I called them, which is what I'd recommend. They were able to break down each model more precisely and I believe you can even purchase a lower cost model and upgrade it later. One thing to look into when you pick a filter is to make sure it can handle the square footage of the room(s) you'll be using them in. Each model's specifications vary. Oh... and one last point about these filters. The main reason I went with the IQ was that it can be very quiet at its lower settings, yet still change the air in my bird room several times an hour.

I would steer clear of any ionizers. They aren't very efficient and produce ozone, which isn't healthy. Ozone is a lung irritant and could adversely affect your asthma. Check out http://austinair.com and http://iqair.com<br><br>Post edited by: Kaedyn, at: 2008/08/29 18:54

Greys and Cockatoos create quite a bit of powder down which can cause problems for people with allergies and asthma. Before making a a lifelong commitment to a bird, you might want to find a friend or breeder that would allow you to hang out around their birds for a few days and see how you react-especially on your bad days. They do make a few very good air filters which can make a big difference. Some of the better ones are by Austin Air and IQ Air. They are both fairly expensive, but they work very well. Don't waste your time with a cheap HEPA filter. I have the IQ Air and love it. It not only helps me, but it also removes unhealthy volatile organic compounds from the air before my birds breathe them. I believe it can also help filter PTFE fumes from overheated non-stick pans, which are deadly to all birds. Another thing you can do to reduce the powder down issue is to bathe your bird regularly. You can bathe them every day if you like. Do this as often as necessary to keep the powder manageable.

For a while, I've been interested in investigating how our greys perceive video from televisions and computer monitors. We already know that they react to online videos of other greys, but I question how the video appears to them. Their eyes and brains are capable of much higher image rates then ours-for high speed flight-yet most video devices operate at refresh rates just above the limit of human vision. So the question is, does the screen flicker distort the image they see? I figure some screens may be worse than others. I typically watch television via a DLP projector and I've never once noticed any of my birds react to the images, just the audio. Yet, they stare intently at YouTube videos on my LCD monitor. Irine Pepperberg did a study on training african greys with audio and video presentations. She didn't have much success and it was initially blamed on the low refresh rate of CRT screens (old glass TVs). They were also concerned with possible color distortions, since birds have tetra-chromatic vision, which is their ability to see in 4 colors: red, green, blue, and ultraviolet. So, they tried LCD screens instead, which didn't do much better. I think the final conclusion was that it wasn't so much a visual problem as it was a live stimulus problem. For those who like to torture themselves with academic articles, here is the Pepperberg study and another on avian vision: http://www.alexfoundation.org/papers/Pepperberg,Wilkes.pdf http://www.csulb.edu/web/labs/bcl/elab/avian%20vision_intro.pdf

While showing Rigel pictures of greys modeling for one of those glossy bird magazines, I found his reactions both really interesting and quite entertaining. Some photos caused him to reach out and attempt to gently beak the bird in the magazine, while a photo of a grey on another page caused him to pull back and make his signature, "I don't like that" whistle. More interesting is that his reactions were very consistent. If he didn't like a particular photo, he also didn't like that same photo when I returned to it later. Any photo he did like, he continued to react positively to. I'd love to know exactly what it was about each of the eight or so greys that he did or didn't like, but I suppose I'd have to be a grey to understand. Isn't it amazing how they're capable of seeing a two dimensional image and recognizing it as another grey in the first place?

Has your grey been to the vet for a yearly wellness check? If not, you might want to consider doing so, just to rule out any possible physical issues. I would definitely tell the vet exactly what you've said here and get their opinion. Getting some bloodwork done wouldn't hurt. There are a few forms of bacteria which can cause depression in birds and you'll want to rule that out. Of course, there could be more obvious issues. Does your grey get at least 10-12 uninterrupted hours of sleep each night? This means being in a dark and quiet room with no movement or noises to wake him? In order for him to get his full night's rest, he'd either need to complete his 10-12 hours before the sun rises and the room lights up, or you'd need to cover his cage to simulate darkness. A grey that doesn't receive the proper amount of sleep can be quite grumpy the next day. It's also not good for their physical and mental well being. One last thing.... Does he have toys in his cage for mental stimulation? Grey's like to play and keep their minds active. If there's nothing for him to do, sleeping, eating, preening, and singing are about all that's left. Hopefully other members will be able to offer you a few more thoughts on this.