birdhouse

Mine, too. Just scary to read it while I was thinking it when I didn't type it. I would never call you scary, Judy!

Aww, Dave. Already done that. When I reached my epiphany of enlightenment I realized that my greatest cosmic significance was equal to that of a goose bump on a frog's back. So now, I spend my time searching for the ever more elusive perfect cheesecake recipe.

Exactly what was running thru my head. A little scary to see it echoed in purple, though. LOL Looks like she's got her hands full. Hopefully having too much fun to take the time to update. So how's you visitor, Clare...?

How about local vet boarding? Although I know it's last minute for them, too.

There are way worse places to live than here. But, my way of coping with winter in the semi-frozen northeast is lots of hot chocolate, seed catalogs & comfort food. Things that take a long time to cook so the house smells good (& feels a little warmer) for hours. Heard you might be in for some more fun weather this week.

Thanks for the snow pics and thanks for NOT sending it our way!! So far all that's been rain by the time it's gotten this far east. For my part, hoping that will continue thru oh, say March, maybe April. I meant that we don't get it, not that you keep on getting pounded!!

Liked the pics the best. Always enjoy Cocoa's outings. Thanks.

Phenix has been home for 22 years. He's at least 30-40 yo, but I suspect much older.

Just an update for anyone who might be saved... One place to not buy a cage - PETCO.com! I did my homework & knew their rep going in. But I'd seen this cage for as much as $490 & figured I'd see if I could capitalize on a soulless big box chain sale. After an amazing 2 months of %$#!@! , they canceled my order. Customer service-wise, they really are as bad as anything written about them.

I haven't had to fly my own birds. I do know that you'll need an approved carrier, though. Also, last month I was talking to some people at a canary show who came from all around the country & all drove. When I asked why they hadn't flown, they all said that since 9/11, the airlines had become difficult & unpredictable about flying with birds. Several said that they had gotten the green light as far as the gate & then not been allowed to board. One said they might not be able to get out with their bird for days. Since they were all I guess you'd call them professionals, I thought I should pass that along. Good luck.

Ahh, the plan. By now you may have begun to suspect that the plan can often be most useful for comic relief. But we got to keep trying, right? If nothing else, height dominance is real in the sense of, "You can't get me!!" In the case of shoulders, it's harder to fetch them down & easier for them to scoot out of reach or bite whenever they don't want to cooperate. Some of my birds sit on my shoulder & are fine. Others weren't. So they eventually got banned. If you're comfortable with Mort on your shoulder, that's up to you. If you really want to teach him to stay on your arm, hand, whatever, then you'll have to outlast him in a contest of will. Just keep politely heading him off whenever he starts to climb. He may well get grumpy & more determined, but just be consistent. And it might be easiest to make this a habit now, while he's so young. Also, he's probably looking to snuggle into the warmth & protection of the crook of your neck, especially right now. So you might want to teach him to settle in the crook of your arm, up against your body as an alternative.

It looks really interesting & fun. And Louis seems to be doing well with it. What a nice joub!

You are in for an adventure! Sounds like Presten has quite the personality already. Most greys take time to get comfortable in new surroundings. With more time around his new home, he should develop even more. I think there may be some interesting stories from you in the future. And maybe some pics? Congratulations, Adam! Welcome to the grey forums.

I've never bred any birds except tiels & that was because I had a hen who left me no choice when she started continuously laying eggs. So, I'm only asking ... I thought that 4-5 was a large, but not uncommonly large clutch for a grey? ... Is there a male in the group & is it possibly part of this? Sorry Karen, this must be nerve wracking. I know you'd rather this hadn't happened at least until you'd had her fed up & healthy for a while. So, I hope you can get it under control soon.

Good time to have a steady supply of hot chocolate ... with real milk & real cocoa ...with or without whipped cream or marshmellows or cinnamon ... WITH Vandermint or Frangelico and/or Irish Cream. Pretty much guaranteed to take the chill off & make things seem a whole lot better. :cool:

So sweet!! Glad Alfie's doing so well in the new home.

Welcome Yoshi. Congratulations ! Always nice to hear from new members & always nice to meet their fids hint, hint... Hope you'll find some interesting reading here. And if you've got any questions or stories feel free to share.

Straws??? Oh, boy!!! BIG fun! Tuck the ends into each other & they make little triangles that don't hold up for long, but are fun. Make them into a chain and it lasts a few minutes longer. But strawbursts are the best! Kura wouldn't even wait for me to hang this one. She just snatched it while I was trying to take down whatever was left of the old one. Maybe Chachi would like some things on the homemade toy forum?

It's great that you're already familiar with grey thinking. It's no doubt going to prove very helpful insite into Chachi's personality. But one day in is too soon for him to know that you're good people & he's found a greyt home. Depending on his personality, it make take months to fully trust you. So take it very slowly. Which would also be a good mind set with his toys. If he has truly been deprived for all these years, he should really be introduced to playing from the ground up. If he's okay with being handled, then you might find an unwaxed paper cup. qtip or coffee filter & see if you can get him to start shredding it. If he will, then put it in his cage with him. I like cups, because once they find out that they're fun, you can fill them & use them to transition to other things. You can tie them from the top of the cage & get him used to a hanging toy. You can leave it at the bottom of the cage & see if he'll carry it around like a foot toy. Chachi's already got a lot to adjust to. Big toys can be intimidating to any bird. So for right now, you might want to leave them out of his cage.

Happy Hatchday Corky & many, many more!

WOW! What clarity & color! That first shot is perfect & the third is such a cool angle. Really, really nice!

Birds are hardwired to be in flocks with their own kind. But we're able to use that to get them to socialize with us, usually when there aren't any others of their same species around. Birds are for the most part hardwired to protect their nesting territory. It can be a big part of our pet's cage aggression. Beaker invaded Marcus' territory & that triggered a need for defensive aggression. Unfortunately, your hubby also invaded it when he went for Beaker. Maybe he was animated enough to be the bigger perceived threat, so Marcus went for him. Birds are hardwired to be curious. Combine this with the need to socialize & some pet birds will attempt to interact with other species. Sometimes they just want to find out about the other guy. Sometimes they want the company. Sometimes, they're bored & just want to stir something up which would most often be the case with my quaker. It may be that these 2 can become friends but they will both have to agree. It's difficult to socialize most birds with other species. Greys aren't often the most social & quakers are kind of opposite. Greys are big birds & quakers only think they are. One other bit of "parrot", here. If you're going to investigate socializing them, start in controlled sessions, on neutral ground. Make sure they're supervised at all times, even if they eventually become friends. The little guy is the one who's going to lose if it comes to blows... always.

I wouldn't advise going with the Listerine. It's mostly alcohol. That's not going to help anything & could actually make bad matters worse. If Jay were here, he'd have a great deal to say... none of it good! I'd also be leery about over the counter mite spray & treating a bird for something it might have. You might try posting the pics you took to see if someone recognizes any symptoms.

If I read this right, you're pet sitting Pepsi for an extended period, right? And I'm going to guess this is a relatively well adjusted bird who is familiar with you? If that's the case, you've got a nice head start. The first thing would be to get all the information you can from your friend as to likes, dislikes, habits, fears, etc. Stick to Pepsi's version of normal as much as possible. Once things seem to be going well, you can explore how Pepsi feels about some of your ideas for food & activities. Be aware of her reactions & don't force anything. If she's an older bird, especially, she may not be big on change. If you don't feel confident about her reaction, ask for advice. There will probably be moments like sitting for a 4 yo who's over tired or on a sugar high or missing her Mommy or just having a cranky day. Other than that, treat her like a spoiled grandchild & have a great time with each other!