birdhouse

It's so nice to hear how well this is going & how happy you both sound with each other. You're very fortunate that you have your aunt to give you insight into what's going on. It's so much easier than the trial & error that most new parronts have to face. Just give Brody time & show him how much you've come to love him. I think you two are going to be greyt together.

Kito really seems to be enjoying herself & it was a lot of fun to watch her. She seems to be quite a sweetie!

Catching up after a bout with the flu. Very glad to hear this had a happy ending!!!

They really seem to enjoy anything I let them drink from my cup. But I'm going to say the unanimous fav here is pink grapefruit juice. However, all I have to do is say "No" & they seem to think whatever it is is the very best thing in the world & they just have to have it. So, I always drink my coffee & hot chocolate from a travel mug with a screw on top & a disc that rotates over the opening.

I'm glad to hear Nilah seems pretty well off after all that. It must have been scary & it always hurts to see them in pain like that. As long as you feel very comfortable that there aren't any broken or dislocated bones, you might use aloe vera gel for her. It has some components to help ward off infection, will help sooth the broken skin & promote healing without possible side effects if ingested. If you use gel (vs diluted spray) & glob it on the end of your finger you can apply as often as you like without actually touching her & possibly causing more pain. You could also put it in the fridge & maybe the cold will help some, too. Hope Nilah feels better soon.

I'm so sorry Face. I hope he comes home, soon. I think the thread by David has pretty much every helpful suggestion possible. I can't help from the other side of the country. But do you think it might be a good idea to post his name, in case someone does find him?

Greys are super sensitive to body language, though. If you pretend to ignore something, they'll see right through it. If you can't learn to tone them out, then go somewhere they can't see you or they'll still be getting the reaction they want. I used to acknowledge my fids when they did this, just to make sure they didn't have a legitimate issue like being caught in something. Then I'd dismiss it & walk away. Once they quieted down, I'd just come back like nothing had ever happened. They'd eventually figure out that I knew what they were doing but it just wasn't getting them anywhere & they'd move on to the next challenge. Someone did tell you, there's always another challenge, right? :rolleyes: But I have to admit I always feel for parronts when they post this problem. It really isn't a fun phase to get through.

No sneak attacks allowed They're all about trust, remember? Even if you have to towel Tui, approach him from the front & be open about it. If he loses his temper, he will get over it. If he loses his trust, he may not be so forgiving. If Tui likes to grab your finger, you can try it that way. It's actually how I started with Kura. But it works a lot better for us on the shower perch. She sits still better & it just feels safer. Lucky me, she's not usually nippy. But she can get a little attitude sometimes. She's a parrot after all. When she gets uncooperative, I just quit & wait til later. This is still a little new, so I'm giving her all the leeway she wants. I think she's doing great & pretty soon it won't really be a big deal anymore. I know a lot of people use a dremmel. But, I tried filing my own nails that way, once. The heat it generated really hurt, even though my nails were pretty long at the time. No disrespect Malikah, but ever since, I've been afraid to use one on the birds.

Got a friend who's been admiring your birds & indicating that they might, maybe be thinking about getting one someday? If you could find her a good home, you'd feel better & be able to visit, too.

He's most comfortable with you & that gives you the advantage where it comes to getting over his fear of hands. Unfortunately, he's translated that into mating behavior that you don't want to encourage. If things could only be simple, huh? I still wonder if there may be some benefit in what I suggested about you hand feeding. He'll get all the precursors to overcoming his fear of hands & learning to step up. You might be able to circumvent his feeding you by feeding him. Maybe that could be how you interact with him when he's out of the cage, for the time being?

Your ideas keep giving me ideas, Janet. This made me think of Aurora.

How is Tui about letting you handle his feet? If he doesn't mind then you might be able to teach him to let you cut his nails while he's perched. For about a week before I do this, I play with Kura's toes, all the time. I keep rubbing them & pick them up, one at a time. I put her on her shower perch, on the bathroom counter. It's got a big enough diameter for her feet to spread to where the nails are on it & I can get at them. Her front claws are curved enough to just snip. Her back claws need to be lifted a little. We take our time. I make a game out of it. We mess around between nails & keep her calm. I use a human nail clipper & only snip a little bit at a time. After, she'll let me file them if I make a ragged cut. Always, always have some flour or cornstarch within reach while you clip a birds nails, no matter the method. I'm really glad I can do this with Kura because Phenix has a very bad reaction to even touching his feet. He has to be toweled & I wish I didn't have to piss him off like that. Everything is back to normal pretty quickly. But Dave's right, he's just pissed. I'm the one with the one who ends up feeling guilty for the rest of the day.

Is it worth it if she's going to get that stressed, Dave? She seems to have pretty much stopped plucking & is just over sensitive to her new feathers. Is there any concern that the spraying might drive her back to plucking outright, again?

Exactly what I thought. Bet there'll be a big difference in a month or so.

Kura, my ekkie, really does fit that description. All the more so because Phenix & Charm flit & turn so neatly. Once Kura's airborne, she's magnificent. But her take off is extremely awkward if she can't jump & glide. Her landings can be scary to watch. She's just never learned to fly. She doesn't seem to want to :confused: She's very content to just hang out on her cage or whatever perch I put her on. Whoever said that a grey looks like a football with wings is crazy.

Very funny! What a great play! Thanks for sharing it.

LOL I know that sound. Whenever Phenix makes it I get out of the way, immediately. It means he's about to nail me, big time. If I have to keep doing whatever I'm doing, there will be bloodshed.

I had a bright orange plastic cup that fascinated Phenix. I used that to teach him to drink from a cup so I could get some V8 & fruit juices into him before I could get him to eat a decent diet. After a little while, he started making swallowing sounds whenever he saw me drinking something that interested him. Once he started on some real food, he would make crunching, chewing noises when he wanted to try something I was eating. Of course, I'd give him anything he could have. From then on, he treated both sounds like words & he definitely uses them to communicate his expectations when he wants his share.

My guys don't like it either. I have found that the right rhythm, the right bottle & the right mist concentration make it a little better. But that's about it. So, you have an excuse to scritch her. Not like you need one And you give her aloe water in the cage. And the tiels lucked out too.

This is so nice too hear! I'm very glad for you both. Sounds like you're going to have to be very careful what you say around Sadie. She'll leak everything on your Xmas list if you're not careful. Although, it may come in handy if you have any hints for your hubby...?

It's ok for her to drink it. Will she take a bath on her own? Or you could wet your fingers in it & scritch her, maybe?

I know you did everything you could when Shanti took off. But it's been a little while & people forget about things. Now that some time has passed, you might make some re-posts & follow up phone calls. Maybe design some new posters, too. People stop seeing things they look at all the time. You might also broaden your search area. Shanti 's also had some time to travel.

Have you ever seen an ekkie take off or landing?

Awww, that's so nice! Great shot. Too bad about the classically uncooperative grey, ah, pose in the background. I love your pics of Ember. Same beautiful ears as Belle.

Thanks, those were great. I particularly liked the cub, the "laughing" zon with the b&g and the head on of what I'm thinking might be a vulture?