Lyric

Hi Kim- welcome here. Great pics of your family! You must have your hands full with a toddler and a baby umbrella!

They seemed to have good customer service when I ordered from them. I hope that Talon and Rikki like the new food!

What a pretty baby! Congratulations to you on getting him home. I'm sure he gives you a lot of companionship. Timnehs can have a lot of energy, let him play and flap around when you let him out of the cage- once he gets some exercise he should settle down a bit. Have fun with your new friend.

Hi Chris, welcome to the forum! Hope you enjoy it here.

Hello Dennis and Holly, welcome to the forum. Sounds like you really saved Lucky from a bad situation. Let us know any questions you may have regarding Cody and handfeeding.

By the way, when switching to a new food, mix some in with your bird's old food and gradually increase the amount of the new food while reducing the amount of the old. Do this gradually over a period of several days to a couple of weeks. Some of my birds ate the new pellets right away, but some of the more cautious ones took a few days before they even tried the pellets. I watched them all every day and once I saw that every bird was eating the new food then I knew it was a success. After a few days they would go for the new TOPS pellets first whenever I fed them. I guess my point is that if you give them to your bird once or twice they may not even try them. Sometimes it takes a little while before a bird will try something new. Don't think that your bird necessarily hates a new food until you give it a chance to eat it for several days... some birds are more hardheaded or leery of anything new.

Great photo, thanks for sharing your milestone moment with us! Just think what is to come for you both now...

It's very nice, does Ash climb around on it much or pretty much just stay at the top?

What a great hanging play area for your grey, it looks like Taco really enjoyed it too.

Well, I don't have a very great camera, and many times the quality of my shots is not what I would like. I am a bit of a perfectionist I'm afraid. I'll try to share some more with you though- have you seen the pics of my babies in the nursery room? "picture of timneh chicks- 1 week old" I'm proud of the pics of my babies! B)

I love it. I think the colors are what make the photo so great. I can see why the blur might bother some but I don't think it detracts from the beauty, I think the blur is part of the composition and part of the overall artistic quality of the photo. If anyone asks anyway, tell them you did that on purpose!

Kook- I'm so sorry about the loss of your beloved Zeus. It really seems you did all you could for the poor fellow and he was given all the love you had to give. I understand about you not knowing whether to get more birds right away or not. You want to save them from the unhealthy conditions they are in now, but you will face high vet bills and the uncertainty that they will even survive. I think you are wise to give yourself some time...Please know that Zeus is happy now and at peace. I pray you find peace yourself and will someday fill the empty place in your heart.

Looks like Koko is really enjoying himself on those hangers- he's a very pretty grey!

You have beautiful birds. Do they get along with each other?

Congratulations! You must be so excited! I don't have experience with this as I have no children but here's my two cents worth anyway! Adding another bird to your household can be a very stressful situation for your current bird. It is possible that Lilo will love the new bird and develop a great relationship with it- but it's also possible that Lilo will never like the new bird and will resent having to share your affection with it. Your time with Lilo will already be lessened as you have to care for the new baby. Focus the time you do have for him on him- try to give him some special one-on-one time every day even after the new arrival. This is just my opinion- I hope Lilo will continue to be a big part of your life and can happily coexist with the new baby.

My birds have eaten Kaytee Exact pellets for over 10 years, with no major health problems. But I've been reading about the ingredients in most popular pet foods and I became concerned about what I read. Many ingredients found in pet foods are not allowed in food for human consumption. Some of these ingredients have been shown to cause cancer, immune system problems, skin problems, etc. If I wouldn't eat it, why would I give it to my birds as their major diet? I love my birds like children. If I had a child I would feed it only the very best. I figure I owe it to my birds to do the best I can to feed them what will keep them healthy and happy. I switched to TOPS pellets. Here is a link to their site if you are interested: http://totallyorganics.com Here is the ingredient list: Certified Organic Ingredients: Rice, barley, corn, sunflower seed hulled, alfalfa leaf, sesame seeds unhulled, amaranth whole, quinoa whole, buckwheat hulled, millet hulled, dandelion leaf powder, carrot powder, spinach leaf powder, purple dulse, rose hips powder, rose hips crushed, orange peel powder, lemon peel powder, rosemary whole leaf, cayenne ground, crushed red chili peppers, wheat grass powder, barley grass powder. Contains NO BHA, BHT or ethoxyquin, No artificial colors, flavors, vitamins, preservatives or sucrose/sugar. Does not contain any animal products or by-products. Just to let you know, my birds LOVE this food. I find I have to feed them twice a day because when I check their food dishes they have eaten all the pellets I gave them and absolutely dig in once I give them more. I was surprised at the great response I got from them. It does cost more than many popular brands but my birds are worth it. I also supplement their diet with fruits, veggies, occasional seeds, nuts, brown rice, and some cooked eggs. They get nutriberries occasionally as special treats. In all reality, my birds eat better than I do. I just wanted to tell you all about TOPS pellets and how much my birds like them in case you hadn't considered them or heard of them.

Great pictures of Rexxy, looks like he had a wonderful holiday. I read that book too- it is very good and less technical than her other book, therefore easier to read.

Hello Viktor! Welcome here. Paco is a lovely grey, thank you for sharing his photo with us. It sounds like he has found a good home with you- even if you can't hold him on your shoulder yet, you can still enjoy his company and interact with him.

Sounds like you are doing great to find a remedy to Sarah's feather chewing. One thing to remember which was mentioned above but not really stressed is to not let Sarah see you react to her feather mutiliation. If you make any noticeable reaction to it she may be noticing your reaction and taking it as attention. Also, she will be able to pick up the fact that you are stressed about something. Try to project calm and happy thoughts when you are around her. I'm sure that with all you are doing it will be no time at all before she has moved on from this behaviour. Oh, some people have also had success by adding a full spectrum light to their routine- you might investigate this option a little more as well- I know it has been discussed before on this forum.

Did you see Bandit chew the feathers off? It's possible he broke them off from a fall or something if you didn't see him chew them. When my TAG was young and clumsy he used to hang upside down off the top of his cage and just let go and fall. He ended up breaking off all his tail feathers. He looked pretty funny without a tail for a few months but they did eventually grow back. I'm glad to hear Bandit's feathers are growing back in now.

Hi Jason, how is Ernie acting today? Back to normal?

Oh, I like both your name choices! He's a cutie isn't he? You must be so excited and the time is drawing nearer....

Hey Rachel! I have a grey named Tarzan- I loved watching Tarzan when I was a little girl...Any shows you particularly like watching? Maybe that will give you some ideas. I also have a grey named Lyric- I wanted to give it a name that would work for a girl or boy, and I liked the musical name because I hoped he would like to sing! Good names for greys also: Smoky, Echo, Alex (of course!), Greyson, Mozart I'm sure the right name will come to you after you get him home.

Hi CF, listen to Judy, she knows what she's talking about! Generally babies are besides themselves to get out of the cage and spend time with you- just open the door and be ready, it should come right out. There are many mixed opinions on clipping/vs not clipping. I personally don't clip mine either but I must be very vigiliant about watching open doors, and my dogs when they are around the birds. It is generally better for the health of a bird if it is allowed to fly- they get a lot of benefit from the exercise involved with flying since that is what they are made to do, and it makes them more self-assured and confident therefore less likely to feather pluck. I try to mist my TAG about twice a week- sometimes more when he is going through a molt and tends to be itchier. If you mist them with a spray bottle, make sure they are soaked when you are done. I have travelled with my TAG since he was a baby- he has a small carrier he rides in and another cage at my work- he comes to work with me a couple times a week if possible and seems to love getting out of the house. The cage should be in the place in your house where the action is- they want to feel like part of what's going on and require lots of interaction throughout the day. It sounds like you will be well prepared for baby when it comes home since you are doing your homework now and getting everything ready. Enjoy the time with it while it is a baby- they grow up fast!

Hello Birdgirl, welcome to the forum. I'm glad you've joined our little flock!