Lyric

Hi Bebo08, welcome here. Have you ever had any birds before? Greys are very sensitive to any changes in their lives/environment and it will take time for even your baby to adjust. Think of all the changes he is going through right now, it would have to be a little overwhelming for any animal. I have 7 week old greys and they even growl at me if I change my hairstyle, even though they quickly realize it is me after I talk to them softly and stroke their heads. Sit with your new baby grey and talk to it, spend time holding it and offering it treats. It will soon realize that you are a great person to hang out with and stop the growling. Good luck!

I think you all are passing these colds around- I hope I manage not to catch one... I hope all of you are feeling better in no time. I'm having a busy day but it sure flew by fast. Tonight my brother has a documentary that he made for his college class being played at a theater along with 4 others from his class. So I'm going to see that. It should be really interesting and I'll be excited to see his creation on the big screen. Maybe one day he'll be a big time movie producer, who knows?

What fun stories these are, I love them. Today Lyric was being really high strung because I had the baby birds at home and had to feed them first when I went home for lunch. Lyric wasn't happy about it. He refused to eat a bite of the rice and veggies that I made him for lunch. He didn't want to go back inside his cage when it was time for me to return to work. He really is a perpetual 2 year old and is very good at throwing fits and evading me whenever he wants to stay out! Oh, and the littlest baby grey ate a bean today! His first bean, I'm so proud. The bigger one is starting to climb and he's hard to keep in one spot. Once both of them start flying too I'm going to have a three ring circus at my house. Anyone have an elephant to bring to my circus??

Hi Mary- When my Tag Lyric was younger he was a dare devil (well, still is) but also very clumsy. He was hanging by one foot from the top of the cage and fell breaking off most of his tail feathers. Eventually he broke them all. After this he started chewing them off- one would grow back about an inch or so and I would be so excited to see it and then snap...off it would come. He did this for a while and then eventually just stopped doing it and let his tail grow back in. I am telling you this to let you know there's hope- keep your bird busy with lots of attention, healthy foods and new toys. Keep doing spray baths or whatever form of baths you like to give. Eventually your bird may grow out of the habit or just quit because it has too many other things to do. Your bird may look a little funny with no tail but in time you will get used to it!

Ah, I think it is wonderful that you want to give her a good home as well. It most likely will make taming them much harder, especially if they are kept in the same cage, however, if they are happy with each other's company would it be so terrible if they aren't too tame? I don't know how you feel about this. I would think they will remember each other, but put them close together inside their own cages and see how they react. I would continue to work with Nokkvi one on one and perhaps you can keep him at the level you have obtained or perhaps get him even tamer. I think it must have been fate that you saw his little girlfriend back in that store... I'm sure they will be happy to have each other for company.

Lyric (TAG) broke all his tail feathers off when he was very young (maybe around 6 months?). When they started growing back in he would break them off when they got an inch or so long. He did this for a while and then stopped and eventually all the tail feathers grew back in normally. I don't know if you want to count that or not since he was under a year and also the behavior has since stopped.

Gizmo probably just feels more secure having a cage close by. He knows there is safety inside it. It sounds like you have come a long way with him already- I think if you continue the way you are doing it eventually he will come around. Perhaps try working with him in another room away from any cages and try using the tabletop perch with a favorite treat and see if you can get him to step on it for the treat. I think you are doing great with him and you should be so proud of yourself that he has come as far as he has so fast.

Hi Joe, welcome here! I seem to have missed your post days ago so I'm a little late in telling you hello. It sounds like you are really doing great with your new grey. Keep up the good work with him.

Hello Onetteselfish, glad you could join us. You can put aloe vera gel on the irritated skin if you want, it might help the area. One thing to keep in mind, since Pappy was your first bird, do things for him always first. He will feel more upset and threatened by Maya if you give her attention first. He must feel like he is still number one in your flock. I would give them more time to adjust to each other and don't rush things with them. Good luck to you!

Hello Debbie! Welcome here. When my TAG was little I would walk around the house with him and let him tap on the windows with his beak so he could learn there was something there. I did the same thing with mirrors. I think they quickly can learn about windows and the only time you may have to worry is if he becomes scared and takes flight suddenly. The openness of the sunroom is certainly a new experience for him and I can see how this could be scary to a grey in a new environment. I'm sure he'll come to love it though, I have a screened in porch and my grey just loves to sit out there with me when it is warm enough outside. Glad you could join us!

Wish I could be in sunny Florida right now. It's freezing here and we have a little snow and ice on the ground. Have fun fun fun, soak up some sun, relax and enjoy yourselves!!

Wow! Thanks so much, those are really great. Dave you do good work... I should have known... bird expert and now framing expert as well! The question of whether I am keeping them is a hard one. I am hoping to find them the perfect forever homes but I'm going to be so particular about who they go to because I love them so much. I feel very responsible for their future happiness- I want them to go to homes where they can be forever much loved and very spoiled too. If I don't find the right people for them then perhaps Lyric will have more brothers and sisters...:whistle: You just never know what will happen... we'll see! Thank you all for keeping an interest in this thread and watching my babies develop. It warms my heart to hear all the nice comments about them...of course I'm quite proud of them. It's funny, they now at a little more than 7 weeks old weigh the same as Lyric at over 2 years old. Their heads are bigger than his and over all either they are going to be really big Timnehs or Lyric is very small. It's been interesting comparing them all. I'm trying to get Lyric more used to being around them. He's a little freaked out by them still. Last night I let them sit on the table where I was feeding Lyric some pasta and they watched with great interest as he ate. I gave them a couple of noodles but they weren't too sure about them. Lyric seemed a little worried when the bigger of the two was trying to climb out of his box to get at Lyric's plate! I know he was thinking "Oh no, I'm not sharing my dinner with either of you!!"

He sure is pretty, is he almost weaned? I bet you can't wait to bring him home, then the real fun begins.

I'm sorry to hear about your father and the trials you had to go through recently. I'm glad you, Alf and David were able to get through it all and remain a strong family. Sounds like the bond between Alfie and your husband is now a good one and that's really great news. I hope you all will enjoy your holidays together.

He's a very cute fellow! Sounds like things are going well with him, keep up the good work.

That's a pretty name for a pretty little girl, I love it. Great pictures too!

Here we are, at work together today. You can see I get a lot of work done....

Updated pics! 52 & 50 days old (7 weeks) They started eating Cheerios and some pellets this weekend! They really surprised me by how good they were eating already. Of course they are still being handfed too and will continue to be for some time yet, but eating some on their own is a good sign.

My TAG doesn't speak, but if he did I imagine it would be with my boyfriend's voice. I have read that they will take on the voice of the person they believe is their competition for your affection. Many of your responses to this seem to support this theory. I imagine it isn't always true, just as all birds are individuals, but as they learn from watching our interactions, they will learn to respond to you as your significant other would. Good topic Dan, it is very interesting that's for sure!

Hello Remedy, Joey is a typical bird, they love to chew and shred things, including paper. Is there a grate between the bottom of the cage and the paper? Maybe you'll want to give him some of his own to shred and if this keeps him busy he may leave the paper on the bottom of the cage alone. Try new toys and rotate them on a regular basis too to keep him busy and happy.

You haven't had him long. The cage is still fairly new to him and unfamiliar. He will adjust in time, but consider the perches as I said above...

It is not uncommon for a bird to get scared at night. Your bird is still very new to his surroundings and still getting used to everything. Even an older bird will sometimes get scared and freak out at night. A night light will usually help, as will talking softly to them to calm them down. I had a situation where there was an earthquake several hundred miles away and it woke up my whole flock of birds. For several nights thereafter they were spooked because of it. I left a night light on for several nights and eventually they settled back down. Your bird will eventually adjust to the surroundings and figure out that it is safe to sleep. Oh one thing to consider, is the perch that he sleeps on one that is easy for him to grip? Manzanita or other really hard woods can be slippery and hard for them to grip tightly when they sleep. My TAG likes to sleep on either his concrete perch or a rope perch- either of these is easier for him to grip and keep a secure grasp.<br><br>Post edited by: Lyric, at: 2008/12/08 18:05

My TAG used to do this all the time when little and ended up breaking off all his tail feathers. It slowed him down a little because he wasn't able to fly properly until the tail grew back in. He never seriously hurt himself though. Now he loves to hang upside down from his toys and swing around but fortunately he's more graceful and doesn't fall! I have heard of some birds breaking their keel bone from a fall so the towels might not be a bad idea, until he gets the hang of things.

Love the name. I'm so happy for you that things are going well with her. Keep up the good work!

Hello Stefanie and Malcolm, welcome here! I think it was a wonderful picture and he truly looks like a happy and healthy TAG. If he doesn't enjoy sunflower seeds I wouldn't worry about it, sounds like his diet is great and I'm sure he gets the nutrients he needs from the pellets.