Lyric

Welcome Goliath! Echo was one of the names I was considering for my TAG but I ended up naming him Lyric. I like that name though! Lyric doesn't really enjoy a lot of petting either, even though when he was small I cuddled him a lot. He has his moments when he likes his head rubbed, especially his cheeks and the area around his beak. Try waiting until Echo appears to want interaction- sometimes this is right after his belly is full and he's getting sleepy. Rub the cheek area in small circles and see if he likes this. If he tries to bite or pull away then he's just not in the mood, so give it a try later. I never push Lyric for affection if he isn't willing- I don't think they like it unless it's their idea. Good luck and welcome to the forum.

Hee hee. The way birds go about it without one it always amazes me that they manage to fertilize their eggs at all. B)

Hi Butch: How old is your bird and has he had wings clipped before? Clipping does not hurt them but there are varied opinions on whether or not to do it. I personally do not clip my Timneh's wings but I also am very careful about watching where he is and what he is doing- and also am very careful about people coming in and out of the house. Consider your situation and what will work best for you.

Hi Pegasus: My grey likes to look out the window, but be careful about drafts from it or also overheating. You could put it halfway in front and that way he can have some shade if needed or get out of drafts. See what he seems comfortable with. Good luck with your new addition- what is his name?

This is a very sad story and my heart goes out to you. It is great that you now have both Poppy and Charlie to share your life with you. Thank you for sharing what happened and I'm sure it will make a difference in the lives of other birds.

Hi Casper: Some birds like you to help preen them in areas they can't reach and others don't. If you leave them alone, he will eventually get them open himself by scratching them and through the growth of the feathers. If he likes having his head and neck gently rubbed and scratched you can very gently open the ends as you said above by pinching the end, but don't do this if you think it's making him uncomfortable or if it is painful to him. Like I said though, if you leave them alone they will work themselves out just fine. That's just my advice though.

My bird gets Sally Blanchard's glop recipe every morning for breakfast (for the recipe go to www.companionparrot.com). It is basically a mixture of sugar-free toast, high vitamin A baby food like sweet potato, carrots or squash, a bit of non-fat yogurt, some flax seed oil and sometimes some wheat germ. You can also mix in other healthy veggies, greens, grains or fruits but he just loves this food. For lunch I share a rice and bean mixture with other veggies cooked in like carrots, squash, kale, brocolli or whatever fresh veggies I have. We both eat this and I figure it is good for both of us! For dinner sometimes he has a bite of whatever we are eating as long as it is bird safe. A big favorite of his is pasta with tomato sauce. He also has pellets available all the time and gets snacks of pea pods, apples, healthy cereals, or occasionally a cracker with some peanut butter or a few sunflower seeds. He's not a big fan of fruits besides apples but I figure he is getting a range of vitamins from all the veggies he eats. Oh, as others on this post have mentioned he goes absolutely crazy for cheese but I try to limit it to just a little bit occasionally. Yeah, he eats very good, better than most people I know.

Oh, it's so cold here today and very gloomy in Missouri. I'm really looking forward to spring arriving (hopefully sooner than later). Hello to everyone out there in birdland and hope you are enjoying your day whether it is nice outside or not. Reading posts about funny bird stories right now is warming up my heart!

Hi everyone- Terri, Bella sounds so adorable and like such a character. I bet she will make your life even longer for having so much laughter in it. My TAG isn't talking yet- I think he's a very slow bloomer at 17 months old. Maybe he will never talk but his antics always crack me up. He makes lots of whistles, clicks and kissy noises. Whenever I get on the phone he whistles tunes with a vibratto effect. It's quite hilarious and I wonder if he ever does talk what he'll have to say? Yesterday my boyfriend was playing video games and cussing at the screen- I told him sure enough Lyric will learn a curse word for his first word and be cussing at me whenever he doesn't like something. Ah well, we'll see. I love him whether he talks or not but it would be very exciting to me.

This is a great thing for anyone who has a bird to remember always... Thank you!

I think it sounds like Harrison is being kind of territorial. Try moving her around to some different locations in your house to keep her on her toes. I sometimes slightly jerk my hand too out of a reflex response if my bird bites my hand he's standing on- it always seems to make him stop biting and I also say NO or DON'T BITE, and give a dirty look. I tried the whole no response thing but when he's clamped down it's too hard to do that! I wouldn't recommend leaving her alone in her cage for a day- she needs your attention and to know that you love her no matter what. If anything this might make her even more mad. Just try to be patient and work through this- my bird has his onery moments too and you just have to keep working and keep loving them. Good luck Heather!

My bird likes to do anything that makes noise. For instance, he has a large glass dish with handles that I put on the table when he is out eating, filled with water. He discovered he can make a ringing sound by plucking on the side of the dish with his beak. He loves doing this! Also, he discovered that although he can't move the dish or push it off the table he can lift up one corner and then bang it down. This scares my little dog and he goes running out of the kitchen to Lyric's delight. He loves doing that just to see the dog responding. They love getting attention any way they can, don't they?

Hello to everyone and good day! I'm so happy it is Friday and I get to spend all day tomorrow with my little birdie! He'll be so happy to get to spend as long as he likes eating his breakfast. Hope everyone out there is doing well and having a great day.

Hi Justin: You'll get lots of good advice here- just keep reading through the posts. I think it is great you want to give Cinco a better home. It is very possible that he will learn new words and enjoy coming out of the cage more. Since he is 4 it will take time for him to adjust to the changes. Maybe your Indian ringneck will even be happier having another bird around. I think you should keep trying with your Indian ringneck. Maybe it is just going through a phase it will outgrow. Maybe it just needs more one-on-one time with you. Just be sure you are ready for the commitment it takes to have a grey. They live so long and really do need lots of interaction with people. Best of luck and I hope everything works out.

Noone's written on this post for awhile, but I was just reading it and thought I'd join in. I like to play the simple games on PS2, my favorites are Beyond Good and Evil and right now I'm playing Kingdom Hearts. They are really fun and not too hard for a novice. I also like to read, watch movies, and I make jewelry. I love spending time with my pets and also like going for walks outside. That, work and taking care of everyone is all I have time for!

My TAG took forever to wean because I guess I missed the "window of opportunity" at 4 1/2 months old. What I finally had to do to teach him to eat was let him share meals with me- I'd cook some sweet potato or squash and brown rice and I'd eat it with him. He seemed to get the hang of it after that. I just don't think he understood it was something to eat until he watched me doing it. He was the only one in the clutch too so he didn't have other birds to learn from. I think sometimes they need to learn by example. You might try it anyway.

Cleopatra- I've always been fascinated by her. What was your favorite vacation ever and why?

Hi Leigh: I think that greys just like to make noise- it's his way of trying to socialize with you. I find that my grey makes the most noise when he is happy. Try giving him some new toys to distract him when he's driving you crazy. You can buy a whole package of new popsicle sticks at the dollar store and give him a couple of those to chew on. But, if he's making a really annoying sound that you want to discourage, like the others said above, you have to ignore it. If you run to him everytime he makes it it just will reinforce the behavior. Good luck!

When my TAG was little he liked it when I'd cover both of us up with a blanket and talk to him and sing to him underneath it. I think it reminds them of being in the nestbox- dark, safe and warm. Now that he is older he mostly wants to sit and chew on something by himself but we interact with each other all the time. He likes it when I sing to him or just talk about anything. Sometimes I read stories to him just so he can listen to my voice. He gets new toys often and it doesn't take him long to get used to new things because when he was little I'd give him new things to play with all the time. As your bird gets older you will notice what kind of toys she prefers- Mine likes bells and anything that makes noise. Try playing peek-a-boo and other baby-like games with your grey and see how she likes that. The more interaction with you the better!

Regarding her nails being so sharp- try getting Kuki a beachwalk perch or something similar. There are many kinds of perches available that help keep the nails under control without having to trim them. My TAG spends just a little time on his every day and now I have no trouble with his nails. I got it from DrsFosterSmith.com I liked reading your story too- it's fun to read about other people's birds when you are into them yourself.

I'm having some trouble trying to navigate through the blog entries. For instance, if I read a blog and want to read the previous entry how do I find it? Maybe it is very simple and I just can't figure it out Any suggestions or guidance here? Thanks!

As everyone else has stated, this is nothing unusual at all. Instead of giving you flowers and chocolates for Valentines day you get some birdie left over lunch! Hope your baby has a happy hatch day this weekend- do something fun with her to celebrate! :silly:

Hello! I enjoyed reading your story! Sounds like something I would have done. I wish I could come visit you and stay the winter in Hawaii!! Here in Missouri it has been a long cold winter so far. We had a little snow yesterday- just enough to be pretty. I'm ready for spring though. Send some warm weather our way please. Looking forward to seeing pictures of your little family!

Hi Terri! I can relate in a way because in my household my partner is not really involved with the birds like I am either. He will talk to them when it is convenient for him. He doesn't really understand why my TAG will bite him instead of putting his head down for a scratch. He doesn't understand that the relationship takes work both ways and the greys understand if you don't really "respect" them. He doesn't spend the time with Lyric that I do and Lyric knows this. He loves me best and puts up with my partner. I say you should spend all the time you want with your bird. There's a special bond between a person and their bird. I treasure all the time I get to spend with my animals. Your partner will have to learn to get along in your situation and eventually he'll find his place and start to feel more comfortable with it.

All of these are great pictures. Good job! I voted....good luck to everyone.