gbdb_kcb

You all ROCK!!! Thank you so much for all of your help. We have a 12 year old lab who has messes so we just wanted something that would be safe for dog and bird. Thank you for all of the links and suggestions. This site is so helpful:)

Hi all, it is me again.... I have been using the Grapefruit Seed with water combo to clean everything that comes in contact with my little one. Does anyone else use this? I know this sounds odd, but the commercial industry has gotten us so used to "smelling something strong and you know it works" I dont smell anything with this formula so I am wondering... is it working?! Does anyone know of any good natural cleansers but most importantly air fresheners that are safe for our feathered babies? Thank you all so much for all of the help! Mommy in the Keys, Leigh:)

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR RESPONSES!!!!!!! So very helpful!!!! I am a little scared to leave her out with everyone but I will try it tomorrow and let you all know how it goes. I LOVE the comment "if we would not eat it then she shouldnt eat it." VERY INSIGHTFUL! The feathers are the soft fluffy white ones. I cant see where they are coming from but sometimes her chest feathers or wing feathers are disheveled so they may be coming from there. I cant thank you all enough for all of your help. Last week I posted when she was biting us as she stepped up, someone mentioned distracting her, and now she so very politely steps up onto my hand or shoulder. I am very careful to watch her body language and now we kind of have this thing, where when she is ready to step up, she goes to her door and I come over and she steps up. So that is very nice. I hope that is ok too. It seems to work well:) Also, Dan you mentioned taking her seed out at night so she would eat food in the morning when she is most hungry and that is working like a charm. THANK YOU... Now she doesnt go to her seed very often. I cant thank you all enough!!!!! Mommy in the Keys, Leigh:)

HI all, Just a couple of quick questions that I really need help with.... My Nittles Bird of 5 months old is so sweet. I just love her so much:) I am just curious about feathers. Do baby birds have baby feathers that come out and new ones grow back in? Lately I have seen about 20 feathers or so a day in her cage and just wanted to know if that is normal or not? No bald spots or anything...She is very happy. Wags her tail, sings, sits by the window.... I just wanted to see what you all think. She also seems to love Banana Peel, is that ok for her? Another thing,(eek) we had a friend come over the other night and she growled really loud at him. What should we do when that happens, should we tell her it is ok? Should we have him/her step away from the cage? Any input would be helpful. Last thing, promise, we are having a small gathering at our house with couples and some children, I do not feel comfortable leaving her out in the living room, (where she always is) with children around (you just never know) and I dont want people putting fingers in her cage or what have you. So we have a perch in my office where the perch looks out the window where the party will be also, is that ok? I want her to be a part of it, I just dont want her to be in prime position where someone could frighten her or feed her something that she does not need. Any advice please. Am I being neurotic? Thanks for any advice. Mommy in the Keys, Leigh PS. We usually do not have people over so this is a very occasional thing. Thanks again!

Awww. I am loving all of these responses. Thank you so much. I think maybe we should have a Grey Forum down here in the Keys!!!!

Thanks Lisa for the advice!!! Yeah, I feel like something must have happened as she never did it before. Good idea! Yes, we are down in Marathon, not far from Big Pine at all!!! If you ever come down you should let me know! Thank you again!

Hi All, Well my baby is definitely changing. One week she likes eggs the next week she wont go near them., ha. One week she gives me easy and soft kisses and this week she has almost given me a nose piercing (that was my fault though, I introduced her to a new window and she was scared" now the change is when she goes to kiss me, she bites my lips really hard, she drew blood on my husbands lip.... not sure what to do, also she used to sit on my shoulder and play with my hair, but now she bites my face and tugs on it, yesterday I was a bit concerned when she bit about a mm of my eye. I will tell you what I have tried and if anyone could give me any other suggestions that would be great. I tried distracting her with a treat, but right now she doesnt seem to favor any one particular thing ( I have tried everything from sweet potatoes - pistachios, peanuts, peppers, carackers, noodles, eggs, every nut, every fruit, every veggie that I can get here and I am kind of at a loss) Now the person that hand fed her said she was VERY picky as a baby, so maybe that is just how she is, which I am fine with, I will keep trying!!! Ha. She gets fed better than my husband! Anyway, needless to say she doesnt respond to that. I did however this morning put a nontoxic, brand new thouroughly cleaned infant toy on my shoulder when she went to bite me, and that worked tremendously, should I continue with that? Also, I dont know if this is correct or not, but we have a senior dog, who is in need of a lot of attention, whenever I call Nittles, our dog Barley comes running over, so I am forever going back and forth with giving my attention. My point is, this morning I was giving Barley attention and then getting him water with Nittles Bird on my shoulder (without the toy) and she (nittles) started biting my face again.... almost like tugging at it... I then, put her back on her cage. I read somewhere to do that. Any advice? Do you think she is jealous? Do you think she is not stimulated? She has many foraging toys, many chains, loves to sit on her back perch and look out the window. I love my little bird. This sounds weird but if I could feed her the way she is used to as a Mama Bird I would.... I was thinking maybe that is what she is thinking when she bites my lip. Dunno. Oh sorry and one more thing, normally when she bites, I have been putting a my finger up (in the way of the big fingers at sports games like #1) and I say "No". I have a high voice, so I say it deep, and when I do that, she stretches her neck up, just stares at it, and stops whatever bad behavior she was doing. However, I keep reading everything, one site says it is ok, that they learn NO and some people say not to do it, that is why I just put her back on her perch. But she loves her perch, so I dont know how she will learn that biting the face is not appropriate. Help! This little birdie owns my heart! My chest xray will have her face. Ha.... I know I am a little wacky. I just love animals as we all do here!!!! Any suggestions would be greatly greatly appreciated. Bird Mommy in the Keys -Leigh:)

Aw thank you so much!

OMG, THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!!!! I cant tell you how much I appreiciate the advice. I have been reading everything there is, but it is nice to hear (read) it from people who own Grey's. Again, I cant tell you how much I appreciate it. lovemyGreys- I love your quote! it is awesome. Reta & all- we have a very small Organic Store in town, but would you say that is where I could get most of the ingredients? Our grociery stores here are very limited in anything organic so I go to the farmers market in Homestead which has fruits and veggies. Thank you all again so much. Just a cute thing Nittles Bird did today, she was climbing downher cage to get to her back perch, when she mistepped and tumbled, of course my first reaction was to run over and save her, but having read the forum and books, I kept myself from doing so and just watched to see what she could do, she attempted to climb back on top of her perch, but couldnt get passed the lip on the cage, so (and tell me if this is ok) I sat on the floor and called to her. I told her "You are ok Nittles Bird, you are ok" then I said "Come here, (she was on the back side of the cage so I didnt want to act like a predator and crawl under the cage) I pat the floor and then my chest, AND then she slid down from the leg of the cage and came waddling over to me. I then told her that she was ok, she gave me a kiss, stepped on my hand, then I put her back on her perch. This is a good thing, yeah, for establishing trust?! Sorry if I ask a million questions, I just want her to be a happy and healthy bird. I am home all day 5 days a week, as I work from home and 2 days work onsite, so our routine is getting solidified. Oh and get this. I had a trip scheduled for LA about a month after we got her. The trip was originally for 10 days. I cute it down to 5. Did not want to be without her in this crititical time. Sorry for rambling, and Dan thank you for a forum that I read that you had responded to, Nittle Bird, will bite if she is not in the mood to step up, and I would tell her no. So last night after reading the forum, she bit and boy did it hurt, but I bit my teeth and did not say a word. THANK YOU ALL AGAIN SO MUCH AND SORRY FOR RAMBLING! I have just wanted her for so long!!!!!!!! Thanks again, Leigh:)

Gretting from the Florida Keys, Hi all, I am a new Mommy to a CAG "Nittles Bird" who is going to be 5 months on Feb 10th. We have had Nittles for almost 2 months and love her to pieces:) I just have a couple of questions to see if this is normal or not. I am a nervous Mommy, I want to make sure I do everything right. Ok, here goes. 1. She sits most of the day on her back door perch (perch is on the backside of her cage and it about 12 inches away from a window) We have manythings in the air down here so I think she always finds something to amuse herself but mostly she sleeps back there. My schedule is opposite to most and I sleep late in the day and am up late and early morning, do you think that is ok? I do not put a cover over her and her cage is in the living room, do you think that is ok or should we get her a sleeping cage and place her in our room? We are always in the living room (myself, husband and black lab Barley). 2. She seems to only like seed right now, I make her a gourmet breakfast and dinner daily, but she doesnt seem to eat any fresh food unless she is on my shoulder? Is this something I would concern myself with? I guess that is it for now, except she does not like to bathe at all. I mist her and am introducing her to the shower. THank you so much for your help:) - Nittles and Barley's Mom:dry: :huh:

{Feel-good-00020114} Hi all, I am new to the forum. I am so glad that I found you all. I am a new mommy to a Congo African Grey. Her name is Nittles Bird. We LOVE her. She is going to be 5 months old on Feb 10. I just wanted to ask a couple of questions as I want to make sure I do everything I can for her. So here goes.... When we first got her, she was loving her fruits and veggies, however lately she seems to eat mostly her seed mixed with pellets. She is a very picky eater and her Pet Store Mom said she was like that when she was a baby. Does anyone have any yummy suggestions? Her favorites now are jalepeno's and eggs, but like I said that comes and goes. Sorry this is a book. Thanks