Janfromboone

OK Dave, I understood perfectly what RudysMom was asking. I didn't understand a word of your comment. I'm supposed to ask for clarification I know but first -have you been drinking?

Anyone else out there living with a bonified african grey comedian. Mine qualifies. Last night I was watching a sad movie. Tobie was sitting on the back of the couch behind me being very still for once through the better part of the movie. I was totally wrapped up in the movie as it reached the saddest point and tears started flowing down my cheeks and I began to softly weep when suddenly and very loundly in my right ear I hear "HELLLLLOOOOOOOOO". Tobie had stepped up next to my ear and without touching it placed his beak very close to my ear canal to loudly break the spell. I turned around and he was sitting beside my head with this totally smug expression on his face. Frank and I went from crying to laughter instantaneously.

I think Tobie could relate to this post. He has some of the same issues and thoughts I'm sure.

I am totally amazed at those pictures. Did you set the camera to take continuous pictures. I think I have that setting on my camera. You're right - He is sooo beautiful

I'll never forget how excited I was when Tobie started. Congratulations!

I've read it and thought it was amazing - yes I cried real tears too.

I think I'm addicted!

I've been a fan from the beginning.

Yes, Tobie can be very expressive with his feet. He also throws me kisses by putting his foot up to his beak and making a smacking sound as he jerks his foot away.

I want to come to your house!! Sounds like a laugh a minute. Amazing how our animals warm our homes.

I had the same problem with Tobie at one time. He would fall and hurt his beak or cut his skin over his breast bone. I finally just stopped allowing him to be in any high place. He no longer could play on his play stand and I would only allow him to play on the back of the sofa where I didn't think he could hurt himself. He may have had less control than your bird because he was chewing feathers on his wing too. I would hope you wouldn't have to keep him in the cage but could play with him on safer lower areas or protect him from tile floors with rugs in areas where he is allowed out. Good luck. You might want to make make a post of your own (not attatched to this post) on this subject, if you don't get enough response.

You are lucky that Isaac has Pedro to keep him company. Tobie has only himself and I am gone on work days 8:00 am to 5:30 or 6:00pm. On the days I don't work I am gone at least half the day taking care of my mother or my husband's mother or Frank and I are doing something together. I worry too, and would change my hours away if I could. He has learned how to entertain himself though. Maybe thats a good thing. If I was there for him every day all day and then had to be gone for a couple of days it would be hard on him. As it is he doesn't expect me to be there all the time.

I can't imagine 7 fids all ringing like the phone and saying Hello.

I wonder if it is important that the birds cage is covered at night. I never have covered Tobies cage at night and I wonder if I should. He hates bedtime. He chews his nail when I put him in the cage at night and then does this treadmill thing on the side of the cage. We do our nighty night ritual and I turn out the lights and leave him and he immediately seems to settle down. Should I cover him at night?? Why do we cover the cages?

Tobie also does this. Picks on my zippers buttons clothing when I am lying on the couch. He is allowed on the couch with me and when I'm watching TV or generally paying less attention to him is when the behavior ramps up. I keep a T-stand in the room by the couch and if her persists then I just put him on the T-stand. He doesn't fly well enough yet to know that he can just fly to the couch and he will stay there until I invite him down again. Sometimes I just get up and move away from him to another chair or the other end of the couch. That all seems to work at least temporarily - until the next time. I thought I had the behavior stopped, but now that he has started flying he seems to have gotten cocky and too self important and the behavior has started again.

She surely did seem to recognize another grey parrot.

Has the vet ruled out folliculitis. The vet put Tobie on a prophylactic antibiotic in case folliculitis was the cause. I would think a histamine would reduce some of the inflamatory symptoms of folliculitis just like it reduces the inflamatory symptoms of an allergy. I am not a vet or a doctor, but it would be something to ask your doctor about.

Wow! I want one of those carriers - Kings carrier.

you gave me a great idea to provide another barrier to a back door that I haven't yet done anything about. I could use my bird netting.

Thats amazing to think Talon enjoyed a bit of nostalgia just like we would.

Good information Dave. I've even made posts to find out what those changes might be in Tobie when he gets older. I never got such a straight forward response. That said - I'd like to make an observation about the human expression of "love" as opposed to the bonding, or whatever you want to call it, that our animals express toward us their caregivers. We humans are quick to love but can be quite fickle - continuing to love only if the other party meets our expectations and provides for our needs. Dogs seem to be more steadfast and unconditional in their ability to "love" us back. Birds may be closer to humans. Though not as quick to love or passionate in their "love"(or whatever you want to call it) they are only going to love us as long as they determine we are trustworthy to provide the kind of care and the type of relationship they want from us.

After Dave Womach posted a video of Chessie free flying on the forum I started cruising through his little instructional videos and found one on this subject. He recommends introducing your grey to a new object every day starting when they are young so that they loose the fear of new objects and phobic reactions to new things. A little different than your article but in the same theme of stimulating from an early age.

Tobie does that when he's happy to see me. I think it is part of a mating sound too. I don't encourage it, because it seems to get him too excited if I follow that eh, eh, eh sound my own sweet nothings back to him. I usually acknowlege Tobie by speaking to him but then I leave him alone until he calms down.

Tobie is flying with more confidence now. He still hasn't learned to plan his landings. He does though more frequently just lift off of one surface and float down on another such as one end of the sectional couch to the other or from the sectional couch to the stairs going upstairs. This is about 20% of the time that he flies now. The other 80% of the time he seems to have no idea of where he intends to land and usually ends up fluttering up to a wall(no crashing anymore)or window and acting like he thinks he has suction cups on his feet and can just grab the wall someway. Of course he slides down the wall or window to the first supportive surface or the floor. I'm looking forward to the day he simply moves from surface to surface 100% of the time. Has anyone else had the experience of watching a bird learn to fly later in life. I'm wondering how long it takes for these poor landings to stop. Of course he is not injuring himself. He usually approaches the wall or window in verical position and softly touches it with his feet before fluttering to the floor. Here are some of my home modifications that I've done to try to keep Tobie safe for his new flight ability. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8oIFEaOzSg I've got some bad news about his wing though. He has lost two feathers. One feather came out quill and all. And the other looks suspiciously chewed or broken. the feathers were side by side and I wonder if he knocked out the first one in his fluttereing into things and then a pin feather came in to replace it and thats when the other one that was cleanly broken (still a blood feather) was found. I don't really understand how he could have a new pin feather when these feathers all are just now coming in. He does though have a new pin coming in the gap left by the loss of these two feathers. Anyway it hasn't seemed to change his flying attempts and he flys quite well gaining altitude when he wants to.

This is such a timely and appropriate post for Tobie and myself. I loved your suggestions and plan to put them into place myself since Tobie is now learning to fly. I even made my own video this morning to post on "Tobie takes flight" and I thought I'd post it here too. It deals with some of my home modifications to accomodate a flighted bird in my house. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r8oIFEaOzSg