Janfromboone

Doesn't she pick at the straps of a flight suit? Tobie wore a flight suit all summer and I'll have to admit it was easier to get on than the aviator harness. He never stopped picking at the straps though. I had to keep replacing the straps. I kind of like the looks of the little critter harness.<br><br>Post edited by: Janfromboone, at: 2009/05/15 02:39

I love your comment that you love your grey more than you have loved your dogs. At one time I would have said I could never love another animal more than my dogs. Now I say just what you did. These parrots seem to relate to us on a whole different plane. Aren't they great.

Love it! Haha!!

Tobie just sits in the bottom of the tub. I put him in after the shower is on - not as warm as I would like but not cold either. I put him in by the drain so he can walk in under the spray as he wishes and I stop the drain so there will be a little water (an inch or two) in the bottom of the tub. He often just walks in under the spray and sits there letting the spray run over him. Other times he has a pool party and dances around with his feathers fluffed spreading his wings. I let him do what he wants. Here is a cute video I just found the other day of a bird who really likes his bath.

I noticed the grey dancing too. I love Snowball and have to laugh outloud when I see those little feet keeping time. Here is one I recently found that I loved. There are other videos where he actually belts out somgs. Here he just is too cute singing in the shower! And here he is after the shower edited by: Janfromboone, at: 2009/05/09 23:11

Now if you can just teach him to put them in the drawer. Cute video!

Not trying to hog the spot light here. As I said Tobie's converstions can't hold a candle to some of these. I had to share this though. It happened today. Some of you remember when my husband taught Tobie to say "cut the damn radio off". He can say that now with or without the damn (his choice). Another expression he uses, when he is in the cage and wants out, is "open the door". Today he was politely saying "Open the door.----Open the door.---Open the door. I was busy and ignoring him. Then he said in an angry voice - "Open the damn door". I couldn't beleive he stuck that word in a new sentence. How did he know where to put the word.

Tobie isn't that far along with his vocabulary yet, but I believe every word and love hearing these stories. Karma to Dan for once again coming up with a great post. Tobie has developed a cough and it is amazingly reallistic even coughs when saying words. It follows two back to back colds that I've had. Our little conversation went like this. Tobie: What's u-cough cough-p! Me: Tobie are you sick? Tobie: Nope! cough cough Me: That's good! Are you OK then? Tobie: Yup!

So beautiful. Makes me want a friend for Tobie.

I wish we could do a poll to see how many people have had two or more greys in the home who didn't get along and how many have greys that do get along. I know several people whose greys get along, but not anyone whose greys would kill one another or do bodily harm.

Absolutely beautiful. I thought they were going to fly away for sure. Then they all came back. Thanks for finding that for us. I looked at some more of the videos by this guy too. He's cooler and calmer than I would be.

What a great Idea to use those rope rings and twisty ropes. They love those. I can just see your bird doing loop-de-loops.

What a beautiful and healthy family photo. They are gorgeous!!! I think I've said this before but I love your cage set up.

There is nobird like Snowball. When I see him dance it always makes me laugh. I think it's the little feets keeping rhythm.

I agree Carolyn family. That post put me right in the birds mind and I feel as if I now understand what has been going on with Tobie so much better. Thanks again for your great insite Dave!!! Post edited by: Janfromboone, at: 2009/05/02 03:30<br><br>Post edited by: Janfromboone, at: 2009/05/02 03:31

Tobie was clipped when I bought him at 3.5 mos old. I had a fear of him flying out a door and away. So I didn't mind, he didn't seem to mind(not knowing any better) and I was pretty sure I would keep him clipped because we were all happy and everything was going fine. Then he began to molt. With the molt he started chewing off his new longer flight feathers. The only problem was that he didn't do a conservative clip like he had before. He cut them off very very short and now he would drop like a stone and I know he was getting bumps and bruises. Once he really injured his beak and it bled and scared me to death. I don't know if the chewing off of feathers was because he was clipped before he molted, but it seemed that way to me. He hasn't gone through another molt yet, but he still chews off the occasional flight feather - though his wings look better and he doesn't drop like a stone any more. I could never bring myself to clip those precious flight feathers now. I guess I'm a convert.

How sweet. Tobie never wants to go to bed even if he is falling down sleepy.

Casper and Charlie are the names of one of my you tube friends grey parrots. They are from England too. ansugib is the you tube name. Check it out. Tobie did a thing the other day that makes me reallize how he is paying attention even when we don't reallize it. My dog, Pogo, really doesn't want to be close to Tobie. If I come downstairs and put Tobie on the back of our sectional couch or on the window sill over the couch Pogo will jump down from the couch and leave the room or go lay on the floor under the end table. One night I stretched out on the couch and Tobie was on the window sill playing. I asked Frank "where is Pogo". Frank said "He's hiding. He's under the end table". We got in a discussion about how fearful Pogo is of Tobie. The next day, Tobie was on his playstand upstairs, and I came in the room with Tucker and Brandy following me. Pogo was downstairs on the couch. Tobie starts in with "Come here Tucker. Brandy go outside. Come on Brandy go outside. -- pause-- Pogo's hiding"<br><br>Post edited by: Janfromboone, at: 2009/04/29 17:44

thank's Dave.

Great playstand! You'll have a ball decorating it. I'm constanly changing and adding things to Tobie's playstand - as much fun for me as him. I find it to be a great safe haven for Tobie and he doesn't have access to things that get him in trouble.

Tobie wont eat carrots very well. Once in a while he will eat carrots. Sweet potatoes he used to eat but wont eat anymore. I know these are things that he should eat, but isn't it funny that they grow underground. Is any self respecting grey parrot going to dig in the dirt to eat plant roots???:blink:

So glad this wasn't an awful story. Don't really know why I wanted to read it if I thought it was going to be about a sadly abused bird. Loved the post. Tobie is glad some one finally understands and speaks out to let us humans know his life isn't a bowl of pomegranets. {Feel-good-0002006E}

What is the advantage of using grapefruit seed extract rather than just water for cleaning surfaces. I only use water in Tobie's cage. Should I be using something else or is water ok.

I would try to go home to check on him. The same thing happened to Tobie. He fell (he had chewed some of his flight feathers off and couldn't fly) and must have hit his beak. He was trying to climb up the steps when I went to see what the crash was all about and there was blood on the carpet coming from his beak. He couldn't eat hard pellets for a couple of days and couldn't use his beak to climb in his cage. He started improving right away ( the next day ) and nowin 4-5 days he was fine. He just had a really sore beak for a few days. I was a basket case. Hope it all works out. They are pretty tough.

How wonderful to have a bird that tries to imitate you. Tobie is a talker, but I can repeat something a hundred times and he won't try to say it. My husband goes by the cage and sais something once and he's got it.