Janfromboone

Be sure to post your website address if you start to sell them. Tobie wants the popsicle one. Jan

This is my favorite dancing Grey. I love the way he uses feet, wings and head all togeather. It's not as sustained as Snowball, but he uses everything he's got.

Nice photo of you and the parrot head to cheek. Congratulations! I may have misunderstood what I was seeing. Which picture is you.<br><br>Post edited by: Janfromboone, at: 2008/10/08 20:44

I paid 1225 for Tobie. He's been worth every penny!

amazing!!! I bought one for Tobie but he didn't learn to do it, so I took it out of the cage. I'll put it back in now. What treats do you use. Tobie isn't that fond of nuts.

Good luck with Darcy's flight suit. Tobie has been wearing one all summer long. It was wonderful not having to worry about getting pooped on. I would take him for walks and rides in the car and to see my mother at her place. Tobie never got over chewing on the straps though. I just kept repairing them. I bought some apple bitters to spray on the straps, but by then he was molting and I didn't want the apple bitters to get on his feathers from the suit, so I never used them. I've bought an aviator suit, but he hasn't tried it on yet. What will I do without the poop pouch? Where I can take him will be limited.

Tobie hasn't been to the vet since his new bird exam. Are regular trips to the vet needed? If so how often do you recommend if there are no problems that you can identify.

I've already commented on this but I thought someone would enjoy seeing Tobie learning to say "what's up" and wave. He was so cute when he was learning to say his first words.

There is an article in one of the bird talk magazines 3-4 mos ago about inflamatory lung disease from bird dander. It was quite alarming, but maybe overly so. I don't keep the magazines around and can't recall the month. Maybe someone else can post the magazine article. Jan

Great Topic! Tobie likes cheeze too, I'll try lactose free. Do you suppose there is salt in it? Tobie isn't crazy about sunflower seeds or nuts, but I'll look for pine nuts.

Just to show that it can be done. I ran across this you tube video some time ago.

Tobie surprised me with an occasional word or phrase at 5-7 months old. The first time he ate ice cream he said "that's good". I would say that to him if he woundn't eat his carrots and I would take a bite and say "that's good". I have some funny stories from that time of his life, but he never would repeat the words. Even now, he's never said that's good. He is 1yr and 3mos. and now. At 7-8mos he started saying "what's up" and then at about 11mos. he started adding "what's up mama, "What's up with that" "what's up baby" etc. In the past month he has started with "Give me a kiss -- SMACK(kissy sound)". "come here and give me a kiss -- SMACK" "come here baby. give me a kiss -- SMACK". This is entertaining but he sounds like a dirty old man with his deep gravely voice. I sounded just like you when Tobie was only saying "what's up". I was getting worried that he would never talk. Now he is doing what I hear they do, muttering and talking nonsense to themselves and working on inflection and not making much sense except for his requests for a kiss.

I know from experience how distressed you were. I lost my cockateil years ago. I read your description of the bird flying away from you when you tried to get him and of you finding him in high inaccessable trees. It was my experience exactly and your "head in bits". Yes!! I know from that experience after hours or days of this frustration you don't think clearly and for years now you will wish you had done more. Even if you did everything that was within reason at the time you will agonize over not doing more. I know I still do if I think about it. In hindsite there always seems to have been more you could have done. you have my sympathy and understanding. Also, I imagine if the bird was so confused that he couldn't come to you, he would have flown away from the fireman, or the ladder or whatever he would have done to get to him anyway.<br><br>Post edited by: Janfromboone, at: 2008/09/26 16:04

I loved your story. Mine isn't as touching, but it's funny. I was recently packing for a trip. I was pretty wound up because I was leaving a sick dog and Tobie, my grey, for 9 days. Also I just reallized the time and we were supposed to leave in an hour for the airport. When I get frustrated over loosing my glasses or car keys I will just stop - throw my hands down and say OOOH WELLL!!. Tobie has seen me do this many times. He must have sensed how wound up I was getting, because all of a sudden he said "OOOOH WELLL" with as much feeling as I would have said it if I had thought of it first. I never heard him say that before.

Thank's for the warning. Tobie is often in the kitchen with me when I'm cooking and I thought of this but didn't worry too much. I'll be more careful now.

They do give us so much don't they. Tobie has made me laugh more than I ever did before he came home to live with me. I think that's what I love most about him.

Guess it works for Tobie because he has no fear of my hands and is just being stubborn and pushing my hand away, not biting

Tobie is molting now, and I had the same question. If he hasn't chewed the feather, I can see a small (tiny) bulb like widening that tappers to a point on the tip of the shaft. You have to look close. If it's a larger feather, he likes to chew it up, but you can see it in the smaller feathers. I didn't notice this in his flight feather that he molted and it wasn't chewed.

Tobie is beginning to molt his flight feathers now --- well one anyway. My gosh was the shaft big. I've only had cockateils before Tobie you see, so I was surprised at the size of the thing. Wish his tail would molt, it's ratty looking. 1yr 3mos old.<br><br>Post edited by: Janfromboone, at: 2008/09/15 00:34

So funny! Hard to get mad. I wonder if he knows that.

Suzzique- glad to hear someone else has found this works. Coming from behind when Tobie is stubborn works for me too, but I've never heard anyone else mention it.

Thank's for this post. I was wondering the same thing. Tobies beak also looks a little worn in places. Good to know this is normal.

I love to see birds dance. I only wonder why this behavior is common. You can associate many behaviors with things needed for survival in the wild, but I can't imagine a wild African Grey dancing. I wish there were more videos or documentaries on African Greys. I saw the link above this post with the vjideo you can buy for 20 dollars and am considering it. Sounds like a downer though from some of the comments.<br><br>Post edited by: Janfromboone, at: 2008/09/14 02:50

This is just a fun idea for a post. I wonder if anyone out there besides me has noticed strange or amazing behaviors from their greys. To me the ability or desire to dance is a strange behavior. What do wild greys do -- hide in the trees around african tribes playing drums and doing ritual dances and dance in their treetop perches. I think it's odd that greys love giving kisses so much. Tobie has odd behaviors, probebly related to foraging, when he eats. Here is a video of Tobie's dining behaviors. Anyone have a video of odd behaviors or just a story.

Thanks for everyones reply. I love this forum. We all love our birdy babies. It helps us new parrot owners to hear from others more experienced.