bettyboop

Hi Judy, I know that 7 weeks is not long enough to gain his trust .My question is with a new bird that bonding has not taken place , is it correct not to handle them until their is more trust in the relationship? Can bonding take place without handling them ? He seems so "I'll show you " , or arrogant . Things start off very well , he does the lean in where he wants to be on us , he even says "step up", then after a few minutes , when absolutly nothing is going on, he bites. Thanks for the tips. Mary

Siobha, Thank you , that is not funny advice , very smart, LOL...I just do not want him to be where we can not handle him . I realize he is still in early adjustment , my prior Grey who passed away , it took 7 months before we could handle him . So I suppose we will just sit and visit . Thank you, Betty Boop

Hello , We have a three year old CAG .He has been with us 7 weeks . He is out of his cage 4-8 hours per day , talks up a storm and allows us to scratch his head and is really sweet except when he is on us . He bites us everytime we allow him to be on us , I mean break the skin bleed , we do not react ,except we do tell him NO and we take him back to his playstand and walk away and go somewhere private and scream LOL....He pecks at our heads , not preen, pecks , pecks on our faces to the point we can not allow him on the shoulder . He is like a big bully , we adore him but not his beak. He does step up the first time we ask and is fine for a while and then he starts in with a big bite .I know that a bird who bites needs to be handled more , but when you come out bleeding , how do you overcome this , if we have a towel on our hand he finds another place .We also have an Alexandrine who sends a very clear message when she is going to nip or bite , but this guy sends no warning .I realize all birds bite but this is to the point , picking him up is not fun . Any suggestions ? Thanks

Hello , I just read an artical that says if they are low on calcium it can cause poor balance . I would cushion the bottom of cage , lower perches and go to the vet asap. Bettyboop<br><br>Post edited by: bettyboop, at: 2008/04/29 02:15

Thank you Judy , just getting there is the key . Thank you so much for the help . Mary

Thanks Judy , my name really isnt Betty..LOL... I agree that things nust be done for her first and we do that . The problem is , she won't stay off of his cage , she even went in the cage one day while he was with me in another part of the house .Even with her wings clipped , she is so light she can still fly some . At first he backed off , now he is stepping right up to her . She is a nippy bird , even with us sometimes . We have learned to read the body language and watch the eyes with this gal .Very Territorial !!!! She gets plenty of attention , he talks from the minute he wakes up till the lights are off ...So I think she feels challenged by his vocal skills , she can't get a word in ...Hopefully we can work this out . Thanks .. Mary

Thanks , I will take the advice . Have a great day.....

Hi everyone , I am wondering if anyone has problems with different species in the same flock with your Grey . I have a female Alexandrine who will not leave my new 3 year old CAG alone . She flies over to his cage and starts beaking at him , now he is beaking back . So far they have not made contact , we come a running and stop the dispute before anything happens . We do not leave them alone . I am wondering is this normal ? If anyone else can give me a hint on how to nip this in the bud ....They were introduced slowly in a neutral room for a week before they were allowed to be in the same room . Perhaps this wasnt long enough . Our Alexandrine has gone to our breeder several times to be boarded while we are away and she is with all kinds of birds flying around . There was never a problem . Maybe these two just can't work together ? Opinions please .Thanks

I am excited for you also , getting the new Grey will help so much as our Sammy has helped us . You love them so much and they love back . They are like little people . Everyone needs to understand the more you give the more they give back . They are such an awesome part of our lives . I wanted an older one , I knew there was one out there that needed me , it took a year but he came and I adore him already . A new baby is exciting , Congrats .

Welcome Heather , this is a great group . I am new also . Enjoy your Grey , mine is 3 years old and we have had him a couple of weeks . They are sooo much fun

Thanks so much , trying to figure out how to post pics , sorry it is taking me forever. Spending time with the fids .Don't worry about the spelling , we all do it .LOL....

Hi Berta , I am new also , so I am just going on the experience with my last grey who passed away a year ago who was a plucker when we first brought him home . First we ignored the plucking , when he plucked we said nothing , when he didnt pluck we praised the heck out of him . We spent a lot of time sitting by his cage in a chair reading childrens stories in a calm voice to him .In other words we made sure he was getting all the attention he needed and the good stimulation to keep his mind off of his feathers . We also gave extra attention to his diet , making sure he was getting nothing but good , healthy organic food . We rotated his toys daily and kept everything out of site that scared him. We showered him with a mister bottle with lukewarm water sometimes twice daily , not soaking just enough the second time to add moisture to his feathers . Within 6 months everything was growing back and he was beautiful . Good luck

I am so sorry about Kooker, such a moving story . I had tears as I read it and it reminded me of the morning I gently said Good Morning to our Grey ,Smokey , he did not respond . He had died from a toy accident in the middle of the night . We have a new Grey now , Sammy . It has really helped us with this new guy in the house . He is the love of our life . It will get better when the new Grey comes home . Just remember Kooker is at the Rainbow Bridge and you will see her again . Someone asked me one time , "do you think animals go to Heaven " , after much thought , I think they do , because God built an ark for all those animals , Noah only needed a boat .You gave Kooker your best , find comfort in the memories.

Hey Guru, Is this your Ringneck ?

LOL....Lets see how can I describe Zsa Zsa's personality ....Everything is on her terms , she is very independent , aloof , nippy , and normally does not like to be touched . She has to be handled every day and kept away from her big cage as much as possiable because she becomes so protective . She is jealous of Sammy (CAG) , but oh well , she gets more than her share of att.LOL....I sometimes ask myself "WHY I love her sooo much "....LOL..She is a handful , however she generally stays right where you put her , she will play all day on the playstand and she chews on wood like she is a beaver.She is fun and I will post pics of her this weekend , she does not have the black ring , only males get the pretty stuff ....Hope this gives you an idea of her . She does talk , she says NO NO , HELLO , AND WHATCHA DOIN ?LOL.....

My Husbands family had birds when he was growing up , just keets, not parrots . A friend at work told him about a family member who was selling an African Grey , so he called the man , went to see the Parrot and brought him home . I had never been around birds , so this was all new to me . Well this little guy stole our hearts . Sadly we had him for a couple of years and he died one night from a toy accident . Our hearts were broken , we cried every time we heard a bird , so now we have Sammy (CAG) age three , and Zsa Zsa (Alexandrine) age one . We are so excited to have these two wonderful birds in our home and hearts . They are sooo special .

Hello , Just wondering if anyone owns an Alexandrine ? I do, she is a year old and her name is Zsa Zsa. Let me hear about your's....

Thank you , I will get some pics of Sammy up this weekend

Thank you Laurie , I am looking forward to learning from you all .

LOL....Maybe , but actually it tells my age , when I was growing up she was my favorite cartoon , sorry I'm not the Vegas girl . Thanks for the welcome .

Thanks so much for the welcome , and the tip on showing Mr.Sammy whose the boss!!!!! His previous owner set no rules , it's amazing , he does act like a two year old .LOL.....I have to remind myself to move slowly around him , our Alexandrine loves excitment and fast moving objects , new toys and her showers , which he hates . Best Regards, Bettyboop and Sammy

Hello , I am a new , proud owner of a 3 year old male CAG,his name is Sammy ,named by the previous owner ..... I am looking forward to learning from all of you about to be the best Grey Mom he has ever had . He is so awesome , however the honeymoon is ending and he is trying to pull rank, I got a little nip today . No big deal , I have a one year old Alexandrine who loves to nibble on fingers. We live in Texas. Bettyboop and Sammy