Char

It will take the baby a while to adjust to his new surroundings. Take things slow and easy and give him time to settle in. I know it is hard to not be all over them when they are so cute and you are so excited but you may need to back off a little til he begins to feel more comfortable in his new home. Just put yourself in his place and think about what you would need to feel safe in a new place.

That is adorable. Karma to you for sharing.

That is a great video of Emma. Thanks for sharing.

Very well stated Judy! Yep that box has got to go asap,

What a sweetie!

Fantastic shots. Thanks for sharing. I guess now we understand your username.

This U2 I have only gets really active and loud in the evenings. Most of the day she plays on her huge playstand. I cover her cage for sleep and night and she does not make a sound until I go in and uncover her the next morning. No early wake up call here.<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/06/17 12:35

Thanks Jen for the advice. I rescued this U2 from a bad situation and I am trying to find the right home for her. Her previous owner worked all day and so do I. I do provide consistency for her and my Grey also. The thing about cockatoos is that they do not do as well when they are in a cage all day. They need more time out than other birds. I know this because on the weekend when I am home most of the time she is a perfect angel. Monday evenings are HELL. I gradually gets better each day until the weekends when it is perfect. I really think that if I was home all day she would be no different than any other bird. On the weekends she does not demand or get constant attention. She is happy on her large playstand. I think it is a cage thing. They just hate cages. I am trying to find her a home with someone that does not work full time as that is what I really think she needs.

I am so glad it is working out. He just needed a little time to adjust to his new surroundings.

That looks great! I would never be able to get Whisper to go on something like that.

Happy belated hatchday Tobie.

Good news Pat. Your fids are soooo spoiled.

That is greyt Pat! Has anyone ever seen one that was solid white or black. I think Whisper would accept this kind of thing better if it was not striped. I believe she thinks it is a snake.

Well, the U2 I rescued and an trying to find a home for has been with me for about a month now. So far it is not as bad as I anticipated. If I had never read all the problem things about them on the internet I would be more inclined to keep her. But to tell you the truth I am afraid of the down the road problems. Poor baby, nobody wants her.

danmcq wrote: Dan, I think you just gave your secret away. Dayo is going to be so mad at you now he knows you are a blabber mouth and can't keep his secrets.:laugh:

I was told the Umbrella Cockatoo I rescued was just 2 yrs old. I read online that they become sexually mature between 3-7 yrs old. Because I was told she was only 2 I have been doing a lot of petting and cuddling with her to help her feel loved and wanted. Her previous owners were petting and cuddling her. She is dispaying what I am sure in sexual behavior. Trying to mate with her toys, panting ect. Is 2 yrs old a little young for this? I am beginning to think they were wrong about her age. I thought Cockatoos needed at lot to affection but I don't want to stimulate her sexually and cause her to be frustrated. Would it be always I would need to avoid cuddling or just certain time of the year? I have never had a sexually mature bird before and this is new territory for me.<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/06/15 20:20

When I dance in front of Whisper she looks at me like I have lost my mind.:laugh:

For those whose birds are shy and won't talk in front of people..have hope! Whisper has always been the typical shy Grey and would not talk in front of people but she is coming out of her shell. I have seen the biggest difference in her personality since the Cockatoo came. This weekend some friends came over 2 watch a movie. They have never heard Whisper make a sound except on video. Well we had gone to dinner first and when we got back to my house we walked in and I went over to her cage and opened in up. She stepped out and right in front of my friends she said " I love you!, give me a kiss." And then she gave me a big kiss. I was so proud of her that my friends got to see how great she is. She was a little chatter box the whole time. She watched some of the movie with us and at one point I got up and took Whisper over to her playstand and said "go poop" which she did. They were so impressed! They just could not believe how sweet and loving she was and how well and clear she talked. I am just so proud of my baby for letting me show her off a little. The Cockatoo on the other hand went into "frozen" mode and would not move or make a sound the whole time. Probably for the best. So, if you grey is shy about talking in front of your friends it may not last forever. They just may turn around the way Whisper did.<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/06/15 16:56

Thanks guys! I am glad you enjoyed the photos. The 2 videos I have up are rather old. I have a bunch more that I just have not edited and uploaded. When I sit down at my computer in the evenings after getting the fids to bed I don't work on them because I don't want the noise to keep them awake.

Amen!

They will always lose feathers. If you start seeing bald spots then it is time to worry. In the beginning I used to stress over every little lost or broken feather too. I think it is because we know Greys are prone to plucking and we anticipate it and worry over it. We want to be the best parronts possible and worry that feather loss means me are doing something wrong. Just wait until he goes through the first big molt. Feathers everywhere! If he is scratching or preening a lot he could be itchy. Try cool water or aloe juice baths too soothe the skin and it should calm him down.

Very cute! Dayo is a gorgeous Grey.

Thanks guys. If you are using an external flash then you have to keep in mind that 2 exposures are taking place. You meter the camera for the background and adjust the flash for the subject. So if you want your background to be darker then underexpose with the camera but set your external flash to properly expose the foreground (your subject). For those photos of Whisper I used a black fabric tacked to the wall and an external flash shot through an umbrella. The background was far enough away that my flash was not lighting it. Hope that helps. A lot of people make the mistake of having the subject too close to the background.<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/06/14 08:41

A while back I started trying to teach Whisper to say "peeka boo, I see you". Well she has said "I see you" for quite a while. I just stopped saying the peeka boo part but she did not forget. Today I said "I see you" and she came right back with "peek a boo".:laugh: As I posted in another thread the other day I have been teaching her the song from "COPS". She will say "bad bird, bad bird whatcha gonna do? Whatch gonna do? but has not gotten the "when they come for you" part yet. So today she just make up her own ending. Said, "Bad bird, bad bird. Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do Whisper? Whatcha gonna do?"

Happy Birthday Judy! It couldn't happen to a nicer person.:cheer: