Char

He is indeed a very handsome fella.

Dan, so sorry about your birdie. If he was originally in the wild he has a good chance of surviving. Some of Whisper's flight feathers have grown in recently and I was on the wall about clipping them but I had been taking her outside a lot since it has warmed up and went ahead and clipped them for safety's sake. This makes me feel less guilty about my decision.

Kudos to you for trying to help the Grey. She needs to realize that she is being cruel to the bird by not giving him a better life. Maybe you can help her realize that what happened to the baby is going to happen again eventually and it could be worse. She is lucky the baby did not lose an eye. It was her fault and not the birds.

Mango is adorable! Thanks for sharing the photos with us.

Dayo looks wonderful. Whisper will sometimes clam up too when I get the video camera out. Have you tried putting it on a tripod or propping on furniture. He won't pay any attention to it if you are not behind it. I have lots of great videos of whisper this way which I will share one of these days when I get around to editing and uploading them.

I have thought about doing the same thing but wondered if the water right out of the outside faucet would be too cold. Whisper has the same cage.

I have been through this kind of thing with Whisper and I have to say that I was amazed how quickly she gets over it. As soon as the vet lets her go it she puts it behind her. Same thing when I have toweled her. She does not hold any grudges. I hope Willow doesn't either.

I always have down feathers. They are a fact of life. I wouldn't worry.

Good information here. Thanks for posting.

I agree, very good articles. Thanks for sharing.

Emma is really something special. Great photos.

I love how you can see the movement of the toy in the photo. Sounds like you are doing a great job with Partner.

Welcome to the forum.

Smart bird!

I may get blasted for this but it is my opinion that if the bird owner is at home then the bird needs to be out and included in whatever is going on. Can you imagine being shut up in a cage somewhere while you can hear the rest of the family including the dog going about their business while you are not included. Greys need to be part of the family.They are more than a pet that can be brought out for a short time to interact with you. Would you cage the dog in order to let the bird out the whole time you are home. Probably not. Have you tried to socialize the dog and the bird to get them used to each other? My husband and I separated and he took the dog when he left but when the dog was here there was not a problem between them. I always supervised them of course. Once I accidentally did not lock the cage and my bird got out and was out all day roaming around the house with the dog. My heart stopped beating for a moment when I got home and realized what happened but the dog obviously did not bother her. Socialize the dog and the bird under supervision of course. You knew you already had a dog when you got the bird. What was your plan? Also if you treat the bird as a pack member that is above the dog the dog will probably respect that and accept the bird as the superior. Ours did. Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/05/16 16:27 Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/05/16 16:29<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/05/16 18:31

Have you tried sweet potatoes? Cut them into french fry shapes. Mine love these and also grapes.

Happy hatch day Alfie!

I think you are making the right decision for you and the bird. I think you were given some bad information in the beginning about how much time and attention a Grey needs. When I got my Grey I knew I was taking on a bird that would need a lot of attention. I was married at the time and even though I have long days my husband would get home early afternoons and I knew she would have lots of out of cage time. My husband and I separated and I was very worried about how Whisper would react to the change of not having as much out time. I even worried that I would have to give her up if she started plucking or screaming. Fortunately it has worked out. Even though I still am gone all day I make it up to her when I get home. she gets 2-3 hrs out of cage time and lots of that is shoulder/cuddle time. I make sure she has interesting toys and she has the T.V. for 4 hrs in the mornings. I come straight home everyday and won't even stop at the store. I don't have much social life and it is a big sacrifice but she is worth it. She is so special. She is going to have a sister soon and that will give her some company during the day also. I do realize that some of the reason it works for us is due to her personality. She is very sweet and laid back. Another Grey with a more high strung personality it might not work at all. Good luck to you and your bird. I wish you both the best. Just please make sure that whomever you rehome it with understands the time and commitment required.

It is caused by a gene mutation.

It all sounds wonderful. Congrats on your progress with Sam.

Right!

Lots and lots.:laugh:

I have a female CAG 17 months old. She already says about 30 different phrases clearly and distinctly. She has been averaging one new phrase a week for months now. Now when you consider that I work all day and she is alone, I live alone and she has noboby but me to talk to I think that is pretty amazing. I would be surprised if a male would talk better than that under the same circumstances.<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/05/13 19:05

That is terrific! I know you must be thrilled. Keep up the good work.

Congrats! I am sure that you can turn things around for him.