Char

My vet explained the petting to me this way. After a bird has passed it's baby stage it is very confusing to them to pet them all over. Birds do not do this in the wild except mother to baby and mature birds as a sexual thing. It is sexually stimulating to them to pet them too much. Even on the back. A blanket can also be sexually stimulating for a bird, I fostered a cockatoo for a while and she loved to cuddle in a blanket and I thought it was cute until she started panting and making these funny noises that I realized were sexual. It is hard for us to realize sometimes that they are not dogs, cats, bunnies ect. They are birds. I only scratch Whisper's head and neck area. The bites could stem from the birds confusion and frustration. I also believe that a lot of physical roughing and playing with a bird will get them in the habit of biting as your hands become another toy and target.<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/08/18 04:31

I would love to go to one of those fairs. Nice toys! The baby is adorable. I would have had trouble walking away too.

They have all kinds of little clicking and clucking sounds. Make the sound back as a way of communicating. If you mimic their sounds it encourages them to interact and "talk" to you.

That is so cute! She will have you hopping now.

Is the water dish on the same side of the cage as the food? If so then move it to the other side. Whisper only dips every now and then.

Sometimes it is hard to tell what spooks them. Whisper was scared out of her mind one day because of a shirt I had on. It was a jungle print with big flowers on it and when I looked at it I realized the flowers looked like big eyes. You just never know. The important thing is how we react and be sensitive to what is happening with them. I realized immediately that thee shirt was scaring her and took it off.

Thanks for posting this Caitlin. I have not seen that toy. I will have to look harder at Petsmart.

It seems the jury is still out about the glue on paper towel roll. Toilet paper rolls same thing. I don't use them just to be on the safe side. I would rather err on the side of caution. I mean it is GLUE. You can string together shower curtain rings and stick rolls of newspaper in them and hang from the cage. I have found other alternatives to the paper rolls. Take a look at this post for my favorite toy to put treats in. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/homemade-toys-&-playstands/151567-a-favorite-foraging-toy.html<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/08/17 12:41

All birds preen. It is a natural thing for them to do. It is how they distribute oil from their oil gland to the feathers to keep them in shape. If a bird is anxious or bored they may over preen but I doubt that is happening. I think as Grey owners we are over sensitive to the feather issue because we there is so much info out there about greys plucking so we tend to worry about every little feather. My advice is don't worry unless you start seeing bald patches.<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/08/17 12:35

Babygirl: Dave is an experienced breeder and has pet Greys also. He knows what he's talking about. He also has an extensive knowledge and experience of parrot behavior and rescue. Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/08/16 22:11<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/08/16 22:14

I know it is not really funny but I find it kinda funny that you were so obsessed with getting the stuff and then this happens. Sorry. As for the encounter... Let me ask you this..Did you absolutely have to get her back in the cage at that very moment? Wouldn't it have been better to let her cool off a bit before trying to handle her again. It seems to be you just made it all worse and probably damaged her trust by grabbing her that way. You also said that she was acting skittish and refused to step up so you "reached in and grabbed her". She was refusing to step up because she was scared by something. Whether it was the smell or something else. Whisper has never bitten me but I am pretty sure that if she was already spooked and skittish about something and I "reached in and grabbed her" I would get bitten too. Also if you had backed off after the bite and let her calm down, she would probably have gotten over it a lot quicker. Now you have scared the heck out of her. I am not trying to be critical just trying to help. Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/08/16 21:55 Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/08/16 22:00<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/08/16 22:02

I have the t.v. set to the Noggin channel. It is a children's cable channel. I have it on a timer for 4 hrs so she can have her nap in the afternoon. I am not sure if she likes it or not. She has not said one way or the other but I know she does not like sports.

danmcq wrote: Years ago I looked into getting a Mynah and when the pet shop owner told me the poop sprays everywhere I reconsidered.

JillyBeanz wrote:

Mocha is so cute ugly. As all birds are at that age. I love the name.

babygirl wrote:

Breeding pairs do not make good pets. The thing you need to realize if you get a pair of breeder birds is that you will not be able to handle the birds. If you get near a breeding pair during breeding season the male will most likely attack you viciously. There are lots of birds out there that need to be rehomed. Not sure why you are fixated on a breeding pair unless you want to breed them.<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/08/16 15:21

That is a very thorough review. Thanks! Karma to you!

Whisper is 20 months old. I keep a list and she says about 70 different phrases. A lot of them in context and sometimes just sounding off. She also has a lot of whistles, bird sounds, barks and little diddies she sings. The most amazing language thing happened the other day, I brought the new baby Amazon home on Sunday evening. Monday evening I was cuddling with the zon and Whisper kept saying, "It's a boy, What's a boy?" She heard me say good boy to the baby but that is it. I have never had any reason before to say the word boy and here she is asking me what a "boy" is. I tell you it was downright freaky. It was like okay I heard you call this little green thing a "boy" but what is a boy? She says just about every phrase I use with her regularly. I can only imagine if there were other people in the house talking to her. I live alone. I find it strange though that she has never used the word "bath" even though I use it a lot when giving her the bath she hates. I think she knows what it is and does not want to remind me of it.:laugh: Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/08/16 05:42 Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/08/16 05:44<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/08/16 05:48

I applaud your persistence. I have never tried it with Whisper because I already know it would be a nightmare. I am with the others. If it is stressing the bird then put it away for a while and try at another time. The more you stress the bird with it the more he will hate it.

That's as bad as the people that come on here wanting to trade a dog for a bird.:evil:

Sometimes whisper will use a voice that I believe is higher than mine. It is usually during the times she is not talking as clearly. It is hard to explain but It is like sometimes she has a spell when she isn't clear and it is things that she has said clearly many times. during those times her voice is higher pitched and sounds different.

Dixie is a smart girl. She figured out a faster way to get those pellets wet than carrying them one by one to the water bowl.:cheer:

That's hilarious! That will teach her to cry wolf!

Our thoughts and prayers are with you and Athena.