Mistyparrot

Just tried IP Cam and it works a treat. Steve n Misty

Thats nasty. Broken ribs are no fun at all. The thing to remember is to try not to laugh.:eek: GWS Steve n Misty

Thanks for the update and great pic. Steve n Misty

Misty used to do something similar when I first adopted him. He would recite calls from his former adopter at length starting with "Hello" and finishing with "By by" like your Sophie. He no longer does that. I guess he never paid his phone bill and got cut off. So now he just starts and ends all my calls for me. Steve n Misty

Thanks. I will have a look at those. Both my phones are droids. Thanks. Steve n Misty

I am with Virgin Media in the UK and I get unlimited data. Sometimes if they think I am being greedy they slow the connection a bit but it is rarely a problem. Most broadband in the UK is unlimited. Of course the ISP's have their own definition of "unlimited" which is unique to them. It is hard to get a meaningful definition from them. I suspect there is a dictionary that only politicians, lawyers and internet service providers have access to but to us mere mortals it is an arcane secret!:confused: Steve n Misty

Misty also loves to have a good laugh! It is guaranteed to make me smile even when I am feeling blue. Steve n Misty

I have just got a shiny new smartphone. I won't bore you all with the gory details. How ever I was wondering what to do with my old smart phone. It is off contract It is hardly worth selling and all my family have good phones already. Then I realised that the phone has a web cam built in and WiFi. So I could fit it on a nesting box or use it to monitor Misty if I have to go out. I can power it from an external battery or its charger. The WiFi is already in my home so no more cost and there are a good few apps available to use control and receive. To do the same job with a dedicated system would cost a significant amount for an impoverished pensioner like me. Any recommendations for apps ? Steve n Misty

Just got a new phone today. I was going through the ringtones and as soon as I found the same one as my old phone Misty goes "Hello?".He also does this when my landline rings with a different ringtone. He doesn't imitate either but he does have his own ringtone that he has always had and I assume it from his former keepers phone from more than eight years ago. He also says "By By" just as the call is coming to the end. His timing is almost uncanny. He can tell by the way the conversation is going when it is soon to end. Also he can often tell if I am speaking to my daughter Robyn as he will call out her name! Steve n Misty

Jeff. Don't you know it's very rude to repeat everything someone says to you! I am surprised Gracie didn't tell you off. A very nice video. It shows just what a smart and beautiful girl you have there. Misty was entranced by Gracie on screen. Steve n Misty

Misty uses his contact call when I am out of the room. When I come back in he says " Hello Baby" like in the short video. It is always the first thing he says to me in the morning. Like Sterling Gris, Misty asks to come out of the cage with "Can I come out?" "Come here". If he thinks I am not acting fast enough he now also puts "Now!" at the end of his requests to turn them into orders! So I get "Come out now!" "Come here now!" "Bed time now!" All these things he taught himself. But I have no idea how he got the idea of putting "Now" to make his ignored requests into commands. When he is put in his cage to sleep just as I leave the room and say "Good night Misty" Misty now comes back with "Bed time Baby". Steve n Misty

This is Misty's contact call. Does anyone else have the same or similar? Mistyparrot: Misty greets me Steve n Misty

How are you trying to post it? Steve n Mistyparrot

I am sure that you are helping Dali with your exercising methods. I am not sure that grabbing his feet is safe. I would suggest you get a flight harness so you can continue inside or run with him outside without risk. Getting him used to a harness at an early age is a good idea. My Misty is a much older parrot and I am having problems getting him into a harness. If he had been acclimatised to it as a baby it would have been much better for him. Steve n Misty

Of course you know it's not wasted money. I agree with Judygram and Dave007 . $400 for peace of mind is a bargain. Steve n Misty

Thanks Dan . I feel so much better now!:eek: Steve n Misty

Dan I do hope you are not suggesting I am but a feather!:eek: Steve n Misty

Definitely tool use I think Jeff. I hope you helped him ease his discomfort! Misty uses me as his scritching tool . Steve n Misty

Misty who I have just realised is nearly 11 ( I thought he was 9 but I got his birth year wrong) is not a cuddly fellow. He does not liked to be touched except on his beak or his neck for scritches at his request. However he is very affectionate. Often climbing up my chest when I am watching tv to get beak kisses. Steve n Misty

Hello CharlieLaw. You should definitely take Sidney to a vet . Sidney is probably fine but a check up could reveal any health problems that might need addressing and maybe put your mind at rest. The vet could also do a DNA sex check if that is important to you. A DNA check or an invasive cloacal examination are the only sure way with Greys. Steve n Misty

Having a parrot for a friend is like having Edward Scissor Hands for a friend. He means well but you never shake hands ! Steve n Misty

Hello CharlieLaw.Your Timneh is young enough to get his wings. Does he have a name? Misty was adopted by me at two years old. He was clipped in the worst way with asymmetrical clipping. He could not fly at all and I assume he had not for most of his life, if ever. The only good thing about it was when he attempted to fly and landed on the carpeted floor with a bit of a bump he quickly accepted me as a friend who would help him up. It took a long time for his flights to regrow and I helped him fly by launching him to soft landing places with the words "Fly" or "Fly Misty". Now around seven years later he is a very competent flyer yet often when he takes off he still says "Fly Misty" or "Misty Fly" . It will take care and patience and time but your Timneh will become a flyer. It might be a good idea to compare his wings with those of a flighted Grey to confirm that his flights are present. Some breeders have the horrible practice of clipping young birds before they are adopted and if it is a severe clip it will take a long time for the flights to come back. His former keepers may not even have realised he had been clipped. It seems obvious that they had little idea of a Greys needs. They should be given as much out of cage time as is practical. They will get no exercise in a cage and exercise is essential for their good health. A good diet is vital for good feather growth so check the diet forum here http://www.greyforums.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?6-Bird-Food for useful advice. Steve n Misty

The very first thing Misty taught me was his contact call. It was a short sequence of notes that he called regularly and I soon realised what it meant. As I am able to whistle I whistled it back to him. I have never heard another Grey use Misty's sequence so I don't know if he invented it or of his parents taught him but I also assume that it is his Grey name. He responds when I call it to him and of course it carries much better than human speech. I do believe that my whistling it back to him as a contact helped us bond. He was adopted at two years and he is around nine now and we still use it. It is not his only call but it is his original. Typically when I wake up he calls it out to me as soon as he detects my wakening and even though we are a couple of doors separated he can detect the slightest hint life from me. I call him back with it. Once I am in the room with him he may repeat it but the very first thing he says to me is "Hi Babe" That seems to be the name he has given me ! He knows I call him Misty because he responds to that. I am certain that Greys all have their individual personal names that they are known by by their family and flock Steve n Misty

I am so sorry for you. It is devastating to lose a much loved companion. Unfortunately peanuts especially in their shells are a well known risk for causing the fungal disease. I would never give peanuts sold in pet shops to my Misty. I do sometimes give him roasted unsalted peanuts sold for human consumption from by my local quality supermarket. They are a favourite food of his but I always check them. The main problem is poor storage. I have seen so called parrot mix stored in bulk in large bins in pet shops. Avoid this stuff at all times. Prepare your parrot food freshly yourself from recommended foods. There is a forum on this site that will give very useful advice. Damp will certainly lead to the fungus infecting peanuts and many other nuts as well. I know that most here would not give their birds any peanuts at all! Never feed your parrot anything you would not happily eat yourself. Steve n Misty

Somehow I think biting amongst Grey parrots in the wild is very unlikely. They don't play the domination game. I don't think any flocking birds do. I can imagine them yelling at each other but otherwise they have more than enough space to avoid conflict escalation. I have never seen Greys in the wild but I do observe pigeons and seagulls where I live and I have never seen serious conflict between flock members. A Grey living with humans in a house or in an aviary is less able to get out of a situation it might be uncomfortable with so biting may happen and humans are not that good at reading parrot so they also will get bit on occasion. Some even deserve it! . Steve n Misty