Mistyparrot

Thanks for putting the transcript on the Youtube page Dan. Steve n Misty

Happy New Year to all on this fantastic forum. Happy New year to you Dave. Thanks for all the good advice. Steve n Misty

Lovely looking bird. Thanks for posting the pics. Steve n Misty

Nice one. I hope you said "Hello" back. It's only polite after all. Steve n Misty

Great pics but you forgot the pic of your mangled finger!:eek: Only joking. You did well to hold it together. I assume someone else was driving ! I would rather a bloody finger than my Misty getting injured. Steve n Misty

Has he always been like this? He may not like where the cage is or there may be something near the cage that he objects to. Also try darkening the room when you have to put him in. I have found that Misty likes to have his cage partially covered. He also had a period of not wanting to go in but relocating his cage and the partial cover made a difference. Although he preferes not to eat in his cage he will go in for a drink. Misty does get to spend most of his time out of his cage and that may not be possible for you if you have to go out to work. You have a tricky problem. Please let us know if you make any progress. Steve n Misty

A Greys nails will be worn by normal climbing around branches or scratching in gravel. So lots of climbing branches are a good thing. Some put various sized perches around made from an abrasive material or sand paper. Climbing around in a cage on cage bars does no good at all for keeping nails in trim. If your Grey trims his own nails that is fine. A human doing it if not properly trained, risks doing real harm and pain. I have never had to trim Misty's nails and he will occasionally nibble the odd talon if he feels the need. They need to have them a little sharp for grip but not too long. Steve n Misty

Don't get mad. Just give the dinner to Sophie. The boys will get the message. Steve n Misty

Your pet shop adviser seems not to be the expert he thinks he is. Misty is most certainly a CAG, can growl when the mood takes him. One thing in particular well set him off is the hose from the vacuum cleaner. I guess it is too snake like for him. Timnas are smaller than Gongos but one sure way to tell is the beak. On a Congo it is uniform black but on a Timna the upper mandible is distinctly lighter colour. A shade of toffee. If Miki is safe out of her cage let her out as much as she likes. Is she free to fly around? If she is beware of ceiling fans as these can be dangerous for a flying parrot. She should have more than just a perch. She needs branches and ropes to climb about on and things to rip apart for fun. Talk to her and whistle to her but don't force your attentions on her. She will let you know at her own pace. What food do you give her? If she is wild caught it will take a while for her to accept you. I hope she is not because for every bird that gets to a pet shop at least another dies a sad and frightened death. Steve n Misty

I guess she thinks you are well enough trained. Steve n Misty

I love watching Misty fly around . It's amazing how maneuverable they are. Steve n Misty

Happy Christmass to you and your flock. Steve n Misty

Good on you for helping out. I hear there is a movement to mandate that every Muloccan Cockatoo comes with a lifetimes supply of earplugs. Steve n Misty

Happy Christmas to all the wonderful people and parrots who come to this blog and a special thank you to all the moderators for the great job you do here:D Steve n Mistyparrot

Misty tells me when it's bed time. He usually waits for the program I am watching on the tv to end. It shows how smart he his that he can tell the right moment. He says "Bed time" and he is persistant with "Bed time now!" until I come and pick him up but unless I take him to the bathroom first he will not step off my hand and into his cage. If have to go back in the room to collect my glasses or whatever after he has retired, he will say in a very quiet voice "You alright baby?" or "You OK?" and then "Bed time" . In the morning he always greets me with "Hello baby" It may seem a little odd an ancient chap like me being called Baby by a parrot but it always starts my day off well:D Steven Misty

Do I understand this correctly that she spends all her time on a perch? Being alone for 10 hours a day is not good. Greys should have company. They are social beings they need the interaction that only a companion, human or avian can provide. Toys are no substitute. Without this and being restricted she will get depressed. It seems that she has found no way to bond with you properly. You will need to spend a lot of time with her and give her opportunities to explore her new home and be properly mentally simulated. Steve n Misty

With Misty it was love at first sight. I got him from an elderly couple who said they could not give him the attention he needed. He was well looked after but a little lonely. Since he came home with me he burrowed his way into my heart in the best possible way and I would never be without him. Steve n Misty

When I first got Misty some years ago I had sliding glass doors. I put tape on the glass doors and let him tap his beak on them. Steve n Misty

That is a remarkable reaction by Chloe. it shows a high level of understanding of the word "Bad" which is quite an abstract concept. Very smart bird but does she now think that all walnuts are out to get her? Has she simply gone nuts? I always break a small hole in the walnuts I give Misty to make sure he can get into them and also to check that they have not gone bad. Steve n Misty

Misty's current favorit is banana but only if he can eat it sitting on my knee. He likes every part. If I give it to him on his food dish he will just chuck it out. Steve n Misty

Yes I am afraid Greys can be a bit rude sometimes Steve n Misty

I love to hear of older Greys being adopted. I think you will a new friend for life. Having him with you as you work is great. He will thrive on as much contact with you and the family as possible. Do you have other pets and other family members who can interact with him? You have had good advice from the others but as far as bonding goes I believe whistling to him may help. If he has any tunes of his own, whistle them back to him. These may be his contact calls to his flock so calling them back to him helps him feel more at home and accepted. If he talks or makes other sounds at all repeat back to him as well. This is a natural bonding process that many birds do in the wild. I hope you both get to a point when Casey can have lots of out of cage time. If he is clipped my preference would be to let his flights grow back but he looks good and he may now be happy the way he is. A vet check is a good idea and have him chipped especially if he is at all flighted. Steve n Misty

Misty is allowed to be on my shoulder almost any time but there are rare occasions when I wan't him off but he simply doesn't want to cooperate. He retreats down my back as does your Alfie. What I do is to back up against a wall so he has no option but to go back on my shoulder and he will then step on to my hand with no problem. Luckily he has no interest in getting on my head. I am grateful for this because my hair is a bit thin on top. Not much protection from his talon tips. :eek: Steve n Misty

This is one of my favourite videos about Alex http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kw4AbJENaqI&feature=share&list=PLDCB0BF78FA29D978 Steve n Misty

This may not work for everybody but I use a plant spray set to jet mode. If Misty goes anywhere like door frames or book shelves or attempts to chew that which is not to be chewed a quick squirt stops him. Most times I don't even need to squirt just pointing it at him is enough. His response is to fly to my shoulder as he correctly assumes I won't risk squirting myself! He registers his disapproval by calling me "Horrible boy" as he lands on my shoulder. Also if he goes somewhere forbidden and sees me looking at him with a warning look he will say "Trouble trouble" or "Thats not for you!" He knows what to expect and he obviously sees the whole think as way to tweak me. It hasn't stopped him "misbehaving" but as soon as I pick up the sprayer I grab his attention. As a result no furniture or parrots are damaged. My worst problem is opening drawers looking for papers or documents if he is around. He thinks I am going on a forage and insists on joining in and attempts to go on a document shredding frenzy.:eek: In that case the only option I have is to cage him and put up with his combination of pleading and verbal abuse until I have done what I need to do! Steve n Misty