Mistyparrot

I have just moved home and of course Misty had to "help":D 1 What's in here then? 2 It's great in here! 3Caught in the act. 4 Exit 5 Just minding my own business Steve n Misty

He might be descended from a family of ex nautical or pirate parrots and had picked up semaphore signing Steve n Misty

I agree with the others. Greys are social beings and in the wild they learn from each other by observation, seeing and hearing their peers interact with each other. Dr Perpperberg understood this and developed the model/rival technique to help teach the famous Alex to communicate. I have not been able to use the method directly with Misty as I have not found a suitable partner to work with but nevertheless all that Misty knows he has in effect taught himself by listening to me and watching me as we go about our day. He has learned to use "Human" to communicate with me. In fact he understands "Human" better than I understand "Grey" . The key is not to worry about teaching your Grey "Human speak" because if he is given the right environment and opportunity he will learn what he thinks he needs. Also you will find he will use "Human" words and phrases in his own way. He will use them in a context that means something to him so you may have to work out what he means. For instance Misty uses "Stoppit" to ask me to share my food! I can only guess how he made the association but it works for us. Another is "Yourallright" when he wants a neck scritch. The thing about CDs is your bird may learn to mimic the sounds but they will be just meaningless babble. The other thing is Greys love to play with sounds and practice vocalisations as well as a good whistling session. If you are able to whistle back it is a great way to help your bonding. Reading books is good although he will not understand what you are talking about but it is a good way to socialise and if he likes you he will like the sound of your voice. Also never forget the importance of body language and vocal tone and emotion. All birds and mammals are expert in this. Your Grey will quickly understand your moods and intentions in astonishing ways. Steve n Misty

Interesting question. When Misty first came to me at two years old he had vocalisations he had acquired at his previous home. Most notably he would recite verbatim a phone call from start to finish he had picked up from his previous family. After about 18months it no longer featured in his talking. I taught him the names of fruits and he would name apples,oranges, lychees, pomegranates etc. But after a year or so he decided that all fruits were "orange" I did not persist in reteaching him. I suspect he thought I was just teasing him . Yet other things he learned at that time like "Got to go out" , "Bye bye", "Can I come out" or "Won't be long" and "Bed time" all in context, he still uses.I did not deliberately teach him these. He just picked them up by observation. He still occasionally mentions "Jezebel" our cat who passed on three years ago but not often now. I think the process of remembering needs reinforcement but I suspect Greys will remember human friends and foes for a long time. I think some memories just need the correct trigger to come to the fore. I remember reading of an old Grey living in a hotel or bar in Africa that could remember German he learned many years before and although later living with English speakers would pick up on German visitors coming out with German phrases even after thirty years or more. I think Greys do have complex emotional lives. They naturally bond strongly with chosen flock members and definitely pick up on very subtle indications of their chosen ones well being. I know Misty reacts to me when I am feeling down and seems more attentive to me. Misty spends most of his time in my company and he knows how to read me very well. I think as with all things Grey related they are a constant surprise including the ability to remember. Steve n Misty

Too late for mine! All my Chippendales are now just chips.:eek: I will let him try some anyway:) Steve n Misty

I have been thinking about this for a while. There are occasions when Misty bites. It's rare that he bites hard and when he has it is because of a mistake I have made. If I see it is my fault or mistake I don't blame him. Otherwise as a rule when he does nip too hard I explain to him that I am not best pleased and there are consequences. But the thing is I quite like the fact that he can nip on occasions when we play games like me creeping up with "Monster hands" It shows that he has set boundaries and he is not afraid to let me know! That he is his own person! I am not talking about bites because he feels he has to keep me at bay or because he is just plain mean minded. He is not at all like that! He will always take a beak rub to show we are still palls. Am I making any sense? Steve n Mistyparrot

Hi Dan. I think Stacyj made a typo in her title. I suspect she intended to write "Warning!!!" Steve n Misty

Hello Brooke. I think a cage 32" Long x 22" Deep is far to small to keep a Grey except as just a sleeping cage. It is just big enough for a budgie or maybe a cockatiel. My advice is that as you are 19 you are just at the beginning of putting your life together you should wait until you have your own home with the space and time to devote to giving a Grey a home. As you know they are smart birds, love attention and need space. I think a budgie is best for you at the moment. They are amazing little creatures and very smart but a lot less demanding than a Grey and can get by with much less space. Steve n Misty

I do almost the same with Misty except when I flake out Misty will often laugh! We love our whistle games:D Steve N Misty

Hello Trance music. Sounds like Bravo is doing well. The dropping down and a few feathers is very normal at his age. He will likely go through a couple of moults over the next couple of years. It can look a bit like a snow storm ! I am usure why you would want to touch Bravo's tail or back. You may give undesired sexual stimulation by petting on his back and there is never a need to touch his tail. He is unlikely to be comfortable with that although he may come to tolerate it. If you can get him used to having his wings handled now you will find it much simpler to put a harness on him so you can take him out in safety without the need to clip his wings. Steve n Misty

Must be one of those very very rare white faced Senegals with grey feathers and a red tail :rolleyes: Had a Senegal many years ago.Hated me but adored my (ex)wife! If I ever decide to get another parrot a Senegal will be high on my list. Steve n Misty

Most times Misty is not a biter but he loves jumping into any drawer that I dare to open in his presence! If I dare to try and lift him out he will show his lack of appreciation by trying to bite my hand!:mad: He even has his own drawer now as I figured that if I let him have his own he would let me open mine in peace. Fat chance!:rolleyes: He also used to be a bit of an ear nipper but that is rare now because he realised that would only earn him time out in his cage. Nevertheless if he is on my shoulder when I go to the bathroom and forget to put him on his rail or if he is in the kitchen with me and I dare to forget to treat him with the odd morsel he will tickle my ear with his beak and that definitely gets my attention!:eek: Steve n Misty

Quite clearly he was freaked out by the dogs. My guess is that he was simply curious about the dogs. Your behaviour with them might have suggested to him that they are not a threat but when the dogs got too exited and curious that would have sacred him. A normal reaction for a frightened Grey is to fly up and out of danger but I am guessing that Jaq'O is clipped and cannot fly well. His then being chased by the dog would have added to his sense of fear. Your yelling at the dog to call him off would have added drama to the event. I am not criticising you for yelling . Anyone would have done the same. After all that he would have associated you with the dogs and the scary moments so his going for you is a natural defensive reaction. He was angry with you but I don't think he will bear any lasting grudge. He will be wary for a while. Remember he was not at fault. In his mind he was defending himself. The dog food won't hurt him at all. The fact that he was eating so soon after suggests that there is no lasting trauma. I believe you should let his flights come back and don't clip him. It will take a while but a flighted Grey is much more confident. I hope he will be more respectful of the dogs but I would not have him out when the dogs are in the room and the dogs need to learn to accept Jaq'O as a family member. I am sure you already realise that. I used to have a cat that Misty got on with but although they could share my lap in peace I would never let them be together unsupervised. Cats, dogs and parrots can be too unpredictable! Steve n Misty

He is a nice looking bird. Why do you think he is eleven months old? His eyes suggest he is a little older as I would expect to see a little yellow in them still although that could be an effect of the flash. His flights should come back in some months. If his skin is irritated spraying with aloe vera solution has been found to be very beneficial. Aloe vera is great stuff for humans and parrots and is not at all toxic. From the photos his cage seems a bit on the small side for anything but sleeping in in my opinion. If he has to spend too much time in there he may get frustrated and bored and that will cause big problems and can promote plucking. He should be OK as long as he gets plenty of social time and toys to stimulate him. But apart from that terrible clip he looks good. What do you feed him on? Steve n Misty

I am impressed. You and Tango have done really well in just a few days. I suspect he came from a very good and caring breeder. Flying is great exercise for a young Grey but make sure your room, floor and windows are parrot safe. Steve n Misty

He may just be going through a heavy moult. Not unusual for a young bird. Those look like coverts and alular feathers from the wing. Are they all from the same area? if he has been clipped he my be suffering from some irritation in his wings. As Jayd said have him checked by a vet because there are lots of reasons for feather loss and some like PBFD are serious and others are easily rectified with food supplements and subtle changes of environment. My Misty went through two heavy moults in his first three years with me. Mostly his chest and back. He was just two and poorly clipped when I adopted him. He is nine now and fully flighted. Two years ago I moved home and he decided to pull his tail feathers but now he looks fine all over. I give him a calcium and vitamin D supplement every day because they both help with feather condition. I suspect that your little fellow is just going through a growing up stage but a vet check is a very good idea if only to put your mind to rest. Steve n Misty

That sounds a bit like my brother! Steve n Misty

I think you and Jaq'O are doing very well after his rather inauspicious delivery to you. I am just glad you were able to take him from such an uncaring keeper. Steve n Misty

Great news Jaq'O has your training well under way. Steven n Misty

His usual greeting to me is "Hallo babe" and I return with hallo Misty. The contact call is what he uses in the morning before I have come into his room or if he hears me returning home. I always whistle it back to him when he calls out to me and he never overdoes it. Steve N Misty

This is Misty's contact call. It's the first thing he taught me Steve n Misty

Misty parrot was chipped with no problem at all. Do it. Definitely worth it for the peace of mind. Steve n Misty

You have a very pretty little Timna Grey there. Congratulations. Steve n Misty

I don't think there is a direct translation for head bobbing. I think it means something like "I'm OK Look at me! You OK too ?" I doubt he would be doing it if he was unhappy or annoyed. Just my guess :cool:. Steve n Misty

I suppose Jaq'O is rather territorial in his cage and possessive of his food bowls! Very normal. This won't be a problem when he can come and go from his cage with confidence. Misty has his meals on a table by his tree perch. He gets a variety of shelled human grade unsalted nuts like cashews, walnuts almonds and pistachios. I also give human grade roasted ground nuts. If you give ground nuts it is vital that they are of good human food grade and fresh. If they get fungus from damp they will make your parrot very ill! Fresh fruit like apple, orange and strawberries together with slices of carrot and parsnips, green beans, peas is all good for a balanced diet. Misty prefers his veg lightly cooked. Some proprietary parrot foods are much better than others. Some cheaper parrot foods have far to much sunflower seed. Sun flower seed has a lot of oil that can lead to liver problems. In the wild Greys are able to burn of fats from seeds by flying but in captivity flight is restricted so it is vital to ensure there is not to much fat and oil in the diets. Have a look at out diet section for recommendations and also advice on foods to avoid, especially avocado and chocolate both of these can poison your bird!. Misty shares some of all my meals but I make sure to avoid salt. He enjoys a little fish and egg sometimes. Eating is very much a social activity for wild parrots but that may not be practical for everybody! Aside from eating, Greys love to chew up things with their beaks. Give him branches or offcuts of untreated and fungus free wood to climb about on and to chew. Treated wood is dosed with fungicides which can make your bird ill. I give Misty off cuts from garden apple trees and sometimes even empty cardboard boxes. Greys may try to chew what ever they can get hold of so beware! Steve n Msty