Mistyparrot

Wing clipping is a great way to screw up your parrot! I will never clip Misty. I am happy to keep an eye on him. We have been together for more than ten years since he was two. He was clipped when I got him and it was scary every time he tried to fly he risked injury. I promised him that he would never be clipped again. I so wish you had taken advice here first. Clipping caused far more problems than it might solve. Steve n Misty

When I have my morning cuppa , tea or coffee, I give Misty a cup of hot water.He loves this and drinks enthusiastically. I have to get the temperature just right. Obviously not so hot as to risk burning him but if it is not hot enough he is not interested. I think he likes the feeling of the hot liquid going down his throat. Steve n Misty

I love that sound.

I am afraid I break all the rules on bed times. As I am a night bird myself I rarely go to bed before midnight. Misty stays up with me. He tells me when it is bedtime with "It's bed time" and he will get quite insistent if he thinks I am ignoring him. When he gets to "It's bedtime now OK?!" I have to take notice. We go through the bathroom ritual and then to his sleep cage. It is semi covered so he can choose for himself. He will also snooze in the daytime as he sees fit. He will sometimes play about with me before he will let me put him into sleep by flying off. but again this seems to be part of his bed time ritual because I never have to coerce him. I just retrieve him and offer him to his cage door and he will go in. As I leave the room I bid him to sleep well and good night. He will usually reply with " Bedtime baby" and a squeak. In the morning I get greeted with "Hello" or "Hello baby" then off we go to the bathroom. His morning greeting always helps to start the day well. Steve n Misty

Oh you poor thing Pepper! If I told you of the horrible things that happen to me you would be greatful that you human is not worse. I cannot tell you all here but to give you a clue some of my more frequent utterances are: Horrible boy , Stoppit, Can I come out, Be good boy, Rrrth, Sorry baby. As you can imagine those words are only necessary because I have to try to explain to Steve how badly he treats me. So Pepper If you find a safe refuge let me know and I may well join you !

Happy New Year to the denizens of this Forum. A special thanks to the owner and moderators for keeping it together as such an interesting and informative group. May 2015 and on bring health, happiness and success for you all and your loved ones. Especially the Grey Angels that have brought us all together. Steve n Misty

Good luck Shanlung. I will miss our posts here. I hope things go well for you in Riyadh. Best wishes for the New Year. Steve n Mistyparrot

As a general rule with Misty, he is a sweet fellow. I can handle him any time. I can safely put my hand in his cage to lift him out or place him in. I can do this even when he is being a brat. But some things will make him more inclined to nip. For example, if I open a drawer to search for something, that draw becomes an instant attraction for him. He has to dive in and if left to his own devices he will proceed to empty out any contents. I guess it is all part of his nesting instinct. If I try to remove him I will risk a bite so I have to be careful. Once he is out of the draw he is back to his normal compliant sweet self. Nevertheless, as a rule any bite will result in a short spell behind bars. ( For Misty of course :-) ) The other thing that can set him off tends to be water related. He likes water. He likes to describe water with "Water, wash, showa, wasser." Also the sound of pouring water. He enjoys having a good splash in a wide bathing dish. I also use a house plant spray to mist him. He is OK with that but If I want to attract him to me from across the room and he does not feel co-operative I turn the spray to a fine jet. Mostly I don't have to direct it at him. Just near works fine. Or even just point it. He will sometimes turn it into a game ducking for cover with fake growls,"Ra ra ra." Calls me "Horrible boy" or "Trouble trouble." Then he will fly to my shoulder with no fuss. As an aside If he tries to pick up something not allowed, like a pen I tell him "That's not for you" and take it off him. One time when I tried to dissuade him from exploring a shelf of " Forbidden Things." my aim got too close. I got him on the beak. I put the sprayer on my lap as he flew to me. But instead of going to my shoulder, he landed on the sprayer and then dumped it to the floor. As he did so he said: " That's not for you!";). To continue with the water theme. If Misty sees a tumbler of water or wine or cup with tea or coffee, but especially water, he will fly directly to it and land on the rim. Of course, the problem occurs when he jumps off as things can go all over. But he is so excited that if I try to lift him off, he will most likely bite. He will occasionally break the skin, drawing a little blood. It depends on whether I get the points of his beak or not. Recently I bought a tall plastic sports drink container with latching top and stopper on the spout as I thought it might be a bit safer. Not so! This is more irresistible than anything else so far and his frisson goes up an extra notch if he spots it. I guess he sees it as an extra challenge. I have to keep it hidden or covered to avoid a nippy confrontation.:eek: So are there objects or unexpected triggers that other Greys get a bit over excited over? Steve n Misty 1711

Am I the only one wondering how long before another variation of "Jocker" emerges? :rolleyes: Steve n Misty

Misty and I dine together every night. Then he goes to eat his own food . Steve n Misty

I have had Misty for more than ten years and as a rule he is sweetness and light. I can put my hand in his cage any time even when he is in there. But he is very possessive of his clip on water feeder. I have to take care to get his permission before I dare touch it. Even if he is on the other side of the room he will fly over ready to protect his precious! He has a thing about water. If I am forgetful and leave a tumbler of water or other drink in plain sight he will fly on to it. The trouble comes when he kicks off.:eek: So I have to diplomatically persuade him to step on my hand without fuss. If I misjudge him he will nip! It's a water thing! Steve n Misty

Very funny Steve n Misty

Oh yes. If I go out of the room and hear Misty contact calling me I know he is not "servicing" my computer keyboard or worse! :rolleyes: Steve n Misty

Misty is male as am I. We get along just fine but I sometimes get the feeling he is just biding his time until the right woman comes along. I just hope she suits us both ! Steve n Misty

I remember many many years ago I went to a party with my brother. We both had had a few drinks and my bro went to sit next to a pretty girl to chat. Unfortunately he expressed his interest in the manner of a love struck Grey. Sadly it was less than appreciated . Steve n Misty

Are Escher nails back now? Steve n Misty

Take her with you. I am sure she would by far prefer to be with you. Get her used to wearing a harness though so you can let her flights come back and take her out in relative safety. I am of the opinion that a clipped parrot is more at risk than one fully flighted. I do hope you let her be a bird. Any bird that cannot properly fly is also more likely to get stressed. Whenever I read of a clipped Grey my heart sinks. It is good you have a bigger cage but I think that although she should get used to the idea that her cage is her place it's door should be shut only when you cannot be with her. Sorry but I do tend to go off when I see that dread "C" word. Steve n Misty

Oh wow! What wonderful news! You must be so relieved and happy! Was he pleased to see you? I bet he was Steve n Misty

The other day I saw this posted on Facebook. I thought "Hmm still looking!" :confused: And then I remembered all the fine folk on this forum Steve n Misty

I can't offer any advice better than you have already. If I was in your shoes I would be a gibbering wreck. I do so hope you are reunited soon. Don't lose hope Steve n Misty

Misty was not anaesthetised when he was chipped. There was no trauma at all. Although he does not like to be restrained even by me. The vet towelled him and the procedure was over in seconds. Misty showed no resentment at all to the vet, his assistant or to me. Steve n Misty

Micro chips are designed to be biologically neutral. There is no chance they will cause cancer. Misty has been chipped twice because the first chip failed. The vet thinks it came out because it may have been too close to the surface. Both times Misty had the chip inserted he showed no reaction at all. It caused no irritation and no problems but it does give me some peace of mind that if he does go AWOL he can be positively identified. Steve n Misty

In your position I would get my bird well away for the duration. If there is a leak and the wind in the wrong direction your birds could suffer Steve n Misty.

Wonderful picture. A great shot of a determined Grey swooping on a poor defenceless and unsuspecting nut. Steve n Misty

Misty will not be commanded. He will step up from anywhere and at any time and he will fly to me if I show him the water spray but otherwise most of the orders come from him. Like "Tickle tickle" "Water" "Orange" (Give me a taste of the fruit or veg you are preparing). "Stoppit" (Give me some of your dinner or give me a treat from the treat box) and "Can I come out" (Open the cage door) and "It's Bed time NOW!" I am happy with that. Steve n Misty