Mistyparrot

He could well be sick and in pain. Take him to an avian vet NOW! Steve n Misty

I am heartbroken for you. You did the very best you could for your little fellow. No one could have done more. Don't beat yourself up with hind sight. You have absolutely nothing to reproach yourself for. If you can, you must report the breeder to the animal welfare people. She is clearly irresponsible and her animals must be protected from her. Love from Steve and Misty

Does your wife bite you often? I hope she has stopped biting your poor Maggie. Six months is not unusual for a grey to start talking and you have lots of fun to come. However I have to tell you we all have the best bird ever. I know I do Anyway welcome to the group and have a good new year. Steve n Misty

I just want to say I think your Mum is amazing. Some people could never tolerate an attack like that. Keeping a Grey is a bit like having Edward Scissorhands for a friend. If only they had lips instead of pointy beaks. {Feel-good-000200B9} Steve n Misty

What a great idea! Now I know what to get Misty for his hatch day prezzie.:laugh: Steve n Misty

Thank you for asking the question. My personal view is that in most cases there is no good reason to clip a parrots wings, although there are birds who may be to insecure to be allowed to fly in a confined space due to extreme nervousness. Misty was poorly clipped when he came to me at two years old and although he would still attempt to fly he had no control and would often have hard landings. Fortunately he tended to crash onto carpeted surfaces so he did not hurt himself. Eventually his flights grew back and I encouraged him to relearn flying by launching him a few yards to the to of his cage and he soon got his confidence back. His flying skills have developed to the point that he has very good control. He can hover and navigate round obstacles as well as make perfect landings. He is learning to fly to me on command. He also knows the places where where he is not supposed to land and he is very good about that most of the time A legacy from my early flight lessons with him is that often when he flies from one place to another he will say "fly baby' or "fly Misty". He flies easily and naturally just as though it is second nature to him which of course it is.I would never clip him now. I take care to make sure that windows have suitable net curtains so he can see them and I am always careful with doors and open windows. As I live on my own that is easy for me. It is much more difficult in households with people coming and going children in particular especially if they are not parrot aware. With your bird as he has become used to flying clipping could have bad consequences psychologically as well risk of injury due to lack of control. It is instinct for a parrot to try to fly out of trouble if it is startled so that could be a problem. He may learn to cope but it could also lead to frustration and the dreaded feather plucking. Perhaps a moderate clip might work for you as it has for others but you might find good training to be more beneficial. In the end there is no simple answer that can fit every one. Personally I would say let em fly. After all that is what their whole body design is about. If you do decide that clipping is your best option do research into how it should best be done. Its a tricky subject and even avian vets will have conflicting ideas. Good luck in what ever you decide. {Feel-good-000200BB} Happy New year Steve n Misty

Misty is also less vocal with other people around. Its the curse of talking Grey parrots to make you seem a liar ! When my brother comes over Misty greets him with "Tony" (my bro's name) but little else. But one funny thing is when Tony and I are in deep conversation Misty listens in and interjects with the odd "uh ha" and occasional "ya". So he likes to listen to a good debate! Steve n Misty

I hate the idea of clipping. Fortunately your Nikko is a well socialized bird and is not troubled by the trauma. Besides she can still fly and the extra effort required is good exercise for her.So karma to you. Never the less, I think you should seriously consider rehoming your father for his own good! {Emotions-00020060} Steve n Misty<br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/12/23 14:04

I love the way he teaches me his tunes. The way he says "What's the matter" if he thinks I'm blue. The way he says "your OK" when he wants a tickle. The way he seems to read my mind. The warmth of his feet. The way he shares his dinner with me ! The silk of his feathers. His silver glow. The red flash of his tail. His laugh. How he loves to play. His trust. The only thing I don't like is to be away from him. {Love-0002011D} Steve n Misty

As a rule greys don't respond to requests to stop making a particular sound. The only real strategy is to ignore it. If she is using it as a contact call try and offer her a substitute. If she whistles to you repeat it back to her or whistle a short phrase to her of a few notes. It is in their nature to call their flock and that is you now. Steve n Misty

Carolyn wrote: Would steping up be that we offer our right or left hand to them so they choose the foot that is closest to the hand offered - Misty has a definite preference for stepping up to my right hand and as I have said uses his left foot for this. This may be why he prefers my right hand. I am left handed mostly but I don't know if this has any influence but we know that greys learn by following examples. (that may be why Misty is so untidy:laugh: ) Steve n Misty

Misty generally holds food with his right foot but offers his left foot if he wants me to pick him up. When we have play fights he tries to grab my fingers with his left foot so he can bite them.:laugh: when he learns to write i will report here which foot he holds his pen with. Steve n Misty<br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/12/17 20:58

I love your gourd stuff. I am surprised you haven't made any gourd parrots or did I miss them? Steve n Misty

Happy birdday to you, Happy birdday to you, Happy birdday dear Freddie, Happy birdday to you. :cheer: :cheer: :cheer: :lol: Steve n Misty

I regularly leave Misty out when I go out and he is as good as gold. Even my computer keyboard is untouched by him even though when I am with him he loves to try and "service" it for me! However I am sure he is an exception. I spend most of my day with him and he is fully flighted and skilled as a parrotpilot. He has a good sized multi branched perch with lots of hanging play things on it and he is quite territorial and possessive of it. He is six years old and well tuned to my way of life. I would not leave a clipped bird out If I were away. Clipped birds are at real risk from flying accidents especially if they are startled. Just my 2c. Steve n Misty

My foolproof way to get Misty to eat his food is to put it on my plate. He simply can't resist it. The only problem is that when he has had enough he insists on tipping the plate up. This can make soup a particular challenge! :ohmy: Steve n Misty

I tend to go to bed quite late. Often after midnight and rise about 8.30 am. Misty is up and out of his cage the whole time. He some times has a doze on his perch or on my knee in the evening. He seems very happy with this arrangement and is not at all stressed by his late bed times. At the end of the day he will tell me "bed time" so I put him back in his cage to sleep. I don't cover him so he will keep on with "Bed time" or "Bed time baby" until I leave the room and turn out the lights. IMO your bird will be very happy to be out with you for as long as you can manage. It might be a good idea to alter his routine gradually but I am certain he will be much happier to be able to spend more time with you in the evenings. Greys are quite tolerant of low temperatures but definitely not cold draughts. Their feathers are very effective insulation.As danmcq suggests if there is any chance he could chew the blanket it could be a disaster. I would suggest a normal cover and gentle heating from a low power electric convector. Keep an eye on the temperature and as long s it doesn't drop below 60f he will be quite comfortable. Steve n Misty<br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/12/01 18:58

<br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/11/28 20:35

Misty whistles the most beautiful tunes and he uses human words in context. Whistling like flying is part of being an African Grey. If you respect that you will have a happy and well balanced and smart chatty bird IMHO. :cheer: Steve n Misty<br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/11/26 18:39

Dupe removed <br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/11/26 12:41

Perch, keep on whistling with Gracie. Greys use whistles as contact calls so repeating back to them helps maintain the flock bond. Besides I find it very enjoyable to have duets with Misty and it is obvious that he loves it as well. He has a "tune" that is his signature but he likes to play variations to me that I repeat back to him . He then makes a small change and adds some extra notes and seems to expect me to follow which I try to do. This will go on until I just can't keep up Communication is a two way thing and I think if we expect our greys to learn human words then we should learn grey words as well. You bird is still very young and she may well be practicing when she is alone ! Some may not start until they are well over a year old. Each is different just like human babies. It is important to give your words a meaningful context that your parrot can relate to, so use words like "step up" or "come on" in context. When you offer her water say "water" or if you bring her out of her cage say "come out". Introduce her to other people. I use the form "Hello X" they say "Hello Steve" I say "X this is Misty" then X says " hello Misty". I usually repeat the whole thing again. Obviously I prime X beforehand. Misty very quickly learns peoples names this way. Be patient she will come on in her own time. Steve n Misty <br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/11/26 15:26

He offered me the secrets of life, the universe and everything! He hasn't come up with that yet but he does laugh at me a lot while I fetch and carry for him.. I think I have been had but its to late to back out now. B) Steve n Misty

I could hear Misty when he was still in his egg saying "Lemee out lemee out"... Steve n Misty<br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/11/26 00:04

Judygram gives good advice. I would also wonder about your husbands tendency to have allergic reactions because African Greys produce a fine feather dust known as dander. Has he spent any time with a grey? Steve n Misty

Hi all. I think my name is Steve but Misty my CAG sometimes seems to think he is Steve and I am Misty. I'm sure he does it to confuse me...And it works ! :lol: