Mistyparrot

Misty was two when I adopted him, He went through two molts in two years losing feathers on his front and back. He re-grew his clipped flights and has had beautiful plumage for the last two years. I must say I was worried when the first molt happened. They all seemed to come out over a few days but they all grew back within a couple of months. He is fully flighted now and he will stay that way. There are food supplements available to help promote feather growth. Although with Misty I just fed him on a varied diet of mixed nuts, vegetables and fruit. The roughness you feel on Tobie's chest is probably new feathers starting through. I don't think you need worry but if in doubt consult with an avian veterinary specialist. Steve n Misty

I am also at home with my my GAG most of the day and the only time he is in his cage is to sleep at night. I have no problem with him being out even if I am not home. I also have a web cam on him so I can monitor him on my iPod. He spends most of his time on his play tree or by the window. He is much more active when I am at home. He is also fully flighted. He has never yet given me cause to distrust him. Steve n Misty

Welcome Linda. What a wonderful family you have. Steve n Misty

I am not so sure that a TAG and a CAG could not breed. I have heard of other species of birds cross breading although the mules produced are normally infertile. TAGs and CAGs are very closely related. Lions and Tigers can produce Tigons and Ligons and Dogs and Wolves can cross breed. So can Horses and Donkeys and Horses and Zebra. This is one way that evolution can produce new species especially in stressed environments. Steve n Misty

Misty has fruit,veg, nuts and seed available to him all day but he still prefers to share my meals so I take care about my menu to ensure it is OK for him. If he thinks I am late with my meals he lets me know about it in no uncertain terms ! Greys are most definitely social eaters. If I go out for a meal I feel guilty for leaving him at home ! Steve n Misty

Congratulations Haggis. You must be very proud. I do wonder how African Grey parrots ever managed to raise chicks before they found humans to do it for them. :unsure:

I give Misty bottled water. In the morning he much prefers very warm water. Its the first thing he asks for. If it is too cold he nips my fingers holding his cup ! Steve n Misty

I don't cover Misty at night anymore. Normally the only time he is in his cage is to sleep at bed time. We share the living room. He decides when its bed time by saying "Bed time" or :"Bed time Misty". He usually does this when he senses I am winding down for the night, the TV film has ended etc . One he is in his cage he continues with "Bed time" until I leave the room and put the lights out. If I put him in at any other time (which is very rare) he will look at me as if I am Mister Horrible and ask "Can I come out ?". That said the living room cage is to small to be used as day time living quarters. He does have a much larger cage but he has not used it for more than a year ! Steve and Misty

If you have a suitable play gym or stand set up you can just hang the beans on cotton cords. I use 3/16 inch diameter. I hang all kinds of stuff this way. Your bird will soon learn how to pull the cords up. With Misty it seems that the fact he has to work for his food makes the whole experience more rewarding for him. New things or things he otherwise ignores seem to be much more interesting to him. I hang corn cobs by boring through the core and threading through. I also hang rolled up newspaper and he will spend ages ripping it up. Does he make a mess with this ? You bet! But if you don't like mess don't live with a parrot! <br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/08/30 13:22

If there were any donkeys living near me they would have no rear legs. Misty has become a very accomplished talker. More importantly he will use words or phrases in context. Interestingly in some cases the context is one he has decided for himself. Specifically the phrase "stoppit" and "stoppwhat" he now uses to demand a share in my food. He sits on my shoulder and hisses "stoppit" in my ear if I am slow to share. I don't know how that came about but I used to say "stoppit" to Misty when he was chewing on the furniture or some other forbidden act. Perhaps he thinks my not sharing my food is a forbidden act? I have already related how he asks to come out of his cage with "can I come out" in another post. He knows when I am preparing to go out because if he sees me pick up my keys or put on my shoes or coat he will say "got to go out". As I go out and close the door he says "by by" or "won't be long" or "see you later". He knows what water is. If he wants me to give him a drink he says "water water". If he splashes water in a bowl or sees it pouring from a tap he will also say "water" and also imitate the sound of water pouring. When I shake a sauce bottle he makes a glugging noise! If I pick up the tea pot in the kitchen he says "cuppa tea". If its my coffee cup he says "coffee". When I get the bread out or prepare toast he says "toast". He hates it when I scrape the toast. He believes that to be a nipping offense ! If I have to tell him off for a misdeed he will say "be good boy"! I have not set out to teach him any of these things he just picks them up by himself. When I first had him he was two years old. He knew a few words including the "F" word. Even then he seemed only to use it if I upset him. I had disturbed him one night after he had been covered up to sleep. He climbed down and peered at me from under the cover and said 'F*** off" and then climbed back up ! Now days he never uses bad language and I never swear in front of him. I did try teaching him to name fruits and other food items with some success but I decided that it was teasing him so I stopped. Now days he calls all fruit "orange" or "want orange". He knows my brother and daughter and also our cat (RIP) by name. I am sure the fact that he is never in his cage except to sleep and that he is interested in what ever I do, is the reason he has learned so much. Steve n Misty

<br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/08/28 13:45

Misty loves to pig himself out on ice cream. He doesn't get it often so it is a very special treat. Steve n Misty Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/08/28 13:39<br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/08/28 13:45

Perhaps like humans female Greys talk more but say less? (runs away and ducks!) {Feel-good-00020069} Steve n Misty

Misty was two years old and clipped when he came to me. It used to break my heart to watch him try to fly. Any unexpected event would and he would attempt to take off. He was quite clumsy. What flight he had was badly controlled and his landings were often quite hard. His feathers were also ragged and showed signs of plucking. It took about nine months for his wing feathers to grow back and about a year to gain skill at flying. He went through two body molts in two years but now has very good feather condition. He has developed into a very skilled flyer around the house and is a very confident and happy bird. I take obvious precautions with doors and windows. I have put a large play perch with apple tree branches for him that he tends to stay on when he is not on or with me. He rarely perches on other shelves or objects in the room except a place by the window or the computer desk. One of his "hobbies" is ripping my keyboard apart but only when I am there! Although he will let me tickle and stroke him when he wishes, he hates me touching his wings I would never clip him. I think it is an affront to his bird hood. He his safer and healthier being fully flighted. Even partial clipping is risky because a partially clipped parrot could still fly off but would lack the skill or capability to get out of trouble. My advice is to let her fledge and learn to fly properly and never clip her again.

I am curious how other Grey carers handle ”bad” behavior and whether their method has any effect judged by either the immediate reaction of the parrot or the longer term behavior. When I say “bad behavior” I am talking about parrots that are usually well socialized and not parrots that have been traumatized by the actions of a bad keeper or one that has not become properly socialized to human company. In my case Misty is closely bonded to me and normally we very much enjoy each others company. Nevertheless on occasion he will sometimes bite my ear if he thinks I am not paying proper attention to him or bite my finger when handing him a glass of water he has requested. My reaction to those incidents is to move him away from me with a rebuke such as “bad boy....no biting”. Some times, if it is a hard bite I will put him in his cage for a few minutes. His reaction tells me that he knows I am annoyed with him because he will always say “be good boy” and “no biting”. If he has been sent to his cage he will also say “can I come out?”The point of caging him is to demonstrate my disapproval. I always let him out after a couple of minutes. He is normally out all day. He never fights me caging him but he is usually only put in at bed time. I am sure he has no concept of “right and wrong” but he does seem to know when he has upset me. We always kiss and make up after, and these events are infrequent now. I have looked after him for four years and bites were not uncommon at first but it does seem he has learned to control himself better. I don’t consider bites received during rough and tumble play to be offenses nor when it is clear to me that I have misread his body language. Do your Greys know when they have crossed the line? How does it show and what do you do about it? Steve n Misty<br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/08/23 16:59

Congratulations Christian. You are going to have an amazing experience with your new feathered friend. " I scrached him a lot under his wing. I want him to get use to the feeling of being touched." This is a really good idea. You will be able to get a harness for him so you can take him out in safety. Due I suspect to a bad clipping experience before he came to me, my Misty won't let me handle his wings without being distressed so I have not yet been able to get him to take to a harness. It's a shame because he trusts me in every other way.

I don't think Greys are that smart. Mine is happy to talk about food and drink or comment about what I am doing but try as I might I just can't get him to talk about politics or philosophy. Although thinking about it he is quite good on musical composition. Still he is only six. Perhaps I am being a bit hard on him.

Hello Greg. I don't agree with the idea of leaving a Grey on his own for 11 hours a day. They are social animals and need the stimulation of company to help them develop. Radio and tv are a poor substitute. Even toys, although an important stimulation for them are not a proper substitute. Don't be surprised if he starts plucking. Researchers equate Greys to a five year old human child in terms of intelligence and ability to learn. However it is misleading to use human comparisons because in many ways their intelligence is quite different. In their normal environment they are capable of learning things from their peers and making judgments that a five year old human could not. Greys are acutely aware of every thing that is happening around them but if they lack stimulation they will develop psychological problems. Would you think it OK to leave five year old human on its own for 11 hours a day? You might consider getting a companion bird but you can never assume that two birds will automatically bond so they would need separate cages. I am fortunate because I am able to spend most of the day with Misty and he will tolerate being left on his own on occasion but 12 hours would be my limit. Misty spends all day out of his cage and uses it only for sleeping at bed time. I find it very much like living with a toddler including the wonder of watching him pick up on new things. He asks “can I come out” in the morning if I am a bit slow and to tell me when its “bed time” at night. The only time he is put in his cage during the day is when he has been “bad” ie nipping my ear to hard to gain my attention. I put him in and he will say “be good boy” “no biting” and “can I come out” I let him out after at most a couple of minutes. This doesn't happen often as I can usually spot the warning signs. I have learnt not to scrape burnt toast with him on my shoulder! He watches what I do and will some times comment on things in ways that demonstrates that he notes my descriptions of what I am doing. I don’t make any effort to teach him these things. He works them out for himself. The point I am trying to make is that these are complex and intelligent “persons” for them to be left on their own for extended periods every day would be unkind. You also need to think of your own social life when you are not working because that will obviously eat into your already limited parrot time. You might be better off waiting until you have a parrot friendly companion to share the responsibility or are able to work from home. Remember these birds really are for life and unlike human kids they never grow up to become independent in the same way. Think carefully before you take the plunge. Steve n Misty<br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/08/15 03:55

I have just got the mag today. A sweet and sad story. I loved your poem to Polly. Steve n Misty

I hope you realize that you are going to have to spend the next fifty years or so with a "pet" that will do all he can to make a complete fool of you. Get used to it. {Feel-good-0002006E} Steve n Misty

I am a firm believer in not clipping. When Misty came to me at two years old he had been clipped poorly. His feathers were ragged and if he tried to fly he had almost no control. He would land quite hard. Luckily he never hurt himself. I Iet his flights grow back although it took about nine months and even then he was nervous of flying. He was quite bonded to me by then and I had no problems handling him. I allowed him out of his cage all the time I was at home which was most of the time. I had a cat Jezebel who treated Misty with respect but they were never allowed to be alone together. I helped Misty to regain his flying confidence by launching him a few yards to his cage. I would say "Fly" at the same time. He soon gained confidence and would fly round the room with precision. He would usually say "fly" when he landed. He spends a lot of time with me now and follows me through the house. He now flies as a bird should from short hops to circuits round the room. I wish I could let him fly out side but I cannot take the risk where I live. I am fairly confident he would stay with me but not that confident :-) Unfortunately he won't let me handle his wings. He screeches like a banshee if I touch them unexpectedly and he clearly doesn't like them being handled at any time so he his not yet ready for a harness. I hope in time he will be more tolerant. I suspect he has bad memories of his wing clipping experiences. In all other respects I can have him step to my hand at any time. Even when he knows I am cross with him for biting and he is being put in his cage to show him my displeasure. This is not something that happens often and cage time is never for more than two or three minutes. His feathers are in beautiful condition and he is happy and confident and I am certain that his confidence and skill in flight are a big part of that. Obviously I take great care with doors and windows. I would never consider clipping. I think it is unnecessary and cruel. I am sure Misty thinks the same. Steve n Misty

Hi Coffesnob. I don't see any problem with what you are doing, its just that in your first post it could be taken that that was your main way of feeding him. I spoon feed Misty when he shares my morning museli. In fact he shares all my meals so I have to take care of my own diet, minimum salt and saturated fats etc. I am sure I am better off for it,

Isn't seven months a bit old for hand feeding? Perhaps someone more expert can advise. Have you tried him on other foods? Fruit such as lichee and apple are good. I usually string corn.carrot and apple on cords on his T stand. He quickly learned to pull them up and chew them to bits. I suspect that he even eats some of it! Here is a link to my Youtube vid of him. <br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/08/11 17:08

<br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/08/11 17:06

Help my CAG Misty has lost his head. What is the best way of growing a new one ?<br><br>Post edited by: Mistyparrot, at: 2008/08/11 15:35