Mistyparrot

As a rule most self cleaning ovens do not use chemicals just very very high temperatures to burn off the residue. They have an interlock to prevent the door opening until the temperature is back to normal. Assuming that you do not use teflon coated baking trays etc no dangerous fumes will be emitted. If in doubt check with the manufacturer but good ventilation should be enough. For peace of mind keep birds away and secure and internal doors to kitchen closed. Steve n Misty

I see that was a Guardian newspaper Dorian has ripped up. It he a Conservative by any chance? Steve n Misty

I have never lived with a 'Too so I cannot compare but I have lived with a pair of Cockatiels. My impression is that Greys are far dustier. In fact I suspect that if, theoretically of course, a Grey were to be left in a ten meter cubed room for a year without the benefit of a regular vacuum cleaning the amount of Grey dander in that room would collapse into a small black hole under its own gravity sucking the rest of the planet into it. :eek: I agree with your observations on human dietary improvement that they can bring about. I eat far more nuts now and they have widely acknowledged health benefits. Misty will not poo inside his cage if he can possibly avoid it. I make provision for that. Steve n Misty

Just incase you thought "Greys are to much trouble so I will adopt a Raven instead !" Steve n Misty

What kind of person de claws a cat? Was he a rescue? Steve n Misty

I had a cat, Jezebel, when I adopted Misty. She was a little afraid of him but they were both happy to share my lap. However I would never leave them in a room together without me. Jezebel was about twelve by then. She was capable of catching small animals but I think most cats are cowards at heart and I think Jezebel was a little in awe of Misty as he was much bigger than Jezebels usual victims and much feistier than the small birds that she would bring home. I think the fact that Misty would call her by name lent him some respect as well. In the end never trust a cat and a parrot alone together. One scratch or bite from a cat can cause a deadly infection. Steve n Misty

Have you considered a sea passage? Get her micro chipped and get advice from the embassy. I have never heard of an airline allowing pets in the passenger sections. Steve n Misty

No. All the others are wrong. Just cook lots more and teach Storm that he gets a treat when he gets the timing right. As soon as he realises he is being useful as a kitchen timer he will stop the d$£@n bleeping!:cool: Steve n Misty

No no Dave. Not breaking :eek:. Beaking. That is tapping his beak on hard surfaces to make a "dink dink" sound. Steve n Misty

Misty cannot resist beaking glass bottles, mugs and plates. He hasn't tried windows yet. He seems to like the noise it makes. Do your Greys do this or is this just a Misty quirk ? Steve n Misty

Us too. Steve nMisty

Hello and welcome to the flock Candi. May I first congratulate you for adopting an older Grey. I wish more people would consider giving homes older parrots. They can make wonderful companions and I am sure Echo will return your love for him in spades. My guess is that he likes the music. I think most Greys do. That said if you have not done so already a visit to an avian vet should resolve any doubts. Not all vets understand the needs and quirks of parrots. Some of the things that Greys do are not easy to rationalise in human terms. My Grey Misty who is nearly twelve does a strange twitchy thing but like your Echo it is a reaction to a particular stimulus. It goes like this: I say "Yum yum" as he is tucking in to a meal and his response is to begin a head twitch which becomes more and more exaggerated and finishes with him saying "Water water!" It used to be a lip smacking sound but he has changed that. He will also say "Yum yum" and lip smacks when he is enjoying his food. I have no idea why he has this quirk but that's Greys for you. Can you upload any pics of Echo? Steve n Misty

I would love to know what you were arguing about in the background. Lovely video of a very cute little fellow. Thanks Steve n Misty

A lot of grooming is normal when he he has new feather growth because the little pin feathers will probably irritate a bit. I would recommend frequent and gentle misting with aloe vera. It will help sooth any irritation. You should be able to get it in any health food store or on line . It is completely safe. Good for humans too. Steve n Misty

I endorse the other advice but I am wondering if it is possible his cage is in a place that he does not like? Often when a Grey has been traumatised in a past home it may come to see it's cage as a place of refuge. Steve n Misty

You really really don't want to know Jeff!:eek: Steve n Misty

Yes it had me worried at first! I don't currently have a spouse but if the opportunity comes along the lucky woman will have to accept that Misty comes first! I can't understand why there is no queue.:confused: Steve n Misty

Great picture. Happy New Year to you Inara and to everyone on this wonderful group. Let us all make 2014 a year we will be happy to remember. Steve n Misty

This is Misty on the day we first met. June 11 2004. I found it quite an emotional experience looking at this again. I had no idea what the future would bring for us. Only that we would share it together. But that look on his face. I expect he was thinking "Who is this? why is he here?" This is Misty yesterday having a special Christmas treat. A mince pie. He looks so much better although he is nearly ten years older. Of course we still don't know what the future will bring but I am still determined that we will share it together. Steve n Misty

Misty was two years old when we came together. We have been best friends ever since. That was nearly ten years ago. Go for it. Two is a great age to adopt a Grey. Steve n Misty

Thank you Katana600. Misty speaks with my voice but I guess he sounds deeper compared to many Greys who use female flock member voices. I sometimes think of him as my "Mini Me". As for his cleverness I think most Greys could do much the same thing given the opportunity. Steve n Misty

When I adopted misty nearly ten years ago I taught him the names of many different fruits. One day he decided that "Orange" worked just as well for all fruits. I realised that my teaching him all the different names by naming showing and withholding until he got the name right was unfair on him. It was teasing and he got fed up with it. So I stopped trying to teach him in that way. He has picked up words and names in context just fine just as long as it meant something to him in some way. He has repurposed some but we both know what he means and that is all we need. I no longer risked stressing him trying to teach him to be a little human child and just let him be a parrot adult and he blows my mind every day with is smarts and beauty. Although he had poor feathers when I got him he looked a little ragged. He went through some heavy moults for the first three years and his flights came back so he picked up flying very well. We are now very close and his feather condition is great. He feels strong and firm. Our parrots are not objects of study or subjects of experiment. They are companions and friends. They try to fit in to a world that they were not evolved to exist in. Thanks to their intelligence they will work it out just fine just as long as they get love and acceptance. I am always amazed when I realise that out last common ancestor was living around three hundred million years ago and yet we can grow to be friends and understand so much of each other. I am Grateful to Dr Pepperberg for the work she has done and the sacrifices she made. It was largely because of her work with Alex that academia came to realise that birds and parrots in particular were far more than automatons living just by instinct. That in fact they were intelligent sentient beings capable of a deep understanding of their world and able to communicate with humans in a meaningful way. It wasn't the way that Alex was able to name and classify that was the surprise. It was the way he would say when he had had enough and wanted to stop. It was the way that he showed that he realised that Irene's experiments were just games to him. That he was playing along but that he already considered himself the the master of the game. I am grateful to Alex for the sacrifice he made although he probably never understood what he was missing. just that he was missing something. I don't think us parronts should attempt to emulate Irene. She was obliged to show results to justify her position and I think that Alex suffered a little because of that. Clearly he and his Grey fellows were and are very loved. But they are not pets or companions in the way our Greys and other birds are. Steve n Misty

It was a section of a "Fruit 'N' Fennel Millet Crunch". A special birdy treat. Steve n Misty

Hmm! I suspect that it is more than a little disdain some times! "What are you doing is is favourite phrase at the moment. Whenever I am doing something he asks the question and I usually try to explain. In this case he was watching me fiddle with the camera. Steve n Misty

Great idea. Please take lots of videos. I can't go. I can't leave Misty for all that time ! Steve n Misty