Mistyparrot

Steve n Misty

Steve n Misty

This is about a parrot rescued in Africa from the illegal pet trade. Steve n Misty

Hello and welcome chickabee. Your Joey looks just a little more ragged than Misty did when I adopted him aged about two years old around ten years ago. He was scruffy and badly asymmetrically clipped. It took more than six months for his flights to come back and he went through a series of snow showers and moults for about three years until he settled down . I also had to move home several times which unsettled him a bit. After one move he dropped all his tail feathers and it took nearly a year for those to come back. Nuts are an important part of his diet. I get cashews, almonds, walnuts, pecans and brazils all out of their shells. I am mistrustful of nuts in shells because every once in a while I have found some with rotted insides. I always crack them first to make sure. He also gets plenty of green leaf veggies and fruit. I have a local baker who makes organic multi cereal bread to die for that Misty adores and so do I. Do not give ordinary white bread to any bird. Multi cereal breads are better but most commercial non organic breads have to much salt. Through all this time Misty has been a wonderful companion. Smart, chatty and affectionate. His feather condition is now excellent as is his flying ability. The only legacy he has from his former wing clip is that like your Joey he very much dislikes having his wings touched. If I so much as accidentally brush against his wing unexpectedly my ears will ring for quite a while after! The thing to remember with Greys is you need patience . It takes a while for a clip to regrow. Normally a bird will lose the odd flight from one wing and then one from the other to maintain balance. In the wild they would never lose enough flights to compromise flying ability as that would be life threatening. They can just about get by OK without tail feathers. I am sure Joey and you will get on just fine. Please keep us all posted with your progress. Happy Christmas and New Year. Steve n Misty.

If caging doesn't work stop their allowance and repeal computer / television privileges. I have never had to do that with Misty but it worked with the kids. They haven't bitten me for years. Steve n Misty

As soon as Amanda bites put her back in her cage . Tell her "no bite" and go away. You can let her know are a bit cross but do not go over the top. After a few minutes go back and say "You be a good girl" "Amanda come out" in a warm voice and let her out to play with you again. If all goes well she will understand that biting is not acceptable and she will learn to ask to come out of her cage. You may find there are certain play moves that you do that cause her to nip so obviously avoid those. Of course it is normal for Greys to feel you with their beaks and they may not realise that their sharp pointy beaks can hurt with very little pressure. So you need to let them know. That is what I did with Misty. I had a particular problem with him tweaking my ear to get my attention where if I failed to respond in a timely fashion the tweak became painful nips. The short sharp prison treatment worked well. I now have no problems with Misty near my ears or face. Of course every Grey is different and you have to have a strong mutual trust before you can let them anywhere near your face. I am sure things ill work out just fine with you both. Steve n Misty

Misty does this sometimes when he is sitting on my knee and also when I say "Yum yum" when he is eating. In reply he goes through a head flick routine and then answers with either a lip smack sound or "Water". He has been doing this for years. I have always assumed it is just one of his affectations. At first I thought it might mean some kind of irritation in his ear but if it was he would scratch it but he does not. I asked the vet at a previous check up but he found no problem. Nevertheless it could indicate mites or an infection so get him checked just in case. Steve n Misty

So true indeed! Just as long as I can see Misty I am happy for him to be quiet although he is not often quiet for long. But if I am out of the room I am constantly alert for his calls. If he is quiet for to long I just have to go and check. Steve n Misty

The most annoying sound Misty makes is "It's bed time Now!" when I am trying to watch a late movie! Steve n Misty

I see Dr Pepperberg is still clipping wings. I wish she wouldn't. She understands that her Greys are intelligent sentient beings separated from us by 280 million years of evolution. Possibly the most important thing that birds including Grey parrots evolved were wings and the ability fly and truly live in three dimensions. I believe her Greys would be much happier and healthier and Irene could learn so much more from them if they could be birds sometimes. Steve N Misty

Misty only ever shrieks if I unexpectedly brush against one of his wings. I assume that because he came clipped when I got him around ten years ago from his previous keeper he hates anyone touching his wings. Because of the way I helped him learn how to fly, when he flies about he cries out "Fly Misty". Steve n Misty

I always answer Misty and try to explain what I am doing and he looks at me as though he understands every word I say! Of course he does. Steve n Misty

Just like living with a three year old! The tune that Misty whistles is his contact call. Steve n Misty

Misty does that. I think it is very rude so I wiggle my tongue back at him! I have assumed that tongue wiggling is a sign of relaxation and contentment. When Misty wants to interact with me he has various other ways of letting me know. Most times it has to be on his terms. If I try and he is not in the mood he will shake his head and move away. Sometimes if he is sitting on my knee he will climb up my chest and plant a kiss. Other times he will sit on my knee or my shoulder and say either "OK?" or "You're all right" or "Tickle tickle". Misty and I have been together around ten years and I can trust him but unless your bird is very bonded to you be aware that a shouldered bird can nip earlobes. They do not understand how much it can hurt. Likewise attempting to kiss a parrots beak risks a very painful bite on the lip or nose!:eek: Steve N Misty

Thanks MKparrot. Great info. Thanks for posting. Sadly there seem to be no exotic Grey colonies anywhere.

I have no doubt that Misty dreams. He is also my dream bird. Steve n Misty

In have fallen off my perch once or twice but so far Misty has managed to hang on without mishap. Steve n Misty

I used to work at Shepperton Studios west of London in the mid to late 1970's. There was a large thriving feral flock of Ring Neck Parakeets living in the area. They were to be seen and heard most summers. The local fruit farmers were not exactly enthusiastic about their exotic winged neighbours. One of the explanations I was given was that during the filming of The African Queen with H Bogart and K Hepburn the Ring Necks were used to give a degree of authenticity for some of the jungle scenes filmed there. It wasn't all filmed in Africa! It is said many if not all subsequently escaped or were released and thrived and spread from there. They can be seen over many parts of Southern England. They have been seen near to where I live in Brighton.and As the overall climate seems to be warming up they won't be leaving any time soon. Sadly they are not officially welcome and farmers may cull them if they are seen as a problem. I am not aware of them having any detrimental effect on the local bird species others may know otherwise. I have also heard that Germany has feral Conures or possibly Amazons that have survived some very hard winters. Steve n Misty

You were both very lucky. Steve n Misty

What a lovely story. Of course the story is wrong in one particular. Greys are beautiful both inside and out. Steve n Misty

It looks like you have discovered Dolly's secret fetish! Misty finds Ice cold water in his bath irresistible . Warm water just won't do. He also likes to eat ice cubes. I think this is quite common with Greys. Steve n Misty

I wish all my American friends a very happy Thanks Giving celebration but please leave the turkeys in peace! Love Steve n Mistyparrot.

I see you have the start of Greyparrot Pie. I recommend plenty of vegetables and nut stuffing. Yum yum! Steve n Misty

I have doubts that teaching Greys to talk with a tape or video is a good way. They learn better and more and in context if taught by human person. Steve n Misty

As BailysPapa says Greys can be very inventive vocally. Sometimes they will hear sound just once and then they pick it up and play with it. The will often associate a sound or words contextually in ways that just amaze. It is one of the great pleasures of living with a Grey. Some parrots can make your ears bleed but happy Greys can be a real treat. Misty and I often have whistling tournaments. He will whistle a phrase and then look at me waiting for me to make my turn. It is a Greyt way to enhance the bond. They love it when you pick up sounds from them as much as you do when they take your words. Even when you are not there I believe they like to listen and hear natural sounds but obviously they can't contextualise that way. I do think it is better than silence or the radio although I think Misty quite likes modern jazz . Steve n Misty