Mistyparrot

Is this a breeder who thinks she knows better that the parents how to raise babies? I assure you she does not! Breeders hand rear babies because they believe they will make better human oriented pets. There might be some truth in that but first of all they need to learn how to be African Greys. Being able to fly is an absolutely fundamental requirement for a well balanced Grey both mentally and physically. They are quite smart enough to be able to make a friend of the right human later on. Even home bred Greys are basically wild animals but humans do not know how to how to properly teach them to be Greys. This can lead to complications later in life. It is rare for Grey to happily remain with the same human family for its lifetime partly because of this. I would say avoid parrot farms and never never never clip a babies wings. Have you considered adopting an older Grey? At between one and two years old they are usually ready to leave their natal home to bond successfully with a new human partner. There are also many older Greys that have been abandoned because their human adopters were simply not suitable Grey companions. Steve n Misty

Yes. For your own peace of mind have them microchipped. It's one of the surest ways of proving ownership in the event of AWOL and recapture. Steve n Misty

When Misty first came to live with me I tried the usual nonsense of teaching him names of foods and fruits. I had been impressed by Dr Irene Pepperberg teaching Alex but I could not use her method of Model Rival as it was just me. Misty soon got good at identifying all kinds of fruit. I was particularly impressed with him learning "Pomegranate". But then after a while he decided not to cooperate. From that point all fruit became "Orange" and that was it. I came to the conclusion that my constant pestering him to name fruits seemed to him that I was teasing him. I realised that we were in a two way learning process and while he had made great efforts to humour me I also had to learn from him. I think we have both found this much more rewarding. My learning his wants and intentions meant that often he would use my words in novel ways. I was still able to get his meaning and he responded to my acceptance of his use of words and sounds by deepening our friendship. Of course he is a parrot not a little human or a child or a baby but he is a person. Maybe not in the exact dictionary sense but for me it fits. I don't often try to teach him English now. Instead he listens and if he thinks a word or phrase or sound fits his need to express himself to me then he will adopt or adapt. I think this is so much more interesting and revealing than making him learn correct English. I thingk it is important to understand that our Greys very much want to communicate with us even if our environment is totally alien to their genetic expectation. They are not pets like pet rabbits or cats or dogs. There is an evolutionary gulf between us that is even greater and yet their ability to respect us as humans and be our friends tells us how precious all animal life is and we forget that at our peril. We share our planet. It is not just for us alone. I believe that Dr Pepperberg's scientific work, just like Dr Leakys work with the apes has made an enormous contribution to our understanding of non human intelligence. We should not try to emulate Dr Pepperberg. We just need to respect and value our parrots for what they are. As Dave pointed out further on I should have been referring to Dr Jane Goodall. I blame Mistyparrot for constantly trying to distract me! Steve n Misty

I agree with the other posters Fay123. Your grey is quite normal doing what you describe. From the picture he looks fine. Steve n Misty

I am with Dan on this. I am certain Misty can hear my eyelids open because no matter how quiet I try to be he will hear me wake and call out to me. Steve n Misty

Last thing after I have put Misty in his cage to sleep and I say "Bed time Misty. Sleep well" he calls me Baby as in when he calls back to me: "Bed time Baby" This is after he has told me in no uncertain terms that it is "Bed time NOW OK?!" ( I tend to stay up late). First thing he greets me with in the morning is "Hello Baby" after I have greeted him with "Good morning Misty". Otherwise if he has a need to attract my attention he will either use his signature whistle or tell me "Come Here!" Very very occasionally he will use my name "Steve" . If he is cross with me because I have put him in his cage or used the water spray to warn him off a place he shouldn't be like a book shelf he calls me "Horrible boy!" Steve n Misty

I have to disagree. The vet did something both pointless and potentially dangerous to the poor young Grey. He should have left the birds wings well alone unless there was a sound medical reason and I cannot think of one that would require a healthy sighted Grey to need any kind of clip. Sarah, I hope you let Keira's flights grow back. Make sure she is micro chipped and be vigilant especially with doors and windows. Steve n Misty

Kimkim you will find that as you start to play teach Babalu (I love that name) he will gain more confidence and it will also bring your bond even closer. My guess is he was shaken up by some bad flying experiences after his clip and now perhaps he flies more out of a start than for the fun of it. As his confidence comes back he will learn to fly better. I helped Misty recover from his clip by gently launching him onto the bed or the sofa. I would say "Fly Misty" in the hope that he would he would take that as a cue to fly. He soon got better and better at flying and became able to turn very tight turns and make precise landings. Of course he has never learned the cue the way I intended but most times when he goes for circuits and bumps as student flyers would call them, he calls out "Fly Misty fly". My other attempt to get him to fly to my shoulder on cue was also unsuccessful. As he would often fly to me as I made to leave the room I tried calling "Shoulder". That misfired as well. He will watch me go through the doorway and I call "Shoulder" but he ignores that. If I then go out anyway he starts to call out "Shoulder"... "Shoulder". So I go back and he is just sitting on a perch with one foot raised in the "Pick me up" signal! So now he uses "Shoulder" as a command to me to come and collect him so I can take him out of the room with me! ;)The only way he will come to my shoulder on cue is when I aim the spray bottle at him. That brings him every time. He quickly worked out that I wouldn't squirt him if he is on my shoulder. I don't have to actually spray him but if he doesn't see my finger on the trigger he takes no notice. Steve n Misty

Just hope the breeder did not clip him. It seems to be common practise for breeders to do this. I so wish they wouldn't Steve n Misty

How old is Babalu? I would guess he needs much more flying practice. He needs to fly more. Does he fly into plain walls? could you hang something that might redirect him or cushion him when he hits. It is also possible that he has vision problems but I have no idea how you could test for that. An avian vet would be able to test for cataracts. Steve n Misty

Wise words Dave. Many young people may have had other pets that have short natural lives. A parrot can live many decades. It is a long term commitment . Understanding the implications is vital for all. Steve n Misty

Good to hear you are safely back home. I expect you have already worked out that the "Bird Trainer" should never be let within mile of Dayo. She will get over her trauma as will you. Misty and I wish you both a speedy recovery. Steve n Misty

It's a Greyt idea to publish your Flight Log Thanks.! Inara is settling in really well. Loverly pictures. Nevertheless I have to point out your armchair is not really appropriate! If I had one of those Misty would demolish it in seconds. Steve n Misty

I have just got a tickle in my throat and started coughing fit. So Misty has to join in the fun! It is hard to laugh and cough at the same time. Steve n Misty

Welcome Red. It's good to have you and Kuku in the group. Looking at the picture he is a very fine Grey. I have a few suggestions though. I notice that his perch is a square section. If you think about it Greys spend most of their time in trees and trees have odd shaped branches with round sections. They tend to find these shapes more comfortable to grip with their feet. Have a look at parrot supply shops to see examples. If you have fruit tree wood available it can make great perches and indoor climbs and perches for Kuku. Don't use fig tree wood though or wood loaded with preservatives. Greys love chewing wood so it is important that it is safe. Also have a look at our parrot food recommendation. Sunflower seeds are not a good diet. Fine in small amounts but other real nuts vegetables and fruit like sliced apples without seeds ( apple seeds have small amounts of poison). Absolutely no avocado or chocolate. Both are great for humans and deadly for parrots. Have a look here for the postings about flight and clipping. I think it fair to say that most here prefer to not clip unless there is very a good reason. As a rule flighted Greys are happier and healthier Greys. One final thing. Have your Kuku checked out by an avian vet and if he is not already micro chipped get him chipped. If he ever goes awol a micro chip is the most reliable way to identify your pet. Please keep posting here. We all love to read each others stories and experiences. Kuku will be with you for a long long time if all works out well and you are both going to have an amazing time getting to know each other. But you must have lots of patience. You already have the love. Steve n Misty

Misty can copy my coughs and sneezes very faithfully. It was a bit disturbing at first until I realised he was not ill. Just taking the Micky. Steve n Misty

Hello Dannybrah92. As the others have said there appears to be nothing wrong here with beak or feathers. It is always a good thing to have your avian vet check any new adoption. Steve n Misty

What a story! It is amazing how resilient our Grey friends are! Their feathers provide fantastic insulation but I sincerely hope that Misty never has to go through an experience like that. It must have been very very scary for poor Cosmo and Sylvester not forgetting yourself but I bet it brought you, Cosmo and Sylvester even closer together. Steve n Misty

I am so going to steal that. Steve n Misty

So Wooo do yooo think yooo are? Steve n Misty

Thanks Bluedawg. Servicing my computer keyboard is one of Misty's favourite hobbies. He will sometimes beak the screen but so far he has not been able to get a purchase. I also hang paper Jaycloths behind as a precaution! I have to keep an eye on Misty because he can be very fast when he wants to go for something. Our living room is so full of "interesting things" I dare not leave him unsupervised. I made that mistake once and he opened a draw that contained about fifty digital cassette tapes. He picked up every one, pulled out the delicate tape and moved to the next.:mad: Pointless telling him off because I should have known better! Any time I open a draw he feels compelled to dive in! Steve n Misty

Do you think he was trying to drop a hint? Steve n Misty

I asked Misty. In his opinion computer keyboards, any book I am reading, any newspaper I am holding , pens and remotes. In my opinion I cannot recommend any of these. Steve n Misty

I watched it earlier but now it is "Private" Steve n Misty

Thanks for posting this. If we love Greys we cannot ignore the horrors that are happening in Africa with the practically uncontrolled illegal trade that is still going on. Steve n Misty