Sevi

It's hard to tell from your description whether or not he actually vomited. Did you notice his throat moving? Was it above, or near, his water dish after drinking? Was the liquid clear, like water? Greys, and many parrots, can be messy drinkers. Edison often lets water run out of his beak when he's drinking. Almost as if he over fills his lower beak, drinks what he wants and lets the rest dump out. OR, he just shakes his head while drinking and water falls out. Since he doesn't seem ill, I don't think it's anything to worry about it.

Shannon, Omar is absolutely adorable and gorgeous. Despite his mumbling (which I love, my guy mumbles all the time) he definitely seems like such a clear talker. So many greys are camera shy... Edison hates the camera, it's so hard to get him to perform. Great video

Shannon, Omar is absolutely adorable and gorgeous. Despite his mumbling (which I love, my guy mumbles all the time) he definitely seems like such a clear talker. So many greys are camera shy... Edison hates the camera, it's so hard to get him to perform. Great video

Ahh, I love arkive. Such a great resource! I've been on their mailing list for ages and always read the emails but don't visit the website often enough. It's somewhat depressing, viewing all the threatened species... but it's fantastic nonetheless. Thanks Dan.

It definitely was. Hope you find it at the library

Mods, feel free to move this to wherever you believe it seems fit. I struggled with where to put it and ultimately decided here. It doesn't just pertain to greys, it's not a training book, it didn't seem to fit with the O/T section and it is about parrots as a whole so... Of Parrots and People: The Sometimes Funny, Always Fascinating, and Often Catastrophic Collision of Two Intelligent Species. Mira Tweti. http://www.amazon.ca/Parrots-People-Mira-Tweti/dp/0670019690/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1235315869&sr=8-1 I was in one of my local bookstores and happened upon this book by fluke. I read the cover flaps and decided it would be probably be worth my time and picked it up. I enjoyed it, it was a decent read and definitely recommendable. It wasn't anything hard-hitting, but it did a really nice job of outlining the various facets of interactions between parrots and humans. She wrote particularly passionately about the smuggling of parrots and the bureaucratic red-tape that makes it difficult to end. The lack of governmental regulation was a running theme. She covered the commercial parrot enterprise - of which I have witnessed some aspects of first hand, CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species), rescue operations and sanctuaries and the allure of owning a parrot among other subjects. It would have been nice if her final chapter "Repercussions, Ramifications, and Solutions," was fleshed-out a little more. She dealt with a wealth of material and I felt some of it could have used a more solution-driven approach. Nonetheless, it was worth the change, or at least worth the read. It's not often you find "expose" books on the parrot plight.

Ahhh... yes... I meant to update but kept forgetting to . Well things have toned down a bit. I can interact with him normally, so I suppose he's had enough of most-likely redirecting his anger towards me. As per the vet everything is absolutely fine with the bird and all of his blood work came back a-ok. Which I never really suspected as the problem, but it's nice to hear anyway. He has stopped flying to attack C. Which is nice, but Edison still gives him the evil eye whenever he is out of his cage. The bird also makes an effort to bite C's feet if he's given any chance to do so. On the plus side, head rubs from C can still be had if Edison is in his cage, now with no attempt to allure him into a bite. Right now we're working on having some One-on-One time between Edison and C without me around. Which has proved difficult at times, but slowly things between them are getting better. They're still not as good as they were but better is... well... better. The vet was of the impression that it was probably some hormonal-related possession aggression since he's now considered an older bird (he gets his cholesterol checked ). So in summary, the random outbursts have stopped. Now he's just a little less personable with C. Which is sad for C who got along with him really well, but we're both happy with the improvement.

As Judy said, that's what greys do and definitely don't discourage it. Edison loves to chew whatever he can get his beak on, so we save up paper towel or toilet paper rolls, junk mail, unbleached muffin cups, cardboard etc...And also in line with Judy, there are some great suggestions in the toys/playstands section. You can also get some great shreddable toys from many pet stores, particularly online. Edison's favourite are these: http://www.parrotdiseperch.com/parrot/shop_details.php?prod=281 which you can get in a variety of sizes. You'll never completely rid him of his want to shred other everyday items that you want to stay in one piece, but if you keep him well stocked with other things to shred it will curb it a lot- all the while allowing him to enjoy himself. edit: bah I was too late and now my post is particularly redundant<br><br>Post edited by: Sevi, at: 2009/01/05 03:25

Oh I know birds bite, and it's definitely not like I haven't been bitten in 12 years, it's just never been this determined and consistent over a period of two days. As of yet we're just taking steps to minimize damage and not encourage it... Like I said, I hope it's just a short period and it won't continue. Was just hoping others may have experience with the whole "I'm randomly going to attack for the next few days and you can't do anything about it" complex I appreciate your replies everyone . We'll get to the bottom of this...<br><br>Post edited by: Sevi, at: 2009/01/04 22:16

Dave, Really nothing that I can think of... I look the same as I did months ago (though it is time for a change)... Nothing with C. It's odd that he's really interested in biting the hand that feeds him the most treats. His newest toy was placed in his cage on Christmas, but he's fully embraced the new foraging wheel... We haven't moved any furniture, the same old stuff is by his cage as was before... I'd say that maybe he's a little sleep deprived and hasn't fully recovered from New Years Eve. I know new years day he slept almost the entire day... even though he was covered at a decent time, I guess celebrations were too noisey/exciting for him to actually sleep. So maybe he feels a night behind sleepwise? It feels like a bit of a stretch, because I've seen grumpy, sleepy Edison before and its not like this. I dunno... It's just strange that he'd be this aggressive. She, Yeah, I'm glad I have the vet appointment coming up soon as well. If things keep up as they are I definitely want to rule any illness out. There was a bit of a change of routine over the holiday period (ie: a few more people visiting...) but he was a sweetheart until Saturday.<br><br>Post edited by: Sevi, at: 2009/01/04 21:21

Ahh Judy, I'm so stumped. I suppose it could be hormones, they're the reason for pretty well everything

Hey Everyone, Long time no post, things have been super busy, but everything had been going well. Until two days ago... Edison has always been a very well behaved bird. The odd bite here and there... ninety-nine percent of the time we know why and it's usually our fault. In my 12 years with him I have NEVER seen this and am completely bewildered. There's obviously something we're missing,so hopefully you guys can give us hand. My significant other,lets call him C, seems to have inherited the brunt of his random anger. In fact this morning I saw Edison jump/fly at him, beak open, with the intent to destroy. It looks as if he's been trained as an attack bird. Normally, if I'm at work and C is home Edison is always out with him- either sitting on his cage-porch and playing with toys or on his perch. He will usually step up without issue. The same troubles we had this morning happened yesterday. This morning I opened his cage door as usual, he walked out, asked to step up, stuck his foot out and Stepped on to my hand as normal and BAM! total 180 in character. Dug into my arm, several times, would not let go. Tried to pretend there was no pain, "No. No bite." Eventually he let go and that's when he went into attack mode on C. Then again on me. We had no choice but to put him in his cage. Now up until 2 days ago, things were fine. These past two days he's still more than happy to take food from C,or talk with/to him, blows him kisses. But will randomly decide to bite. With me, last night, things were like normal,except I had to put in a special effort to keep him away from C. Neither of us can think of a reason for his outlash... Can't think of anything that has changed. He's never had an issue with C, or me for that matter, like this in the 5 years we've been together I feel terrible and I think C feels worse... because there has to be something that's bugging him.. but we're just so taken aback... Again, he's 12 (hatch day is January 6th so 13 soon!) and I've had him since he was a baby and never seen him like this. We have a vet appointment coming up, so I'll bring this up with him as well... Really hoping it will pass and he's just moody... Right now he's sleeping after chatting to himself and eating and playing as if nothing happened... <br><br>Post edited by: Sevi, at: 2009/01/04 17:51

I'm so glad you went Carolyn . Zooman, I know Superpet was taken over(though I still find it funny they left the PJ's chain as Pj's). I was just passing comment on how poorly it was run. Unfortunately for the customer it was not always obvious. I think the Oakville location was one of the best managed, and when my location first opened it was run quite well, but in the company there were constant managerial changes and unfortunately it was the animals who suffered because of it. I was proud of the birds I raised, because I raised them well, but unfortunatly not everyone was caring enough. And I feel its important for people to understand how, as a large company, Superpet was run. And it was run very very poorly. If you live in the Kitchener area have you visited Exotic Wings & Pet Things? I haven't been in about 5/6 maybe 7 years, since I'm never in the area, but I remember it having a comparable selectin to that of Superpet's selection. A lot of zoomax/jungle talk stuff. Please don't think I'm discouraging you from starting a parrot-only business , I think it would be great. I think they should be everywhere. I do still encourage you to check out parrotdise perch .

I used to work at Superpet... In the Bird and Small Animal Department... Frankly, I'm happy to see them gone. We raised birds fine and it was luck of the draw in terms of how well they were taken care of. Which will be a problem with any large chain store. I'd subbed in other locations and was completely appalled by their feeding, cleaning, and handling processes. Other locations were fine. It went under because it was poorly run and the guy who owned it had an awkward fascination with cowboy boots (which I fully blame for his inadequacy as a CEO). The managers and departmental supervisors at each location in a large suburb of Toronto (there were 3 locations) had a love of smoking inside the store and around the animals after closing. And getting drunk in the office on holidays. If you're looking for a fantastic bird only store, with full service locations and online shopping. You should check out Parrotdise Perch. http://www.parrotdiseperch.com/ They used to only be in Calgary, but they now have a "toronto-ish" location in Mississauga. I live downtown Toronto and make an effort whenever I need anything for Edison to find a way out there (did I mention I'm carless?) This store puts Superpet to shame. Their selection is absolutely fantastic and the staff is wonderful. And a PLUS: They are fully Canadian

Edison likes to follow me around on the floor while I'm doing housework... he especially loves the mop. It's not as big of a deal now that we're in an apartment- since the distance is less and we don't have multiple floors. In the house I've left him in rooms for a few minutes while I went to do something else. If he wasn't determined to watch me then he'd sit somewhere and be fairly content. You could probably leave Monty for a few minutes but be aware of your other pets as well.

Like everyone else has said, I'd go for the 2nd one if you're going to buy. You can make it even more exciting since there are lots of places to attach toys and addons. Good Luck!

Happy Birthday Biggles! I bake a cake, and Edison gets to have a tiny tiny piece, while everyone else gobbles up the rest. We sing happy birthday and give him new toys and wrapping paper. Fun times.

Oh Pchela, I'm so sorry to hear about that . I was really looking forward to hearing his name, I'm sorry it couldn't be you to give it to him. You really wanted him.

Hi Cheerprincess, If you search on the forum for a few select key words you'll find a lot of answers to those questions M2MM has posted a comprehensive reading list, which also features many of the books other members have recommended in a similar thread. Book are always a great place to start: http://www.greyforums.net/forums/african-grey/82495-grey-reading-list.html#82495 Here is one of the other book threads as well: http://www.greyforums.net/forums/training/21728-favorite-grey-books.html#67804 Preventing health issues requires a proper diet and regular veterinarian checks. On a similar note, you may wish to check out Dan's article on wellness checks. http://www.greyforums.net/faqs/when-should-a-wellness-check-be-performed.html My grey sees his avian vet every 6 months (although sometimes we miss one and it'll be a year in between checks). He gets bloodwork done once a year, the other check is just a nice birdy-physical. My guy is clipped, but not fully. We only clip his first 3 primaries because he's clumsy and this way he can maintain better flight than he could if they were all clipped. I haven't priced out how much I spend on Edison on a weekly/monthly/yearly basis. I try to make my own toys, so I think that cuts down on the cost a little, but I'm sure his overall cost is more than I care too look at . I think there was a thread on this, but i couldn't find it when I did a quick look. Best type of toys depend on your grey. Mine prefers shredable and foraging toys. Even more so: foraging toys which are shredable. But I have a mixture in his cage which includes toys with bells, blocks, leather, and acrylic parts. He plays with them all. Edison isn't necessarily a "one-person" bird. I am the only person who can handle him completely (ie: roll him around on the ground and give him whole body rubs). He lets others rub his head and sometimes will step up. There are a few threads which show member cages, they're very helpful. My guy is in a 32Wx23D cage. It gives him plenty of room when he's in there. Edison is 12, I've had him since he was a baby. His personality has stayed the same; however, as he continues to get older he continues to get more and more independant. When he was a baby he would cuddle on my time and slowly over the years it's morphed so now it's fully on his. If he doesn't want it, he'll let you know. Beyond a continued sense of self-suffiency, he's the same bird with the same personality quirks. You may also want to check out this thread: http://www.greyforums.net/forums/african-grey/83529-couple-of-grey-questions-from-potential-owner.html There's lots of good information in there for a potential grey owner. Especially one with a another bird to start. Btw- You're Caique is adorable. He looks so cheery.<br><br>Post edited by: Sevi, at: 2008/07/11 18:44

I let Edison eat off my plate too, but like the others I make an effort not to let him eat things my mouth/fork have touched. Depending on what the meal was, Edison's supper will often consist of the same ingredients we eat. He likes to eat whenever we're eating, so his suppertime coincides with ours whether he's getting leftovers or not. I think they feel special if you let them eat off your plate. You just need to be careful.

Congratulations Sameera (and Zahzu, I'm sure she's thrilled as well)! That is really good to hear. With all of your persistence and help and a new good vet Zahzu now has it made. Congrats again!

Hi, I think your potential grey will be fine in an apartment. Edison lives with my boyfriend and I in an apartment he seems to be doing fine. He generally doesn't scream or squawk unless he's, oddly enough, mimicking my mother's Quaker. Thankfully this is few and far between. It's the a-typical, pay-attention-to-me Quaker squawk. With which I'm sure you're familiar. Other than that, I'm pretty sure my neighbours just think he's a sometimes loud human, if they hear him at all. I know I can't hear them... In terms of the Quaker and the Grey getting along, they should at least tolerate each other. There was a period where Edison lived with my mother's Quaker. They didn't necessarily get along, but they were okay together. As long as you keep an eye on them while they're out it'll be fine. If anything Edison was afraid of Max (the Quaker), who is incredibly feisty and a few years Edison's senior. From my experience, and what I can gather from other member's posts, they will tolerate each other. I love the tree, and I think Edison would love me more if he had one! Edison has a perch and had a playstand but it broke and I haven't replaced it :blush: As Judy said, as long as the branches are larger and thicker, it would be perfect for a grey. For Edison specifically, I would decrease the sheer number of branches. He is a little clumsy while climbing, but he has his moments of grace. At least he can land where he intends to, despite it seeming like his big feet get in the way when he tries to do anything else. I don't know how large your apartment is, but mine is a standard, Torontonian 1-bdrm and a Macaw cage would just be too large to fit any of my other stuff inside. Edison's is 23"Dx32"W and 40-something inches for interior height. It stands about 5ft or so tall. As far as I can tell, it seems standard for a grey, and it gives him enough room to climb, stretch, flap, sleep and play. Oh, and eat also. BUT, if you can fit both the cage for your Quaker and a Macaw cage with appropriate bar spacing in your apt. then go for it! I can't give you much information or advice regarding the harness training. I tried when Edison was a baby, but it just seemed impossible. You could flip him upside down, wrap him in towels or blankets, but the harness just would not fly. In this situation, I'm a firm believer in the "it-depends-the-bird" school of thought. Generally, it's the younger, the better, for harness training. I'd give him/her time to get comfortable with their surroundings before you spring the harness on them. Also, Edison doesn't like to be handled much by others, but he'll come out and observe. Sometimes he'll perform for them too. He used to LOVE my boyfriend, but since a recent move he's not enjoying his presence so much. The boyfriend is pretty upset, but I think the bird'll come around again. As long as you expose them to a fair number of people while they're younger, and keep it consistent, they'll do okay in slightly larger groups than they're used to. BUT I would never expect the bird to be very congenial to visitors. I make an effort for visitors to try and ignore him as much as possible. He doesn't like new people "in his business," but if he sees them frequently enough he starts to care about what they're doing. Best of Luck!

I'm sorry to hear about Floyd, Kebbie. I wish you could have kept him , but hopefully he'll enjoy his new place in the living room. You'll love your Quaker, they're fantastic. They're BIG personality birds and I also think they're gorgeous. I've never seen such a little bird strut the way my mother's Quaker does. They can be quite the talkers too. I'm sure you'll love Chloe.

Aww Dan, Mango is adorable. He's trying so hard! That's so sweet... That just made my holiday at work 100x beter.

He should be able to get along fine without his toes. Especially if they were lost at a young age. For safety's sake he'll benefit from a modified cage. It's always important to remember that a handicapped parrot won't really realize its handicapped. I've seen many african grey babies with one or more toes missing. Sometimes the parents chew them off after hatching. I did a google search to see if anyone posted their experiences. This is old, from 2003, but Sammy and his sibling have no toes/feet. There's some annoying midi music, but you can toggle it off: http://chilliescorner.com/samantha.html