M2MM

Welcome D! Yay! We will have a vet as a member some day! We'll look forward to your future posts. Love to hear about Doorknob (cute name ) Post some pix if and when you can. Cheers!

Hello and welcome! If you have any questions that you cannot find the answers for in our many forum and threads, please feel free to ask. We'll do our best to help. {Communicate-00020121}

Something has changed, whether it's a physical change in you or your home, or a perceived change that your CAG is unhappy with. Please examine her environment and yourself for anything that she could perceive as different. (hair style, colour, cologne, clothing colours, furniture arrangement, cage arrangement, cage placement, new TV or other equipment...... the list is endless.) Just about anything can trigger this sort of behaviour, and is sometimes the hardest thing for us "catch" and correct. I hope you find it! :ohmy:

Thanks for sharing that.

Welcome to this side of the pond!

Jack is a sweetie pie! {Love-000200BF}

I've only seen a photo of one once, here: http://www.anafricangrey.ca/forum/index.php?showtopic=3296 No breeder's name is mentioned, so I can't help you there. Good luck in your search.

You certainly are doing it right. Time and patience will prove out.

I haven't met anyone, who likes parrots, that didn't think of getting a Grey, but Greys are not for everyone. Greys require a lot of interaction and are very demanding, intelligent and reserved birds. Most successful relationships with them are with adults who have time, patience, understanding, and experience with very young children. Speaking from my own experience, I don't think that I could have taken on a Grey successfully without having already raised my children. A Grey can try your patience, and it takes all of your ingenuity to even attempt to understand them well enough to get along with them. This is not to say that it's impossible for a young person to have a good relationship with a Grey, but you would definitely need your parents to participate fully. They need a lot of attention, which because of school, you wouldn't be able to provide on a daily basis. Greys aren't always quiet and can be unreasonably demanding and vocal unless very well trained. Many adult owners have difficulty coping with a Grey, especially when they start to mature (enter into their puberty.) I believe the best choice for a young person would be a cockatiel, and if you'd like it to be able to talk, then a male would be needed. The females don't talk, and they tend to scream a lot (in my experience). BTW, welcome!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BIGGLES!!!

Congratulations on getting Monty home! {Love-00020116}

Kumiko looks before pooping and then after. He must be making a game of it. Makes me want to buy some paper bullseyes for him to use.

oldgreg wrote: It took me over a year to get Kumiko to do anything for a treat (we couldn't find anything that he like well enough to be bribed with it), now I use Harrison's Power Treats and Almonds as bribery most of the time.

Very cool name! Certainly not your average choice! :laugh:

According to Barbara Heidenreich, there isn't much that a bird won't do for a treat. Using gentleness, patience and bribery will help you make friends with your new birds, and help you "mend your fences." The Parrot Problem Solver and Good Bird! These are both excellent books on dealing with birds that are fearful.

What work did you do at the pet shop? Do you have experience hand feeding parrot babies? A responsible breeder will only sell unweaned babies to someone who has a LOT of experience. In addition, you will need to find a local breeder, as most will not ship babies that aren't weaned.

Welcome Lorri! Wow, two birds at once, but it sounds like you're doing well considering they are your firsts. {Feel-good-000200BB} Which books do you have so far? Hopefully "For the Love of Greys" by Bobbi Brinker, and any title by Barbara Heidenreich. Both authors know there stuff and offer the best advice.

Until he's older he will be susceptible to any and all diseases - avian or otherwise. It would be advisable to consult your vet about how old he should be before you start setting up "play dates."

Until your Grey is a fair bit older, I wouldn't take him outside. Keep the harness training indoors. It's not worth the risk of exposing him to the diseases of the wild birds, to give him outdoor experience right now.

We've made a habit of holding our bird over newspaper, old phone books, paper toweling, waste baskets, etc. while coaching him with "go poopy" and waiting until he performs his function, followed by lots of praise, pets & kisses. He will still "go" whenever he needs to, but will fuss and whine prior to pooping, giving us plenty of warning, so if he has an accident we do not blame him. So far, so good.

If she's old enough for that, then I would say it is possible.

Hello and welcome! My goodness you are thorough with your questions! I suggest you get a few books (from the recommended reading list) and start there. However, I will supply my answers for your questions as best I can, but keep in mind these are my opinions. You should budget at least $200/month for a Grey to help cover the fresh foods, nuts, seeds, pellets, toy supplies that you will need. Plus set up a vet expenses fund of about $30/month - put it into a savings account that you don't have easy access to. This will be a cushion for when you need to use a vet's services (well-bird checkups, and emergencies). Favourite foods change, depending on the bird and his dietary "cravings" but many birds really enjoy tropical fruits and fresh unroasted nuts like almonds, walnuts, etc. Just steer clear of peanuts. Best toys: lots of wood chew toys and foot toys, braided palm leaf, paper braids, raffia, willow baskets, foraging puzzles, and large beads. Health: Calcium - almonds, dark green vegetables (kale, brocolli, spinach, etc.) are good vegetarian sources. Vitamin D3 is needed to assimilate the calcium, so a good multi-vitamin (Nekton-S) containing D3 can be sprinkled on the fresh vegetables & fruit. Vitamin A - red palm oil, yams, carrots, mango, papaya, squash - anything yellow or orange will contain vitamin A. Major life events like getting married will cause stress to you and your little flock, and it's very difficult to predict or prevent this stress. Making the transition gradually would be helpful, but not always possible. You just have to do the best you can, just keep your birds' welfare in mind, whatever you do. Greys do change throughout their lives, but the biggest changes happen in the first 2 to 3 years. If you always treat your bird with respect, love and understanding, you should be able to "roll with the punches" when they are going through their hormonal swings. If you have some serious difficulties, there are some excellent books out there (and on the Reading List) to help you understand what is going on in your bird's body and head. You will also have a lot of friends to help you. To clip or not to clip: this is a volatile issue and I don't wish to debate it here. Suffice to say that my Grey is flighted and I intend to keep him that way. I'm doing this to give him the best exercise a bird can get. It's up to me to ensure that our home remains a safe place for a flighted bird. One person birds - all parrots can become one person birds, if we let them. Since you are single, this is likely to happen unless you have regular visitors that are willing to develop a relationship with your Grey. Jealousy - this all depends on how you bring a second bird into a household that has one already. From my own experience, as long as you continue to pay the same amount of attention to your Caique, you should be able to succeed at adding another bird. Let the new bird "play second fiddle" and let your Caique know that he's still your #1 bird. This will go a long way in keeping both your birds happy. Use the quarantine period (30 days in a separate room) to your advantage. This will give you a month to get to know your Grey without your Caique around. Quarantine is to keep your new bird away from your existing "flock" so there isn't any transfer of disease or other problems. You don't introduce them until your avian vet gives you the "all clear." Since a Caique is so much smaller than a Grey, it is important that they are NOT out of their cages at the same time. It would be dangerous for your Caique if your Grey thought he had to defend himself. Cage sizes: I have a Timneh Grey and his cage is 28" deep by 42" long and about 60" high. I think this would be adequate for a CAG, but if you can squeeze anything larger into your flat, your bird would enjoy the extra space for lots of toys, perches and food & water dishes. Well, I hope this is some help, but it would be better to get a few books and spend some time reading up on Greys.

I read somewhere that unless the bird associates their name to negative experiences, then leaving their name alone would be for the best. However, if you really dislike their name, then changing it is advisable, but to use one that sounds similar.

When my vet used a dremel to trim Kumiko's they were so rounded on the tips that he had a very difficult time staying on his perches. Since then, I've been observing him chewing on his nails to sharpen them again. He succeeded thankfully. Now, all I do is take a pair of cat nail clippers and take just the razor sharp tips off (to save my hands and arms from very nasty scratches.) :pinch:

Welcome Ian & Jack! {Communicate-00020121}