M2MM

I have also been concerned about the birds in Dr. Pepperberg's study group. According to her book "The Alex Studies" these birds are kept in the lab 24/7 with no opportunity to just be themselves and have fun or socializing of their own. It's no wonder they learn what they do, they have little choice.

Thanks for the link! I've passed it on to family and friends, so they can see why I'm always talking about my Kumiko!

Found it! Look at your profile. WAY down the page, you'll find "My Photos" and your photo (thumbnail size) will be there. Click on the photo to see full size version. You have a cute little girl! AND, an adorable little CAG! Thanks for sharing!

Welcome! That's a beautiful baby you have there. (love the photo - thanks for sharing) Sorry to hear that your Sun conure escaped - I hope you get him back. I'm glad you haven't given up on him. You never know...... people have recovered a lost bird sometimes two years after they first disappeared! I know what you mean about needing something good to happen in your life, we all need someone to share our love with and there's nothing so loveable as a new baby Timneh! (yes, I'm biased... ) The next month will be tough to wait through, but it will be worth it very soon. Your baby deserves to get the best start possible, so you might just as well set up his well-bird check-up appointment with your vet, just as soon as you know when he'll be coming home. Congratulations on your new "son" :cheer: {Love-000200BF}{Communicate-00020121}

As long as the seed's shell is intact, freezing can do no harm. Use freezer bags or plastic tubs/jars and leave little or no air space. They will keep indefinitely in the freezer.

Liath is so sweet! You're so lucky to have her.

How about a hot glue gun? Fix it when she's elsewhere. It sets up awfully fast, so it will be safe pretty quickly.

jackyboy wrote: As far as the cage is concerned, you can lower all the perches and pad the floor of the cage with a blanket (put newspaper on top to catch the mess). This will protect your bird from re-injury (of his keel). The guy at the bird centre is an idiot! (pardon my french) Pulling flight feathers is very painful for the bird. If you look at the size of the shaft, it is MUCH larger than any human hair. If you had hairs that large you would need pliers to pull them (which is exactly the equipment required for feather pulling. I would equate it to having your fingernails pulled out (or nearly that.) Please, if you have to have feathers pulled in future, ask you avian vet for help. At the very least, he should be on pain medication for 24 hours after such a drastic procedure.

Do you give him positive feedback when he repeats his "old" words? Unless encouraged, they will have the tendency to drop words that don't get them attention. This is perfectly normal behaviour.

Hi Pat: I'm happy for you that you found a solution that didn't involve clipping her wings. Boy! She must have been annoyed about that bed-sheet barricade. LOL Like Tari, I would love to have a screened in porch to let the boys out on, but it will have to wait a while. I dare not mention another project to hubby until the kitchen/dining room is completed. Cheers!

Food grade mineral oil is the safest choice for lubricating anything your bird can beak. You can get it from most pharmacies.

If the bent feather isn't bleeding, then don't consider pulling it, leave it alone. BTW, did your vet pull the feathers? and did he use anesthesia? Feather pulling hurts like h-e-l-l! Smaller cages are generally used when birds injure their keel (breast), but not when they are missing a majority of flight feathers. It's likely the small space that caused your Grey to bend one of the new feathers. I hope helps explain things. :dry:

I adopted a surrendered parrotlet through our local parrot rescue. His first home had to give him up due to ill health, and he was placed with a foster family. I didn't get to meet him prior to adopting him, as the coordinator wanted to bring him with her when she came to inspect our home. She was very happy with what she saw and decided to leave him with us, even though he was very shy with me initially. Sunny was (and still is) hand shy, but even so, he's my little velcro baby. I can't pet him with my hands (his foster home had several grabby kids who couldn't leave him alone), but I can get him to step up from his cage and from the floor, just not from anywhere else, yet. He loves to hang out on my shoulder, and would stay there all day if he didn't get hungry and thirsty. Our other two babies were purchase directly from their breeders, so Sunny is my only "rescue" experience. If I were to adopt a larger parrot, I would insist that I get to meet with the parrot and let him decide if I was suitable to his taste. Several years ago, when I was initially just thinking about getting a Grey, I visited a pet shop in my community that had a few parrots, including a CAG. I just wanted to see what they were like and get a "feel" for what they were like. While there, an Indian Ringneck saw me and WANTED to go home with me. One of the store's staff told me he didn't show any interest in anyone else before including their staff. But, because I don't believe in impulse buying, I didn't take him home. I'm still not sure that was the right thing to do, and sometimes wonder about him and hope that he found a good home.

Looks like he has dander/dust imbedded in the striations on his beak. Nothing to worry about.

Congratulations! How about some new pix!

This is my favourite site for names: http://www.behindthename.com/

This is certainly not normal, and your vet should run some tests to see if she's suffering from a vitamin/mineral deficiency.

A two-yr-old will take longer to settle since he has to "mourn" his previous home. Give him plenty of time and patience, and don't expect anything from him yet. Don't move too quickly around him and talk to him to a soft, gentle tone. Do your best to minimize his stress. Where is his cage located? It should be away from a heavily used pathway in the house. Preferably not too close to a window and backing a wall or a corner. Try sitting in a chair with your back to the cage and read aloud to him. (newspaper, books, magazines) Use a quiet, confident tone. After a few days, open the cage door and continue reading in the chair. Greys are intelligent and shy, but can be very curious. Eventually his curiosity will get the better of him, drawing him closer to you. Don't make any sudden movements, just watch him out of the corner of your eye. (Looking full on can scare a bird, they are prey animals after all, and we have the face of a predator.) As a two-yr-old, your Grey has a past and may have some "baggage" that you aren't aware of. Be very patient, especially if he overreacts to something you do that shouldn't frighten him normally. What do you know about his previous owners?

Some neighbours are very fussy and won't stand for anything noisier than goldfish. Best to rethink having a bird at all, if you are concerned about disturbing an upstairs neighbour.

You can encourage talking by talking to them. Use your words in context whenever possible. You want them to understand how to use their words. Reward with lots of praise too. We applaud (literally) when Kumiko uses his words correctly.

My TAG said his first real word at 6 months old. Prior to that he mumbled and whistled. Now, at 17 months old, he's a chatter box that picks up new words and phrases very quickly (a little too fast sometimes. )

What a loverly bird! Quite regal looking.

I give my boys diluted aloe (organic) juice for "dipping" their pellets in. They seem to really enjoy it.

Congratulations on having a chatty Grey! It's lots of fun isn't it? Our Kumiko talks as well, when the mood strikes him. I really encourage him to use his words instead of screaming or beeping loudly. My hubby is rather "funny" about Kumiko. He is happy that we have him, but he only pays attention to him for a few minutes and then finds other things to do. That's probably why Kumiko would rather bite him, or use him strictly for getting out of his cage (then flies off to find me.) LOL :laugh: Birds can certainly tell when you are interested in them or not.

Even if they aren't afraid, I'd say they were anxious. High wind is a serious threat to wild birds, separating flock members, and injuring or killing some. They have good reason to be anxious. Luckily the indoor parrots have less to be concerned about.