M2MM

Anmlhggr wrote: Kumiko didn't let me skritch his head until after his first vet visit. The vet was so comfortable with handling him, she picked him up and snuggled with him and rub his head. Afterwards, Kumiko would let me do the same. Maybe it just take once to get the Grey to accept affection from someone other than their breeder.

Welcome to the forum! {Communicate-00020121}

Yay! Another TAG! A very warm welcome to you and yours! {Feel-good-000200BB}{Communicate-00020121}

Welcome, welcome! Hope you enjoy it here!

Welcome to the forum! Let us know if you have any questions or concerns that aren't already covered in one of the forums. We'll do our best to help.

The next step would be to put the treat in without showing her and see if she can find it. :evil:

Those trays come in opaque and semi-transparent. Which one do you have?

Greys really don't have dominance issues, but they DO like to be on a higher shoulder to get the best view. Kumiko is not partial to my son in general, but if he's standing near me, Kumiko will sometimes go to his shoulder (he's a head taller than me.) But if my son starts walking away, Kumiko will fly back to me. He also has lots of very high perches but only flies to them if frightened, and I never have any trouble getting him down. A bird with dominance issues is very difficult to retrieve from a high place (my parrotlets, for instance. )

I feel sorry for you both. It takes a CAG a long time to settle into a new home (much longer than 3 weeks). But if a CAG is not for you, then you know best. Some of the best birds for kids to interact with include: parrotlets, cockatiels, budgies, parakeets (yes, they are different from budgies), and some of the conures. (this is only my opinion, of course) My personal favourite is parrotlets. They have a big personality in a small body, and are a true parrot with all the chutzpah that goes with it. Think of them as miniature Amazons. They can learn to talk, whistle, and do tricks and are very portable! (Yes, I'm very biased.)

Unfortunately, I don't think most of them get over this "phase" until they are much older. As long as the bowl is light enough to toss, they will. I use VERY heavy bowls that my TAG can't budge (luckily he's only 300 grams). All his bowls are heavy ceramic/pottery crocks that are quite deep and hang in their support rings, so the majority of the crock is below the centre of gravity. This makes them very difficult to move. Any and all other bowls and dishes we've used get tossed, so we don't use anything else now. I laugh whenever I see a plastic lock crock that advertises that it's parrot proof. LOL - There ain't no such thing..... :woohoo: {Nature-00020095}

Congratulations on the new baby! {Feel-good-000200BB}

I agree with Tari. Let her sit on the eggs until she abandons them (loses interest), then take them out. If you remove them right away, she will just keep laying them, which won't do her health any good. Ensure she's getting enough calcium (cuttle bones, almonds, dark green vegetables) so that her eggs done strip her calcium from her bones and organs.

{Communicate-00020121} A warm welcome from everyone here! Hope you enjoy the site.

Each airline has it's own policy, but to my knowledge, none of them allow birds in the passenger compartment and must travel in the cargo hold. Best to call you airline's local office (or check their website) for their policies. Nothing worse than assuming one thing only to find out the reality of the situation is completely different. Good luck!

My guys love their Harrison's (all varieties), plus the usual fresh foods. They rarely ever want any of our meals, although I have offered. They will poke at these "strange" offerings, but don't actually eat any. I think this is a good thing, as I don't have to be concerned about them jumping into my dinner. LOL :laugh:

Personally, I would not have my birds if my kids were both still at home. We have an asthmatic son (who has long since moved out) which prevented us from having any birds. Our younger son is still at home, but he's got his own life and no health issue (or fear issues). So, you could say that I'm another one that puts my children (or any child) first if they are going to live in my household. Thankfully, I'm not in busere's position; however, if I were in their shoes, I too would try everything possible first, and then if there still was a serious problem (a child who is terrified of an aggressive bird) I would be searching for a new home for the bird. Hopefully, someone I knew personally, so I could continue to keep in touch and visit with the bird. We don't live a perfect world, and sometimes have to make hard choices. <br><br>Post edited by: M2MM, at: 2008/07/02 18:24

poppyparrot wrote: LED nightlights use so little power that you wouldn't notice any difference on your power bill. Even standard nightlights only use 7 watts of power (1/10 of a standard light bulb.)

Hi Michelle: I know what you're talking about. When you're cooking, may I suggest you have her in a small cage (like the Adventure Pack) nearby, but too close. Then she can be near you, but in little to no danger from hot pots and pans. As for talking, don't expect any intelligible words until after her first birthday. CAGs take a while getting to words, but are good whistlers fairly early on. Jealousy is something you will just have to cope with. It's very difficult to get a bird over jealousy. She is very young right now, and as she matures she MAY improve, but there are no guarantees. Reassure her that she is your "bestest" birdy, and this will go a long way in calming her anger when you pay attention to other animals. She sure sounds like a character! <br><br>Post edited by: M2MM, at: 2008/07/02 09:02

He so cute! I love his enthusiasm. {Love-000200BF}

That photo is 2 years old, I've only recently given up my llamas. I bought the female as a three-year-old maiden in 2004. My husband and I were planning to train her as a pack animal to carry packs so we could go hiking in the outback. But, life happens and circumstances change. The baby's father (photo below) was given to me by his owner, after he inadvertently fathered the baby in the photo. I boarded them at a farm not very far away, but the people who own the farm are retiring and are making plans of their own, and asked me to move my animals. We live in a residential area, and would not be permitted to bring them home, so I saw that I had little alternative, but to find them a new home. I realized that this was for the best, as my physical abilities to wrangle them was becoming seriously impaired. Luckily, I did find a young family in another community that had just moved onto a small acreage and they were happy to take my little llama family, and offered me access to them. (I haven't taken them up on it because I don't like to impose. We communicate by email, and the llamas are happy, so that's all that matters to me.

That's a very creative idea, injecting her meds inside grapes, but I'd check with the vet about how well the medication can hold up under those conditions. Considering her great age, and her medical conditions, if she were my girl, I'd board her with the vet instead of leaving her under the care of a neighbour. What if she had another stroke, or heart attack. The vet would be able to attend to her immediately. I guess I'm a worrier, but I'm always concerned about "what if."<br><br>Post edited by: M2MM, at: 2008/07/02 02:02

Here's a picture I took in 2006 the day my llama (Bonny) gave birth to her son (Eliot.) He's only a couple of hours old in the photo.

I know it would be nicer if they all liked getting a bath, but the reality is that a lot of them hate getting wet. They seem to be akin to 4-year-old boys in the summer. {Communicate-0002011F}

If you haven't bought any books about Greys yet, here's my own reading list. My favourite books include: * For the Love of Greys (Bobbi Brinker) * Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot (Barron's) * The Parrot Who Owns Me (Joanna Burger,Ornithologist) * Sally Blanchard's Companion Parrot Handbook (aka The Happy Bappy Fun Book) * Good Bird! (Barbara Heidenreich) * the Parrot Problem Solver, Finding Solutions to Aggressive Behavior (Barbara Heidenreich) These books will not only give you a lot of excellent information, but will also give you an idea about what living with a bird is like. (particularly: "The Parrot Who Owns Me" ) Other books of interest: (worth at least a good browsing) * The African Grey Parrot Handbook (Barron's) * The Alex Studies (Irene Pepperberg) * Birds on the Couch(Ruth Hanessian) * The Essential African Grey (Pamela Leis Higdon) * Guide to Companion Parrot Behaviour (Barron's) * Keeping African Grey Parrots (David Alderton) * My Parrot, My Friend (Doane & Qualkinbush) * Pampering Polly (Terri Ann King) * Parrot-toys & Play Areas (D'Arezzo & Shannon-Nunn) * The Pleasure of Their Company, An Owner's Guide to Parrot Training (Bonnie Munro Doane) * The Second-hand Parrot (Barron's) * Why Does My Bird Do That? (Julie Rach Mancini) * Parrots For Dummies Reference Books: (it's always good to know what your avian vet is talking about) * Avian Medicine (Tully, Lawton, Dorrestein) * Exotic Animal Formulary, Second Edition * First Aid for Birds (Julie Rach) * Manual of Ornithology, Avian Structure & Function (Proctor & Lynch) * The Parrot in Health and Illness (Bonnie Munro Doane) I've ready all these books myself (and own a copy of each.) You could say I was a compulsive researcher.

You need to go slow with this guy. Pushing him to come to you will only make him withdraw more. Leave his cage door open and let him decide when/if he wants to come out. Sit with your back to his cage, but also so you can see him out of the corner of your eye. (Always avoid looking at him with both eyes - close one, or look at him sidelong. Greys are prey animals, and we have the eyes of a predator, so looking at them head-on only makes them more nervous.) Read aloud (softly) and let his curiosity work for you. Have lots of patience with him and don't make any demands on him until he's settled in and is interested in some interaction. Let him warm up to you slowly and at his own pace. Good luck!