M2MM

Good advice poppyparrot! I definitely agree, that Greys are NOT a good choice as a first bird. The smaller, feisty little parrots are better for training up their "owners." :laugh: After all, we are their pets, really.

How old is your Grey? It sounds like she's a bit hormonal to me. My TAG is 16 months old and has been acting up for the past several months. We're just chalking it up as hormonal (pre-teen) behaviour and try our best to deal with it one day at a time.

Like people, Greys need their own doctor. Annual checkups are a necessity, not a luxury, so every Grey owner should budget for it. Regular exams can catch medical issues before they become acute, or advance to the "too late" stage. Better safe than sorry. :ohmy:

judygram is right on the money. No one can "make" a bird talk, but you can encourage them by talking to them a lot. CAGs generally will start talking at a year old, TAGs sooner (they mature at different rates.) Patience and good humour are the best "techniques" for getting a bird talking.

I read a lot, and the majority of what I've read states that the plucking we see in "captive" Greys is due mostly to inbreeding done by people who are in it for "fun and profit" and not the conscientious breeders. So it may be in mutated genes that makes some Greys more susceptible to plucking than others. Their argument is supported by the large numbers of captive wild-born Greys that do not pluck. If it were true that captivity causes plucking, then the wild-born should also have plucking issues.

Dave007 wrote: LOL, actually I think Greys (when very young) have the attention span of a gnat. They do grow out of it, almost to the point where that can become obsessed by anything that interests them.

We use the LED nightlights throughout our house, we especially like the colour-changing ones.

Thoroughly ignoring it is the only way you can eliminate/reduce this kind of screaming. Barbara Heidenreich gives excellent advice on how to combat this in her book "Good Bird!" I'd advise getting a copy.

Kumiko does a perfect copy of our house alarm's entry signal (the bee-bee-beep to indicate someone has opened an exterior door.) He does it so perfectly that now when someone does come in, we think it's Kumiko. LOL

I get my best results by calmly putting Kumiko down and turning my back on him (or leaving the room, thus leaving him alone.) He behaves very well afterwards, at least for a while. He has a hard time being good for very long! LOL

It will take time, love, and patience to help your Grey get over her habits. I suggest you get yourself copies of Barbara Heidenreich's books: "The Parrot Problem Solver," and "Good Bird!" She gives clear instruction on how to correct negative behaviours, and retraining difficult birds. I bought my copies from Amazon, and they are definitely worth the money.

LGodfrey wrote: We use oil-filled electric portable (on wheels) space heaters to supplement our furnace during the cold season. They are painted without any teflon, so they are safe. Can you post a picture of your space heaters? That would give us something to go on. If you know the manufacturer's name, you could contact them directly to ask if they coat the "fins" with teflon or something similar.

Sounds like some of the largest parrot cages on the market. I think you'll have to be prepared to do some serious welding in order to build you project with all the features you are looking for. It would be easier to buy a ready-made cage (and possibly cheaper), but I have seen a few websites that show plexiglas cages with the dimensions you mention. Sorry I can't help you on this (we bought our cage), my hubby wasn't keen to try to build a cage and he's a trained machinist.

Unfortunately, this sounds like her vet office experience has caused your bird to lose trust in you. The vet could very well have traumatized her and she's now afraid of being held. The plucking could be in response to some unpleasant residue left on her feathers by the vet. I read about a man whose Grey suddenly plucked out a whole area of feathers that he'd been touching during a petting session. Turned out that he was a smoker and had used the nicotine stained hand to pet his bird and she removed all the contaminated feathers. Perhaps your Grey's plucking is to remove contaminated feathers and not really due to other causes.

Hi bamewm: Welcome! Lots of love and patience (and going at the bird's own pace) will help you win his heart! Keep on moving slowly - "slow and sure wins the race." If you can post some pix, we'd love to see them. Cheers!

Welcome DDixon and Homie! Welcome! Good luck at the vet's tomorrow. Whatever your issues are, I'm sure your vet will be able to advise you, but if not, ask away. That's what we're here for.

Ooey gooey good! Congratulations on the new baby! S/he is adorable. :lol:

Very nice picture. Thanks for sharing.

From what I've been told by others that have multiple birds, Greys aren't that keen to be around other birds (New World birds in particular.) They tend to be a little more tolerant of they own kind (but not always) and other "Old World" parrots. I know my own TAG doesn't like my parrotlets one bit, and would kill them if he could catch them. They are speedy little brats that really p*ss him off some days.

I give Kumiko a good sized handful of pellets everyday, he doesn't always eat them all, but he certainly makes the effort. I also mix the pellets - Power Treats + High Potency Pepper, along with dry squash seeds and a few (very few) unroasted nuts. He gets his fresh vegies and fruit in the morning and doesn't get his pellets until after lunchtime (to encourage him to eat his fresh stuff.)

I'm inclined to recommend a smaller parrot to someone so young. If you like the idea of a big personality, then a parrotlet would be a very good "first bird" for a young lady such as yourself. They are feisty, adorable, and are very good at entertaining themselves when you are too busy. As you are entering into your middle teens, you will be getting busier with school and socializing with friends. Then there's college, as mentioned above. If you have a parrotlet, it will be much easier to get a caregiver to take care of your bird while you are away. Good luck with your research. <br><br>Post edited by: M2MM, at: 2008/06/29 09:56

Welcome! I'm also new to the site! Congratulations of becoming a Grey Slave. :laugh:

Terrasage wrote: It's going to take a long time the heal from this shock. You wouldn't be human if you got over it right away. Give yourself time to mourn, but you will recover more fully if you get yourself another bird (maybe a rescue?) We'll be thinking of you... :cheer:

ignore - duplication<br><br>Post edited by: M2MM, at: 2008/06/28 20:21

According to Barbara Heidenreich (in "Good Bird!"): "...it is best to have the bonded person refrain from such interaction with your bird. The bonded person can clean the cage and put in fresh food and water, however, the less interaction the better." I take this to mean, that although you want your bird to be friends with your husband, it is better for you if he refrains from all interaction with your bird, until you have re-established a loving relationship with him yourself. You need to work with the bird more, making all interaction with you fun and interesting. Let your husband "off the hook" and tell him to deliberately ignore the bird, until he's behaving better toward you. Keep us posted on your progress.<br><br>Post edited by: M2MM, at: 2008/06/28 20:23