BaxtersMom

Hello and welcome to the forum. Glad you finally joined us. You can ask as many questions as you want. Lord knows I did:laugh: and there is usally always someone on to help answer any questions. So you have only had Malaki for a week now? I bet you are on cloud nine still. Greys are such wonderful companions as I'm sure you already know. So how old is Malaki, is it a boy or a girl? Lookig forward to hearing more about you and Malaki.

:laugh: Scared ya, huh?:laugh: That's about the same thing that happened to me when I got Baxter. He got spooked and off the cage he went. He didn't even know how to "step up" on my hand yet but he came right over to my (bare) feet (scary:ohmy: ) and climbed on it. He just wanted me to pick him up. I thought he would bite but he didn't. I think that was one of the first things that made me think that we were going to do just fine. I know what you mean when you say "had to trust" each other. Just curious, does Joey know how to step up? Has he been handled that much? If not, it's something that should be taught after he settles in good. Makes life soooooo much easier;) I am asking this because Baxter was 12 years old when I got him and no one taught him to step up in all that time. Once he learned that there was no stopping us.

Baxters absolute favorite is any kind of corrogated box, after that stiff cardboard which is good for me cuz it's free:woohoo:

Yea!!! She's back!!!{Characters-000200D0}

Hello and welcome to the forum. You are right. This is a great place to be. Can't wait to hear more about you and your new grey. Keep us posted.

One of my parrots, (the amazon) is a floor walker or that's what I call it. I thought it was cute too in the beginning but it really scares me now and I would not encourage it. The others are right, it would be so easy to kick or step on him. When ever mine does it I immediately put him back on his cage and tell him not to do it anymore. I give him 3 chances and on the third I put him inside his cage and close the door:( I hate doing that but I think he is learning from this. When it first started happening I wasn't so persistant and he thought it was ok to climb down and walk but since I have been totally consistant now, I can see he is "getting it". I also went out and bought a big play stand that he can't climb down from. When ever I will be in another room or I can't see him I put him on that and he hasn't gotten down yet. Mine also likes to chew on cords and wires and I am terrified that in a split second he could get to the wall cord and electricute himself. :ohmy: I do not allow floor walking...too many hazards. Good luck with it.

Thanks for sharing the photos. He's a doll!!! It looks like those feathers are trying to come back in so maybe with your love and patience he will be back to his old self in no time.

It's like he is offering you a boquet of flowers and a quite the honor. He is bonding with you well. A sign of love and affection. It can get kind of gross after awhile though:laugh:

Baxters nails were very sharp when I brought him home to the point they made me bleed alot and it was very painful:( . I called the pet store where they clipped nails and they recommend that I wait a month untill he was settled in good and then bring him in. I waited the month and I took him and life was so much better for me and I think he liked it too. After the nail trim, his temperment even seemed to relax more but I am not sure why but he just seemed less nippy and more even tempered. It was a joy to have him on my hand after that. Now I do have his nails trimmed or atleast the sharp points taken down about every 3 or 4 months or when ever it gets too painful for him to step up on my hand. I also have some of the perches that the others mentioned above and I think they help keep them ground down a bit, too.

You are quite welcome. I know when I brought Baxter home I was overwhelmed and full of questions. He was my first large bird and he came with only a seed diet as well and I read so much and learned alot but got more confused as well. You should take a look in the "Bird Food" room. There is a lot of helpful information there and questions as well. I actually have 4 parrots now and Baxter is my only grey but they all love their peanuts. I buy human grade for them now as I found out there is a lot of controversy over peanuts and they can make them ill as well and that's why I buy plain unsalted peanuts from the grocery store. I would suggest reading through some of the topics in the bird food room and ask as many questions as you like. I think you and Joey are going to do just fine:)

Judy, you are so right that they can enjoy car rides too. I think it's great Josey gets to go with you and it sounds like she enjoys it too. I was nervous about taking any of my "babies" any farther than a trip to the local bird store to get their nails trimmed but "life" happened and we found ourselves relocating from Michigan to Texas for a great job opportunity my husband found. We packed all 4 of our parrots up and drove over 1200 miles to our new house. I was worried for nothing. They weren't scared or nervous at all. I actually think they enjoyed the ride. They sang and talked and squaked just like at the house. When they had their "social hour" of everyone gabbing it got a little intense for me though:blink: They could get loud:laugh: I'm sure we looked like a band of gypies traveling across the country but it actually was a great experience for me, too. It wasn't a boring trip, thats for sure:woohoo: When we stopped at hotels for the night, I didn't know quite how to explain it, so we just smuggled them in.:whistle: Here is a picture of Baxter & Bonkers enjoying some popcorn on the ride. They rode together and were travel mates:laugh: My other 2 had their own cages. Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2009/03/04 04:58<br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2009/03/04 05:01

Judy is right. They tend to be mainly one person birds or atleast favor one person. At first Baxter liked both me and my husband but about 3 or 4 months after getting him, he decided he did not want my husband to pick him up anymore. It was nothing that my husband did. He is very good with him but he just prefers me. My husband does still have a very good relationship with him. He gives him treats and Baxter allows him to pet him and even likes it. He just doesn't want him to pick him up. As Judy said, just keep doing what you are doing and don't be too hard on yourself if he has chosen Dotty as his favorite person. You can still have a great relationship with him. It's funny because we have 4 parrots. 2 of them definately choose my husband as their favorites and 2 of them choose me as their favorites but we have very good relationships with all of them, even the ones that haven't "chosen" us.

Hello JoeFree and Joey and welcome to the forum. What a compassionate and heartfelt introduction. I am so glad you decided to take Joey into your life and I'm sure the both of you will be better for it. Greys are more than just pets, they are wonderful companions as well. My grey was 12 years old when I got him and although I don't think he was abused he was neglected. He was only on a seed diet, never handled and never let out of his cage. That all changed when he came to live with me and he has overcome many things as I'm sure Joey will too. It is great that he is already allowing you to pet his head even if it is a little at a time. That is all I could touch of my Baxter in the beginning. Just the top of his head, then a little more down to the back of the neck, then all sudden he didn't jump or try to nip and I could pet him all the way down his back. Now I can touch him all over:) . He doesn't always like it but he will allow it:lol: It sounds like Joey is already getting pretty comfortable with you so you must be doing something right. I would continue to take it slow and allow him to go at his pace. You will know when you are pushing him and when he wants more. I made a lot of mistakes with Baxter at first but we all got through it. One thing that I can pass on to you because of my mistakes is don't push too much (which is what I did) when I pushed I got bit, when I went at Baxters pace, I didn't get bit. I finally learned to go at his pace and we have been happy ever since. Only other thing I have to add is to get him on a good diet if he isn't already. There is tons of great information on the forum and I know it has been a huge help to me and Baxter. You can ask all the question you want here. Thats what this forum is here for and there are no silly questions except the ones that aren't asked. There is usually someone always on to help or give advice or to just share and brag about our greys. It's a great community to belong to. I asked a ton of questions and like a doting parent, every accomplishment we made I had to tell everyone about it. We love hearing these stories and hope you will let us know how things go. I am very happy for you both. Karma for you for taking in an older bird. We don't care if they have plucked or not and would love to see his picture when you get the chance. There are several others on here that have taken in pluckers and have got them through it with their love and patience and I'm sure you can do it to. Keep us posted. <br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2009/03/04 05:08

I just read your post today. Gosh, what a familar story:blink: I started with my grey, then I took in a lost conure, but I wanted an eclectus. My hubby started sighing a lot about then. :laugh: I did get a male eclectus shortly afterward. My husband wanted a double yellow head amazon and after the eclectus he hurried up and got one before I brought another bird into the house. :laugh: So now we have 4 and got them all in about a 6 month period and I love every one of them. I really want a macaw really really bad :pinch: but at this point I don't think I have time for one more.. Correction, I know I don't have time for one more but the "want" is still there. I don't think the MBS will ever totally go away for me:whistle: I guess you have to know your limits. I would love to have atleast one of ever speciesB) A few weeks ago a lady wanted me to take in her cockatoo (for free), cage & all. She didn't have time for it anymore and said it screamed all the time. I was so tempted and I really felt the too needed another home but I didn't take it:unsure: I guess that was a big accomplishment for me but I think about the too all the time and probably always will. :huh:<br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2009/03/02 22:56

Hi and welcome to the forum. I can't tell for sure from the pictures but the Timnahs have more of a lighter bone colored beak than the Congos that are very dark. Also the tail feathers of a Congo are much more red in color. Perhaps other more experienced members will be able to tell more from the pictures than I could. I just wanted to welcome you to the forum and tell you your English is just fine:) and we are glad to have you here. There are many other members from around the world and we love ever one of them. If you have any questions about your new baby, please don't hesitate to ask. There is always someone on here ready and will to help out.

More Congrats from me:silly: :side: :woohoo: . You must be in heaven in these early days with Rappa. (Love the name by the way) Sounds like Rappa felt right at home from the start and now you will have the best companion ever. Get ready to laugh alot because they bring so much life and fun into a home:laugh: .

I have never had a baby grey so I'm afraid I can't be of much help with your question. You might want to post it in the Nursery room though and the other members that have or had babies might be able to help you better. I think you will get more helpful responses in that room than this one.

I'm not an exper but if there is a change in your greys diet it is not uncommon for the poop to change colors or consistancies. Alot of times when I give my grey or other flock members different kinds of foods it will change at my house. Just to be on the safe side I would keep an eye on it and watch your greys behavior anyway but don't think it is anything to worry about.

Congradulations on your baby's first words. :woohoo: I know how exciting it is. I used to have sessions with my grey and try to teach him certain words and phrases (untill I was blue in the face I might add:laugh:) but he always picks up what he wants to instead of what I try teaching. Let us know what else he says in the future.

Sheila, I am so sorry to hear this news. What a scary time this must be. You will be in my thoughts and prayers. Hopefully you mom will be well soon. Medicine has come so far these days. My mom got cancer a long time ago, they did an operation and she beat it so your mom can too. Please keep us posted when you can. God Bless.<br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2009/02/26 16:01

I had to try several different types of pellets before I found a type my eclectus would eat. He finally settled on Zupreem fruity pellets. I also have soaked the pellets in apple juice and got good results and another thing I do is sneak them in food like scrambled eggs, cornbread, pancakes, etc and it works very well. I had to hide them in other food first before he would eat them on his own. Untill she starts eating them on her own give as many green veggies as she will eat. Like the others said, Keep trying..it will pay off. Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2009/02/24 15:36<br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2009/02/24 15:37

Hey, that's a cool looking playstand. Me & my husband plan on building a play stand in the near future and I need all the ideas I can get. :whistle: Thanks for showing us.

I know some people are cautious about the bone spliters of a chicken bone and others are not. I have given my flock leg bones on several occassions and they really enjoy them. I have no doubt they could crack a leg bone in two but find they mostly chew the ends down and eat the marrow and toss the rest away.

I think it's good for them to know the step up command because if they are ever in any danger or have to be moved quickly by someone other than you, then they can say step up and the bird will know what to do and perhaps find some comfort in "knowing the language" Mine will step up even when I don't say step up to them also. I just want to keep it enforced in their minds for safety reasons. If one of my flock members got loose outside and if a bird person found them and said step up, atleast he would understand and hopefully do it instead of flying away. That's my theory anyway:whistle:

I put nutmeg on some of the veggies I make and I think my flock likes it. They seem to eat more when I use nutmeg than when I don't. I read a few places that greys likes spices but not from any experts, just opinions. I also use cinammon on some things I give them too, like oatmeal. I don't give them like salt, seasoning salts or stuff like that. Just spices that I think would be healthy. This is a good thread and I'm looking forward to hearing what others say.