BaxtersMom

Carolyn gave you some great advice. You can also search the online ads at www.craigslist.org and www.kijiji.com and look in your local area to see if someone found him and your local online or paper newspapers. I have seen many ads on those sights with lost or found birds. I do hope you find her.

Thanks Luvparrots, Tigger might have gotten very excited but he did settle down quick too. The man did and does love Tigger and I wouldn't discourage him from coming to see Tigger again if he wanted to. He had different reasons for parting with Tigger. I was worried about his reaction and did wonder if it would make his sad but he was back to normal shortly after the visit. I really kind of thought it was neat. He was very happy but I can understand the other side of it too and wouldn't want Tigger to be confused or sad about it. But maybe they enjoy having company too.

I haven't tried Hagan food before but I was having problems getting one of my flock members to eat pellets. What I finally tried was hiding them in regular cooked oatmeal and scrambled eggs and he ate them all. Sometimes you have to trick them. It is a good idea to try other kinds of pellets too because sometimes they prefer one brand to another. I got some Zupreem pellets to try them out. They smelled really fruity and good and the one who wouldn't eat pellets really seems to enjoy them on their own without hiding them in foods now. I would encourage the pellets though. That is where they get their nutrition. Seeds are ok but more of a filler & not much nutritional value in them. Keep trying and you will eventually find something that works and that your grey will like.

Pat, I forgot the lady you got Gizmo from had cancer too. Tiggers former owner said he developed allergies, too and he said he to rid of all his birds (drs orders) but he is having a hard time parting with them. Said he has a hard time breathing around them now. And yes, I do think things happen for a reason and I do think with my birds it was all predetermined which birds I would have and I didn't really have a say in it:laugh: Especially with Bonkers, out of all the towns and areas ~ just how did he manage to land on my neighbors shoulder while he was taking a walk??? It was fate. Bonkers was sent here and I will never believe anything else. :laugh:

Thanks Judy, I am really glad I asked this question. I secretly wished Tigger wouldn't have shown any emotion but totally understood he spent the first 4 or 5 years with him. He settled back in just fine though and as soon as his previous owner left Tigger was fine, although I still have a good mark left on my wrist that will be here for awhile. I don't think he will come back by and I know in time Tigger will forget all about him cuz he gets treated pretty good here;) It seems like my flock has been here for many years to me but it's only been a few months.

Well, I don't want you to scare him with the flash. Can you turn the flash off maybe? Mine all look at the camera really strange when I am trying to get snapshots. I have hundreds of photos and we put them on discs and I think my flock has finally gotten used to it:laugh: I gave Cooper 2 baths so far. The first one he loved and couldn't get wet enough and the second I'm not really sure what he thought of it. I do know that once he got his feathers wet and cleaned up a bit he looked like a totally different bird. Baxter has some pin feathers on his neck. He lets scratch his neck all the time but lately he wants his neck and feathers rubbed more than he ever has before so of course I help him out.

Yeah, that's kind of what we were thinking too. It was nice to see Tigger so excited but not sure if it was good for him either after it was all over with. He is back to normal now though. It was really only while he was here. I was just wondering if he thought he was being reunited with him and then it turned out he wasn't and was it more exciting or more upsetting to him. Wish I knew what was inside the brain of his. What is really sad though is the only reason the man got rid of him is because he was diagnosed with lung cancer and wanted to find him a good home for him. I found out most of this stuff after I got Tigger from him so at first I thought he was just a bird that a breeder had and finding a new home for him. I didn't know he raised it from hatch date.

Tigger is my eclectus that I got in September. His previous owner is a breeder but Tigger was his personal pet. He is between 4 & 5 yrs old now. Tigger is a well rounded bird, has a large vocabulary and just a love bug in general which I have to credit to the guy. He was taken care of very well. The guy had him since he was an egg:laugh: Anyway, he doesn't live that far away and I always told him he could come visit Tigger if he wanted and yesterday he did just that and Tigger got to see his old Dad. I have never seen Tigger so excited. He recognized him right away. Tigger stretched his neck and let out a good holler:laugh: I got him and gave him to his old Dad and they talked and jabbered. Tiggers eyes are usually look like little black beads but the black got so tiny and his eyes were a goldish brown color. He was standing up so straight on his hand and he was squaking and flapping his wings. Tigger never does this with us. I also noticed Tigger was biting his fingers, which he can be nippy at times, but gentle & never really bites hard. Well, the guy only stayed about 10 or 15 minutes and I took Tigger back and had him on my hand. As he was leaving Tigger bit down really hard on my wrist and drew blood:ohmy: Tigger has never drew blood before. Anyway, I was very happy for Tigger getting his company and I was glad he stopped by and finally checked on him, but now I am wondering if it was good for him or now. Was it just all the excitement from seeing an old familar face or was he sad that his old Dad left without him:( Was that too much excitement for him or was that good for him. Did it make him happy or sad? I don't think the guy is the type to come over on a regular basis or anything like that. If he does it will probably be months down the road. Just wondering about Tiggers behavior and if it was a good or bad thing. The bite he gave me was really bad:blink: But I liked seeing Tigger so excited.

It is too bad that the pet store is understaffed so he is really lucky that he has a regular visitor. Little does he know you are to be his new mom:) I'm sure he will be thrilled when the day has finally come he gets to come with you. Did you say you might bump up the date??? What day are you hoping for. Next week maybe? That would be great. I have to tell you guys I am really liking this other birds room. I'm afraid I'm spending more time in this room than the others lately. Ooops :whistle:

Yeah!!! Once they get out of that cage I think things are much easier!! I am so jealous he letting give him scritches! And petting. He will be stepping up in no time. I want more pictures now!

Thanks Lyric, sorry you didn't get to vote. We didn't have the name thing going very long and I know a lot of people didn't get a chance. We just got impatient and we really liked the name Cooper. We are happy thats what got chosen. Me??? The bird whisperer. :laugh: I must admit I think I am quite good at it and it is even shocking to myself. I just love birds I guess. Last year at this time I would have never expected what was in store for me. I was one of those people who just didn't get why people had parrots as pets. :side: :huh:

Yes, he is stepping up for my husband too:) . I (of course) had to take all the initial risks in the beginning because my husband doesn't want to get bit:angry: :laugh: But once he seen that Cooper isn't really a biter he gained his confidence and wanted him. Now that he is going on top of his cage he will step up better. It was getting him from the inside of the cage that he wanted no part of. He is going to be good. As I was writing this post, Cooper was sitting on the cage door and my husband told him to step up and he did:) . I even think Cooper is proud of himself for stepping up:laugh: He acts like he is. Now if he would just let us start petting him.:unsure: He is very comfortable perching on our hands but "do not touch the feathers":lol: I'm just thrilled he is stepping up like he is. He is doing amazing!

Yep, I could see that if they are not tight they would be everywhere:laugh: I was even thinking about putting a rubber band on them too, then the zip tie. There is always room for improvements and better techniques. I think I paid $14.99 or $16.99 for that toy:( That is whats so bad. It's really hard to pay $15 for straws:unsure: This particular toy, my grey & my eclectus showed no interest in at all, but Cooper here ran to when he seen it. I guess it all depends on the bird. I gave Cooper a single straw and he loved it so I pulled this toy back out of the toy box and it was a hit for him. Guess a good way to test if they like it hand them a single straw and see what happens.

I think he is going to come along nicely, too. He is more comfortable with my husband. I hope he will like us both. My family used to have race horses and I worked on ranches for years and I had to work with some of the craziest high strung horses that rear up and bite and kick, etc. The key was always "Show No Fear" (or you will get hurt:ohmy: )and believe it is a must in birds as well. I am using the Show No Fear attitued with me on my flock members and think it is so important. I think they can sense fear immediately and will use it to their benefit any chance they get:laugh: When I posted last night Conner was still playing at the top of his playgym. I hung a new toy up there with acrylic balls and keys on it. That turned into his instant enemy:laugh: and he beat that thing up for a good 45 minutes. At one point he grabbed it with one foot and then the other and he was hanging upside down from it and the toy wasn't that big:laugh: He finally wore himself out and was trying to fall asleep on the top so I went over to the cage and put my fingers out and told him to step up. Of course he wouldn't do it willingly so I put one arm behind him to keep him from running across the cage and kind of trap him to corner of the cage, put my other hand in front and told him to step up. He paced back and forth for a little while but eventually went on my hand cuz there was no where else to go. No bites, no bad noises:) Then when he was on my hand I told him to step up about 4 or 5 more times, which he did and I told him what a good boy he was and put him in his cage and gave him some apples chunks. He loved apples so that was a good choice for a treat. Once he gets to where he steps fairly good maybe then we can start to pet him more. It took Baxter awhile before I could touch him anywhere other than the head but now I can pet him all over. I forgot how long it took though.:blink:

If he isn't letting you touch him or stepping up you have to get to that place where he is because stepping up is sooo important. Untill then, You should talk to him, read books to him, sing to him, put your hand near him without trying to touch him so he knows it isn't a scary thing. Always good to have a treat handy. His curiousity will get the best of him and eventually he will come and take it;) Even if it's just a quick grab. Do you have a portable perch? If you do you could take that in the bathroom or small room and set him on that. Keep trying and spend as much time as you can with him.

I just started making oatmeal for my flock and have been giving it to them 2 or 3 times a week. (When ever I make it for myself;) ) All my guys love the oatmeal and gobble it all up!

Ok, here's one. The toy in the photo is a store bought toy but easily made and much cheaper. (Sorry it's a bit used;) ) Get a box of some bendable straws. The more colorful the better. Get a good sized group of them together and take a plastic zip tie to tighten them up. Before tightening all the way, put a bell with long chain in the center of the straws just below the bendable part and pull the zip tie tightly to secure. Bend the straw tops out to make it look more interesting.<br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2008/11/11 15:04

Oh, I'm so sorry you and Arnie didn't work out but if he went to someone and was on the shoulder in a couple weeks he went someplace good for him. I wouldn't consider it a failure though. You are an inspiration to me:) Cooper is doing really well and settling in pretty good. He is going to be a good bird. He isn't scared of us but does not want to be touched at all by hands. He will allow us to pet his beak for a few moments and shows no signs of biting. He has allowed my husband to pet the very top of his head. When I try he lets me but does not look as relaxed as when my husband does it. He will open his beak up but not in an aggressive way. He also makes these little squeaks when we do this which I'm sure is nerves. When we pet his beak he does not back away at all but if we try to pet feathers he starts traveling:) We will take what we can get right now. He is a good eater. He loves his veggies and our dinner scraps that are birdie safe;) Seems all my guys like home cooked meals:pinch: And I don't think he is going to be a picky eater. (hoping) He loves toys! He is interested in anything we put in his cage. He will practically run to it before I even get something hung properly and start playing right away. He will let us interact with him with toys, too. He's not really scared but doesn't want to be touched. That is where his comfort zone ends. So our confidence is up. We have only had him just a few days but we wanted to get him out of the cage. We already had to get him out for a wing clip which is working out great by the way. Hopefully we can let them grow back out but it needed it here for his safety if we are going to work with him the way he was acting the other day. He is always at the cage looking at us and not scared. He is in our dining room and that is the high traffic area and we stop and talk to him all the time. He just sits and looks at us. He has such a friendly face. It may have been too soon but we did get him out of his cage again yesterday. Of course he will not come willing so I got him by his back and picked him up. It wasn't too bad but I did get bit because of it. It was the only time he has actually tried or shown that he would bite. We put him on a table perch in the living room and talked to him. Tried to feed him treats but he wasn't in the mood for them. He got good and relaxed and showed no signs of panic or stress and he looked pretty content so we let him stay like that for about 20 minutes just talking and petting his beak. Then I tested him on the step up command. He was akward at first but started to get the hang of it pretty good. He had several breaks in between and lots of praise too. We probably did the step up thing for about 7-10 minutes off and on. He is really getting it already. I was happy with the results and the only part that looked like he was upset was when I took him out of the cage and I don't blame him for that. He stepped up the last time and I put him up on top of the playgym but he zoomed back down inside. I thought he would be scared and be back in a corner hiding from us but there he was right in front looking no worse for ware:) Whew! Later he kept coming out and going back in his cage. Just outside the door for about 5 seconds and back in again. Really fast too like if he was out too long he would turn to stone or something. :laugh: It was fun to watch. Today we just let him be, gave him some new toys. I put a toy box in his cage with a perch nearby and he just loves it!!! He is forever going in and pulling things out and alot of the times he even puts them back in. And finally later tonight he came out of his cage and went on the top to play!!! That's what we have been wanting him to do. Come out on his own and have fun. He has been up on top for a couple hours now just having a ball with his toys up there. So I think things are going really well. He seems very happy. And very very active:laugh: :woohoo: :silly: :side:

Who would have thought about all the different animal toys that could be good for greys, too. I will definately go down the other isles now to check them out. Great to know they are less expensive. I'm always looking for ways to cut back. Thanks for posting this!

Wow, wish I would get a package like that:woohoo: You have a very nice & generous cousin:) . I think freezing it would be the best way. My pet store suggested if I bought in bulk to freeze it, problem is, I don't have that much freezer space in order to do that. I was also told to atleast keep the dried fruit in the fridge so it wouldn't dry out. Hopefully, some others who buy in bulk can give you some more suggestions.

Baked and mashed potatoes are a big hit in my house. It seems that is about the only food all 4 of mine agree on. They get so excited if they see potatos coming their way:laugh: And like Nims said you can sneak other foods in with the potatoes so eat them too.

It would be so hard to wait to bring him home but atleast you can visit him and it's not too far off. That is so sweet he squaks for you when you leave but how heartbreaking too. It would be so hard to leave without him. This is going to be one special Thanksgiving for all of you though. Especially Tanner. Won't he be surprised when the day has finally arrive that he doesn't have to squak when you leave cuz he is going home too:) I was wondering if the employess are working with Tanner too. Do they get him out and give him attention during the day? I can't wait untill he comes home and can't wait to hear all about it:) It's going to be exciting.

When I got Baxter at 12 years old he bit me for the first 4 to 6 weeks. He drew blood daily & I thought I would have scars. He would be nice one minute and bite me the next. It unfortunately is not uncommon with rehomed birds but as the others said do not react to their bites if at all possible. They sense it, they know when they have fear in you and will use it. Kind of like a bully does. Once you stand up for yourself, a bully knows he can not get to you anymore they stop their bad behavior. The others gave you great advice, try not to react if at all possible and put your hand in a fist so the skin is tight and they can not get a good grip. If the beak comes toward you, do not pull away. That is when they know they have you scared and they know their behavior is working. It works for them so they will keep on doing it. Don't push him too hard and things will fall into place. 3 weeks is not that long. He is still settling in his new home. It took atleast a month before he was really settled in. You are getting though. He might need a little more patience since he had a troubled past but it will pay off in the long run and you will be rewarding in the long run. Hang in there. I know what you are going through cuz I have been there myself;) I know it's easier said than done, too. There were some days I had to take a break from Baxter just so I could regroup mentally. :laugh: We are very very close now though and I haven't been bitten in ages and I do not think he even wants to bite me anymore. He now gives me kisses. It will pay off in the long run.

Thanks Judy, I'm just sorry you weren't able to get involved in the names suggestions or to vote for the one liked best.

That macaw really puts us humans to shame huh? It did make me want to give my birds some puzzles and see how they do though. Thanks for sharing the video.