BaxtersMom

Hi Moddo, I got a 12 year old grey last July and I am very happy with my decision. It has been so rewarding to me and couldn't imaging life without him:) He is a great joy so it can be done and can be done successfully. Like Carolyn said above it would help if you told us a little more about this grey so we can give you more informed answers. Is he tame, is he friendly, is he scared of people? It all depends on the bird and you of course. So please tell us a bit more about him.

Way to big for the room, huh?:laugh:  I know the feeling. I had 3 nice sized cages for my flock and could still keep my front room looking nice. Then I decided they needed more room in their cages (and they did) so I got wider cages. Now my front room looks like it has 3 big cages and it doesn't look like my nice comfy inviting room anymore.  I have been thinking of transforming it all into a bird themed room now.Â

Way to big for the room, huh?:laugh:  I know the feeling. I had 3 nice sized cages for my flock and could still keep my front room looking nice. Then I decided they needed more room in their cages (and they did) so I got wider cages. Now my front room looks like it has 3 big cages and it doesn't look like my nice comfy inviting room anymore.  I have been thinking of transforming it all into a bird themed room now.Â

I have seen one of those large dome king cages at someone elses house. It was gorgeous. A double yellow head amazon lived in and on it:) She still perched on the outsides top. It went almost to the ceiling to. Some birds will chew on ceilings and walls, some don't. Don't mean to confuse you any more than you already are but it's good to know the pros and cons. Now for the one you said looks like mine. I do like it mainly cuz of the flat top but if you were to put mine and the King cage side by side, you might not be able to see a big difference in quality but if I try and pinch the bars inwards on mine, they have some movement. If I try that on the King, it does not move at all. Alot more sturdy.I think my cage is suffient enough for any grey but the King cages are built better and so much more expensive. The price of the King cage is a steal!!! I work out of my house so I am home all day and that is why Baxer is out so much, but if I was out working and he had to be locked up more of the time I would probably go with the King cage. It basically comes down to which one is suits your needs better. If you plan on getting another bird in the future. You might want to buy both;) Thats a heck of a good deal on the king:) Please let us know what you decide.

Congradulations and Welcome Home Ice!!! Can't wait to hear his vocabulary when he gets comfortable enought to talk:)

{Feel-good-0002006E} That was a good one to share. So funny!!!

Yep, he is calling you back:) Baxter does this with me. He will be quiet as a mouse if I am in his view but let me get out of his sight and there are phone sounds, beeps, whistes and hellllllooooooo's. I whistle back to him or say helllllooooooo back to him. Sometimes we mimick eachother and it turns into a game. :laugh: He is letting you know he misses you and wants you near him or atleast back in his sight. That is great news. I think you guys are really doing good with George. I got a set of baby monitors so I could listen to him better when I am out of the room. Those are the greatest things!!! I never get tired of listening to him and alot of times catch a lot more words and sound effects than if I was closer to him. He talks more when he thinks no one is listening to him;) Little does he know I hear every word. :laugh:

After Baxter goes out he will stay out for hours. He was never let out of his cage before I got him (as an adult) and I think he thought if he would go back in he would be locked up again. I used to worry all the time too, what if he's hungry, what if he's thirsty? Sometimes I would make him go back in. I asked the lady at my pet shop and she told me he will go in if he gets hungry or thirsty. He knows where it is. She advised me not to put food/water cups on the top of his cage or he wouldn't have a reason to go back in. So I left it like it was. It's been a few months since then & now he goes in his cage a few times a day for a drink or a bite to eat but still stays out most of the day on top of his cage. I do have portable perches and when we watch TV or what ever he does have food and water cups on those and he will eat everything from those. I think it's a socail thing for him. I bought him a new cage with 2 food cups on top but I don't use them. Good luck!

Thanks everyone, I will try to do my best. Congradulations to Caroline and Toni, too. I know they will do a great job!!!

It was the right decision. When I found out it started cuz of reason and not just neglect and he is taking care of her, there was no reason to step in. She needs to go straight to a forever home. She didn't need my services;) My husband is thrilled, too:laugh:

I have spent a ton of money on toys to entertain my grey but found that a long white rope dangling has been his favorite for 2 months now. That, and a thin leather strap about 1/4" wide. Both of these I get from my pet store. I hang the rope from top of his cage down to the bottom and he literally spends hours frizzing the ends out. The leather strap I tie on his perch on top and put knots in it. He will work forever to get those knots out and untie the strap. These are very simple and cheap:) and his absolute favorites. He likes bottle caps, too.

Wow, only a day or two and the magic is working. He really is so pretty. You 2 were meant to be;)

The cage I have for Baxter right now is 32" wide, 23" deep and 66" tall. His area inside of his cage is 32x 23x 32. I posted a picture of it and if you want to see what it looks like cuz it's seems close to what you are considering just but "Baxters new cage" in the seach box at the top and hit the enter button. I think he's even in it so you can see the size. I think it's okay for him, he spends most of his time on top though and just goes in through out the day to get a bite to eat mainly. The flat top was just my preferance but I know alot of people have the round tops and are very happy with them. It's good you have the option to choose. I can see why you are confused though. A king cage is such a good one and it is wider. I'm sure you will make the right choice for you. Let us know which one:)<br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2008/11/01 04:24

Another thing to note, I have had cages with round tops which I think look better but have changed those out with flat tops. With the flat tops the birds/greys can have a nice flat place to perch or have a playgym on top. The round is much nicer looking in my opinion but the flat tops cages worked better for our birds<br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2008/11/01 03:22

You are smart to be leary of letting your 2 year old near your grey. an accident can happen in the split of a second, an eye can be put out, an ear bitten or a finger bitten and damage can be done. It hurts bad enough when I get bit so to a 2 year old it could really be serious. It is important for a grey to have out of the cage time though and it is good you let her out when your baby is in bed. Baxter has his door open all the time but we do not have any kids in the house either. Baxter stays on his cage, about once a week he might fly off but usually on top of the cage all the time. Perhaps you can figure out a way where you can have your eye on your daughter and your grey at the same time. There are many other members on here that have kids and greys and hopefully they can give you some suggestions that work for you.

I am not sure the best place to buy Harrisons pellets online. I have heard great things about Harrisons pellets but I doubt you could find them cheap anywhere. You might want to call some local pet stores or avian vets and inquire about their prices and if picking them up is a problem you could ask if they could ship them to you. I hope that helps.

After thinking it through I have come to a decision not to get the female eclectus. My original intent was to get her out of her current situation because I didn't think she was being taken care of properly but since I have heard from the guy I realize the she is being taken care of. She is plucking but it was do to her losing her mate and he said she hasn't been plucking lately and her feathers are coming back in. I thought her situation was much worse & I should take her in and get her better and rehome her later to a forever home but I think she is getting cared for by her current owner and there is no logical reason for me to get involved this time since I found this out. If he wasn't taking care of her I would have taken her in a minute but don't see the point bringing her home to just find another home for her if she is being cared for now. She isn't in as bad of situation as I originally thought and it would be hard to part with her later on down the road. I think I made the right choice by not taking her in. This way hopefully the next place she goes is to a forever home. And I found out some real good information on this while considering her. Thanks everyone.

Those are all great points that you have brought up and need to consider before a person brings one home. They are a life time commitment and can easily outlive us, too.

Thanks for the replies. So, as long as I keep them in separate cages they wouldn't get interested in breeding? They would be kept in separate cages.

Congradulations. How exciting. How long of a wait do you have? I'm with Carolyn on the names. I love the name Merlin. Wish I'd have thought of that one, darn. And I like Belle, too.

Yes, this is great info. Glad that you posted it now so we have time to think it through and prepare for the holiday.

Oh, that is great news! It probably felt really good to him if his skin was dry. I use the Aloe Vera Juice, too. I couldn't find the gel either when I went looking for it.

Ok, I have heard back from the man with the eclectus. He said she is tame, very friendly, doesn't bite, loves human companionship. She started plucking when she lost her mate. He says she wants to breed really bad but he won't let her. He said he has her on Featherup and Calciboost. Anyone know about those products. Are they right? He said she hasn't been plucking lately and the happier she is the less she will pluck. Atleast it didn't sound medical and something did happen to make it start. Now my questions are, (if I get her) first I would quarantine her to opposite end of the house but when I do bring her together with my other birds will she be drawn to my male eclectus and will he be drawn to her? Separate cages of course. I don't want either of them breeding. I want my ekkie as a pet. He did not say if she was a breeder or not but said she lost her mate. Is that the same thing? If I have a female in the house will I be putting Tigger my ekkie at risk and make him want to breed? Thanks for any advice.

This is excellent news!!! I can't wait either!!! I would tell you to get some rest before the big day but that's probably impossible:laugh:

Thanks Caroline, you must have gotten good grades in spelling too;)