BaxtersMom

Hi, congradulations on your new baby and welcome to the forum. Others have given great advice. Only thing I wanted to add was I've heard you need to treat the previous bird as the number 1 bird, feed it first, talk to it first, etc and give it the same amount or perhaps a little more attention so that it still knows it's number one. That way he won't be jealous or as jealous as long as he doesn't feel threatened by the new arrival and hopefuly accept him as a friend:) .

My husband is going to kill me for putting this picture in but this how good they have bonded together. They are both sound asleep{Love-0002011D} <br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2008/09/14 01:28

Hi, thanks for asking. Well. it's been one month today since Bonkers found us:) Never did find the owners and I took the ad down today. He is a really nice bird but noticed he is molting the last few days. :unsure: I started noticing a feather here and a feather there and now I feel the long pins behind his head and some on his back. I started a little feather box to keep them all in;) He gets a little cranky if I touch the wrong spot but that is expected during a molt, I guess. He is so tame and wants to be on either me or my husband all the time. He lands on my head and then does a slide down my hair to my shoulder :laugh: I was doing dishes one day and he flew into the kitchen on my shoulder, crawled down my arm and proceeded to take a bath in the running tap water:laugh: I cupped my hands under it and he had a blast and got totally soaked. He has done this 3 times since we got him last month. He is hilarious. We have to lock him in his cage when we eat or he will fly right down to our plates and steal our food:laugh: He will also go steal Baxters treat right from his feet if he knows he has somthing good :ohmy: The last thing was a long french fry. I gave Baxter his fry and was getting Bonkers fry but I guess he couldn't wait and ran over to Baxter and grabbed it. Baxter held on tight though and thr fry snapped in two and Baxter about fell off his perch hanging on to his fry:laugh: It cracked me up!!! Bonkers was someones pride and joy and I do feel bad who ever lost him:( Now he is our pride and joy:) He became quick friends with Baxter our grey. We tried to quaratine them at first but it didn't work out. Any time Bonkers flew he made a straight line to Baxters cage. They hang out together on Baxter cage alot of the time. I think Bonkers just like to raid Baxters food dish;) Bonkers is very quiet for a Conure. I've heard so many stories about how loud they are. Bonkers will let out a few loud squaks during the day but not alot and he does give a warning yell as he takes off flying from his cage. If he does get to making too much noise Baxter will either tell him to "Knock it Off!" or to "Shut Up!" It's so funny!!!! So he is fitting in very well with us and has become part of our family/flock. He is snuggled up with my husband right now taking it easy.

Congradulations on your new bird. It sounds like the beginning of a beautiful relationship;)

I just found out recently that they make birdie diapers too :woohoo: What will they think of next?! I don't know if they are a waste of time and money or if they work really well but thought I'd share that with you, too. Maybe he could wear them when you know he's going in that sun room. I see his picture..he doesn't even look big enough to fly yet :laugh: Very Very cute!

Hi and good for you on taking on a rescue or an older bird needing a new home. They need love, too;) I am in the US but all I did was an online search in my area. Some came up through the online newspaper ads and theres another online sight I use, too. I was so shocked at how many older birds there are that need new homes because they are either not wanted or not taken care of properly. I have rehomed 2 older birds (Cag & Eclectus) and adopted a lost Nanday Conure:blink: All in 3 months time. :laugh: Must admit, the grey is the "bestest" of the all:P The Eclectus is a bit odd but a great talker and I found out after getting him that they have oil glands and do produce a light oily smell :ohmy: :laugh: Not anything bad though. (But my grey and conure are odorless) He is going to be a real clown when he settles in though I can already tell:) (Only had him a week so far) The Nanday is so sweet and wants to snuggle all day long if you let it. It was almost aggrevating at first but now couldn't part with all that love;) They are all good in their own ways but each one so different which I like. I totally recommend adopting an older bird and only advice I would offer is to make sure you know the personality and characteristics of each one. Can't believe the difference in mine but I love them all{Love-000200D8} I always hear it might take some time and patiece but it wasn't anything hard for me at all and I am a total novice. Guess it all depends on which bird pick, too. Some might have issues worse than others. My grey had issues but since I didn't know any better I didn't know it and it was smooth sailing for us. Ignorance is bliss sometimes:P<br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2008/09/12 22:30

I am so sorry. I can't even imagine what you are going through.

Mine dips his pellets, too. He dips those and dried fruit to soften it I guess. Atleast thats what the lady said at the bird store I go to told me:silly: .

Nice looking Grey! B)

Hi Marions91 and welcome to the forum. That can be tough one to answer and I'm not sure if there is a way to keep them from pooing where you don't want them too. I have heard that they can be potty trained but what I do is either I keep them away from the area all together or I make the area easier to clean for me. My cages are on carpet so to protect the carpet I have laid out cut out pieces of linoleum under the cages so when the mess happens it's easy to clean up without getting the carpet soiled. Just an example of how I have had to compromise:) My birds cages are also by windows and they have blinds too but I have to keep the blinds pulled up so they can't get to them mainly from biting through them and chewing the up. Maybe you can pull the blinds up? take them down? or get a different style blind that works out better? I know I have had to make some changes to accommodate my birds and we always seem to find something that works for all of us. A play stand might work in that area like Suzzique said if he knew that was his special place. Maybe you could take him down from the blinds and keep putting him on a play stand or something untill he knows that is where he is suppose to go. Or he may just have to be banned from that area unless you are with him. Hang in there. I was also wondering how long have you had NO NAME YET;) and how old is he?<br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2008/09/12 03:09

I've been thinking about making my own toys for my flock too and this has answered a lot of my questions. Thanks everyone.

I read about the wide beak yawn, too but didn't put the two together. I think thats it. Makes sense to me.

I think Lokie is a girl:)

Hi and welcome here. I adopted a 12 year old grey a few months ago and He is the love of my life right now, my husband running a close second;). There are so many wonderful older birds that are needing new homes through no fault of their own and I recommended rehoming an older bird 100%. One advantage to an older bird is they come talking:) Atleaset mine did. I've been around parakeets off and on through out my life but never took that much of an interest in them. A parrot on the other hand has me totally fascinated and has brought so much joy to my life. Good luck on what ever you decide and please keep us posted, if you get the DYH there is a entire section about "other birds" What ever bird you get I'm sure it will be a great companion.

I'm sure you're estatic over this. :woohoo: That was just a sample of all the joy Charlie is going to bring your way!!!! Great Job Julie!!! Karma coming your way!<br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2008/09/10 23:30

LOL Judy,:laugh: that's funny and I stand corrected. It made me realize Baxter does notice when Bonkers lets out his calls. He yells "knock it off" when he gets too noisy :laugh:

Thanks everyone for the input. I just wasn't sure why he was doing that. I thought he would love all music. I know I see those videos where the music is cranked up real high and the birds are just dancing away and loving it. I mean, my conure can almost bust an ear drum when he decides he wants to be heard and Baxter doesn't even seem to notice that;)

Hi NewGreyMom and welcome to the forum. I have to disagree that the previous owners loved Brodie. If they did they would not have moved him to the basement and neglected him and they would have had daily interaction with Brodie. I am sensitive to this because I brought a 12 year old grey home a couple months ago and that was cage bound and put in a basement and had no handling. He didn't know how to play with toys either. I could barely touch him in the beginning. I didn't realize at the time he had been neglected. He didn't even know how to step up or fly. I wrote a blog about Baxter my CAG and how I got him to start playing with his toys if you care to read it. You can find it under the blogs link at the top of the page or you can check my profile page near the bottom and it shows my blogs there too. There are many other posts here that will be helpful on this site to and this is a great place to ask any questions you might have. Everyone is always willing to help. It will take some time but he will come around if you take time with him every day, teach him to play with the toys and have a little out of the cage time daily too. Don't expect too much in the beginning. Keep us posted. I love to hear about other members greys and hear about their accomplishments. I am very glad you got him out of his previous atmosphere. Working with my Baxter has been so rewarding to me. I'm sure it will be for you & Brodie, too.

Pmaholm, I think it's a huge difference! And I bet if you asked Joey and Refund they would tell you the same;) I noticed Joey has red feathers all over. How cool. I didn't know greys had red other areas than their tale. And Dan...are we really getting an official Rescue Room???? Please Please Please say {Communicate-0002011B}

Welcome and congradulations on your new bundle of joy! You probably know alot about Greys if you were raised around them but if you have any questions this is the place to ask. So what's his/her name? Do we get to see some pictures? Keep us posted.

Congradulations! Sounds like he is settling in perfect for you and he sounds like a real sweetheart. I know you are in love already! Keep us posted and perhaps we can see a picture of him??? PS I would have wrung my kids necks though taking chances like that before he ever got in the house:ohmy:

Good for you taking him in. I hate it when animals are mistreated. Hopefully in your care he will blossom and be all that he can be:) How old is Charlier now? I'd love to hear more about him and some photos when you get the chance. I've only been on this forum for a couple months but have found there are so many knowledgable members here and everyone is always here to help with any questions you may have. Wecome Julie & Charlie:)

He likes to listen to music, country, classic rock, Josh Groban, easy listening stuff. We play music for him alot. I have just noticed this with instrumental sounds. The flute playing and the saxophone. The saxophone is kind of loud when my husband plays (but he plays in a different room) so I thought it might have been a high pitched tone that he didn't like but the flute music we played off the computer and it was low and mellow (very pretty sound) I whistle the Andy Griffith tune to him all the time and he will bob his head and rock back and forth. I can tell he likes that. This is totally different and this is the only time I've seen him do this head shake. You know like when a fly will land your cheek or something and you shake or twitch your head to get it off, that's the best way I know how to describe it. It's only with the sax and the flute so far but that's the only instrument sounds he has heard solo. He has not done this any other time or with any other sounds and that's why I'm confused on it. Then he does his beak movments like he wants to mimick it. I'm confused:huh: If he likes it I want to play it for him. It sounds so soothing but if he doesn't then I am even wondering about my husbands saxophone???? He shakes his head, then he is still for a minute or so but will shake his head again.

My husband turned on some flute music for the birds today and Baxter had a weird reaction and I don't know if it's good or bad. He shakes his head almost like it's bothering him but the music isn't loud at all. It's very soft and the volume isn't up loud at all. He is also moving his beak like he is trying to word something like when he is practicing talking. His beak opens real wide but nothing comes out. It would be nice if he could mimic the flute:) but with the head shaking I am wondering if he is senstive to the sound??? Is it bothering him??? Is this normal?? He also does this when my husband plays the sax at home. He will shake his head like he is trying to get something off:huh: Should I keep playing the music for him or should I stop?.

Hi and welcome here. Just wondering how old she is? Does she have a name? How long have you had her. If she was locked up in a basement without much interaction maybe she is still shy and nervous and taking everything in. This is a whole new world for her and she will come along as time goes by. Also, maybe a vet/wellness check is in order to see if there is an underlying problem. It doesn't sound like she was properly taken care of before she came to you. Perhaps she has a vitamin deficeny. What is her diet? If she is not getting the proper nutrition then she may be a little tired, too and not do all these things greys naturally do. The reason I ask all these things is I brought home a 12 year old grey a few months back and really didn't know anything. There is so much to learn about the diets and their activities to keep them healthy and happy. Mine was locked up also and only fed a seed diet and never handled. He didn't play with toys and he didn't know how to fly although his wings were not clipped. We have come a long way together and the journey has been wonderful! He is really blossoming now. This is a great place to be if you have questions. I know I had a ton. There was another post the other day saying you can see bird videos on bird-tube.com. It only shows birds doing things and might be helpful. I don't know if she can learn what you want her to learn from watching videos but I seen 2 big macaws playing in the bath tub and it was fun to watch. You will have to guide her and show her yourself because she will learn from you. You will have to introduce her to all this new stuff. Baxter didn't know how to play with toys and I had to teach him and we are now practicing flying;)