seankly

Thanks for the replies. I certainly dont want to put my duaghter in any danger but its a shame to stop any contact with Tui and her. I will keep an eye on the situation and make sure all contact is supervised. Thanks

I have had Tui now for 3 weeks, he is 14 weeks. He settled in fine, is eating well etc... On a couple of occasions i have noticed him, especially on the ground on the rug, going for my daughter who is six. He will lift his wings and make squaking noises, jumping around at her, trying to what looks like, bite her? Last night i sat him on his T stand, just after we arrived home from work. My daughter went to get him to stwp up and he went for her again. She was obviously upset as she loves playing with him and is always gentle with Tui. I dont understand this? I spoke to the breeder who says Tui might be trying to show dominance over my daughter. Could his be the case? His advice was to have my daughter stand her ground and not show that she is scared of Tui, to be honest she isnt scared of him and these experiences hasnt put her off but i dont want her bitten sore. What is your advice? Any help is appreciated. Thanks

I read this somewhere, either online or in a book, that their mental stability is affected when their ability to fly is denied. Behavioural problems can become more apparent (ie. plucking feathers) Birds who can fly become more confident and outgoing in the later years whereas the opposite can happen when a young birds wings are clipped. Most peaople have a valid reason for clipping a birds wings and safety for the bird is paramount. Heres a clip form a post on this forum that kind of sums what im saying up : "Finally, over time breeders have found that allowing Greys to learn how to fly is critical to their development. Greys who learn how to fly, also called fledging, tend to be better balanced pets in the long-run. Therefore, this is one question I would recommend asking any breeder prior to selecting one � to see if they believe in fledging their birds or not. And, if you happen to get a bird that never has fledged, and you wish to keep it clipped, if you can bear through allowing your bird to learn to fly first it would be very beneficial to her confidence and mental health." Heres the link to the original post : [/url]http://www.greyforums.net/forums/african-grey/25408-the-african-grey-to-clip-or-not-to-clip.html [/url]

I asked myself the very same question before i got Tui. :unsure: Both my wife and I work full time and are out the house from 8 till 5 depending on shifts. I bring Tui out in the morning for half an hour while i chop his fruit and veggies and again at lunchtime when i go home and give him fresh water. I leave the radio on for him and hide nuts in his toys for him to find. He is out nearly all night either playing with me and learning tricks or playing on his playstand which he is only starting to enjoy! He is always really glad to see me and desperate to get out, which is nice although not so nice when i have to leave him! :dry: As long as you give your grey plenty of 'out of the cage time' and attention when he's out at night with you i dont think you will have any issues at all. You probably will be more upset to leave him than he will be! :lol:

Be careful that you are not rewarding her by scratching her neck when she doesnt step up. :unsure: She might start thinking you saying 'step up' means: 'put your head down and i'll scratch it'! :blink: Lift her foot onto your hand and gently lift her up till she has fully stepped onto you whilst saying step up. Give her lots of praise and maybe a treat until she starts stepping up willingly again. Give her good reason to step onto you, treats are always a good way to start. Eventually you will be able to offer your hand and she'll step on...well thats the plan anyway! Good luck!

Is her wings clipped? Looks as though they are...normally the wing feathers reach right to the tip of the tail. Im no expert but ive read a few posts on this forum and others, including some books etc and ive read that its not a good idea to clip wings before 2 years of age (and only then, if its something you really need to do). Could this be one of the reasons for her chewing her feathers and nervousness towards your kids?

Thanks for the comments! I picked up the Java tree stand at the Stafford bird show a few weeks ago, what a bargain i got...£25 and it is a cracker. The ony problem i have is that Tui isnt that keen to sit on it for long before he flies to me...any ideas?

Heres some pics of Tui that i shot this morning. Hope you like them!

Tui is 12 weeks old and i only got him home on tuesday. He has been in the shower every day in the morning, with me perched on my hand. He just sits there making baby noises. i put him right under the shower, rubbing his feathers. He loves it! I dont wash him with soap or anything, just water. The temperature is around 30C. When he comes out i use a towel to dab most of the water off which he doesnt mind either, then i go back in and wash myself. He takes around an hour or so for his feathers to dry off. I suffer from mild asthma and so feel giving Tui a shower is beneficial for him and me by reducing the ammount of dust from him. I havent noticed, i must admit, any affects towards my asthma which i was slightly worried about. So good news! Hope this helps!

Just to let everyone know that Tui is finally home with me and what a bird he is! He's settled down very quickly and seems to enjoy his new home. Ive started him on the Harrisons pellets which he likes, he plays with his toys in his cage. But the best of all is that he steps up/down and flies to me from his Java tree when i call him! He only learned to fly a couple of days ago but he is steady in the air...landing is his problem! Ive had him in the shower which he loves. He just sits there making his baby noises. Overall im chuffed to bits. . Well worth the wait. Thanks<br><br>Post edited by: seankly, at: 2008/10/23 12:09

Its difficult to pick a name...my daughter picked Tui from one she was watching on YouTube, so thats it stuck! The breeder thought it was good to pick a name early so that he could start calling him so he could get used to it...dont know if its working so far though, hes too busy finding his feet and pecking at everything! anyway best of luck, think you deserve it after the let down you had.

Good to hear you found another one! I cant start to imagine how you must have felt when you found out the bird was sold Any way great news now youve found another !

I think the videos are great to watch! Thanks for showing us!

This just makes me wish Tui was home with me! Cant wait. Great photos and well done...best of luck and have a great future together.

Heres the latest pictures of Tui and my 6 year old daughter Dayna. and heres another with the two birds and Dayna... Tui's nails are sharp and they kept digging into Daynas legs but she was so desperate to hold Tui !... Ive got another video which i'll try and post. Sean