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

I'm unsure what the best food would be for Tui when she comes home. What do you all think. I am interested in a pellet type food, Harrisons inparticular. Do you think this would be best? Obviously I'll feed her fruit veg etc. I've also bought some red palm oil as well which I'll feed her every other day. The breeder is feeding a seed mix along with a huge variety of fruit and vegetables which seems to be working for him. I thought the pellets may ensure she is getting the basics needed for a healthy diet but the more I read the more confusing things become! Any advice would be appreciated! Thanks, Sean

I'm off to the breeder on Friday so hopefully get a few pictures. These will be two weeks since the last one so I'll expect to see a big difference again. I'll post them as soon as I can. 4 weeks till she's home! Can't wait ! Sean

Tui is the one on the left by the way!

have a look here... here's a video on youtube : http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=TAmTwvZDGpQ Sean

Thanks for the replies! I have some videos that i can post on youtube. I will post the links to the videos soon. Thanks again... Sean

The breeder has been great with letting me visit as often as i like. It was a great experience to see the eggs in the nest box. The mum was hissing and screeching...not a nice sound and quite scary actually !:pinch: I had to stick my head in to take the photo! The last picture was taken just on Mnday. Tui is now picking up toys and throwing them and then waddling over to them, still not too steady on the feet! I feel ive been lucky to have this experience...has anyone else been as lucky to visit the breeder? Thanks Sean

Heres some pictures on my new baby Tui. I get him/her on the 28th October...cant wait! The pictures start from just 1 week to present, 6 weeks i think. What a difference there is already! This is Tui at 1 day old, you can just see Tui under the mum. Mum doesnt look too happy! :blink: .. and now in the brooder, playing with toys already :laugh: Tui was born on the 5th, this picture is the 25th Aug 08.. and now the 5th September 08.. and finally this paicture was taken last Monday 22nd, looks more like a little parrot now! B) Hope you enjoyed the pics!<br><br>Post edited by: seankly, at: 2008/09/27 20:19

Hi, thought i'd better say hello to everyone seeing how ive been using forum for a wee while now and never posted! I havent got my African Grey yet, dont get her/him till the 28th October...the day before my birthday by the way His or Her name will be Tui whichever way! Ive found the forum useful so far so hopefully i can give something back. It would be interesting to see how many other members are from Scotland like me? Speak to you all soon. Sean

Thanks for the replies! I cant wait to get Tui home...28th October. Its good to hear of your experiences and hope that mine goes as well as yours! I'll keep the radio/television on (the idea of a timer is a good one, especially with the rising costs of electricity!)and make sure there are plenty of things to keep him/her occupied! Thanks again.

Ive been looking forward to getting Tui at the end of october and was satisfied that as long as i left him/her plenty of toys and things to stimulate Tui that there wouldnt be a problem leaving Tui at home during the day whilst im at work, although i can nip home at lunchtimes for half an hour but, recently i have been reading an article on the solway parrots club website which says "if you work all day and not at home then an African Grey is NOT the bird for you" Im really looking forward to getting Tui and visit the breeder once a week to take photos and video. He says it wont be a problem that as long as Tui has toys, maybe the radio left on and plenty of stimulation and interaction when i come home that i wont have any problems. What do you think...have i done the right thing!? :blink: :unsure: Thanks