SchroedersJen

Not to my face..... One of the other residents in this complex has 3 U2s and they make so much noise Schroeder can't compete. I also take him outside in the afternoon and the kids get to say hi to him and pet him, so the parents aren't inclined to complain about an animal that makes their kids happy. I understand that Schroed is a bit more outgoing than most greys though, I doubt most grey owners would get away with that w/o traumatizing their bird. I think noise complaints are easy to avoid in condo and apt complexes by getting on friendly terms with your neighbors. Say hi, learn their names, ask them up for a beer or cookies once in a while. If people like you and your bird they won't complain and may even offer to birdsit when you are on vacation.

Yeah, I stopped using it. I figured he is good at letting me know when he needs to go, so I bring a dixie cup along when we go out, and hold it under his bum when he starts to do his wiggle dance.

That is very cool. Schroeder wants to know if he should bring anything when he comes over. He makes a mean veggie salad.

Rad. When will you be selling them on E-Bay?

I bought a flight suit for Schroeder, and when I take it off of him, he always has poo mashed in to his fanny feathers. It is a pain for both of us to remove. Dsoes anyone else have this problem? an I doing something wrong?

Excellent post Joanne, makles me feel very blessed that I don't have to wage war on the bird in order to wage war on the mess inside the cage. As for paper towels, I don't use many. I have a poop scraper that has a round scrape on one end and a flat one on the other and that gets off most of the poo. I use a few towels to wipe the pan on the bottom after taking out the newspaper. All in all it works well. You can put the scraper in the dishwasher when finished or run it under the faucet for a bit. As for my keeper... Schroeder sits very calmly in the corner, grinding his beak, when I clean the cage. As soon as I finish, he waddles back to the cage, climbs inside, up to the tallest perch and poops squarly in the center of the cage. If I try to get him to go potty before he goes back in, he will refuse. He is usually jonny on the spot with the go potty command, so I am inclined to think this dirty boy just feels more at home in a dirty cage.

No Problem You can also take a toilet paper tube with a tiny bit of TP on it and bend the ends inwards and hide a favorite toy or treat in those too. Schroeder loves making messes for me to clean up and gets very proud when he has left lots of bits of TP all over the floor, flapped his wings so they go EVERYWHERE and commenced to poo on a few key bits. I have also found that the best way to shut him up when im on the phone is to crush a cheerio and put it in my hair. he will sit up there and quietly preen the treats out, it feels like a scalp massage and shuts him up. When you're finished, you can flip your head over and shake out any bits your fid missed (if any at all). Of course, this might not be a good idea if you use a lot of styling products.

These are excellent! You should send them to Bird Talk Magazine. I'm sure there are tons of people that will get a smile from them. What a cutie.

For those of us lucky enough to be or know a diabetic: the One touch blood strip canisters (when empty) make great foot toy sized foraging toys. Drill a couple of holes in them and add an almond, noodle or whatever else your grey likes and you're all good. Since the seal is semi tight, it takes time for them to open, but is a manageable task. Since theyre small and PLASTIC birds love them, and they make a cool pop noice when opened. Unlike oldschool bloodstrip cans, ther are no toxic chemicals in them. If anyone is in southern California, I would be happy to get some of mine to you, otherwise, Im sure you can find a local diabetic willing to share on Craigslist.

Schroeder's first molt is turning out to be a slooooooow work in progress, and as the new feathers are MUCH darker, he looks a bit like a dalmation. I have been keeping his feathers in a small box (kinda like a childs first hair cut or first lost tooth) and he gets really excited when I open it to put a new feather in. Yesterday he got to the box, opened it and just sat on his old feathers grinding his beak for a good hour. I guess he is proud of them. I have noticed that when larger feathers fall out, he will pick them up and use them to scratch his ears and even shove them in his nostrils like hes picking his nose. What a wierdo.

I'm sure you have gone already, but if anyone else needs a vacation idea: my husband and I went on our honeymoon last May to the Amara resort in Sedona, AZ. It's beautiful there, lots to see and do and the best part: AMARA IS A HIGH END RESORT THAT LETS YOU BRING YOUR PETS! I can't think of a single bad thing, the whole trip was magical.

One of Schroeders favorites: take 3 straws and cut them in thirds so you have 9 bitty straws. Fasten them tightly in the center with a zip tie so they fan out in a ball like way. Cram some food items (seeds, pellets and dried fruit bits) in some of the straws. The toy servs as a foraging toy AND something that is easy to destroy. The bendy straws make cool noises when they pull on the bendy bits.

Awwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww *grin* How cute!

I screwed up and shared some cooked sweet potatoes from my plate with Schroeder, the mistake was that mine had butter and his never do. Now he won't eat his stupid naked potatos. He prefers to throw them at me and eye my buttery ones. I really wish he didn't have such good aim. I have a sweet potato stain on my new, white cashmere sweater.

Yup, he certainly does. His favorite training tool is the vice bite. If he wants something and I ignore him, he will take a body part (earlobe, finger, toe) in his beak and gently squeeze with increasing pressure till I have to react to avoid intense pain. Then I get an "I gotcha wench!" squak.

Yes, he reminds me hourly, just in case I forget. Hes a good boy though, and perfect in every snuggly, bossy, dander spreading, treat demanding way. Thanks for the support, I've noticed that everyone here has beautiful, happy looking managers.

Thanks for the quick mentor session. I'm a bit slow Happy November! And yes, he's a great bird and a bit of a favorite at the local bird store.....Schroeder is a total sweetheart to everyone but my husband (doesn't like the competetion), and as long as he gets what he wants when he wants it, he is a very appreciative dictator.

Hello all, Wanted to take a min to say hello. My name is Jen, I am owned by Mr. Schroeder Easybake Muffins (Schroed E. Muffins for short). Schroeder is a beefy timneh and treats me well. He lets me live in a nice quiet condo in Mission Viejo, CA, and since I work from home, he is kind enough to spend most of the day outside of his birdy chateau allowing me to scritch his head. My keeper also eats all the fruits and veggies that I dont want. Mr Muffins and I will be moving to a house in a few months, and he has instructed me to build him a large flight aviary in the back yard. If anyone here has one, I'd love suggestinos. It should be no smaller than 10' by 20' by 10' tall to accomodate his large ego. Till then, hope all is well, I am looking forward to getting to know everyone and their fids...errrrrr...I mean owners. -Jen

Schroeder weighs about 355g after his morning poop. He is a hefty TAG and very muscular, as he gets fre run of the house during the day and tons of exercise. Most TAGs do not get this big.

when in doubt, go to the vet!!! If you wanted a cheap pet, you would have purchased a goldfish.....Your bird is probably scared. You might see if something in the cage is scaring him or if it is you. You can do this by systematicaly removing an item and seeing if behavior changes. If not, put the toy back and try another. If your bird is afraid of you, You may try hand feeding it a variety of foods (not just peanuts, or you will have a junk food junkie) that your bird can manipulate and munch on while you so something calmly in the proximity of his cage. I babysay a friends CAG while she was on vacation and Buster freaked out when I walked in the room....I spent time, in 10 min chunks throughout the day, sitting by the cage and reading childrens books to it. It allowed the bird to observe me doing something non treatening. By day 3 Buster was competing for snuggle time with my TAG Schroeder.