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So glad tigger is ok. Charlies cage goes to the floor, well almost. its about 5 ft high. I only got it for him a few weeks ago, so far no problems. I dont use the grate on the bottom, I have visions of him hurting a foot. He does go to the bottom to get toys from his toy box.I never new Eclectus did not grip like greys, we learn everyday.<br><br>Post edited by: she, at: 2008/09/21 01:13

Congratulations on bringing your grey home. Whats her name. Make the most of the next few weeks to establish a routine and good manners. When greys come into a new situation sometimes you get a honeymoon period where they are on best behaviour and as they become more confident they can try it on to see how far they can go. Best wishes

Baxtersmum. I will have them first, they are adorable.

Hi Zero is a great name. Oct 1 is my birthday so I will think of you bringing your baby home. Sheila

Hi Tina. I sympathise with the problem you have with your grey calling like a cockatiel. My grey does the same. Problem is I also have a cockatiel so no chance of curing the habbit.I just live with it,just keep ignoring this behaviour and praise when he is not doing it.Funny thing is that my cockatiel can say almost all that the grey can. Best wishes

I hope Spike makes a full recovery. I know first hand how horrible it is when pets are ill.At least humans can tell you things. You have done all you can for Spike and I am sure his recovery will be aided by your quick response. Infections can flair up out of knowwhere. My Grey got one a few years back, he was not having trouble breathing but was not himself. The vet carried out blood work and lab tests but nothing came back except that he had an infection, Psitticosis was ruled out as well as aspergilosis, he was on antibiotics for a while and made a full recovery. Good luck with Spike.

I wish my job was like yours.You are so lucky.I am a fork lift truck driver,not very lady like or interesting. Spend the shift wanting to get home to my birds.

Hi Joker is very lucky to escape unharmed from the house fire, as are his previous owners.Greys are by nature cautious birds and it will take time for him to be comfortable with you. Continue to make the step up consistant, Practice this away from his cage. It is never wise to let a parrot near your face for obvious reasons. If Joker is more easy with your husband, use this to your advantage.Get your husband to practice step up and then include you in the game. Greys do growl,often when they feel threatened and insecure. Joker seems to enjoy his stand so let him hang out their. Give him plenty of toys and feed him healthy treats from your hand.The name of the game is to build trust.

I never trained Charlie to lie on his back,it just sort of happened. He loves to swing up side down from my sleeve,I swing him and he shouts weeee.One day I sat down with him and just lowered him on to my knee. He was quite happy to lay their chewing my sleeve. This is not recomended with your good clothes on.

I think like you Pat. Cleanleness goes a long way to keeping birds healthy. I am not lucky enough to feed them farm fresh produce,I wish I could.I go by the saying , If its not good enough for me then its not for the birds.

Both my birds are insured and believe me its worth it.In the last 2 years I have vet bills of almost £1000. My cockatiel had heavy metal poisoning,my grey has had an unclassified infection and a suspected broken wing. This resulted in many xrays,blood work, anasthetics and vet stays.My insurance covered the majority of the cost.My vet is fantastic and always willing to answer questions or give advice on bird health and care, Iwould have been lost without him.<br><br>Post edited by: she, at: 2008/09/18 20:28

The first thing to do is NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY. Birds bite for lots of reasons.You have not had him long at all and both of you have some adjusting to do. Try and judge his body language and notice little subtle signs that he does not wish to interact.My grey is quite loving first thing in the morning and last thing at night but inbetween is a bit of a hand full. I soon found out when to leave him alone. We have all been bitten at some time so welcome to the club.I notice you can step him up, brilliant. keep that up.It is always a good idea to keep parrots away from your face. Post edited by: she, at: 2008/09/17 21:44<br><br>Post edited by: she, at: 2008/09/17 21:46

What a fantastic story,Tyco is a very lucky bird indeed. It never fails to amaze me how forgiving animals are. I am so glad Tyco has a nice home with a hugh cage and toys and most important love. Sheila

Hi Jake. Try and think of anything changing in your greys living area. Also at your greys age some go through a nippy stage and with the right handeling and training it can pass.Why not ask mum to handle your bird for a while. Also ask mum to read all she can and perhaps read some posts on this forum. I for one will be willing to offer any advice I can as I am sure otherswill too. Good luck. Keep us informed

Hi. I have given up with decorations or a tree in the living room. Charlie would go crazy. Cracker would just demolish everything. I am also afraid of the extra wires and possible toxic decorations. I also have two large cages in the living room so I am also short of space. I usually just put some lights and decorations in the conservatory and keep the birds away.

Toni I havent been a member of the forum long and just came accross your update. It sounds like you have had a rough time.You are doing remarkably well and seem to be a very strong person.I wish you well in the future. God Bless. Sheila

When a grey regurgitates food you will see it come up into their mouth. Its nothing to worry about, usually it shows they love you and want to feed you.

Hi Ben. Sounds to me your Greys behaviour is totally normal. My Grey will sometimes grab a finger and bobs his head. I think it is some sort of feeding response,going back to babyhood .How old is your Grey? My grey will often regurgitate food when he has done this.I am sure all is ok Sheila

Hi Dave.I thought the colour would remain if Blue was ill but I have not seen the bird like this myself.It is my cousins bird and lives on the wirrel so cant really get photos. Blue seems fine in himself from what my cousin said. I had Blue in my house for a week not long ago and all was well.Thanks for the reply

Hi I know birds can blush,ie go pink round the eyes and face but anyone know of this area going yellow. Just been told this is happened to Blue my cousins 40 odd year old cag the other day. It went away but I have never come accross this before.Given his age I am concerned about jaundice or liver problems.

I am so happy for you. Quakers are fantastic birds. The fact that Radar is so young should mean that you two will bond without much trouble. Love his name. Iwish you luck and best wishes. Keep us informed. Sheila

Hello Stacy. Your Amazon seems to be making himself right at home. With regards to other family members getting along with him, make sure they all interact with him, giving treats, talking, playing, feeding ect. If any family members are nervious of him wait till they are more confident before they try to handle him. Birds can molt a lot. If he is plucking you will see obvious bald,damaged patches. Normal molts dont usually leave any patches. You will also see him preening a lot, this is normal.Make sure you shower him often,I use a sprey bottle. Good luck Sheila

Desirre. Please dont leave the forum. I know you must be feeling awfull now.Some people are so callus. Look on this as an opertunity to take more time to read up in books and in this forum so you can learn all you can about greys. Dans idea if great. I hope its possible.I waited years and years for my grey. The wait is worth it. I cant believe you have had such bad experiences,but try and look possitive. I hope the air traffic controll comes off for you. That sounds such an exciting job.I am a boring fork lift truck driver. Good luck in the future and keep us all informed. Sheila

Well done in recognising the likely cause of the plucking. You are half way their in providing more stimulation. I would always recomend a vet check for plucking, just to rule out any physical problems, but you are correct in assuming the problem is most likely caused by boredom and frustration.Plucking can also be a sign of stress. My grey started to pluck slightly following a flood in my house and the resulting chaos, insurance men, work men, industrial dryers and so on.Once everything returned to normal,so did he. I did provide new toys. One I found very usefull was a toy box. This is on the cage base and I put different things in it daily, including food treats wrapped in paper so he works for the treats. Charlie now does not pluck touch wood,but I am constantley thinking of ways to amuse him. Good luck

Welcome to the expensive world of parrots. I spend a fortune on my two. Far more than I do on myself at times. Great idea to make some of your own toys, Charlie loves scrunched up paper.Cracker just adores crawling under the news paper on the bottom of his cage. He makes a sort of tent and will sit in their for ages.I have lots of books on parrots. I find sometimes the advice is conflicting so I read and then make my own judgement.