LindaMary

A brief report: We are buried in snow. Christmas is too close and we are not ready enough. But tonight I was able to sit with Maxi on one shoulder and Tanner on the other for over an hour, listening to Prairie Home Companion. Maxi was quietly snoozing on one foot, Tanner was obsessively preening and croaking and nibbling my hand and ear and being his usual physical self. What a wonderful experience!<br><br>Post edited by: LindaMary, at: 2008/12/21 02:54

Marla: Feed George as have been doing. Don't let your success with George depend on the availability of food or water. He is already struggling with history and trust issues, and you already know it will take time and patience with him. I think you have amply shown that you are really trying to do what is right in trying to gain the trust of this re-homed bird, and I would hate to see our collective venting over some proven charlatans obscure your honest efforts. Think: human toddler. Think: adopted human toddler with semi-unknown past and some behavioral issues that may have been formed by that past. George will come around - it'll take a while. It sounds like he needs love and space - a tricky cocktail, but I give you credit for taking up the challenge.

First of all - welcome to the forum, Jennifer! I agree with Baxtersmom. Also: I have a "secret" (ha!) policy that serves me in such situations. I mentally pay myself $100 an hour for my time. I have never really earned that much at any job I've had, but that's at least what I think my time is worth. If I can spend an hour and save myself $100, then it's worth the time - otherwise I let it go. This has helped me let go of a lot of aggravation with foolishness such as you are experiencing from this company. I'd spend the ten minutes to talk to a supervisor/manager, but no more. Then I'd report them to the Better Business Bureau and be done with it. Good luck!

Here's someone who's enjoying the winter wonderland, though... http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute_overload/2008/12/encore-presenta.html

Boy, I really feel for you, Empera. It would be driving me crazy to have to watch semi-helplessly while the humans in control twiddle their thumbs. I am so glad to hear they have finally decided to get professional help. I hope the help comes in time and the bird recovers. Please keep us posted!

Yep, it's always the aftermath that gets ya. I intensely dislike surveying in snowshoes....

Brrrrrr! We're supposed to get the same tonight, then even more on Sunday.... Remind me again - WHY did I move to New England from the deep south...???

I suspect you already have an avian vet in the picture since you have the other two birds. Why don't you run this by the vet and see what they say? I've recently learned these birds can tolerate much lower temperatures than I would have expected, and living in Maine and New Hampshire I've banked a lot of windows with heavy plastic and blankets in my day. :whistle: So I can think of ways the quarantine might work out better than you might think. I'd ask a vet in any case, tho. Good luck - let us know what you find out!

That looks very similar to the stand I bought for Max, she. Max's take on it is: "I will sit on the top branch only" - and she actually LIKES to sit on the top branch because it puts her at my face height, and she quickly learned that the stand means she can hang out with the family more in other rooms of the house. I actually think you'll be very happy with it - even if Charlie only sits on the top branch, too. Merry Christmas, Lucky Charlie! :cheer:

Let us know how that goes, Marla, okay?

Oh I can certainly envision something liek taht happening at some point, Erika. So far I am really controlling who's out of their cage when pretty tightly. Yesterday was the first time I got Tanner out while Maxi was playing on top of her cage. He's very closely clipped, and doesn't WANT to be anywhere but on his cage or on a person still. But Max is growing out her flights and can now cover at least 10 feet before she's on the floor - and seems to be enjoying practicing that - so it was kind of a test to see what she would do. She carefully watched me take him out, and then went right back to playing with her toilet-paper-roll-filled-with-tissue-paper. So far, so good. Maybe I should be MOST pleased that Tanner is still shy - he'd certainly be more dangerous than Max if he decided to go on the attack!:blink: From what I've heard, tho, macaws are more likely to be happy sharing space with other bird species than greys are. For now, he certainly seems to be happier being in a room with other animals. Oh - and the bunny is settling down, too.

I vote with you, Dan - I want a picture of Judy the Frontier Lady! With Josey astride a shoulder!

Touche, Klaus!:laugh:

Actually, I was speaking of Snowball the rabbit when I said "he rather likes Maxi, and likes to hang out under her cage" - but at this point I would say it's also true of Tanner (not the under-the-cage part, of course! ) In fact I have been very pleased with the way this week has gone. We still don't have the furniture moved yet so that Tanner's cage is in its final spot - we hope to get to that this weekend. But both Max and Tanner seem to be getting used to the new routine. Maxi wakes up first, gets her head scritched as I check my e-mail, and gets her shower with me before I even uncover Tanner. Once I'm dressed and have their food prepared, I uncover Tanner, and Maxi's ready to tuck into breakfast while I spend a little time with him before I go off to work. In the evening, he gets his lullaby-snuggle time first, and then gets covered up and settles down while Maxi gets hers. I think I'd been more worried about Maxi not liking him, or being jealous of him, but so far it seems okay. One great thing about Tanner is that he is very "responsive" to darkness - if his cage is covered, he's usually pretty quiet, even if there's some movement in the room. I have used that on occasion, too, when he goes on a screech-a-thon (as he did yesterday evening) - just vcoered him up for 5 minutes, and he settles down. I think you have the ideal flock, Pat - it's what we all hope for! I'm sure you are right that a crucial element in the birds all getting along is you simply expecting that of them, and making that clear to them in a consistent way. Kinda like running a nursery school, I imagine. B)

I do the same thing with Maxi and Tanner's leftovers. The raccoons and squirrels love them, too.<br><br>Post edited by: LindaMary, at: 2008/12/18 20:21

I have also sprayed myself (skin - not hair) with aloe vera after spryaing Maxi with it. I actually started doing it because she still really HATES that spray bottle, and I wanted to show her that it was really harmless and I'd spray myself with it, too. Of course, it turned out it was also good for my skin. I had a bang-up case of poison ivy in October - occupational hazard for me - and I swear the aloe vera sped up the healing. I also know it works very well on burns - I used to keep a plant around and use the "sap" if I burned myself in the kitchen. Maybe I'll try it on my hair now, too - I never thought of that for some reason. Thanks Erika! Now if only I could convince Maxi that spray bottle is okay - she still doesn't like it...

We'll meet you there next time, Erika, with our two birds, two cats and a rabbit!:laugh:

Nice name for a grey!

Congratulations, Brittany! I'm sure you are excited to have him home with you finally. He's a very handsome fella - does he have a name yet?

Oh, and by the way, it's official: we now have verification that Tanner is a boy bird!

That's good news, Pat, about Gizmo's progress. He's just a careful guy with a mind of his own! I love him flying up instead of stepping up. "Nope, Mom - gonna do it MY way!":P Yes, our fireplace was a popular spot on Friday and Saturday, for sure. We are getting snow today followed by more ice - I feel really lucky to have my power back - a lot of new Hampshire still doesn't. Thanks for you comments, everyone! I'm afraid Snowball won't be getting a companion, Erika - we are maxed out on animals for the two of us!:whistle: Once we get Tanner better situated, I expect he will calm down. He rather likes Maxi, actually - likes to hang out under her cage.

Good comparison! Greys are, after all, eternal toddlers! It sounds to me like your friend Ramona will do fine with Cha Cha. Have a wonderful holiday, and keep us posted!

Great pictures! What a dignified-looking grey!

They've met. They are now sharing a room. I am realizing how much I have been stressing about this (I hope somewhat secretly) - but it's actually going quite well! When the ice storm hit us last Thursday and knocked out our power, the house went down to 50°. My vet told me they would probably be fine down to 30° (!!), but I was feeling so bad about Tanner, whose quarantine room had only a north and west window, and felt noticably colder. So I broke quarantine 2 days early (bracing for digital slaps...) and moved Tanner's cage into what we call The Adventure Room - where Maxi, my computer, and Snowball the rabbit are; where I practise my tai chi and Mary practises her karate... you get the idea. It's our biggest room, and a lot of sun comes in there. First, of course, I took Maxi on my hand into Tanner's room. Then I put her in her cage and took Tanner on my hand into "Maxi's" room. Then I put him back in his cage and moved the whole shebang into her room. :blink: She was quiet, but went about her business. He was quiet and glued to the side of his cage for about an hour (poor guy):blink: :unsure: :blink: . And then the next thing you know they are showing off for each other playing with their toys. I actually had barely seen Tanner touch any of his toys until that day - it was like he watched her and realized what they were for. I think the one taking it the hardest is the bunny - he's a little freaked out. (We haven't yet had time to really rearrange the furniture to situate Tanner's cage properly against the wall, so it's closer to the bunny then he likes. He's a tough bunny, tho - I think he'll be fine.) And I am so pleased, so far with the effect of combining these birds! Maxi is relaxing with the UVA/UVB light. Tanner is shrieking less, and more relaxed. There's hope - I think it's going to work out. What a relief!

I don't get to name the family pets - my daughter (MarytheTweet) has been doing this since she was 3 years old - and most of our pets end up with a "middle" name, too. They include Mathias Moreau (cat); Muffin (hamster - R.I.P); Kiefer and Bindi (hermit crabs - R.I.P); Shadow Sly (cat); Snowball Bubboo (albino rabbit); Maximum Nymphodora (TAG), and Tanner Logan (severe macaw). Mary's 13 now, and likes to write. I'm looking forward to novels with interesting characters!