LindaMary

This is pretty typical grey behavior, from what I hear on here. My TAG Maxi seems to be the Mellow Princess, because I don't see very much of this, but I can't tell you how many people here have reported this sudden rough play with their toys (especially bells). It seems to do them good - I wouldn't worry about it! Don't you ever suddenly feel like giving a punching bag a good workout? I guess it's sort of like that.:lol:

I am no expert, but I think if I were in your shoes, I would probably leave Cha Cha with Boozle this time, and take the opportunity to let him see that if you leave you will make sure someone takes care of him. It's a tough call: I'm choosing this because he's very new to your environment and you say he's still rather spooky. I would think the peace and quiet, (together with Boozle, who can model for him that it's okay) might be easier on him than being brought into a big family gathering, where a lot of "strangers" (to him) are focusing their attention on him, and convesely the attention he is used to getting from you will undoubtedly be at least somewhat usurped by them as well. Could your friend possibly also spend a half hour or so at least chatting and talking with the birds, as well as checking on food and water? Could you leave a radio or TV on a timer to help keep them entertained? Let us know what you decide, and how it works out!

{not messin' with Dave or Dan!} >>LindaMary<<{not messin' with Dave or Dan!} :ohmy: :laugh: :ohmy:

Yes, I think that IS the general idea, Marla - the question is: is it a good idea at all? I think some folks think it's okay to trim a bird's beak so the bird won't be as likely to punch a hole in you if it bites. As I understand it, though, that is not a fit justification for trimming a bird's beak - i.e.: beak trimming is supposed to be about what is good for the bird - not for the human! B)

So did I, Marla - you are not alone! They are now gathering dust in my house, too. Burned once - five times shy. Aren't we both glad we've found this forum now!

My vet recommended against this in Maxi's case - Maxi was doing plenty of beak-sharpening and grooming on her own. My understanding is that beaks rarely need trimming in a healthy bird - that it might be needed if the beak is growing in irregularly, for example. Others here will know more. It is definitely NOT for amateurs! There's a blood supply in there (I think I can actually see small veins through Maxi's upper mandible). I'd ask an avian vet before having this done.

I just came right up against this in Portsmouth, NH. We had an ice storm that knocked out power last week (many folks are still not back on yet), and after 37 hours with no furnace it was 50° in my house. I was worried about my TAG and my severe macaw, although they were acting completely normal, so I called the vet. She actually said she would start worrying if it got down to 30° (!!!), but if they were acting normal they were probably fine. Fortunately for me, my power came back on about two hours later, so I didn't have to really test her theory. 30° was a much lower number than I would have guessed - I think even with her advice I would've been finagling a temporary stay in a place with heat if it had gone down to 40° in my house. Anyway, it was comforting to me to have checked with an avian vet in the circumstances.

Sign me up, Dave - I have a problem being blunt, too. I'm assuming you'll include the lifelong impossible-to-get-rid-of subscription to cheap pellets?:evil:

That could be Max. She LOVES it when I just give her a chunk of pomegranate and she can just hang out picking out the seeds and squirting juice everywhere. I usually end up bathing her afterwards - and thank goodness for the laminated poster on the wall behind her cage!

That's great news, Crissy! You're on a roll now. It sounds like you have a very happy household in the making! Keep up the good work!

I am also intrugued by this. I recently bought a UVA/UVB lamp also, but Max is terrified of it. AT present I am using it with Tanner (the severe macaw I brought home just over three weeks ago) every other day or so, and maybe I'm imagining things, but he seems more "balanced" temperament-wise on the days when I use it. As far as I know he doesn't have the same calcium issues a grey does, but I know the light can benefit him as well. He'll be moving into the same room as Max soon, and I am hoping that when she sees it on across the room regularly she will begin to realize it's not actually a scary monster, and I can start using it with her regularly, too. It's very interesting to hear that you can actually see noticable changes in Rigel's appearance behavior. Keep us posted!

No two ways about it: pomegranates and Carr's whole wheat crackers for Maxi!

I totally get you, Pat, on the "c'm 'ere, c'm 'ere, go 'way, go'way" issue! I do wonder if it's a macaw thing that every macaw owner knows about, this split-personality behavor? And do teh bigger macaws act like this, too? Like you said: I pretty much know where Max stands on things at any given time : she's either having a good day or a bad day, and she knows what she wants and doesn't want and she makes it clear. Sometimes I think Tanner changes his mind every time he turns his head. "I'm goofy - no, I'm cuddly - no, I'm spooked - no, I'm clowny - no, I'm obsessively preening - no, I'm {fill-in-the-blank}" I would love to see how Tanner and Gizmo would react to each other if they met. Maybe I can figure out how to do a YouTube video (with Mary's help) so you can watch it sometime with Gizmo...

Yay Gizmo! You know what, Pat? Every time i feel like you are just about to give up and do something drastic, Gizmo crosses another threshold. Have you noticed that, or is my perception out of whack? I feel like he really wants to please you, and can feel it when you are at the end of your frustration range with him. I am so pleased to hear this news. Good going!

I wonder, Pat. Let me know how that works if you decide to try it. You may end up with him on your shoulder for the whole day! Too bad they don't have "half-cages" - like a cage with only three walls - then a cage with only two walls, then only one wall, then none, you know? So you could sort of remove his cage stepwise....

I have been trying for longer than I care to admit - unsuccessfully - to get Maxi, my TAG, to eat pellets. Tried different kinds, tried soaking them - no luck. Just recently I took some of the Harrison's, put them in a bowl on my dining table, and let Max watch ME eat some of them, breaking off little chunks and making a big fuss about how yummy they were. Lo and behold : she's interested, and came over to get some. I wouldn't let her have any for a while (which really made her curious), then finally offered her a little TINY chunk, and kept eating them myself. She wanted more, of course! I am now mixing a few in her dry mix, and she does occasionally eat one. She's more likely to eat them if I hand feed her a little piece of a pellet at a time. But it's more progress than I've made any other way, and I plan to keep doing this and slowly increasing the proportion until it's mostly pellets. She's a hardcore seed and fresh food eater, but if I continue to use reverse psychology I think there may be hope! Maxi Maxi Quite Contrary.... :angry:

Somehow or other I have only just discovered this thread - where the heck have I been? This is wonderful, Jen - so fun to watch very-loved babies mature from just a few days old on! Your pictures are terrific, and it's interesting to hear how Lyric is reacting, too. Bravo, Jen - karma comin' atcha!

If I were in your shoes, I would take it slowly and just talk to her, play her some music, read to her, play with a toy where she can watch you, etc. for awhile. With her history, it may take her a little while to relax in her new home with you - it's all very new to her! I don't think it's at all strange that she's being quiet still - and I think it's a good sign that she chirped when you were not in the room - that sounds like normal contact-calling (i.e. she can't see you, so she's checking to see where you are). When she does that again, be sure to "chirp" back - or call back to her in some way. Also remember that if she is being quiet when you talk to her, it's probably because she is listening to you! Be pleased that she's polite, and I'll bet she will open up tremendously in time. Good luck and keep us posted!

This is really interesting to me, Patricia - because Tanner also ONLY likes shoulders and cages. Altho he steps up readily off his cage onto me now, I haven't yet even been successful at getting him to step DOWN off of me onto ANYthing but his cage or Mary's shoulder. He's getting better about sitting on hands, but still prefers shoulders and yesterday was well-behaved enough that I let him back up there again. Do you suppose Tanner and Gizmo are secretly members of www.humanforums.net - for severe macaws only? And that they are secretly e-mailing each other and planning how to drive the two of us nuts? :pinch: :evil: It's weird to me - Tanner has so much less history than Gizmo, but he seems to have so many of the exact same issues and behaviors! :angry: In all seriousness tho, I'd bet Jen is right and it's just a question of more time and more patience. Hang in there!

Hi Lyn, I am sorry to hear about your father and the trials you have had recently, but what a wonderful story about Alfie. I also lost my dad in March of this year after a year-long struggle, and my mother needs a lot of help as well, so in Max's first 16 months with us she has seen a LOT of emotion and travel and inconsistent schedules due to human emergencies. Like Alfie, she has been a complete trooper and weathered it all beautifully. Someone on here said it well: I really think that they can handle a lot as long as they perceive that their "flock" is there for them. She has even played a real part in comforting us sometimes! Merry Christmas to you and your family and your wonderful bird!

Sometimes I give Max and Tanner a Carr's whole wheat cracker as a nighttime treat, mixed in with their fresh food. Tanner hasn't seen the point, but Maxi LOVES them - I call them her "cookies". Max's most recent new sounds are "Mm-Hmm", "Aa-'ight" (as in "Alright" street style:P ), "OK" and "Good girl". Now we put these ingredients together. Maxi came with me to fill up her fresh food dish, and on the way to kitchen I looked in her bowl and said "Well, I see you ate your cookie but none of your apples." "Mm-hm." "You really like those cookies?" "Mm-hm." "You're just a little junk food junkie, aren't you?" "Uh-huh." "Are you going to eat some broccoli and peas now?" "Mm-hm. Aa'ight. Good girl." :whistle: :laugh:<br><br>Post edited by: LindaMary, at: 2008/12/10 15:22

Great pictures, Janet - and what a pretty name! Don't you just LOVE those black baby eyes? {Love-0002011E}

Prayers and best wishes coming to both of you! What a couple of troopers!

I should add that Maxi doesn't seem to mind all birds - just crows and predators and seagulls. She copies the cardinals and robins, for example. I don't think she's too impressed with my severe macaw's screeching, tho (we've just had him about 3 weeks) - but then neither am I!:pinch: :whistle: :pinch:

It sounds like Gizmo keeps making steady progress - just maybe not on the agenda you have in mind! He's interested in learning new vocals, you're interetsed in getting him away from his cage more. I'll bet you are right and he is going to really shine six months from now - can't wait to hear what you have to say about him then! What he has accomplished is especially impressive given that he's even older than you thought - and may have been cage bound twice as long as you thought. Bravo, Gizmo-buddy. I LOVE the whispering - maybe I can teach Tanner that??? Tanner kinda backslid this weekend - he spent an hour on top of his cage on Saturday and I'm thinking it went to his head. Now if he's on my shoulder he's beaking way too hard and kind of pecking my head. He used to kind of use my ears as a handle - would hold on as he shifted positions, but not too hard - but he's started chomping down harder now, and it's a different attitude. :pinch: So for the time being he is off the shoulder and back on hands only till he re-learns who's the boss in my house:angry: . It's interesting tho - he's already learned that the rules are new, and doesn't try scrabbling up my arm immediately when I pick him up from his cage door. He IS a smart one - but looks like he's going to be my wild child - going to need a steady hand on the reins, so to speak!