LindaMary

What a great story, Pat! And how funny : this past Sunday, when I took Max out of her cage for the first time in the morning, she too said "Thank you", for the first time. I don't even remember trying to teach her that more than maybe twice, and it's been a while. I was so excited! Sounds like your Gizmo is one smart young man - and he is starting to really open up to you and show you what he can do. Bravo!:cheer:

I think Tanner's just a bit bigger (body-wise) than Maxi, who is quite a petite little Timneh (about 260 grams). Yes, cflanny, maybe you should plan to include one of these guys in your zoo!

Yvette, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. I lost my father in March of this year, and although he had had a much longer life than your mother was granted, I don't know that you can ever really prepare yourself for the loss of a parent. You are in my thoughts and prayers. You seem like a very resilient person, and I know that will serve you well in the coming months. Hugs, Linda

Good grief, Pat - I think Gizmo is a really handsome son-of-a gun! Tanner's hatch date is April 2, 2007, so yes, he's still a young'un - and he has a lot of manners to learn, too! Right now he really has two brains in his head; the one that wants to get to know that world outside, and the one that wants to hide under that preen toy. I love hearing about Gizmo's progress, and his very special personality! You are my model for what can be done with these little guys! Keep it coming!

{Feel-good-0002006E} {Feel-good-0002006E} Carolyn! Mika has FIGURED IT OUT! {Feel-good-0002006E}

Here I am with Maxi two days after her last wingclip. (I have since learned - from stories read on here - not to have her outside even tho she's clipped!)

Maxi gets her own pumpkin at Halloween, and this morning she decided to get right onto it: She did get a little distracted by a coffee filter twisted around some cranberries and walnut bits... But she still guards her pumpkin well!

BTW - he does say "hello" and "hi" - that's all I've heard so far... I wonder if he'll pick up "hi cutie" from Max...

Thanks for your comments! He does seem to know how to pose, doesn't he? Now if he could only teach Linda how to keep pictures rotated... These pictures are of him still in the pet store - that's the cage he's really not sure he wants to come out of. In the second picture, tho, he's emerging, and today, when I was the only human in the room, he actually did come all the way out to sit on top of the door, but then got himself in trouble by deciding to climb up onto the lilac amazon's cage above him, which the lilac was having none of. Tanner isn't stepping up yet (at least not onto me...) so I ended up scooping him up off the floor after the lilac chased him off. Yep, I think I'm going to have a feathered monkey in my house in a few weeks....

Heres's another - sorry they're twisted - I'm still figuring this out !

My first attempt to share Tanner Logan with you...

I remember reading somewhere that this single-species flock trait of greys may be explained by their relationship to their home habitat. As in : in the sahel and edge of the desert (read : dry conditions) where they are indigenous, their muted coloring helps camouflage them from predators. Another bird of different coloring within that flock could draw attention to the whole group, hence the greys don't allow it. I suppose that since the South American rain forest conditions are more colorful to start with, so multi-colored birds in mixed flocks might not have such an issue. How the red tails figure into this, I don't know :whistle: It's an interesting theory, though. I wonder if cockatoos and budgies and other Aussie (dry terrain) birds are also single-species flockers - anyone know?

I loved reading your stories about the cherries. Here's Maxi's method: the very first time I gave her a cherry, she grabbed it like it she had been waiting her whole life to get it, and immediately dug out the pit and spit it out of the cage!:laugh: She's done that with every cherry since, too. Like she and Bella wrote the book on "the pit must goooooooooo...."

That's an interesting idea, Julie. Let me know how it works out!

You are right, Pat, I think it is wonderful that you are going through this routine with Gizmo just a few weeks before I will be going through it with Tanner - plus your already-multiple-bird-owner wisdom is going to be real ace in the hole for me, I know! Right away you've given me some valuable, practical tips, and I thank you! It sounds like you are doing a terrific job with Gizmo - he really trusts you and is looking to you to lead him. What a lucky birdie he is for his path to have led him to you! I am curious : I know Gizmo is separate from your other birds, but what kinds of reactions are they showing to hearing another bird in the house? Tyco in particular? I have been reading whatever I can find on-line on overcoming cage-bound behaviors, and I have to say most of it seems to be common sense, but it's often so easy to forget common sense in the moment, I think. :whistle: I will be visiting Tanner as often as I can between now and when we bring him home, and I'll take Mary along as much as her busy teenage schedule allows, too, so he can get more used to her as well. We also have two rooms to rearrange : my guest room for his quarantine time, and then the room we call The Adventure Room (where Max and the bunny live), which Tanner will eventually be moving into also. And thank you ALL - Caolyn, Janet, She, Caroline, Jen, Erika, Judy - and yes YOU TOO, Mary - for letting me know you are excited right alng with me. {Love-000200BF}

Well, well, look who's joined the crew! Hi honey!{Love-000200BF} This would be my daughter, y'all - and for a picture of Maximum, see my avatar !

Well, I did it. I have placed a deposit on the severe macaw, and we expect to bring him/her home in about a month, once we've got his cage (which I've also ordered) and everything else he needs and can finish paying for him. :woohoo: Yeehah! :woohoo: It feels so good to stop thinking and start doing! Mary has named him Tanner Logan (we all hve two names around here), We hung out with him for over an hour today, and will probably go back again tomorrow, since I have weekends off. He was Mr. Nippy today, - I can tell he's going to need a patient hand - but he actually got half his body out of his cage at one point. Progress! I can hardly wait to bring him home where we can really relax together. I haven't taken any pictures of him yet, but I will soon! Just wanted to let y'all know the wheels are now in motion! Time to start moving furniture ...

That's great, Marla, that George doesn't seem to mind you misting him or squirting him! Maxi is really pretty happy to shower these days, but I still get a squawk-a-thon when I get out the mister bottle with the aloe juice. And the juice makes their feathers SO soft and wonderful! I'm going to try your method, Judy - maybe she won't mind it so much when she's already wet...

Hi there, my friends and supporters! I just wanted to let you know that (1) the bird's still available, and (2) Mary (my daughter) and I are driving over to the shop tomorrow to meet with the head bird lady there and talk terms. I will undoubtedly be back on here tomorrow afternoon to fill you in. You are right, Jen - I should have known not to expect this crew to talk me out of a move like this (not that I really did expect it, of course....)! As for you, Pat - I feel the same way - I think it's so funny that Gizmo popped into your life right in the middle of my ruminating over this bird. It'll be great to have someone to compare severe stories - and maybe severe/grey stories - with! I am now going to try to concentrate on Halloween and spookiness, followed by a good night's sleep. And BTW: Maxi started saying "thank you" and "hi cutie" today. I consider this a good omen! :silly: :blush: :silly: {{{butterflies}}}

What an excellent post, Carolyn. Both sensible and compassionate. Karma to you!

Wow, Pat - what an improvement! Even the look in his eye is so much mellower. Great job!

You guys are something else! Thank you all so much for your encouraging, supportive replies to my post! I guess I was raised to believe logic was the only legitimate way to approach a decision, and sometimes I am so maddeningly cerebral - it's like I just fail to notice when I've done about all the logic I can do, and it's time to let my instincts have a go. I was awake at 4 this morning again mulling things over, and yes, Carolyn, I have decided that I'm going to check in with the shop this morning, see if the bird is still there, and if so - start negotiating with them. (My horosope even said this morning: "You've thought enough about a decision, now listen to your gut." Isn't that weird?) Heart in my throat! I'll keep y'all posted!

Hear, hear! You are doing a wonderful thing, Pat. So glad to hear Gizmo is thriving in your loving home! {Feel-good-000200BB}

By a severe macaw. Last year, while I was visiting Max several times a week before finally taking her home, I of course also got to know some of the other birds at the store. A few of them are still there, and one, a severe macaw about the same age as Max, took a bit of a shine to me. Although I like to visit the bird room when I go back for supplies, I actually stopped going in there for a while this past summer because it seemed to me that the bird was becoming quite attached to me, and various family circumstances just made it impossible to even consider adopting another high-maintenance "pet" at that point. Things have calmed down some on the home front, and when my mother really wanted to go supply-shopping with me and see the birds six weeks ago, I went back in. The severe recognized me right away, and I confess I have not been able to resist saying hi to him(her?) on my last few visits. Each time I go in, the bird is twice as expressive towards me as the last time. The store has had to reduce its staff (grrrr - this economy....); the main players are still there, but they are overworked, and having to spend more of their time keeping everyone clean and fed and stocked, so the weaned birds are not getting as much handling time as they used to. As a result, this young fellow is a bit cage-bound by now - but he REALLY wants to come out for me (actually he wants me to come into his cage with him....) So many things figure into this decision. I have the physical space for another bird and its cage. I have done a financial analysis, and could afford to maintain another bird, with a bit of rearranging - the upfront cost would be tough, but I bought Max and her equipment in installments, too, so I know I could do it. I have even considered how I would manage if I should be laid off from work - not something I'm expecting, but these days I think we all have to think of that! I know I can't assume Max would be in favor or opposed or even care a hoot, as long as I give her her props as the alpha bird in the household. (Of course I'd love it if they turned out to be company for each other while I'm at work...but I know I can't assume that...) I'm meditating right now on how I would manage my time among my various "dependents" if I should do this. I've read through the MBS thread on here several times recently to help me think through this; also read the good article on the subject in the recent issue of Bird Talk several times... Truth is, I'm literally starting to dream about this bird. My daughter already has him/her named. My gut is pushing me towards it. What am I missing? What do y'all think?

Does anyone else's grey do what I call the twirly head shake? Maxi sometimes does this funky thing with her head that looks like a cross between shaking her head back and forth and trying to spin it 360 degrees - very rapidly. It's often in conjunction with her semi-somersault routine (which entails ducking her head down between her legs until she almost - but not quite - rolls over) - seems to just be playful excitement. Anyone else seen this?