LindaMary

Congratulations, Carol - only a few more hours to go!

Maxi went one better, pippi - she GOT my nose stud (it's just a straight-in type, with a back) - just surgically snatched it right off my nose without even scratching me! :ohmy: :ohmy: :ohmy: Of course I was panicking lest she swallow it - but fortunately I found it on the floor a minute or two later. Only after I'd found it and was breathing again, knowing she was safe, did I consider the lesson I'd learned about not having her that close to my face...

Wow, Pat! COngratulations to you and to Emma's parents! And I'm so glad to hear taht it seems like little Adaya is going to be okay! Boy, you really did have a day of it yesterday, didn't you! WAY too much excitement! Now have a nice relaxing weekend....

Yes, those beautiful mockingbird songs... Did you know they are in the same family as nightingales? Great article, David - thanks for sharing!

Welcome to your new name, Jeepers! That's so wonderful, Pat, that you've let him choose his new name! I wish I could hear him singing Jeepers Creepers!

Yes, birdlover, you are absolutely doing the right thing. What I think you need to focus on right now is really vetting the "several people" who may be interested in re-homing Rico. If it were me trying to do this, I would first sit myself down and try to shift my view of my own role into that of a really caring foster parent. You want to be as sure as you can that the next home Rico goes to will be a home he can really stay in. Make sure they understand what you now understand: the daily time commitment required; the need for interaction and for patience; the mess and the expense - in addition to all the really cool things about greys that a lot of people have heard about by now. Easy to say - hard to do! I completely understand your doubts and that this is really a pretty painful decision for you. Yes, you will probably miss him. But I think within a short period of time you will probably also feel much relieved, and that you have really done right by him. Good for you for coming here and going through this difficult process in the forum. I can tell you are really struggling; and exposing yourself to possible judgement and discomfort in order to arrive at the right thing for Rico. Karma to you.

I agree with lovemygrey - eat WITH your bird, and make sure she sees that the fruits and vegetables you are eating are what you are enjoying the most. There's a lot to be said for the "modelling behavior" approach. I am even doing this with pellets, trying to convert my two, with slow success. The vegetables were easiest for my TAG to convert to, but it will just probably take time. Your bird is very young. Be patient - it may take weeks, but just keep giving her a variety, and she will start to explore eventually. Good luck!

Their eyesight must really be quite amazing. I have skylights in the room the birds are in, and whenever Max is suddenly quiet and still (or in fact, skewing her head to look up) I always eventually see some tiny way-up-hi bird or plane that she is watching through the skylight. It can be a TINY speck, but she's on it!

Nice pictures, Nick! Is that your blue front amazon as well? I love the photo of Partner, and the one of the dirt track leading into the big old trees...

Hi Sameera! I'm so glad you felt you could return to us so soon, and so glad to hear you have a new bird in your life. I love budgies! I actually think your new little friend is just playing. I had a budgie for 11 years who used to do this all the time. He finally figured out how to do a real somersault around his perch when we were travelling in my car (something about the motion of teh car seemed to help...). But did a lot of littel things like this. In fact, Maxi my grey also does it, I have noticed. I thinkit's just one of those loopy things some birds make up for fun. Keep us posted, eh? What's your budgie's name?

He looks like a mockingbird to me, too. You should know soon - looks like he's fledging!

Congratulations, Pat! I know you'll love it, and I'll bet Tyco will, too. Take some of your famous pictures for us!

That is so cute! Ziva sounds like a HUGE character! :woohoo:

I somehow missed this post, too, Janet - and I'm also so proud of you and thrilled for you! Boy, you have really stepped up to a challenge, haven't you? The-Parrot-Soon-To-Be-Formerly-Known-As-Butch is certainly a beautiful boy, and I will be curious to hear how his rehabilitation progresses. I also like the name Jade and I don't think it's too girly at all. Good for you for opening your heart and your home to this bird. Keep us posted on Ana's reaction, too!

This is a great thread, Dan! You're getting karma from me, my friend! A few days ago I was sitting on the floor with our rabbit (Snowball, a.k.a. "Bunny-boo", a.k.a. "Bubboo") treating a sore eye he has developed - as Maxi sat on the door to her cage watching and emitting a running chatter of "Bubboo okay? Okay? Bubboo?" Tanner, of course, decided that conditions were perfect for him to crawl down the outside of his cage and start sneaking over to bite my toes, since he considers human toes to be a particular delicacy. I saw what he was up to, and said to him "No you don't, Tanner", "Don't you bite my toes, Tanner..." as he's sidling across the floor, beak extended, watching me with one eye to see if I'm actually going to stop him, (since my hands are full of rabbit...). The suspense mounts...he's getting closer...:ohmy: and then: "Taaannnnnnnerrrrr - noooooooooooo!" from Maxi! :P Glad to have her in my corner!

I am so glad Clyde has found a home with you, Dawn. I think you are the angel he (and his previous "owner")needed. He looks strong, and with your help I am sure he will overcome any health issues he has. Thank you for the photos! Welcome, Dawn and Clyde!

That's a very good point, Dave, and bears repeating. You are absolutely right, of course. With Max, it's almost always clear to me (if I'm paying attention) why I have been bitten: it's ME - or something in the environment that surprised both of us. With Tanner the Severe it is less obvious, and there are those who would have me believe it is his issue more than mine. Still my skin, tho!:pinch: :pinch: So it behooves me to work on going to another level in trying to figure out what brings on the bite from this boy.... I think I should just feel lucky to have one Logical Bird - a Grey!:woohoo:

:P I figured I'd get some good stories in here! And thank you, Dave, for verifying for those of us wearing band-aids that there's a certain element of inevitability in this. Makes me feel a LITTLE better, I suppose...:whistle: It certainly seems like a bird-to-bird thing, from what I am reading. I have to admit, Max is pretty predictable. When she has bitten me, it's usually because I was breaking The Rules somehow; putting my hand in her space when it wasn't welcome. I have also learned to really limit her time in front of my keyboard, because she seems to have recently decided that my computer is her territory and I am not allowed to interfere with her chewing on mouse cords, etc. Overall, though, she almost always warns me with some other body language, and hasn't drawn blood from me in a while (maybe because I know that body language....) Now Tanner, on the other hand, is living up to the severe macaw's Jekyll-and-Hyde reputation. He has come a LONG way in the 6 months he's lived with us, but he still has two brains in that fuzzy little skull of his, and both of them involve his beak. He'll be begging for beak-rubs and tummy-tickles one second and then turn and give me a really hard pinch out of nowhere, or suddenly start his wing-flcking, head-bobbing, eye-pinning routine in the middle of cooing and croaking love-nothings at me. I gather from chatting with some other severe macaw owners on another forum that this is pretty common with severes. Suffice to say: I still haven't really learned what sets him off, and not sure I will. I am also still the only person he willingly goes to ever, tho we are working on setting him on Mary (my 13-y.o. daughter)- and interestingly, tho he fights moving to her arm, he has never bitten her. Go figure....

I think you should build on the fact that he seems to like the shower room. First of all: he's away from his cage, so he may be more tractable and easy to handle in there. I have a shower perch in my shower, and I started out by just letting Maxi sit on that and watch how much fun I was having in the shower a few times. I didn't even try to get her wet at first: just let whatever spray happened to land on her land on her, but I made a point of hogging the water for myself and made a big deal out of how much fun I was having in it. Then on about the fourth day, I stepped her up, said "One - two - three..." and then "whheeeeeeee!" as I ran her whole body under the shower stream before she could think what I was up to. Did this several times, leaving her in the stream longer each time, before putting her back on her shower perch. She adapted pretty quickly, really. To this day, she still grumbles when I ask her to step up off that perch, but she steps up anyway. I also still use the "One - two- three..." lead-in, I guess to try to let her feel like she's in some kind of control, as in she knows what's coming next. But she learned pretty quickly that showers aren't deadly and actually kind of feel good. She still HATES the mister, BTW - no matter where I use it, and no matter what's in it (water or aloe juice). BITEBITEBITE that mister:evil::angry::evil: :angry:

Hey all, I know there are some of you who say you have never been bitten by your parrots. I for one would like to know what you're doing that's special! So... Who's in this club? (I confess that, sadly, I am not!):whistle:

SO glad to hear Lily's doing better! That must be a great relief to you. Thanks for keeping us posted!

Wow - thanks for the warning, Mrs B!

I think this story fits in this thread... Just a couple of weeks ago, Maxi was sitting on my shoulder while I was scratching the bunny's nose through his cage bars. The bunny's name is Snowball, but we almost ALWAYS call him "Bubboo" (short for Bunny-boo). Well, Max looks at me that morning and says for the first time: "Bubboo?" 'Course, I laughed and made a fuss... Well, in the same time frame, the rabbit has been having some trouble with an eye: possibly a plugged tear duct. We have been putting ointment in it twice a day for 10 days or so - all of which occurs in full view of Maxi. I decided yesterday the ointment wasn't really doing the trick, so I brought in his carrier and starting hauling him out of his cage to take him back to the vet. From over my shoulder, I hear: "Bubboo - okay?" At first I though I was just hearing things, but when I turned, there she was, intently watching me messin' with her pal - and she proceeded to repeat for me: "Okay? Bubboo okay? Bubboo okay?" :P Yes, I assured her Bubboo would be okay. Lucky bunny!

That's just awesome, Pat! I feel like this is a real breakthrough. Let's hope the friendship keeps on from there! Tyco, you sweet thing, after all you went through before Pat found you, you kept that big-sister soul in you the whole time. And Adaya knows it's there, apparently!B)<br><br>Post edited by: LindaMary, at: 2009/04/25 13:14

I planned right from the outset to have my 13-year-old daughter Mary share the care of Maxi (whom we got at age 6 months). It turns out I spend a lot more time with her (and do 90% of the work), and before long Maxi clearly preferred me, although she would always go to Mary if I passed her to her. But once we got Tanner, and I had to share my time between the birds, Mary's stock rose with Max again, and now it's sometimes clear that Max would really rather hang out with Mary than with me. Mary's friend Brianna (14 y.o.), who is a frequent presence in our house and loves all animals, is almost as apt to be holding Maxi as Mary is. Maxi is a Timneh, and pretty mellow, but won't let just anyone hold her - it's always interesting to see who she picks. Tanner on the other hand is working on living up to the severe macaw rep of being a real one-person bird. I'm working on training him out of that, but it's definitely an uphill battle!