BlueCounty

Here's a few pics of Gizmo! On a few of them, you can seethe Tomato juice from the Tomatos he destroyed in his bowl haha

I'm getting him clipped because he's gone straight for the window every time he takes flight. Even though there are vertical blinds covering them he flys straight for them. The thud of it is sickening. Hopefully when he gets used to gliding and his flight feather grow back, I wont have to do it again as he'll be more used to flying and the house.

Hi everyone, Well, I've had Gizmo since Tuesday night and he seems to be settling in just fine. When I open the top of the cage I dont think he could be out any faster, he sits on top of the cage and when I offer a perch he steps onto it then quickly onto my hand. He's took flight a couple more times and is staying in the air longer but still making crashing falls. I think he may have hurt his foot before because he was standing on one foot with the other curled up into his chest? Due to this, I've made an appointment on wednesday to get his flight feather clipped. Will he still be able to glide?? I hope i'm doing the right thing by him :unsure: I hung up a few toys with bells on and it's hilarious seeing him hang upside down hitting them then growling at them haha He's alot more vocal than ever before tonight, he's screeching alot and making noises I havent heard him make. I was doing the ironing on Thursday and as I realised he wouldnt get his 12 hours sleep, I covered him up early whilst I did the ironing. My black sheet doesnt go all the way to the ground.........guess who works his way to the bottom of the cage and peeks his head through? Watching me iron! haha I'm also pleased to say he is really good when I mist him with warm water. He goes all round the cage ill admit but makes the cutest gurgling noises. He doesnt seem to get upset one bit but does stay very quiet and still when drying off I thought he was trying to pluck deather the other day when he turned round to near his tail feathers and pulled them right up, there are no feather at bottom of cage so I guess he's just preening??? Anyway, just thought id give a little update for you all!

Hi everyone, Throughout the day there is always the following available in Gizmo's cage... A) Honey Stick B) Specific Bird Pellet Mix C) Seeds I add fruit when I'm here as I like him to know I'm a source of food. I also hand feed him treats. Should there ALWAYS be food available to him or would it be a good idea to remove all food sometimes then add it when he is having his meal times?? Confused.com:P

Before........ 1) Your baby grey was totally consent to sit on your hand or lap and let you move around with him on your hand without taking off in flight? 2) Flew safely? 3) Flew to you? I'm only on my 3rd day with Gizmo and have no real idea of what the timescales are of these? I really like him sitting on top of his cage but he does worry me when he flys off...(probably just too much enthusiasm) P.s. I'd just like to say a massive thank you to all those who have helped me!

Ive noticed that! When he took flight last night, his little chest was really going and he went straight for the water! lol

He goes in all different directions if I'm honest, he's just flew out of the cage door when we were changing his water, at least he landed on some wall lights so he's getting better at knowing where to go. I just held his body so he couldnt fly and put him back in the cage. I imagine I will end up getting his wings clipped because I dont have any doors from my front door right through to the kitchen (open plan).

Hi everyone, Just wondering if any of you had any tips? Whenever I take Gizmo out of the cage and sit him on my knee, he flys off after a minute or so and ends up going straight for the window even though it has vertical blinds on there?? He's took a few falls already and as I dont want him to hurt himself, I was wondering what your opinion was? I've heard of wing clipping but would he still go crashing into things as when he does fly he doesnt seem to know where to go, so chooses to fly in every direction in a panic...???

Since Gizmo got delivered last night, I've noticed he isnt really drinking his water? The only time he drinks is when I put the cup under his beak? Is there any reason for this? He's eating fruit, sweetcorn,seads,parrot mix and his honeystick fine. Do Grey's drink very little??

Hi everyone, well after a long wait, Gizmo came home last night after a journey of...........30 HOURS!! Yes, the poor little guy has been stuck in the back of a van in a small carrier for 30 hours!! Amazingly, when he was brought into the house, he was chirping away as happy as Larry. This morning I was a little naughty, I came downstairs after he had only been covered for 8 hours....I know, I know they need 12 hours sleep but I wanted to make sure he was OK. Anyway, after giving him a few little treats i managed to get him to stand onto a perch I placed into his cage then he stepped onto my hand!!B) After moving away from the cage, he got a little unsteady and nervous and took flight into the ceiling the landed onto the cabinet, thankfully he was ok and stepped back onto my arm quickly. He's now sat in his cage staring at me and preening himself. What I wanted to know was, after his mammoth jouney, ive noticed his feather are extremely dirty. Would it be ok to give him a quick spray with water? I dont want to scare him yet, so will try and buy a water bottle with a mist option instead of a spray. In fact the little guy has turned his head around away from me now and has shut his eyes!! ahh he's going asleep. So experienced parents, would it be ok to spray Gizmo and give him a little shower??

Hi everyone, Just a quick question. What shall I put in the bottom of the cage when Gizmo arrives tonight? I was thinking cut up newspaper would be fine? Would I put it in the tray where they poop? I'm so inexperienced

Hi all, As I'm waiting for the arrival of Gizmo tonight, I'm thinking of the finer details and was wondering if the water I will be putting into his bowl should be really cold or room temperature? Also is tap water ok??

The cage is being delivered with the bird you see, so it will have to be a long, long 20 minutes in the carrier cage for Gizmo im afraid. I've been waiting ages for the day and its nearly upon us!!

Hi everyone, I'm getting Gizmo (my 1st African grey baby) delivered on Tuesday night and I'm trying to learn as much as possible for his/her arrival. I went out today to buy some food today such as honey sticks & pretty bird african grey food. Also bought a swing and some other food treats. What I really wanted to know was, on your first night with your bird, how did it go? Its getting delivered in a carrier cage and will probably have to stay in there until I set the cage up, would you take the bird out or just let it settle? Did your bird let you handle it on the first night? Was it nervous? Gizmo is a 12 week old baby and I'll make sure I upload some pics later this week. Excited isnt the word!!

I'm so excited to be receiving my first African Grey Parrot next week so just thought i'd make a topic on these clever birds. What's the cleverest thing your bird has done? Did it make you go :ohmy:

Do African Grey's attack house spiders? I'm in a quite an old house and there are quite a few house spiders. Will Gizmo be scared of them or attack them??

When you first got your bird, did you find it was hard to keep your house smelling fresh? I know the old saying is, just open your windows and doors and this wont be a problem when he's in his cage but I do like my house smelling nice? Is there any products out there to freshen the house that are Parrot friendly??

Also, I'm going to be going to work at 8am and get home around 6pm, I dont really want to be putting the dark cover over him two hours after I get home as I want to be able to spend some time together. I also obviously dont want to leave the cover over the bird whilst I'm at work? What would you recommend doing? Will the bird sleep in an empty house? I wanted to leave the kids cartoons on for it whilst I was at work, will it still sleep whilst Im at work if the cage isnt covered? So many questions, sorry!

When I go to bed and turn all the lights off downstairs, my living room is extremely dark, would you still cover the cage up with a sheet? Can you buy specialist sheets? (sorry if thats the most stupid question of the day! lol)

To be honest, I'm not too keen on the idea of clipping wings at all. I'll just make sure that when I'm cooking or have the windows open that he is locked safely in his cage. Thanks for the reply! I cant wait

Hello all, I recently to the decision to to buy an African Grey Parrot from a breeder. The bird will be getting delivered in around 2 weeks and I'm really looking forward to the arrival. I've paid for a full set-up package which includes the cage, food pack, toys, harness, pet carrier and perch and parrot care book. I've got a fairly open lounge through to the kitchen (no doors)and was wondering if it was a good idea to get the birds wings clipped? Also if anyone else has some tips, please feel free to share your knowledge! Another question regarding the bottom of the cage? Do you put sand/newspaper cuttings/grit?? Thanks to anyone who gives advice

Hi everyone, I'm about to receive my first African Grey baby in around 2 weeks and thought it would be a really good idea to join a forum to speak to fellow owners of African Grey Parrots. I'm really excited but also a little nervous. I'm sure I'll be an excellent owner but I want to make sure I have all the knowledge I can, hence me joining this forum. Anyway, just thought I'd say Hi!!