EFGriffith

AMAZING, this is everything I needed to know. That you SO MUCH for such quick responses! You're helping me make Tango one happy birdie =)

I think it's really sweet that you're looking at this from the bird's angle as well and worried about his feelings. Too many people just get angry when their bird doesn't react the way they want him/her to. Karma to you for being so patient and for reaching such a great milestone!

What a beautiful post. It's so sweet to think about a bird wanting affectino from you, not just being an independent creature that entertains itself. They really are like little ones

Just curious, because there's no author name. My baby's name is also Tango and I'm just wondering who else on the forum has a baby with the same name =)

Hi, all! I'm making a shopping trip to Home Depot Wednesday to hopefully pick up all the supplies I need to make Tango a brilliant PVC perch. (Well, it will be my first attempt, so probably far less than brilliant...) The thing is, I need to know how to do this safely. There's a particular kind of rope I need, right? What is it? And what about gluing things on it? Also, how do you disinfect ROPE...? What are some of the initial safety precautions I need to be aware of as I'm purchasing, sterilizing, constructing, and introducing the perch?

Heather, I'd say the nerves are totally normal. Everyone's replies are outstanding, I just wanted to add that I had the nerves as well. I'd been contemplating getting a Grey for just over a year. It was shortly before I found Tango that I decided I was ready, and had no idea I would meet him the day I did. I was SO NERVOUS when I initiated the conversation with the salesgirl about wanting to take him home, because I knew this was an enormous commitment. I told myself it was just the nerves, and that I really had put the time & thought into it, calmed myself down, and brought him home. I couldn't be happier with my decision, for better or for worse I'd say the nerves are perfectly natural.

This is amazing! This whole post just goes to show how smart these little critters are. I'm absolutely amazed and can't wait for my little one to start picking up on stuff like that. Well, I can wait... 'cause when that happens it means he's growing up!

What an adorable little camera hog! I'm very much looking forward to the day when Tango lets me do this with him.

I have no advice... Just wanted to give a post to let you know that someone out there cares. I'm glad things went better last night!! Hopefully the toy was the perfect answer =)

Awh, look at the pretty little itty-bits! I'm happy for all of you =)

Yay, I'm so happy for you and Chloe! The excitement of bringing home a new baby... I missed out on that part, haha. Had no idea that when I went to the pet store, after a year of wanting a Grey of my very own, that I'd meet Tango and get to bring him home =) If I were you I'd be beside myself buying little pressies and making plans, hehe.

I would LOVE to look at your photos! Alright, here we go... They're super cute =) I really like #12, Bugs. 14. of the chick is cute too. What can I say, I like critters... The owl in 20, the ape in 21, the MOON in 23! I'm so glad you posted that one in black & white. The baby in the person's hand on 28, the perplexed looking turtle in 29... I'm really getting a kick out of all of these. And those were only the album covers! I'll absolutely have to drop back in and check them out more in-depth when I have more time. I love looking at other people's photography. Makes me wonder why I'm a psych major and not a photog...

Not quite, but I met the sweetest little baby whose mom had actually bitten its toes off as a newly hatched youngin'. Maybe it was the dad, not sure... Obviously it wasn't able to use perches or anything, but it hobbled around the bottom of the perch stand the other birds were using, had food available, and loved cuddling more than any of the others. So even if sideturny-foot doesn't have the best balance (which I'm not sure about), just remember there's a perfectly good little heart in there! =) I can't help but remember all the time what a sweetie the little one with no toes was.

Here's my two cents as a new Grey mom! I'm learning that it takes longer for Greys to trust than lots of other animals, so don't rush into training or anything that might be unpleasant. The members here are helping me to see that the first order of business seems to be gently loving your bird until a tight bond has been established and giving the bird time to adjust to its new surroundings and trust you.

Heather, any time you want to get down & dirty talking about photography, I'd love to exchange tips! I'm actually giving an amateur photography lecture Thursday, so it's a topic I always love to teach/learn about. You caught some great "moments" with these photos, and that's what it's all about! Well that and the cute new name Cheers!

Thank you so much to everyone who is helping me out here. Like I said, I'm new. If I didn't care about the bird, I wouldn't be posting and asking questions. Sure, I'm a little afraid of looking dumb in front of everyone who knows so much, and it's especially hard to admit my mistakes so publicly! But it's better for me to look dumb and ask than to do anything to accidentally harm my bird or our relationship in the long-run. I think the new plan is to take some time to just love him. Let him eat his seeds, learn to trust me, give him lots & lots of cuddling and time perched on my knee or hand. Then once we've established that relationship I'll start with introducing new foods and the rest of what goes into having a healthy, well-adjusted companion. I've only ever had dogs before and was used to their immediate trust. Time to start back from square 1 and give him some time to settle in. I'm absolutely devoted to this relationship and understand now that I was rushing things, so it's time to slow down. CASPER: Thanks for sharing the knowledge from your experiences. A concrete perch is a great idea, and is probably a much more natural way to go than having his nails clipped. BAXTERSMOM: I like how you compared us feeling overwhelmed to his feeling overwhelmed. That's probably the situation I'm in right now. I might be trying to hard to show I love him, when all I really need to do is give him some cuddles and head scratches :kiss: LYRIC: He always watches with curiosity when I eat the things I offer to him. I think I just have to give him more time to trust me and know that I'm not trying to play some sort of food "trick" on him. DAVE: I'd never try to clip his wings myself! And I understand that their lifespan is 50+ in a healthy, happy bird. I think we had some miscommunication, so I sent you a PM :blush: Hope I clear things up for you!

I'm definitely a beginner when it comes to raising little birdies... Tango is 4 & 1/2 months old, and I've had him for about 2 weeks now. He likes to be held, will cuddle a little and loves head scratches. I'm not sure how well we're bonded though, because every time I try to introduce him to something new, he FREAKS. He still bites a little bit when we play together, not all the time, but every now & then for what seems to be no reason at all. Just out of nowhere he'll bite. Somtimes he beaks gently, other times it's hard, but he's never broken the skin at least. I put him in "time out" for 5 minutes when he does. Here's the thing... I try to introduce him to new experiences and he gets angry. I've dripped water on him a couple times and he always screeches like it's the end of the world. I've had him 2 weeks and haven't been able to give him a proper bath. He doesn't take to bird baths himself, so I used a towel to drip water on him today and he tolerated it, but screeched like he was dying. I set him on top of his cage to clean up the sink area and when I came back to try and hold him, he wouldn't let me pick him up, just lunged at me and screeched. He's never been this angryat me Seems as though bathtime was pretty traumatic for him, and I absolutely hate it happened that way, but I couldn't figure out any other way to clean him I'm not sure if I'm hurting our bonding process, but it's been 2 weeks and he hadn't had a bath, which I'm sure isn't healthy either. He also doesn't eat anything but seeds, just tosses everything else aside. I want him to live more than 10-15 years! I've read some other threads on this though and plan to start a new feeding pattern tomorrow. I've also been trying to handle his wings & feet so in the future nail-trimming and wing-clipping (if we go with that route) will be easier. Should I stop trying to introduce new things for a couple days and just focus on love? I don't want him to be scared to come out of the cage for me, but at the same time, I want him to be able to handle basic birdie life experiences.

Dave, you really captured the story here! :woohoo: Heather, your post is worded to sound like a "coming out" party of sorts, haha. It sounds like your birdie had a sex change! Well, I suppose she did, even if only in our minds :cheer: Congratulations on a beautiful name, and a great set of "coming out" pictures! Oh yeah, and I have a D40. I used to use a Canon... I forget what specifically, but it was top-of-the-line about 2 years ago when I used it for work. It's hard to get used to the downgrade, but I don't find much problem with it as long as I'm cropping in-camera and not in Photoshop. From your shots, the only ones that look even a little off are the ones that are cropped, but the subject matter is still beautiful Love this thread!

Ooohhhh, congratulations on bringing home baby! Be sure to tell us the story of bringing "her" home, figuring out a name, acclimating her... I get excited when I see people bringing home new little ones and coming to this forum. I tend to think most of the people who would come to an online forum specifically made to chat about their bird(s) are the kinds of people who are going to be great pet-parents. I'm so happy for you =)

What a cute set-up for a bird room! Hubby and I are in a tiny little one-bedroom apartment right now, so there's definitely not space for a bird room... But when we do have space, I want something like that cargo net/rope/hammock/basket thing!

Congratulations on how well things are going so far! It's always sweet to see a match made!

Geeeez, good job keeping this away from Monty. What irresponsible toy-making!

That's adorable! I've been debating getting one for Tango the past couple days, but when I went to the local pet store they didn't have one big enough. Just the little cockateil ones =( That looks super cozy.

I'm over-cautious as well, especially since the price matches the other person's price. It's rare to find someone selling a Grey for so little, especially with everything included. But maybe you've just stumbled upon a good deal! Make sure you do everything in person. (I think my best skill as a person is worrying about others' integrity... Errr...) If this works out, I'm amazingly happy for you!

My vote goes for Gabby. I think it's a cute name for a talkative little Grey! =)