EFGriffith

Yay, great decision!!! =) Glad you feel settled about it now.

I absolutely don't trust this, even if everything checks out. Maybe I'm just a pessimist, but my advice is DON'T DO IT. Greys are expensive, but worth the price you pay for security. With something like this where you can't meet the bird, it'd be easy to get scammed. Hell, if this person is a professional scammer, they may even have a fake vet website or separate cell phone #. Go to a local rescue, check Craigslist, go to a local breeder, hit up a petstore... www.birdcrazy.com That's where I got my Grey from, and (s)he was expensive, but completely worth it. They have three five-month-old babies right now and I've met all of them, they're so sweet. It's a local store, highly reputable, they purchase from trusted local breeders, all the babies are hand-raised, and the birds are handled every day, all day long. There are 2 others not listed on the site, not sure how old they are though. Obviously there are more resources out there, I just wanted to pass along one I trust implicitly. You seem like you really hope this works out, but even if everything seems to check out, there are still ways scammers get your money. Many do this for a living with no other form of income, so they're incredibly skilled at it. BE CAREFUL.

Just a teensy update... Elmo wasn't working out as a name, so we've decided to go with Tango. Ta-da! It just seems to fit much better, rolls off my tongue easier with him and feels more natural. The pups don't stare at him for hours at a time anymore, thank goodness... They've accepted him as part of the family (flock/pack/etc). I'm seeing great progress in the decline of beaking, and he's learning to let me handle his wings, but potty training isn't going so well. Still trying though, and will continue 'til he gets the hang of it! Cutest thing happened earlier today... Tango was hanging out on top of his cage. Hubby (Zach) and the pups were in the bedroom, and I had to ask him something, so I headed in there. I only meant to take a minute, but it ended up being a little longer than planned, and here comes Tango flitting down the hallway! He hopped off the top of his cage and made it airborn almost to the bedroom door! It's like he was seeking out some love =) Also means he'll have to get his wings clipped again soon if he was able to make it that far... I love this little guy! Can't wait to have fun stories like the ones I've been reading about here, like Baxter throwing things -- haha! I've read others tonight too, but that was the most recent so it's fresh in my mind... Hope everyone's having a splendid week!!!

Congratulations, you two! I'm still too new to the game to have any good advice for you, I only brought my CAG home a little over a week ago. The beginning phase of the relationship is awesome, if not trying... Darn beak! But it's been so worth it =) Hope your experiences are rewarding as well; I'm sure they will be!

I was looking around the forum and saw a post where someone said they like to give their Grey warm water in the mornings while s/he is having hot tea. (Sorry, I forget who said it!) It made me wonder what other interesting traditions people have with their Greys. So whether it's daily, weekly, monthly, or even annually, SPILL! I'm curious =)

Hi everybody! I got my Grey about a week ago and feel like we're properly settled in and are bonding quite nicely (except the constant pooping on me... hmmm...). He's only four months old, so I know he's too young to start talking or doing anything too difficult probably, but I don't want his brain to be stagnant just 'cause he's a youngin'. I'd like to get him off to a great start developmentally! Right now he has a rope ladder, a circular calcium toy, a cuttlebone, and paper toys to shred apart. His cage isn't all too big, but he has more than enough room to easily spread out and flutter his wings, climb his ladder, and hop on and off his wooden perch. He doesn't spend a lot of time in the cage anyway. We feed him a pellet-seed-fruit mix and are going to start incorporating fresh veggies on our next trip to the grocery store. What kinds of games can I play with him to keep him happy and exercise that big ole bird brain of his? I want to make sure he's always encouraged to (and rewarded for) learning. And I want to make sure that he has a healthy diet. What advice do you have for someone on her first rodeo?

That second picture is freakin' awesome! Sweet shot!

Nice shot! It's so rewarding to see them flying around like they own the place. It's sweet when they're so comfortable. PS - I see that puppy lurking in the background! No WAY my pups would be that well-behaved about a flying biscuit!

Thank you all SO MUCH for these kind welcomes! It makes me feel at home already =) I can't wait to have time soon to take some pics of Elmo to post. I do photography on the side, but I've never photographed a bird, so this will be a new challenge as well! =)

Hi everybody! Just from what little browsing I've done, this seems to be quite the community to be part of! I'm glad I stumbled my way over =) My name's Erin, and I'm 24 and a first-time Grey owner. Heck, first-time bird owner period if we're being honest! At least my husband Zach grew up around birds. His family had a cocka...teil? too? I can never remember, but she used to fly freely around their house without clipped wings. We have no such plans for our Elmo, as two dogs also call our apartment home. His grandma is definitely into birds, and if I recall correctly, has FIVE Greys. So far I feel lucky to have the one! Our new relationship is only a couple days old, and I must say I'm really looking forward to everything that comes with the lifetime commitment of being mommy to a Grey! He's ("she's?" we're not sure yet) four months old and was hand-raised since hatching. What a little sweetie! Right now he has an adequate cage with three toys and a perch, but in the coming month (as funds return, as obviously Elmo was expensive!) we plan to get him a freestanding perch and more toys. Right now he either hangs out on our shoulders or on top of the cage. I'll also be picking up a couple more toys in the next few days. I probably should stop now, as this is turning into a novella of sorts... I'm just so excited and feel like this is the perfect place to express it. I hope to get to know lots of you here! --Erin (and Elmo!)