Perch

Welcome Tulip. I am new here as well, only a week, but I have found it a lot of fun to log-on. As far as I can tell, it is a very friendly forum with lots of good info and experience; from a diverse and enthusiastic membership. I have actually sat for a couple of hours reading past threads that go back quite a ways, and got some great tips. It is exciting to hear a new friend is coming your way in Nov. I am wating for the DNA results for my CAG...so we can finally settle on a name!B) I am experimenting with diet, both pellets and produce, so the only thing I can say is, for me at least, it is a slow process. A little of this, a little of that... Posting pictures is easy, but I still haven't figured out the movies section. Good Luck and Have Fun!

I was having no luck at all generating interest in the small plastic toys; even though they are colorful. Heck, I like them LOL. Anyway, I happened across a thread that said something about twine or rope being interesting for the birds. I tied up a knot ball from some twine that I bought for under three dollars. Then I stuck some shelled almonds inside...and it was a hit! Does anyone have other make-at-home toy ideas? I also tried initiating interactive toy play. I can tell this will take a while. Post edited by: Perch, at: 2008/10/13 02:55<br><br>Post edited by: Perch, at: 2008/10/13 02:56

Realizing that I am way new at this, I like to listen to the different points of view, and tips from experience. Especially since no two people...much less birds...are alike. To many dynamics to have one constant set of behaviors. That said my Grey, still no name yet, was perched contently in the kitchen above the sink. He / she stepped up and went with me to sit down for a while and watch some random sit-com in the family room. The bird walked off my hand, into my lap, and covered itself with my flannel shirt. I swear it made a noise that almost sounded like purring. We have had our new friend for 6 days. While he was on my lap, he didn't really want the petting; but he was very happy to be snuggled-in. I think it is also remarkable that it will go to and perch on my 9 year-old son, no problem.

Hi CloudandLuna. Welcome. I guess you could say that we are a part of the same membership class, as I only joined a couple of days ago myself! If you look around you'll see that this forum is a great resource, and very friendly. We are waiting for the DNA test on our new grey as well; so I am holding off on a name till then. Best of luck, your house sounds busy like mine!

I found this thread very interesting, and in particular the thoughts of Animalspirit. I am expressing my fondness for my birds by holding them closely and scratching them. This interaction is almost patently human. Is this the kind of interaction the bird desires...or just us? A feathered philosophical question so-to-speak.

After reading my post this morning, I realize it may be too open ended. It has been a while since I actually posted in a forum setting; and in retro-spect, list style questions can often be annoying to folks on the site. In my exuberence to do the right thing by my new feathered friend, I was asking what not-to-do so I could get on a faster learning curve than the grey. I understand the non over-reacting to bites philosophy, as well as working on early socialization. I was kind of seeking one-liner advice like: "Don't introduce too many new things at one time", or "Don't feed the same treats outside the cage as inside." I had to work this morning, so I got up an hour earlier than normal so I could share some time with my bud before leaving the house. Then I thought, is is good to disrupt the schedule we had started... You get the idea. Anyway, I will try not to be an annoying newbie.:blush:

OK, I did a bunch of reading, and I thought maybe the BEST question I could ask about training and enjoying our young new Grey would be: What are the top no-no's for raising a well-behaved / adjusted CAG? OR, simply put: What NOT to do? Thanks for the help!!

You guys rock. Thanks everybody! The Grey is asleep and my Conure [Gelsa] is in the pocket of my sweatshirt. Time to read some posts :laugh:

We have a great new addition to our family... A CAG born in March 2008. We don't have a name just yet because we are waiting to get the sexing results. So far all is great! There is so much to pay attention to learning all the new bird's body language; and for he/she to learn our household schedule. I just read a potty-trainng post, and I am in AWE that potty-training can be learned by our featered friend. We also have a chippy green-cheeked conure named Gelsa; but the world of greys is totally different. This forum seems lik a great place to share ideas and experiences, since I don't know anyone but me who lives with birds. in fact all my friends don't get it at all. Fortunately, my wife [more of a dog person] encourages my enthusiasum. Of course, the new cage is far bigger than I mentioned it would be :woohoo: my bad!