annmarie73

I would recommend never leaving your CAG alone. I never leave Sterling alone. If I am not around he is always left with at least one cat to keep him company, so he never feels like he is being abandoned. I am guessing he sees all of us, (him, me and my cats) as being one little flock.

Sterling can't get enough of his Popeye's chicken bones. EXTRA SPICEY He has a thing for the rice and beans too. {Nature-0002009A}

Madness ~ My parrot is a rehome and he is free from baggage. I had no prior bird experience aside from wild injured birds that I attempted to rehabilitate with the intent to release back into the wild. I have no idea how old Sterling really is and either does the vet, but I am guessing he is probably over 15 years old. I didn't go shopping for a bird. God just sent him into my life. I have always admired African Greys for their intelligence and beauty ever since childhood, but I didn't ever feel right about buying one, but rescuing was always an attractive option. I would definitely say go for the rescue bird, because thus far my experience has been a VERY positive one. MUCH LOVE, ANN MARIE & STERLING {Nature-0002009A}

Again, I am trying to get a different perspective. Clearly there is a distinction being made between good breeders versus bad breeders. What criteria do you use to determine this distinction? Looking forward to hearing your reasons.

{Communicate-0002011B} I understand that not everyone is going to have the exact same definition of a good/bad breeder. But I have noticed that comments like "find a good breeder" are commonly shared with someone who is looking for an African Grey. If someone is instructed to go to a good breeder what should they be looking for to know if in fact they are a good breeder? ***** Looking forward to your responses ***** MUCH LOVE, ANN MARIE & STERLING {Nature-0002009A}

{Nature-0002009A} Thank you Carolyn and Mika for your input. Any other input would be great! Looking forward to more responses that address the question!

I am trying to get the other point of view about good breeders and I am trying to understand the difference between a good and bad breeder. Your insight would be much appreciated! {Love-0002011E}

I probably should.

{Love-000200C2} Would you say a good breeder is a breeder who takes responsibility for the birds s/he breeds and sells when the new owner is for whatever reason unable to keep the new parrot purchased no matter what age the bird is? Also, including all parrots he was responsible for breeding and selling that self mutilate or demonstrate other difficult behaviors. or Would you say that a good breeder is defined as someone who takes back only the birds that are "re-sellable" with a non-return policy for "non-re-sellable" parrots? Looking forward to your ideas on this matter! MUCH LOVE, ANN MARIE & STERLING {Nature-0002009A} Post edited by: annmarie73, at: 2008/11/30 01:58<br><br>Post edited by: annmarie73, at: 2008/11/30 02:08

Great points Dave! I am beginning to see that going cageless is NOT a very popular notion, at least in this forum. I have been visiting other boards with more varied ideas on the subject, but I can definitely see your point about the dangers of going cageless. Redkim is an avid researcher, so I am sure she will explore all of her options before deciding on which route to take as she embarks on her grey journey. She seems to be a very level-headed lady, who is out to do the right thing. MUCH LOVE ~ ANN MARIE and STERLING {Nature-0002009A}

(in reference to the common sense comment) Not enough can be said about decorum ~ I thought this was a safe zone for learning and sharing. By the way, I would never even consider keeping a two year old in a cage. Why not look on craigslist for a cage or perhaps EBAY? No one likes getting ripped off. :angry: MUCH LOVE ~ ANN MARIE & STERLING {Nature-0002009A}

Any thoughts on going cageless?<br><br>Post edited by: annmarie73, at: 2008/11/20 21:18

Hello Redkim ~ You should blow up some pictures of the cages and show them to the grey, and see which one s/he gravitates towards. You have to hold them all up at the SAME time (obviously). Do the test a bunch of times and see what happens. I am guessing s/he will have a favorite. You would have to do this BEFORE you bring him home ~ you are right ~ he should have the cage ready when you bring him home ~ unless if you want to go the cage-less route. I have oftentimes been tempted to take this path. To find out the grey's preferred color maybe you should bring in different colored blocks (green, gold or whatever colors you are debating for the cage) and have the grey do the choosing. Throw all the blocks in his cage and the grey should pick up the one it likes best. Of course, do it a bunch of times to be sure of his favorite. I wonder if anyone has ever tried this method before?!?! B) I am pretty sure these tests wouldn't work that great if the grey was still in its egg ~ just another reason to get an older, more mature, grey. {Nature-0002009A}

Hi Redkim ~ Perhaps you should let the grey decide. You know possibly run a few tests for color and shape preference and let the grey do the choosing. The grey is the one who will have to call it home. Just try to get a feel for what the grey likes and go with it. Let the lil' one be a part of the decision making process. Let him know he has a say in things and that his feelings are valuable. These are hallmarks for any solid relationship. {Nature-0002009A}

Welcome Redkim ~ Wow you have really have some SUPER questions, and I appreciate that. It seems like most people don't bother to investigate the essentials before taking on a new family member. Clearly you have A LOT of experience with animals and you seem to want to do the RIGHT thing, which would mean getting a bird (s) from a rescue. I am hoping that with Obama as president the crackdown on indiscriminant bird breeding will begin. There are just way too many unhappy birds who have resorted to yanking out their feathers by the beakful to justify all the breeding that goes on. Not to mention the fact that bird rescues are full and are forced to turn away unwanted birds every day. I wonder what happens to the birds that don't get accepted into rescues? My Sterling, who is a rescue bird, does not take too kindly to being told that rescue birds tend to have baggage. {Communicate-0002011A} His motto is, "Everybody is somebody, and every bird is some bird." *** Clever little bird, I know. ** Anyway, welcome to our little forum where everybody is able to express themselves openly ~ it is a very accepting group. May your journey be an enjoyable one. Much Love, Ann Marie {Nature-0002009A} ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~<br><br>Post edited by: Talon, at: 2008/11/13 03:36

Hey Trever ~ Congratulations on taking on a special challenge. I have had my CAG for almost two years now, and he was neglected at his last home. At first he suffered from separation anxiety, which he demonstrated by screaming frantically when I left him alone in his room. Eventually that stopped when he realized I was committed to our relationship. He is a rescue bird and I have no idea how old he is, but age is not a factor. With patience and constancy you will be able to gain Sassy's trust and once you do you will not be disappointed. These birds are not dimwitted and they know that trust must be earned. Bear in mind that she is a sensitive bird and you must learn to read her cues, and she will let you know when she is comfortable moving to the next step in your relationship. Be patient ~ and you will have a very affectionate bird friend for life. {Nature-0002009A}

Anyone have any good recipes for Greys?

George is so beautiful or should I say Georgina ....

Good for you Pat! That bird needs you to give him a good life. Give him lots of love, because he deserves it. I am sure the previous owner will be thrilled as well. Consider yourself blessed by the Creator of the universe. Proverbs 12:10 A righteous man has regard for the life of his animal, But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.

How adorable ~

Great job Dave! B)

I have had my grey for almost two years now. He is such a joy to have around. Strangely enough I have four cats, and he just happens to be a cat lover! He is a blessing from God. As far as his age ~ that remains a mystery. The vet guesses six years, but admitted they really have no idea. I think he is older, because he is so smart. He is a rescue, so his past is quite mysterious, which makes him that much more lovable.

Bird breeding should be illegal. Definitely part of the problem and NOT part of the solution. The bird rescues are so full that they have to turn away birds all the time. Please rescue a bird in need and educate others. Most importantly stop supporting these breeders.

Poor birds. I hope someone educates them on the over abundance of birds and the great need for bird rescue. Bird breeding is completely senseless, except if done to preserve an endangered species. Just do a simple Google search and see how these birds yank out their own feathers, because they are forced to live so unnaturally. I hope they make bird breeding illegal. It is a blight on humanity. So cruel and so senseless.

It is so good to hear that more and more people are waking up to the reality that bird breeding is senseless when there are so many birds already here that need loving homes. I hope they make bird breeding illegal. Go to petfinder.com and check out all the birds that have resorted to mutilating themselves and are waiting in rescues for homes. It is even sadder to know that hardly any rescues ever have room to take in birds. Bird breeding should only be allowed for preserving the species. Otherwise it should be illegal. Good luck with your new bird!