Crzy4Greys

Hi Dizzybird! I am new here as well and about two years ago I also rehomed an older Grey. She was 15 years old when she came to us. All I can say is patience goes a long way! I am a member of a local parrot society and have had opportunities to hear many people speak on various parrot topics and there is one statement (for whatever reason) that I found quite usefuel: "Show the parrot respect and the parrot will learn to respect and trust you." Learn their body language as this will help you understand your grey better and what your grey might be trying to tell you. Good luck w/ your Grey!

Hi Alex! I'm new here myself. I am currently owned by three congo greys: Rascal, Smeagol and Shadow. I love these guys, but I do agree w/ everyone when they say do your homework and make sure a Grey is for you!

Hi all! I've just uploaded 6 pics in the Photo Album section. Hope everyone had a great weekend!

I've been using Palm Oil for awhile now. I put it on their birdie bread and in their brown rice 'n vege mixture. What I'm trying now is when I spray them down with water, I am using a mixture of 1 tablespoon of 100% aloe vera gel to 1 quart of water. I was using 100% aloe vera juice but someone had mentioned the juice was a bit more acidic than the gel. It's a natural ingredient so I figured, what's the harm? What other methods have you tried for your plucker?

Just wanted to say thank you for the warm welcome! I'll post pics of my fids shortly. These guys are the best and many people think I'm nuts, but hey...who isn't? I am also on a few Yahoo groups and this format is a bit different so it will take me a little bit to get used to it.

Hi everyone! Just wanted to say 'HI' and introduce myself. I am owned by three Greys and one Sun Conure. I've previously had parakeets, cockatiels and macaws and found I prefer my Greys. I bought my first one in 2002 as a baby and named her Rascal. The second one hubby bought for me (there's a story to this one) about a year later who we named Smeagol. Our third Grey is a rehome from someone hubby knew and she is about 17 years old now. Her name is Shadow. My Sun Conure is Goober and she came to us in 2001 as a baby. All were babies when we brought them home except Shadow. My Greys are also pluckers in one form or another. Rascal is starting to let her tail and feathers grow in so I am being very optimistic. IMO it was her first grooming (a little tramatic for her) that began the plucking. It started slowly on the wing at first...then her tail, but now she let her flight feathers on both sides grow in and she has a few tail feathers more than an inch long! Progress! Smeagol we got as a baby but he was plucked to his down feathers on his chest, neck and upper back. The feathers grew in but he will periodically pluck, then let them grow in, remain fully feathered for a short time period, then pluck again. He has never plucked down to the skin though. Prior to Christmas one year, I was going to this bird store every week waiting for a specific toy to be received by the store. I would visit all the birds, especially the babies in the back, when one visit I came upon a Grey baby (the eyes were still dark grey) with only down feathers on his chest, neck and upper back. He had a very good disposition and I would spend about 5-10 minutes each visit. A few weeks later he was gone and my first feeling was "that was my bird!". About a month later (the day before X-Mas Eve) I went to pick up pellets and seed for hubby (I was going on a trip leaving Christmas Day) and guess who I saw back at the store? My Grey! When I asked the woman working why he was back, all she said was that the people who bought him wanted to 'upgrade to a bigger bird'! I think whoever bought him was buying him as a gift for someone and that someone didn't like the fact that he was not fully feathered. My opinion, but I just couldn't shake that feeling. I was actually mad. The next morning (X-mas Eve) I told hubby about this and expressed how mad I was. When I came home from work that evening, he was in my dining room! Shadow is plucked to the skin on her chest. Previous owners allowed her out of the cage alot until the leather couch and later their baby. The owner finally decided to look for another home before she began to mutilate. She loves head scratches and any progress being made with new feathers is very slow. I'm being optimistic w/ her as I do see new growths coming in (although she usually plucks them within a few days)and she has a bit more down feathers than when she first came to us. Well, I think that's a pretty long introduction. I'm crazy about my Greys and am looking forward to corresponding w/ others who feel the same.