Goralka08

BaxtersMom wrote: Since Erika and I live in the same county...I'm preparing for 8-12 inches of snow, too! I'm actually excited because I don't have to be anywhere tomorrow anyways! I'll be drinking hot cocoa, playing with Kenzie, cleaning, cleaning, and more cleaning. The house is not disastrous, but I figured that I should get a head start since we'll have family over at our house for this Christmas Eve.

Our McKenzie does this too! She even dunks her pellets in there to soften them. I gave her some spinach today and all she did was throw them in her water bowl, look at them for a few minutes, and then took them all out and threw them on the bottom of her cage! She must not like baby spinach leaves lol. On her play top, she even dunks her her wooden chew toys to soften them I guess. The funniest thing is when she throws a walnut into the water, and I telling her that it's not going to get any softer! Then the fishing it out part is also amusing.

Hi again. I know I'm not as experienced as all the other grey owners here because we've only had McKenzie since Dec. 7th, but it's worth a shot to share my experience to try to help ya out! When we first saw Kenzie, the first thing she did was bite my mom's hand when she was by her travel cage! So I asked her foster dad if she had any cage aggression or gives off any signs when she'll bite. He frankly said, "No not really." Now that we've had her for almost 2 weeks, we are noticing a lot of signs that she gives off...thanks to the parrot seminar classes we took to adopt her. They taught us about eye pinning. It's when their pupils dilate and constrict rapidly. So you'll see the dark of their eyes change sizes really fast. Greys will do this when they're excited or when they're aggressive. Kenzie's eyes will pin when she is playing or eating a treat. If her eyes pin when she isn't playing or eating...it means she doesn't want to be bothered and she WILL bite! So the next time you change the paper, pay attention to George's eyes and see if he gives off any signs of being crabby lol. Also, the bites are probably out of fear. Kenzie will bite if you put your hands in her cage, so we let her climb out onto her door by herself, and then she will step-up only if her eyes aren't pinning. If her eyes are pinning, I don't even bother and let her climb up onto her play top by herself. Have you tried feeding George with your hands? Try sitting near the cage and talking softly. Then eat a piece of fruit or veggie near his cage and let him watch you, and then slowly offer him a little piece as if you're showing him that you want to be apart of his flock. I hope all goes well and I'm thinking of you and George!

Hi Lex and welcome! I'm from the USA, but I'm British and Irish if that counts?! hehehe I'm glad we didn't have to think of names because our TAG was adopted and came with a name. But we can all help you decide if you narrow it down to 3? Maybe post a poll? hahaha You're getting a Hahn's Macaw, too?!?! You're so lucky! Hahn's Macaws are such beautiful birds and can be quite the hams. Keep us updated!

Hi Lex and welcome! I'm from the USA, but I'm British and Irish if that counts?! hehehe I'm glad we didn't have to think of names because our TAG was adopted and came with a name. But we can all help you decide if you narrow it down to 3? Maybe post a poll? hahaha You're getting a Hahn's Macaw, too?!?! You're so lucky! Hahn's Macaws are such beautiful birds and can be quite the hams. Keep us updated!

I don't get it. Is your bird splitting his own flight feathers, or they are already split, or did it break a blood feather and it's bleeding? I know that if our grey is being clumsy and slips and hits a feather, then it frays a little. Is this what you're talking about? Or if the cage is too small and the tail feathers hit the bars, the the tail feathers will split and fray.

We were lucky that we didn't have to pull our hair out for days trying to think of names for our TAG, because she is adopted from a rescue/adoption center and already had a name. Her name is McKenzie and we liked it. We call her "Kenzie" for short.

Type: TAG Sex: Female Age: between 10-15 years old (calculated by how many years she was with owner who passed away) Feathers: ZERO feather destruction and no plucking

Thanks, you too!

Fun things your grey has done today or FUNNY things your grey has done today? lol Kenzie was hanging off the bottom of her cage, like a bat, and she lost grip and starting flying like a wild woman....she flew right into the Christmas tree! It was only funny because she didn't get hurt. She was just chillin' there and then got pissed at the branch and started pecking it. She always knows we're to the rescue because she sticks her hand out like, "Help me!" hehehe

Uh. I would show a pic to an avian vet and get their recommendation. Usually beaks only need to be trimmed if they have abnormal growing. Our adoption agency recommended a variety of perches in the cage, like rope, wood, sandy, and cement. Do you ever notice how birds rub their beaks on their perches after they eat? Well, this is where the help of a sandy or cement perch will help trim the beak on its own. It also helps their toenails!

I only have 1 grey, so I don't see the cage swapping there. I do see cage swapping with our canaries, though! It's funny because one of our canaries named "Stumpy" was a rescue with no foot/ 1/2 a leg and so he has special square perches and a food platform, but he tries to go into big boy "Sunny's" cage and use his perches, but he can't stand on them so well and starts flapping his wings! It's too cute. We don't have any female canaries, but the male canaries are the nest builders. We put a little nest in for Sunny because he kept trying to build a nest in his coup cup and making a mess of his fruits and veggies in there. One day I walked in and saw Stumpy sitting in the nest! Maybe he was a bit confused that he isn't a SHE! hahaha

Those are some beautiful pictures and what a lucky Tinkerbell! After hearing the story of Andrew and his CAG, Tui, I don't think I'd ever take the chance. Could you imagine bonding with a bird for years and then to never see it again? Do you put a harness on her? In one of the photos it looks like there is a string under her, but I can't tell.

Hi and welcome to the board! First of all, good for you for rescuing Roscoe and taking good care of him. We just got our first TAG a week ago and she was, too, adopted. However, we were lucky that she knows step-up and was handled a little. She isn't completely settled in yet and bites HARD! But we're working with her and she is definitely coming around. When you open his cage door to see if he will come out, are you standing near? Maybe you should try opening the door, sitting on the floor, and talking softly to him. Will he take any fruits, veggies, or nuts from your hand? Offering food from our hands and talking softly seems to be working with our rescue. Keep us updated on Roscoe's progress and patience is a virtue. Nothing is going to happen overnight, but a little progress each day or week will make a HUGE difference over the years to come.

Welcome Caitlin and Slater! Your CAG looks beautiful! Ah the life of a college student...it's fun yet torturing at the same time! I love animals, but I don't think I could ever become a vet because I cry when I see animals in pain and especially when the good ones get put to sleep for no reason, other than nobody will adopt them. :'( Happy Holidays!

Hi and welcome Pass135! Opal is a pretty name for a grey. I, too, have a female grey! When you use photobucket, there will be 4 codes...use the last code (the IMG Code) after you resize your photo. I think medium size would be appropriate for forums.

casper wrote: Wow! The schools were closed with only that much snow?! Here in Michigan, we're lucky to get school off when we get even 6-8 inches!

:whistle: I've read (on several sites) that microwave popcorn fumes are toxic to birds....I'm guessing from the internal heating mechanism they contain. One site is here:http://www.ohboyparrotfood.com/articles/holiday-food-and-kitchen-safety-for-parrots.html Now, is a microwavable pot pie w/ those metal browning tops going to be toxic too? We already know about Teflon toxins, etc...but now we're being paranoid about EVERYTHING since McKenzie just came into our home. We have 2 canaries that were housed in the same spot that McKenzie is right now, and I swear (99% sure) that my dad has cooked the same pot pie and nothing happened to our small song birds. But we just want to be on the safe side with our new grey. Thanks in advance for all your responses!<br><br>Post edited by: Goralka08, at: 2008/12/09 01:18

MCKENZIE IS HOME!!!! :woohoo: We were in Cleveland, Ohio for 2 days this weekend to attend our last parrot education seminar and to meet McKenzie. From what we were told, there were 3 other families interested in her. We were told that we'd meet her and then they'd decide on what is best for her. After meeting us (home interview in Michigan) and seeing us handle her today, they unexpectedly let us adopt her on the spot!! :silly: Luckily, we had already bought perches n toys and they gave us some food for the night. We headed back to Michigan around 4PM and arrived home around 7:30PM. We didn't want to stress her out after the long car ride, so we placed her in the cage and let her explore her new home. For the little time that she's been in her cage, she's already saying stuff, but we can't understand what she is saying. Some sounds we've heard have been microwave beeping, clicking, kissing, and a cat hiss every now and then. We think she lived with a cat. Her age is unknown. Meet McKenzie!! :lol: More pics and updates will come!

:blink: Ooops...I posted it as icon size. Here is a larger pic.

Gryphon wrote: The non-safe parrot list is, indeed, adding anxiety to my life, too, and we don't even have our bird yet! The list seem to be getting longer and longer. I'm so afraid we're going to accidentally kill our birds. I knew about Teflon and Scotchguard, but I just now found out about microwave popcorn or any microwave boxes that brown things...like pot pies, etc. Thank goodness I found this forum. I've made popcorn and pot pies in the microwave before, and the canaries didn't die...but I still hate to think that I put them in danger!<br><br>Post edited by: Goralka08, at: 2008/11/19 20:08

SchroedersJen wrote: Well, I think if you've had scotchguard on it for awhile (old couch) then you should be fine. Our parrot agency suggested not having scotchguard sprayed on new furniture because it will still emit chemical vapors in the house for a few weeks. It's kind of like the new carpet rule...your house should be very well aired out so there is no strong smells. I'm sure your bird is fine, but just keep it in mind if purchasing new furniture.<br><br>Post edited by: Goralka08, at: 2008/11/19 17:14

Does anyone else here use an instant messenger more frequently than visiting this site? I was just wondering because it may be worthwhile to have each other's screen name in case we have any questions or need quick advice. If you have an IM screen name and you wanna share, then please post it! My info is below: AIM: Gorsky08 Yahoo: kimberlygorsky ICQ: 404271556 Gadu-Gadu: 746248

Betsyboop- LMAO Gordon Ramsay can very well cook....but I swear that he will die of a heart attack by the age of 50!!! You can see his blood pressure rising on every episode! His face will get all red, and the veins will start to pop out, and then the smoke blowing out of his ears follows!

Casper- We, too, have had many flurries of snow. It is going to be a BAD winter here in Michigan. It started hailing yesterday and I can't remember the last time that we've had this many random flurry days before Thanksgiving!