chimaysmommy

Welcome greystar!!! I agree with Dan, your baby is going to need assurance in the very beginning that his new environment is safe and secure and it sounds like you're doing a greYt job in that. Definitely make sure that you're not running to him anytime he screams, as Dan said that will condition him to scream in order to get your attention. If you run a search in the forum on screaming I'm sure there are a lot of posts out there on how others have handled screaming babies and older parrots. Do you have any pics of Star? We'd love to see them!!!

A fun way to introduce him/her to veggies might be to use a skewer! Chimay loves it when I stick a whole variety of fruits/veggies on a skewer and hang it from his playtop. I put broccoli, corn on the cob, strawberry, and apple slices on, and kind of accordian-fold a big leafy green onto it and he goes crazy. Another thing you could try is giving him/her veggies that could sort of double as a toy...i.e. whole pea pods or a chunk of corn on the cob. The corn on the cob is Chimay's favorite, b/c after all of the corn is gone he can chew and destroy the cob afterward! Hope this helps!

What an idiot!! I would be furious if anyone touched or tried to handle Chimay without my permission...you just don't know where peoples' hands have been or what their hygine is like. Good for you for taking all precautions possible to keep your baby healthy. Please keep us posted

I gasped when I read the title of this thread, but what a relief to hear that Koko is okay. Quick thinking on your part!!!

Eeee!!! So exciting! Can't wait to hear all about the homecoming!!

Mmmmm....ice cream:P

I would definitely have to agree with that in theory, but unfortunately we're not the healthiest of eaters even with all of this healthy food in the house I really want to start trying tho.

I'm so happy to hear that George is doing better...

So I kept reading over and over how great quinoa is for birdies, and I just had to go out and get some to see how Chimay liked it. I boiled it for about 10 minutes, then added some fresh corn off of the cob and some shredded carrot and cooked for about another 5 minutes. I emptied it out into a bowl, draining what little excess water there was, and while it was still piping hot I stirred in some shredded kale and toasted sesame seeds. The heat from the quinoa/corn/carrot just barely wilted the kale. 1 cup of cooked kale made enough for about 8 freezer snack baggies for 1 birdie. The BEST part of this mixture was watching him eat it. I knew he'd at least try it, because he loves corn. But each time he went down for a bite the teeny tiny grains of quinoa would come with it, and stick to the tip/sides of his tongue. It was HILARIOUS watching him wiggle his tongue back and forth trying to eat the little pieces. I'm so glad he likes it!!! I swear if my boyfriend and I start eating as well as this parrot does we'll probably live to be around 200 or so. Ha ha!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!! I'm so glad his homecoming went well, and he made it all safe and sound. The first day Chimay came home was the happiest AND most nerve wracking day ever! Lol...Here's wishing many MANY more days of happiness to come for you and your new baby grey!!!

Oh my gosh I don't know what I would do in that situation....Thank goodness you were at the vet and he was within arms reach of expert hands to take care of it right away. PLEASE keep us posted on how George is doing...

Chimay is only just mastering the art of whistling, and aside from practicing his wolf whistle he tends to compose his own brand of "tunes." Lol. I'm sure it probably sounds like beautiful music to him, but to us it's a bunch of random long/short/warbling whistles. Interrupted by kissing noises and clicks. Ha ha! Hopefully he'll pick up on a human-tune soon! And you're right....I've never heard of that song (lol...I'm in the US)

Congrats on your new baby girl!!! I myself really like the name Sadie B)

Chimay has a grooming perch that we had purchased from Petsmart...it's not concrete per say, and it's not sandpaper. It's hard to describe. Here's a link...I bought the green one: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754276 WE LOVE IT!! Chimay had his nails done at the vet when we'd done his well-check, and we haven't had to touch them since. When I picked up the solid concrete perches I thought they felt a little too harsh, so we went for the other one.

I definitely feel for you...My boyfriend and I both work full time, and I absolutely despise having to leave Chimay behind in the morning. He handles it very well, we really try to make sure he has plenty of engaging toys in the cage with him and we leave the radio on. How soon do you begin your job? If you have a few days, you might want to try "warming him up" by spending a few hours away from home each day, extending the amount of time a little bit every time. That's what we did with Chimay when he came home to us for the first time. One day we'd go out for about an hour, then two, then four. It might help to desensitize them to your absence. Good luck!

Wow! Looks greYt!!!! :woohoo:

When our breeder gave us our homecoming instructions for Chimay, she had told us to make sure he has pellets available to him at all times. So we do! We fill his cage and tree stand bowls with fresh pellets each day, and he gets fresh pellets in his night cage with him for bedtime (I've heard him....he's a midnight snacker. Ha ha).

LMAO!!! The important thing is that the toy has learned its lesson, and will recognize "the boss" from now on. Ha ha ha!! GreYt story

My best advice is to ask your breeder what brand of pellets your baby will be weaned onto, and purchase that. If you want to change it later, you may do so gradually, but for his/her homecoming you don't want to cause any undue stress with a sudden change in diet. Chimay came to us weaned onto Zupreem Fruitblend for parrots/conures, and that's what he's been on ever since he came home. I've read a lot of posts here from users that swear by Harrisons, and in reading the information on their website it sounds like it's a really good brand. But for the time being, keep the baby on what he/she is used to. Let him/her get their bearings in the new surroundings first.

Chimay is almost always on my shoulder... I've only had one occasion where he went for my earring but surprisingly after the time out that followed he hasn't had any interest in it since. We do keep a good eye on his body language but he is very well behaved on the shoulder. As was mentioned earlier, he loves to just perch there while I watch TV and will sometimes go one footed for a quick nap. All in all, I agree that it depends on the personality and how well behaved they can be.

Oh Caitlin I'm so sorry to hear about these changes in Ecko. I'm wondering if he's changing preferance in his favored human? He's not much younger than Chimay right? Our chimay is almost 7 months old now... I hope others who have gone through the behavioral changes with greys as they age can better comment on the subject, but my thinking is that there's not much else you can do but remain consistent with him as you always are. Maybe this is just a rebellious phase he's going through? As hard as it may be try not to take it personal. You're a GREAT mommy and I know this is not a result of anything you've done. How much one on one time do you and he have? I wonder if he's trying to express his independence and rebelling. Hang in there!!

Chimay has poo-poo'd his playtop ever since we got him the Atom. He'd rather be on that thing than anything! Lol...I wonder if in addition to hanging things from the ceiling if you could find some T-perches to put on top so he can still perch on top of the cage without standing on the bars? I had found one at http://www.birdsafestore.com/Products/Sandblasted-Double-T-Perch__BSP-CTSB.aspx

Welcome Chip and Family!!!! Karma to you for rescuing little Tika....such a shame when such wonderful creatures are rejected just because they fail to entertain their owners. :angry: Can't wait to hear more about Tika and Pablo!!

I really like that handmade crate!!! Our breeder shipped Chimay to us in your standard heavy-plastic pet carrier (looks like a cat carrier) with a perch bolted to the inside. I actually like your crate better, because Chimay always kicks over those flimsy food/water dishes that latch to the door. Looks like that dish in the crate is pretty secure!!!

What a cutie pie!!! Welcome!! Can't wait to hear all about him and his homecoming! Keep us posted with the naming