chimaysmommy

Dinner's at seven! Guess I gotta get back to the store for another slab huh? Ha ha! Who knows Chimay may not even know what to do with a rib bone. He still hasn't quite figured out nuts in the shell...I thought he'd love almonds in their shells and he kind of looked at me like "and what, pray tell, would you like me to do with that?" so who knows if he'll figure out that there's yummy marrow in the bones. I'll be sure to post after dinner. It's also my first time making ribs so wish me luck!

I'm going to be making these for dinner for my boyf and I tonight and was wondering if the pork rib bones were safe to give Chimay to chew on. I've heard of others giving their greys chicken/turkey thigh bones but wasn't sure if pork was safe. Thanks guys!

That's the same approach I've taken with our friends' kids...I'll allow them to give Chimay some sort of food treat but no petting or holding. I don't want to take the chance of Chimay biting them (even though he has yet to deliver a really good bite to date).

Does this breeder allow the babies to fully fledge before clipping them? Chimay was given to us from the breeder with a long clip, and we've since decided to allow his flights to grow back in. It's been since March of this year when he came home to us, and his feathers are still not back but he is gaining more and more distance as time goes on. I do plan on sticking with the fully flighted plan, and will ONLY clip as an absolute last resort. Your breeder has valid points, and those who believe that clipping should not be done also have valid points. However keep in mind that feathers will, albeit slowly, grow back. Should you decide to clip your grey and regret it later, you can allow them to grow back in. And vice versa. Here's a the theoretic example that I went through in my mind when deciding whether to clip Chimay or let him become flighted: Bird A: Permitted to fully fledge and then clipped at a young age. Owners allowed the flights to come back in, during which time the bird is adjusted to life without flight. It becomes obvious to the owners after 2 years of age that it is too dangerous to allow the bird to be flighted (for all of the reasons already mentioned here from others), so he is clipped again. Bird B: Permitted to fully fledge and spends the first 2 years of his life fully flighted. Owners decide that after too many close calls--near escapes and hot stove incidents, that the bird must be clipped. Which bird would be better mentally equipped to handle clipping? This is just the rationale I use when I think about clipping. It would seem to me that a bird that has been clipped before at a young age and adapted well to flightless life would be better prepared for a re-clipping later should the owner change their mind about allowing full flight; as opposed to a bird who has spent so much time with the freedom of flight may become more emotionally fragile after becoming clipped. That was quite a rant, I hope I made sense. Haha

OMG I can't believe I missed it! I was really hoping to catch some live hatching action... Regardless, CONGRATS TO THE NEW MOMMY AND DADDY!!! I can't wait to hear all about the other three as well!!!

As far as bedtime goes, I've notice that Chimay's body clock is pretty accurate and he actually wants to go to bed around 9pm. It only took a couple of days when he first started using his night cage to really insist on bedtime on-time. Haha. He gets us up at about 7am each morning, bout 10 hours of sleep each night.

My boyfriend and I both work full time hours as well, although our schedules don't exactly coincide (I work between 11am and 8pm, he works 9am to 5:45pm) so Chimay doesn't get a full 8 hours alone during the day. But he used to...before my work schedule changed. We have a great relationship with him, and it really is crucial to have engaging toys to keep him occupied. On a side note, "engaging" toys doesn't mean "tons" of toys (i.e. foraging toys, mechanical toys, etc). Haha. I learned that one the hard way...it is easy to accidentally overload the cage with too much stuff that will take away from his freedom to move around. Having had Chimay since March, I can say that you also have to take more into consideration than just your work schedule. That was something that we'd underestimated when we got Chimay. We do plan some 3 day weekend trips regularly during the summer, which we didn't take into account when deciding to get a grey and I wound up staying home for much of the summer trips taken. So be sure to keep your "outside of work" life in mind because that can play a big part in the decision to get a grey as well.

Oh boy is it snowing over here!!! We put Chimay in a night cage at bedtime, and just over 10 hours it's AMAZING the amount of downie feathers and dander that comes off of his little frame! I pull the old paper out of it every morning and anymore I find at LEAST over a dozen downie feathers in there. I really really try to make sure his night cage stays clean b/c I don't want him breathing in a bunch of his own dust but holy crap it's becoming a chore now with this molt starting. He's got teeny pinfeathers all around his ears and under his chin...I've heard of greys getting cranky during a molt but I don't think we're at the cranky-phase yet. He wants extra scritches since he's such an itchy boy. We lost our first grey feather yesterday. It was kind of comical actually...we were just watching TV together yesterday, on the commercial I looked up at the couch cushion where he'd been sitting and he had a big grey feather in his beak, looking at me as if to say "lookie mommy! look what i did!" Hahahaha<br><br>Post edited by: chimaysmommy, at: 2009/10/05 21:21

Hi Rishi! He does look a bit rough around the edges, but it's SO great to see him taking to his new pellets so quickly and getting back to playing his favorite games. That bat-picture is just too cute. Thanks for sharing!

Cool screwy box!!! Ha ha....I have also purchased a "mechanical" toy for Chimay which he seems to like and really has to work at: http://www.birdsafestore.com/Products/Playstrip__FP-PS.aspx

YIPEEEEE!!!! This is GREYT news!!! I couldn't be happier for all of you...KARMA to you for being such dedicated parronts and taking such wonderful care of Rishi! LONG LIVE RISHI!!

Aw Caitlin don't beat yourself up...I absolutely agree with the others here in that he is testing his boundaries. If anything you should take it as a compliment towards your parronting abilities--he's become such a confident little man that he feels strong enough to test his own mommy!!!

That is such greYt news!!! Here's hoping that the upward trend continues...He's such a strong and willful little man!! Please keep us posted on his progress

Congratulations!! Sweet Macey will ALWAYS be in a special place in your heart, and I'm sure she'll be watching over the new baby joyfully right alongside you :kiss:

I just wanna say that the webcam is the coolest thing ever!! B) I've not had much experience with baby birds under 4 months old...Chimay was 4 months when he came home to us, and so was my mom's TAG that she had when I was in high school. So on a personal note, this is really has grabbed my attention!!!! I know that the babies are hopefully going to start hatching at the beginning of October, and if they're going to hatch this weekend I HOPE they can hold out until Sunday!! Totally selfish of me I know...I have to make a day trip out of town on Saturday and already can't wait to log in and check out the webcam when I get home. Eee!! Babies are so exciting!!!!!<br><br>Post edited by: chimaysmommy, at: 2009/09/30 01:06

I'm really interested!!! I never thought of sugarcane before....anyone have any idea of the nutritional value?

I also use the grate at the bottom...When Chimay first came home to us and was getting used to the "lay of the land" we had the grate in with a layer of towels on the bottom and newspaper on top of that to cushion any educational falls. We kept it that way for around a month and a half before removing the towel and moving the newspaper below the grate. Chimay really doesn't frequent the bottom of his cage much. To TRY and make cleaning easier I spray a bit of Pam on a paper towel and wipe a very thin layer of it over the grate. I'm not sure that it really makes much of a difference but it's worth a try! Ha ha... I would keep the grate in just on the off chance your birdie does end up on the cage bottom...don't wanna go to pick up your grey and end up with poopie feet walking around your hands. :sick: :laugh:

Oh I'm SO glad to hear that Rishi is showing some signs of progress with eating, and I'm still sending my best best best healing thoughts your way. That was a very brave thing you did by crossing the border in order to get the care he needs. He is so very lucky to have parronts like you!!!

Chimay is also not a fan of bathing...I do take him in the shower with me but he just chills on the shower door and takes in the steam. Sometimes I'll take his aloe juice spray in there and mist him periodically. He does get the itch to play in his water dish right around once per week, and when I notice him starting to play that's when I grab the aloe juice and start spraying. When he's in that water-dish-play mode he's very receptive to the spray, fluffs up his feathers and really gets a good soaking. I don't try and move him to the bathroom or anything, just spray him right there by his dish. Perhaps if you let Brutus stand on the shower rod/door while you shower without being sprayed he'll get curious...observing you under the water might help him to realize that water isn't evil?

Chimay's poopies also vary depending on what he's been eating or how much he's been drinking. Example: After he gets the morning bomb out of the way (sometimes two bombs) his first and second poops of the day are usually on the watery side b/c he has diced apples and pears with his birdie pancakes for breakfast. As the day goes on and he eats more pellets and veggies they favor a more solid consistency. I've heard on this forum (can't remember the exact post, sorry) that if you're really concerned about the droppings, rub it between your fingers. :sick: :sick: :sick: I know I know....gross, but from my understanding the texture should feel smooth, not grainy. Others here can CERTAINLY correct me if I'm wrong, just repeating my recollection of a post from this forum.

Nice! I think you'll be really happy with that mat...we have two huge ones for Chimay: One under his main cage and one larger one under his Atom and play-tree. They are a HUGE carpet saver. We live in an apartment now and hardwood floors will be a MUST whenever we purchase a home. Haha! Let us know how the mat works out for you!

Sending my best thoughts your way and to poor Rishi...He certainly is a handsome boy! I'm so sorry to hear he's sick. Here's hoping you can get to that avian vet Please keep us posted

Even with all of the goodies Chimay gets to eat when his human slaves are home, we do make sure that he has all day access to pellets and sometimes we mix in some dried veggies (since they can keep all day unlike fresh). We always replace his pellets within 24 hours tho...no old stale pellets allowed.

I've also read about the harmful effects of garlic (I believe from someone in this forum whose grey was lost to garlic in fact), and for that reason I have a very strict "no garlic" policy for Chimay. Same goes for onions, garlic/onion powder, chives, green onion. Garlic is the only one that I've specifically read about harmful effects from, but I don't want to take any chances at all. Besides who wants their birdie to have stinky garlic breath?? Ha ha! :sick: :laugh:

Eee!! I just saw this post for the first time today....Congrats to the proud Mama and Papa!!! I am sending my BEST wishes your way and hoping for 4 of the healthiest chicks! I can't wait to get home from work and check out the webcam!