sue09

The first words are sooooo amazing.Congrats. You'll be asking how to shut him up next.......lol. I'm sure you already know, but the muttering is when they are practising words normally....so get ready.

My lips are sealed...........won't tell a soul!!!:laugh:

Hi.......I didn't get my photos to post at first, but once you have done the browse, don't forget to put your curser in the mesage where you want the photo to be and then press the 'image' button by the side of the browse. In any case, welcome to the forum. I am quite new and look forward to your posts.

Ok Judy...........have you got a photo that could start us off maybe? Thanks for the Karma..........I feel much calmer for it

Yes.........that is the only smooth perch in his cage.....so I'm sure you are right. I just love caption type photos. Perhaps someone could post a funny photo each week and we could all make up captions......

I was just wondering if you think I should explain to Ollie that chewing through his perch while standing on it is definately not a good idea!!! {Communicate-00020115}<br><br>Post edited by: sue09, at: 2009/03/18 17:40

Hi,that looks like a really great toy. Baxter looks pretty special too. Does he take to toys straight away, as Ollie takes weeks before he will touch anything new?

No way.......I'll stick to looking down from a ship!! If you had the money to buy absolutely anything, but only one thing............what would it be?<br><br>Post edited by: sue09, at: 2009/03/18 16:12

Hi, Ollie isn't really loud at all. He has a few minutes of really loud screeming a day, but mainly if he sees other birds in the garden. However, he does have his own agenda, and will talk and sing constantly.....even during your favourite TV program!!!! lol Even though Ollie has his problems, I wouldn't be withou him.

F - foxglove

Shall we start with fruits and veggies. The person who posts Z, names the next topic. Just follow through the alphabet. A = apple

Hi there, Please don't think that we haven't tried to address the behaviour in the last 2 1/2 years. I have been to many forums and tried so many different strategies....also have been very patient. The problem with Trevor is that he isn't in the house for 3 or 4 hours a day. He takes Ollie out for about an hour a day, which is really the most he can manage, otherwise it's past Ollie's bedtime. He does interact well with Trevor with lots of touching etc. You asked if he bites more than once and the answer is yes. Sometimes it's bite and fly, but more often bite and bite. I do let Ollie out when I am on my own and if I am in the room with him, he is constantly 'pinning' me if that is the right term and whenever I'm within distance he bites. This then becomes a huge problem when I need to go out. He can be very inquisitive and if I leave him out he might get hurt. getting him back to his cage is almost impossible without my hands and arms being in shreds. I have tried the harsh looks..pushing back to unsteady him and having treats in my hand. I love Ollie and he's not going anywhere...but get so frustated that he could have so much more quality time if he would just calm down a little. Once he is in the cage, he will interact beautifully with me and even let me spoon feed him. Would having another bird companion help. Trevor has said noas he feels if the newcomer also didn't like me, he wouldn't want to be responsible for two greys.

Ollie is a very picky eater, he came from the breeder eating seed and it has always been a battle to get him to eat anything else. At the moment, I am trying a mash and spoon feeding it........through the bars of course, as it would be mixed with my blood otherwise.:laugh: I don't think he is actually eating much....just playing with the spoon....but a little is going in. Can anyone give me an idea, by volume of what he should be actually eating each day...ignoring the waste. He will eat grapes and bananas.

I cover Ollie at nite although the bottom half is still open. He calls us when he wants to be covered......'nite nite now' 'Ollie go nite nite' :lol:

Thanks all for your replies. I looks like I might not be able to do anything then. It really is a shame as my partner really doesn't have the time for him and that means that he isn't getting the close attention that I think he deserves. I used to have him out of his cage for hours at a time. Now he is lucky to get half an hour with my partner. Well, if anyone else thinks of anything I can try, I would be really grateful.:kiss:

Hi again. Literally, the only thing that I can think of was that the ball fell off the table and I jumped to pick it up...but I wouldn't think that could have frightened him.......could it? This happened over two years ago so Ollie was about 2 1/2 years old. At the time it happened, he didn't have any real contact with my partner, he spent all his time with me. From that day, however, Trevor has been the only one he will allow to put his food in the cage or do anything for him. I still try every day and as long as I don't get too close he is ok. I wonder if it was a maturity thing?

Thanks for the replies to date. Yes, Ollie is 5 years old on 4th May. Ever since this happened, both my partner and I have tried to find a reason. Ollie and I were actually sat at the table in the conservatory, which is where we often sat playing. We were playing with a small plastic ball which he loved, pushing it backwards and forwards to each other. I remember that i had the ball and went to push it to him and he lunged and drew blood from my hand. I really can't think of anything that was different......no hair changes or anything. We have had him checked by the vet on a regular basis and vet says he's healthy. I was in the house on my own at the time, so wasn't anything anyone else did.

Well, I hate to ask for help as soon as I have joined the forum, but I am just wondering if our situation can ever be reversed. I have read lots of advise on the web and actually found you while looking for help. Ollie's story began 5 years ago, when after a lot of research, I decided that a grey would be a perfect addition to our family. My partner wasn't as convinced, but was happy enough for me to go ahead. I eventually found a breeder that I felt comfortable with and we both chose Ollie and visited him a few times until he was ready to take his place as head of the household. When he came home, I spent so much time with him. We played together and learned from each other. He began to talk at around 5 months old and ended up with a huge vocabulary. I also taught him to sing Jingle Bells and we danced together. Without warning while we were playing one day, Ollie started to attack me. It was the real thing with him lunging and drawing blood!! I got him back to his cage and have never since been able to have him out or sit and play with him. He started to go only to Trevor. Although I can sit by his cage and he will only learn new words and songs from me, If I am in the room when he is out, he flies at me and attacks. We have tried all of the things suggested by various people......ie ignoring him when he does it and putting him back into his cage, but it seems to make it worse. If I walk into the room when he is with Trevor, he gets the bite and usually there is blood. I would love to have my friend back but the bites are really bad and I have arthritis in my hands.....so very painful. Any help you can offer would be great. <br><br>Post edited by: sue09, at: 2009/03/13 18:41

Hello all, I'm Sue and I live in England..down in Somerset. The ruler of our kingdom is a beautiful 5 year old grey named Ollie. I'll post the full story after our introduction.......but gosh.......I would love some help and you all look like nice friendly people!!! I look forward to reading everyone's posts and looking at all the pics. Thanks for having me Sue