Azzie

Judy you can come visit me and meet my 'keets. They love sticking their long wiggly tongues in noses and ears, and cannot resist preening wet hair.

Heehee I'm a sucker for lorikeets. They are so nosey and curious and silly.

Just a nicely written and entertaining article I found about New Zealand's alpine parrot, the kea. http://www.wernercairns.com/2010/02/kea-new-zealand-bird-that-is-not.html

I notice a smell on Cleo as well. It is not a bad smell, it's just....the smell of a Grey I guess. I love snuggling up to her and breathing in her scent, it's warm and comforting.

When a baby bird is initially ready to fly, they won't get any lift. In my experience, it's always been a lot of clamping on with the feet to a perch, with some furious wing flapping that doesn't (yet) go anywhere. A lot of this is just practice, building up muscles and strength for the big event. It could also of course be flapping out of fright, as you mention he seems scares now. I would do what Luvparrots said, if it's your baby bird, talk to the petstore and let them know your wishes regarding clipping, and sooner rather than later. As for a bird growing out of a phobia, not really, in the sense that it might spontaneously remit. It can however be reversed with patience, gentle interaction and providing a safe environment, like Dan said. Looking forward to hearing and seeing more of you and your baby!

Agreed Jayd that we don't have to listen (read) or take his advice, but as pointed out before, some people may actually take what Jamal says as sage advice, and end up doing more harm to their bird than good, and a warning about the dangers of such advice needs to be highlighted. He considers himself an expert on parrots and behaviour, as was evidenced recently with the little banner he added as his signature, advertising just that. I wonder perhaps if people are becoming frustrated and annoyed with the ongoing issues Jamal is creating. Dave stated Jamal has been told on more than one occasion to stop posting potentially harmful information, yet he persists. If the message cannot get through in a nice way (which I am sure the other moderators and members have already tried), then perhaps a less subtle manner is being called for.

The reason not to take Jamal's advice is explained quite well by him in his post. His bird does as it pleases, it randomly attacks people and screams. This is not a well adjusted companion bird, but sounds more like a menace. This of course is not the bird's fault, as it does not know any better. Rather the responsibility lies with the owner. Instead I suggest you take the advice of the other posts. Good luck with your baby!

OMG we still don't know?? First thing I did after coming home from night shift is rush on here to find out about the mystery bird!

Not just a pony who wouldn't quit, but also a whole bunch of people who refused to quit. What a great heart warming story!

I have strategically placed boxes of tissues and toilet rolls in the living areas of the house. When I see madame doing her poop shuffle, I just hold a tissue under her butt and catch it. I don't always manage though. Cleo IS potty trained, and it works well providing I am on to it enough to tell her to go. If I don't she just does random poops.

Jayd thanks for the correction. I do recall having read articles before I got Cleo that explained the whole "flock leader" thing, but I am quite willing to accept that these are incorrect = )

Oh Lord this is fantastic to see and read! Pippa is so totally a part of the family! She looks relaxed yet alert and interested in those photos. It's making me all emotional again ugh.

Shading in grey is done with black ink, it's just applied in a different technique. I believe the ink is deposited a little deeper under the skin, giving it a faded and grey appearance, rather than black. Any tattoo artist worth their salt will know how to do shading. Here some hideous tattoos, but it gives an idea of the varying degrees of shading that's possible: http://www.tao-of-tattoos.com/black-and-gray-tattoos.html

Good stuff! As the others have said, small steps at a time. Keep working on building the conFIDence and trust of your bird, give him loads of praise when he (accidentally) does something you want him to, and he will soon grow in leaps and bounds.

Yes you did handle this right. A bird does need to know the limits, and showing that there are consequences to certain actions, such as "time out" in the cage is the way to go. Punishment (such as shouting, hitting, waving fingers etc) does not work, and can do serious damage to your bird's psyche and the bond you have with him. Consistency is the key, so give him a warning when he does something he should not be doing. For my bird, I simply say "Cleo, NO" to her in a firm voice and raise one finger to get her to pay attention to me, and if she carries on, I ask her if she needs to go back to her cage. Usually I get a sideways look (the "are you kidding me...." look), and she stops. Admittedly it did take some time for her to understand the whole action/consequence issue, but she's good as gold now. As for the bite, not reacting is also the best thing to do. By reaction, you would inadvertently be reinforcing the behaviour, as a loud squawk from you can be very entertaining for a grey. It's just his way of showing you he was not happy with you stopping him from having a lovely chew on your cupboards. As for the buzzing, as Jayd said, he is pushing the limits. He wants to see what you will let him get away with. Birds in the wild live in a flock, and they look for a strong leader, as their survival depends on this. Other birds will test the leadership from time to time, and a companion bird may well do the same, just instinctual behaviour. So yes, you did great! Be firm, be gentle, and be consistent is the key!

I love the second one. It looks much more like Grey wings to me than the other two. I'm wondering....to represent her grey and red colours, could you perhaps get some light shading done somewhere on the tattoo, to give it the grey shade, and maybe some little outlines in red, just very subtle?

Another reason to have a grey... They will be your friend unconditionally. They don't hold grudges against you like some people do, and if you get a sharp nip, you probably deserve it! Then, after 5 minutes, the slight or insult is usually forgotten, and they are your loving friend again.

I've read stories about birds getting their feet burnt on such perches, so I refuse to take the risk myself.

The tree outside the place where Anne Frank hid with her family from the Nazis has collapsed: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSLDE67M1DH Please place your own leaf on a virtual tree below: http://www.annefranktree.org/

Pet insurance in New Zealand is in its infancy and not worth getting at this stage. Luckily our vet truly is animal focussed, and is amenable to financial arrangements. Worse comes to worst, like Talon, I will whip out my credit card. When I had to get my dog put to sleep, I was so upset the vet told me to come back in a few weeks time when I was feeling better to sort the bill, so they are obviously not totally money driven.

Living in New Zealand, here we are also advised to discuss such an emergency plan with the family. Let each member know where your emergency kits are, if there is a nearby location where people are to go after a disaster (Civil Defence Centres here, don't know what you guys would call them!), discuss emergency exits, and a plan and place for meeting after such an event. Don't rely on cellphones after a disaster, as the lines will probably be jammed with many panickin people tryin to contact others.

Ahhhh thank you Dan. I never get tired of watching member's videos of their birds. I watched Dayo's over my morning coffee, and what a nice way to wake up it was.

Brrrr that made all my hair stand on end. Very beautiful. Thank you for sharing Dan!

Radishes are fine, but be sure to wash them properly, as soil contains billions of bacteria and fungi.

Heehee geez I'm not usually the emo type, but after having read your post, and saw your pics, my eyes became watery. Must be an allergy or something. Welcome to the family!