Azzie

A large old towel with a hole cut in it for the head, poncho style, works wonders for catching poops. Just don't forget to take it off before you go out.

Perching on one foot is a sign of a healthy bird. Having said that though, Cleo sometimes perches on one foot when asleep or chilling, and other times she just hunkers down and goes to sleep with both feet down. The fluffing up is most likely to do with keeping warm, and a sign they are relaxed. A sick bird however may also puff their feathers up, so it's important to get to know your bird and its body language.

If he is sneezing and there is liquid coming from his nostrils, get him to a vet immediately. It can indicate an illness in your bird. The problem with birds is they are very good at hiding that they are sick, and it only shows when they are REALLY ill. The lack of interest in food can also indicate he is sick, so take him to a proper vet trained to work with birds as soon as you can.

Earplugs are a great invention. I work 4 nightshifts a week, and with summertime coming up here in New Zealand, if it wasn't for earplugs I think I would get no sleep at all.

Quarantining any new bird is always sound practice. Adopting a grey in need of a forever home is a noble thing, and I do hope you will go ahead with it. Having said that, I think a vet visit ASAP would be in order. There may be a medical reason for the plucking, and in any case egg laying can severely deplete a bird's calcium stores. Here's some articles on quarantining a bird: http://www.suite101.com/content/avian-veterinarian-and-quarantine-for-parrots-a62611 http://www.parrothouse.com/quarantine.html http://www.parrotchronicles.com/features/quarantine/quarantine.htm

And one peanut won't go far either...

Your question regarding wing clipping is a hotly debated topic. Much of it is personal preference, but the majority of people on the forum here appear to support NOT clipping. Flying is natural to birds, and a flighted bird tends to have much better co-ordination and confidence. It is also good exercise for a bird to fly. That your bird flew and hit the ground might be because he hasn't learnt to fly and land properly yet, or because his clipped feathers haven't fully grown back, so they don't give him the support he needs to fly and land. Bear in mind though that even a clipped bird can get enough lift to manage to escape, especially if there is a breeze, or the bird is startled. All 3 of my birds are flighted, and have never been clipped, and I will never clip them. Because of my own bias, I also strongly recommend against it, as flying is simply something a bird does and enjoys. As for what age a bird begins to talk, it very much varies. Some start around a year old, some will never talk. Others may utter the occasional word, and others yet again just won't stop talking. Talk to your bird in a meaningful sense, as in when you give him apple, tell him it's "apple" Say "hello" when you come in and greet him, and "byebye" when you are leaving. My Cleo rarely talks (she's almost 2), but she certainly understands a lot of words, such as shower, wanna come out, yumyums etc. The duck like noises are just cute little baby noises. He is probably communicating as best as he can, being a baby = )

The disinfecting is good practice regardless before handling a bird. You never know what other germs or toxins you may carry on your hands, such as dog or cat saliva, bacteria from doorhandles when others haven't washed their hands etc. Although possibly disinfecting is a strong word, a normal handwash with soap is sufficient.

I was chased as a kid once by a peacock with all its feathers up. Scared the hell out of me, and I am still a bit weary of them. Turkeys too lol.

The coconut was bitter? Was it a green one or a brown one?

As She said, they are all different. Some are very vocal, others are quiet. The one thing to take note of is a sudden change or decline in vocalisation, as this may indicate your bird isn't feeling so well.

Indeed they are. Coconuts contain something called lauric acid, which has antibacterial and antiviral properties. The milk contains a good amount of calcium, and the fat contained in coconut flesh is converted into energy rather than body fat. Plus trying to pry the flesh from the shell, and the fibres from the outside makes for good entertainment.

I see yours still has its nice spiral shape. Cleo's is all deformed now from heavy use lol.

Brilliant Dave, thank you! I am planning to move from New Zealand to the Netherlands early next year, and have decided to take my family with me (2 lorikeets, a CAG and a German shepherd). This article is very reassuring, but I am still scared stiff about the prospect, but the thought of leaving my companions behind scares me even more. Luckily there is a company here in Wellington that specialises in the international transport of animals, and they organise all of the paperwork for you. I'm really not pleased about the prospect of having to chip Cleo. It was done to my dog (mandatory) and they used a huge ass evil looking needle to deposit the chip under the skin. She yelped, bled a little, but was fine. I on the other hand was not fine... my poor yelping bleeding puppy.

I started off with 2 rainbow lorikeets. A friend of mine had two, and I was so charmed by their silliness and friendliness, I decided I would like some too. That started my fascination (obsession?) with parrots, and I did a lot of general reading on birds, watching clips on Youtube, visiting certain petshops that had companion birds in the shop etc. Initially in my naivety I was very taken with the African grey, as I thought a talking bird would be awesome. Then I learnt more about the personality and nature of the grey, and talkability dropped to the bottom of the list, and their quiet individual charm rose to the top. I have no regrets about taking on 2 keets and a grey, and I would do it all over again.

Made a short vid of Cleo and her new toys. I was mostly just messing around, not even sure if it works! http://famstrating.tweakdsl.nl/cleo1.wmv

Why would you have a pooping chewing parrot out when you are wearing your sunday best? Since there's a good chance the parrot will chew buttons anyway, the play shirt is a suggestion to use instead of him chewing on good clothes.

Cleo's boing hangs in the middle of the living area, so she can chill there on her own, yet be a part of the regular goings on around her.

I am trying to get motivated to shower and dress, and go find a toy piano and/or cellphone for madam Cleo.

Have a read of this article. Seems the height dominance query is a common misconception. http://www.parrotchronicles.com/behavior/heightdominance_behavior.htm

The shirt buttons might just be him exploring, which is a natural thing to do for a curious bird. I think it's entirely up to you if you will let him chew your buttons off or not, I guess it depends on how handy you are with a needle and thread! If you don't want him to chew buttons, tell him firmly NO, but don't shout and don't wave your fingers at him. If he continues, you can put him into time out in his cage for 10 minutes or so. I do think he will just continue to chew buttons however, it's just the nature of the beast. One thing you can do to entertain your bird is to make a "play shirt" Get any old t-shirt, and sew on various buttons, bits of wool, thread, rope, bells, and any other chewable bits. Wear the shirt, look like a clown, and let the bird go at it to his heart's content. As for shoulder sitting, I think again it's personal preference. Some birds are definitely not shoulder birds and will bite at ears and faces. My Cleo loves sitting on my shoulder, and she just chills there. Occasionally she will gently tweak my nose, but she has never attacked my ears or face.

Be careful with sprays and such. Birds have very sensitive (and very different) respiratory systems, and are nowhere near as hardy as humans or other animals. Something seemingly innocent like air fresheners or scented candles (and Teflon coated pans!) can do serious harm to a bird, or even kill them. An example of this is the old Egyptian tomb explorers using a budgie to see if there were any noxious gasses in the tomb. A budgie would succumb far quicker than a human would. Here's some natural remedies to get rid of fleas. I've not tried any of them, but I'd be weary of putting down borax or diatomaceous earth inside the house where a pet could accidentally ingest it. http://www.grandmashomeremedies.com/fleas.html

You have a lovely voice! Love how Dorian wiggles about and moves his toes about to the music.

Thank you for sharing = ) Greys can be a bit funny about interacting. They tend to do what they want on their terms, I guess that comes with being a bird of high intelligence! As far as toys go, I would highly recommend a "boing", a large metal spiral covered in rope, that can be used as a perch and a swing. Cleo spends many hours chilling on hers, taking in the scenery and pooping on the dog who likes to lie underneath it. She has also figured out how to make it swing, by throwing herself forward so she is upside down, then flapping her wings furiously.

LOL! Thanks for that Jay, I had not seen those posts before.