Jayd

It's not unusual for a Zon,[some] to spit water or hold it in there beak, it's a form of exercising. lol

Many thanks to Dave......

Greetings and welcome!! Our kids tried to be fids once when they jumped off the garage roof, flapping their arms LOL...what everyone has said is true. Remember, traumatic or untrustworthy experiences can help push your Grey away from you and toward someone else. They will decide on their own no matter how much attention or pampering anyone gives them. It is more chemical...bonding (in proper terms) with a human is actually accepting a human as their flock leader. A Grey can vacillate back and forth a few times before settling on the chosen one. Bonding with a human is a sexual bond with them which includes regurgitating, not being able to touch the Grey anywhere but on the head and in extreme cases, having the Grey defend the human against all others. Some signs are panting, drooped wings, regurgitation, biting of said human when excited and excitability. If your fid shows this attitude, say I love you and thank you and walk away without touching. Return shortly with a treat (distraction), leave and then come back at a later time after the condition passes.

Welcome, if I may, have they been DNA'ed? It is not uncommon especially with Greys to form bonded pairs and friendships with the same sex. Breeding, especially Greys', are unlike breeding of other animals and birds, such as, dogs, cats, and humans. Putting two Greys together does not automatically mean that mating will occur. Conditions must be right...speak with Dave007 about this. As far as your relationship with these two wonderful fids relies on how bonded they really are to each other. Only time will tell. They will let you know their limit and how far they will let you enter their own private world. They will tell you and give you signs of their acceptance. By all means, interact with them as much as you can. My personal opinion, when it comes to separate cages, is they are definitely bonded...a lot more than meets the eye. Placing in separate cages, even in the same room could and will cause a lot of possible anguish and psychological trauma. As Janet said, companions and breeders are treated and receive treatment in totally different ways. Breeding of Greys or any other parrots for that matter is not for the feint of heart. The time and devotion that is necessary is far more than most people realize...(Bless Dave007). If they are doing good, interact with them as much as they will allow and let the status quo remain...they have only been sexually active for a few years. It sounds that what you have is wonderful...

:eek: Salsa:eek:

Okay, you still can post a photo if you like, were going to extend the deadline till the 10th to submit a photo, then start voting on the 11th to the 16th... Don't forget to let everyone know to vote.... Jayd

Our Grey's can, when they want, speak grammatically correct English, but it is just as wonderful to hear them speak with abbreviations and in slang, and being able to see there enjoying themselves. Proper English should always spoken, but if this is not always possible for one reason or another, it's okay. We have fid's that due to one reason or another have never spoke, so don't hold it against them. For them to speak at all, is a wonderful gift...love them....

:confused:How much meat do Amazons eat in their natural habitat? Do only certain species of 'Zons eat meat? Does your 'Zon do this? Our Salsa (Raptor Salsa) has just started recently swooping down with legs, feet and talons extended and grabbing something as she flies by. (The dog...:eek: Veggies on a plate, etc...) So, are Amazons meat eaters? I must research this...:confused:

Thank you for taking in this elder grey. There is nothing better to warm my heart then someone who rescues or takes in one of our feathered friends. I hope this post will help you....The whole thread is good... Jayd http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?192543-adopting-an-elder-w-attitude&p=225730#post225730

"When she is hungry or he is looking for me, she will scream mummy mummy! But I am not a woman. But she adress me as mummy" Sounds as if there might have been a issue with who fed or who would.. A gray always carry's their baggage with them, they never forget, hopefully with time, they don't unpack it as often...

Your doing right, always speak intelligently....

Judy always gives good advice.......

To continue, carpet cleaner, glues, almost anything that gives off a odor has the potential to kill our fid's in a mater of minutes. Least not forget "candles, bug sprays, and Teflon.

Fantastic, Wonderful, Love it, Thank you...:):)

It's so grey't to be able to ask and be answered by such caring people. Your baby need's 4-8 hr's a day [minimum] of "Full Spectrum UVB" daily. Sun is still the best...D3 is given to animals as well as humans to help conquer depression..Our Grey's assimilates very little D3 through food or supplements, that's why sunlight[15min's] or 4-8 hr's indoor UVB] is so important..

Yes please, by all means...Jayd

Thank you every one for the Grey't post's...Your diet is good....Rice needs to be cooked, basmatic or brown is the best.Some raw pastas,[rotini] is good for your fids. Orzo pastas cooked is really good for them. Scrambled eggs a couple times a week is ok, corn has no value, it is just a filler but it is good as a treat. Beans and rice are very important part of our Grey's diet, they form a complete protein.. Royal large horn bill [no-sunflower seed] and Volksman sunflower-less are great seed mixes. Our fids need their seeds!! Other Parrots: A diet for a Grey is not the same as for a Amazon or Macaw etc...A grey need higher protein and fat content than a Zon. Example, a Zon needs less fat, more seeds and fruit, less nuts. A Grey is a "lean" parrot, and a Zon is a fat parrot. What do macaws eat in the wild? They find seeds, nuts, some plants, berries and fruit. They even find small amounts of meat. Because Macaws need a lot of fat & oil in their diet, adding mixed nuts can provide their required fat. Brazil nuts almonds, pecans, walnuts, filberts and macadamia nuts are all good for your them. Pasta, beans (cooked), sweet potatoes, (cooked) and brown or wild rice are great foods to keep your macaws diet balanced. Other "people food" such as scrambled eggs, french toast, spaghetti, crackers & bagels are ok to feed too. Rule of thumb; if the food is good for you and nutricious for you, it is safe to feed your macaw. Since most big birds love their fruits, you can feed them apple, banana, blueberries, cantaloupe, cherries (without the pit), coconut, grapefruit, kiwi, melons, mango, oranges, papaya, peaches, pears, pineapple, plums, raspberries & strawberries. Leave the skin on the bananas or orange (but wash them) because they like to "Shell" the fruit. Veggies that are good for your bird include asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, corn, cucumber, kale, peas, peppers, potato, pumpkin, spinach, sprouts, squash, tomato & zucchini. Since we no longer are able to take in rescues and rehomes, our personal birds are down to 13. Of this there are 6 different diets we prepare daily. Research and learn what you type of food your fid should eat, read labels, and use you brains in deciding "What"you shouldfeed or not feed your true companion... Thank you....

Research what you feed your fid's, check the ingredients, and feed what you feel is right. If you don't know what a certain ingredient is, research it...If by not feeding your grey a certain product will increase there life in the long run, it's worth investigating. Research and see what the "known affects" mean to our fid's.....No Vet would argue that fresh isn't the best in the long run....Remember, as in all, there are Vet's that care and those that don't and those that don't specialize in diet..It's not a matter of a Vet intentionally wanting to harm any ones bird, some just don't know, or haven't fully researched it. In the archives of this Grey't Forum you can find many threads and posts relating to misinformation by both Vet's and breeders... Study what your Grey "Needs" in his diet... Every one's post's are grey't.... Jayd

Amen...........

Your assessments very true. Being able to see changes in your fid's droppings as earliest as possible is of utmost importance. This holds true for all pellets that use dyes...Thank you....Jayd

No Problem!!!! LOL I have much worse...I have senior moments...hahaha...

It is all natural and it is what I give my Macaws 1: it is not all natural, it has synthetics and chemicals. The coloring is chemicals and synthetics. 2: I would suggest you seek another vet because if you feed pellets only, that is not a complete and sufficient diet. It sorely lacks EFAs, corn is the main ingredient in most pellets which has no nutritional value and is strictly a filler and the other ingredients are chemical supplements, artificial coloring and processed vitamins, etc. 3: it has been shown in Macaws that are fed pellet-only diets to have a stunted growth problem. Worse so in their off-spring resulting in body disproportions, including large head in relation to the body. Sincerely, Jayd ngredients: Ground corn, Soybean meal, Ground wheat,Vegetable oil, Wheat germ meal, Sucrose, Dicalcium phosphate, Calcium carbonate, Ground fruit (bananas, oranges, apples and grapes), Iodized salt, DL-methionine, Choline chloride, Ascorbic acid (source of Vitamin C), Natural mixed tocopherols, Rosemary extract, Citric acid, Natural and artificial colors, Artificial flavors, Manganous oxide, Zinc oxide, Copper sulfate, Calcium iodate, Sodium selenite,Vitamin A supplement,Vitamin D3 supplement, Vitamin E supplement,Vitamin K supplement, Niacin, Calcium pantothenate, Pyridoxine hydrochloride,Thiamine, Riboflavin, Folic acid, Biotin,Vitamin B12 supplement. Guaranteed Analysis Crude Protein Not less than 14.0% Crude Fat Not less than 4.0% Crude Fiber Not greater than 2.5% Moisture Not greater than 10.0%

Apples and cinnamon are great....I personally wouldn't use the potpourri, some of the ingredients contain essential oils which can have effects on birds...some effects not immediate. You must also stay away from carpet cleaners, bathroom cleaners, bleaches, dog/cat sprays (and teflon) etc, etc, etc...

How adorable!!! Issac always was a beauty!! Your friends, Jayd, Maggie, Spock and the flock

Tango: Triton Cockatoo [blue Eyed?] Present Age: 9 years old Abuse Type: Psychological (Unintentionally inflicted) Preface: An unintentional major cause of Psychological abuse is a lack of proper research before acquiring and a lack of continual research after acquiring. Another major cause of unintentional psychological and physical abuse occurs during the process of hand-feeding. Unintentional abuse could be as simple as wrong size cage, improper diet, improper discipline, lack of proper sleep time and hygiene, giving treats, (such as chocolate, etc) with the thoughts of being kind to your bird. Unintentional abuse when it comes to hand-feeding; once again, lack of research resulting in improper temperatures, environmental conditions, proper techniques, proper hygiene, pride, assuming that this is the only way to bond with your bird and pride as in afraid to ask for help when needed. Background: Last summer we received a phone call, asking if we were the “Bird People”. We laughed and answered “yes” and they asked if we would be interested in an Eight year old ‘Too that they felt they could no longer give proper care to. Without hesitation, we said we would take care of her. We took a ride to see Tango. These nice people lived out of town in the country and in their yard we saw caged pheasants and geese. On the patio, was a large cage with this large beautiful full-feathered Triton Cockatoo. She said “HI!” when we approached. We introduced ourselves and they introduced us to Tango from a distance away. We approached her cage and gave her a scritch on her ear as she put her head up to the bar. She was beautiful. We asked her owners why they thought they had to get rid of Tango. Their Story Begins: Almost eight years ago, they had gone to a friend’s house and fell in love with their friend’s cockatoo which was just recently weaned. It perched on her hand and cuddled with her so they purchased a large cage, toys and brought the baby home. They had no experience with companion birds, especially Cockatoos. For three days, everything went very smooth and she was carrying Tango on her arm when Tango slipped. Tango grabbed her finger to catch herself which cut the woman’s finger and drew blood. She had a normal reaction, she screamed and dropped Tango. From that point on, Tango was put in his cage and for the next eight years was never held by a human again. They were both deathly afraid of this monster beak. (Note: if they would have done a little research, they would have been able to handle a situation like this when it happened.) For the next eight years, they gave the baby the best possible care, minus the physical handling that they could. Per advice from pet stores, they fed Tango pellets, dehydrated veggies and healthy treats. (Nothing fresh) They had two cages they could place door to door and scoot her into the other cage while they did main cleaning to her cage. Every morning she was given a half slice of warm toast while they had their breakfast. Someone told them about some of the Cockatoo’s body language and when she appeared “right” to them, they would scritch her. They knew it would be best if they gave her to someone who could give her proper care but it was so hard for them and they loved her so much, they postponed giving her away. These are good people, just lack of research about large birds. The Homecoming: We brought her into the crazy, noisy bird house in a carrier and as Jay opened the carrier door, she stepped out to his hand without hesitation. We were both in fear, this was the first time this bird has been held for over eight years. Tango stepped up to his wrist, bent her head and waited patiently for a scritch. He carried her to her new cage and placed her in the door way, in she went. Boy, did she look around…here was toys and food that she had never seen in her whole life. Everything was brand-new and so much of it. She flipped up her top-notch and bounced up and down, clicking in joy. The only thing she threw out was half of her pellets and then started eating. Tango was oblivious to all. She ignored Freddy, the other ‘Too, Spock wanted her to preen him but we were afraid that she would have him for dinner. From that moment on, she stepped up on command. On-going Progress: Since bringing Tango home, she has settled in like she has always been here. She is independent from the rest of the flock. Even though she steps up on command, she is still unsure of her footing and takes a few moments to step comfortably on your arm and she is still somewhat wobbly while carrying her. I feel that part of the reason is that for eight years, she had only two immovable perches to stand on and no handling. She has been the easiest transitional rescue that we have ever had to date. The only baggage we have seen is her previous owner was a foreman in the oil fields in Texas. He would work two weeks on and then be home for two weeks. He would have numerous phone calls, speaking to the callers matter-of-factly and curtly. He used a lot of hand movements while talking. At times, Tango will get on the top of her cage and will carry on a conversation which sounds a lot like orders while using head and body movements to simulate expressions with her top notch up. We have seen no ill-effects from this. Food: we introduced fresh vegetables to her when we brought her home. This is something she took a couple of weeks to start enjoying, often with hilarious expressions and obvious enjoyment. She eats proper food without any encouragement needed. Now and into the Future: We are looking into the purchase of a lumber yard. Her favorite toy is 1”x2” clear pine cut into 12” pieces. She makes toothpicks out of two to three of these a day and then cleans her cage twice a day, throwing all these toothpicks and slivers and anything else, loose in her cage out the door. She is a wonderful bird and she balances her time very well. She is self-sufficient and is not demanding. She will let us know when she wants attention (she will yell out “POPPA!”) but once she is done, she will go back to playing on her own. She has a small vocabulary, “Poppa, Hello, Bye-Bye, Whatcha doin?, Night-night, Pretty Bird”.