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Excellent! Sprouts are an amazing addition to our bird's diets. Only caution is to watch the amount of sunflower - perhaps cut the amount to 1/2 part to help limit fat intake. The green powder additive is a really good idea. I was also wondering if you are seeing positive results with the probiotics, especially considering the large amount of natural products you are already providing. Thanks for sharing!

EllieMae, the title of your post raised my blood pressure, as it is really unusual for a grey to actually vomit. Regurgitating, however, is absolutely normal. It sounds like Leo is enamored with his new friend. A 3 year-old doing this for another bird is a bit odd, however. Not saying it's a problem, just unusual at his young age. One thing I must say, however, is a new bird being brought in should be quarantined for at least a few days. Too late now for Leo and your new female, but for others considering a second bird should plan a quarantine period. This is one precaution to protect both birds from exposure to new disease.

Reinforced behaviours are tough to break. It will take patience and time for Tango to learn the screaming won't yield what he wants. You will have to ignore his calls, even when you come back into the room. Once he quiets down, then praise and reward. What concerns me is your statement: If he is screaming for other things, and gets them, then you are reinforcing the screaming in more then one context. It is being reinforced in almost a global context. I recommend paying attention the next few days to see what you do when he does scream, and figure out a consistent, unrewarding response to slowly de-emphasize the behaviour.

Of course, everyone should do their own research. However, to generalize pellets as bad is a mistake. Sure, there are some brands that are not the best for our birds, but there are known high quality brands that are a 100% nutritional provider for greys. I would point you decades of research, research papers and peer review that clearly are the defining body of what we know as avian nutritional knowledge. For example Roudybush products (our pellet supplier of choice for our use) is one pellet product that meets the nutritional needs of our birds. Check out some of the available articles at http://www.roudybush.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=birdbrain.articles as well as the research papers available in many journals. Roudybush pellets provides 100% of the nutritional needs of our greys. Period. (note, I am just a Roudybush consumer, not a reseller, etc) Sure, no pellet trees in a grey's natural environment. But no cages either, or reduced direct sunshine, household chemicals etc. We do the best we can for our birds, research what works best, and do the best we can to provide the best artificial environment for our birds. We find out new results, create new technologies, change formulations and do a better job for our greys. It's all good. Karen, I applaud you in moving from a seed diet to a quality pellet diet. Research shows this as a positive step forward for our greys. Keep us updated on your progress.

Good for you on your efforts to transition to pellets. Given a choice between seeds and pellets, Cosmo will surely pick seeds. Mixing them in just doesn't work - Cosmo will simply pick out the seeds and leave the pellets. Try starting the day with pellets and switch to seeds midday. Slowly extend the time before the switch after you notice definitive consumption of the pellets. Let Cosmo dictate the timing. In some cases, birds simply won't accept new foods. So try again in a few weeks if it fails. Under no circumstances should you deprive Cosmo of available food that he will eat. By starting the day with pellets, he'll get the idea that this will be his go-to food quickly. High quality pellets provide the best nutritionally balanced diet for our greys. They should be available to your grey at all times. Complemented with a variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, meats and cereals, and you can't go wrong.

The expensive filters get clogged way too quickly, so I use a 20" box fan from one of the big-box building suppliers, with a 20"x20"x1" filtrete filter in front of it. It has a huge filtering exchange rate. I place a carbon-embedded filter between the filtrete filter and fan to eliminate any odors, etc.. If you want, you can get fancy with a grooved trim piece for the filter to slip in and out of. Works very very well, and the filters are much cheaper than alternatives. My brother-in-law has major dust allergies and has no problems with our birds and (lack of) dust. I use a variant of these for my breeder cages and they do a very good job of dust elimination.

Daniela, the "right" one is the one that Jellybean will eat eagerly and consistently. Use what others do as possibilities, but do what works for you and Jellybean. In other words, let Jellybean be your guide as to what is the right one for him. It sounds to me that you've got it figured out perfectly for the two of you. Just remember, tomorrow all bets are off

Can't have too much variety. I know I don't want to eat the same thing, every meal, every day. Boring. You mention commercial products. All good. But don't forget variety in fresh fruits, vegetables, cereals and meats. With the exception of known dangerous foods, my birds have available what we eat (sometimes right from our plates, no less).

You can always ask your local grocer manager to get things special for you. They don't charge extra and love knowing they can sell stuff immediately when it comes in. Take a list in and ask what they can do for you. I do it regularly with our Kroger store with good success.

First off - do not ignore and leave him in his cage. That will eventually grow into a bird that is feeling ignored, and one of the base issues here is that Fred wants to be out with his flock. There are four things that will get Fred to go back into his cage: Motivation Patience and Perseverance Practice and Consistency Praise and Reinforcement (see motivation above) When you said you brought Fred home last night, I presume he is a new-to-you bird, and that this was his first day home. Is he a juvenile bird? If so, give him some time to get used to his surroundings and learn a routine. It will be difficult at first, but again, be patient. To get ihm back in his cage you can always gently pick him up and replace him on a perch in his cage. Try to stay away from herding him in. I always recommend Barbara Heidenreich's training videos for hurdles like this. They are proven, safe, and based on good science. You will also need to find something for the reward and reinforcement. Watch what kind of treats and food Fred has available to him while out of the cage. Keep it to a minimum and get him interested in taking food from you. This will help in training efforts. I'm not suggesting withholding necessary food, just minimize any excess so he is not food satiated. Others will chime in with their recommendations.

Timbersmom, you should be able to find a quality, preferably organic food store and pickup bulk beans and seeds. I go to Whole Foods or Trader Joes. They are LOT cheaper than specialty sprouting kits and stuff, they are likely to be fresher, and no shipping added on. Look for the bulk/non-packaged section for: Legumes/peas (pea, lentils, mung beam, soybean, etc) Cereals (wheat, barley, quinoa, rye, buckwheat, rice) Cabbage (cabbage, broccoli, radish, mustard Onions and leeks Vegetables (spinach, lettuce, lemon grass) I sprout in non-wax paper cups (like the dixie bathroom cups) and get a consumable/trashable container to serve them up in. And save a cup or two for yourself.

I believe that PFOA is used in formulations for the manufacturing process to create various non-stick products, and isn't "in" the final product nor available to be out-gassed in a seriously over-heated pan. Personally, I wouldn't worry about the "what" as much as paying attention to proper use of pots and pans so it's not an issue for me or my pets.

I am a fan of Whole Food's Citrus All Purpose Cleaner. It does an amazing job of breaking down droppings quickly without any harmful ingredients. Besides cleaning the floor (and walls), I use it as a general wipe-down solution for cages and play stands. I'm sure there are comparable all-natural no-harmful product citrus cleaners out there. For those times I want a disinfecting cleaner, I reach for Pet Focus. It's an excellent no-rinse-required disinfectant.

To expand a bit, leg bands are not required in the US or Canada, but may be useful for identification purposes needed to bring a bird into the country as part of the chain of custody and evidence of country of origin. Regarding traveling with an exotic animal like a grey, check before you head out. Bringing any bird that did not originate from that country is very iffy. If you do not have a leg band, I do not believe you will be able to travel with your bird into the US, as only captive bred birds may be imported. The only way to prove your grey is captive bred is with a closed leg band. In this context, the leg band is required. More importantly, Check if Muscat is on the list of countries where import of African Greys (any bird, for that matter) is prohibited due to pathogenic avian disease risk. Check with the USDA (http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/animals/nonus_pet_bird.shtml) and US Customs (http://www.cbp.gov/) before traveling.

From my experience, being away for extended periods is ok with my greys. I try to take a 2-3 week tour away from home at least once a year and my greys tolerate it well. I think they're actually happy to get a break from me once in awhile As has been suggested by others, I have someone here at the house in the evenings and overnight that would spend time with them as I would. They (the person) is comfortable with greys, interacts with them (the birds), and knows how to handle any emergency that might come up. Be ready, however, for your baby to pick up some habits and words that you might not particularly choose. Be sure to set good ground rules on behaviour. My young grey picked up da**-it really well while I was gone, complete with proper emphasis. I am glad you are waiting to travel this year - it is important for you baby to not be confused with disappearing owner at this time.

Nothing sinister - your hair is just the most enjoyable, fluffy, ticklish, and playful thing around! It's normal. Short-haired bald guy that I am, I don't have to worry about it, but greys on my wife's shoulder is an exercise in hair abuse.

Apologies, I didn't get any of that in your original post except that you had tried to towel with no success. Go back to your vet and ask for a 1ml syringe to administer the antibiotic. The antibiotic bottle may have a droplet opening, but I feel that it is too risky to administer directly from the bottle - there's always a chance of more going in than planned. Using an oral syringe (non-needle syringe) is usually non-traumatic for your bird and very safe. After giving the antibiotic use the syringe to give him the yogurt that Jayd mentions - then he'll get a treat for taking the antibiotics.

As mentioned by Nancy, your vet should have provided explicit directions along with a 1ml oral syringe for administering the antibiotics. Call your vet and ask for what you need.

Toys and other distractions would be welcomed. Greys love to have a little personal playtime before and after their night's sleep. A good water bottle is a requirement, but food is optional.

Heather, A suggestion to go along with the good travel cage/crate suggestions is to get a small java table top playstand. This will give Bird someplace to stretch during the day, and you can return him to the travel cage for naps and timeouts. I allow my greys to "work" with me on a playstand sitting on an opened desk drawer, and return them to their respective cage when they start to get impish or need their nap (or if I need mine). Here's an example

Yay! That's a grey that's happy and excited to see you. I hope you're responding back to her the same way.

Danielle, Pretty common problem, but it can be safely addressed and changed. There are two primary pieces that need to be addressed; trust and motivation. I would also search this site for biting and body language - much has been written that should help keep you from being bit. You should never experience a bite! I'm going to reverse the trust/motivation pair and start with motivation. What might motivate Ava to eagerly step up on your hand (not your finger, please)? Revert to simple training exercises to get Ava (and you) comfortable with being handled. There are plenty of resources out there on how, but I recommend checking out Barbara Heidenreich's www.goodbirdinc.com materials. They are proven, safe, and backed by behavioural science. Think treat machine for awhile and you'll be amazed at the difference. You'll find Ava will be eagerly trying to please you, initially for a treat and eventually for your companionship and praise. Trust - For both of you, trust is now an issue and needs to be rebuilt. This will take time and patience to change. Following the safe training exercises above, you will slowly build trust between the two of you. Most importantly, you will begin to trust being around Ava and enjoy not being bit. I know the above methods work as I use them daily with birds that have been highly aggressive towards people in the past. Also ask your boyfriend to allow you to take the lead on this for awhile. Ava may indeed get inconsistent messages from the two of you. Plus, she may use your boyfriend as an escape or haven. It shouldn't go to that point, but you need some one-on-one with Ava without the distraction of your boyfriend. Hope this helps.

1-cup Ziploc Snap 'n Seal cups. Available at Walmart and Target. These are sold in boxes of 12 or so, and dishwasher cleaned, and reused. I mix up enough of my bean/rice/veggie mix to fill about 3 dozen of these and into the freezer. I pull one out, let it thaw, and serve from it until I need another.

It's about the right time for the first molt. The feathers look like they have fallen out rather than being chewed or destroyed, so that's a good note. Are there any new pin feathers coming in? Any down? The body and tail pictures you posted look fine. I would expect you have a molt going on. I wouldn't be overly concerned, but keep an eye out for any changes. Of course, don't hesitate to schedule a visit to your avian vet for a check up if you have any questions or concerns.

I think a loose translation would be "I hope i will not trouble you with this, but wanted to invite people to join our page. We have an African Facebook page created for those of you who would like to join, just follow the link." I hope I got it close.