Spinner

I needed a small tabletop perch for my grey and built a simple wooden perch stand. I used baltic birch plywood for the sides. Baltic birch plywood has thinner, more numerous laminate plies than standard plywood, and uses a glue that has been safe for my birds. It finished nicely with nicely contrasting plies. After cutting to shape, the edges were softened with fine grit sandpaper. The perch rods are made from cherry, and use both 1 inch and 3/4" diameter dowel. The ends of each have been relieved with a slight chamfer. The pieces were sanded with 230-grit sandpaper and steel wool. Tung oil finishes the parts prior to assembly. Through-holes were drilled in the plywood and the parts assembled as shown. I used gorilla glue and finishing brads to hold everything together. Wipe off any excess glue with a damp cloth. My birds enjoy this enough that they haven't chewed into it yet. I sized the stand to sit across my digital scale for easy weight measurements. Enjoy!

Honors to you for taking on this kind of challenge. She obviously is in a better place now with you. If you haven't already, take Gabby into a qualified avian vet to get blood tests and a general health assessment. Your vet can provide valuable recommendations, and possibly some needed vitamins and medications. As Ramsabi mentioned, patience is important. Remember that your are working on building trust for a lifetime relationship - don't get discouraged if it takes a little longer than expected. You mention that you are very scared. What about? Let us know specifics so we can try to help you out with any issues.

Too funny. Got a similar response here. Well, whatever happened to "take your parrot to work day?" I think I'll try challenging my boss this week by having my trusty grey assistant with me.

Thanks all! I do hope we find the right homes for the babies. We are going to be very picky about where they go - the chicks will have to convince us that it is a good match Judy, I still have all the webcams running, including the nest box camwith the (right now) two chicks and one egg. Enjoy!

Thanks for sharing these - I think my birdies will see some new decorations soon

You shouldn't need to do a thing with the branches. I would recommend that you let them cure and fully season (dry out) so they are harder and can withstand an active beak. I often find limbs and branches that I use for my birds. Your apple wood would be exceptionally nice for them. Mine particularly like the fruitwoods.

Nice! Love the little squeals of delight along with the victory dance. Thanks for getting it on video.

Hi All, Two of Camilla's congo babies are looking for their new home. You can read about them on Camilla's announcement thread in the Nursery forum. We are keeping one of the clutch for ourselves, but simply can't keep all three. They are in Indiana, and are now ready for their next adventure. Send me a PM for details or any questions. These babies are hand reared, well socialized, like dogs, know the up command (perch on finger) and are eating pellets with a complement of veggies and beans. Also, I have three more hatching right now that will be available in March/April. Thanks! Dave <br><br>Post edited by: Spinner, at: 2010/01/02 20:48

The chicks have moved from prehistoric-looking babies to adolescent Congo African Grey parrots. Here's a set of pictures of the chicks, taken on December 12th. I setup the full studio set and the babies obliged with a wonderful set of poses. The following are four of my favorites. Chickie One at 10 weeks old, stretching her wings Chick Two at 9-1/2 weeks striking a calming pose for the camera Chick Three at 9 weeks with a rapid flight movement A close portrait of Chick Three at 9 weeks old I thought these pictures would be a nice closeout for this thread. I've enjoyed bringing this journey to the forum and am looking for the next subject to start up. The webcams are still running, and my site is always being updated with new pictures and updates. As always, Enjoy!

Congrats on your trio! You are very brave, indeed. As Dave said, don't ignore the pleadings. I've found that it's a fantastic way for you to become the new provider for your grey as they expect you to be there with their food. It may sound counter-intuitive, but handfeeding adequately will "re-wean" your grey sooner (search abundance weaning for more info). I'm curious if you are feeding the same solid food combinations as your breeder. Regarding your concern about whether the formula contains adequate nutrition; formula is more than adequate as it is usually packed with necessary nutrients, vitamins, and fat content. Does she have a name yet?

As others have said, what you describe is quite normal and to be expected. Most of all, be patient - you are training and setting behaviours for a life time in a companion that will live a long time. You may find that insuring a calm, confident and patient demeanor will go a long way towards receiving the same from Griffon. Can we get some pictures??

We're having a grand time with the chicks now that they are moving from the chick to bird stage. They are all taking a step up on a finger or hand but haven't yet figured out why we keep saying "up." :lol: If you go online and don't see the chicks in their cage, it's likely because we've got them out and are playing with them on the floor. We put a ladder from their current cage (the lowest in the condo) to the floor - they are having great fun climbing up and sliding down on it. Rather amazing what they'll entertain themselves with. They are getting about half their food from pellets and veggies in their bowl or by hand, well on their way towards a healthy weaning. We're having to prepare to face the prospect of the chicks finding new homes. This is one of the hardships with raising baby greys, and we'll be very picky about their new caretakers. Meanwhile, Camilla is on three eggs now and is letting Gonzo know he needs to quit playing around and bring in some food. Enjoy! We are!

Great picture! I've given Beaker some beef bones to play with, but hadn't thought of chicken. Oh he's in for a treat now. Thanks for sharing!!

Yay! One year old. Here's to another year of fun, joy and learning.

Wanted to let those that are still following the babies that they have graduated from the brooder to the cage condo. I'll have the webcam relocated today. The chicks are doing fantastic, at seven and eight weeks old with full wing plummage and averaging 407 grams. They are learning to perch at ground level and love the additional room in the cage. And.... ...the cycle begins again - Camilla laid the first egg of her next clutch this morning! :blink:

Nice! Ask yourself if you say I love you with Casper when scratching his head. It wouldn't surprise me that he knows the phrase in context. Yes, they know!

Awesome! Thanks, Dan - keep them coming. Love it.

Yay...congratulations on bringing home your new Grey!!! As for the name, your Grey will let you know

Thanks all! I'm having a grand time with the chickies. We did, however, get tired of them wearing their dinner and decided to give them their first full bath. They emerged from their spa treatment with new fluffy down and shiny-smooth feathers. After her effort in cleaning up the clutch, my wife wants to make dinner bibs for them Needless to say, these birds have no issue with towel time. The oldest has hit the seven week mark, with the youngest eight days behind. Their weight ranges from 365 grams to the second chick's 402 grams. We also sent samples off for DNA sexing, and hope to have results back soon. We've guessed the sex of each bird and are waiting anxiously to get the results. Meanwhile, we continue to enjoy the entertainment. <br><br>Post edited by: Spinner, at: 2009/11/23 04:48

Hangin On

Keep at it. I would consider getting rid of the stick altogether. Obviously, Baby knows what's expected with the stick. Now it's time to get him to do it with your hand. The success you have from standing can be transformed to sitting over time. Just be consistent like you have been and keep at it - but remove the stick. Just remember, you are teaching a lifetime of behaviour, so don't give up.

There is no way that I want my greys on my shoulder as a routine perching spot. Whether on a shoulder or back of the couch, it remains that if the bird's eyes are above yours, it will become the alpha (or think it is) over time. My opinion....but you asked - yes, I think it's a mistake. ...but there are always exceptions where it's necessary, as in your latest event.

I doubt Pepper doesn't like babies. How many have been around her and for how long? Just like a new toy, it takes time for my grey to become comfortable with something new. It wasn't a baby, but we had a surprise long-term care for a very nice, but very large dog. This threw our grey into a couple of growling events, but once they were properly introduced and with some time to gain trust, they became quite fond of each other. It was rather interesting to see a 500g grey nose-to-nose with a 100lb dog :ohmy: What is absolutely necessary is to set boundaries with Pepper. The rest will come with time and consistency. And, a huge congratulations to you and your family!!!

Hi Dee....glad that Juno's doing better and on the mend. I'm really impressed at your efforts to make the medicine routine a positive for both of you! Congratulations on not giving up and being creative.

LOL @ Dan - I think I've taken care of the webcam availability. I mounted the cam permanently inside the brooder, and now I don't have to remember to put the cam back up on top when I'm done feeding. Memory doesn't work anymore, so mounting it so it's always there seems to work much better The real benefit is that it's a side view now instead of the top-down view. It's a much better angle to see their antics. Speaking of antics - they have really turned on the activity lately. They're bouncing around, trying to get out of the brooder box, and generally having a grand time. Hope you all enjoy the cam - I am!