glitterysparkle

Hey Brittany, I rarely get on here anymore(not enough time:( ) but i saw the ad on craiglist tonight and came on here to make sure it wasn't yours:) I'm in Va Beach too...Sephora is safe and sound..I hatehatehate these lost bird stories...scary! Yea I really hope that bird was his...eeeks.

Hello forum!!! it has been a while... a refresher- I'm Robin. Sephora is now 9 months old. We got her back in september.At the time I was living in CT with my husband and unemployed so I had plenty of time to spend and bond with her (even though she's definitely a daddy's girl:) My husband Brian got new orders(he's in the navy) back to my hometown, Va Beach. He'll be here in july. In the meantime, I got a job lined up and moved back here in November, leaving Sephora with Brian. I was really nervous about how our bond would be affected as well as how she'd handle being alone (when Brian was at work) since she's been so used to someone always being home. But she adjusted well to living with Brian alone. fast forward to 2 weeks ago- we're about to close on a new home, so Brian brought Sephora and her big cage here to stay with me. (I'm currently living with my dad until we can move into our new house.) At first, I wasn't quite sure our bond would still be there, and if it was, how strong would it be? It's surprised me how WELL she has done with this whole transition(changing houses, changing "live in" parronts, and the amount of people she's exposed to.)It's taken few weeks, but Sephora now lets snuggle and cuddle her, where originally she'd barely let me hold her. She misses Brian and definitely still looks for him, but this makes me feel better in terms of the fact I know she'll handle his future deployments as well too. Even with me working full time, we've built a pretty good routine...she gets at least 1-2 hours of time with me, one on one. Other than that, her cage is huge and full of toys for entertainment when I'm gone. I have 2 little half sisters, ages 4 and 7. Sephora was scared at first but is adjusting, and the kids are learning how to behave around her. So anyone out there living the military lifestyle or having moving issues...its hard on them but if you devote enough time, energy and love to them they'll be ok and adjust. I was terrified of her plucking...now she's going through her first molt I think because I've seen of featherlike dander dust stuff coming off when she scratches and little open ended pinfeathers on her neck. I've been spraying her with aloe juice and water regularly to help her along and rubbing her neck seems to appease her. She has also started talking within the last month and a half...I was bummed to miss her first "real" words- "Hello!!!" But she is learning quickly- she even mimics a little chihuahua bark that lived next door to us in groton- which comes off cute ...on her. "Whoa!!" seems to be the newest addition to the vocab:) ~Robin

Hi Brittany, I have been away from the forum for a while nad just saw this today...I'm sooo glad you found her...how scary that must have been...SO SO happy for you! I was looking at your map...you live in chicks beach, right? I'm in va beach too...I was wondering what vet you use? I've only had Sephora since september and just moved back to hampton roads and dont know a good avian vet. CONGRATS again:)

check out birdbreeders.com..they give reviews and ratings on the breeders in the area. I'm originally from Va Beach and will be moving back soon (Yay!)and someone not too long ago was asking the same question. i *think* birdbreeders has a well reviewed one in hampton...check it out. I actually bought mine from a great breeder in GA because I couldn't find anyone in CT...found that breeder through people on this board and the reviews to back in up on birdbreeders.com. I'd stay away from pet stores because generally they are like puppies in pet stores- lower quality stock akin to puppy mills, poorly socialized etc. HTH! ~Robin

Here's a little tip- something I wish I had thought of earlier- I bought small glass pinch(prep) bowls and they fit inside Sephora's stainless steel dishes perfectly. They are heavy and she does not try to pick them up. They are also pyrex...you can buy a pack of 4 for 5 bucks at walmart. This way I change out her dish glass"liners" daily- helps with the stuck on mash. toss the dirty into the dishwasher. no cleanup for me, and she has a fresh water and food bowl everyday:)

Hi there! I ordered Sephora's cage off of Ebay. I was nervous too but it turned out pretty great and I got an awesome deal.This this the seller I used- http://myworld.ebay.com/wpic-bestbuy/ Here is a link to pics of her cage- http://www.greyforums.net/forums/cages-&-homes/153657-got-the-babys-cage-ready.html It's huge, solidly built, good quality. got it for just under $200 with free shipping. My only complaints are minor ones- you can see in the pic the metal skirt is slightly bent, and the playtop tray as about a 1/2 bend in it...same for the bottom tray. these are really minor cosmetic issues and things only I notice. But if something like that would bother you, think twice(it's because of the way it was packed and shipped I think) Otherwise it was a great buy, easy to put together and Sephora loves it. HTH! ~Robin<br><br>Post edited by: glitterysparkle, at: 2009/10/13 16:32

Hi there! I have a 5 month old baby grey. I did a lot of research on wing clipping before deciding to keep Sephora fully flighted. I am very happy with the decision. I've only had her for a month but I've seen a huge change in her confidence, independence,agility and navigational abilities. It can be hard to imagine having a bird fly room to room with you- but it's actually very nice for her to be able to go where SHE wants to go at that time and not get frustrated. If she's hungry- she flies to her food bowl to eat. If she has to go potty, she flies off of me and onto her pre-approved basket to go. With the intelligence factor they have, you want to encourage their independence- it allows their personalities to really blossom! The concerns you have are valid but can be avoided with the proper prevention and care...if it is something you are willing to do and put effort toward. HTH! ~Robin

well, the harrison's arrived yesterday and they are a winner:woohoo: Sephora took right to them, and I'm a happy bird mama:) I hope all my grey problems are as easy to solve as that one, ha. ~Robin

awww, what an awesome video! Emma is soo adorable:)

Thanks everyone:) I have tried mixing in her pellets with mash but she just picks them out...i even tried putting them in the food processor and "hiding" in the mash but then she doesn't eat the mash....i'm hoping she'll like other pellets better. otherwise she's a good eater- will eat fruit, veggies and mash no problem. pellets are another story. ~Robin

Sephora will be 18 weeks old on thursday, and I've had her a little over a week. I had her wellness check done and everything was A Ok.... I had been feeding her this mash http://www.greyforums.net/forums/bird-food/89601-alexs-yummy-mash.html#89857 2 x daily and trying to get her to eat her pellets in between. She was weaned onto Zupreem fruitblend but really refuses to eat them and haven't seen her eat more than 5 TOTAL in her time here. The mash I give her is 3 kinds- one containing dried fruits and nuts, one sweet potato and oatmeal, and one with frozen veggies. She likes her food warm. Anyway, the breeder suggested giving her nothing but the pellets for 3 days. I tried it yesterday and she ate probably a total of 2 full pellets after all the crunching....this morning she refused flat out so I'm back to mash. I really want to make sure she gets everything she needs nutritionally...maybe i should switch pellets? I already contacted harrison's and roudybush for samples...any other suggestions. While on mash her weight has remained steady. Any advice is greatly appreciated... Robin

I'm soo sorry to hear this:( My heart goes out to you...very sorry for your loss.

We've been training Sephora to go poop in her basket when she is out and she has done pretty well....she flies off of us and onto the basket to poop. Like with cleo, (we've only had her a week) so i dunno if it is coincidence but we'll see. she did it 6 times yesterday. I also praise her for going in her cage because I have the fear of her developing the issue charlie has...

hello- I took a quick look on birdbreeders.com...here is an aviary located in Richmond- looks like they have good reviews. http://www.birdiebrainsaviary.com/ I'm originally from VAB so the drive wouldn't be too bad to check em out...bird breeders also lists aviaries in williamsburg and hampton you could see, but i like ones that have reviewers to back em up. hope that helps! Robin

YAY!! Congrats Harvey, so exciting!:woohoo:

Why yes they are! I've had mine less than a week and I'm totally in love:) I feel sorry for people who have that kind of "I don't like" attitude...Karma to you for tolerating that remark:) Sometimes I would hear things like that about my dog(husky) and wonder why those people felt the need to share that...it's not like they live with you! I have yet to see if there will be a favorite person between my husband Brian and myself- Sephora adores him so I suspect he'll be a favorite...but right now I'm home with her all day so we have time to bond. Either way it's good because she, like Beau, doesn't ignore anyone. THAT was my fear. ~Robin

Wow what a wonderful story! Thank you for being so diligent and finding the owners... I hope if my bird ever gets lost some like you finds it.Love happy endings!

Yea i'd just spend some time researching good breeders esp since you have a while before you get one. There was a baby grey available here at a local petstore,one week older than Sephora. I chose not to buy from them due to several reasons- the bird was only 11 or 12 weeks when already at the store, so it probably was force weaned. She looked very unstable when climbing so I suspect she was never allowed fledge. she sits in a small cage with no social interaction that I've seen....and finally, the price was $500 more than what Sephora cost. That bird was probably from a bird broker and i think it's akin to puppy mills...I'm more of a rescue person. We considered rescue but a)there were none near us and b) this is our first large bird. So, go with your gut and find a good and reputable breeder.

sorry I'm late on this but I'm glad you and Leia are okay! That sounds like a SCARY experience and I hope you don't have to go through it again! Interesting topic....had no clue crows were that smart... ~Robin

It sounds like you have a good plan:) I'm originally from Va Beach and moved to CT last year. We are waiting on my husband's next set of orders(less than a month, crossing our fingers) and hopefully we'll be coming back soon! I am not a fan of CT winters after living in VA Beach my whole life:) I don't know of any breeders as i didn't do grey research while living in va, but I would check out animal jungle on Holland Rd. We always went there for pet stuff as they had lots of exotic fish and i did see greys in there from time to time. I found our breeder from recs on this board and looking at ratings on birdbreeders.com. (and I know its a bit off topic, but i graduated from ODU's BSN & MSN FNP program, so if you have questions feel free to PM me!) ~Robin

Thanks everyone! I thought the name Sephora was very fitting as it means "beautiful bird".She seems to be settling in very well as day 2 here was spent better navigating the living room and places to land....we have also introduced her to our Husky, Thor, and they are getting along pretty well. Casey, our breeder(Canopy Creatures) did a wonderful job with her as she is very sweet. She is well socialized and happy.I even got some cuddle muffin loving today! Now, if I can train her to not aim at landing on my head, we'd be good:P

Biscotti is a beautiful bird! I thinking the name is very fitting...sweet and tough:P LOL, Sephora is doing the same kamikaze pilot thing and it is scary! I need to work on her targeting my arm as she currently targets my head...thanks for sharing the pics!I'm glad he is settling in well:)

Welcome home Ragga! Sephora came home yesterday, so I know JUST what you are talking about... She came from GA and we're in CT...She isn't super cuddly either but I'm just chalking it up to getting used to being here:) Sephora is very independent and prefers to stay at the top of her cage unless it looks like I'm doing something super interesting...no cuddles here either yet. congrats on your new baby! ~Robin<br><br>Post edited by: glitterysparkle, at: 2009/09/06 19:34

Hi Everyone! Our newest addition, Sephora, arrived yesterday. She's 16 weeks old and very sweet. She just getting used to being here so we are taking it slowly and getting to know each other. She is a great climber and is very agile- I have kept her fully flighted and i think it helps a ton with her stability, as well as confidence.It had me a little worried with her having a big cage but she's taking to it well. She just starting to learn step ups and seems to be a happy girl:) Here are some pics to enjoy- I've been making tons o birdie mash for her and some comfort foods like sweet potato. (hopefully I can get the pics on this time! ~Robin Post edited by: glitterysparkle, at: 2009/09/06 19:29<br><br>Post edited by: glitterysparkle, at: 2009/09/06 19:35

Hi Dan, I think you are being wise and considerate thinking about the time you will need for a new parrot. You have a lot going on but it seems your "full" days are basically 3 days a week? Think about how much free time you will actually have once your classes and clinicals start, plus your job and volunteer work. I'm a nurse practitioner and I know that i wouldn't have had time for a parrot while in school or while i was working 12 hour night shifts 3x a week- that alone was hard on my dog and he let me know it. You know your schedule best...i think you should wait and see how much time studying for classes will also be involved...for me it was at least 20 hours a week outside of class. then you will be able to better judge. HTH! Robin