animalINSPIRED

Birds often will chew at "abnormal" feathers, such as clipped feathers. It's not uncommon to see chewed clipped flights.

^^ Agreed. Averi started speaking clearly at 5 months. Congrats on your smart little Grey!

Congrats on your baby Grey. All your names are cute. I have a year old grey whose name is Averi. She says says it "Avvv-reee", it's quite adorable. Whatever you choose will sure to be a great fit!

That doesn't sound normal if you ask me. I spent a lot of time with Averi pre-weaning and she never screamed. She made noises but not like a typical bird scream...

The set of questions has yet to be sent out, but once it is I'm sure Dave will be happy to share the results.

Looks awesome! I'll hafta go see it!

I'm in! PM sent

Congrats on the new addition! Waiting's the hardest, but those babies are beautiful, and well worth the wait!

I've wondered the same thing. I'm a member on another forum where the popular consensus is that pairs of Greys do better than singles when raised together from a young age. I think you always have to be ready to provide separate cages if needed, though.

The older Grey above (Spinner's Gabi) is about 3 1/2 months in that picture. Her eyes are definitely darker than your Grey, but I'm sure there is a range of normal eye colors at that age.

When I put a deposit down on Averi I knew there would be a huge debate over her name, and I wasn't disappointed. Even though Averi was my bird, everyone wanted a say. I wanted her name to have something to do with her. My mom threw out tons of names and gave far-strecthed reasons for what they have to do with African Greys. She suggested Ellie, because she's always liked that name for an Elephant and Elephants are Grey.:confused: I believe my Dad was the first to suggest Avery. I had liked that name for a little girl for a long time and I thought it'd be perfect for my flighted Grey, kind of like aviary and aviation. My mom suggested Aerial for a girl (again since she was to be flighted) and Greyson for a boy (for obvious reasons). These were my top name picks when I found out she was a girl. Avery just seemed to fit her better; she was bold and independent, even as a baby. I decided to do Averi as it looked a little more feminine than Avery. I have plans to get another female CAG in the next year, and as long as the name fits her personality, she will be named Aerial. And many, many years in the future I'd like to get a male TAG named Greyson.

I hope she feels better. The chewing is probably harder on you than her. I was devastated when Averi started in at her feathers, and while I admit I'm still desperately trying to get her to stop, I've learned to accept her chewing. I'm sure it's different with a medical condition behind it, but as long as she's happy and healthy, I wouldn't worry too much.

Today was Averi's first hatchday! It seems like this year went by so quickly! I picked her out at three weeks old and now she's one! We've had an exciting year with lots of firsts! Here's some pictures of her Hatchday festivities Her cake- Yum!- Gifts!- She enjoyed all of her toys. I was astonished when she quite happily squeezed through the tunnel/shredder my mom bought her. Here's a video of some of the trick training we've been doing- Here's a video of some of her talking- And pictures of her baby book- These pages are just up till she came home in early April. I plan to scrapbook the rest of her first year, and the fun stuff in years to come! Some of my favorite memories are her first words at 5 1/2 months, eating ice cream at Handel's, and winning Grand Champion in 4h pocket pets. She amazes me everyday!

I liked it!

Those are breathtaking. I love pics of Greys in flight.

Averi's cage came from craigslist. It's a super heavy duty huge corner cage. We paid less than $200 (the lady we got it from had the receipt shoing she paid $600) for it. It was only used for three months for some sort of exotic animal that I'm spacing the name of. It was doused in buckets of vinegar, aire-dried, wiped down with water, then repeated 2x. It then was allowed to air out for over a month before she came home. You can find really great cages on craigslist, but you have to be willing to make sure they're properly sanitized. Though, that goes for warehouse cages too. They should be saniztized before you bird uses them to get rid of any dust or chemicals.

Your story's really a great example as to knowing your Grey. Thanks to your careful parronting, I'm sure he's feeling much better!

As far as shoulders, what Judy said makes sense to me. I don't have any personal advice in that area as Averi just steps up. When you're scratching his head, be aware of your surroundings. I've fallen in love with a Grey in a pet store whom I visit every week or so. If I offer a scratch, she normally puts her head down and I'll scratch. Though I've learned to remove my hand if anyone walks through the door, because in that instance she'll lunge at me mid scratch. Do your best to watch his body language. If he shows any signs of discomfort, or any changes at all really, stop scratching. Respecting their body language builds trust. And yes, continue working on step-up. Again follow his lead, no pressure. And when he does step-up, treat! This will make stepping-up a positive experience and something he looks forward to. Biting will lessen as he settles. You will learn to read him better and he will learn that you won't hurt him. Does he show any certain body language right before he poops? Averi always squats and scoots backward. At that point we pick her up, move her to a potty area and say "potty", she goes, and she gets a treat. It's also good to note when he goes. Averi always goes as soon as she gets out of her cage, so we always take her straight to her potty place, when she comes out. You guys sound like you're making great progress!

Thanks to all who voted!! I tied for first, so she's def in the calendar. Now they're voting for the cover. If you visit this link http://www.parrot-crazy.com/forum/showthread.php?3171-2010-PHOTO-CONTEST-WINNERS!&p=44456#post44456 Vote for #1!!! Thanks again!!

The best to Jay and Maggie. You're in our prayers!

Happy hatch-day Issac!! Gorgeous pictures!

I guess I should have specified more about pet stores. Averi's been in Petco, once, for a photo shoot. The only birds they have are budgies who were on the other side of the store. She's also been to our local bird store for bird behvaior 101 classes, but all the store's birds were kept away from ours, and had been vet checked.

I'm a high school student and take my classes online. I used to have issues with Averi flying over and attacking my keyboard, too! Thankfully the last time she stayed with Spinner (Dave), he began teaching her the "go back" command. This has been a godsend for us. She now spends way more time playing on her stand, and when she does fly over, I can just say "playstand" and she flies back to it.

She's gorgeous! I love her coloring. I hope to get a timneh one day, they're so little and cute!

Agreed!