katana600

Hahaha Dave, I can relate. Both mine are out, I tell them they are welcome to come home to live if they want, but they have to renovate the basement and I don't plan to put heat or AC down there. Then I moved in huge industrial sewing machine, so now I tell them they can be my sweat shop employees. Wingy, I think when we think of our rehomed parrots grieving for their people, it is because they lost everything familiar all in one fell swoop. If one person is the "bird person" and that person moves out and the rest of the household is ambivalent, that might cause the parrot upset because the love is gone. I don't foresee that happening with your household, you are the one who is wanting the bird, with support from your kids. My kids do come and go, spend the weekend and they are recognized flock members. Once Java accepted our daughter, now she can come in after a few months away and pick her up and scratch her head and they are fast friends the minute she comes back in the door.

From the look on your face, I thought your wife was showering the birds and it was your turn next. LOL. I think the most important thing with our birds that pluck is to not overreact. If they are nervous and see that it upsets us, it exacerbates their nervousness. A lot more experienced parrot owners tell me that taking them out in the sunshine every day for fifteen minutes is a really good thing for feather care and lessens plucking. I haven't been consistently successful in moving Gilbert without having to chase him and I think it is so complicated with the stress plucking that time and trust is all that we can hope for with them. I see progress when I tell him ahead of time about the big noise of the vacuum cleaner and other things like that, and I see long long stretches where he doesn't pluck his chest. He hasn't pulled any blood feathers since he came home so for the most part, other than looking raggedy, there is no harm. Glad that Anya wasn't hurt, we have the same issues with Java and Gilbert but I am more afraid of her biting him on the toe on his own cage. We have reached a "cease fire" agreement with the two of them over the past year but I am vigilant and don't leave her out unless I am in the room. If only I could now get Java to reach a "cease fire" with my husband, we would be really cookin'.

The day Spencer gets the idea he can get into a whole almond, it will surprise you just how quickly he can tear that shell off. I like to think it dulls the tip of their beaks just a little so I am greatly encouraged to give them whole almonds. You might even try to cut off the tip of the almond and put just a little dab of peanut butter in there to see if that piques his interest.

The more the merrier I say. My kids were still living at home when I brought home my parrots. One was going back and forth to college at the time and she was the hardest one to introduce to the birds, Java was always trying to drive away the intruder. It took a long time for them to reach friendly terms. The way I look at it, my parrot is going to outlive me and my kids are committed to continuing care for them. Better for your child to be there bonding with your baby parrot and then coming and going in the years and having knowlege of parrot care. The only problem I see (wink wink) is once your adult child sees how much more fun "home" is with a parrot, you may not be able to pry them into independence. Just kidding. You may be overthinking it, but you are the one to have to live with the situation. My kids do come and go, my husband travels a lot and the parrots just take it in stride.

Oh goodness, if that doesn't sound like a perfect day. I had my first two parrots in training for a motorcycle ride. Gilbert is a little iffy, but you just never know if he starts to open up. LOL. I have a little backpack that will fold flat. Maybe I couldn't bring home a cage on the motorcycle, but if there's a will there's a way. Come to think of it, if Gilbert had made his way to my house on a seven hour motorcycle ride, I can bet he would be so relieved to be in a quiet house, he would have just blended right in as a model citizen. LOL. I am just kidding of course. It pays to keep my husband wondering about it though. I love that you can ride to to CARE. If that were me, I would use what my husband calls "deeconomics" and convert my gas savings to bird toys. Here is how it works, Honey I was out today and saw something perfect that I wanted for a hundred dollars. My friends will vouch for me that I pined over it but walked away. Then, I spend fifty and tell him I just saved him fifty dollars because of what I didn't buy. Hahaha.. He wants to know how I save him money by spending money. I just shake my head sadly and say, "You just don't get it, maybe the next time." hahahahahaha. Always keep him wondering.

Our family has taken in strays for years and I never really felt "up to" the challenges of a parrot. Then, six years ago we got one. It has changed our lives. Since these birds came from close friends, they will be your best resource for figuring out the behavior and likes and dislikes of your birds so you are way ahead of the curve there. Kudos to you for taking on these parrots, you are going to be amazed. It will take a little while to get to understand them and being in a new place and missing the man may take an adjustment for them. They won't understand what a wonderful life you are prepared to give them. You have come to the right place, many in this forum have both greys and amazons and will be there for you no matter what questions you have. Take your time, Tatoo and Topper will be with you for a long long time and you will have lots of things to learn from them too.

I just can't get enough of this thread. My whole family has been "parroting" Biscotti. I sent the link to everyone I know. My dentist's entire office gathered round to watch him and it has spread happiness to so many people.

I have had to learn that grey time can be a blink of an eye, or it can be long arduous months for a caretaker. I have seen more change in one month than in all the previous months total, so that is encouraging. I have seen Gilbert barber his chest feathers in a flurry and with seemingly no provocation. But, what I wonder is if something is a trigger that brings up a bad memory for them, a bit like PTSD in humans? The one time Gilbert bit me the hardest and was the most surprise was after we were putting flooring in a bedroom, had all the furniture moved into a hallway where he could see it. Later, when I talked to his former caretaker Sarah, she reminded me that when she came to see him the first time, the man there had the whole house in boxes and said "You have to take him now, I am moving out in the morning." If we had a magical crystal ball we could cure all things, eh? I will take whatever progress I can get, one tiny little step at a time. It is awesome that Spencer and Anya will hang out with you for your morning routine. We sometimes can put table top perches on the kitchen island and Gilbert will come out with me willingly, but within a very short time his chest his quivering and heaving and he waves his foot and asks plaintively "wanna go back?" From your posts about Spencer, I am so encouraged that once Gilbert breaches the top of the wall he has cornered himself into, he will break the fear barrier and become less "locked in" and every positive interaction builds trust and courage for the boy.

I do give Gilbert whole almonds in the shell. With both our parrots, I started out using a pair of needle nosed pliers with the wire cutter part to snip off the tip of the almond so they could have something to get a hold on. Gilbert did the same thing as Spencer just checking it out. At the time, he loved pine nuts, so I would stuff a little pine nut in the opening to encourage him further. Now, I just hand him an almond in the shell and he has it gone in under a minute. It just took some time and practice. I do have to sort through the nuts and some are really hard and "sealed" on the edges. If I find one with a rough cracked edge, they can get into those ones better. For the water bottle, he has been getting almonds out of it when I am out of the room, I try to keep three in it all the time so I can tell if he has been playing with it. Now I have to admit I wanted him to play with it more, so I broke off a white cheddar cheetos and put a piece of that in the bottle. I swear I heard him make a soft "whoo" when he found that and then I imagined him making yummy sounds as he munched on it. I don't often feed my birds junk food, but considering that he is coming into a new phase that is positive, I want to find anything I can to encourage him. It is kind of like the limeade, it is not something he gets even once a month or in any more than just a sip or two, but it is a real special treat and he comes running. At some point the risk of developing bad habits is overcome just a little by the need to find anything that will get him out of his tight little huddle.

This thread is just a discovery of joy of the recovery of Oliver. I am so happy that he is being a nusiance to you... and I mean that in a good way. LOL. I can't begin to imagine where he has been in his life and don't want to think of him anywhere but with you. Thanks for keeping us updated on his shenanigans. He and Stewart are keeping you very busy and I have a feeling you wouldn't want it any other way.

Thanks Chelsea, I love this video so much I would like to put it on replay and just listen to him all day. Gilbert sneezes in exactly the same way. My husband says Ooga booga when he would pretend to be scary with our kids back in the day so hearing it from Biscotti was a fun reminder of play time. Glad you caught him on video so your friends can see that he is not really mute, only when they visit. LOL.

I wish I had something to offer for help with Kirby's wound and I don't have a clue what you are going through medically. What I do know is that you are resourceful and caring and I am impressed at the lengths our forum members will go through for all our companion animals. This is such an awesome source of community minded people and I lack the words to express just how much it means to me to know all of you and to read of your life beyond our beloved greys.

Our breeder had the same pair of grey's for thirty years and with all that time and experience, she could guess at a clutch and get the gender right with an impressive accuracy rate, but that was because she had seen a clutch of chicks every year or two from the same parents. She said she could look at chicks from other people and not have a clue. With that said, with all her experience, she still had DNA tests on every chick, so even with her success rate at guessing, DNA was her choice as well.

Two days? Oh just in two hours he was scurrying over for what I thought would be another scratch offer and instead he tried to bite me through the bars and then threw pellets at me but in seconds, then tucked his head for a scratch. When Sarah described his "issues" over the two and a half year time with her, she said he was unpredictable. I thought they all were, but lately I don't know who will meet me in two seconds that it takes for him to go from one extreme to another. I do look at the long long range plans and give him room to explore his many moods. Actually, I understand that alter ego, mine is Dolores and she comes out in ugly traffic. I try to keep a lid on the ole bugger though. Maybe if Gilbert traveled with me more often he would be too scared of her to get skittish and fling pellets. Or..... he has seen her and that is who he is pelting with empty almond shells. LOL. All I can say today is how happy I am to see him playing. He discovered the wall behind his cage today and was leaning on it and talking to hear his resonance or something like that. He was "drawing" on the wall with his beak, hanging upside down behind the cage and testing the wall behind him. I am still mesmerized by the little character.

Our breeder told us they will pick up things when your tone is excited and you are showing exaggerated emotion. I don't know though. Gilbert picked up one word I said while being on the phone with my daughter. He took a liking to the sound of "Walter" and he quietly says it often. Last night when he said it, we were talking and remembered, shortly after he came to us, we made a trip and in our daughter's office Gilbert met Walter in person. He must have really imprinted on him because just calling my daughter, Gilbert seems to know who is on the phone and says "Walter" and hoots and gets excited. I am glad we remembered last night that he had actually met the man because I was afraid he decided that was our daughter's name. Have you ever set up a recorder for Isaac in your absence? Maybe a voice activated one? You might be surprised at what he says when you are not within sight of him or when he is just keeping himself entertained. I liked the video where Isaac was setting up the cups. On the lighter side, with a chuckle... you love Isaac so much you are always excited to be with him he might be the one surprised to hear a different voice coming out of his daddy. I would bet he practices all your nuances when you are out of the apartment.

You are such a soft touch, I love it. Gilbert had a baby in his former home and when he makes that sound, I am on my feet ready to change a diaper, and it has been more than two decades. LOL. My next question is: Did the budgies mimick the wild birds or are the wild birds mimicking the budgies?

Sorry but the money tree can't bloom when we pick off the buds every day. I look back at your picture with big and tough next to tiny white fragile little Anya, then the tiny little hands of your daughter giving her attention and I can't say which one is more precious. Anya may have health difficulties but she sure isn't lacking in loving care. It is such a blessing for you to be so involved in the family, pets and home life. It sounds like you have a great team going there.

Well done Bosse, well done. Your photos are inspiring, your greys are beautiful and your website made me laugh at your funny stories. Mostly it made me laugh to see the mess at your house while I turn a blind eye to my own. Thank you.

Those surprises are our little gifts for the time and energy we spend getting to know our parrots. Did you and Ella-Rose have a good laugh? Ours are not so sweet if they hear a bump in the night Java will make the sound of a hawk and when I assure her it is only me, she makes the sound of breaking wind to let me know her displeasure. LOL. Missy sounds like she is tuned in to Ella-Rose. That is adorable.

Your avatar is lovely, what a pretty place for Missy to hang out. You have made great progress in a relatively short time. It is so good to hear how Missy is settling in to your home and family life. Even with the occasional snap, she sounds like a dear. Your consistency and gentle coaxing have been a good combination for her. Congratulations on building such a good relationship with her.

O Happy Day! Not only is is playing a little, he is trying new things. I have been seeing him on the bottom of his cage more often, he stands in the open doorway at the bottom and looks over his kingdom, perhaps dreaming of further exploration. Last night he was on the tip top perch on the cage top and he was pulling on some strings of a large toy hanging there. Then he held still for a long time and David and I were wondering what he was doing. I got up for a closer look and he was kind of hunched over, he was leaning his head into the toy as if he was asking for a scratch and he was slowly rubbing his own neck. I asked if he wanted a scratch and he leaned right over and let me scratch his head with no bars between us. Considering his moodiness for the past few weeks, this is monumental. Then when I stopped, he offered me a step up and came to sit on the back of the sofa for lots and lots of scratches and closeness. He still jumped and took a swipe at me when he heard David banging around in the kitchen to take the trash out and when he heard a sound outside, but for the most part he was all warm and cozy with his eyes closed. He is definitely opening up and his progress is encouraging. I will take what he is able to give and not put too much pressure on him, but it is good to see him play a little with toys and start to lighten up a bit.

I only have two parrots in my home and haven't gotten to the point where they can fly free together so it was amazing to see all the different parrots without any altercations. How often do you get together?

I had to come back in to watch him again. He is soooo funny. Gilbert is our comic relief but he is very selective about talking. It is always hilarious and on target when he does talk, but never anything as animated and "streaming" as Biscotti in this clip. Robin Williams is a good analogy for him and his little red booty, I saw him in the Fisher King dancing in Central Park. Biscotti is a true entertainer. He is such a happy little fellow.

I missed a few days online and just found Sterling Gris in all his finery. Happy birthday little one. I am impressed that you got a harness on him so quickly, perfect fit. I like to think it looks like he is in formal wear, like a little tuxedo. He is such a handsome fellow. It is such a small thing but brings me great joy to see him outside in the sunshine with you. Thanks for the pictures.