katana600

Bless her heart for the broken leg and complications. You have already been through a lot with her. Our male does the same love talk and I have to distract him with other things. There were times he was focused on it every time he came near me, but with reinforcing the distractions, the mating instinct has ebbed away.

I am so sorry for your loss. Your son has a caring heart and is commended for the closeness he could have with Tumba to look after him in your absence. When you have grieved Tumba, you will know when the time is right for another grey in your life. I also thought I would unfairly compare a "replacement" bird to another we lost. That didn't happen. We rehomed an older bird and while we have had some adjustments, I don't think of Gilbert in any other terms except his own definitions. My husband and I are in our 50s and thought similarly that we shouldn't make a half century or longer commitment, but there is no looking back once we brought Gilbert home. We just don't have any guarantees and we made a place for each other in our lives today and have our daughters committed to taking over for us if necessary. Dave is right about seeking out rescues and rehoming though. It was a stroke of timing and luck for us to be long term members on this forum coinciding with a medical necessity to rehome an older bird. Every day I am thankful that I took a deep breath and jumped in again to love the bird I brought into my life for another go.

That is just priceless. Here I have been wishing and wishing for Gilbert's feathers to regrow so he can fly some day. This post made me look up to see just how high he can go to get on upper window sills and the ceiling fan. Java used to go up there and I would just shoo her off with a broomstick. How much better to actually ask them to step up and come down on their own? LOL. I love your solution.

When we lost our first baby, it was unthinkable to get another. A few months later, I heard his brother over the phone and knew he needed us as much as I needed him. Losing a second one was painful beyond words and I thought then, this is it, I can't do it again. Then, I heard about Gilbert and once more the tell tale quickening of my pulse and the tug on my emotions was too strong. This lost bird is opening your heart and helping you to recognize that you want to have a grey in your life. You still will have Murphy in your heart forever and there is every possibility someday he will return to you. I saw to follow your instincts and open your home to the joys of a grey. Who better than you to know you are caring and loving an inadvertently lost grey and affirming that Murphy is out there being loved and cared for in your absence. My experience says for you to go for it.

I haven't had this particular issue, but I wonder if you could create a separate area through the nest box door which you could enclose with a smaller cage to contain her potty basket attached but separate from the cage? I am thinking of a cage addition. I'm assuming you have proabably already tried putting a "used" potty basket into her cage. How old is Charlie?

We are loving being back at home again. Gilbert has changed some and is more talkative and trying new words and phrases. At least they are new to me, maybe he is recalling things he said in his previous homes. He hadn't said hello before and now he is practicing in so many different inflections and context that it is just adorable. He says it long and drawn out with a female voice and sounds like Mrs. Doubtfire. Then he does it in a voice that sounds like Madea. Funny it is a man imitating a woman in both those movies, just like Gilbert is a guy making a woman's voice. Hahahaha. I love it. He also is becoming possessed with following me or trying to come to me. Today he "flew" off the cage door and flapped and glided half-way across the living room, then skimmed the hardwood floor with his feet "running" and looked so much like an overloaded plane trying to land on a short runway. It also looks a bit like a goose landing on water for the first time. All I know is he makes me laugh and it is endearing that he wants to be close to me. My daughter was going away for the weekend, packed an overnight bag and left it in the living room. Both dogs and both parrots clung right to me today, so that is my cue that there will be no traveling for a while unless all four of them are going along. I have to admit I slept in an hour again today. Gilbert let me know it was time to get up and was successively more demanding of me. At first he was whistling and calling the dogs trying to entice them out to make me get up and take them outside. LOL. Then, he called "Get UP!". My feet hit the floor and I was brought running to him when I heard a plaintive little voice ask me "Coming?" It amazes me that his phrases and words seem few but he says the same thing in so many ways and in context to what he wants. I just love having him in my life.

Thanks for the clip, I want to see the movie now too!

That sounds a lot like love gestures. Does the "choking" look like head pumping and lead to regurgitating? Gilbert will droop his wings and make the panting and little squeaky noises. Usually what I do to cool his ardor is to say, "I love you honey, but not like that." I put him back into his cage to cool his jets while I give him something to distract him from his mission. Also, if you scratch her head and have time up close, sometimes it is stimulating to the parrot if you touch them below the neck and that may lead to frustration and mixed signals.

There will never be too much of a good thing and your pictures are fantastic. What a wonderful life of adventure and curiosity you have with Cabo and his friends. Thank you for coming to share your pictures and give us all good ideas to explore with our own greys.

If you can still smile while you are being pooped upon, you are truly going to be a parrot lover. Gracie is beautiful and the way you hold her up close to you and help her be secure is touching. I am so happy that you are enjoying this special time of bonding and you certainly look delighted with her. It is a long long wait to bring home a baby, but it is so worth the time your breeder spends getting her ready to be independent and ready for your home. Thanks for sharing your photos and your new baby.

Congrats on starting your grey family and thanks for joining us Zephyr. Our timneh is a bit older and he does bite his feathers when he is stressed and scared. As you are reading and learning, you will start to understand his body language and have less opportunities for nips. I am still a little apprehensive about getting bitten myself and we have had Gilbert a little more than six months. I put a short rope perch in an arc on the door of his cage and he gets on it when he wants to come out. He was just inviting me into his cage, then took a swipe at me when I got close so it is always a learning process. With the perch on the door though, I have it low enough for his head to clear when I open or close the door. Once he is out he generally will let me scratch his head and will usually step up when I ask. I've learned that when I ask for a step up and he lowers his head for a scratch, that usually means he is luring me in close enough to give me a bite, LOL. He is a tricky little character. Time will tell and you will learn more about Oscar and it does get better, I promise. Oscar is a beauty, thanks for sharing your time with us.

Welcome to the forum. Getting two near the same age at the same time sounds awesome. There is a steep learning curve to parrot companionship, but they are always willing to teach you how to do things their way. LOL.

Cute story on the "deposits". We are also in the empty nest stage and got a baby Congo African grey to nurture. When we went to the brood box, there were three babies. One hopped right out, played with the cap on a water bottle to remove it and jumped right from the edge of the box into my arms and heart. One thing to remember though, in one clutch from the same parents, each egg is layed with a couple of days between them and when you see babies that could make a big difference at the hatchling stage. This is a lifetime commitment so learn as much as you can and when the right time and right grey comes into your life, trust your instincts, you will know.

Thank you for joining us. I find it admirable that you will research first because this is a huge commitment. I came upon a grey and learned as I went and I think it is a lot harder. One thing that will help is to find a breeder near you to learn all you can first hand along with the forums and reading material you can find. I think everyone else is right about the time spent away at work. If you have a predictable schedule and bring in a baby on that schedule, it will adapt to your time as long as when you are home you dedicate time out of the cage and give him lots to keep him occupied while you are away. I am so glad you are looking into all the information you can find so that when you do get a grey, you are sure you want this companion for decades to come. We have a rehomed grey who has been in more than one home before getting here. He had a wonderful caretaker before we got him but every change took a toll on his confidence and security. My heart is warmed by your willingness to think first of the life your grey will have and then consider what a joy he will be in your life.

Thanks for the nice intro and for joining us with Ozzie. We have a rehomed grey that calls every kind of food a cracker. If he hears a bag rattle he wants a cracker. I keep telling him what it is when I hand him food but in six months, it is still a cracker. If you try an almond in a shell for a treat, it helps keep the tip of the beak from being needle sharp, I think. At first, I would use a pair of pliers to just break off the tip of an almond but in short time he will learn how to demolish the shell in seconds. Just because he rejects any food offering at first doesn't mean he doesn't like it. If someone unfamiliar offers Gilbert his favorite goldfish graham cracker he will fling it to the floor and will do the same with his coveted almond. It just takes repeated offering until you find the receptive time to the favorite food and the trusted person. You will learn so much more about him as he relaxes in your home. We would love to hear your stories, every grey is unique and wonderful and you and Ozzie are so welcome to share.

Awww, I just love the baby pictures. He looks soooo sweet and innocent. When you bring home a baby there seems to be so much to learn all at once. I guess it is the same for them when they go to a new home. Even though the gender didn't make a big difference to me, it does to the vet because females might have egg laying issues as they mature that might make a difference in how she is fed or how the amount of daylight time is managed. I like that you are letting your little one have some space to explore and be with you and learn that you are safe while he adjusts to a new environment. Thanks for all the pictures, you have a gorgeous baby.

Tikki is lovely. We have been working for six months or more for our rehomed grey to acclimate to everyone in the family. It is slow going and there are plenty of ups and downs, but it is all worth it. I have never laughed as much as I do at the antics of Gilbert and it is working well. It takes some time but we learn something new every day and it is so worth being along for the journey with such an exquisite creature. I lvoe the light color of Tikki and that she is making herself at home with your family. Thanks for joining us.

Yay for you and your flock with the new addition. Coincidentally, we also have a rehomed TAG named Gilbert somewhere in the same age range as yours. Glad to hear he is warming up a bit and able to show you his talent for comedy and brilliance. It only gets better as he becomes more familiar and relaxed. The new foods will pique his interest soon as he watches the rest of his new flock digging in to the delicious variety he is being offered. Congratulations on your new arrival as well as the rest of your feathered friends. Thanks for joining us. We learn from each other every day and it really helps all of us to share.

Wow, Shiloh is transitioning into your home with panache! I am thrilled for all of you that this worked out as well as it has. I wasn't on earlier to read from the day you started posting and my thoughts would be that a rehome at the same time as a first time baby caretaker might be overwhelming, but I would have never predicted how flawlessly Shiloh came in and found his spot in your heart and home. Congratulations on your jump start into the world of greys, enjoy your journey. Thanks for joining us.

Oh gosh, I love all the pictures, but the wet and wild one is my favorite. You could print that and use it for a Halloween decoration. I kept going from that picture to the rest and it doesn't seem possible it is the same bird.

What a gorgeous boy. I love the close up where you can see the hairs(?) or tiny feathers on his nare and around his eyes. When I see someone else with a harness I keep thinking that someday it will be a possibility to get that close and trusted to have an opportunity to enjoy a walk in the sunshine with mine. Thanks for the pictures.

Marcus is a lucky boy to have one-on-one time with both of you. If we are to that point in a year, I will find it astonishing. Great job with his play time.

It is just a guess on my part but the grit covered paper rolls that covered the straight perch used all sorts of sand and the chips were different sizes etc. I do have a couple of these sandy perches and it is uniform and painted. I use a variety of perches and look at the bottoms of our little birdie feet to keep an eye out for redness or abrasions. I have seen them from time to time and will pull out a perch if it seems to be the culprit. Sometimes it has as much to do with the shape of the perch as the abrasive coating. The kind that seems to work best in our cages is kind of twisted looking. Then it is wider and narrower along the length so each bird can find the spot that is most comfortable at any given time. Some people have good luck training their birds to allow them to use a regular emery board to just file back the needle sharp tip and get along just fine with no nail care perches. It has been trial and error with our parrots and what works for a while may not work all the time.

My favorite antic was when I wasn't home. My husband and daughters were watching movies in the basement den with Java and suddenly noticed it was very quiet so they went looking for her. She had gotten in an open peanut butter jar that had been last used at the wet bar to fill the kongs for the dogs. They started searching and got more and more concerned. Then she popped her head up out of the jar. She had peanut butter from head to tail! The family kept mum about the adventure and the next day I kept smelling peanut butter and asked how she got it on her feathers and they fessed up. That was four years ago, and they still laugh about it when she tries to get the kongs away from the dogs.

Thanks for your kindness and support. I was thinking today how nice it was to live in a very small apartment while we were away from home because Gilbert could see me for 24 hours a day. I had an air mattress right in front of his travel cage. In the night when I got up to help out, he would greet me with a low foghorn sound and I would reassure him, or he would reassure me. Sometimes I am not too sure who was the one who was the rock. I was so relieved he thrived in our close quarters. He was able to climb around on the outside of his cage and I think it did shorten the length of our acclimation period. I really have to watch his body language closely. He was perturbed about my recent trip without him and it took a day and a half to get close to him. Tonight to my great delight, he sat on top of his cage and gently massaged his neck and the top of his head and that is his usual way to show me he wants a scratch. I offered him a step up and he came and sat on my knee and we had a proper reacquaintance. I think it also did him a lot of good to meet many new people in our travels and then to stay with my daughter in our own home for almost a week. Now our busy-ness will be focused on home again. Just the way I like it. He has been saying new words and phrases and I could not be any happier to be home again with my sweet boy.