harmar

I seem to have to clip Sasha every once in a while.. Sasha gets a huge attitude problem, I try and resolve it but he gets mad, biting, wrecking things. I then clip him and immediately (like within 5 minutes of being clipped) he turns into the a perfect angel and stays that way. I will then let his feathers come in again to be fully flighted and he is fine for a couple months, but then his attitude returns.. So I just repeat the process. I guess when he is clipped he knows he is dependent on me, but I am guessing when he is fully flighted he think he is independent and can do what he wants. However, after each cycle it does seem like it takes longer and longer for his bad attitude to return.. first time I had to clip him after 3 months fully flighted, 2nd time after 5 months. Right now he is fully flighted but I see his attitude returning and probably going to clip him again, this third cycle he has been fully flighted for about 6 months. He is still young so hoping maybe he will be better as he ages. I have tried all sort of discipline trying to get him to stop. I tried ignoring his behavior (has negative effect), distraction (does nothing), engagement(usually end up being bit), being stern(works a bit but only temporarily).. The only thing that is even somewhat effective is time outs in his cage.. He whistles and whistles wanting to get out, I just ignore them, then after 20-30 minutes ill let him out, and then seems to be a bit more behaved for rest of the evening, but next day back to his old self.

Sasha will climb up stairs, but never down. Sasha loves flying, but I actually don't think I have ever seen him fly up or down stairs, he will only walk up stairs. If he wants to go down stairs he will just sit at top of stairs whistling until I come get him.

Sasha favorite 'food' is butter, he will go nuts for it, I only let him have a small bite of it maybe like once a week. He also loves cheese, but again maybe once a week ill let him have a bite or two

yes it goes REALLY fast. Back when sasha wasn't clipped he would sometimes fly non stop for 5 min.. guess for some excersise anyways when he was done he was panting relaly loud and his heart was beating really hard, thought maybe he would have a heart attack

Does anyone else use Pretty Bird Natural Gold? It seems like it is the only stuff Sasha likes and just wonder what other peoples opinion is on it

let us know how it goes, Sasha was very subdued for about 3 or 4 days or so before he started to liven up again

I had the exact same feelings, right up to the time they clipped the wings I was second guessing myself. Sasha LOVED flying, I mean he really loved it, and I keep comparing it to I wouldn't all of a sudden want to be confined to a wheelchair after being able to use my legs.. but I know they will grow back so I will probably be willing to give him a chance again in a year or two. I was just at a loss on what to do, I was almost contemplating giving him up for adoption that is how much I couldn't stand it anymore, but thought I would try the clipping route.. and I don't regret it one bit. I sort of wonder if clipping the wings has a same affect as neutering/spading a dog or cat.. they become less aggressive, because Sasha used to be great when he was clipped.. then I let the wing feathers grow in and then he slowly became much more of a PITA

I have been having a similar situation with sasha for the past couple months, although not quite as aggressive as yours. Now maybe a lot won't agree with me, but mine was also fully flighted, he became so irritating that two weeks ago I decided to clip his wings. He still is occasionally a little aggressive but he is much more behaved now and I don't regret doing it. (Although another reason I clipped his wings is because I am moving in a month to a new house and it has some dangers in it (gas fireplace, ceiling fans) that he isn't use to and didn't want him injuring himself) I think when I clipped his wings he realized that he now depends on me more so respects me a bit more.

Anyone seen the episode this week with the guy with the parrot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFo8Uso-q-4 Pretty cool. I would feel very bad for him if he flew off though

Sasha doesn't talk and he is 3 years old now. He does say maybe the odd word but pretty rare and not very well (the only phrase he does say is "Hello pretty bird") He does however immitate every annoying sound that he comes across (microwave beeping, phone ringing, squeeking of the plates when I hand dry them, owls, etc). I just find it weird how he immitates a bunch of sounds but not any words. It doesn't bother me very much though since I quiite frequently use bad words and wouldnt want him immitating those.

If something isn''t nailed down, it is on the floor. Sasha will constantly fly around the house looking for light objects that are sitting on a counter just to pick them up and throw them onto the floor. Ill clean the place and 2 hours later it will be just as big of a mess. I gave up a long time ago on trying to maintain a clean home...

oh.. well crap. that makes me sad. I did clean it out really good obviously.. but I guess better safe than sorry.

My right hand has like a few scars on them. Someone once asked if I was injecting heroin into my fingers lol.

After 2 years of Sasha never playing with any of his toys in his cage, in the past 2 weeks I finally found the "toy" he can't stop playing with: an empty fabric softener container. I emptied a container about 3 weeks ago and put it in my recycling bin. Well, later that day Sasha took it out of the recycling bin and starting pushing it around on the floor... and continued doing it all evening. For the rest of the week he just kept playing with it: pushing it around, attacking it, standing on it like he has conquered it, hoping around it, etc. This week I decided to put the container in his cage when I go to work; he will completely ignore his daily treat and go to the bottom of the cage to play with the container. I will come home after my 8 hour work day and there he is still playing with it -- treat untouched. He won't play with other containers.. not even laundry detergent, just fabric softener. Maybe he likes the smell.. I don't know. I had pretty much gave up trying to find toys for him since he didn't seem interested in any of them. Well now I need to save all of my fabric softener containers! I hope this will last.

my sasha doesn't like playing with toys in his cage. I have had tried ALL kinds, and he just doesn't care. He loves playing when he is out of his cage, but won't do anything in his cage.

Ya JUST before Sasha is about to do something bad, he will turn his head, and make sure im looking at him (or if I am not he will make a squak to make sure I do) then as soon as he knows I am watching he does the bad thing. Then he will fly away sit on something and sit there looking all proud at what he just got away with. He is extra proud if whatever he just did causes a bunch of noise (such as throwing something on the wooden floor and makes a big clash). Most of the time it is pretty funny except for when it is a glass plate that he just threw on the floor....

well my trip is mid january. so if i made the decision to do it i would do it now so hopefully he wouldn't associate that. Maybe I can hopefully convince my mom to let him out for an hour or 2 a day or something.. I just don't know what the best course of action would be...

I am going on a work trip for a few weeks in January. My mother said she would look after Sasha but only if the wings are clipped. Sasha has been fully flighted since 1 year old, he is now 2.5 years old. He LOVES flyng around, he has so much fun.. but he definitely gets into way more trouble being flighted then not. Anyways I been having the thought of clipping his wings to.. it would be easier.. but I think he would get sad/depressed specially after being able to fly around for 1.5 years now unhindered. I think I could convince my mother to look after him fully flighted, but only if he stayed in his cage 24/7(and probably put in a room out out of the way so Sasha can't see/hear her) So what in your guys opinion would be better.. have him clipped but free out of his cage for the whole time im gone or keep him flighted but have him stuck in the cage 24/7 with very little interaction? Thanks

Mine is fully flighted and I can sure tell that he loves flying around. He enjoys it very much. He does get into a lot more trouble flighted though.. he knows he can get up high places where it is hard for me to get him down if I need to leave and put him in cage.

is there a consensus on what is the best nut for greys? I used to give almonds, but have now switched to walnuts. I do a similar technique with the walnuts, usually I cut the walnuts in half, but sometimes when I do that, the walnut cracks and wont slice in half, but sasha has just as much fun with those digging it out. I also used to give cashews.. Sasha loves any kind of nut. I will give a couple peanuts once in a blue moon but not too often.

Im in same situation as OP. My AG is 22 months old now, and doesn't talk. He immitates pretty much any other sound (whistles, beeping, my laugh, my coughing, cat meowing, tap dripping, etc ), but he won't say anything. Actually that is a little bit of a lie, ever since he was about 10-12 months old he has been saying the phrase "Hello pretty bird", or "hello" or "pretty bird", but thats the only thing he has been saying for the past 12 months, nothing new. I don't really mind though, I will admit that my initial peak interest in the AG was there ability to talk, but if he never talks it won't bother me.

the poop. oh my god the poop is everywhere! In the past year I have probably gone through 4 keyboards ( I actually need a new one now because the control key is destroyed), 2 or 3 mice (I now own cordless devices, so atleast he cant destroy the wire anymore.. I would fix them by soldering them together but still was a pain in the ass), he has chewed apart my leather computer chair (I have duct tape over the whole, that I have to reapply about once a week cause he keeps chewing through it) Oh, one trick I learned recently for cords, I went down to an auto shop and bought some split loom that I put the cords into. then when he chews through the loom I just put new loom on.. since it so cheap I dont even care.

You can find out the price by talking to breeders, then take whatever the price for the bird is and DOUBLE it, because of the cage/toys/food/vet bill/dna test.

It to me sounds like an impulse buy because "OH COOL I WANT A TALKING PET" Regarding his 79 comment, he probably read somewhere that parrots live until 80 years old, and he thought perhaps maybe the owner jipped him and sold him a bird that is 79 and is gonna die in a year, even though the owner didnt

I would think you WEREN'T normal if you weren't nervous... unless you own a ton of birds. I too read up a bunch about AGs before getting mine but still was so nervous.. I think your comment about having a baby is probably a perfect analogy.