Xtreme575

Isaac is still a baby right? There is lots of information from previous posts in "The Nursery" on introducing new foods to a baby African Grey, you should check that area out, it is dedicated to those of us who have babies under a year, and has been invaluable to me over the past five months! Plus, it is a great place to gush about of litle bundles of feathers! What has worked for me in inroducing new veggies to Paco has been giving it to him in his "salad" that I make. I add new veg cut up super small in with the veg that I know he LOVES, green beans, asparagus, peppers, carrot and yam, with that base I'm able to sneak in other veg that I want him to eat and he does. Next thing I know, I am able to add the new veg to his list of favourites. I've also found that buy cutting up the veg really small, less is thrown across the room, even though I still have to wash the wall next to the cage!

Sweet looking bird! He is pretty scukum, how much does he weigh now, he looks like he's near the size of mine, but he is big and 8 months! You can get pinenuts at almost any large grocery store, if not in the baking section, then definatley in the bulk foods. That's cute that he is trying to repeat what you are saying. I get garbles and clucks during cuddle time, but it's more of an attention thing which is part of our game where I pretend to not offer scratches until he puts his beak in my ear to tell me he is ready... Just silliness.

Thanks for keeping us updated Kathryn, please continue to do so... I'm praying for a full recovery, and that this is just a slight set-back in an otherwise long, healthy life for Vree!

I get called that all the time. I've thought about it though, through observation, I can see how it could relate to how they move from activity to activity simply by what catches their attention at the moment. This is definately something that I'd agree I share with... Oh look! ... a bunny!

Great compromise on the pancakes, good thinking! Ummm, Father Dave, I have a problem, I skipped Catachism (sp?) that day, well, most days, so I don't know the prayers to absolve me! Hehe.

So a few weeks ago I posted a response where I stated that I didn`t know if I was seeing any benefit to spraying my parrot with Aloe Vera juice, something that I have been doing on the advice written over and over on this forum, since getting him in the fall. Anyway, last week I noticed that he was preening and preening, and scratching, all way more than usual. Not knowing what else to do I gave him a good soaking with aloe vera and put him back on his cage. Low and behold, the scratching stopped and he was obviously much more comfortable. Yes, he tends to be a bit more quiet when he is wet, but it didn`t take him long to dry off and he was just much more ```settled`` than he had been prior to the aloe. Later that night, I noticed a large, and perfect grey feather on the floor, as well as a couple other smaller greys - I`m obviously in a molting house still, I thought it was over. So, why would I ever question the advice given by our fellow members, again, you all are bang on - so I will eat my words and admit, aloe vera juice is fantastic!!!

Soooooo cute! She speaks so clearly as well.

Way to go Julie, I kind of gave up on the clicker too. I`ve found that consistently saying ``Good`` has been more effective.

Hahaha! That is funny! I got Paco`s java tree just after Christmas. I have the choice of using it as a stand, or hanging it from the ceiling. I thought I`d go easy on him by not hanging it, especially considering he is clipped, he was a bit leery of it at first, especially because it has moving parts. I just kept him going with it everyday, once he got the hang of it he loved it. I have now hung it from the ceiling near his cage where he can climb on and off at his leisure, it is in a corner with two windows and he LOVES it! Not only does he play with the toys, climb the levels, but he loves to look out the windows and yell at people as they walk by... What am I going to do when it warms up enough that we will want to open the window a bit, I know I`ll have some embarrassing moments! I`d keep the other stand on hand, but grom how you have described Harvey, I don`t think you will have a problem.

I ended up getting Honeywell humidifier and air filter and am happy with both. The humidifier can run for 25 hours without needing to refill the tank, and the air filter allows me to take out the filters to wash them, which must be done weekly or it totally clogs up!

I too must confess, the year before purchasing Paco I spent a small fortune replacing all of my pots and pans with expensive teflon... Prior to joining the forum I used them all the time with my four finches in the next room, and without using any exhaust fans - nothing. Now, I must make it clear, I don't "heat" any pans prior to cooking, I can't be bothered, as soon as the pot or pan hits the stove, then the food hits the pan. Anyway, like Dave, I run the hood fan over the stove when I'm using these pans. I`m planning on replacing them, but I`m still recovering from the hit to my wallet from the parrot purchase and all that goes with it. I also don`t want any birds in my kitchen while I`m cooking, first, I`m afraid that he may get hurt, and almost as bad, I can`t keep up with supervising the bird and slicinging and dicing at the same time, resulting in some kind of enormous mess created by Paco`s fun...

Congratulations on Mojo's arrival! I remember the day Paco was coming home, I was on pins and needles all day! I have found that keeping the house fairly humid has been good to keep Paco from scratching and over preening. Depending on cage location to kitchen you might be able to have a pot of water steaming to add humidity (remember Teflon is bad). I also have a hepa filter near the cage. I didn't have one right away, and noticed that the room Paco is in looked as though it was covered in cocaine! Being that I work for the justice system, I got a filter! I have to clean it weekly and am amazed at the amount of powder in it! Getting a Grey is a hit to your wallet at first, like I said, a steaming pot will suffice for a while. Also regular showers, and even taking the bird with you on his non shower days just for the steam can work wonders! It's going to be hard, just remember, let your baby set it's pace in settling in. This nearly drove me crazy, but made for a better relationship.

By the way, I'm loving this thread, I'm learning a lot from it. A point that my vet made to me regarding the importance of a very varied diet is if something becomes unavailable at any time, for any reason, ie. your parrot only eats a certain brand of pellet and that pellet becomes unavailable, can he subsist on the different veg that you feed him... I've really been trying to find all sorts of stuff that Paco will eat and making note of it. One thing he will not eat at all, seed mixes! I keep trying, but he has no interest at all. I also use sunflower seeds for training, he loves to crack open the seeds, let the seed drop, followed by the shell and then enthusastically looks for more tricks. Mushrooms! I know mushrooms are a no-no and I've read that that is because they are fungus, so? Can anyone explain that to me? I made the mistake once at the beginning of my cohabitation with Paco, but he wasn't interested anyway. Ryan

Well, I won't be testing anything on Paco... I have to admit, I did give him a whole apple once for the fun of it (for him). It might have been, but it wasn't fun for me! There was apple from hell to breakfast in about 15 minutes. I can't say whether or not he got a seed, but I sure learned to not do that again! I was picking his homeade applesauce of the walls, the furniture, it was everywhere! Now he gets apples slices (no seeds)well processed through my new fav gizmo the Slapchop! Spock and Dan, thanks for the info on the apple cider vinegar, I didn't know about that, interesting article. I'm going to have to pick some up, I just threw a big bottle out that I had bought to "rebalance" my acid levels. I was having problems with heartburn and heard that the vinegar would help, it didn't, actually, it did the obvious for me, and I hated the taste. This is always a good sign, Paco and I do not agree on any foods! He lives veggies I don't, and vice versa.

Congratulations on finding your new baby! And a beautiful little baby he/she is! As far as name goes, it does come to you, I wasn't able to decide between Paco and Anderson until I met Paco and realized he needed a real fun name, 'cause he is such a fun bird (he is currently on his playtop shredding an entire role of toilet paper off which I hung from the playstand, thanks for the idea Dan!!!). You must be going out of your mind with excitement!

My best friend, Jason, who Paco loves to hate found out that a very favourite family friend passed away unexpectedly this weekend. Needless to say, Jason was horribly upset, and decided to hang out around my place this weekend for the company and distraction that both me and my parrot are able to offer! Upon arriving at my place Jason came into the living room where Paco was busy playing on his playstand. I heard Jason say, "Hi Paco" sadly, followed by the quick pace of Paco's feet as he ran across the playtop to get to his cage door near where Jason was standing. I heard Jason talking to Paco as I've taught him to do to try to improve their relationship. In any event, I was astounded that Paco was standing on his cage door, letting Jason give him head scratches, and kept trying to kiss Jason every chance he got. I was really happy to see that Paco was being so nice, and felt a sense of relief seeing Jason lighten up with the interaction with this bird! The next day, Jason, who was feeling considerably better approached the cage again. Paco immediately bowed his head, but I noticed it was his "fake-out" and told Jason that I would just enjoy the memory of the previous evening's interaction with Paco, but it would be best to let him be. Right at that moment Paco lunged at Jason in the usual fashion that has become the relationship between the two of them. Paco knows he is top bird over Jason and puts him in his place with the odd nip if he gets to close. I place the blame on Jason for this, he is normally leery of Paco, and has issues with Paco's feet (looking to much like snake skin). However, the reason for the post was to put some emphasis on how amazingly empathetic he appeared to be towards Jason at his time of sorrow. I know he sure makes me feel better after a hard day, but I'm glad he was able to brighten up a good friend's day as well.

Wow! That cage is great! I'll bet your future baby will love it!

Kevin, have you taken your bird in for a vet check yet? I'm only asking because I was goining through so much anxiety over the strangest things. Once I got a clean bill of health, I felt much better, and enjoyed the experience more. It might be something to consider just for the assurance that you're being a great Daddy to your fid!

Mine does that if I'm not as fun as he'd like me to be, or if he wants something, like food! Have you tried just putting him back on his cage and walking away? Then try going back (all forgotten by you) and try again. Are you offering ajust a finger, or your whole hand? Try holding your hand like a karate chop. Two weeks is still pretty new, you just might need to be patient to allow your bird to get more used to you.

I love it! Karma Julie! Spock, so happy you, Jay and Maggie got a kick out of it!

Thanks for starting this post Jay, and also to those who have posted. I was also surprised when I read that uncooked beans/legumes can also be toxic. Not that I've fed raw, but makes me wonder how long I need to cook them? I'm doing between 40 - 60 minutes right now... Jay, can I clarify? Are you using Grape seed extract and/or apple cider vinegar? You lost me on that one. I read literature that grape seed extract is a great cleaning agent for cages etc., then other literature that said it was toxic. Neither was based on academic studies...

I spoke to soon... I noticed that Paco was pretty stand offish last night, and kept beaking my hand away with even a head scratch. I also noticed that he was preening more than usual. When I walked over, I noticed a nice big grey feather in beautiful condition sitting on the floor below him. I also noticed a few other smaller grey feathers with a white bar, so I guess he is now molting! I sprayed him with aloe vera juice and he settled right down. I wasn't sure of the aloe juice before, but he sure seemed more comfortable with it, and even got cuddly afterwards.

I have read that the ionizing filters are less favourable as the hepa-filters too, but I don't remember why... I'm using a hepa-filter and love it. I like that I can just clean the filter under water and can't believe how much powder there is each week!!

I think I agree with Dave. They really get into their playing!

Sorry, I was thinking Congo, So you should be fine.