Malikah

Thanks everybody. I have always been attracted to Amazons, but their reputation frightened me. I never even would have considered adopting one until I met you wonderful people. I have a really busy week ahead of me, hopefully it will make the time fly until Thursday!

Adoption approved! She will be coming home on Thursday, I am sooo excited!

Thanks, I already thought of that. She was just vetted less than 3 months ago, and she is in a quieter room where the boarded birds are so there is less of a health risk. I am still contemplating whether or not it is necessary to put her through another exam. My vet recommends a 60 day quaranteen for any bird coming from a rescue, but I think that is a bit extreme and said to protect themselves from any liability.

Thanks everyone! I spent an hour at the rescue talking to them on Tuesday, so I'm pretty confident the adoption will be approved. I spent yesterday buttering up the family and breaking the news. Today I spent hours "spring" cleaning, and brought her future cage out into our living/dining room. I really don't have anywhere in my little house to quaranteen her. Her cage is on the same wall as Kito's but the 75 gallon fish tank is between them, so they are about 8 ft apart. She has been at the rescue for about a year, so I'm not anticipating any surprise health issues. I will not allow Kito any nearer that that for as long as possible, and make sure to wash my hands a lot. I'll post in the rescue room when I get the final approval.

Just don't ever let them get too close. If Spartan is anything like Kito, once he/she gets too comfortable Spartan will want to bite Storm and things could go very very badly in a split second.

Hopefully your dogs will wise up to her tricks pretty quickly. I would ignore her and scold them when they go near. I would not let her roam so much, get a playstand and 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 (LOL) different things that she is allowed to perch on when out. Have things to play with or destroy or forage for on these perches. When she starts roaming, calmly return her to a perch and praise. It's going to be a battle of wills for a while. Encourage her when she beats the crap out of her toy in her cage. It's good for her to get her aggression out on that instead of everyone else.

Here's Scarlet! ♥♥♥ I can't wait to bring her home! Oblivion, it's C.A.R.E. I have adopted from them before. They are wonderful. I wish I were closer and had time to volunteer. I had been tossing around the idea of adopting an untame cockatiel (there's always so many ) to keep Charlie company in the bird room while Kito is out and about. Then I met Scarlet. It is best to call first and make an appointment if you are interested in adopting, but not necessary. They also have a store where they sell toys and food and such. If you have never been to an avian rescue before be prepared to have your heart broken. Seriously. I had no idea. I am in tears right now remembering my first visit.

For some strange reason I took an hour long drive Tuesday to an avian rescue. They have a 40 year old lilac crowned up for adoption. She spent much of her life without perches so her talons grow straight up. She is on daily pain medication. Dammit, I am in love.

Awww, he looks soo happy. :*)

You are both adorable Eshana. Congrats on the progress!

Best wishes for a speedy recovery and an end to the plucking behavior!

I'm still a vaper, not a smoker. I never had enough willpower to quit cold turkey and I tried multiple times. My hat is off to all of you who can do that!

Congratulations on the getting her to eat veggies and enjoy a bath! Those are two big accomplishments. I don't see anything wrong with bribery, but others may disagree. To me it's kind of a compromise, you both get what you want. For the toy game, Dan nailed it. Maybe miss catching it sometimes, she probably likes the sound it makes when it hits the floor. "Uh-oh" was the only word my conure ever said. As far as the picture frame fiasco, have a treat ready for when you prepare to bring her away from it, then you are rewarding her for allowing you to remove her from the forbidden area. Gee, I guess I'm a big fan of bribery aren't I? LOL!

Thanks Chezron, most of the year I put her to bed at 9pm. But in summer it's just getting dark. In winter it's dark by 5:30! Regular exposure to natural sunlight is not possible in WI pretty much from Sept to May so I rely on an avian sun lightbulb. The bird room is on the SW corner of the house and there is a window on each side. Maybe she is missing watching the bunnies and squirrels and little outside birds that aren't as active in the winter? I am in and out several times a day and she goes from her room, to out flying around terrorizing the all the other pets, to her cage, to out, to the bird room, to out, etc. She gets new toys and/or things re-arranged every few days. I have toys that she takes apart and I put back together 2 or 3 times a day. The tangle http://www.amazon.com/Tangle-Creations-TANGLE-JR-inch/dp/B00009IM5S/ref=sr_1_12?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1327166114&sr=1-12 is super, I recommend them for every fid! She has books to shred, wood to chew, mini corn cobs to pick, a parakeet buddy, toys to fight with, toys to cuddle with, foraging toys, ropes and swings and you name it! It is not related to dry skin, her diet is excellent, and she also gets red palm oil and hemp seeds and golden flax as recommended. Every couple of weeks she gets about 1T of Kaytee handfeeding formula out of a syringe because she will always be my baby. On rare occasions she gets a 1" McD's french fry with the salt wiped off and a pinch of cheeseburger from the Daddy. I didn't even know about that for a long long time. Bad Daddy! LOL!

Thanks Judy and Ray. She was looking so good up until Thanksgiving, about 95% back to normal. I think she will stop sooner this time as she is not sick. I was wondering if anyone else puts their birds to bed earlier in the winter because the days are naturally shorter. Just a thought, as it seems she chews less if I do.

Sorry I have been m.i.a. if anyone has noticed. The holidays take a toll on me. They take a toll on Kito as well I'm afraid as she is one frayed bird again. At least this time she has left her flights and tail feathers alone. :::knock on wood::: She had her annual exam and is completely healthy so that is good news too. I just got a bunch of new toys and parts from mysafebirdstore.com. Kathie is so sweet, she even sent a couple of chocolates for me. How did she know I'm a chocoholic? LOL! I hope the new year is treating you all and your fids well. It has just gotten to seem like winter here and now we are eager for spring!

Congratulations Janet, I have tears in my eyes. :*)

Sending prayers for Oboe's full recovery.

That is so sweet. I'm all teary eyed! Merry Christmas Dee and Gilbert!

I wonder if we will ever hear from this person again.

Congratulations! Keep us updated on your adventures in being owned by a grey please!

You know you live with a grey when you walk out to your car whistling, beeping, and barking.

They can learn to leave the bird alone, but you have to teach them. Watch their body language. If they are even thinking of pouncing, let them know that it's not even ok the think that. I am a firm believer that you can NEVER trust a cat or dog alone with a bird. EVER. Sometimes it is the bird who starts the trouble.

I like his name! I don't know how to properly pronounce it, but my guess was kind of a tongue twister for me. Welcome little guy!

LOL! That's the funniest typo I read all day!