Pyroe87

Hi guys, thanks for the tips, hanging boings and a triangle kinda perch (ive seen them in the shops so I can picture what you mean ) is things I never thought of and something I can put to my dad. Great advice on the door jam idea so no hurt toes - not sure if this would work in our kitchen thou as the cupboards are highline ones and with a pelmet there's not much room above but will certainly give it a try. Thanks for the posts and any more ideas please keep posting. Many thanks

Hi does anyone have any pictures or links to a website where I can find a permanent stand to put in my kitchen (well my parents kitchen )? My dad is quite good at making things but basically this is where we're having difficulities: 1. There is no room in the kitchen to put a freestanding stand as worktops run right round in a U shape and then there's the door - so this isnt practical. 2. I have seen tabletop stands but these too aren't really practical as it wouldnt be permanent (I use one at the moment) and takes up quite a bit of workspace, and it cant really stay there. So i'm looking for something that isnt huge and could keep a permanent place in the kitchen without being in the way. The reason I'm asking is now Jasper has been here 2 weeks he is so confident he regularly flys through to the kitchen at any given opportunity (he knows where his food comes from :laugh: ) so to avoid accidents I want a permanent place for him to land and know where he can land. I make sure he's not in here when cooking is taking place and we dont have teflon pans but he likes to eat in the kitchen and its also a place where we congregate . I'm probably asking for the impossible but I thought it would be worth asking. Also do you let your birds in the kitchen and if so what type of stand do you use?

Hi AngelicalGrey, I too am a first time CAG owner to Jasper (12 weeks) and am trying to get my head round when to feed and what to feed. I am probably not the best to advise, but what I have read so far is, in regards to amounts it all depends on the individual bird, keep experimenting and then just make a little more than he actually eats. Fruit will make their poops watery and only needs to be fed twice a week. Veggies are a must and feed daily. Seeds (sunflower) are like chocolate (junk food) and should be fed in moderation (get good quality - some you can buy are like 70-80% sunflower and are not good - all greys love them but not good for them) but dont remove seeds entirely if they dont eat much of the other stuff, slowly ween. Nuts are good in moderation. Pellets and fresh water should be readily available. If anyone could advise how they feed veggies to their greys, this would help me also as Jasper is fast weening himself onto seeds only :unsure: !! Hope this helps Thanks

Hi thanks for the advice - I have been closing the curtains but start to open them gradually for a bit of light - that's when he takes off (I think its because he can see wild birds outside - today has been really good though, as no crashes yet . You say give fruit only twice a week - this is ok for me to do, should I give veggies then bother morning and evenings on these others days alongside his pellets? In regards to seeds - i just read someone mixes their seeds with the veggies - should I do this to encourage eating, or keep them separate? Thanks

Hi thanks for the advice. Jasper seems to be settling in better now and loves playing with his baby toys. I'm off today because work has been closed due to snow :woohoo: lol, so have spent the day with him at home, so he has been out of his cage all day. Tried a spray bath ealier - dont even think he got wet before he took off back to his cage in disgust (tried again but still didnt like it) so i've let him off, I might try a small bowl of water next time - see how he takes to that. His droppings are a bit firmer today but (I know this is bad) I think its because he's eating too many seeds. His breeder recommends 33% good quality seeds, 33% pellets and 33% fruit and veggies. In a morning I give him a dish of fruits, check his pellets (rarely touched) and some seeds (as this has always been eaten). Then when I get in from work, I remove the spoiled fruit and make him his veggies for tea, but he doesnt eat much of this. As I dont want him to go hungry, i will give him some more seed. He always cries for the seed, so this is why I reluctently(sp) give in. The seed I was given by the breeder appears to be mostly sunflower seeds - any tips on getting him back on his pellets and veggies? One finsl question - Jasper keeps flying into the window(patio doors) and although i keep taking him over to them and explaining they are glass and not fly-troughable - he still attempts the impossible - so far he hasnt hurt himself badly, but im worried he might - anyone know of any tips to help? Many thanks

Hi again, sorry for the delay, been settling Jasper in, he's into everything I cant take my eyes off him when hes out his cage :lol: . So i've been out and got him some baby toys and teething toys for him to play with which he loves and is keeping him occupied. I'm trying to devise a loose routine for him so rough time for wake ups, breakfast, going to work, etc. For feeding i've been giving him fruit in a morning, and veggies in an evening. Pellets are always available and a handful of seed each day, but i've noticed his droppings have become like water - i'm a little worried about this - should I make some changes to his food? On a more positive note (if this works as ive not uploaded pics yet). Ive attached 2 pics of Jasper - he is 12 weeks old today . IMG]http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac116/JasperGrey09/Jasper/JasperPlaying1.jpg[/img]

Lol :lol: ok I wont press for more info..............tell me, tell me hehe. Aww Harvey sounds adorable, I still laugh about him pulling a red bum feather out :lol: !!!! Jasper is currently doing acrobats around his cage - he's gone right to the top - hanging upside down and vocalising. Do you have any dogs at all? I have 2 small one's who are both so intrigued that they run over to have a look whenever he moves or makes a noise - how should i best introduce them to each other??

Hi Jill Jasper is a lot darker grey than Harvey (in the photo's I've seen). There were 3 babies in separate but 1 still wasn't feeding 100% properly so I was able to choose from 2 soooo cute greys. There was another Grey who looked a bit older and was a lighter grey (similar to Harvey). Jasper was sat on a perch though having some lunch when I arrived which I rudely interupted by having a hold of him (hope he didnt mind). He was quiet all the way back but has made a few chirps since being at home. Currently he's just come around and is preening himself on the bottom of his cage Glad to hear this is all normal, i'm so anxious for everything to go smoothly How is Harvey doing?

Yey today finally arrived and Jasper finally came home :laugh: . He had to spend 3 hours in his carrier for the journey back but he is now in his cage and seems to be settling in. Can I check if these things are normal for a baby grey in a new environment: Firstly he sat on one of his perches (they are all close to the bottom of the cage for now) and had something to eat. Then he had a look around before making really loud noises and flying/jumping round the cage. Finally he sat on the bottom of the cage and had a chew at the towels (on the bottom to provide a cushion for any crash landings). Now he is huddled up in a corner at the bottom of the cage. Is this all quite normal? Especially the bit about him being huddled in a corner of his cage? Any advice welcome and pictures will follow when he has settled in properly

JillyBeanz wrote: That's ok lol, i thought it was the .com one hehe. I've been having a nosey and have an idea what to get but am waiting till I have my new cage built which comes tomorrow :lol: so I know what i need and what I have enough of. I spoke with John today and got the best news of my life....my baby will be ready just after Christmas and is coming home on the 30th :woohoo: . He said he will send me some pics of the clutch as soon as he can so I'm trying to be as patient as possible - something I find impossible lol. OMG so excited :woohoo: :woohoo:

Thanks for the advice, my breeder does a start off food pack so i'll have a look at the protein levels the the pellets and go from here. How is Juno settling in? I cant wait for my turn . I've been told its a lot of trial and error with feeding - have you seen the recepies on here? They look great and I cant wait to try some out

Hi Particle That's quite interesting, i'll definately be keeping to one of the 2. I was dissapointed to discover my local pet shop dont stock either but with the web at my fingertips this wont be too bad. There are several different types of Kaytee Pellets if im right? So is is just this brand that has the high levels or will it be all of them? Many thanks

Hi everyone, thanks for these links i've been checking them out especially Midland Parrots (with the 5% - means I can get extra goodies :cheer: ) - Jill the web you gave with .co.uk doesnt work but after googling i found a midlandparrots.com is this the right one? I also found another website www.pine4parrots.co.uk , Yvonne is really nice extremely helpful and she has some great toys, tips etc so I recommend other people to take a browse - postage she gets back to you on as she will weigh your order so you pay the minimum . My next question is has anyone heard of a Wiffle Ball? I want to get one but can't find them in the UK (my local pet shop thought i'd gone mad when I asked for one - though it was probably my explanation lol :blush: )I can only find them on ebay in another country for about 6! or with a basket ball hoop at around £30. Any ideas would be welcome. Jill - this 5% i thought was just off food? Is is off anything on their site? Many thanks Jenny

Hey everyone, as you probably know i'll be bringing my baby CAG home in the new year :silly: but have very few toys. I had put a selection of toys together (bit of foraging, shredding, foot, preening, etc) from an American site as they were quite reasonable but their shipping cost was more than the total of goods I was purchasing at just under $300. Does anyone know where to get a good amount of toys (around 25) for a reasonable price - no more than approx £200 and of course which you recommend. Many thanks

JillyBeanz wrote: Honestly? I gave up! He just won't eat it - I have tried and tried and he just won't eat it! I bought the first bag in July and I just kept throwing it out - the bowl was totally untouched!!! I bought the second bag at the start of October - and he didn't touch it again. Waste of time and effort!!! He will eat the Kaytee - so I guess I will leave him with it - he's happy. He eats loads of veg - there's not much he will refuse - I guess I am lucky in that respect - as Dave says - not a lot do! He's actually sitting here with a broccoli floret at the top of my door chewing away (the broccoli - not the door!!) :laugh: lol - i can actually picture him sitting with his brocolli - he sounds absolutely adorable. I might look at converting mine to Harrisons once he/she has settled in, but i can see them being as cheeky as Harvey and i'll let them keep the Kaytee :lol: I'll let you know what happens if i do lol.

Thanks again everyone posting, i think i've got round my food confusion - im now stealing all the recipies so i can get cooking come january - thanks to everyone posting in their - top idea

Hi Jill, no probs basically it's trial and error for the first couple of days to see how much they eat then and either add more or less til i get the right balance? How are you managing moving Harvey onto Harrisons Pellets?? Are you winning him over ?

Hiya all, sorry not replied for a few days, but thanks for all the advice. Jill, yep i'm getting my baby from John after Xmas sometime in Jan :laugh: and i cant wait!! It just seems to long away but after Xmas will be the best time (as renovations will be near complete and Xmas family hol will be out of the way as i've read its not good to go away in the first year of having a parrot - but i dont go abroad so he/she will come with me wherever i go . Back to food again though, i've been trying to get an idea of portion sizes to feed per day and came across this as a recommended daily guidance: • Vegetables 30% • Legumes 20% • Pellets 20% • Seeds/Nuts 15% • Fruits 10% • Grains 5% What are your views on this and how much would this be in weight as i dont know what 30%, 10% etc looks like. If you know weights or portion sizes this would help me visualise this better. Sorry to be a pain!!

Hi Dan, Thanks for the advice. When you say feed fruit a few times a week, would i do a small amount of a variety in one go (eg. apple, bananna, etc, etc) a few times a week to find out likes and dislikes or do one piece of fruit on one day, then another different fruit on another day? Cheers

Hi Everyone again , just another post but not in the welcome room as i thought this room would be more appropriate being as its food related . Ok so after much research, when i get my baby (hopefully in the new year) i'm not sure where to begin on feeding. I'm looking into pellets, fruit, veg and the occasional nuts (possibly as treats and training), but i cant find anywhere with approx amounts to be feeding as i dont want to overfeed or underfeed and how many times a day they should be fed . What do you feed your greys on, how much and how often? Also if you feed pellets which brand would you recommend and which would you not. Thank you

Hi Jill, thanks for this advice. Yes I too use straighteners like everyday. I live in a Bungalow and my room is only down the hall from the living room (where i would house the cage) - if i shut my door would this be safe? If so how long afterwards would i need to wait before i could let my parrot in my room or would it be best not to let him/her in my room? Thanks for the link to these air fresheners, i'll definately be replacing all that i have to make it parrot safe. Are there other recommended air freseners that are safe to use too? Many thanks

Hi, to everyone, sorry in the delay in responding. Thanks for getting back to me, all this is really helpful. I'm going up to ParrotCare hopefully within a few weeks and cant wait :silly: . I really liked his website and good feeback (JillyBeanz and Pearllyn) is great news to hear . Insurance wise yes Exotic Direct and Golden Valley were 2 I had in mind so I definately think I will go with one of these. At the moment I'm doing as much research as possible and hopefully I will get my baby African Grey in the new year (fingers crossed) and i'll be able to post pics :cheer: !!! If anyone can help on another topic (before I repost) I know that non-stick is toxic but i have heard that curling irons are non-stick too. I use hair striaghteners quite a lot and although i cant see anywhere on the box to say it's non-stick i'm still worried about this. Does anyone else use staightners? Lastly is it safe to use air freshensers (like the air wick ones which send out a spray every 30mins) in rooms apart from where i would house the parrot cage? Many thanks Jenny

Hi, I am yet to purchase an African Grey and am wishing the days away until i get him or her :cheer: but am not sure where to begin :unsure: . Firstly i live in Cheshire (United Kingdom) and was wondering if anyone could recommend reputable breeders or what to look for (I have 2 in mind ParrotLink and ParrotCare UK - can be found doing google search, does anyone know of these and what they are like?). Secondly is insurance, again can anyone recommend who best to go for? Any tips, advice would be welcome Thank you Jenny