ThaThaMo

now I know Thathu isn't wating the paper, but the NYtimes still has smutz that comes off when you rub your finger on it. Isnt that bad for her? I started using the flyer for pathmark etc. those are a kind of laminated paper.

Hello all, SO yea thathu is doing well. that aloe spray is doing wonders for her feathers, they feel like velvet and nice and soft. Im gonna get a UV light for her as i cant take her outside in the winter. I know there is more than one kind. Any suggestions as to band or kind. She is a bit more irritated with me nower days. Since I stopped letting her "sexually abuse" my hand. Instead of getting on my hand she grabs it with her foot and brings it closer to her, and then as stated earler sorta tries to bite me. I dont know if she is going to bite or "fake bite". Im not really inclined to find out. I see alot more feathers around now, I dont know if she is molting or if shes picking them out. I collected some of them and I'm gonna post picss of the base of the feather etc. this way you guys can in your expert opinion tell me if she needs something. She pulled out one of her red tail feathers, well I found it on the floor when i came to her. Also shes schedueled for a vet visit soon, same time my girlfriend's Malteese is going to the vet. Thank god for her hatchback car that can accomidate the zoo. I was thinking about turning on the TV when I'm not around is that a good idea OR should I use the radio. Were talking disney channel with Dora the explorer and that kind of shows, not Law and Order or CSI. What do you guys think? I got a cage but it wasnt as big as I expected so I returned and am waiting for tax return so I can get her the beverly hills version of a cage as she deserves it for being such a good girl... most of the time...<br><br>Post edited by: ThaThaMo, at: 2010/02/06 16:02

... okaaay... so yea the sexual habit I've been dealing with okay.. cause I get uncomfortable and I let her off on the table or cage. Hmmm I was afraid it was something like that. Now I know better. I took care of the temp. Thanks for the advice. I appreciate all the help.

I got the aloe spray for her. and she gets misted, w/ polland spring/ britta filtered water 4 to 5 times a week. Tap water has chlorine which would dry her out more. She sits in the warmer part of the house always 75-80 deg. I'm reading up on introducing her to bathroom/shower etc. so i can just sprinkle water on her from a watering jug for plants. The ones that have like a shower head on it for watering plants. this way it will be bottle water. funny thing was my dad used to just take her on his arm... go to the shower.. let her into the tub.. turn on the water to slight warm.. and shower... and she would run in and out of the path of the shower stream. it was entertaining to watch. So Im sure she will be okay with it. ...I wish I can just communicate w/ her and tell her DOs and Donts and house rules. this way it would just be an understanding and i would let her hang out and do whatever she wanted long as she didn't #2 anywhere and didnt bite things. oh well.. I wonder if there is a bird whisperer. Post edited by: ThaThaMo, at: 2010/01/13 17:23<br><br>Post edited by: ThaThaMo, at: 2010/01/13 17:39

Hello, so Tha-Tu and are getting along fine. I took her to vet and she is A-OK, had a feather that she was trying to get out that the vet said to leave and in time she will get it on her own. (its overgrown) the cage in the pic is the transport cage (her 1st cage from a long time ago), its light and she is very cool with going in and out of that... her nail, I found one of those perches that is rough and made of rock-ish stuff. its by her food so she has to perch on that when eating. This will naturally file her nails, BUT I'm taking her to a bird store to trim down the talon she has. she is okay with me now, I can put my hand in her cage and handle her to an extent without being afraid of loosing a finger. I still cant train her to go into the cage on command. right now I trick her... well sort of.. I let her out for a while before I go to work at night. 10 mins before leaving for work, I turn off the light and leave the room, she goes into her cage and onto her sleeping swing. This works great at night, but during the day what do I do? I cant keep tricking her forever. I used to give her new food in the cage and when she went in close the cage, but she figured that out and wont go in now.

I want to know if there is any particular response I should do. I don't want to just ignore it cause I want her to know if push came to shove and she couldn't chew her own food, dammit I would do it and feed her. (not from my mouth for her safety) Right now I pinch her beak using my fingers, thumb on one side and pointer on the other side of her beak so the food doesn't come out and she just ends up swallowing it back. And then walks about in a circle and circle and goes and plays a bit, then comes back for more lovin'. When I say I pinch her beak, I do it ever so gently with such little force that she can easily pull her beak away when she is done without any type of resistance from my hand. Also when she gets into this mood she makes a sound that is distinct. I associate it with her happy sound. I know she wont bite me when she is making this sound and is in this mood. Her eyes become a bit squint-y and she just looks so amazingly cute and adorable. I mean i just get overwhelmed with affection when she looks at me all cute and just wants to sit on my arm. PIC below. Its almost like a little kid that just wants to play and be loved. <br><br>Post edited by: ThaThaMo, at: 2009/12/21 09:32

hello hello, anyone out there? any advice about the regurgitation. im reading but nothing really says what to respond with.<br><br>Post edited by: ThaThaMo, at: 2009/12/20 17:51

danmcq wrote: Well i mean she "asks" when im around and i dont take her out becuase im doing something or not able to sit with her. She says "goood girl, no bite" and this is also after the 2-3 times she tried to bite me and i put her in her cage and walked away and ignored her for 10-20 mins. She then called for me and said my name in my language, then said good girl no bite. I say good girl when she does good things. I say no bite put her in her cage and ignore when.. the 2-3 times she got a pretty good grip on my finger. Once it bled, but other times it was just very strong grip on my finger. When she is out, she is just dandy, I mean she just wants to regurg, hop on my hand, hop off, fluff up her feathers and clean them etc. she doesn't like other surfaces besides the top of the cage. I put her on a table once, she played etc for a little bit then she wanted me to get her. since then she wont let me put her on the table, she wont let go when i bring her to the table. The table is right near the cage by the way. Like 2 steps away. shes not aggressive in the cage. I mean when im around and she wants to play etc, shell bite the cage bars etc, and when she is let out, she is fine. sometimes rubs her beak aganist the cage a bit rough in my opinion. How do i introduce her to new surfaces etc. I mean the thing is with my dad around she was all over the place, walked/climbed over him, furniture, walked on floors, carpet.

Last.. well probably not.. but sorta last questions for this set of posts.. I really love her cause she still talks to me in my dads voice and calls me same way my dad used to call me in my language. she addresses me in the same manner as he would. and when she gets all cute and stuff like this i just wanna smother her with love and kiss her on her head. BUT obviously restrain my ridiculous amount of affection because i don't want her to bite my nose,ear or any other facial parts off.. what can i do to get her comfortable enough to a point where i dont have to worry about her tearing my face off. Granted I dont know what her reaction would be if i tried as i never attempted it before. Finally sometimes she removes hair from her foot. She started removing some recently, I dont now if shes molting or plucking (the bad kind). She has been adamant about one of her primary flight feather which is sorta overgrown (unevenly) compared to the other feathers.

Also one last thing, can she get dry skin because of the heating during cold month?. Were in NY and I feel like she gets dry skin since the heater is being used for winter. Any solution to it? Anything I can get her to make her molting a little less stressful for her. Anything that can moisturize her skin? I am clueless to what is available for her. Another thing I wanted to ask is, sometimes when she is all lovey dovey and is regurging (not while doing the following but in the same timeframe), and is perching on my hand (tumb or fingers etc) she like snuggles into my hand and almost feels like she is rubbing her belly area on my hand. She snuggles down to a point her wings are surrounding my hand, her tail is down and rubbing aganist my hand etc. like she is almost cupping my hand with her body. What the heck is she doing or trying to tell me? <br><br>Post edited by: ThaThaMo, at: 2009/12/16 15:46

well she wants to come out of the cage clearly. I mean anyone would i think. When she comes out she keeps wants to to regurgitate. I know its a sign of affection, but she wont even want to step up or anything, just regurg. she wont even take treats when she is out of hte cage and regurging. At first i thought it was just a little but then she wants to do it and she makes that weird osund which lets me kow shes happy. I dont know how to explain it. Questions: 1. When she regurgitates, what should be my response? 2. where do you guys keep buying toys, I want to find a cheaper alternative to the local pet store which is pretty costly for toys. 3. Advice on how to transfer her to a new cage from her old one without her getting all bent out of shape. 4. trimming nails, How do I go about it? should I just take her to the bird store? Will she hate me for taking her to get her nail trimmed. I only want to do this cause it hurts when she grips hard on my hand. Pic Below: I didn't realize there as an old pic of my mom & dad in the shot until i was trimming it down to 500 x500 pixels

Hello All, My name is Abe (short for Abraham), and I am taking care of my dad's African Grey named Thathamo (Malayalam[and indian language] meaning mother bird). She is a female obviously from her name. She came into our lives when my dad was first diagnosed with cancer and she and him were the best of friends for such a long time. She listened to him in terms of going in and out of the cage, sitting and just hanging out, and just overall playful with him. She used to climb all over him and just hang off his hand, even play with his hair I got her after my dad passed away 2 years ago. She was extremely sad, aggressive and stopped socializing when he passed away (while still living in the same cage, same house, same location). I spent the last 2 years buying toys and sitting and talking and all sorts of things to get her to like me. Now she seems to be okay with me entering her cage to clean up etc. She doesn't really bite me. Once in a while she gets a bit testy and gives me a slight pinch when i try to get her into the cage. I think she understands no bite because the 2 times she did bite me i scolded her and gave her a time out. Also because now if she wants to come out she says " no bite, good girl". she is multilingual, and knows all sorts of words etc. she is about 12 yrs old. I am here because i really want to try to get her to be my buddy so i can get let her out and have some freedom without worrying about her flipping out on me or not being able to get her in her cage.