Spock

Okaaayyy! Tango here...to start out with, I am a She and I wear army boots...and I have a sore on my rump and its name is Salsa...Everywhere I turn, there it is, a green feather mop. She is in my cage, she eats my food, she plays with my toys, she rings my bell, she lets me get within an inch of her and then she flies off. When she eats my veggies...that is going tooo far! The jailers say what a wonderful voice she has and what a wonderful singer. She sounds like a cow with someone yanking on her tail. The Jailers talk about getting her a pinata and how cute it would be...you want to see cute, hang her from my cage and I will show you a pinata! I couldn't do something like that...it's too much fun to chase her around. Even though, when she takes a bath, she looks like wet Kalel....

Hello all, this is Joe...I have observed something interesting about "parronts". I noticed that when I speak, they will stick their faces directly at me and start talking back at me. Sometimes it is about the strangest subject matter. So, I cock my head to the right and stare at them and then cock my head to the left and stare at them. They think this is the cutest thing they ever saw. (It seems to take so little to entertain these humans) I will tell them a Grey joke and laugh and they laugh so long and hard (without understanding my punchline) and when I speak again and laugh, they just laugh harder. I stop to stare at them and then just laugh and they think that this is hilarious. It is so easy to control them.... They come up to me and ask "Does Joe want a good nut?" Well, what do you think? Of course I want a good nut! They are one of my favorite treats. They are so well trained... All I have to do is lift my wings for a moment and act like I am biting my nail and they come running to do my bidding. If I want them to pick me up, I just lift up one leg. If I want them to scritch me, I lower my head. If I want another good nut, I just stare at the good nut jar. They call it body language...I call it conditioning the human. As an example of how much control we exert over them, only consider...we have our own room don't we? We didn't even have to ask for it... Sometimes they can be overbearing and we just want them out of our space and have a little time for ourselves. So, we give them a little beak but that can cause problems. :rolleyes:They start thinking that we don't like them and then we have the whole psychological issues along with this because we have to show them we still love them, we just wanted some space. I am getting a bit tired of hearing that we are wild animals. I think the next time I hear that, I am going to lose my composure, stick my tongue out, shake my head, flap my wings and they can see what wild really is... Joe P.S. What is your pet peeve?:confused:

I guess your answering your own questions.....

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts....Jay and Maggie

Beauty comes in small packages, Little One you are sweet...Joe

Hhmmm...This is Tango...I went to the outside world once. It was just after I left my other residence and came to this one. I went for a ride and then someone threw a blanket over me while they cut my toe nails. (The indignity of it all). Later that night, one of my toes started bleeding. They tried flour and cornstarch but it didn't work (Duh! I could have told them that) so the old guy picked me up and took me out to the car for my second ride. I sat on her shoulder and held on tight as they ran into the big room with all kinds of stuff in it. I whistled at all the cute chicks while he ran over and grabbed a jar, opened it right there and stuck my toe in it. Well, that worked really good! After that, I got to talk to everyone around and they all liked the way I looked (I could tell). My other flock had kept my wings cut (severely clipped) so I could not fly but they forgot because they were in such a hurry. The best part was the ride home because I got car sick all over Maggie and she really liked it....I could tell. So, I really don't like car rides much...excuse me, can someone hand me a bag please?

Hello Rikki...Joe here...I understand the depth of feelings that you have endured. Hope can be one of the cruelest and best parts of life. Finding a forever home and truly believing it is wonderful. Life goes on and while....Squawk!!!! Joe! Move it over Bro...hereeee's Salsa!!!!! Hola everybody! Hey, what's Nilah got to say? Hey Cricket, what's hangin'? I like Saturday and Sunday because Mama is home aaallll day and we love to climb and play (and bite) on Papa...hehehe! Look over there...Tango...she just has that stare...uh, what you say, Tango baby? Tango baby, Hmmmph! Come to my cage and I'll take you out for a bite...I like both white and dark meat!

Potty training a parrot is very easy...put papers down wherever you would like them to poop and I promise you they will poop everywhere but on the paper. Problem solved...LOL...potty trained!

The decision must be yours. Spock's gone, but if we had to do it over again, we would still leave any bird flighted. We've seen both sides of this dilemma, we could never deny a bird his heritage, Remember a clipped parrot can still fly! No matter your choice, we'll still love you... You can almost see a tear in a clipped birds eyes especially when other birds around them fly...Ask or Joe....

Joe here...right on Talon, you have to keep these others in line. I know it won't make you popular but someone has to do it or they will run roughshod all over. Rikki, you listen to Talon. She is just trying to keep your momma sane... P. S. Did you hear how big Sterling Gris is? I certainly do not want to get on his bad side. Okay, Babe is calling us for dinner. If I finish, I get my good nut.

Hola Ana Grey...there is not much you can do...so sorry...you Greys care...we don't....Joe claps at me and tells me to "Shut up!" and I just talk or sing louder. If it's there, it's mine to enjoy...if Louie is like me, he lives to enjoy. All that matters is us 'Zons. As long as we get attention, we're happy. My biggest problem is acting like my accidents like falling off of a perch while playing upside down was what I wanted to do (I can't show it hurts...ouch!)...Ana Grey, does Louie go into your cage and eat your goodies and play with your toys? If not, I will just have to give him some pointers. The truth is we love you all and we just want to have fun. Don't let Louie get to you and I will pass on what I can to you (To aggravate Louie more...hehehe!) Salsa, the "Hot Tamale"

Woo Hoo!!!! Hola, Salsa here.... do you know what it is like to live with a psychotic Grey and that Aussie, Tango? Not to mention those parronts....boy, it's "Salsa, don't get into the food!", "Salsa, don't bite!", "Salsa, Don't chew the wood/wall/cupboard!", "Salsa, step away from the cords!"....Sheesshhh!:mad: Zon's just want to have fun! :pAt least Spock played "Pluck the tail Feathers" with me.....I miss Spock...I have no one to play with except Jay's neck and Maggie's hair toys. Joe is too stuck up to play and Tango just wants to chase me off her cage and ring her bell. I have to make up my own games...I LOVE those cords....Jay had to make a new cord the other day on Maggie's pot...now it is black and white! :rolleyes:My favorite time of day (besides breakfast, lunch and dinner) is when Maggie cleans. I get to ride around and we all sing and dance together. Even Joe and Tango get into it...Oh, and when Maggie plays Ferris Wheel with Joe on one hand and me on the other and we go in circles...Tango is trying to get on...fine...I will just go and sing for a while...bye...

Hi, Hominy has very little food value, it's also loaded with salt...not good for our fids...Thanks Maggie

So glad you and Shadow will be happier.....good things come to those who are patient....LOL....Thanks, Maggie

Yes, go back to normal routine...just go on like nothing ever happened. Just go by her every once in a while and stick your finger out and say "step up". Let her know that everything is back to normal. Stress will definitely add to her refusal to step up or do anything that you want her to do. Unlike most parrots, a Grey comprehends and thinks situations through. For example: Jay has related this story many times... if an Amazon falls trying to reach something, they just pretend like it was supposed to happen and go about their business. A Grey will look over the situation and ask itself how bad do I need/want this and weigh all factors of what could possibly happen and then decide whether to do it or not. So, when you time out or confine a Grey for any length of time, they will sit in there and wonder what they did wrong and in turn, this could cause loss of trust issues, unusual behavior, and could lead to irrational fears. A Grey is a thinking creature. Positive reinforcement is a better way to train or correct than punishment. Go about your life normally and include your Grey into it...expect no more than your baby is willing to give at the moment and remember, Rome wasn't built in a day. Maggie

I had cooked up egg whites with palm oil for all the birds this morning and had set a portion on the table while setting up Joe's, Salsa's and Tango's dishes first. Salsa had flown over to the table to see what I was doing and had been distracted by the bottles I had on the table for her. (She likes to chew on bottle caps - oil caps, water caps, olive oil caps, etc....arrgh!:rolleyes:...and I already had a cupboard full of cans with no labels, thrown away packages of chewed gravy mixes, chewed boxes of mac/cheese and had to rescue my box of chicken bouillon cubes more than once. She learned to open them and had one peeled back and ready to eat when I caught her...) :eek: I went into the living room with the plates of food and I heard a big crash! Turning around, I saw the plate of eggs splattered all over the kitchen floor. Salsa flew over to the cage, opened the door, climbed in and closed it after her, went over to the nearest perch and sat looking at Jay. When Jay asked her if she was giving herself a time-out, she began to make sobbing sounds...:(:pToo too funny!!!

hi, Maggie here...you have not made any mistakes. This is normal and not uncommon. It doesn't matter where you ask them to step up. It can be in or out of the cage, on the fridge, on the couch, on the back of a chair, on your arm....your bird's cage is her security blanket right now, it is her safe haven. Anything on or in her cage is hers and she feels territorial and this is normal. If she will come in or go out of her cage on her own, this is great. I can sense you are stressed out about the step-up issue. If I can sense it in your post, she can definitely sense it since she is next to you. Tough love won't work, it will just break down the trust that you have developed. It will confuse her, not knowing what to expect. Try just going about your normal daily routine and when you walk by her every now and then stick your finger out and say, "Step up". If she doesn't step up, just ignore it and keep up with your routine. Eventually, she will see that it is just another part of her routine and no big deal. They learn at their own pace and when they want to. You have to build normalcy to show them that they are part of your flock now. She will expect things of you and you will expect things of her...remember, a Grey always wins...LOL...as Spock would say, "It's only logical."

Salsa said "Woo-Hoo" when she saw Nilah!!!

Hi, Maggie here...Since your baby isn't eating, eliminate all fruit. Feed your baby some dry pasta, you can give a teaspoon of low sodium organic peanut butter, some cooked sweet potato's, cooked beans and cooked brown rice or wild rice. Fruit is sugar and water and has no nutritional food value, it causes runny poop. If you feed baby food, get the food with the lowest Iron, salt and sugar. Please try natural foods before baby foods.You can also give your baby a tablespoon of yogurt, plain, to help restore bacteria lost from the medicine he received. make sure you keep him warm and out of drafts..Make sure you get back to a vet..?How much does he weigh? Whats his poop look like?

Dave has the years and experience to back up his great advice. Thanks Dave! As far as we are concerned, Chet Womack is a no-no...our opinion only. Maggie and Jay

Hi, I read your post to Jay today and we both wish you a speedy recovery. Sit back and let time decide....the babies really aren't concerned with you or anyone else right now except for who is feeding them. Don't pick one or the other just because it doesn't meet all your criteria. When you take possession of the baby and the sweet thing is living with you, everything that happened before is null...everything that happens between you and the little one is like starting anew. No matter how many times you visit while the babies are being weaned, when you bring the baby home, it is a whole new universe for you and the Grey. The cage: to start with, put all perches low and pad the bottom of the cage with towels. You want nothing underneath a perch that could hurt your baby if he falls on it. Put a couple of foot toys and one hanging toy low. A Grey tends to be very clumsy until they get a little flight time and a little age under their belt. Keep their perches low, about two inches. You can always raise them later. Myth: there is no truth that a parrot needs to perch high. The reason a parrot perches high in the wild is for shade and protection from predators. In a cage, we usually place a perch high for their sleeping perch so when you cover the cage at night, it drapes over the perch location and gives them a sense of security. A Grey is naturally a ground feeder so a lot of perches are not necessary. As a reminder, keep the back of the cage against a wall for security. A corner is even better... Thanks...Maggie and Jay

Hi, don't worry, be happy... You baby is just making sounds, practicing his future speech. You baby is "Cleaning house" Greys in the wild clean out their nest, some put their head down in the corner and dig like wild...lol Most greys stop when they get older, it's cute.....Maggie

Hi, Dave's Greyt. Has you baby flown? If he hasn't, they will cut down on their eating to keep their weight down. If you bought "Kaytee" formula, please don't feed it to you baby, it has a recall and can possibly harm or kill your GREY....... Don't stop posting....Maggie

"Tiels are really easy to take care of, the photo is of a Lutino. Maggie