Elvenking

Issac used to give me quite a run before I would go to work. However, the other thing I know about him is he likes to come when he can't see me. So...I will go in my bedroom and act like I am having a good time and whistle for him, and he will always come within a couple minutes. It is then I get him to step off onto my bed, ask him to step up on my hand, and when he does...I cover his back with ym free hand so he doesn't fly...and walk him to the cage....most times he will actually step up into the cage...if not...I slide him under his main perch and pull forward to get him to step up onto it. But, all birds are different. I am finding one truth though...use what you know about your bird to do what you need to do.

Man, I have had Issac for about 7 months and I can bearly go to work without feeling bad. I cannot imagine what it would be like to go a day without seeing him. By about noon...I am already looking forward to coming home to him. What is it about these guys that makes us so crazy about them? LOL

This sort of echos a post I did a little while back.... http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190526-Future-Thoughts-Concerning-My-Baby

They heal up super fast. Issac had a little mark above his eye one time and in like 48 hours it was gone.

That is indeed the inspiration. I wanted to give him the name of some intelligent physicist.

I see that people continue to be moved by this story. Trust me, I am still so happy to come home from work and still see him. Whew. If you haven't already found them...read the posts titled "Isacs Day Out" parts one and two to hear the blow by blow. I could not write that one without tears flowing. He's my baby.

I am just a proud bird daddy. Thanks all for coming to look at my baby.

So it has been a while since I have posted images of my baby. Here are some of him striking a pose. Those eyes are certainly getting lighter now. He's a beauty!

Ahh yes...a massive oversight on my part. Definitely do not get him too high up if he cannot fly. They do hang, spin, twist, and often get so excited that they fall.

First i will say that all birds are different. But here is how mine reacts to a similar situation. I have an Atom hanging at about 9 feet or so above ground and its well over my head. He loves to hang out there a lot among many other areas. There have been a handful of occasions that he has perched up there when I needed him down. But here is how I handle that. I usually plan to start getting him down about 10 minutes before i have to leave. Fortunately most of the time, when he cannot see me, he wants to get to me. Especially if i draw attention to myself. So i will go in the other room and make noises, and he will eventually fly down. Then I hold him on my hand with one hand gently on his back and comfort him on the way to the cage. I may be lucky, but he calmly steps onto his perch when I hold him inside. I have found that this is the only way, as getting him off his atom against his will is traumatic for the both of us. This has worked 99% of the time for me thus far. In general, I always go for the most passive ways of getting him to do things. Just know that it may not always be up to you when he will come down. As far as dominance, I guess that varies from bird to bird, but I have had no dominance issues with Issac. I think some people mistake a bird wanting it's own space from time to time as dominance, but that is just typical bird behavior. I would expect that a dominant situation would be one where the bird is actively approaching you or others and biting or creating some sort of demanding attitude, and Issac definitely does not have that complex.

I do still love it. His excitement over it is just wonderful. It is also how I convinced him to come out of the tree as well when he escaped. When he hears, "Wanna eat?"...he comes flying and making all the whistles of excitement.

I might have to take a pass for now my friend.

Okay so...uhmm....wow. LOL! Well, it is good to hear that they love it still....I can't say I have had a chance to sample it myself.

I see, she loves that 'hands-free' mode. (Slaps knee)

How old are these Greys? Issac started becoming more assertive with toys in his 10th week or so. It can be hard to find one that they really like to go at at first. Issac loved to sit on my chest for nice long periods of time at first and would run over to me if I sat down on the couch to do so. I would enjoy the cuddly periods as they fade super fast. Not that they don;t have cuddly moments when they age a bit, but the warm sittings with them certainly decrease. Try peek-a-boo on the ground with a towel over your head. It is a fun one with the babies...in fact Issac still likes that one. Hide under it and peek out saying 'peek-a-boo' and cover up again. I'll be darned if he won't want to get under there with you. Roll toys on the ground and even pay with them yourself to show him that they are fun. They will come around.

Yeah, I do take heart in the fact that he gets such good nutrition, and I often marvel at how healthy and beautiful he is. I just sometimes get this thing in me where I am looking into his eyes as he is chugging formula from a syringe and have to ask, "Is this right?" The community here constantly reassures me that it is, I guess I need a refresher sometimes. Also, with the way he went flying around town the other day, he definitely has great stamina and agility. He can make tight hair pin turns in the sky and take corners like I would never imagine a bird to do. He's a total ace. Depending on how much he eats outside of his formula, he will get 35-50cc's in a feeding. He has gotten extremely efficient, I use a Monoject syringe with a fat tip and no tube...this little guy drops nothing...we make a perfect team when it comes to feeding. It is good to hear that you know that there are many a bird that enjoy formula after the weaning period. That gives comfort. Oh and thanks JayD for the humorous reminder.

So, as most know, I still give Issac his formula and he is probably at around 40-45 weeks now. Why do you suppose he still loves this so much? As soon as i say, "Wanna Eat?". He goes nuts. If you have seen the video before of him hopping from the refrigerator, to my back, to the counter, to the top of the microwave, and back to the table. He will even sometimes grab onto the cup I am mixing it in and shake it vigorously in an effort to tell me, "Hey lets get this thing going!" He loves the stuff and i give it to him in the morning and for dinner. So did I do something to make him love it so much. He still munches on his vegetables quite well in the afternoon, and i give him some whole grain noodles with red palm on them for a little pre-bed snack at around 9:30PM. Along with any seeds and nuts he gets along the way, which is typically the lesser percentage of his diet. I have to guess that he really likes it. Either that or I just haven't nailed enough favorite foods outside of his formula. He does share dinner with me when it's appropriate for his diet. I know I shouldn't complain but has anyone ever had a Grey that loved baby formula so much??

Ohh I hope I didn't make you feel bad. We all do things that get magnified in retrospect..and we wish we had the tact at that time to handle it. Just learn from it, and if you take what you have learned and go forward with taking care of Tui's needs...then I think that even better results are to come. I also ask that you consider leaving him flighted (as I am a huge advocate of letting these wonderful guys fly). It can be a greater responsability but I personally think its worth it. This is coming from a guy who just had his baby fly away last sunday and went through a major recovery event that was heart wrenching. In the end..its up to you and i understand both sides..I just think the bird gets the best end of the deal when he\she is unclipped. I am glad Tui is handling thing well. They can be suprisingly resilient. Take care of your baby and love him. These are wonderful creatures.

Issac does #3. He could care less. I guess he has it figured out that it's him and there is no fooling him. A good noteable point is to say that the first mirror he had seen is the one in my bathroom. And its big enough to show him that we can all see ourselvs in it. I suppose if its smaller, they may just think its a portal into little world where this other bird is...I dunno. But I think that the bigger the mirror..the more obvious that it is that it's just a reflection.

Probably been said a hundred times..but I line my baby's cage with newspaper on top of a towel at the bottom.

Awwee that is so cute! She is trying to play with herself.

What a brilliant idea. Yeah...I just have to proceed slow with him. I think I just have to get him out once, and actually have him have some fun outside...then I think it might get easier. Thank you for your suggestion.

LOL...yep...I can tell from personal experience...you will not convince your bird that he\she has to bow to you. They will bite...and you certainly can;t take that enough to let him know that it is not effective. That can opener on his head will teach you different.

Happy Hatch Day Ana!! What a great moment.

I agree with Dave. Nothing should be rushed at this point. Give him a ton of space. Approach gently and if it looks unwanted stay back. Try to give treats and such maybe. But don't expect any major leaps, he won't change on a dime.