reggieroo

Murphy stole something from me the other week & flew off with it, just can't remember what it was........funny though when they do that, unless it's a £20 note :mad:

Hi Acappella, first off thanks for talking the time to write such a extensive & useful post. At the moment Murphy hasn't really got anything that he really likes doing, he has not long started playing with his toys & now he's beating them up with ferocity. The problem screaming is definitely linked to me leaving a position by his cage or leaving a room that he is in. We live in a small bungalow but with a large hallway & his cage is placed right outside my study door (where I spend most of my time working throughout the day) opposite my PC desk so he has full view & access to me at all times as his door is normally always open. He sits & plays ,flys, mumbles & sequels while playing etc, all normal & fine behaviour. As long as I'm sat at my desk there is very rarely a scream/shriek out of him but the minute I get up to go make a cup of tea or whatever he goes off on one till I come back. We also have a stand in our living room so he can always be with us. For instance I might sit down & have lunch in the living room & watch TV for an hour during the day, I take Murphy in with me even though he can still see me in his cage when I'm sat in the living room. I do this to include him in as much of my working day & when interacting with Ella-Rose as possible so he's not left out. So I'm in the living room having lunch Ella-Rose is on her play mat, I get up to go the toilet & Murphy starts the screaming then Ella-Rose erupts crying as well so I come back after 2 minutes to screaming baby & a screaming parrot He has toys on his stand & will be happily be playing with them until I get up to leave the room, he immediately stops what he is doing & looks at me as if to say where you going. The second I leave the room he erupts like a volcano. As for who is favorite is I don't really know to be honest, if you look in nursery you will see some posts about his strange behaviour towards both of us, one in a video. According to some members on here Murphy loves both of us. But I can tell you the shrieking is worse for me than Kate, If I'm out in the gym for any length on time, I ask Kate how he's been & she says " he was ok till you walked in" But then Kate is the only person he goes after, always trying to fly to her & land on her head but rarely to me. I'm not experienced enough to understand who the favorite is but if Kate leaves the room he doesn't really shriek much. My stress levels have been at an all time high this week as like you say Kate is back to work & I'm here looking after the family & the house. The thing is, it's Murphy who is causing me the stress, my daughter is an angel & no problem at all thank god! I had tried the Ipod solution while Kate was at home but now I'm on my own I have to keep an ear out for Ella-Rose so can't really use the headphones. I do Love Murphy & have wanted an African grey for over 10 years but these last couple of weeks have been so stressful with him I'm beginning to feel anxious & stressed. I'm glad I can come here & vent!

That is funny, maybe I should teach Murphy to say that to my neighbours......lol In all honesty though I really do have to watch my mouth now as the last thing I want is Murphy swearing or my little girl (when they start talking that is). All of a sudden I have these two little souls who could pick up anything I say

The rustic look was something that I wanted, I felt it would look better than say a metal one for example. Murphy has just started to explore it as he is getting used to climbing around & figuring out how to balance, fly etc. I also put some brass eyes on it for some toys & he loves playing with them on there. As for the drying process, when you make natural branches for the cage it is recommended that you dry them in the oven to kill any germs. Anyway as my stand would have not fitted on an oven I used the sauna but not sure it's a necessity to dry them that way as I also used a bleach solution & a wire brush & gave them a real good scrubbing. I'm sure now that summer is here just leaving it somewhere warm or just in a garage it will dry over time.

For a while now Murphy has started Shrieking which is now getting louder & more high pitched. It happens most when I go out of sight & away from his cage or stand but not limited to that, sometimes I'll just be sitting in the living room with him on his stand & he starts with the high pitched Shrieking. Also sometimes when in his cage he can clearly see me but he just climbs round his cage shrieking. I thought at first it must be contact calls so I tried calling back with a soft whistle or softer nice noise in the hope that he learns to do that instead but he just got louder & more frequent with it. I contacted my breeder for advise & was told it was for attention & to ignore it & only respond when he makes acceptable noises, that hasn't worked either. It is now becoming a real problem for me & my daughter as the noise is hurting her ears, it hurts mine sometimes if I'm close, so for 6 month old it must be awful. If he is in the same room as her & he starts it makes her cry. I have had to put the sheet over him the last few days for a short time just so I can get my Daughter to sleep as she has three naps a day but not with the shrieking going on, can't get her off. He's been getting lots of out of cage time since we got him, lots of toys, different foods & plenty of attention. The only time he doesn't do it is if I'm sat by his cage or he's eating. I actually beginning to dread getting up to make a cup of tea, go the toilet, change nappies, feed my daughter etc for fear of the shrieking starting which it always does. This is bad but I'm looking forward to his bed time for some peace from it, & I'm not enjoying my time with him at the moment. My biggest worry is that he will be a problem screamer, I had an Amazon for 10 years which are known for screaming & Murphy is worse already at 20 weeks old. Is this just a baby phase & something that he will grow out of? I need some help to nip this in the bud asap before it gets any worse & harder to stop. I've read so many things I'm not sure the right course of action, I don't even know what it is, screaming, contact calls or what?

I should have called mine chicken as he does what I call the chicken scratch in the bottom of his cage :rolleyes:

I don't feel like it's clicky, & I'm new here. It's a good forum I think. Anyway I've answered your other post with some info to stop that super smart grey of yours getting out Let me know if it works.

If he is opening the door from it's hinges by undoing the bolts then I have the answer. Take out the bolts, get some thread lock & put that on the threads of the bolt & tighten it up. Once the thread lock is set he should not be able to undo the bolts. I was out yesterday trying to undo some bolts on my Land Rover & the previous owner used thread lock & I had a nightmare getting the bolts undone & I'm extremely strong. Oh & wow that is one smart parrot, I guess it's only a matter of time before mine figures it out. My cage door is easy to open :eek:

Yer it's one of the funniest videos of a grey that I've seen

I know funny eh? He wasn't phased by that big sheet at all just grabbed it right off me but yet a small toy he can be extremely wary.

Well what's done is done you have the baby bird now & whats important is that you get the right advise & help from as many people as you can. I'm sure your grandfather will guide you & some of the guys & gals on here are here to help with some very good advise & knowledge. Keep us updated on Amigos progress throughout the weeks & don't be afraid to ask for help on here. Good Luck & welcome to the forum.

We had just got back from shopping & had bought a new hand held hoover to help with the baby & parrot mess, just as I started to read the instructions about charging it up.........somebody snatched them :rolleyes:

My plate had actually been empty a while with no food in sight, I brought Murphy over for a cuddle & his inquisitive little head had to go have a look for himself.

Here's a couple of pics of Murphy inspecting my plate, he was having a cuddle at the time & decided to go down & check it out.

That gave me a much needed laugh:)

That's so funny

You guys are not alone Murphy doesn't seem to enjoy the shower either. I had read somewhere that greys are the only Parrots that don't like a shower but I didn't believe it.......I do now. I tried the bottle with a fine spray as recommended & he hated it with a vengeance, he is shit scared of it & just flys off. I can take him in the shower with me & he just stands on my hand very quiet & tolerates it. I have tried talking to him & making a happy scene when I'm showering so he can see me enjoying it but so far he still doesn't like it. I had an Amazon who loved it more than anything in the world, if he seen me get the hose pipe out while in the garden he would scream with delight. The minute the water touched him he was in a very happy place Murphy just looks like the world has ended!

Yer I broke my 52" LCD too, can we start a whip round........lol

Whats imho?

Hi Debbie, I went through the exact same dilemma when choosing my grey. I went through the net reading all sorts of info on them both, posted on forums hoping some body was going to tell me concrete which one to go for....didn't happen. I spoke to people that have both & didn't really get an answer that one was less phobic than the other, some people said yes some people said different. All the info you find tells you that the Timneh is a less phobic bird, better with families etc & that's what got me thinking about having a Timneh but must admit my thoughts had always been about having a Congo. There must be some truth about the Timneh being a less phobic bird but I followed my heart in the end & went for a Congo (now 19 weeks old). I too had the option of either from my breeder as she breeds both but opted for the Congo in the end. My advise is go with your heart, if you would love a Congo then get a Congo How many times have I said Congo?......lol Oh & welcome to the forum.

I'm exhausted too, I'm what you call a night owl & didn't go to bed till 1.30am & that was early for me but my daughter.........well after Kate went to work at 7.30am this morning Ella-Rose wanted her breakfast bless her. I'd normally be getting up about now (9.30am) having 8 hours sleep, how I'm I meant to multi task with only 6 hours sleep...........? :eek:

Murphy did that to me yesteday & just missed me face as I seen him at the last minute :eek:

Nope I'm still up at 9.57pm, I'm hardcore

Doing good so far, baby fed changed & now having her afternoon nap. Took the time to scoot round with our new handheld & give the place a tidy. Murphy is now stuffing his face very quietly & Ella-Rose is fast asleep Peace! I can now have an hour to myself. All I can say is well done Kate (my Fiancee) for doing such a good job this last 6 months, it's not easy. Also much respect to all the ladies who have done this for years. Oh.........that hour I just mentioned............no so, Ella-Rose just woke up :rolleyes: See ya!