Cheshire Cat

I completely agree with that. But it just gets me angry when you see people mocking you because you love an animal so much.

It's absolutely wonderful to hear that. I know how great it is to spend time at home. I've recently been off work, ill, and so I've been able to spend more time with Tui. I'm glad that Issac is starting to say more words. Keep us updated!

You could never, ever post too many pictures, hun. I'm sure everyone will join me when I say that we love looking at everyone's pictures. I love these. Keep posting!

For loving your bird too much? I absolutely adore Tui and I do tend to talk about her a lot around my family and friends. I've seen people at work roll their eyes and my one colleague actually makes fun of me. Do any of you ever have this? I'm just curious. I've even seen people look at me strangely because I have Tui's name tattooed on my wrist. I don't have children so Tui is like my child, so what's the difference really? I know people who sit and talk about their children all day and no one says anything to them, but if you talk about a pet, people laugh at you.

I certainly think Greys can mellow as they get used to you, but can still also have a rather timid side. With Tui if there's a loud sound or sudden movement she'll sometimes fly off my hand because she's scared. Yet she's never been exposed to a lot of loud noises or anything like that. Tui has also become more accepting to my family and will now let my mom kiss her beak, whereas a few months ago she'd back off.

I got Tui from a local pet shop but they're in close contact and buy from a local breeder. All of their birds have rings and are well looked after. I've seen birds in other shops which aren't as kindly cared for and I've started becoming suspcious as to where they come from. But thankfully my Tui came from a good breeder and the people who work in the shop I got her from have their specialities. The man who actually got her out of the cage used to breed Greys with his dad so he's got a lot of experience with parrots.

My Tui has literally come on in leaps and bounds since I brought her in June 2010. Within a couple of weeks she became more trusting and now she just loves human company. I hate having to walk out of a room as she begins calling out for you. I love her so, so much and I don't know where I'd be now without her. She's the light of my life and keeps me going when I'm having rough days. I even had a tattoo of her earlier this year on my wrist which is a grey wing and her name in red - so she's with me wherever I go. When I first got her she scared me so much when she began plucking, but thankfully she got out that and hasn't plucked since. She does tend to have a soft spot for men and will fly off me a lot of the time to my friend or my dad if they're in the room. Sadly Tui hasn't mastered many words. She can say 'hello' and makes gutteral sounds, but hasn't really picked up the art of properly talking. She's still only 18 months old so maybe in time more vocalisations will come.

Tui is actually with me at my desk as I type this so she says howdy. We've both had a shower and she's playing with my pot of pens I've got to admit, and I feel like a baby, the tattoo really hurt - it's probably because of all the nerves in your wrist. I was wincing for most of the outline. I did consider going for a tattoo of a full Grey, but I was a little worried it wouldn't come out right. I went back to the same place I had my first tattoo done (it's the Cheshire Cat on the top of my arm), and while they did a good job of both, I just wasn't sure they'd be able to pull off a full Grey picture. While I was getting it done, the guy tattooing me said he had a man come in and request a ferret across his chest as his pet ferret had recently died. Bless! Answering Chezron's question, I have considered it. I'm still living with my parents and I said I'd love another bird once I move out. But I have no idea when that is.

I finally had my tattoo which is for my Tui. I decided on a grey wing and her name in red. Obviously, the colours signify she's an African Grey. I also realised once I'd had it, it's on my left wrist which is the hand of which I always hold her. In the picture the tattoo is rather shiny as I'd only just had it and had to apply cream for a week to help with healing.

I'd just like to say that I am so so sorry to hear about Murphy. I can only imagine how hard it must be to lose your bird. My heart goes out to you and Murphy.

I'm the same way Robin. My bird Tui took more to my fiancee (at the time) and he's still her favoured person. Due to personal reasons he's still around and we're still good friend despite breaking up and she truly adores him. She sits with me and lets me bath her and play with her, but as soon as he enters a room, I disappear and she's all him. I accept that I'm not Tui's favoured person and probably never will be, but I still love her the way she is. It's great that you can accept Dixie's love for your husband.

I take Tui in with me and she prefers it if I take the shower head off and shower her. If I just hold her under the water and the shower head is in its normal position, she hates it. But if she can see me holding the shower head, she's okay. She's doesn't particularly like the shower, but she stands it and growls a little as I do it. I've tried every method of washing her and she hates every single one so I now just take her in the shower and lift the head off.

I'm sorry to say this, but that picture nearly made me cry with how the bird's wings had been cut. That is absolutely awful!! What a shame. A lot of people just don't do the necessary homework when spending money on such a demanding animal. For weeks before having Tui all I did was read up on Greys and even now I have numerous sites bookmarked on my PC for reference. I'm certainly by no means saying I'm the best owner, but anyone who has a Grey needs to understand them and their needs before they jump in. Some people also don't want to listen when they're doing something wrong - they're adament that their way is best and they can't see the effects their decisions are having on the poor bird. Never underestimate the time, dedication and finances you need when purchasing a Grey. When Tui first plucked and I took her to the vets, I wasn't in the best financial position, but her bill was still paid for as she came first to me. I don't think your friend has got enough dedication and time for Otis. Even though she might have good intentions, she doesn't seem to see the effects this is having on him. I hope things work out for Otis. Poor little guy.

Merry Christmas to everyone here and all your Greys, and other pets, of course!!!

Tui has a leg band and I've never seen any reason why it should be removed. It doesn't bother her in the slightest and if, God forbid, anything happened and we lost her, it's a form of identification for her.

I took Tui to two vets when she started plucking and the first place was our normal vets where we take the dog and our other animals. Sadly, they couldn't do much and recommended another vet to us. Personally, I thought the price was ridiculous for how he handled her. Tui had a basic check up and it was a lot more expensive than at the other vets we'd originally taken her too and he didn't do much more...apart from give me a pot of special vitamins. I know I won't take her back there again as I was disgusted by the way he treated her. The vet asked me if I could handle her so I said yes, so what does he do? Gets a towel and literally drags her out of the cage with her screaming away! I could have gladly strangled the guy!!! I don't think what I paid was worth it by the way he treated her and the way he was in general. Our usual vets are a lot more understanding, approachable and comforting to the animals. No way am I taking her back there! I'm going to look around for a decent vet who also deals with avian cases, too.

I was excited and so absolutely thrilled when I got Tui. I'd been going on and on about having a Grey for months and when I finally had her, I was just the happiest I'd been in a long time. I can't say I ever felt nervous at all.

I usually spend about 5-6 hours a day with Tui as I'm now back out at work. In a morning when I get up, I take the sheet off her cage and let her out for a little bit while I'm getting washed, dressed and getting my things together. When I come home on an evening, I let her out again and keep her cage door open so she can go about as she pleases. I'll also take her downstairs with me to make cups of tea and she'll see my parents. While I'm in my room, Tui is out unless I'm asleep (obviously. Lol) Tui will sometimes watch YouTube with me or come and sit on my bed (usually when I'm eating, mind you!). Most of the time though she prefers to stay on the top of her cage and just blast her high pitch notes and try out her talking.

I noticed that my Tui started getting viscious when my friend was sleeping over. It was someone new in the room who she didn't know. Tui actually bit me and drew blood which is SO unlike her! She'll go to try and bite when I tease her, but she's never actually nasty. I think if something is different or someone new is around that can affect their behaviour.

My Grey is in my bedroom as I still live with my parents and my mom has lung problems, so Tui is in my room with me. I tend to cover her cage over anywhere between 9 and 10pm. Then I take the cover back off her before I go to work.

This is the main method I use when bathing Tui but she flaps all over the place and steps up out the sink. Lol.

They were put in two cages, two birds in each and did look quite cramped. The cages looked smaller than the one I have for Tui, and she's one bird on her own. Their tail feathers were a very dirty red and had a lot of dark markings on them. When I had Tui her tail feathers were a little broken as she was on the bottom of the cage a lot (I'd seen her a couple of times in the pet shop) but her feathers have always been bright. I asked on Facebook about it only to have some guy I know trying to tell me that it's better to have birds without rings - I realised that he works at the store I referred to in my post, although I didn't actually mention the name of it. He must have realised and got defensive about it. But I don't believe that at all. Every bird I've seen on sale over here has always had a leg ring. This is the first time I've seen Greys and Amazons on sale anywhere without leg rings and this is why I've got suspicious.

Thank you for feedback on this. I really wasn't sure about the rings as all Greys I've seen have always had leg rings. This is the first time I've seen them without rings and it was four of them all being sold together. I personally don't like buying from this shop anyway as they do charge over the top prices on animals and food/toys etc. The only thing I noticed about them was how dirty and unkept their tail feathers looked. Other than that they looked in reasonable condition and seemed friendly. I've looked once again through the Internet for information on the UK's legalities on leg ringing captive bred birds and can't find anything, so I've e-mailed the Parrot Society UK for clarification. These poor birds are worrying me.

I went to a pet shop today at my local mall and they had in a fair few parrots including four Greys, a couple of Amazons and a Macaw. As usual, I was talking away with the Greys, but one thing that I noticed after a while was that none of them had leg rings. I also looked at the Amazons and they didn't either. What are the legalities of leg rings? I assumed all captive bred parrots legally had to have leg rings. I'm worried about where these poor birds are from. I had Tui from another pet shop but all their staff know what they're talking about and don't just give you any old rubbish to sell. When I had Tui, the man who sold her to us actually knows the breeder and knew a lot on Greys himself. I know price shouldn't be an issue, but when I was looking around for a Grey, I asked in the pet shop where these birds are now without rings, and the going price was over a £100 more than what we paid for Tui who came from a reputible breeder. I was wondering whether to report the pet shop but I don't know the full legalities on leg rings and wondered if someone could fill me in. I've looked online, but some sites are a little vague.

The way I see it, Greys are part of your family. Tui, to me, is like my child. Why would you leave a member of your family behind in another country? Sounds amusing, but it's true.