Birdnut

Greetings! Welcome to the forum. Gandalf is a cool name for a Grey. I also considered that one, being a LOTR fan myself, but ended up naming our boy Moussa after an African drummer we met (I'm into African drumming). Sounds like you have been doing a lot of preparation for getting your Grey. You can find lots of good, first-hand information here on the forum. Be sure and read through all the stickies. It's like a university education on African Greys!

Happy Hatchday, Murphy!

That's a terrific lead. My fingers are crossed!

Sounds like you are developing a real connection with Timmy. Congratulations on your second monthiversary!!

Welcome, Pandora. The translation from google works just fine. That is just amazing how that works. You have a very lively household. We have 8 parrots, from tiny to medium, with 1 Congo Grey named Moussa. They keep me very busy. I had a Maine Coone cat for almost 20 years. He was a terrific cat. I bet Bianca is a lapful I also had a cat with three legs, and he did just fine.

Happy Hatchday to a very lucky Cricket!

Things I have learned from my Grey: 1. Always show up when someone operates the microwave, 'cause you never know what goodies might come out. 2. If deterred from doing something you really want to do, try, try again. 3. If life presents you with a good toy, have a rip-roaring, squealing good time with it.

It does sound like Mino may have headed for trees, since that was his M.O. on his last escape.

Yikes! Austin folks better keep their birds on lockdown. Sounds like a movement. I have a theory. Holiday season. Parties. Friends, family going in and out. Not used to watching out for birdies. High risk season for flighted birds. wshang: way to keep up the spirits! Wanna share the story of how Mino escaped and was recovered when he was 5?

Oh, yes. They will tattle on you.

Good news! Thanks for the update.

Putting off cleaning the bird room floor.

What irks me is labels or price tags that can't be removed without damaging the product. Grrrrrr.

LOL! Rambo and Lucy -- the feathered tag team of destruction!

As far as Took only wanting to get on the top branches of his playstand, I have noticed that all of my birds only use the top branches of any of our playstands. I have mused at why they bother to put lower branches on those. They are only used as an avenue to climb to the top branches.

Huzzah!!! I bet your household will never be the same after Miss Lucy moves in. She's a beautiful creature.

Love pictures of Timmy. Yes, these critters sure do add a lot of life to the household.

No, Mort's Dad, I'm not seeing your avatar picture.

Ranaz's idea about kids spreading news is a really good one. Austin High School is not that far from you. Yesterday afternoon I stopped by to visit with my friends who operate the Gallery of Pets on Duval at 183. They are one of the specialty bird shops in Austin. I notified them about Mino's escape as soon as I saw your first post, as they are one of the shops in town that sell parrot-sized cages. Yesterday I brought them up to date on your search. As we were discussing Mino, they mentioned that one of their customers has a Grey that escaped and was missing for several months before being successfully recovered. I thought that information might be encouraging.

My Moussa's favorite toys are small toys hanging from a chain that he can grab and throw around. He especially loves anything with a bell (large sturdy bell) on it. He likes "busy" toys with lots of little objects clustered all over it. He also likes foot toys, which are easily made from old toy parts tied together with nylon cord, leather, or rope (available in bulk on the internet). You can get one of those stainless steel buckets that hang over a horizontal bar in the cage, and fill it with little foot toys and treats wrapped in paper. The toys with big blocks of material are ho-hum. Also, keep in mind that these guys are most active in the morning and evening and spend much of the afternoon just chillin'.

Katana has a great suggestion about places that sell cages. And just pet stores, in general. I know of at least one case where someone who found a parrot called a pet store asking what to feed it. Also the university is a very good idea. People come from all over to the university. I would definitely spread out more. Move over toward Congress Avenue. Do hit those garages and see if you can leave a flyer at the attendant's booth. Spread out a lot wider and hit places where people shop in that area, restaurants, coffee shops, etc. Remember, with your flyers, you're not looking for the bird, you're looking for a person, and people move around a lot. So don't limit your flyers to where you think the bird may have gotten. Great job with the radio interview! You're doing a great job.

Beautiful! But how do you get away with all that beautiful stuff with two parrots?

I know it's hard -- I certainly would be feeling devastated in your shoes -- but you have to keep positive and keep acting as though Mino is out there just waiting to be found. Sure, it's possible that he flew into the lake or that something else happened to him, but you don't know that is the case, and if you act on that belief, you lose your chance of finding him. It sounds like you're doing a great job with your search. Keep it up, especially the flyers and talking to the media and shelters/veterinarians/pet stores. I really think that's how you're going to find him, as I think it very likely that someone has recovered him by now. Don't you think he will have gotten hungry and approached human beings? It's wa-a-a-ay too soon to give up or feel defeated. Mino has not been missing very long, as these things go. We're all pulling for you and Mino.

Yes, I am very concerned about them and think about them often.

Moussa has shoulder privileges and will continue to do so unless he shows me he can't behave. So far, he's been very good.