Ray P

Hi Beth (AKA JakeGrey) And welcome to the Grey forum. Dose Jake know what he is in for at his new home. (The life of Riley) But thats OK because we all want the best for our fids. Along with my Grey Corky we have our zon Cricket who is also awesome. Keep us posted as to when he comes home.

Can`t wait to see your new baby.

For a new care giver getting their first medium or large parrot can be very exciting. And than your new parrot comes home and now that excitement turns into fear a little frustration and doubt. Am I doing this right or am I doing this wrong, Where do I start, What do I do first. Even after all your research you thought you were ready. This is what works for me and I do it with any new bird that comes into my home, baby or re home, for me it works for both. There is an order here that always leads to the next step and each step overlaps the next and I call it RBST 1 Relationship. This is the start. 2 Bonding. That special connection. 3 socializing. The inter action with others. 4 teaching or training. Relationship There are many kinds of relationships. You have work relationship, business, spouse, children, friends. siblings just to name a few. With your bird its when you start to build a trust and respect for each other by sitting by their cage and talking to it and sharing treats and getting to know each other. You have to put your time and energy into this to make it work. As your relationship develops you start to overlap in to the next step Bonding You can have a relationship with no bond, but you can`t have a bond with out a relationship. As you spend time with your new companion and start to do things with each other that are fun and you want to be with each other and you each look forward to you time together you now have the start to bonding and that special connection. Socializing As your bond grows you want to make sure that you socialize your bird. Birds by nature are social beings as they live in flocks and to some degree they depend on each other. African Grey's stick to their own kind and do not mix with other kinds of birds, but with in their flock. You may see a large flock of Grey's in the wild that hang together but with in that flock there are many small groups of Grey's that have their own social group With new world parrots like amazons, macaws etc. you may see large flock of mixed species of parrots that hang out together because they are a social being. To make sure your bird is socialized you need to introduce new things and people in a manner your bird will except. Teaching or Training This one can be a tough one. You teach your children how to live life, OK you may potty train them but for the most part you teach them. You can train your birds to do tricks, but teach them how to live. I always say talk to your birds, not at them. Talk to them like you talk to a child. They will start to understand and they will become family. OK I said enough. Your input is welcome

OK Dee its up to you to make sure that Gilbert has a relaxing and peaceful vacation with no stress, after all he did call you mom.

That video shows mother nature at her very best.

Coming soon RBST A chain of events

Do not fear, we are here to help you along the way

We have had Corky our grey from a baby and when we rehomed Cricket our amazon she was 12 years old. We love them both and would never part with eather of them.

Welcome back Morana. The good ones always return to roost.

You Pick your battles, Nilah ends up with the new house.

Great article. I wonder why it took them so long to find this out. When it comes to greys we could have told them this many many years ago.

Way to go Rocky.

I think its awesome.

With a grey its always one step at a time. Sorry for the pun, but keep up the good work.

My grey Corky is a picky eater also, But my zon Cricket will take it all in.

With my four birds there is one thing that we do with each to bond that is different than what I do with others. Out of all my fids Cricket is the one that enjoys our bonding times the most. She looks forward to our special time that we spend together and so do I. She has this gentle way about her when we bond that is hard to put into words. She will climb up to my shoulder and as close to my head as she can get, to the point I can feel the pressure of her body leaning against my head. She will than put her head down to my shoulder for me to scratch. As I scratch her head we talk back and forth for long periods of time. Just a special time between Cricket and me. Tell me about the special times between you and your zon.

OK Nancy , Your on.

Having a grey and a zon can bring out something from with in you that you did not know existed. They are so different in their ways and I could never chose one over the other.

The one great thing about a zon is, If its food they will eat it. And even if its not food they will still try to eat it.

Just remember one thing. Attitude dose not stop at stop.

Aren`t they all to smart for their own good ??

Nilah knows how its done. Can I use her for a month. Cricket would talk to them and tell them to call back later when I`am home.

Welcome back Dave and glad you are back on track. We all have bad times, Lean timea and good times. Let the good times roll.

Oh that is going to be one spoiled little girl. Have fun doing it.

Alfie looks great !!