Kaleah

Never let it be said that Walmart doesn't have excellent toys for our Greys. Not in the pet department, certainly, but in the infant section. I bought Kaleah a little"keyboard" that plays music, lights up, has a cylinder with beads that spins, and a handle with rings. She is in love with it! Didn't take her long to figure out how to make the music play. For $5 it was definitely a great buy and it will stand up to the torture a lot better than most large bird toys do. Yes, this isn't homemade but worth posting. Cheap toys that are safe and take the beatings our Greys can dish out.

Wow, it's so relaxing. Kaleah and my 'tiels are loving it. Kaleah's pupils keep flashing and she's so still. I think i found some bedtime music for my fids.

Found this site. Lots of good info on leg bands. I don't really know much about them myself, so I thought the website could help a lot more http://www.quakerparrots.com/general/parrots/all-about-bird-bands/

Thank you. Took me forever to do. The site didn't want to cooperate.

The land of cheese and beer.... Wisconsin. Out in the sticks surrounded by hills and cornfields and the Mississippi. Where cows out number people 100 to 1 (that could be an exaggeration).

O.k. So I've noticed all the cool signaures people have of multiple pets with their names. I would like one but how do I make one :confused:

Congrats on your new baby Lilly! She's soooo precious. I'm a sucker for those dark baby eyes... Have fun with her and get all the snuggles in while you still can!

Vent all you want to. My sister considered her oldest son a "throw away". He's with his dad and is well taken care of but has severe issues with women. Rightfully so. As for our feathered children, my Grey is a rescue. She had been beaten for not talking. After being taken from that "home" she sat for a month in a pet store before she came home with me. I've had her for a month now and she is the most amazing creature I've ever been blessed with caring for. After only a few days of being here and giving her love and proper care she bonded with me. In fact I just put her to bed after a nearly 30 minute head/neck scratch, during which she began to fall asleep. It astounds me to see the trust she has in me already.

Poor, poor Dayo. I've had the same thing happen with my 'tiels before. They just freaked out for no apparent reason. As for your dog with the heron, can't say I blame him any. Those are big birds! My bulldog's afraid of plastic bags...no matter the size. We've had some serious wind here in Wisconsin the past two days and a black garbage bag blew down my street and got stuck on the neighbors fence. My dog stood at the window for ten minutes shaking with her hair on end staring at that stupid bag. Silly dog...

Guess I need to pay closer attention to stickies at least because I didn't know, until someone mentioned it, that this was already up. Oops! Oh well, it's still great

I found this the other day. It's such a great poem.

Baggage Now that I’m home, bathed, settled and fed All nicely tucked in my warm new bed I’d like to open my baggage lest I forget There is so much to carry - So much to regret Hmm . . . Yes there it is, right on top Let’s unpack Loneliness, Heartache, and Loss And there by my leash hides Fear and Shame As I look at these things I tried so hard to leave I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain I loved them, the others, the ones who left me But I wasn’t good enough - for they didn’t want me Will you add to my baggage? Will you help me unpack? Or will you just look at my things And take me right back? Do you have the time to help me unpack? To put away my baggage, to never repack? I pray that you do - I’m so tired you see But I do come with baggage - Will YOU still want ME? Baggage by Evelyn Colbath

I have the same problem with my Grey. She loves Cheetos and dill pickle flavored chips. I figured maybe it was the crunch factor that she loved so I tried unsalted oyster crackers and they were a hit! I tried some fruit flavored birdie treats that look exactly like her beloved Cheetos, but those were tasted once and soon ended up on the bottom of the cage. And a few days ago, while grocery shopping, I had a look around the infant foods to see if I could find something for her there for treats and found puffed cereal. Comes in a little container in all kinds of flavors and she loves the apples and strawberries. For $1.50 a container it's super cheep and doesn't have all the added fats and sodium of chips.

I just ordered a boing from http://www.birdcageportal.com. Some of the toys aren't the greatest but the boings themselves are some of the best I've seen online and the prices are pretty decent. $22 for a large rainbow boing (7/8" diameter and 96" long...I think). Sandy perches are great, but I didn't order mine online - I picked it up at Pet Smart.

Welcome and congrats on your new baby. I just got my first CAG a little over a month ago so I completely understand how excited you are. My Kaleah is also not the most vocal either, but she does say hello when she wants and does some noises too. Don't expect too much from Timmy for now. It's barely been a week and he is still feeling things out. When he rings his bell that's his way of acknowledging you and getting your attention. If that's all he wants to do for now, then go with it. Just because Greys have the capacity for speech doesn't mean they all talk. Just go slow with him. When's hes ready to start making some noise, he will, but just be patient with him. It will definitely pay off in the end. Best of luck!

Thanks everyone! I had remembered reading something about the "King Greys" about a month ago but didn't pay much attention to it. I never thought I would need to, but I guess I was wrong. I can't wait to see how it looks once her feathers are grown in.

I just happened to notice a small bright red feather coming in on Kaleah's neck. As I've said before, her neck and most of her chest were plucked bald when I got her but in the month that I've had her are all coming in nicely. I check the new feathers constantly through out the day to see how they're doing and to make sure she isn't falling back into her old nasty habit. So far so good there, but today I found the red feather and I don't know what to make of it. I know it can happen to damaged follicles due to plucking, something that she was guilty of doing before I got her. She was just to the vet last Friday and passed the vet's exam with flying colors. Has anyone found the same thing with their Greys before?

It went great! The vet said she looks amazing and that all the feathers she had plucked prior to me getting her are growing in great! She was 396 grams, but that it's a healthy weight for her because she's a bit petite. She didn't fight, scream, or bite during the exam, and only squirmed a little when they trimmed her nails. The vet couldn't get over how nice and affectionate she was, even after being toweled. Two weeks of worrying for nothing, but I'm just glad it went so well. Kaleah is healthy, I couln't ask for more. She wanted to go right back in her cage as soon as we got home. Now she's munching away and avoiding the sample pellets from the vet like they're the plague.

I did lots of looking and found a few more awesome sites. One is http://www.chopperstoys.com Lots of awesome toys, boings (which are customizable as far as color), and the prices are pretty decent. Another good one is http://www.thelaughingparrot.com. They toys are very cool with lots of bright pastels and great prices too.

I'm sick of going to my local pet store or Pet Smart and Petco's online stores. Most of what they sell are toys for smaller birds. That's o.k. for my 'tiels but what about my Grey? Yes, I do scour the infant department at Walmart for toys for her and she has a definite love of baby links, but they can only entertain so much and the small sized toys I'm stuck buying her are soon broke not long after going in the cage. I was fortunate to find one, single, lone, large parrot toy the other day at the pet store, but that's it! So today I'm on a mission to find some grey't toys, a boing (I hear they're a MUST), and hopefully a large cozy tent that Kaleah can sleep/play in. Can someone point me in the right direction, please?

I'm definitely curious about how blood is drawn now, aside from nail clipping and blood quills of course. I'm going to ask the vet on Friday. One of the many questions I plan on throwing at her. Haha. I'll let everyone know how the appointment goes.

Well, sense this thread is now on the subject of drawing blood, do they always do it every time you take them to the vet? I'm so anxious about the vet to begin with and now I'm even more terrified if they are going to pull one of her blood feathers or clip a nail too short on purpose. I'd like to be in the room while she's being looked over, but if this is going to go on, I may not be able to. Just being a typical nervous mom I guess.

Judy - Thanks for the little extra push to go unclipped. That's the way I was leaning anyhow, but I wanted some other, knowledgeable opinions. Like I said, I can see why some people choose to do it, but personally I'd rather not. Azzie - I'd like to know the same thing.

This Friday I am taking my precious Kaleah to see the vet for the first time. I've had her for nearly a month and she has already bonded with me but I'm terrified that the visit to the vet's may scare her and she's going to not trust me afterward. Someone suggested to me that I not handle her at all and that I should let the vet and her assistant do it. Am I right to do that? Also, I've been debating whether or not I want her wings clipped. She acts like she would like to fly at times but I don't think she knows how. She's 4 and I don't know if her previous owners ever encouraged her to learn or not. I can understand why some people have the wings clipped, but I'm on the fence. I know it's up to me to decide, but any insite into this would be great. This is my first Grey, first large parrot period, and what is good for my 'tiels isn't always the best for my Grey. I just want to say that I'm so happy to have this forum where I can talk about all my "new mommy" concerns. Thanks so much! - Gina

I would say there is a lot of similarities between the intellect of a 2 or 3 year old child and that of a Grey. As for that of autistic children I may say that in some ways the mind of a 5 year old autistic child (in some cases) is far more advanced than that of a "normal" child. I have a 5 year old nephew with severe autism who has trouble speaking clearly but who, at the age of 3, began to teach himself how to read and type, yet can not write. He lacks some of the motor skills needed to do that. I just felt like adding my 2 cents on the subject of autism. It's something I feel people don't know enough about.