FirstPenguin

http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-talk.aspx

There is one on Long Island in a few months that I go to. Not sure where else.

I started a thread like this recently. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?196316-Carriers-for-Greys-What-s-everyone-using/page3

Which size kings travel cage do you use?

This just reached your mailbox today?

Today, I unfortunately had to tell someone at my company I lost those annoying electronic key cards to get in the building, the bathroom, and anywhere that allows me to be productive. To break my tension, I almost wanted to say my bird hid it from me. Does anyone have any stories of the bird eating your homework? Any excuses you've made that were absolutely true, but no one believed because they don't understand how smart parrots truly are.

This cat carrier from foster and smith actually looks quite interesting. Anyone see any issues with the design?

http://www.celltei.com/pakobird.html Here's an image provided by one of the other forum members. I know from what we use with our Sennie, if you're on the move and want something light it's the way to go. If you get the stainless steel mesh version it's actually made right in brooklyn NY. I had mine embroidered too and got to pick it up right where they make it. Infact it wasn't ready I had to wait and chatted with the lady who runs the company. She told me many interesting things, in particular that she has trouble finding people with the baggage type sowing skills needed. She even invented a pocket on the side and added extra grommets where I asked at special request. If you need something customized. Just email them they're really great, and that really justified the cost for me. If you're going to a park and going to sit and you're not traveling long distanes on foot. The break down wire cages are the best IMHO. They're affordable and light enough to carry with your bird inside and roomy enough to include toys and treats so that your bird has something to do if you're hanging out for an extended period of time. However I would reinforce the latch since it's a simple slide and keep and eye on the coating since it's thing and cheap and I don't entirely trust whoever is manufacturing them. Thanks for all the input. I'll most likely go with a quality animal carrier with a small enough grate. Has anyone heard any issues with the metal doors used for the non-bird specific ones?

These look nice. What are these going for? I can't see any pricing info on the site.

Thanks, Is this the one you're talking about? http://www.mysafebirdstore.com/CARRIERS-Super_Pet_Come_Along_Carrier_Large.html That looks nice and quite reasonably priced, but as I said I need something hard sided for when I'm traveling through crowded areas. On another note, we love My Safe Bird Store. It's our main place to order from.

Thanks, Judy, I appreciate your more diplomatic candor, I overstated my position to drive it home. I totally get what your saying and in most cases agree. What happens once a bird is home matters most. I think what people are glossing over is that this is where my research lead me. One post after another it's apparent that there are many contradicting opinions based on anecdotal evidence and few hard facts. I'm just trying to apply my research to give a grey a great life being a part of the of the rest of my life. Thanks for debunking the opposites attract theory. That's the kind of evidence I'm looking for.

Have you seen the Barbara Heidenreich training video called Training for the Veterinary Exam? This goes over ways to get your bird to accept a small hand file so you can do it yourself periodically. It also in general goes over simple ways to make the dreaded towel less traumatic.

Let me rephrase, what I said was a little heavy handed. I feel some of the major issues greys have begin during there first year or two. A quarter of that time is spent where they're reared and weaned. Yes they will. But I disagree with what you're implying. Any living creature with the ability to learn establishes neural pathways early in life that effect their development and I think those first first two years matter. One clip will effect a large part of that time. This is part of my dilema. I'd love to see every setup. However that only gets you so far. Most breeders won't let any outside people into the space where their breeding pairs are. Thanks to everyone for all the input. Can anyone recommend someone in the NYC tri-state area? Anywhere with in 2-4 hours drive? I've been very frustrated by the local offerings.

Sorry if it wasn't clear enough. I have a certain criteria for what I look for in a bird and it's breeder. I believe after talking to a lot of people, reading accounts over the past 2-3 years that much of the issues greys have relate to how they're reared in the first 2-3 years. From this research I've built a list of questions that I ask a breeder. I've emailed a lot of breeders and no one I can find with in roughly 200-300 miles of my home (what would be a reasonable distance to visit a few times before bringing a bird home) really matches the philosophy I've got. The people I've found out west and much farther away are far more aligned with my ideas. So I'm left with two options really. Have the bird shipped from a breeder who I'm 100% on the same page with but can't visit even once in some cases, or compromise and get a clipped bird from someone who I strongly disagree with there techniques in rearing.

So I'm finally going for it and getting a grey. This is all being well documented in other posts. I'm enterting the prep and supply (and wait) phase. What's everyone using for carriers. I live in a major city and take commuter trains with our current bird so I have to have a hard sided carrier. We'll also have the family quilter create an insulated cover around it. I have a pak o bird but it's secondary to the hard shell one since we're afraid of getting shoved in a crowd, by the oh so polite residents of NYC. I wonder why I live here some days... So what's everyone accesorizing with?

That's sort of the debate I've been over a million times! I'd love to have the bird pick me, but I'd have to compromise my beliefs and give in to someone who's just humoring me at best. Or I can make a list of ideals based on what I believe as bird companion and apply those to a nation wide search. Which is my current approach.

Thanks for your thoughts. Chances are I won't have time to fly out there between now and then, it's that far. I had a breeder or two, still not close enough to visit regularly, say they would selectively keep one unclipped but, I fear two things. Mine would get isolated from the clutch and end up spending more time in a cage and they won't encourage it's flight since even they're companions are clipped. I got an email from this lady saying I'll get back to you in a few hours I have to go free fly my birds before it gets to hot. That's what I want to hear! So I think I'll play my hand this way. I got this from her earlier...

Well I pulled the trigger or will be... I've arranged to wire a deposit on Monday. They're two months old and have another 1-2 months minimum before they're weaned. The breeder with out asking offered to give me time to choose between the two. It's a clutch of three, one is spoken for and I have my pick of the two remaining until someone wants to put a deposit on the final one. So I have sometime to learn more about the two and pick between a boy and a girl. It's really great that she has them sexed already. I won't get to visit but I'd rather get it from a pro flighted breeder who seems to fit the care practices I share than settle for someone who is going to effect the development of a bird for the rest of it's life. I've been unable to find this in the north-east (US) where I live.

Well people in Arizona seem to be a little behind the times in more ways than one. Also notice that ratings and comments for the video is turned off. That is too much clipping from what I can see and I would never file a beak unless it was in the interest of the birds health. This is what I call the "old school" of thought. Which isn't that old really and still is quite prevalent.

I came across a cage on Windy City Parrot that caught my attention. They're an online retailer that seems to have it together. https://www.windycityparrot.com/Outdoor-Indoor-Flex-Bird-Aviary-3-Ft-X-3-Ft_p_3329.html It's made up of modular panels that can be configured in different ways. Plus it's american made apparently. I then found the company that makes it. Turns out they sell the same stuff direct. http://www.birdcagesdirect.net/1-inch-bird-cage-panels.htm You can buy all the different panel options either in a kit or ala carte. I'm about to put a deposit on a fledgling grey and thought this would be a great way to have a cage grow with a bird. all the panels are 3x3 feet. I thought a 3x3x3 cage elevated on a stand would be a good starter, and then when it's a better climber I could expand to a jumbo 3x3x6. Any thoughts?

I realize this question may be somewhat redundant to other older threads. If you know of threads on here that would pertain to this I'd love if you'd post a link. Thanks.

Hi Grey Forum, This is kind of a re-introduction to the grey forum. I've been a lurker and an active member as a prospective grey companion and a fairly well versed parrot owner for some time. I've many times come close to adopting rehomes, one (expletive) even backed out after agreeing to rehome his bird to me. I've reached the point where I don't want to wait and my girlfriend is on board. We're going to buy one from a breeder who we found that is very pro-flight and keeps all her companion birds flighted and will sell us an un-clipped bird. Which is what we want. It's a surprisingly hard thing to find. She has both a boy and a girl and we're wondering what would fit our flock best. we have a three year old female senegal that is bonded to my girlfriend. We'd like the a grey (cross our fingers) to bond with me, being male, and hopefully get along with or at least tolerate the senegal, who by the way, is very social with new humans and in no way territorial. We had a get together recently with people she had never met. There was a couch with 4 people seated on it and she landed on one persons knee and proceeded to hop from one knee to the other. She'll only let certain people pet her, but she'll land on anyones shoulder if it suites her and when we board her at the vet will settle in on a vet techs shoulder and just hang out when they let her. She's exposed to being around other birds when boarded, which happens a couple times a year. We often watch youtube videos on my desktop and now on our big TV. She's very excited by the videos and has been known to fly over to my desk and try and manipulate the keyboard or mouse. We assume this is to get more videos of birds because she seems bothered when it doesn't work. She also is quick to find a place on my shoulder when I sit down to edit or manipulate video (my profession). Recently she saw a congo on our TV make a kiss sound something she often mimics and she made a kiss sound back. All of this makes us hopeful that a new bird will be agreeable despite the stigma of Pois disliking other or new flock mates. I'm also curious if anyone knows of any general personality differences between male and female greys. My girlfriend has also read that by having two females, one could set the other off hormonally and or cause them to see the other as a rival. Therefore a male would be better. Thanks for reading this epic. Love to hear your thoughts.

I don't think it's impossible. I know many dedicated people of this age, but having been that age not long ago I know many who would be poor companions. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dave- I've heard more than one person say it would be a bad idea for the original person the bird was bonded to, to visit or interact with the bird let alone take it back into the environment it once came from. After being rehomed, when you're hoping it will bond with you or someone else, how could that be good? Maybe psyche is a poor choice of words, but it seems unfair to me and the bird to tease the grey with that person they used to be bonded with. Regarding how ideal a rehome is. I'm just saying we don't have the room to isolate a second bird in it's own room if that's necessary. So I won't consider rehoming at all. Anymore. First off, don't pretend to know what I'm thinking or put words in my mouth. Ask questions. It's a much better way to communicate. I'm not hoping it will interact on any level with my current bird. I just want it to be on a more even playing field if they're in the same room. I've spoken with other flighted grey owners and they say their greys are less nervous than clipped greys. I have no ideals just trying to make educated decisions that I hope, will pan out in my favor. I'm not expecting perfection. I appreciate a venue like this to vent to people who understand what you're talking about. My original post did not contain all details and was in some ways, a public journal entry. Sorry if it ruffled some feathers.

I'm in CT and NYC area and recently had a rehomer flip-flop on his decision to rehome. Is your bird clipped or flighted? Has he been to a vet yet?

GO BIG! I think the keyword Talon used is FILL IT! So many people get the big cheap-o cage and the bird and pat themselves on the back after putting 3 lame toys a couple hard wood perches in. Get the big cage and deck it out as best you can. A bird feels secure when in a well populated cage. It's just like in the wild when they hang out and roost among branches and foliage. That natural cover provides protection. If you buy the huge cage and leave it almost empty they will feel like they're too exposed. I like to populate a cage with lots of toys up high and have less as you move down so there is both room to move and areas to hide, forage, and chew in. Go big in many ways. Cage, toys, etc.