Barbara2

At least that way if some embarassing sound comes out you can blame it on the bird.

I thought about a birthmark as well (since my granddaughters have them) but didn't know if birds got birth marks since they incubate inside an egg. I hadn't thought about blood vessels. That's why I bring these questions here because I know that there are so many with great information and ideas!

Ahhh. I have to admit I am partial to the reds.

He does have a spattering of red on his body under his wings. (That one will be a lot harder to get a picture of since I never know when he is going to raise his wings and he doesn't like me doing it for him.)

That sounds like a very wise decision. I know how anxious I was to get my grey but I waited a very long time until I felt I was ready to devote the time to his care.

I was feeding my Hahn's macaw and Senegal Pretty Bird for years. I switched them to Zupreem Natural and they both took to it immediately. My grey came eating Zupreem Natural so that wasn't a test. I have added Totally Organic Pellet to their feed and they will eat that as well but prefer the Zupreem.

Here is a picture of the red toe:

When Neo came to us he had what looked like a red mark all the way down one toe on his left foot. At first I thought he had somehow scraped his foot but the red didn't darken any like a scrape would. It stayed the same red. Then I thought maybe the seller had used a red marker to mark him in some way to designate him from the other birds. That didn't really make sense either since he is banded and the band would designate him. I'm now wondering if it's possible that he has a red toe to go with his red tail. He has been with us since September 28th and the toe is still red. Has anyone ever heard of a grey with a red toe before?

God bless you Karen! That was such a neat update. Good for you and great for Sadie!!

Nah. That's white zinfendel.

Wet or dry he is fantastic! And those are outstanding pictures! Kudos to the photographer.

I just wanted to acknowledge your post. I wish I could help but I am a new parront myself (to a grey anyway...I have two older parrots that are not greys but they are both females.) I know someone will be along who is much more experienced than myself.

This is Neo right after his bath: I bathe him in the kitchen sink and spray a mist with a bottle at the same time. Today is the first time he spread his wings while I was spraying him. He either liked it or was trying to fly away. I would like to think it's the former but honestly believe it's the latter, darn it!

I hope you find Shanti and appreciate you sharing this. My bird is only 5 months old, was clipped by the breeder before shipping and is not yet fully flighted. We open the sliding door all the time to let the dogs in and out. This is a hard lesson for you but a valuale lesson for me. I will be making adjustments to our practices.

You can never post too many pictures. Thank you!!

This is the toy that Neo is afraid of: It is a Baby Einstein and I got it at Target. The red and black "ladybug" plays music when it moves.

Gorgeous bird! I love the B&G but I prefer to visit them in pet stores. (My littles Hahn's is loud enough! LOL!)

Very nice to meet you and thanks for the pictures! I love to see the pets.

Bella is the spanish word for beautiful

You are already doing so much that is very positive. One other thing is just sitting near him and talking softly or anything you might be reading, read out loud. If you like to sing, that might help as well. I'm sure others much more experienced than me will be along to offer more helpful advice. Oh, very nice to meet you!

Thanks Dan! I want to point out that it has taken 3 weeks to get to this point and this is with a now five month old baby. Little, tiny steps is definitely the way to go. Also, progress first started when I began using the wing loop and slipping that over his head and then gradually making the loop smaller and smaller. Just pointing that out for anyone who is getting ready to start harness training.

Today marks the milestone day when I got the harness all the way on. I got both wings in and I was tightening the harness on Neo when he started getting excited (and not in a good way) so I immediately took it off hence no picture. But I felt really good about it!

My biggest fear on a personal level is that I would adopt the bird, fall in love and he/she would only live a short time. Preparing myself for that going in I would give the bird the best quality of life that I could for the time he/she has, which could be decades like you said. The younger (nicer?) bird probably has a better chance of being adopted by someone else since most will be unwilling to take on the older bird. I admit, I did not get a rehomed bird. I got a baby. I GREATLY admire those who are willing to provide a happy home for these birds who are in need more so than a baby. If you scroll down to the thread called "Rescue Room", you can read lots of stories and experiences from those who have adopted previously owned birds.

Beautiful pictures!!

I've been watching the previews for the show "Nikita" and thought that would be a cool name if I had a female bird. Of course I would probably end up calling her "Nikki".