MarcusCAG

I read somewhere once that Indian Ringnecks think they're macaws so... would a Tybalt story count??? Honestly, I do have little daydreams occasionally about owning a macaw (a Greenwing, to be exact), but right now my hubby and I both know our flock is just the right size for our circumstances. In the future, perhaps, we will end up being able to adopt a macaw who needs a good home from someplace less than stellar, but not just yet.

Honestly, when I first saw the title of this thread I thought, Oooh! Oooh! Oooh! I LOVE reading about these types of "bird experiments". Thank you so much for sharing!!!

That's understandable, too. There's a definite factor of trust that has to be created before they would want to communicate or interact with any human, given those circumstances... Hehe, he sounds like such a personality! And he sounds very loved and he must feel so safe with all of you, it's wonderful... thanks for sharing a bit more about him, I'm looking forward to more stories of Dayo in the future.

Dayo's repetoire (sp?) and his use of language is very impressive, Dan.

Lollie sounds like such a cutie! All that fuss over a little feather.

Okay, I'm hoping this works... yesterday the boys modeled so nicely for the camera that this morning I'm finally "biting the bullet" and just created a Photobucket account in the hopes of sharing some of my pictures here. Captions for each photograph should be beneath each one... This is probably my favorite 'group shot' that I took yesterday: Tybalt, the Indian Ringneck, is up on the treat cup; Beaker, the Quaker parrot, is on the main arm of the grapevine; and little Bunsen, the Lutino cockatiel, is down on the bars of the cagetop. Tybalt is still very 'wild' around my husband and myself but when he's near the other parrots, he's really a charmer. Beaker is apparently mellowing to the idea of a "BFF" because he's not nearly as aggressive with Tybalt anymore as he was in the beginning... Here is another picture of them all on Tybalt's cagetop area. You can get a better idea of the length of Tybalt's lovely tail in this one. Somehow I took a picture of Tybalt yawning!! While the 'little boys' played together on Tybalt's cage, Marcus was hanging out on his playgym. This isn't the best photograph of him I've ever taken, it's actually a little blurry, but I just love it because he looks so happy in it! He had just finished scaling up the ladder of his playgym and was apparently very pleased with his accomplishment. Hopefully all of these images will come through (and not too big, I'm still figuring out the ins and outs of Photobucket!) but I hope everyone enjoys them for what they are, for now.

What a pretty little girl she is! Thanks so much for sharing your pics with the rest of us!

Cricket is beautiful in those pictures, what lovely coloring--and it is so enhanced by her messy face!

I'm wondering if there's some confusion in this thread? The one video was of a woman with a parrot named Danny that looked to be either a Mitred conure or a Cherry-head (I certainly can't tell the difference, I've only ever seen either from The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill, haha!), and the other act was of another woman with a Double Yellow-headed Amazon named Echo. I liked them both, I just think it's funny how surprised I am that everyone else on the show was so surprised that the parrots could respond as they did.

Gilbert certainly is a doll, thanks for keeping us all updated with his stories, I love reading them!

So very glad to hear Dayo's safe and sound, that must've been quite the scare!! Thanks for the warning, Dan...

That "Add to cart" button gets me in trouble more than I'd like to admit.

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I will admit that ran through my head, too, when I read it. I do know there are a lot of forum members here who have children and parrots both, but the idea of a newborn entering into a home with an established flock might be 'more than most people can chew at once'. It can be done, I'm sure, I didn't say anything because we don't have kids at this point and I didn't want to sound like I was judging for someone else, but Talon made a very good point. It's just something to consider... perhaps starting off with a smaller parrot before the children, and then waiting for a larger bird once the children are a bit more grown? Just a thought. And like Talon and Dan said, Greys (most any parrot, really) can learn to love multiple individuals, even if they always have a 'favorite' in the household. Marcus, I know, tried to get head-tickles from my mom when she visited, but she was afraid of him and so I had to explain to him that she still liked him anyway, she just didn't feel comfortable giving him scritches. So I think he's friendly enough with strangers, and if they were here often enough I think he could see them as 'buddies' or something, at least people to get treats out of!

At least you can do that. With Tybalt, I really can't touch him yet... but he did take pasta from my fingers for the first time the other day, so it's a start. I'm still waiting on the clicker, but I've started moving his cage into a separate room for 20/30 minutes at a time, away from the rest of the flock (a major distraction) and last night he finally left his cage with me in the room, just me. Because before he would come out to fly and try to be with the other parrots. (Not that I touched him or anything, he just flew around the room a lot, but I was glad he got the exercise.) I got him back in, finally, with the temptation of an almond. It'll obviously take some time, but I think I'm on the right track, and it sounds like you are too. Maybe these 'wilder' parrots just need a little longer to realize they're in a good home, and then they can let themselves relax? Either way, I will let you know how my clicker training works out once it all gets here and I learn to use it properly. If you're curious, though, this is the video I was telling you about: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzJqEu75Zfw The young man talks a little in the beginning... the clicker is used as an 'event marker' that signifies the perceived "threat" (his hand) is being taken away, which allows the bird to relax. Each time he can get his hand a little closer because the parrot learns that the click means he can feel safe again, and eventually he is able to get so close that he touches his bird's head. That's what I got out of it, anyway. If over time you find that your new baby is still a little too nervous around you, maybe you'd like to try something like this too? Either way, I just wanted to say I love your pictures of your Sennie, what lovely orange eyes! I didn't realize they were colored quite like that, very pretty.

I'm sure it is. Greys are long-lived and complicated creatures--they are a great commitment. But there are a lot of threads here in the different 'rooms' of these forums that address behavioral issues, training, and et cetera that can help an owner learn to treat their parrot(s) in such a way that they will not 'rule the roost' so to speak. It's like any relationship, really: You see parents with obedient, well-mannered children and you see people with crazy, disrespectful misfits. Some of it is inborn temperament, or perhaps a condition or disorder, but much of it is really how they're dealt with. Patience, love, respect, consistency, and education can go a long way. My, all these questions! To tell you the truth, we only just got Tybalt, our Ringneck, last month. He and Bunsen (our cockatiel) just finished their quarantine... Tybalt is very wild still, actually. He is an excellent flier, he makes lots of lovely figure-eights all around the room, and he is sharp as a tack. Although I think in the long run our Marcus will still be the more capable and consistent with his cognitive and vocal achievements, and has the most potential in that regard, I wouldn't be surprised if Tybalt ends up not too far behind him in the end. He really seems to comprehend already many of the things I tell him. He does talk a little, yes, he came to us saying "okay" and "good boy" in a lovely, crystal-clear voice. He's saying his (new) name now, too, and some other things I say to him--"Tybalt? Tybalt? Be a good boy!"--so I figure he must be happy enough here with us, if he's saying his new name already. In terms of noise, I'd say our Quaker parrot is much louder, although my husband seems to consider Tybalt's natural calls "shrill". (And when he bit me once, it wasn't as hard as it could have been, which I appreciated--it was more of a 'cockatiel'-type bite than even a Quaker parrot bite... which can be very painful!!) Tybalt makes some wonderful happy noises at our other parrots though, chirps and whistles and things. I've seen some videos online of tamed Ringnecks and they are just the most affectionate little guys, in time I hope that we can work with Tybalt enough so that he can relax with us like that. I'm sure he will. Yesterday he took some cooked pasta from my fingers for the first time, so it's a start! In terms of loving them all, who I love best--goodness, how can you ask a mother that? Marcus will always be my Marcus, I realize that. There's just something between us, he's my boy, and even though he loves his Daddy I think he's bonded to me. Yet believe it or not, little Bunsen the cockatiel is wriggling his way into my heart pretty deep, too. He's very sweet and obedient and surprisingly (to me) intelligent. Beaker, being a Quaker, is very fiery and obviously has bonded to his Daddy, although he loves me too. And Tybalt... we're still getting to know. So with any parrot, I think, there is the capacity for a wonderful relationship. They take a ton of time and energy, and sometimes they're rotten and bratty and they bite, but I wouldn't trade them for anything. The love and the joy and the playful times and everything else make up for all the 'negatives' a hundredfold. ...Hope that helps a little!

We went to a pet store the other week and they had a Quaker parrot that was at least twice the size of our Beaker, and yes I think he was fat but he was just generally bigger as well... so I guess both ends of the spectrum for the different parrot species can be pretty far from each other, sometimes.

Yes, we've had Marcus for about eight months now (all of our parrots were adopted 'second-hand', actually). We were told Marcus was eight years old when we adopted him from his former home. He didn't have the worst of circumstances, but he certainly didn't have the best either, and most assuredly his quality of life is a lot better now. It has taken some time to work through some things with him, and we're still dealing with a few other issues, but the turnaround has really been amazing... He's really such a lovebug, and most of the time very gentle. In the beginning he bit, but I think that was more because noone had ever taught him to be gentle. Does he still bite? Yes, occasionally, but it's not anything major. But all parrots will bite at one point or another; with the young ones it might be testing out independence, with older and more neglected/abused birds it's usually fear. With enough time and trust and love, however, those occasions can become fewer and farther between. I will admit, I grew up in a home with a wild-caught Amazon, too, and unfortunately my parents really didn't work much with him. At the time, I knew nothing about parrots and now I think back and get angry and depressed that I didn't try to help that bird a lot more than I did. My mom was very afraid of his bite, and although I was too, when I got to be in my teens I did take him out for a nice shower on the back porch every once in a while in his cage. I hate to think that was really the only joyful interaction he got... so of course he bit, whenever he had the chance. He was lonely and miserable and away from the jungle where he should still have been. When I got married and, after one of my beloved mammalian pets died, I told my husband I wanted a parrot, something more suited to the temperatures here--he just stuck his feet in, citing my parents' Amazon. "He bites, he's angry all the time..." Of course he was, I wish he was still alive so I would take him from my parents' home and let him join our flock here. Anyway, I convinced him it was just because he had been wild-caught, and not at all worked with. We got our little Quaker parrot first (you could say he was 'practice' in a way), and then along came Marcus about five months later... slightly intimidating, he was more the size of the Amazon my parents had than our little Beaker, and he was unused to human contact. (Marcus hadn't been let out of his cage in over three years before we adopted him.) So it did take some time, but again, the turnaround has been amazing and, honestly, so worth it! So I'm sorry if I'm babbling, I just wanted to let you know I understand, in a way and it sounds like in the future you will be able to care for a lovely flock, too.

There are a lot of "Timneh vs. Congo" threads here in the forum... it is a perennial topic! Timneh greys are usually much smaller than the Congos, and although some generalizations can be made (ie-that Timnehs often start talking before the Congos) I think it really must boil down to each individual bird. Some may be more outgoing/friendly, some more reserved. Some may end up talking a lot, some may always be 'quieter'. I've read enough here of the various forum members' birds to think that, regardless of the Grey being a Timneh or a Congo, they're all intelligent and have their own personalities. Just like people. If I can throw this out, however, if you are interested in acquiring a Grey at some point, do please look around and see if there are any Greys--Timneh or Congo--that need to be adopted in your area. Older birds sometimes take a little more effort, but they can make wonderful companions and over time can just show so much love... and there are so many grown parrots that need loving forever homes, if you can open your heart to a poor 'second-hand bird' then regardless of the subspecies, you'll know your Grey got a second chance at happiness and life with you.

Those pictures are beautiful, Ray P, thanks for sharing! I hope things work out better with the eggs now that you're on the alert...

We had actually been talking about clipping our new birdy-baby, Tybalt, a young 3-year-old Indian Ringneck who is really not at all tame and is just two steps from 'wild'. We've had some stressful chases lately, too, I'm not at all pleased how that turned out. He is an exceptional flier though and I really don't want to do that to him (clip him)... Beaker never seemed to mind being clipped but I think it would really transform Tybalt if we did, and perhaps not in a good way. Perhaps it might help tame him though, I don't know. The thought that occurred to me with our Tybalt, however, is to first try clicker training--I don't know if you use that already with your birds (they are so well trained!) but I saw a video on YouTube where a young man with a wild, "never touched" IRN used a clicker and what he repeatedly called "negative reinforcement... not punishment!" in the video. Within about fifteen minutes or so he could lightly touch the top of the bird's head with his finger. So I thought, what's to lose? I ordered a little clicker and a book on clicker training and I'm going to try that before I give anymore thought to the clipping.

I logged in just now to say, Isaac is an absolutely beautiful Grey! Maybe it's just him against all that white in your kitchen (?) but he's absolutely stunning, he really is.

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Okay, so the palm nuts arrived in the mail today. I soaked and rinsed them as directed and plopped two of them in the bowl on Marcus' playgym. He seemed initially curious, but not much beyond that, so I explained that they're food, a nut like an almond, and they're good for him. I even peeled one of them so he could see that there is a nut inside. Maybe it's because it's wet and fresh still, and the almonds in the shell that he gets are all dry, but Marcus seems to think it's a toy, he made me "play fetch" with him a few times with it until I told him again that it's a food. So, is this something I should just sit out and let him figure out on his own? I don't think we have a nutcracker anymore (should remedy that!) so I'm wondering, aside from smashing the thing, how I'd get the shell open to the nutmeat anyway. Any advice is appreciated with this scenario, thanks!

Welcome to the Grey Forums, Len and Zoey! We hope you enjoy getting to know everyone here and reading through all of the threads. And if you ever have any questions about anything, don't hesitate to ask, we all ask questions sometimes and we all give answers as we can and it's a very friendly place.