MarcusCAG

I have noticed that when I visit most other parrot forums, even just lurking (the Quaker parrot forums being a notable exception), that there is a definite lack of, um... class? It's like there's nothing cohesive about them. People post but it's more like a random, raucous high school cafeteria than a serious community forum. So I know I feel more comfortable visiting here for my 'parroty questions' and such than anywhere else. This is a welcoming place, with lots of experience shared and many knowledgeable contributors, moderators and members alike, who give this forum a nice, respectable feeling and who obviously love all of their fids very much. Congratulations on a job well done!

Sully "whoos" too, huh? Maybe it's a Grey thing after all, we didn't know where Marcus picked that up from. I get the impression his former owners didn't play music for him or anything... Marcus just loves anything melodic. It can be fast and harder like 80s hair metal (Dokken is a favorite) or it can be softer stuff like Janis Ian. He did not take to the Beach Boys though, and the Sesame Street record I have he and Beaker just kind of sat there to and didn't do anything. But Marcus will dance if he likes a song, he'll lift a foot and make 'snapping' noises like he's snapping to the beat (he's gotten much better at that than when he started out!), and he'll go "Whoo! Whoo!" if he really likes something.

Thanks for sharing that, Dan. I really enjoyed watching that, the one vocal one at the end just seemed to be in shock or something, but it was so touching when he/she finally flew off after all the rest. I sent the link to my hubby at work and he loved it too. If only there were more 'happy ending' situations like this right now...

No... I've been paging through my parrot books since your post ^^ because I remember reading something that, to me, implied that diseases were transmitted through dander. Apparently I was wrong. I suppose whatever particles the text was referring to had to do with, um, "aerosolized feces" or whatever the term is. They were talking about how you should wear a smock and slippers and such whenever you're with quarantined birds, and wash up well afterward so that nothing sticks on your clothes that can potentially infect your other birds. So I was just wondering if something microscopic from my mom's ducklings maybe could have slipped into the package she sent me and somehow infect my flock. I just don't want to make any mistakes that might harm our boys somehow, because I might be ignorant. And I know I'm probably sounding really ignorant now, anyway, but I'm trying not to be ignorant by choice. And in terms of our new boys: We haven't been wearing smocks because we don't have any, but whenever one of us comes out of our bedroom (where our new boys are) we jump right into the bathroom across the hall, shower, and only then go into Marcus' and Beaker's room. I realized our dog sleeping in the bedroom with us could conceivably spread "particles" around the house on her fur whenever she hangs out in other rooms, so before we go in to see Marcus and Beaker we just shower again (our dog and the cats aren't allowed in their bedroom) to make sure we're clean. My husband is being very cooperative with all this... I feel like it's a three-ring circus sometimes, all I'm doing is showering and cleaning the house anymore and trying to keep everything as 'sterile' as possible (not possible, really, I know!) but I've been spraying undiluted vinegar in the air periodically too (it supposedly kills airborne germs at full-strength, and I use it to clean the boys' cages so I figure it's safe that way) and have been really trying to keep on top of everything. Because I don't want to make a mistake somehow, I'm feeling obsessive about everything but whether it's ducklings or other parrots I just want to make sure about it all. And again, thank you for your input and the information you so freely share here...

Hm, I thought the pictures would come out a little bigger. Sorry!

I spent the last hour or so taking photos of our new babies and then messing with our art program to make a signature with all the boys in it... I have yet to create a Photobucket account so this will have to do for now! But both Bunsen and Tybalt are basically looking well and appear to be adjusting well to our home and their loud, curious, and unseen 'new flock' in the other bedroom; and although Tybalt is still obviously sizing us up, Bunsen seems just thrilled to be here with us. He actually left his cage last night and flew around the room and then he let me pick him up with a step-up and put him back in his cage (we were getting ready for bed). So that is a good sign, I think! And Jayd: Thanks for the tip. I visited the IRN forums and they said that they need more vegetables than most other parrots, but didn't mention anything about a higher-protein diet. So I will have to keep that in mind and do some more research and see what Tybalt is up to eating at this point. He just loves his peppers and broccoli, so maybe he'll be happy with a bit of hard-boiled egg too! And if I may ask, How long did it take your dear Pistachio to get along with your cockatiels and other birds? I'm just curious... Thank you everyone for your lovely comments, katana600, Judygram, Jayd, Jingles... have I forgotten anyone? We are quite excited with our new little ones and will keep you updated as things move along here with them.

It just sounds like he's a bit excited. If it leads to regurgitating, you probably don't want to encourage that or else he might get a bit frustrated after a while...

Either way, those pictures are adorable, and it sounds like your birds will be friendly together from now on with this good start.

First of all, since we have two new boys in quarantine here right now, my mind is obviously on uber-cleanliness and keeping germs and dander and things to a minimum, to protect both halves of our flock. That being said, today I received a little package in the mail from my mom. She sent me something for our feathered boys, which was very nice of her, but in the back of my head I'm wondering now about possible contagions transferring between her little flock and mine: She has little baby ducks that she's rearing to live in her yard, and right now they're basically being kept in the house. Anyway, I Googled different phrases in a number of interesting ways but I haven't really found a straight answer... I know that the one post here on Avian flu brings out that parrots won't get that particular disease from poultry and waterfowl, but are there other diseases that could be transferred through dander and such that I should be aware of and protect against whenever my mom (or anyone else with non-parrot birds) gives me something in the future? Thank you...

Well, I don't have any hopes that Beaker will get along super-well with Bunsen (I read online that Quakers kind of are bullies around cockatiels sometimes), but we're hoping that perhaps in time Beaker and Tybalt will take a bit of a shine to each other. Certainly, they seem almost exactly the same size--disregarding that lovely long IRN tail, of course!--and Tybalt has already shown hints of being a real ball of energy. I'm looking forward to when the quarantine is over so they can all actually 'meet' one another. For the time being though, we're just glad to see our two new boys apparently are relaxing a little, and they're both eating and drinking and pooping, and Tybalt even came out of his cage for a few minutes earlier today. I don't know how tame either of them really are, Bunsen let me put my hand inside his cage when I asked him if he wanted to come out, and I got pretty close before he gave me a tiny hiss, so I said okay and backed off and he got all flirty again. They're both flighted and we've decided to keep them that way, Beaker has almost all his flights in again too and Marcus now has two sets of matching long feathers on either side. Once the quarantine's over we're going to move some furniture around so there's more room in the birdroom for Bunsen and Tybalt to join our other boys... and we will have to get Bunsen a new cage (the one he came with is kind of pathetic, but doable for now)... so there's a lot to be done, but Yes!! I hope to post some pictures of our new boys soon.

Thanks, Dave. I guess I was just wondering if any noxious gases come out of A/C units too, or something, that would make the air toxic for parrots like heated Teflon. But it sounds as though if we just keep the A/C unit away from the birdroom, everything should be okay!

I hope this is the right room to post this in... For our recent anniversary, my husband and I were given a portable air conditioning unit from his parents. Our central air has been broken for a few years, and so the idea of A/C in the approaching heat of summer is very welcome, indeed! Anyway, it is the type of machine that you can roll from room to room and plug in; my husband says he plans on venting the hot air back up into the existing vents and out of the house that way. For some reason, though, I'm just wondering if an air conditioner like this would be safe to use around our boys? I don't ever plan on using it in the "birdroom", really just our bedroom and my gym and maybe the kitchen. Maybe I'm being paranoid, but does anyone know if this type of thing would be safe to use around parrots? Thank you in advance for any input...

It has doubled, in fact! My husband and I had been talking about perhaps getting a little 'buddy' for Beaker (who lately has been acting very much like he wants a birdie playmate who he can actually play with and preen, instead of just 'hang out with' like he does Marcus), and long story short, we ended up adopting two little parrots this weekend: a Lutino cockatiel and a green Indian Ringneck parakeet. They are both in quarantine right now and call back and forth with Beaker, while Marcus says "Hello!" curiously every once in a while. We've renamed the cockatiel "Bunsen" (as in, a bunsen burner and a beaker, haha!) and the Indian Ringneck we've named "Tybalt" (think Romeo and Juliet: it just sounded regal enough for such a pretty little boy!). They both seem so happy right now, nut-grinding in the other bedroom and calling to our boys... I'm so glad we could give them a nice, new home.

Well keep trying, Maiosameru! I kept putting cooked peas and carrots in the boys' grains and beans medley, for months... until one day I realized I was always throwing out peas and carrots from their bowls, they never ate any! So I just thought, Hey, they don't like peas and carrots. But I forget how/why, but one day I gave them raw carrots--and they adore them! They play with them a bit, yes, but they both eat them too! And now I just add some organic peas baby food to their birdie cookie batter, and that's how they get their peas. So keep trying new ways of presenting old foods and you may be surprised, in time.

We don't let the cats and the parrots interact at all. In our household, considering the ever-vigilant and accomplished hunters we have... it would be deadly if they did.

In terms of Marcus, I have no name.

Maybe it's a younger Grey thing? Marcus doesn't do anything like that. Everyone here always talks about their Greys doing their "sexy dance". I have no idea what that is! The closest thing is, in the morning now, I just have to open their bedroom door and walk in the room and Marcus will start bobbing his head to try and regurgitate for me. Doesn't do that for his daddy at all--according to him, Marcus is nippy in the morning when he says hi to the boys before he leaves for work. And I've never seen Marcus (or Beaker, for that matter) tap on anything I hand them...

"Mommy's a good bird." Oh, I love it, thanks for sharing!

I'm sorry to hear you didn't get to adopt Harley. Before we found our Marcus, I was searching all around, and I emailed back and forth with a girl who had a Grey and an Amazon, asking questions and things. She said that we could visit on the weekend to meet them. I called the day before to make sure of everything and got this guy, "Oh yeah, we got rid of the birds already." That was it. I couldn't talk to the girl, and he 'got rid' of the parrots. That made me SO MAD! It was like they were just objects. But some people, unfortunately, are like that.

Cricket is a cutie with that peanut butter toast face! Hugs to Cricket!!

That's sad. I'm sorry to hear about that...

Yes, welcome! Judygram covered the basics very well, so I'll just add: What is your Grey's name? Male or female? Did they come from a happy home or one not so happy? The little details can help everyone here give you advice that may be more appropriate for your circumstances, too.

Oh, believe me, he was just in a very special mood last night. I've never heard him that chatty all at once, and NEVER before has he minded me telling him about the cats! So I think it was just a lovely night--hopefully one that will be repeated after a fashion, and often! Thank you, everyone, for all of your sweet comments! :)

I will have to watch that movie, I have no idea what you guys are talking about! But it sounds as though Gilbert loves whatever it is you're doing with him with the "Whooosh!" and I'm so glad to hear it.

Thank you so much for the input, munch and Eshana! Yes, I do read to Marcus occasionally from children's picture books, but they don't seem to capture his attention like the alphabet letters do. Maybe I should get some with pictures of parrots, haha! (He does like paging through the Drs. Foster & Smith catalog that comes in the mail sometimes--he giggles whenever he sees a Grey!) When I spell out words, and I'm not just trying to teach him the sounds of the letters particularly, I'll spell out things that he knows and is familiar with, like "book" and "toy" and such (as opposed to "zebra" or "rocket" or something). So I hope that some concept of the context is being imparted to him that way. By no means do I think I'm an expert with this or that I'm doing everything 100% correctly! I am trying, though, and I appreciate everyone's advice with this. But what I really want is for Marcus to just continue being interested in this process, to continue to see it being fun like a 'game', and hopefully with enough time he'll really start making connections in his little head, especially if I can get some M/R thrown into the mix, too.