MarcusCAG

How sweet! No, I've never heard our Marcus do anything like that, but I'm sure it's darling to listen to when Macky does!

I'm sorry, when the net went down I couldn't watch anymore, I've read about trapping elsewhere and it's enough for me, I don't think I could take actually viewing it... The ones in the wild deserve to stay wild, and there are more than enough parrots waiting in rescues to find loving forever homes that people might be able to adopt and care for instead. There's no need for this violence, it's just GREED.

To shower the boys in their room, I employ this one particular spray bottle that I store underneath Beaker's cage, empty until use. It is slightly differently shaped than the one I fill with vinegar water for household cleaning. Apparently Marcus is very attuned to the difference because he is fine with the vinegar bottle, but if I reach for the spray bottle for their showers, he fluffs up and makes an angry *CLACK!* sound. Anyway, last night he was on his cage top and walking around the floor and everything. At one point I heard all these funny noises, and I looked up from my paperwork and found Marcus hanging off the side of his cage, lunging at the empty spray bottle. He was all fluffed up and his eyes were pinning, I think he said "Step up!" or "Stop it!" at some point (occasionally they seem interchangeable to him), and he kept hitting at it with his beak. I asked him, What are you doing to the bottle? But the thing was, when he finally got it to topple over--it's an inch or two taller than he is--he totally went crazy! I don't generally think of Greys as particularly violent or vindictive but perhaps I should rethink things, he kept repeatedly attacking that poor dead spray bottle on the floor like he wanted to rip its figurative lungs out! I had to take it from him a few moments later because I was afraid he would puncture the plastic and render it totally useless... I guess he was getting back at it for all those evil showers I make him take!!

Wow. I never would have guessed that, but it makes perfect sense. I realized the water-on-the-beak darkening effect was simply superficial, like wiping a countertop with a sponge, but I was just afraid perhaps that Marcus was deficient in something, or maybe he created too much dust. Thank you, Dave, for clearing that issue up for me!

Oh, that's wonderful news!!! I've thought of Little Man a few times since I last posted in this thread, I really wanted him to have a happy ending--and he has, back home safe with his daddy! Thank you so much for posting about his return (CocoaRocks, I think it was?). That is just so awesome.

First off, Shelby is beautiful, that first photo of him is lovely! And he sounds like quite the personality. Secondly, how do you keep your seven rats in one cage?--the most I could ever keep together happily was two males. (Sigh!) Last but not least, I had a good friend once who was into the Decemberists. Saw them live with her hubby for an anniversary present, I believe, and she went on and on and on about meeting one of the band later and getting her picture taken with him. I think it was the highlight of her summer.

Just a quick question, because everyone's avatars of their Greys show them with gloriously pitch-black beaks: do you wipe them off periodically--like before taking the aforementioned pictures--or do they pretty much stay all shiny and dark naturally? I ask because unless it's right after a misting shower, or he plays in his water bowl, Marcus' beak is all powdery-looking (like in my current avatar). Is this normal? or should I be doing something for him that I'm presently not? Thank you...

So this is what happened earlier this evening; until it transpired, I had all but forgotten that a nearly identical scenario occurred a couple of weeks ago: With the longer daylight hours now, those families with younger children on our street have been letting them play outside after dinner. At least one child (but I think two) has a kazoo. Remember those things? Anyway, the first time I heard them playing their kazoos outside somewhere in the street, our boys got very agitated, and Beaker [QP] went into a screaming fit. I figured it was the sound of the kazoos because he quieted down again once the kids went inside, or at least stopped playing them. Silly Mommy has a memory like a sieve sometimes, apparently, because when Beaker started shrieking like he was being stabbed earlier tonight, I ran back into the boys' room and demanded to know, "Why are you screaming? What's the matter with Beaker?" I said the second part very firmly and stared at Marcus, who was perched on his open cage door. If a parrot can be said to be sitting up "poker straight", that's what Marcus was doing: his neck was all elongated and his feathers were ruffled and he kind of looked like some weird sort of swan! But Marcus said quite clearly, "Stop it!" At first I thought he was chastising Beaker, but then I heard the kazoo. The two of them were very tense, and so I turned to Marcus and asked him, "Is it that sound? Is it that bad sound outside?" He kind of made a little snapping noise and started climbing back into his cage. At about that time, the kazoo was silenced. It made me wonder, does a kazoo perhaps sound like a dying bird or something? Anyone else ever have any experience with their fids freaking out because of a seemingly harmless kazoo? I'm still a bit amazed at how strong their reactions were...

Those are great photographs... I'll offer Marcus my finger and he'll bite it like that when I'm "testing" his mood to see if I can kiss his head/beak if his present emotional state is in question. Better a wound on a knuckle than on a lip! Anyway, thanks for sharing the pics--I always love seeing new shots of your pretty Cocoa.

Your Dayo is so sweet, thanks for sharing another 'slice of life' with him.

Regardless, it probably wouldn't hurt for him to let Brutus know how he feels. If Brutus is at all bonded to him, he'll be sensitive to how he feels about things. It may not allay the hormonal reactions as desired, but it could reinforce their relationship and make this spell easier for them both. And the lack of physical contact (talking) wouldn't overtly stimulate anything else like petting his back might. Wolves are wild animals too and I know a number of people who keep them successfully in their households, I'm sure they have their own issues that need to be dealt with and respected, but they've found ways to do it. Chezron and Brutus will too.

I'm so sorry you lost your baby... but perhaps in time you will be able to invite another Grey into your home, and be more certain of its background and such, so that you both will be off to a much better start together. Again, I'm just so sorry... I know you did all you could, and maybe in some way that little baby knew you were giving it your heart for the short time it lived with you. I'm sure all of your love was appreciated, somehow. Once when I was walking our dog I found a wee little kitten that was just mewling and mewling on the sidewalk, I asked neighbors nearby and they said that it belonged to a family on the street, but they didn't seem to pay it much attention. No one answered when I knocked at the house, and so I took the starving baby home myself. We tried so hard to save her, but she died the next day. I do think, though, that a part of her knew we were trying to help, and that is a bit of comfort for me when I think of her. I named her "Tiara", she was so pretty. Poor little girl... At least your Grey baby died in a caring place, and not neglected and abused like so many other poor animals. Still, it hurts, I know.

Maybe this sounds extremely naive, but when I read your question I thought, "Greys get hormonal??" I guess when I think of 'hormonal' I think of cockatoos and Amazons, because that's generally when I hear the term associated with parrots... As far as I know, our Marcus hasn't shown any specific signs of being more 'hormonal' than normal yet, although if given the chance he will try and regurgitate for me. But he hasn't become overly moody or aggressive or anything. I would think, though, that it would be a good thing even just to try and explain calmly to Brutus while he's more 'mellow' at night that you don't like it when he acts "bitey" or "nippy" or whatever word you want to use for it... that it makes you feel bad... something like that. Maybe even do it after an episode so he'll make a mental connection between his actions and how you feel. Sometimes I'll just sit and try to explain things to Marcus how I feel about how he acts sometimes, even if I think he doesn't know anything about what I'm talking about, because he's very sensitive to my emotions. Maybe your Brutus will understand that it makes you upset and will try in his own way to be a little more, um, judicious (?) about everything in the future...

Thank you so much for sharing that video, I love your bird room and your fids all look so healthy and contented.

I just love your posts of your Cocoa! Thank you so much for sharing those pics, she's adorable!

Thank you... Marcus does seem to be coming out of his figurative shell lately; I like to think he's starting to feel relaxed here with us. And in terms of my "insights into his understanding", believe me, they came later! I was really kind of ticked that he came so close to my eye when he lunged like that. But when my husband and I were driving to our destination a little later in the car, we got to talking about it, and he thought maybe Marcus' use of "Love you" was simply his way of saying, I love you, please don't go, like trying to convince me to stay. I don't know, really. I hear the word "anthropomorphizing" thrown around a lot in terms of parrots, as in people are afraid they will be accused of such with their beloved feathered companions. But as with any animal, they have emotions and a measure of intellect that is used to ensure their survival (and hopefully enjoyment) of the world around them. Goodness, it's obvious even when our cats get jealous, or angry! I don't want to hijack this thread and go beyond sharing our Greys' personal expressions too much, but reading of everyone's Greys' various styles of communication and language abilities here, it makes me want to delve into their personal differences within the species a bit more, research things more deeply. Our Marcus does seem to have an unusual ability to express himself appropriately in English with generally proper grammar and syntax. At the same time, though, I get the impression he is generally less vocal than many others of the Greys who I read about here (although we do have our fair share of microwave beeps and false telephone rings). So perhaps he just spends more time absorbing, with less obvious practicing, and is a little bit self-conscious about expressing himself unless he sounds just like us. (???) Either way, I'm just glad he's my boy, and I'm looking forward to however else he wants to grow and expand with us in the future.

^^ I hope your Bella decides to keep learning with that useful phrase of hers. It would be nice if Marcus asked "What's that?" but so far... In any event, this little exchange happened this morning. My husband and I had to go out of town both today and yesterday, and early this morning when we were getting ready to leave again and I was getting the boys ready for another day without us, I think they got a little irritated at the thought of being left alone again (which, of course, is understandable). Anyway, I was checking the locks on their doors, and Marcus was sitting on the perch we have affixed to the inside of his cage door. I've taught him and Beaker both that if they sit on those perches, it's an indication that they want to come out, and usually I will open their cage doors for them when I see them resting there. So it ran through my head, Okay, I can give him a quick kiss and I opened his door. For the first time ever, Marcus said, "Love you." I wasn't even thinking about the ramifications of that statement, my mind was focused on how we had to leave ASAP. So I just said, "I love you too!" and I bent down to kiss his wing. I can kiss him virtually anywhere, usually I ask permission beforehand or generally state my intentions, but not this time--and I pulled away just quickly enough so that his beak only grazed my cheek. I felt my eyes grow cold and my face set into a hard expression. I closed his cage door silently and walked toward their bedroom door. When I was at the door, Marcus' little voice wandered up behind me, "You okay?" Of course, I turned immediately. I figure that's as close to an I'm sorry that he's likely to give me for a while, if ever (he's never verbally apologized for anything yet). So I replied simply, "Yes, I'm okay. But it's not nice to bite people." I know he was angry that we were leaving again, and it was my fault for presuming to kiss him under such circumstances without permission, but I'm still rather thrilled with our little conversation. And he told me he loves me! Awww! He's my boy! :)

Lots of great info Dave, thanks... And to the OP, I hope your little one eats heartily for you.

Haha. Well, I think in terms of the birds, he just doesn't like the idea of something that seems to him to be... um, dominant? That's the best word I can think of, although the nuances of that word for this situation are not entirely appropriate. I like what a lot of people have posted about their Greys and tricks. I'm not against Marcus (or our little Beaker) learning a trick, I just don't see myself going out of my way to try and teach either of them something like that right now. I'm more concerned with just letting them grow as themselves, and teaching them things that will help them understand their home environment a little better. I like Dan's comments regarding Dayo helping him clean the house although I do not see Marcus doing such at this point (he usually bathes when the vacuum is on). I did order some magnetic alphabet letters and an easel this past week, though, because I thought why not teach them both the letters? The ABC Song is not their favorite, but they see me reading in front of them all the time, and I thought maybe a comment beyond "Mommy is reading a book" or "I'm reading silently" might help them appreciate what I'm doing a little more. Who knows if Marcus, at least, may pick up something if I teach him what the letters look like? I wouldn't consider that a trick though, just time spent together and hopefully he understanding the world around him a little more. And he has surprised me greatly with his comprehension so far, with things I wouldn't expect him to... so maybe. That would be neat. At least I'd like to show them what their names 'look like'.

If I may ask something, are not the babies that are taken from the nests in the wild just that--babies? I mean, I can't see some low-life poacher taking the time to 'harvest' the eggs and then incubate them properly and whatever until they're hatched. (I could be wrong, though.) So if a baby parrot is taken from its natural home in the wild, even if it's young, wouldn't it have some memory of violence that would make it more difficult to integrate itself into a human environment? I guess that's what I was thinking of when I read the original post, that maybe their Grey is a little more aggressive and frightened because its interactions with humans have been less than stellar so far.

When I read your post, I wondered if you weren't in the USA for your CAG to be wild-caught... The Amazon parrot my parents adopted when I was little was wild-caught, I don't know how young he was when his first owners acquired him (my parents got him when he was two years old--that's what they said the people said, but I know that doesn't sound reasonable if he was wild-caught). He looks happy in the old pictures my parents have of him from when I was a toddler, when my father still worked with him a lot, but as he got older and my dad worked with him less and less and he bonded to my mother who cleaned his cage (but who was scared of his bite and didn't interact with him beyond feedings and cleanings), he got more and more ornery, sadder, and rather pudgy and depressed. I'm sure it was traumatic for him, being caught by a poacher and then being transported away from his natural home. So horrible. I would say your wild-caught CAG is going through a lot of negative emotions and feelings right now, and he/she is very scared. Be extra patient and gentle with them, you probably will have a lot of traumas that need healing with your bird that will take some time.

That is a sweet post, thanks for sharing. At least with what I can see with our Marcus, like your Isaac, it does seem important that they are allowed to show that they are unhappy as well as glad, pertaining to the biting behavior. Marcus was a little cranky last night, I think because I kept telling him he couldn't chew on the doorstop, and so when I got close enough he kind of latched on my finger. Didn't break the skin at all, but it was a definite message, especially since it was repeated. I didn't make a big deal out of it, just acknowledged that he was mad he couldn't chew on the door, but did he want a toy instead? He didn't, but he calmed down soon after, and then he let me tickle his head a bit (we both love that!). It's like with a person, really, if you're really friends you can show them your good days as well as your bad days. Who wants a friend you have to pretend in front of all the time?

Thank you, that is sweet of you to say... and I have to tell you, my husband laughed out loud when I told him about Riley's phrase. "I have big dinosaur feet!" Oh, that's awesome!

Wow. I never really thought of teaching Marcus or Beaker "tricks" per se. Do people get dogs just to teach them tricks? No! I did work a lot with our Dahlia in the beginning, to teach her to sit and stay, and heel, etc. But that is more training and teaching her what her place is in our family arrangement, that she can't stand up with her paws on the counter to steal food and think we'll find that acceptable. (Not that she hasn't tried, haha!) And with Marcus and Beaker, I think that after the death of my beloved 13-year-old chinchilla, I realized that I wanted to start where my parents left off: they had a Blue-Front Amazon (wild caught) who died a few years ago at the age of 27. He was an integral fixture in my family while I grew up, but my dad had kind of lost interest in him by the time my brother was born, and my mom was terrified of working with him beyond keeping his cage clean. As a teenager I would sometimes take him outside to give him showers on the back porch, and I would sing to him occasionally, but I'm afraid to say that was about all the 'attention' he really got, I really knew nothing about parrots back then. So when I realized I wanted to adopt, not another chinchilla, but a parrot--it was like there was all that background for me. And then when I read and researched and read some more... and I discovered Alex, and was blown away by his communicative abilities and his cognitive achievements, and it clicked that a Grey's personality would be more suited to mine, really... it just went from there. Sure, it would be cute, I guess, if Beaker ever learned to roll over or something. But I'm just as happy to have him be the cute little Quaker he already is. And my Marcus--what can I say about him? He's my doll, my little boy, so stunningly intelligent and empathic and lovely. It frightens me to think of my life without him now. Trick-training is immaterial... I think my husband is actually annoyed by the concept of a clicker. *Shrug*

Shanlung, I'm sorry you felt so attacked here, but thank you for coming back to post again. I know I really enjoy reading about you and your Tinkerbell and other birds (and your Dommie kitty, so cute!). Your experience with your avian friends is so humbling to me, I know I have a long way to go, but I hope someday to be able to understand my boys rather like you do your Tinkerbell... I'm sure everyone would love to hear about your little green leaf bird. I just did a search online to see what one is and they are very pretty!! Perhaps if it is an issue to post about your experiences with your new friend here in the Grey Lounge, you can write about him/her in the Other Birds section.