MarcusCAG

I'm glad to hear everyone's okay!

Thank you for the kudos, everyone. Those of you who remember my first posts here, because of his background in his former home(s), Marcus and the whole 'stepping up' issue was/is quite a big one, so the fact that he climbed up onto my husband yesterday is a huge plus, indeed! And in terms of his vocalizations, he really is popping out with some zingers anymore... I couldn't be happier, he seems to be really getting settled and contented here with us.

Wonderful! What a talented little girl!

If it makes you feel any better, when we first adopted Marcus from his former family (he was actually still unnamed in our eyes at that point), we just had a cat carrier to take him home in. We put a towel on the inside, and when my husband finally caught him in the people's home--Marcus hadn't been out of the cage in over three years, and he was fully flighted, but he let my husband wrap his hands around him without any sort of struggle after he burst out flapping from his cage into the living room--he just popped him inside and we shut the top. He was really pretty calm on the way home, which was spent talking to him. He got named during that ride too! But even without a perch, he was all right. Maybe one or two poops, but most of the time he was just holding onto the wire bars of the door and staring back out at his new parronts.

So it wasn't quite a step-up... but it was an official climb up!!! I will admit I'm a teensy bit jealous that, at long last, it was my husband who was given this honor, but tonight when he offered his shoulder to Marcus (like he does for Beaker, our Quaker parrot, who scrambles up too willingly most nights), instead of being rebuffed by Marcus and being given the body language of "I want my head scratched"... Marcus actually grabbed onto his shirt with his beak, and then he put his foot up! And then as my husband said, "Come on, that's a good boy," he climbed all the way up!! He didn't perch on his shoulder, he was more on his arm, and he kind of grabbed at his front shirt pocket once or twice. He was on his arm long enough to bite his hand and twist the skin badly, though (but he didn't break the skin!), and then he kind of hung upside-down as he reached for his perch again, and we gave him a chorus of "Good boy!" as he got back on his long perch without incident. But that's not everything! Maybe an hour after that, as I was getting the boys ready for bed with fresh water and pellets, Marcus was perching on his open cage door and I was telling him it was bedtime, that he needed to climb back down his door and into his cage. He just kind of whirled his head around and looked at me. The enunciation wasn't perfect, but he said, "Later." I was a little shocked that he said that (this is the first I've heard it from him), and then it was like, Okay, he requests it specifically, he gets it, because I don't want to discourage his vocalizations. So, much to Beaker's chagrin, I let them stay up until 10:30--a full hour later than normal. What a night! I am just so dazzled in love with our Grey boy and his accomplishments, he is really coming out of his shell anymore!! <3

I'd like to share something cute that Marcus did last night. It was really one of those "Oh, wait!" moments, like Mommy isn't getting the big picture immediately, and I'm wondering if my pretty Grey is just thinking, Um, that's not what I meant. So Beaker, our Quaker parrot, was out in the den with his daddy. He just loves my husband and relishes every moment with him. But one of the things Beaker often does when we are all together in the boys' bedroom is slide down to the bottom of his open cage door and just kind of lean out, staring at Marcus and us on the floor. He has a very particular 'look' when he does this, a special pose, and sometimes it's really kind of funny. And last night, when Beaker was out with his daddy, I was in the boys' room with Marcus, working on the one laptop. Marcus hadn't being doing much in particular except rest on his one perch on the outside of his cage, occasionally making his happy nut-grinding noise with his beak. I guess he thought I was ignoring him, though, because in the background of my thoughts I realized he was suddenly climbing all over his cage. I heard him slide down the bars a bit. I turned my head just in time to see that Marcus had slid down to the bottom of his open cage door, and he was reaching out toward me. It was very unlike him; I almost want to say I've never seen him do that before. As our eyes met, Marcus said clearly, "Beaker!" I kind of thoughtlessly looked back toward the computer. "Beaker's out with Daddy, Marcus." And then as I heard Marcus start climbing back up his cage door, it all flashed together in my mind, and there was the Oh, wait! moment I spoke of earlier. Maybe some people might think I'm stretching things here, but I honestly believe that Marcus was playing some sort of little parrot joke on me then, or putting on his own version of a masquerade--something! It was like he was saying, You think Beaker's gone, but look! He's still here, I'm Beaker now! His body had perfectly mimicked Beaker's whenever Beaker hangs off his door like that, and just the way Marcus looked at me... ooh, I felt kind of silly after that, but it made me wonder at my little Grey boy.

When we got our CAG, Marcus, we had to keep him quarantined for a bit because we have another parrot too, our Quaker, Beaker. We adopted him (Marcus) last year and he is eight years old--he also came from a bit of a difficult background. Anyway, Marcus still has only had a partial tour of our house--he hasn't been in my gym, and he has yet to visit the den where the TV is. But he is not presently flighted, and we still have issues with 'stepping up' or perching on humans at all (because of his past), therefore the concept of exploring the limits of his surroundings is not quite the same issue others might have. Nevertheless I would just suggest your new Grey friend be allowed to get comfortable in whatever space you put his cage before you start really trying to show him too much else of his surroundings. Enough about his life will be changing very suddenly for him, it will be a lot to digest. You all have the rest of your lives together so you can afford to take it slow. And just from personal experience, just sitting next to the cage and talking to your boy will help the 'getting to know you' process very well.

I think a lot of it depends on the cat, how old they are when they're exposed to the bird, etc. I read once in a book on Greys that dogs are much more dangerous to parrots than cats, that they'll rip them to shreds without a second thought, but personally my experience is otherwise. I know our dog would NEVER intentionally hurt either of our boys, but the cats will drop into that hunter's crouch immediately whenever they see one of our boys out on the floor, and I know it would be Game Over if I didn't interfere immediately. So I think the parront just needs to know their pride/flock very well for everyone's safety and peace of mind...

Thank you so much for the update!

In our household, the boys only get covered in the wintertime when it's exceptionally cold (and I get paranoid). Otherwise, Marcus and Beaker remain uncovered for the night. They have their own bedroom though, so it is not as if they are in the middle of everything. For whatever reason, Beaker, our Quaker parrot, has decided that 9:30 is bedtime--and that's that! He will scream his little head off otherwise, something I'm sure the neighbors don't appreciate (haha), so I try to have them 'put to bed' by 9:40 at the general latest. Beaker will go immediately to sleep but it takes Marcus, our CAG, a loooooooong time to fall asleep, himself. Sometimes we wonder if he ever sleeps at all, really.

Oh, that's so cute!

That is a beautiful aviary... I had never heard of Project Perry before I clicked on those links and watched some of their vids on YouTube. I followed another link of theirs from their website and ended up reading about 31 macaws that were seized from horrible conditions, and became property of the state--but unfortunately the story did not have a happy ending at all, I was so upset to read what happened to them. :( But it is good to know how hard these people are trying to make these wild-caught birds and others safe and relatively happy as they live out the rest of their years in captivity, it's the closest thing to being back in the wild I suppose they would ever get to experience.

Hee-hee, as to the original post, I couldn't help but laugh at thinking of your Rebel calling herself 'Marvin' in the mornings like that, so funny! We really have to wonder at our Marcus' background sometimes, so much of it is unknown. But if it makes you feel any better about your Rebel and her scary voice, every once in a while Marcus will be in his cage and start screaming--like someone in a video game is getting killed in a horrible way or something! When we first heard it, we were like "What is that?!" and some guests have said it's "creepy" to hear. I'm used to it now so it's almost kind of funny, but it makes me wonder what they exposed him to before we adopted him, sigh...

I can't even tell you how emotional I got when I read that. Wonderful! I am so happy the transition is going so easily for all of you... "Peek-a-boo." "I see you." *SIGH!*

We have three cats, one dog, and two parrots. Aside from the drool (she's part Newfoundland) and her tendency toward over-excitedness physically speaking, our dog is fine with the parrots. The cats however... We have three, two common tabby cats (the type with the "M" on their heads) and one black cat. Like the parrots and our dog, rescues all. Marcus, our CAG, and Beaker the Quaker parrot are the most recent additions to our family. The cats are young still, all under five, and the two males are accomplished hunters. I absolutely would not trust any of them alone with the birds--even for a moment. Like Talon mentioned, the bacteria in cats (and dogs and humans) is lethal to parrots and a single scratch could be horribly catastrophic. Even so, I can just as easily see one of my two males especially taking either of the parrots down if left unguarded for even a few seconds. That's one of the reasons why we lock them all up in a bedroom or let them run outside if Marcus wants to take a walk around the house... otherwise the boys (the parrots) stay in 'their' bedroom and my husband and I generally interact with them in there.

I'm glad to hear it sounds like Yoshi is doing very well so far.

Personally, I would really avoid the water pistol route, that just seems a bit harsh... If one of our boys gets squawky for no apparent reason other than they want to be loud, I often just turn on the radio (low) and shut the door for a little bit, telling them "I'll be back later, right now you're too loud." I think they have been making the connection that it's not as nice to be as loud like that (because Marcus sometimes actually does it to irritate me, I think, if he's mad that I put him back in his cage or something). But oftentimes if I just do that they'll quiet down in a few minutes, and then I turn off the radio and talk to them for a little and give them some food or a new toy or something, and we have peace for a little while longer at least. But I do know what you're saying about the squawking-leaving-the-room thing, because our Quaker parrot, Beaker, will do that for my husband. Some nights he'll only be quiet if he puts him on his shoulder, he's quite the velcro bird when it comes to my husband. But sometimes he can't do that so we opt for the radio/shut the door scenario, and like I said that usually makes Beaker quiet down even just a little bit.

Thanks for the link! We don't have TV so I'll miss the program on Wednesday, but since my hubby is working late tonight I can still watch Pepperberg tonight online instead.

Shanlung, if I may politely interject within the 'conversation' of this thread, your comment of "My free period is likely to end soon and I disappear from here altogether" prompts me to stop lurking and finally, actually say something here: I just want to say I have been thoroughly enjoying all of your posts, and in the evenings I have been reading through numerous of your livejournal posts and all of your pictures. There is something about your adventures with Tinkerbell, your little shama (?) and other parrot/bird friends that is so relaxing to me, it as if you all are a reminder that the hustle and bustle of modernized Westernized society is just one way to live--and in many respects not even the best. Your connections with Tinkerbell and Dommie and your other animals reflect a more intuitive and peaceful approach to life, that we all have something to contribute to one another on this planet that far too many people ignore for the majority of their lives. It's made me (and my husband) take a step back at how we deal with our Marcus (CAG) and our Beaker (Quaker parrot), who we are growing with significantly as 'parronts' but still make many mistakes. I envy your confidence with your kitties around your Greys... I worry so often for our two hunters to become too curious about our avian friends. My husband and I still think that, with our circumstances now, it is best for our boys (the birds) to be clipped but we have been rethinking that arrangement, if we can maneuver things differently in the future. The joy that your Tinkerbell seemed to have at being allowed to take to the sky is something that, perhaps, would broaden the figurative canvas of our dear Marcus--who was a bit neglected before we adopted him--if even we can allow him the freedom of flight safely within our own house. My husband says he never wants our birds to go outside, that it is too dangerous, and the numerous hawks in our area make me agree with him. But your posts have offered many other perspectives that provide a lot of food for thought regarding other ways to better handle our birds, and for that I would like to thank you.

Well, I know in the book Conversations with Cosmo, the author says she brings her grey Cosmo into school with her sometimes (she's a professor of some sort). So it has been done before, but I honestly just thought of the people I've met who told me they're scared of pictures of my parrots and et cetera, so... I just wanted to throw out the thought. But it would probably be very nice to be able to socialize your grey that way, if everything else is 'cool' with the situation.

I'm just wondering how many grey owners out there have beloved companions who like to make music? Certainly, a lot of our babies enjoy listening to music, and some of them dance but who has a grey who likes to make their own type of music? I ask because Marcus seems to enjoy doing this in his own way. I've read that the Amazons are the true "singers" of the parrot world, but Marcus tries hard too! He's a bit tone deaf but when we play certain types of music for him (he seems to have a preference for 80's female vocalists and hair bands) he'll kind of start bobbing his head and make these low, undulating notes: "Bweer... breer... bweeeeerrrrr...!" He's also started making snapping noises during his favorite songs--occasionally he'll lift his foot like he's 'snapping' too and say "Whooo!" (haha, so cute!)--and although he really has a bad sense of rhythm still, we're working on it with him and he's getting a little better! But what prompted this post was, earlier tonight I was spending time in the boys' room, and Beaker (Quaker parrot) was in his cage after spending special time with his daddy, but I had Marcus on his door perch with his cage door open. I started singing to him and petting his head, and when I ran out of our 'normal' songs I started singing some songs that we sing with our congregation. He got so lovey, and after maybe a half-hour of getting petted and being sung to, he decided to try and perform a duet with me! "Bweeer... bwrrrr... beeowrrrr...!" I just loved him to death for that!! So what other closet musicians are out there bringing smiles to you and your families with their songs?

Perhaps this sounds weird, but what honestly first popped into my head when I read your post, aside from rogue germs (?) that could possibly harm a young parrot is--I have bumped into more people than I ever would have expected who have some form of ornithophobia. I am absolutely not kidding about this. Maybe, if everything else checks out, before you bring in your grey to your classes you'd want to make sure none of your students are deathly afraid of birds, or it could be bad for everyone involved.

I remember playing jacks, and I'm talking about when I was a kid in the 80's--so I'm sure somebody out there still plays with them, it's a fun game! Those birdie-sized jacks are awesome, though. I just love your little Dorian, he is so beautifully photogenic and handsome... I want to give him the biggest hug, I'm so happy he's feeling so safe and happy with you!

I'm glad everyone enjoyed his little one-liner. It certainly surprised me, but in a good way!! That's why I went into a little more detail, haha. I know people who have larger flocks would probably find all the portioning a hassle, but for two birds it's very convenient and I thought someone else even just lurking here might like the idea and run with it, themselves.

How it's worked out, either Saturday or Sunday I will spend a few hours in the kitchen cooking/baking for the boys. Besides whipping up some birdie cookies, I'll make a big mix of grains, beans, chopped veggies, nuts, fruit, etc. (and sometimes a second 'variety' if I'm up to it!) which I'll feed them with for the upcoming week, besides their pellets and such. I portion it out into ice cube trays and then freeze them, popping little cubes out as needed. Usually when I feed them, I'll take the boys' dishes into the kitchen and wash them before I put new food in them. This morning, though, as there were just a few seed hulls left over from their bedtime snacks last night, and I was rushed to leave the house, I just grabbed an ice cube tray and ran into their room. I unfastened Marcus' food dish door first and started popping out some frozen food for him (he likes it frozen so he can pick it up and eat it that way, when it's thawed or warm he doesn't seem to enjoy it so much). He was watching me struggle with the tray, and then I finally got a cube in his dish and closed and fastened the door. Marcus was perched next to his food bowl and stared into it for a moment. "Good stuff," he said.