Morana

I'm not suggesting that your bf spends less time with your bird, I'm suggesting that you deliver the threats because your BF obviously doesn't need to give your bird the threets in order to get his lovin;-)

The pictureas are really, really beautiful but I nearly had a heart atack when I saw that picture Marcus fanning his tail out on the screen! Aren't you afraid that he will slip right through that window and fly away!?! :-(

When did this start? How long have you been with this partner? Is it always been like this towards your partner? Maybe it could be just a phase, but it would be just guessing.. It would be good to have more info. IMO, it isn't so omportant that you are his care giver. I doo all the work and my Zak still loves my BF more. Howewer, I think you should be the only one giving treats to your birdie so this might help. Maybe you should start with treats when your partner is not there so it couldn't be, even inadvertenly, considered as a reward for a bad behaviour towards you.

He is a cutie pie! :-D

Uh, I just realized that from my post is sounds like the event with Sterling Gris made me laugh:-S Not at all! I meant that the comments you and Ray posted were very funny:-) When I read the first post, it made me choke; it sure wasn't funny:-( Sorry for the inconvenience.

Congratulations!!! I like the names, especially Gracie Bee!:-D Can't wait the pictures!! :-)

This is a great thread!! Love reading this! What should a new parent now: 1) first, he would have to know that he is becoming a parent rather than a pet owner. 2) Good nutrition is veeeeeery important if you wanna have a healthy bird. 3) Exercise is very important for their health. 4) What does clipping mean for a bird-mentally and physically, especially early in physical development. 5) regular sunbathing or UV lamp and what can the lack of it cause 6) regullar bathing and what can the lack of it cause 7) constant mental stimulation (toys, interaction) and what can the lack of it cause 8) training-benefits of positive reinforcment and (trick) training for the well being of the bird 9) clean and humid air and what can the lack of those cause 10) sexual maturity and sexual behaviour-what should be avoided and why (touching some parts of their bodies,..) 11) parrot is a loud/vocal companion 12) you have to rearrange whole house so it would be a parrot safe. That means from cookware to various toxic plants. 13)great importantce of finding a good AVIAN vet and importance of check ups 14) how much will the apropraiate cage, food, toys, vet check ups,...cost 15) what will you do with your parrot when you leave for vacation? 16) musn't let your parrot be unsupervised with other animals or children around. 17) another thing to expect: a honeymoon period 18) beak and nail grooming. How to solve a related issue and what can mean for your bird if you do it yourself and something goes wrong or if you neglect it 19) basic knowledge in the event of emergency from a blood because of a broken feather to what only the vet should try to take care of+emergency kit. 20) who would you leave your bird with in case you couldn't take care of him/her any longer 21) constant education about your parrot (books, dvd, forum, magazines, vet,..) 22)why it would be wise to adopt only a full weaned grey, especially if you are a first time owner 23) parrot is a child that needs a FOREVER home 24) must have a carrier for your bird 25) always be aware of your windows/doors; are they open, stowe turned on and other hazards that can be lethal to your companion 26) respect your bird for it is a intelligent being and has its own needs and wishes. Don't force her/him, beat her/him, yell at her/him and the reasons why it shouldn't be done. 27) how to prepare you own helthy food for your companion+what food/beverages are safe 28) safe coloring, safe materials, size,... for toys and use around your bird IMO, these are just a few things that should be mandatory for a potential new paront to KNOW in order to be alowed to take the bird home. I wish I knew (before I got Zak) the tenth of it what I know now:-(

Uh... As always, I feel like I'm missing so much of the information needed.. So here goes.. Does your birdie have toys? baths regulary? sunbaths or UV lamp? Has something changed in your life since this started or just before? IMO, vet visit is a must do. When did she had her last check up? Does she have a big enough cage? If yes, put up a boing, rope perches, ladders, swings, bunch of verious types of toys, treats. Does your birdie forage? What does she eat? Can we get some pictures please? There is not much room to guess. -IMO it can be three things: a health thing (diet thing included here), boredom thing or something has changed. Have I forgotten something? Please be more detailed:-)

Who is Marana? Me?:-P

Oh, we had a lot of pooping all around. Now it is much better. Zak will not poop on us and if we don't leave him sitting on the door, he'll poop on designated places, or even go to that place when he feels he must go. However,it is not advisable to watch a movie with Zak because if he is, like usually, having much fun (-cuddling+watching the movie) he won't want to go to the bird restroom and I'll get pooped:-S

Thank you all for praises:-) Don't know if I will convey them all to Zak, for he could get conceited;-) Lol Now, to answer a question.. Guess my joy about him not yelling when someone leaves the apartment was a bit premature.. -Actually, he really isn't yelling when I leave, but today when my BF went out first, there was some racket.. Apparently, I'm not that important person to be yelled about:-P Also, I can't possibly be characterized as fun distraction since he yelled for my BF regardless of me being there, saying he was such a pretty bird.. :-S So to our mutual dissapointment Popsicle, I guess I'm not the right person to give advice;-P Lol Now kidding aside... He didn't yell when left alone in our old place so it must be result of being in new enviroment. I guess he finally settled a bit after the move.. It is still fresh but it seems like he is not bothered that much when left alone in that unfamiliar place..-because it is not that unfamiliar any more. Anyway, the best tip I can give you on this is: preoccupy him with something fun before you leave so he'll be distracted and won't notice when you go. Also, he will asociate you leaving with fun. I think Zak is still sensitive about BF leaving because he wasn't much around due to his recent surgery and immediately afterwards because of his vacation. He was really little at home. I plan to preoccupy Zak with so much to do that he won't notice much BF being away.. In theory anyway..;-) And yes, I just remembered, -I think Zak stopped yelling for one other reason.. Lately, I come home from work at a very similar time so he knows when to expect me coming back.. He plays a bit while I'm gone and since I come home early (there is not much to do in school during summer vacations) he knows he'll get his out of the cage time the minute I step into the apartment and afterwards there is sunbathing and playtime so I guess he is fine with that arrangement:-) Thank you all for comments and for reading our update;-)

Baheaheha.. You guys made me laugh so hard!:-D -except the first post! That was a fright alright!:-( Glad he's ok. Love what you've done with the bell:-) Hope it is completely parrot safe now.. Well, I can imagine your boy will tell us that soon..;-)

Sorry, could you please explain what does this means: mid-nineties?

This is the second day that Zak didn't even said a peeep while I left the aprtment!:-) So, no more yelling when I leave the apartment:-) Also, yesterday afternoon he wanted so much to be pet that I am wondering how he has any feathers left in that area;-P He was such a cuddle bug:-) My sweetie even closed his eyes..:-) Unfortunatelly, he didn't do that in quite a long time:-(

Such a pretty, prettygirl!:-D

Thank you for compliments;-)..and for congrats:-) To answer the first question.. We don't have much of a view because we are looking at the communal yard of all the buildings surrounding it.. It is not a pretty yard.. Actually, we haven't seen that many birds. Have no idea why.. He mimics hens, cats, dogs, mobile phones, microwave own,air condition but no birds.. He used to mimic one bird but when the "season" ended and bird didn't come back, he forgot it.. But that was in our last apartment.. There was no specific game intended with those buttons. They are there, now in lesser numbers, to be ripped off. It is used here like an extra fun-he takes a small birdie bagel,puts it in his beak and tries to rip of the button at the same time. Or, he takes a pen, wraps the towel around it and chews on it.. If he is nervous, he just chews the towel..;-) It is familiar so I keep it there.. PS: it is not much of a yard but it is a nice looking little balcony. I have olive and lavender on it.. Very proud of the balcony, too. Much work and much sweat was left there..

Here is an update on Zak and me;-) I don't know Zaks exact hatch date, but he is cca 9 years old. Zak changed (for better) a lot in last couple of years. I can thank a lot to this Forum for it. You've been our family:-) For the ones that don't know our story, I can't even begin to tell you how our human component means a lot when shaping our Greys personality. For quite a while now, I am looking at Zak quite differently and it helped us to develop a much better relationship. We still have a whole lot to do and learn but I'm taking it slowly for we have a lifetime together. Personally, my biggest problem is my fear of biting hands (-that concerns the step ups). He is a good boy but I still can't get past by this phobia of mine:-S So, Zak must be patient of me as I need to be of him;-) On the other hand, I'm not afraid, at all, when he is on my shoulder so here is the picture of us washing dishes.-) He is definitely a shoulder Grey;-). As you may know, we moved recently to a new apartment and Zak is used to most of his surroundings by now and we like this place much more than the tiny place we've been in.. The problem of Zak flying into windows I solved with green post-its which you can still see in the picture,and the new thing of mine are those two creations of an island and a fish which I drew because I had problem ordering window decals. When I'm finished, pictures will substitute post-its. Coloring is not toxic, not that Zak can reach it.. Another new thing in our life is adjusting much more to new stuff. After that fiasco with the carrier (and going to the vets for 3 days in a row), we are now playing in it-make it a fun place for a change. We are still a long way from actually going somewhere in the carrier but we are making progress every day;-) Also, we are practicing going to the shower cabin and closing the door. It is too exhausting bathing Zak in the living room. Everything in the living room is subjected to Zaks needs but still.. Paint on the wall in the living room can be washed. Windows in the whole apartment have thingies which allow windows just to be slightly open so Zak couldn't get away and so on.. We even started with sun bathing. It was first in his life! We have a balcony now so we can use it. Zak was afraid first day, but here, in the picture, is his second day; warm wind is blowing and we are having good time. He ate some grapes for reward (of being a good bird) which he wouldn't if he was nervous (then he would just throw it away). We cuddle a lot more; he steps up more willingly; bites hardly ever-only when I misinterpret his body language. We even began to solve the „BF problem“. Some of you know the story. We decided that my BF is going to move to another place and it kinda automatically resolved most of our tension/problems and so he is much different towards Zak now which is making me very happy. My BF plays with Zak much more; respects Zak much, much more; listens to me for advice about my birdie and he gets bitten less and less. In short, we are very happy with our new arrangement. We are still a family but now a happy one regardless of the address:-) Btw, my BF is Zaks favorite person. Our complete happiness is due to one more person, -Zaks vet. She is the best ever. What ever Zak and I need she is here to help and talk. She is really great with him but we still have to learn how to be ok with vet visits. It is a touchy subject for us.. Zak is playing more and more but still not as much as I would want him to. Now, our new task is to get Zak interested in wooden toys. He finally stopped being afraid of straws so we'll be making some new toys;-) He is not afraid of taking medications/fluid by a syringe any more. Yesterday we finally started playing with nuts because he doesn't want to eat them at all but when I give him an almond in a husk, he throws away the almond and keeps the husk:-S You could say he is foraging, if finding fruits among the veggies could be called that;-) We are working on that too. I'm kinda slow on that apartment.. Weighing is another thing too that we are trying. He gets on a T-stand (created for a scale) but not in a nice, calm way. He jumps on it with so much energy that he falls from it sometimes. I think he is very afraid of it but still attempts to overcome it by himself. I guess weighing (at home) will wait a bit longer. Here is the picture of him on this infamous T-perch. Zak is a very picky eater (go figure) so it is an ongoing battle to get him something to eat other than what he likes. I think I should force this issue a bit more. We'll see how it goes.. In a nutshell, we have lot going on. I could say, we are just warming up. I feel like I am still so very new to taking care of my little feathered friend. The best thing going on with us is that there is more trust between us. I LOVE my birdie!:-) PS: we had our daily sunbathing today too:-)

It looks like my Zak has a permanent phase for shredable toys...

Steve, you didn't give much to go on. What do you feed your bird? What did you change her diet to? If fethers have spots you will probably have to wait another molt to see if there is some change. I don't think structure or pigmentation on the feather can change once the feather is out. Someone with more knowledge will explain better:-) Btw, does your bird have an avian lighting or do you take her outside to sun bathe? PS: could you please post a picture so we can see what you are talking about?

Hi Steve and welcome! :-) Very great of you for wanting to adopt and older Grey in need and giving her a forever home:-) You'll do good if you go through threads that are already here and we'll try to fill in if you have any more questions. You already know that patience is crucial and if this Grey has serious issues it will take time. The pertinent thing for Jess is to find her a nice big cage, avian vet that you trust, lot of different kinds of toys...and soon we'll be talking about the rest;-) You should get her checked out by an avian vet when you get her home, or even ON the way home. Maybe it would be good idea to do schedule the check up so that you get everything done in one day (if you can) to avoid extra stress for we don't know how will she react to driving, carrier,... Afterwards, just nice and easy.. Let her come out of her cage on her on pace, offer treats, talk to her a lot... Don't push anything and you'll do great:-) Love to hear more about you and your new member of your family and we would love some pictures:-)

Well, I'm really, really happy that she is doing good!:-) It was such a stone on my heart when you wrote this thread. Hope nothing serious like this happens ever again! Pictures and videos please:-D

Welcome:-) I wish your father well and hope he recovers very soon. I'm sure Stewie knows because my Zak is acting very differently when I'm sick. He is kinda looking over me. At times when I'm sick he just wanna sit on my bed, shoulder, wherever just as long as it is close to me so he can keep an eye on me and he doesn't have a need to move from that spot (like he does the rest of the time when everything is ok). He is quiet, doesn't even care wether we are in the dark or not. He is a sweetheart. So, your bird is coping in his own way with new circumstances. And, since Stewie showed an increased interest in chewing wood, you should go and buy him some wooden toys to chew on and to preoccupy himself while in the cage. You really shouldn't let him wonder around. He could get in serious trouble. Pictures please:-)

It seems to me like you already decided about adopting this amazon;-) As Dave said, a visit or two won't change or show much. Maybe it would be better for you to start thinking about an apropriate cage, toys you already have, food, vet visits (and the rest of the deal) and if it is not a problem to you... Well, you already know the answer;-) Maybe you could invite the lady to you so she could see how you take care of your bird if she has any doubts..(?) Why is she giving up the bird, anyway?

Yesterday my Zak was running around (on the top of the table) like a part of playing with me and in one moment I look at him and I see he is all blushed and he has his beak opened how hot he was from all that running and jumping around. He was so hyper:-) Very funny..hihi