Morana

I always praise really abundantly when Zak gets into the cage so he does it now without problem. If he won't come in, I don't push it. I do something else for a minute or two then I come back and try again. usually it is enough. If I have to go in a hurry, and he won't go inside I put fresh fruit or something he likes best and off he goes;-) So he gets positively reinforced every time he goes into the cage.. Best luck! ;-)

He has been more open and relaxed. You see, Zak fell in love with my bf but since my ex couldn't reciprocate Zak was frustrated. Also, my bf couldn't and wouldn't read Zaks body language so there were many misunderstandings which ended with zak being aggressive. But Zak still adores him.. Don't understand this sentence: Didn't realize you meant Zak figured he actually had some time for you now. I hope also that next time it will be mutual respect and love involved;-) Zak appreciates the time with me because he has no one else at the moment:-P Kidding a bit..but of course I'm gonna take the advantage of this situation and work wit Zak and spend as much time with him as I can;-)

Oh Zak adored/s my ex! I think he would have traded me for him in a heart beat but my bf wasn't that fond of him. He basically thought Zak was JUST a bird.. :-S Even now, every time an elevator comes on my floor he flips because he thinks it is my bf coming.. Sad really.. The feathers have less spots but he still has them.. It doesn't seam to progress. The lighting in the picture is not very good..

Wow, I haven't heard this much praise since...well, -never!:-P Maybe it is a bit premature.. Haven't done that much really. Think the biggest thing was that my ex moved out so Zak was less frustrated and we weren't going back and forth any more about raising Zak.. But he is beautiful, right? hihi Thank you:-) He is better adjusted but still rather far from how he should be.. I am very enthusiastic about spending some one on one with him, at last! :-) I think we'll have much fun..especially when the toys arive;-) Today (in the early morning) I was almost late for work because Zak wanted to cuddle! Lol He fluffed up, wouldn't raise his head back and wouldn't take no as an answer. Unfortunately, I really had to go so our cuddly time was cut short.. ...and of course, now he is right here with me writing this;-)

Tnx guys! Your comments mean a lot:-)

I'm glad that I helped. You'll get through reading who are more knowledgeable members . Some members work much with their birds. When you figure out who they are keep an eye on their threads;-) I'm not saying/thinking that other members aren't valuable or contributing but some have a really special parenting skills;-) One of the best things here is that someone, novice or not, asks/tells something of great interest/help to the rest of us. This is such a great place!:-)

Hi and welcome!:-) Fratyr: There were days when we wasn't playing or seeing each other at all, I wasn't paying attention to her. Not taking bath for about 4 months!!! :-( No new toys, no yummy fruits, etc... MORANA: Well, if it is any consolation, I was neglecting my Grey without realizing it for much longer than you have, and I'm 100% sure I could do better even now but important thing is to realize it and to do something about it. You are in the right place;-) BTW, my Grey doesn't hate me and we overcame many, many difficulties so hang in there, everything will be just fine;-) I can tell you, there are days that I am so tired I can't even stand let alone play with my Grey but I try.. You need to try. What is done is done but remember that your birdie needs you and you need to try for her. The more pressing issue is that you need to find toys that Coco likes. I don't know how is with toys in your county but I order some food and toys from stores in the UK or US. Some toys I make myself. You really need to occupy your bird so she wouldn't get bored. Also try foraging tree/toys.. What diet is Coco on? Start offering veggies and fruits to your bird daily. Read carefully which ones are toxic. This applies to plants in your birds environment too. Bathing is a must do. As already mentioned, if a bird doesn't bathe skin starts to itch and bird will start overpreaning and maybe even pluck. My Zak also hated the bath in the beginning, but after time he became more and more relaxed. It took a really long time to achieve that but Zak loves bathing now. Try misting Coco and over time it will probably get better. But don't force too much. I started with little misting and if Zak was shaking too much (because he was scared) I would back off and maybe try later or another day.. Nothing should be done by forcing the bird. That is not a way to build trust. Just to mention..I also didn't figure out, for quite a long time, why Zak wouldn't play with his toys.. He likes just one kind-shreddable ones;-) You need to be careful, if you make your own toys that you use non toxic materials/colors. Another thing a bird will need is sunbathing. I sunbathe Zak for an hour every day outside (in the cage) if it is sunny and warm enough. The alternative is full spectrum lighting for birds!! Don't buy bulbs for reptiles or fishes. It has to have correct amount of UVA and UVB . Fratyr:What's bad now - She don't let me touch her (under the wings, belly, tail, head, fingers), well, she is when I force her, but she tries to run away or step away. She hates bath, she won't let me spray water over her, she tries to fly and I just can't understand how to bath her :-) She's not really a person of hugs, I can touch her back, but not too much MORANA: Don't force the bird. It is very important! Be very patient, observe your bird and introduce everything gradually. I don't like to be touched everywhere so why should your bird like that? We/they are all different. Also, when you gain Cocoas trust things might change... Maybe not.. It shouldn't be a pressing issue (right now).. When my Zak was frustrated with my neglection he wasn't a snugly bug either but now we came to the point when he is and it is very rewarding;-) Bathing.. It took a lot of praise and cheering (it still does) for Zak to even start bathing, but once he starts it is a blast:-D Be patient and don't give up.. Bathing is very important.. Fratyr:I hope this bird can forgive me, so... MORANA: I don't think they forgive. Let me rephrase.. There is nothing to forgive. You act in a way and your bird acts accordingly. Your job is to try to understand this bird and to make her life better and happy,fulfill her needs and earn trust. As long as you try to do the very best for your bird, you'll be fine. You need to forgive yourself and move on. Fratyr: 1. First of all, what I did, is It something recoverable in terms of a baby grey to start trusting me and letting me interact with her? Or It's too late? 2. How to make her take a bath? 3. When she's cleaning her self, there's a lot of dust. What is this and what to do? Bath? ;-) 4. Any good threads/docs explaining how to properly play with greys without making them scared or anger / and how to teach them speak, that you can suggest? 5. I hear a lot about plucking feathers, my grey is not doing it yet, but what are the steps to lower the risk of that? Don't want her to look like a thanksgiving day turkey. :-/ 6. I saw here a lot of thread about their health and care, but everything is seriously spread around, is there any good place with health/care tips in one? 7. ??? Whatever you want to say, tip, or tell me that I'm a jerk. MORANA: Of course it is not too late! Don't think in a way: how to MAKE her do something. You shouldn't force anything. She is alive, intelligent creature who can choose what to do. Use positive reinforcement to get her to like doing something that you would like her to do. Lot of dust is because she is not bathing. They always have dust but it is more or less ok when bathing is regular. Don't force talking. It will come. I still don't know how my Zak started to mimic a chicken! Lol About playing.. I think lot of other members do this much better than me but here is my way..I try to play with a new toy in front Zak to peak an interest. I pick it up frequently. Always keep the toy in sight so Zak would get used to it. In one shreddable toy I stuck seeds so Zak went after the seeds and ended up playing and eventually destroying the toy :-) What about plucking? Try occupying your bird with toys and foraging as much as you can, especially while you are away and I think Cocoa will be just fine. Use aloevera juice when bathing. I put one third of it in the water with which I spray Zak with. He is looking dashing;-) About lot of treads..you'll just need to read and ask specific questions;-) Good luck and keep us informed!! :-)

Why would you blow dry a bird? Isn't the whole point of showering that the bird gets soaked and dries up slowly, letting the water soothe the skin? Blow dryer dries the skin back again. I see how feathers on my birdie, after bathing, become more shiny,and my hair after blow drying it does not. Actually it becomes more raggedy. Not to mention it is far from natural..

Wooooow! These are the best pictures ever! :-D Tnx for sharing!

Well, long time no see! I missed you guys a lot! There was soooo much going on that I didn't have time to check the computer..:-S I work in three schools and the boyfriend is out of the picture so lot of new stuff happened. Since there is just Zak and me, he became much more easygoing. Much, much less aggression. To be perfectly honest, he is cuddly and grinding his beak most of the time:-D I have a hectic schedule but we are getting used to it. There is no problem in putting Zak into the cage even if I let him out only for 45minutes.. Washing dishes became our thing. He sits on my shoulder and I talk to him and usually ask: who is such a good birdie helping me out with the dishes and he usually answers with a wolf whistle because he refers to himself:-P New progress is that we do not bathe in our living room anymore..- we are moving toward splashing in the shower.. Not there yet.. We have regularly baths.. I say we, because Zak flaps his wing so hard when he bathes (from excitement) that I am usually as wet as he is..Lol He is playful and healthy. Missing the natural sunbathing tho.. Two days ago I ordered a bunch of toys and other goodies for Zak and as Christmas brake is getting near, we'll start some serious training:-) He barks a bit more, sings a bit-it sounds horrible Lol and last week when we were washing dishes I was chatting away. In one moment he called out my name and I said what is it sweety pie? And Zak said: Be quiet! Looool Well, that is it for now.. Here are some new pictures..

why? .. I haven't really noticed that..

Hi and welcome to the Grey family:-) About the toy thing...I had the same problem with my grey. I couldn't figure out why the hell he wouldn't play with his toys. Now I know why. It has to be a special kind of toy-a shreddable toy! He was a bit afraid of new toys (when I put them in the cage) but when he started playing with the first one that was it! I know now that shreddable toys is a way to go (for my bird). He has wooden toys, foot toys, rope toys but he doesn't really like them. He plays very rarely with them but a shreddable toy he won't ignore. So my point is, you just need to find the right kind of the toy. Also, present the toy slowly to him. Let him observe it for a while somewhere near the cage; you playing with the toy and when he seems ok with it try putting it in the cage. I also stuck some seeds in one toy so Zak went for the seeds and the new toy was decapitated in two days ;-) Good luck!

Loool, great picture! Tnx for sharing:-)

Lol! I just hope Waldo is not in the studio with all that noise going on or at least with ear muffs;-P

Pictures please!:-)

My Zak is always locked wen we go to sleep or somewhere out of the apartment or when we open the windows. We had few earthquakes, nothing serious, but I saw how he freaked so I wanna be sure I'll be able to grab him if there is an emergency and put him in his carrier. There is another reason why we don't let him be unsupervised...he started to be quite a little mischief. He never did, but now he climes gas pipes!!! and chews on doors a lot,...it isn't safe nor for him nor for my apartment for Zak to be out unsupervised. Also, if he didn't like or do something in the past, it doesn't mean he won't find it very interesting tomorrow -so be aware for it applies for any parrot.

I'll be ordering the book as soon as my paycheck arrives;-)

Here are the pictures I promised;-) First few ones are pic of my balcony.. My olive and lavender..:-) and this is my fluffy feathered love;-) and here he is having fun on his boing.. We'll be buying one for the ceiling too.. I don't have pictures from today but we had a wonderful bathe! I don't think he ever wanted to bathe more than today! He was flapping his wings, hanging from a ceiling,...just enjoying himself:-D By the end of the bath we were both soaked so we went sunbathing.. It is horribly hot these days here but Zak seemed to be more than fine outside on the sun today. He was drying off and we were playing our "steel the beak" thing and I was already cooked when he decided it is maybe just a bit too warm to be outside..*rolling eyes* -..it had passed 45 minutes when he decided the fun is over.. Uh..oh.. I took him inside in an instant! I was very much relieved that he decided playtime and sun bathing are over for today! The best thing was that today was the first time the bamboo shutter (?) was half way down, the laundry was drying, the sack with earth (for the plants) was on the balcony and the wind was blowing a bit and my Zak wasn't afraid at all!! Very new set of circumstances and my Zak did wonderfully! I'm very proud of him:-D

Can we please get a video or pictures of what you are saying?:-) I have a perch with suction caps but as we moved to another apartment it doesn't work any more because surface of the tiles is too rough:-S The perch keeps falling down so I really don't want to risk putting Zak on it. We'll see what are we going to do..

Oh man! When I read all you guys are writing it sounds terrifying! I hope you'll all stay safe and that any harm will miss you by a long shot. Stay safe along with your birds and families.

Once Zak lost all his red feathers on the butt except one (after we were at the vets) and he was molting at the time so when new feathers came out he, for some reason, couldn't wait for them to get out from their keratin thingie so he chew through the Keratine to release the fathers but as a result,he chew the feathers too. His tail looked battered, as he chewed it intentionally but it wasn't the case. I think he was a bit nervous about all new feathers comming out at once so he wanted to speed the process.

My Zak is also going through a mayor molt. I never saw him loose this many feathers! I also noticed he is eating a bit less but wants to bath really bad so we bathe.. I'm not worried too much, tho. I'll be just monitoring him for now...

Also, couldn't animal health care be contacted for any advice? This pet store will have birds again and it might happen all over again to someone else who won't take action against them. Maybe it would be wise to find a way for this pet shop to be investigated and people warned!!!

I'm so sorry to hear this:-( I hope you find a solution and keep your Grey. What about another job from home or even smaller apartment where pets would be allowed..?

Tnx for the pictures, they are really beautiful, but the first one is just gorgeous!!