thenabrd

congrats on taking this grey and changing his life for the better! there are lots of great folks here with tons of knowledge, ask questions, read as much as you can, you're not the 1st to do this so everyone here is more than willing to help, listen, offer advice, etc. patience is key now. read to him, sit by his cage and talk to him, offer a special treat when you approach the cage, sing to him, etc. sharing meals is great as long as it's bird safe. let him decide when it's the right time for more. healthy foods are important and so is a vet check. you might try bribing him into a travel cage with a special treat, or if absolutely necessary, you could quickly put a towel over him when he's on the floor and put him in the travel cage. if you can't get him in a travel cage, explain the situation to the vet and maybe the vet could come to your home. don't try too much too fast, it's baby steps right now. you're in a "honeymoon" phase right now, so don't be surprised if he "changes" to his "normal" self for a while. positive reenforcement, calmness, patience, consistency, etc will pay off big time, but the hardest part is being patient. others here can tell you about how long it's taken them to get where they're at with their birds and what a joy it is to have break throughs. he's only 7, and you have many years to develop your relationship, trust and confidence with this bird. as far as clipping his wings, i'm not sure. i'd say at the moment he's been through a tremendous amount and that might add more stress, but i'm not all that qualified to really speak on the issue one way or another. i'm sure someone else will have better advise. as far as food, keep offering even though he's throwing it out. you could try to "hide" veggies in birdie bread or other dishes. i believe there are recipes in the forums that have been very successful for lots of birds and owners! once health issues have been ruled out as far as plucking, hopefully this new life will be what he needs to stop plucking. but if he continues, you have to keep the stress this causes you away from the bird. we've had plucking issues with our girls at one time or another. i just keep telling myself they like to be in their underwear or are closet nudists, lol! it broke my heart but have learned that even though we've done everything we can to prevent this, they still do it. in a way i can relate, i bite my finger nails and have on and off my whole life! they get regular vet checks so we know they're healthy, eat as healthy as we can get them to, have tons of toys and interaction but still have periods of plucking.

UPDATE! well, this was interesting, lol!! kallie hated getting a spray bath from my husband even more than she hates it from me. we even sprayed each other first and made a big fun exciting event out of it before he tried spraying her (that was hilarious in and of itself, lol). she did her usual scream and growl while running around her cage. i think he was a bit traumatized about it as well, haha. then she completely ignored him and lunged at him when he tried to "make up" for the rest of that day. so, i've taken spray bath duty back and believe it or not, kallie seems to be handling it much better now. i "spray" myself first while being so happy and excited, then athena gets her spray then kallie, then i go back and forth between the girls (gives them time to come out from behind their toys). i can now get kallie pretty soaked and she no longer gives the silent treatment and hiding at the back of her cage for hours. she'll start talking and come to the front of her cage within a hour or so. no, she still doesn't like the spray bath, but is more willing to "accept" that she's getting one. i've been using a half and half mix of aloe juice and water. i think she might be interested in the "taste" of this since she sometimes tastes the drops on the cage bars. maybe this is why she's more tolerant or maybe her daddy "breaking her heart" and "disappointing" her was it. i'm not sure, i really don't care, i'm just delighted that she's handling this much better and not pouting about it all day anymore. thanks for all of the above advice, it is much appreciated!!!

i realize i don't have 2 greys, so i can't speak to that. however, we've had athena our peach front conure since she was weaned. she's almost 9 years old now. we rehomed kallie almost a year ago, she was 2 1/2 at the time. athena had always been on only bird, kallie had been 1 of 3 birds in her old home. we weren't sure how athena would do with another bird, but we went ahead with the rehome. here are a few things we did. i took video of athena to play for kallie when we'd visit her before bringing her home. i'd video kallie to play for athena to get her used to seeing and hearing kallie. we also got kallie's travel cage a month or so before bringing her home. we put this in the living room with us and i found a life size picture of an african grey and put it in the travel cage. i know there is no comparison between a picture and a live bird, but we did this to get athena used to us interacting with another "bird". we'd talk to the picture, approach that cage, etc, after we'd interacted with athena first, so she'd see she was still the "top bird". athena is the 1st bird. she's feed first, cage cleaned first, out of cage first, etc. that's all she's known. kallie didn't have that concept coming to our home. on rare occasion, we do interact with kallie first, just to see if athena can and will "share" being 1st. sometimes she does fine, other times, not so well and we adjust accordingly. kallie was vet checked on the way home to our house, so we didn't have to quarantine. she'd never been in a car or to a vet (he made house calls for the previous owner who was elderly), so we just got all the trauma out of the way in one fell swoop. we set up kallie's cage as close as possible to how it was at her old house, take pictures so you can do that, it will help in the long run. there were some tense moments. athena went into "alarm bird" mode a few times and so did kallie. but with patience and calm handling i believe it is a workable situation. we don't let them out at the same time, the size difference is too much and athena has never been a confident flyer to be able to escape if she needed to. if you're able to have some time to visit this bird, video it and see how your bird reacts to that and do what you can to help prepare your bird, it may work out. your bird will need a bit of extra love and attention in the beginning, but that's normal. almost a year into this i think we've done well. the girls watch each other alot. kallie would rather "talk" in athena at this point than in her own voice. i don't know if that's normal or not, but it almost seems that kallie looks up to athena in some way.

sounds like he's checking you out and that he's very curious and interested in you! i think he'll start staying in the corner closest to you soon, right now it sounds like he's just got a little bit of distrust/fear when you look at him or talk to him, but he keeps coming back. have you tried looking at him less directly? sometimes a straight on look is scary, especially in the beginning. so "flirt" with him. it took a while before our girls were comfortable with a straight on look at them. i think maybe it's too predator like or something! but he definitely sounds like he's very much interested in you!!!

lol, is this a better description? "loose" celery at least around here is not in a bag of any kind. it has a rubber band or really long twist tie holding the stalks together. it still has the "bottom" attached so the stalks are connected to that. some of the stalks still have a few leaves on them. the celery hearts around here are in a bag, no leaves of any kind attached and have been cut off the "bottom" so are all individual stalks inside the bag. they have also been washed, where as the "loose" celery still needs a bit of washing once you've cut it apart at home. does this help?

ok, relax and breathe!! you've found a great place to help you with questions and to connect with others. all of our greys are individuals, in fact all creatures are individuals. as with all individuals, there are likes/dislikes, different personalities, etc. my conure is not the playful clown that conure's are supposedly known to be. my grey is very brave about some things that other greys are terrified of from some of what i've read. so, try to find what kind of individual you have. once trust and respect has been gained, you'll be surprised at what is possible! plucking! ok, athena is an on again/off again plucker. even kallie has an area on her neck she picks. they're both healthy according to the vet and have regular checkups. they both have tons of toys, things to shred and preen, are in our living room, tv/radio is left on if we're not home, can look out the front window, have areas where they can "hide" from the world inside their cage if they want/need to, eat as healthy as we can get them to eat, get misted (athena takes regular baths in her water bowl), have a humidifier for the winter, etc. all that said, they still pluck! if this happens, you can't get stressed about it, unless there is a physical/health reason or they are mutilating themselves, then you do what you need to for their physical well being. even then, you have to keep the stress away from the bird as the bird can sense the stress and it makes the problem even worse. so what works for me is that athena likes to run around in her grey down underwear (or if she's feathered, she's in a beautiful green shirt), kallie doesn't like wearing a "turtleneck" or sometimes she does (if the feathers have grown back) we love them no matter whether they're completely "dressed" or not, lol! not all birds like or even should be touched/cuddled all over. when the bird becomes mature, that could cause a problem with frustration, if you know what i mean. you'll find balance with all of this, just like new parents find balance when they have their 1st baby. patience, patience, and more patience! i know its easier said than done, but all of us have many years of life and adventures ahead of us with these little gems! don't be afraid to ask questions, read as much as you can. sometimes you'll even need to think "outside of the box" since what works for one doesn't work for all.

we've had kallie about 6 months now. she still won't step up reliably, but always will when she's landed on the floor or someplace unfamiliar to her. in those instances, she does know we're "safe and trustworthy". that's not to say we're not safe and trust worthy everywhere, at all times, but at this point the unfamiliar is where she truly lets us see that we are this to her. she is cage protective about half the time now. at first she was very protective of her cage. after all, it is her home and ultimate safe place. but now, i can rearrange toys about half of the time with her being more curious of what's going on than attacking me, the "great invader". athena, we've had her for 8 years and she is and has always been cage protective! so any time i really need to change stuff around or do a major cleaning, she has to go to a chair or the play area to hang out until i'm done, or else i've got lots of bleeding holes in my hands. i love her to pieces, but she does not mind taking pieces out of me at all!! (in her mind, she is the biggest bird ever created in the entire universe, and when she thinks she's "won" she literally struts her little victorious self all around the place, lol) try to think of this as if someone had taken over your home and wanted to change your routine or the placement of your stuff. until you trust that this someone has your best interest at heart, you'd be rather suspicious and protective. i always explain to the girls when i'm cleaning their cages or rearranging their toys just what i'm doing. i keep it light and cheerful. just be patient, keep explaining, and reinforce that you are trustworthy and safe as often and as much as possible (easier said than done, i know, i remind myself all the time, lol). you have many years to be together, it really does pay off big time in the long run!!

congrats on your new baby! the most important pieces of advice i can offer is have patience (i know easier said than done), remain calm, read everything you can and don't be afraid to ask questions. patience is the biggest thing. you have to keep offering the healthier foods, even eat the fruits and veggies in front of him and show him they're yummy. you can try cooking, steaming, raw, whole, chopped, minced, etc. read the safe foods lists in the forum, there's even recipes you can make to try some new food in on the forum. read as much as you can about everything else, this forum has great people and resources. he's still learning to trust you, his new surroundings, etc. sit and read to him, sing songs for him, talk to him and let him make the decision of how much and when he will open up his trust to you. it could take time, but patience is needed and it will be rewarded. as he gets comfortable, you can work more on other stuff. we've had kallie for 6 months and still have to bribe her (she hates the towel, we only use it in an emergency) with a treat to go back into her cage and she still won't step up except on a rare occasion (she prefers to fly to our head, then slide down to our shoulder, but is increasingly flying to a chair to land now). you have just started on a journey that will last years and years and like a child, he will learn as he gains trust and confidence in not just you, but himself and his surroundings. at some point you'll need to get him checked out at the vet and that's where you can discuss dna testing to see if you have a boy or girl. i hope this is helpful and i know others much more knowledgable will offer you advice and tips as well!!

i've seen videos of birds having a blast in the shower! i just haven't figured out how we'd do this in our shower. we're in an old house with a claw foot tube. we've put in the conversion kit with the riser for a shower head and the hoop for the curtain. the tub is mid way along the wall in the bathroom, so for a home with 1 full bath, i have a tub/shower that needs 2 liner shower curtains (one along the wall, the other the go around one end and along the outside edge, which covers the riser pipe), then 2 outside/decorative curtains, lol! the things we do when we love and have old houses, hahahaha!

earlier today, kallie blew my mind. i was scratching her head when she turned to take a "taste". she does this sometimes, the old "bait and switch" thing. i always tell her no bite kallie. well this morning, she looked straight at me and she asked me "why?"!!!!!!!!!! (i don't know who was more surprised, me because she asked or her for getting "caught") so i explained to her that it hurts when she bites, etc. i don't know if she understood what i explained but it was awesome!! it was just like the kids when they were little wanting to "why" about some of the craziest stuff! athena although not a grey has been known to run up to the front of her cage and ask "whatcha doin?" when i move in my chair or put on my socks, etc. she expects an answer, if you don't she'll keep asking more and more until she's frustrated and will ask in a very angry shrill scream, "WHATCHA DOING????" lol

from late spring to early fall we take them out to get some sun and talk the the birdies. athena loves to be outside. kallie's still a bit nervous since she'd never been outside before we got her (plus getting her into her "mobile" home is a process in and of itself). we load them up into their "mobile" homes and take them out. if we're doing some yard stuff, we move them around the yard with us to see what's going on! but we're in ohio, so there's about half of the year it's just too cold to take them outside, even on our shoulder to the enclosed back porch for a few minutes. i'd love to be someplace where they could enjoy the outdoors all year, but for the foreseeable future......!

our girls are on each side of the picture window in our living room. (there's a front porch, so they're sort of "protected") they're maybe 3' apart. they watch each other and interact so to speak. we've not let them out together at the same time unless one of them is going upstairs with one of us. we've only had kallie about 6 months. when it's just me, i let them out 1 at a time, usually athena first, since she's the bird we've had first. athena had been an only bird until kallie. kallie was in a home with 2 other birds. kallie does sometimes show an interest in athena's cage, so i'm just vigilant while she's out. once in a while she finds a way to sneak onto athena's cage, but i gently shoo her off, telling her no, that's not your house. she'll fly a circle around the room then land on her own cage. then she struts around like she's really gotten away with something and she's very proud of herself! she's quite the character, lol! explain to them what you're doing and why. give them a bit of extra attention/scratches and maybe an extra treat during all the "new" going on. you may find that they really enjoy being closer together. i agree, if it is stressful, you can put up a sheet or something between them to shield them from each other. or maybe arrange their toys in a way they can "hide" from each other and the world inside their cage.

that's a tat?! wow!!! i have 2 tats but nothing like this!! i just don't know if i'd like having boobys on my tookis, lol!!!! thanks for the pic!

thanks very much guys/gals i truly appreciate it. i hadn't thought of that but it makes infinite sense! well i'll have to get "dad" to take a spin at the spray bottle. i think i'll do athena 1st as usual (she is the "1st" bird after all, lol) while "dad" makes a great fun event out of it, then i'll have him do kallie while i make a big great fun event over it. hopefully kallie will start to see that this is a fun thing and not get too bent out of shape thinking "dad" has become the "great traitor", hahaha!! thanks again!

i've got the sprayer as fine as it will go and i spray upwards as well. it's a pump kind, it will spray constantly until the pressure is gone. (it's easier on my hands) athena just "endures" it, but she'll bathe in her water dish at least once a week and get really wet all the while saying, "take a bath, take a bath"! when she's being sprayed she says a very pathetic "yesss" "yyeeessss" and just stands there, lol. kallie though, she's becoming a real pill about this. after she stops pouting and starts moving around again (its a good hour or more of sitting there pouting and shaking), if i go to talk to her or maybe see if she'll let me scratch her head, she either glares at me, eyes pinning away, or shakes like i've abused her!!! i'll offer her a treat (of course they both get a treat) hoping to make friends again. this is one reason i haven't let my husband spray her. she really thinks he's the ultimate in people and i don't want to ruin that, so i'm the bad guy when it comes to bathing. i know i need to just continue on and hope she'll come to "endure" it without being so mad at me afterwards, but sometimes its hard to do what you know is the right thing and get the "cold wing" act! i'm also worried that in the process she'll really come to dislike me altogether. right now we're buddies, head scratches, talking/sounds back and forth, etc. i don't want her to lose her trust of me since i'm also the main caregiver to the girls as i'm not working, due to my hands.

well kallie is supremely mad at me. with the colder weather i've been giving the girls more spray baths. athena takes a bath on her own at least once a week in her water dish. kallie splashes in her water dish, maybe once a month (we always make a big deal about it when she's doing it, hoping she'll accept water on her body better). i spray both of them, athena first so kallie can see it's not this horrible, terrible ordeal she thinks it is. athena bounces back to her perky little self right away. kallie on the other hand, sulks, becomes very quiet and shakes (in anger i think). she doesn't do alot of preening afterwards, just "pouts" and waits to dry. she hates this, she runs around her cage hissing and growling and even doing her banshee screams. i just continue to try and get her soaked down as best as possible while not soaking the walls, lol! i used aloe juice today after the water for the first time (very gentle squirts). that really set her off!!! she's got a few places that she's been plucking (her neck has always been a favorite place, her belly is looking a little thin in the feather). i've bought a humidifier and crank it up after these "fun and exciting" (not) bathing sessions. when i'm spraying kallie i'm telling her that its a "rain bath" and tell her it will make her feel better, etc. i try to keep my voice light and happy, but so far, well lets just say kallie'd just as soon see me disappear forever!! since she prefers my husband more, i've been the one to bathe her so their relationship won't suffer. i hope i'm doing the right thing by kallie. i love her and just want to do what's best for her to try and reduce this plucking. she's got tons of toys, things to shred/preen and is in the living room so she's not too bored! i just don't know what to do to help her become more comfortable with the whole process. any suggestions or ideas will be greatly appreciated! thanks very much in advance!!

i signed the petition. it was a horrible situation. i couldn't stand to watch when they showed a few of the birds on tv here! thanks for the link!

when we got kallie, she had toys but no bells or toy she could really "attack" and have a battle with. also, there were some different perches we needed to use. we put any new toy or perch on a tv tray in the living room where the cage is. every day i'd move the tray closer and play with these items to show her they were ok and safe. we found out, for the most part when it comes to new items, she's pretty brave and accepts them rather quickly!! we also "taste" any new food she's not seen before, before we offer it to her. we make a big deal out of how good and yummy it is. greys are complicated, that's for sure. kallie is spooked more from what she sees out the window than what happens inside the house. (it's our front window and we have a porch, so it's a more "secure" view than a regular window with no roof to help cover the sky) when she gives her scared whistle, we'll go to the window and look, then if we can see what it is that's spooked her, we'll explain it to her. if there's a sound she's not heard before in the house, like my husband doing something in the basement, i'll explain that daddy's in the basement working and it's ok. if she's gotten really spooked, i'll keep the curtains less opened for a day or two until she's resolved it. athena helps out with that a lot. she thinks she's the biggest bird ever created in the universe, lol! it sounds like you're going in the right direction, just be patient. i know it's so hard to do, but it does pay off in the long run. we've all got many years to gain our greys trust and respect and build a relationship. (i remind myself about that all the time, lol)

good questions, i have no answers, sorry. we've had athena all of her 8 years. we've had kallie only this past 6 months, she just turned 3 years. there is such a huge size difference between the two, athena doesn't even weigh 100 grams and kallie is just over 400 grams! both are flighted, but athena isn't and has never been the most agile/graceful flyer. because athena is the "1st" bird, we do for her 1st. food, cage cleaning, greeting, bed time, etc. she is let out 1st and i explain to kallie, she's next. on rare occasion, we have reversed and have let kallie out 1st (explaining to athena that she's next), and tried doing other things (food, cage, etc) with her 1st as well. kallie gets impatient when athena is 1st, athena gets impatient when kallie is first. we've only had both out at the same time when my husband is home. i'll get athena out and we'll go upstairs (or weather permitting on the enclosed back porch) then he'll get kallie out. kallie has shown an interest in athena's cage when she's been out, but i distract her to keep her away since athena's inside of it. we haven't tried to have them both out in the same room or even on the same floor at the same time yet. i'm not sure how to go about that, what to look for as far as "danger" signals beyond their body language. i'm not expecting them to be preening buddies or play on the play stand together, but i'd like to be able to let them out at the same time and know that for the most part, they'll be ok when it's just the girls and me and not have to rely on my husband being home for them both to be out at the same time.

congrats on grim and thanks for rehoming! our kallie is a rehome as well. her owner passed away and the family couldn't keep her birds due to a variety of reasons. i too waited for the other shoe to drop, free grey with cage, food, toys and 1st vet check for no money?! what was the catch??? well there was no catch, the family just wanted loving forever homes for the birds. these were birds that had been loved and well cared for, so our biggest issue was just kallie adjusting to the new situation in her life. we spent several months visiting weekly while homes were found for the other 2 birds she was with. on the name change, when we got kallie, her name was honey. like you, i just didn't like it and wanted to change it, if possible. if not, well she'd remain honey! we used her original name with her new name and slowly started dropping her old name. ex. honey kallie or kallie honey, etc. she now recognizes her name as kallie, says hi kallie, kallie good girl?, etc. we've had kallie almost 6 months now, she was to be "my" bird, but thinks my husband is the be all, end all of the world, so that's just the way it is. she lets me give her head scratches, i take care of her food and cage, etc. we're just thrilled that she has someone in our home that she loves. she's still willful, doesn't want to learn to step up (prefers to fly to your head then slide to your shoulder). but she's just turned 3, we've got many years to work on stepping up and such! we love her and her "sister" athena very much. they both have their little oddities and issues but just like people, who doesn't?!

as far as birds, i tried a parakeet and a couple of finches when i first moved out into the "adult" world. i'd always had a dog growing up, but couldn't have a dog at the apartment i was in. i knew absolutely nothing about birds, but thought they were beautiful and the finches made cool calls. i eventually gave them to my gramma, she'd had canaries and was birdless at that time. many years and several dogs later, i was able to try having a bird again. i started with athena 8 years ago. she's a peach front conure. i didn't know much and she and i have learned alot together. i'd wanted a grey, but couldn't really afford one. if i was going to do it, i wanted it to be done correctly and properly, not half way. i mentioned my interest in greys at athena's vet and they took my name in case a rehome situation came up. well, that's how we got kallie. athena and kallie are as different as night and day. athena believes she's the biggest bird that's EVER existed, even though she's smaller than a cockatiel, she's very brave with a few exceptions. she's a bundle of energy, vocally funny and quite a character. she loves her bells and shredding paper. she's a picky eater and would be a total junk food junky if it were up to her. she's also our live alarm bird, if she doesn't like what she sees out the window, then she's belting out her "alert" call. kallie is more quiet, vocally funny, quite a character, more cautious, yet brave when i least expect it, like around "new" people or toys. she likes to attack her toys several times a day, mimic athena's every word, (so sometimes i have 2 athena's going at once, lol), more open to trying new foods, and just generally "watchful" and thoughtful about things. they are each very unique individuals from each other and from what i've read about others within their species. athena is not the "comical clown" you read about conures being. kallie isn't as fearful, cautious or picky as what i'd always heard about greys either. we love them just the way they are!

you're welcome! just be careful and have a good grip on your phone or whatever you use to show the video. kallie wanted to take the phone for herself, lol!!! she' still wants our phones and anything else that's "shiny", like keys, remotes, glasses, ice cubes, etc hahahaha!! make sure you play her for your current pets at home as well, so they can see and possibly hear her too. of course, our dog would always put me through the "smell" test whenever i came home, so i know he "knew" her to a point!

when i'd go visit kallie before bringing her home, i took video of our other pets for her to watch. she got to see and hear athena and athena got to see and hear kallie as well. kallie was very interested in the videos of athena! hermes, our dog was older and very quiet, so she just "saw" him. she had her vet check on her way to our house so i didn't have to go through a quarantine period since she checked out healthy. she freaked a bit over hermes, she'd never seen a dog like him, he was bigger than any she had seen before. so we put up tv trays around her cage to keep a distance between her and the dog until she was more comfortable with him. that was only several days and she was curious and interacted with him. when she'd go to the lower part of her cage, say, hey you, then turn her head for a scratch we knew she didn't need the tv tray space anymore. kallie and athena's cages are on opposite sides of our front window and have been from the beginning. they can see, hear and talk to each other. this is what worked for us. i'm sure you'll get even better advice from others! congrats on your baby!

my conure athena is an on again, off again plucker. our grey, kallie has an area on her neck she plucks. the vet appt is important to rule out any physical issues. i've tried meds for athena in the past, they have limited success. whatever you do, don't show how alarmed you are about this. try you're best to "ignore" it around your bird. athena takes off all her beautiful green feathers on her chest and runs around in her grey down. i'll ask her if she's ever going to put her "shirt" back on (green feathers) or that, isn't it cold just wearing your "underwear" (grey down). i ask kallie if she'll put her "turtleneck" back on. i'm not sure they understand me or not, but i try to make it happy when i address their various stages of "undress" and i compliment them when they are "fully dressed" by telling them how wonderful and beautiful they look. i know its a silly way to handle this, but it helps me keep the stress, worry and upset out of my voice. also, i make sure there are lots of shredding things for them. paper and phone books are wonderful for this. good luck at the vet.

it didn't start out this way, but we have a "greek" theme going, lol! we had a husky named hermes when i got our peach front conure. well keeping with the greek thing, i named her athena (we found out 2 years later, she's really a he, hahaha) then we adopted a husky mix named lily and also had a box turtle named herman (herman and lily munster!) well we released the turtle (he was crossing a road and we "rescued" him temporarily) and last year we lost lily to a brain tumor. then came a chance to rehome kallie (her original name was honey). so i went looking back at greek names and found kalliope, a muse and as a name it means beautiful voice. last may we lost hermes to a stroke. (i don't think hermes ever got over missing lily). do you have other pets or favorite movies/characters, to do a "theme"? as odd as the names we've picked out for our pets, it's brought us lots of fun and laughs and believe it or not, they really did/do have characteristics of their names!