Mama CJ

I'm sorry for you loss.

Talk to him. Explain to him what's going on. Some people think I'm nuts but it's worked with both of my rehomed birds and a rehomed boxer dog. I even suggested to the last family to tell Rocky my CAG what was going on and why. So far I've had some pretty easy transitions. Just give him some time to learn the new routine. Try to stay relaxed, it just might pass on to Hunter. Also, tell him what your going to do before and as your doing it, like clean the cage, feeding him a meal, etc. Good luck and keep us updated!

Here we go again. I can hear ice hitting the sky lights.

We had a lot of ice on Monday too, no school on Tuesday for the kids. Sounds like we might be getting some more nasty weather tonight. I'm in Ohio too, between Marysville, Urbana and Bellefontaine area. Glad you got thru it. Wood burners are a life saver here in Ohio.....

Great job on the playstand Tommyr20!

Those are wonderful pics! I haven't seen a grey with the dark tips on the tail, very nice.

I've had Millie for about 5 months now and she won't leave her cage yet. It took a couple of months just to get her to come out of the cage on her own. I've had Rocky for about a month and he doesn't let me sneak off to the potty without him! She'll let you know when she's ready!

We use a wood stove 24/7 this time of year. We haven't used the furnace since we were on vacation around the holidays. I let the birds out of their cages for several hours a day but I do make sure the stove is set very low, not hot to touch. My biggest concern was the possibility of one of them try to land on it and getting burned. I'm not sure about other stoves but ours has one shelf that gets hot enough to cook on if needed. So far Millie doesn't fly but Rocky does. He has never once tried to fly or land on or near the stove. He has flown to me while I've been standing a few feet from it. I also keep a humidifier cranking at all times and a little extra misting. I went to give Millie a snack one day and she got shocked...that was one pissed, fluffed up bird! Now I touch her cage just before I touch her.

I'm glad you finally got to bring her home! Gives us updates on how it goes for her!

What a wonderful update! I've had Millie almost 5 months now and the progress she has made is amazing! Great to hear you two are doing so well!

Wow. I didn't know that, very interesting. Thank you!

Ok, thank you. I was having a hard time finding raisins on a safe or unsafe to feed list.

Are raisins safe to give to our fids?

Millie has lost about 20 tail feathers in the last 2 days. The feathers don't look chewed or plucked. The tips are clear, no blood and they don't look damaged. Does this still seem normal? I mainly find them in the morning and evening. I'm still seeing "fluffy" feathers too. She's eating, playing and being active as usual.

Thanks, Dave. We have also seen many more of the little white feathers the last 2 weeks. We call them "Millie fluff". I was just a little shocked to see so many tail feathers since she had only lost one since September (I saved it).

I woke up this morning to find 7 small red tail feathers in the bottom of the cage, no blood in any of them. Millie has been in a great mood, talking and playing more and more every day and eats great. My concern was we just got another CAG a few days ago. She doesn't seem nervous, scared or upset about it. They have their own cages and they've have no contact with each other so one is not plucking the other. I have noticed the last 2 weeks all the small feathers in and around her cage so I thought she may be starting to molt. She is 11 but I'm not familiar on what to expect when an older grey molts. Does this seem normal or unusual?

He's been pretty quiet so far with a few random words and sounds. I'm not sure about what kind of monkey it was, I heard it but didn't see it and I don't know a thing about them. His voice seems louder than Millies. Last night I let them get a look at each other through the cages and Millie said "Hello bird", my son got a huge kick out of it and said "Mom, that was epic"! haha Anyway, he's said "here kitty kitty, calls for his other family by name, answers when the phone rings, a few cuss words and some things we just need to hear a few times to figure it out. Lots of sounds like a laser beam, phones and what could be video games and the monkey sounds. He perked up this morning, was kind of quiet through the day and active again this evening. And for some reason, Millie has been more of a clown than usual. She's playing with us more and will rub her head on our hand but she still won't let us pet her. Baby steps. She seems more confident but it could be because she's been getting out of her cage for a few hours every day now.

That is tooo cute!

Great job, thanks!

I didn't think to take pics until I had started cleaning the cage, it was worse than that. I used a rag, scrub brush, old tooth brush to get in between the bars better, scouring pad and a magic eraser. And lots of vinegar! My son told me it smelled like Easter eggs in the house, but believe me it was much worse and didn't remind me of Easter with my head and arms in that cage!

Black shirts. I have a black sweat shirt I put on sometimes in the evening and she hates it. My son got a black tee shirt for Christmas and he can't wear it around her. Wow, she has us trained!

Thanks judygram. He seems pretty laid back, not a plucker. I haven't heard him scream, he has nipped a few times but I was pretty busy in that cage. He was raised with a pet monkey so he has some interesting sounds! He has talked a bit, just still a little reserved. I think just a little bit of time to get used to his new home, family and schedule and he'll be fine.

Reminds me of my kids when they were younger.....

That is too funny! I wear transitions eye glasses and when I first walk in the house I have to wait about 5 minutes before Millie will let me near her! She doesn't like dark glasses or sunglasses.....