JeffNOK

I will be praying for you and Timber!

Thanks for the update. It sounds like great strides are taking place. None of us can claim to be anything like perfect parrot companions, but we live, learn, adjust, try this, and try that. It can be daunting, but ultimately rewarding when we see steps forward.

I will definitely be praying for a full recovery for little Olive. Bless you and hang in there!

She was a blessed little bird when you found her. I am sure her time with you was precious for both of you.

My CAG Gracie has always been reluctant to accept much handling-even as a chick. She steps up, kisses/touches my shoulder, and likes to sit on my arm or knee for short periods of time (5-15 minutes). I would like to give her scritches, but I haven't initiated it in years (she is 5 1/2 now)and she hasn't requested it. I might try to expand that in the future, but I wonder if it is anything she really wants or if it is just me.

You made the right decision. You need to protect your beloved flock. I would do the same. It is likely that CC needs a forever home where he/she can be a single parrot.

I hope Dorian's day was awesome!

I have to echo what Birdhouse wrote. Your GracieMae is such a chill, confident, fun loving bird. You clearly have given her a safe and loving joyful home! Happy late hatchday!

My Grey is pretty silent when around strangers. Once she gets to know people she talks and sings much more frequently. This is pretty typical with greys and i would not recommend trying to train her to change her behavior. You might try leaving a camera on her when you leave the room in order to capture her vocalizations. I have done that with my CAG. But, otherwise I would not worry about it or try to intervene.

I had my CAG Gracie for about 2 years before I left her with anyone. I live alone, so I left her with my parents (whom she knew pretty well from visits over those two years.) She had stayed in their home overnight several times before, but I was always there. Anyway, when I got back, Gracie was completely smitten with my father-so much so that I felt like chopped liver when I got back. I told my father it was his gray hair and hooked-beak-like nose that prompted her affections (I know, I know--jealousy is an ugly thing). Over the subsequent 2 and a half years, I have grown to appreciate Gracie's "crush" on my Dad. I know when she stays there, she will be happy and excited. Also, she has grown to like my mother as well...but in a more "Yes, there you are to take care of my needs and keep me company when nobody better is around" sort of way. Since then I have been away for business and vacation for up to a week, and all is well. I don't know what I would do without my parents to help out. They are in their 70's, so I need to keep an eye out for other prospects should they be less able to CAG-sit in the future.

That was awesome! GracieMae is a smart very cute little girl.

Yes. Just me and Gracie. I am single--so literally just me and Gracie..although she knows my friends and parents.

Gracie was my first grey. We had a family budgie when I was kid. I was fortunate to find a local avian vet who was also a breeder of CAGs and TAGS. I went there every day during my lunch hour and often after work. The breeder believed in having the grey mostly parent raised. Most breeders pull the chick around 4-6 weeks. My breeder kept Gracie with her parents until 9 weeks and then finished hand feeding until 16 weeks. Because she was with parents longer she was initially less open to humans, so I wanted to build a bond with her.

Poppy looks very beautiful. It still seems like yesterday when I met my CAG Gracie for the first time. She came from a local breeder, so I was able to visit her daily while she was being weaned the weeks before I brought her home. That was five years ago, and it has been a wonderful journey! I can't wait to hear how Poppy settles in. You have done all the right things to prepare materially, mentally, and emotionally. Poppy is a lucky girl and of course you are even luckier! Buckle your seat belt my friend. The race is on. And don't forget that we are all here and available. My first few weeks.months with Gracie were filled with self-doubt and some failures. Greyforums was here to encourage and inform.

I think another thing that might be helpful on the days you work long hours is to get up early and make sure you spend quality time with your bird. If you focus your time from 8AM to 1:45 PM with your bird out of the cage and interacting with you, I think it will minimize adverse affects.

That was WAAAAAY off the charts on the cute scale. I feel like I am covered in honey!

Hello all. I just wanted to post a little hatchday announcement for my little grey ball of fluff, Gracie. She is five today and continues to be a joyful loving companion and friend. I guess she is finally entering adulthood! She is especially happy because it is Saturday, and I can spend the day spoiling her.

It is great that you have decided to join the forum well in advance of getting your grey. I joined the forum about one year before I got my grey and it was invaluable. There is so much conflicting information about parrots online that I was quite confused before I got here. I didn't have any parrot experience prior to getting my grey, so I was a complete newbie. My CAG Gracie will be five this week, and it has been an awesome, wonderful, challenging yet fulfilling and growing experience. African Greys are very special, and the more work you put into it, the better your future relationship will be. Welcome aboard, fasten your seat belt, and prepare for an adventure!

I want to echo what others have said. Our relationships with our greys is lifelong and ever changing. Grey time is nothing like dog or cat time. You will be amazed at the evolution of your relationship with Nonsense when you look back six months, a year or even five years from now. That is the awesome, yet also sometimes frustrating, part of sharing life with a grey.

My CAG Gracie's quirk is her nightly bedtime routine. Now Gracie is a sweet bird and never bites. However, every night at bedtime we go through the same routine. Gracie starts with "Night Night time. Time for sleepies. Step up! Sweet tomorrow." After saying her lines a few times I go get her to step up and place her back in her cage on her boing perch. Without fail, as she steps up on the perch she attempts a mock "sucker punch bite" and says "Ahh--Ahh!". Now she could bite me if she wanted to, but she never actually makes beak to flesh contact--all bluff. Then she proudly says, "Gracie bite! ouchie!"....then she looks at me sheepishly and says "Gracie sorry. No bite. Gracie kiss....'smmmmooooochhhh'. Sweet tomorrow." I cover her cage and we are done with our ritual. Same dance every single night.

Glad you are here. Tell us more about yourself when you get a chance. Welcome!

Does Nonsense have regular exposure UV light (natural sun or a UV avian lamp?). This also can be a factor. Also please check some other threads on feather picking. Dave and others have lots of good advice there.

Tulsa OK must be a good place for Timnehs. I got my CAG from a Tulsa avian vet named Carol Best at Best Friends Veterinary Clinic. She also breeds Timnehs and she was wonderful. http://www.bestfriendstulsa.com I highly recommend her. I don't know about shipping.

My CAG Gracie loves music. She is not a dancer, but she loves to sing along. If there is a song she likes she will try to accompany it with her own composition--usually a mix of random lyrics and nonsense words.

Classic! Loved it. Very cute