JeffNOK

Yes this is indeed a family of sorts, and like any family we have quite a cast of characters. We have the gruff and crusty grandfathers, the doting aunts, the hippie sister-in-laws, and the eccentric great-uncles. We have the shy and sensitive little sisters and the big brothers full of bravado and self-assurance. We also have family fights and words said out of turn. I enjoy the motley crew that we are, but yes at times feelings can be hurt. I felt a bit slammed early on by a few responses to my posts, but I took the advice of one of the administrators and spent time to get to know where people were coming from before I made any judgments. I try very hard to be compassionate and appreciate the compassion in others. We all mess up at times, but if we continue to strive for the same goal of creating a community of respect, this forum will endure as a lifeline for all of us who share the joy of greys and try to provide the best life for them.

I am sure if you get a tiel you will find a great friend. I'm not sure it is ever a guarantee that your grey will get along with another bird though. If you want a second bird for yourself, that's great. If you are getting the bird for companionship with your grey, that might not necessarily work out how you want.

Welcome back. I hope all is well health-wise. Glad to know your little Roxie is doing well. My Gracie is about a month older, so we are sort of in the same boat. By the way, is Roxie a CAG or a TAG--I forgot. They are really a joy.

Sounds like trust and love to me.

Thanks for sharing. I have a soft spot for Amazons. I doubt I'll ever have one since I live in a condo and noise can be an issue, but I love to live vicariously through all you lucky Zon parronts.

Just curious--when do African Greys start this regurgitation thing? I am assuming after sexual maturity. Do young birds do this? Gracie is just 10 1/2 months old. No regurg yet/ i'm not really looking forward to that, but want to be prepared.

My Gracie-a 10 month old CAG- does a perfect imitation of my parents' Toy Fox Terrier. I don't know who is who. We are housesitting this week while they are on vacation and Gracie gets her jollies by barking and calling the dog over and then dumping her food bowl on the floor for him to eat. She is greatly amused.

Hi! This is Gracie. For the last few days I have been housesitting at my daddy's parents' house. It's a big place and a little scary--but has lots of room to fly, fly, fly. I don't like my daddy to leave the room where I stay, so I have to devise ways to get his notice. His parents have these things called "blinds" in front of the windows that daddy doesn't like me to climb on and chew the wood. I mean please, what is wood for besides chewing? Anyway if daddy leaves the room I immediately fly to the blinds and start calling "step up!" step up!" He always comes right away to give me my deserved attention. There is also this thing called a "doggie" that lives here. I have learned this creature's rudimentary language. These doggies are somewhat simple. They just do this "woof, woof" babble. It doesn't seem to have much meaning. So sometimes when I am bored I "woof woof" and the doggie comes. Then I dump my food bowl on the floor! The doggie likes my left-overs, and Daddy always shows up when I do that, so it's entertaining. Daddy tries to tell me "no" when I pick up my food bowl to feed doggie, but I'm not very impressed with that word. Sometimes I humor daddy and stop what I'm doing when he says that "no" word. I want daddy to think he has some influence in our relationship. It seems to make him feel good--deluded as he is. But I can't just do what daddy wants all the time or he will get the impression that he has some sort of authority. That would be unfair to allow him to think that. If daddy and I are to get along he needs to realize that I am the captain of my own ship and daddy is along for the ride as long as he plays his cards right.

A HAPPY ENDING!!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy for you and Xandir.

As I read your post, I couldn't help but think about my experience with Gracie my 10 month old CAG. She was very much as you describe your prospective fid. She would step up, but fly off. She didn't give me much attention. She was more interested in her clutch mates and exploring her surroundings. There were two other babies there who were much more affectionate and interested in people. I had doubts about my decision too. I wondered if we would ever bond once I brought her home. Well, I have had her for over six months and we are very bonded. She is not a cuddller. She doesn't like to be touched except for beak rubs with my nose (which she loves!). Fingers and hands are not welcome yet. She always steps up and never bites. But she shows me in many ways that I am her world. When I am home she has her eye on me every minute. We play with toys together and sing and whistle and talk together (well she only says a few words). She greets me with joy every morning when I uncover her cage. She hates it when I leave. When I come home from work it is like Christmas has arrived. If I walk out of the room, she begins her contact calls right away. She loves me and wants me near. I don't regret for a moment that I invited her into my life. The cuddles and scritches may or may not come in the future, but she expresses her love in many other ways. Even when I brought her home, she only slowly started to bond. I would say it was about 6 weeks before I really felt like we were bonding. It has been steady progress since. You have to follow your heart, and there is certainly nothing wrong with choosing another fid that seems more eager for your attention. I can only speak from my experience and say that I am glad I didn't change my mind. Some things are meant to be and others aren't. I will pray that you know what to do when the time comes. Good luck.

I'm just going to pray my heart out that you get your precious Xandir back.

I have a pak-o bird, but I introduced it too soon and Gracie wasn't ready.Now after six months of trust and love it may be time to try again!

The red factor greys are very attractive. Gracie my CAG only has a red tail, but that's just fine--she wiggles that red butt with a lot of gusto!

Thank Goodness that was CGI fakery. Even so, it might give some moron a bad idea.

This is a wonderful forum, and there are many people here with amazing experience. I will say that your situation is different from most of us here. The majority of people here have greys for personal companionship. I'm not sure how many people in this forum have grey pairs in aviaries. You mentioned that it would be only a summer habitat. What would their living situation be during the cold months? Being in Switzerland, your summers are not particularly long. I have no doubt your future greys will have a great life. Hopefully you will find the information you need here. I wish you the best of luck.

I was in your position about one year ago. The wait did seem long--although it was made easier by almost daily visits once I chose my baby. I have had my Grey about six months now and I wouldn't trade a day! Every step in the journey is really a joy. Let us know how things progress, and send pics as they become available. We all love seeing those baby snaps.

The cages you purchased look like what I have for Gracie (CAG) as a travel cage. I think it would be appropriate for a sleep cage. I live alone and put Gracie to bed around 9 PM. I cover her and leave the room. It works for us. I think your idea is great. Keep up posted.

The answers are often out there but hard to find. Sometimes I wonder if the search functions work properly. I have done many basic searches that are surely addressed, but get a "no match found" message. It can be frustrating.

Lol--Interesting question. Gracie's tongue looks like a grilled hot dog-- pink and black in different spots. They have such unusual tongues.

One thing I am thankful for is that my mother is a writer and animal lover. Over the past couple of years she has been blogging about Bailey and Barkleah (the Toy Fox Terrier that Gracie imitates). I read some recent posts in her blog tonight that brought back a lot of happy memories. When I shed tears, one is a sad tear and one is a happy tear for a great friend and happy times.

In 1999, I was at one of the lowest points of my life. I had been diagnosed with a potentially life threatening illness, was in the middle of a painful break up, and was living with my parents at the age of 32 because my job didn't pay enough to cover my debts and allow independent living. In the midst of a real depression a little black Labrador Retriever named Bailey entered my life. She gave me something to focus on and love. She pulled me out of a dark place with unconditional acceptance. In the years since, I have gotten on my feet and am a happy man. Today, I had to say goodbye to that sweet girl. When the decision was made to let go of Bailey, I was pretty broken up. Gracie (my CAG) had never seen me cry. She didn't like it one bit. She just kept chirping at me like she does when she wants out of her cage or some forbidden treat. She knew I was hurting and wanted it to stop. As I sat with Bailey at the vets office today, I told her what a good girl she was and how she had been a best friend over the years. She went peacefully and I look forward to seeing her again someday at the Rainbow Bridge. I just wanted to share my loss with my Grey Forums family. When we love we also have loss. it's part of the deal--but I would never trade that. Blessings all. Jeff

I've read the threads here about grey body language, but Gracie does this thing that I haven't heard described. I know a video would explain it best, but I haven't been able to film her doing it yet. I will try my best to describe it. Sometimes when I am talking to Gracie or being sweet with her she will do a sort of wing pump with one wing and then the next. She takes one wing and moves it away from her body about a centimeter and then thumps it back against her body and then does the other wing the same way. She never does both wings at the same time--but right left or left right in succession. If it were a human it would be like soldier standing at attention and then moving one arm straight out away from his body about six inches and then popping it back against his side, and then doing the other arm. She only does it when she seems relaxed and happy--often with one foot tucked up and her chest feathers somewhat fluffed and even quivering a bit. Do any of your fids do this?

Great to have you here! You will no doubt find many people here who are eager to share concerning any questions u might have. Kudos to you for giving your baby a forever home.

Lol! I loved that! My chuckle for the day!

I want to grab her up and squeeze, too. Alas, she still doesn't like much touching, but I love her more than I ever imagined