JeffNOK

All of God's creatures are amazing. I hate to compare. Clearly a hampster is wonderful in a hampster way. A cat, well they are super wonderful, too. I have spent many happy years with dear cat and dog friends. Real and true friends. It's just so fantastic that we can choose to share our lives with these fantastic creatures. Most humans don't give hampsters, cats, dogs, or parrots the respect they deserve. I absolutely love dogs and cats and parrots-even hampsters. They have all enriched my life in various ways.

Solomon is quite resourceful. What I wouldn't give for my Gracie to do that. Every day like clock work I wake up at 6:45 and uncover her cage--change her papers and feed her. When I have a day off I take a nap on the couch next to her cage. She plays and squawks and has a grand old time, but she never comes over to me. I'm a little jealous Solomon is so determined to invade your space. Be thankful for those little irritations.

Yes indeed we all have such a long ways to go. What I am learning about life with a grey is that there is so much that lies ahead. With a dog, once they are potty trained and quit chewing up the furniture you pretty much have your relationship established. I'm beginning to suspect that with greys there is an ongoing evolution that takes years. It's very cool, but daunting at the same time. It certainly keeps us on our toes.

Everybody needs a winge and a rant from time to time and this is a great place to do it. You find out quickly that you aren't alone and you have lots of support. Deep down I think you know that you are doing the right things. My fid is 9 months old and is starting to molt. Occassionally when she preens I see a feather in her beak. Inside I start to get stressed. I watch and watch her to see if she is plucking or if its just coming out during the preening process. I know that in spite of what I have learned, I will probably "react" if I suspect she is plucking. We humans are so transparently emotional to our fids. Don't be hard on yourself. I suspect everything will be just fine.

Gracie is a very spoiled fid in the toy department. Every time I go out to get her essentials I can't resist getting a new toy for her. I try to rotate toys in and out every few days to keep her interested. The only issue is that Gracie is very possessive of her toys. She is a sweet bird 99% of the time, but when I reach for one of her toys, she storms over to me all fluffed up and lunges at my fingers. It's only a bluff because she strikes about a half inch away from me rather than making contact. I don't pull my hand away. Up until recently I just ignored her bravado, but in the last few days, I have let her know that such displays are not ladylike and I don't appeciate them. Well today I was removing one of her favorite toys and she started her mischief with me. I looked her in the eye and sternly said "No, that's not nice." She stopped in her tracks and eyed me without lunging. Then she walked over to a different toy, fluffed up and struck it with all her might. Then she looked back at me, fluttered her little red tail and squawked as if to say, "That could have been you!". I just laughed and told her she was a good girl to attack the other toy instead of Daddy. I know she got the last word in a way, but what warmed my heart is that she seemed to know that I had feelings too and in spite of her instincts, she respected them.

For some reason, most people in my part of Oklahoma don't have basements. I think it has something to do with the soil or the water table--not sure. In general, people with cash build "safe rooms" in their homes. Sadly, I'm a poor teacher who can't afford anything like that. On the bright side, there is a convenience store nearby with a great freezer. Based on the Joplin videos from last year, those freezers kick butt. Everything was wiped out except for the freezer. I just hope Gracie won't get too cold if the time comes.

Jayd, good point about Einstein. I love watching Einstein (actually both of them), but it is true that the behavior is trained and not natural. I didn't know about N'kisi dropping off the map. I will have to research that. I'm curious what happened. I know there was some discussion about N'Kisi reading minds which I thought was a bit strange. I teach English to international students and one of our textbooks has a short reading about N'Kisi that I found interesting, but I haven't done any fact checking recently. The Cosmo research was quite interesting, however, dealing with how her vocalizations changed depending on social situations. Maybe sticking to Alex and Cosmo would be enough in a short speech.

If it were me I would view this as an opportunity to introduce an amazing creature to people who probably have very little knowledge about birds in general let alone African Greys. As such, I would not focus too narrowly, but use the seven minutes to more or less give broad information that will peak their curiosity. If I was giving the presentation, this is what I would talk about and how I would organize my presentation. 1. General Info: What the bird looks like, where it is from,the life span and that there are two sub-species. 1 min 2. Interesting Facts: Give examples of its amazing cognitive and talking abilities. Introduce them to stories about Alex, Einstein, N'kisi, and Cosmo (there is some really interesting new research based on Cosmo) etc. 3 minutes. 3. Discuss how they are as human companions: devotion, entertainment, mischief, cost, housing requirements, medical needs.--2.5 min 4. Conclude with cautions about their need for lots of attention and love and that such parrots should only be owned by those fully committed to them-- .5 min (30 sec might not seem like much here, but these are not necessarily prospective Grey owners, so a basic caution should be enough in my opinion) Those are just my thoughts. Good Luck and give us feedback after your speech!

I've been dreading tornado season. I live in Oklahoma, so this is an annual thing. I've got Gracie's travel cage right next to her main cage. I live in an upstairs condo, so it's not really safe here if a tornado comes. Thankfully I have neighbors who know to expect me if a warning is issued. Thanks for posting this thread. I'm sure there are many of us in tornado alley, and many others in areas prone to such storms.

I think Gracie sends off a "get away" vibe to other birds rather than a welcoming one. Last week there were two doves on my balcony and Gracie kept flying menacingly at the sliding door windows outside the balcony until they flew off. Once they were gone she went back to her perch and fluffed herself up with a very satisfied look as if she was thinking "well I showed them who was boss!"

Salsa is a very sweet looking amazon. Loved the video.

Many of you know that I have young CAG Gracie. We are still working on our relationship but are very happy together. I have considered the possibility of getting a Lilac Crowned female amazon in the future, but that is far from certain. First, when would be good timing for that? Should I wait a couple years? Also, I live in a condo. Gracie is a little noisier than I expected, but so far no complaints from neighbors. Are lilac crowned amazons much noisier than greys? Do you think that would be a good match with a grey? Just curious.

What made you decide to get a mate for Zippy, Doug?

Sounds like a fun outing. Those TOOs and conures are quite attention seekers. Greys seem to hold their cards closer to their chests. The body language you describe in the grey at that pet store indicates stress and fear. The poor little guy sounds like he was scared. Is that normal? Yes--it can be. When I visited my breeder in the months before I got my grey there was a Timneh there that shook and growled at me every time I walked by. It doesn't mean that he wouldn't make a great pet--but he will need a lot of love and patience to get settled in. That growling Timneh found a home and seems to be doing well based on the most recent reports. My grey (Gracie) had a reputation of being somewhat of a grump too--although not a biter. I almost hesitated to get her because she didn't seem that impressed with me or anyone else for that matter. She was, and still is, quite independent. But for whatever reason, I just felt deep inside that we were meant to be a team. She's been home with me for four months now and I just love her to pieces--she loves me too--but not in a gushy way. I suspect relationships with greys grow as trust is earned. It is not granted lightly, but it is genuine and real. I've heard conures might make better family birds than greys, however, especially where kids are concerned. I'm curious why you have decided on a grey rather than a TOO or a conure. By the way, before I found a breeder closer to home (Tulsa, OK) I corresponded with a breeder near you. Old World Aviaries. They specialize in African parrots as well as Eclectus. I was impressed with them. You might consider contacting them if you haven't settled on a breeder yet. I think they sell Congo Greys for $850 and Timnehs for $750.

Kins--She is almost never in her cage when I am home--she just happened to go in there to perch after her bath. When I'm home she is out and playing unless she chooses some downtime. I will admit that she really likes her comfort zone however. Her comfort zone is the top of her cage, a nearby travel cage, and her playstand. She often will fly into the adjacent living room, but she always returns to her cage top. I am trying to broaden her areas of comfort. Today I did get her to step up and walked her around different rooms. She was ok with it for a while, but after a couple of minutes she flew back to her comfort zone. I will try again tomorrow. I'm still practicing more touching while giving her treats. It seems to be working a bit. I touched her beak and her feet. She didn't excatly like it--but hopefully she will accept more touch in time.I'm going to just keep at it and keep at it. She is worth the wait.

I just can't imagine touching Gracie that way. I'm lucky when I get a nose bump. Im not complaining, but be thankful for what you have. It isnt a given.

Congratulations for trying to open up the relationship with him-he deserves it. Do you have him on your own or are u in a family with him? Regardless, you are his world and he needs relationships. I would certainly not seek shoulder sitting as a goal. The goal is trust and love. Sit with him, talk with him, offer him treats. Give him toys to play with. Don't rush anything. If he bites, just ignore it. Read his body language(there are many posts here on grey body language) so you can avoid the bite. Mentally picture him as your friend and just try to put his needs first. This little guy has spent years on the sidelines and it wont be a quick fix, but time, patience, and love will drive you in the right direction. Dedicate yourself to this little life. Don't be discouraged if you dont see progress quickly. Greys are so intelligent and sensitive and they need tender care.

Ellie is close to Gracie's age so they will be going through milestones together. Ellie is a very sweet looking TAG. I love that she likes to sleep under you hand.

Lol Ray--You may be right. When she first mastered the "wolf whistle" and kisses, I was so excited and she knew it. Now the wolf whistle is her contact call and any time I leave the room or leave the house I get a barrage of wolf whistles and kisses. It's still cute but sometimes I get subjected to 20 wolf whistels in a row!

Lol--we haven't "boogied" yet--but who knows....

LOL Kins how cute! I had several of my friends listen to the audio from the video. There seems to be a consensus that Gracie may be saying "doggie". A few days ago I had a visit from my parents' Toy Fox Terrier. His name is Barkley. I kept saying over and over to Gracie--"Barkley's a doggie==Barkley's a doggie". Now obviously Gracie was very interested in the dog so I wonder if the word stuck. My parents were sure Gracie was saying "Bark'y doggie". I'm not sure, but I really CAN hear "doggie". It may just be random, but let me know if any of you hear the same. She repeats it a few times--at 53-57 seconds it sounds the clearest to me. I may be getting overly excited. Either way--I suppose in time if that is what she is saying it will become clear soon.

Kins--I couldn't agree more and I value your opinions.

Thanks Ray. I'm a first time parront and I chose a grey for my first bird. If I had simply relied on the typical information one finds on the internet, I would have been discouraged from getting a grey. I joined the forum one year before I brought home Gracie and that year of education really helped. Although I agree that greys are complex and can be a challenge, I feel very comfortable sharing life with her. I still have tons of questions and miles to go in my relationship with Gracie, but I have never regretted my decision to get a grey. Those internet generalizations just don't describe the experience I have had so far.

I wanted to post a quick video of Gracie chattering after her bath. Sorry I keep interupting her with my wolf whistling--but she usually likes to wolf whistle and blow kisses which I thought would be cute. Anyway, I wondered if some of you might listen to some of her vocalizations and let me know if you think it sounds like she is trying to work out speech. A few times she does that thing where she goes into her throat and sort of babbles in a talking way. It may just be my imagination, but do you think she might be trying to say something? http://s1224.photobucket.com/albums/ee371/JeffNOK/?action=view&current=afterbath001.mp4

Ozzy-The issue with the Pak-O-Bird was the going in and out. I think she feared the small enclosed space. I ended up transporting her in a larger, more open travel cage and that seemed to work much better. Admittedly, the pak o bird was during our first month together, she may take to it better now.