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I just wanted to tell you that I love the Gilbert updates. He sounds very special, and so do you.

Simon steps up onto my finger. But he likes it when I sit on the couch and he can sit on my chest with his head tucked between my breasts, while I run my fingers backwards through the feathers on his neck and head.

I bought some baby board books to use for mixed media art projects, but never got around to it. I'm going to read them to Simon and see what he thinks.

I can tell by looking at a dropping on the floor, which bird it came from. My boyfriend is very impressed by that, in a weird sort of way.

Do they all do that? How long does it last? I thought maybe Simon was just a bit uncoordinated. But I'm so impressed with how he does other things that require mental coordination. I love that I can watch him trying to figure something out. The little wheels are turning as he thinks a multi-step operation through. Sometimes he decides that the easiest way to get from Point A to Point B is to act like a baby and beg me to carry him. Other times he figures it out for himself. Kazoo and I both cheer like crazy when Simon makes it to the very top of his cage play top, up on top of the toy hook. He has to crawl and climb and grip the toy and flap his wings and eventually he makes it - we cheer and shout and he wags his tail and fluffs his feathers. I can't get over what a good eater he is. He's always got his head in the food bowl and he makes the sweetest little noises while he's eating. He eats his warm mash, and lots of raw fruits and veggies. The only thing he doesn't seem to like much is apple. He poops a lot. Way more than Kazoo. Do you think it's because he's a baby, or because he's a Grey, or because he eats so much?

This morning I noticed when Simon pooped on the white leather couch that all the liquid was red. My first thought was that it was blood, and I was scared. His wings were trimmed before he left the breeder's, and he has had several crash landings each day, into walls and floors. I was afraid he was bleeding internally as the result of an internal injury. However, then I remembered that he had raw beets as part of his supper last night. I'm assuming it's the beets that turned his poop red, because I remember that happened with my baby sister years ago. I've been keeping an eye on his poops ever since (which isn't hard, since he has most of them on me) and they seem to be normal again. (There were several red ones in the cage from overnight.) Other than that, he seems normal. Good appetite, cheerful, sociable, affectionate, vocal. Do you think I'm right about the beets, or should I be worrying? Also, is there anything I can do to prevent the crash landings? It makes me crazy to see him smashing into walls, although it doesn't seem to bother him as much as it bothers me. He won't be trimmed again....but how long will it take for his feathers to grow back fully?

Simon Grey is now living in his big cage in the living room (I confess: we didn't last long with the quarantining). He likes his new digs. Kazoo, the Amazon, lives across the room from Simon. He enjoys watching Simon, and actually cheers him on when Simon attempts to climb the toy hook on the playtop. So far they haven't had much direct interaction - I'm leaving that to them. (Simon doesn't seem very interested in Kazoo yet.) The etiquette question pertains to Oboe the Lovebird, who lives upstairs because I need to protect him from Duncan the cat. When Duncan goes outside, I bring Oboe down for half an hour or so to fly and socialize. He's like a pesky little brother though. His mission statement is to drive everybody else crazy. He flies circles around the other birds, divebombs Kazoo, and nibbles on Simon's toes. Both the bigger birds snap at him but he's much faster than them. Today he actually went INTO Simon's cage while Simon was in there eating his mash. He went in and made himself at home. He sat on his perch, played with a toy, and then took a bath in Simon's water dish. Simon looked annoyed, but he was busy with his breakfast and besides, he could never catch Oboe. And finally, we get to my question. Should I intervene? Should I draw the line at Oboe going in Simon's cage? Or should I stay out of it and let them figure things out between them?

Welcome! I can't tell you if it's normal, since I'm brand new at this. But I can tell you that my baby Grey has lethal toenails compared to my Amazon and lovebird.

Here's a video of Kazoo in the shower. Nobody loves shower time more than Kazoo!

I've had Kazoo for five months, and it's quite touching the way he gives his trust in increments over time. After the first few days, I thought wow, he's stepping up, he trusts me now. But I really had no idea. In retrospect, he just trusted me a little. The trust continued to grow, and I still see real differences from one month to the next. I keep thinking "he trusts me completely now" but then he surprises me by demonstrating another level of increased trust. These little increments of trust are like gifts I didn't even know existed until he gave them to me. His previous person asked me to send her regular updates about how he's doing, so I email her a progress report every month on the 13th. It's interesting to look back over these and reflect upon the changes in Kazoo and in our relationship. He's very special.

Exercising? Really? Wow. I'm very happy to hear that - although I have to say it's one of the weirder things I've heard today. Thanks Jayd, I'll stop worrying now.

He takes a big drink of water, then steps out onto the door of his cage, bangs his beak hard against the cage like a woodpecker, then regurgitates the water. I can't figure out why. He doesn't regurgitate food, just water. (Background: he's a 13-year-old Amazon and I've had him for about 5 months. I've seen him do this several times.)

I'm glad you got a lawyer. Nothing can fix the damage done, but you can be sure if the cops are offering you another dog, it's because they know they screwed up. As for your little boy, that's an awful thing for a child to witness. Watch for signs of trauma.

I don't know if it's because he's a baby or because he's a Grey, but I have to wash his face after every meal!

I've decided not to respond to him when he barks for attention. Instead, I wait for him to make another sound, and then I talk to him or pick him up. He makes the sweetest little baby sounds when he's eating. He loves eating. I scared him yesterday for the first time. He loves every toy I give him, so I haven't worried about introducing them slowly. However yesterday I was rooting around in the toy box and I found a little stuffed puppy and held it up for him. He immediately shrieked, and he got twice as big as he usually is, and his whole posture changed. He seriously scared the bejeezus out of me! So I put the puppy down and told him it was okay and apologized to him and then he was fine. I showed him the puppy again from more of a distance, and he decided he liked it after all.

Oh my God! That's awful! I'm so sorry. Did this just happen?

Kazoo's an Amazon, though. My baby Grey is much more food-oriented.

Thanks Judy. Kazoo has now decided he likes the mash too, which is remarkable since for the first 13 years of his life, all he ever ate was pellets and peanuts. I started giving him fresh foods when he moved in here five months ago, and it took him at least a month before he'd even try it. He's still a bit of a fussy eater, but he's getting better all the time. He also had no idea how to forage. There was a complicated foraging toy in his cage, but he ignored it. Recently I read somewhere on this board that you have to start out really simple. I put a peanut in a coffee filter, folded it and gave it to him. He seemed to think that if he could no longer see the peanut, it no longer existed. I had to go even simpler with him - ie, not even fold the paper. He's now getting pretty good at finding the peanut, and he seems to understand that it still exists when it's out of sight. (I realize he probably sounds mentally challenged, but he's actually quite a smart bird I think. He just never had the experience of foraging before. Or playing. I'm teaching him how to play, too.)

I made up a batch of breakfast mash for my birds a couple days ago. There are tons of healthy things in there - various beans, grains, veggies and fruits. Simon Grey loves it, especially if I warm it up and hold the bowl for him, which I do. Oboe (the lovebird) and Kazoo (the Amazon) haven't taken to it yet, but I think they will. I'm still giving them all an afternoon meal of nuts, seeds, and chopped fresh veggies and fruits. If they're having mash in the morning and then their afternoon meal of various things, do they also need pellets? Or does the mash take the place of the pellets? (Simon's a great little eater. I'm impressed. He eats everything I offer him, and with great enthusiasm.)

He's braver than I thought a baby Grey would be. He loves toys, especially anything with an interesting texture. I've been buying him toys at the local thrift shop....baby toys, for now. He also loves coming out and climbing up to my shoulder. He's a good eater - I made up a batch of mash for the birds, and he was the only one who ate his. The other two generally have to see something a few times before they'll try it. He's a good little eater. Toast, carrots, whatever I'm eating, he's willing to try. I adore him, but there are two small problems I want to ask about. Maybe they're normal and I'll just have to get used to them. But maybe not. 1) He's got crazy sharp toes and he hangs on tight. It hurts! Should I cut his toenails? I don't cut the Amazon's or lovebird's toenails, but they don't dig into me the way Simon's do. 2) He barks. Like a dog. It's kind of shrill. Is that a normal baby Grey sound? Will he outgrow it? Or is it because the breeder also breeds chihuahuas? It's the only sound he makes so far, other than a gurgly noise. I hope he outgrows it!

He's beautiful!

We picked Simon up yesterday morning from the breeder's. She cried when we left, which really surprised me considering she's got a kitchen full of baby greys, eclectuses, conures, macaws and amazons! He's in quarantine up in the spare room for now, but he loves it when I check in on him. He barks when I come in the room. He loves to come out and cuddle. He's very active and busy, exploring his cage and toys. He doesn't seem to be eating much though. He wolfed down some warm corn this morning, but doesn't seem to be eating his pellets. Yesterday I gave him "birdie breakfast," which I serve to all the birds - a bowl of granola, nuts, veggies, fruits and birdie bread. I could tell he sorted through it, and he probably ate a little bit. Also, I think he's only drinking water when I hold the water bowl for him. He's a sweetheart. I'm looking forward to bringing him down to the living room - the heart of the house - where he can live in his bigger cage and be with the rest of the family.

He's upstairs in a cockatiel cage for now. But after his quarantine period ends, he'll be downstairs in a much bigger cage. I got it second hand and it's a little smaller than I was hoping, but it's still a respectable size.

Today's the big day. Just 3 more hours to wait!

I'm in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and the going rate for a baby CAG from a reputable breeder is $1500. (I'm bringing mine home TODAY!)