Eshana

I'm so jealous. She has another TAG right now, a baby girl...I love her so much but I'm not at my goal monetary point yet. When I do get a CAG/TAG though sometime later this year maybe yours and mine will be related!

I LOVE HER STORE! Being from the city, I always amuse myself with those "simple" looking towns (I'm a total snob) In the front she has a giant bird room that I believe she lets her Macaw's stay in most of the time. When my boyfriend and I walked into the store after our long drive there we were greeted with a heart "hello!" from an African Grey out of his cage. In the middle of the store on a manzanita tree perch were two giant Macaw's who were insistent on taking my fathers glasses. She has plenty of colorful toys and even foot toys. She also has a lot of foods and things. It is a very small location, but my favorite thing about it was just how nice Denise was. I was there to "only" buy a cockatiel, but she treated him just as well as the rest of her birds. She even gave him a kiss goodbye! I felt like she was the type of woman who I could trust, and I was totally right. Shelby has been the most animated and personality filled Cockatiel I've ever seen. I can't imagine how well adjusted a Grey from her might be. EDIT: I forgot to add that if you're hungry when you get there, down the road is an excellent steakhouse type place. I'm a vegetarian but they had amazing veggie burgers and french fries! Yum!

I'm a vegetarian because being a vegan is expensive and I can't afford it on my current college budget. When I graduate, though, I plan on making the push to Veganism. I guess my issue is that I've read on this website of people feeding bones/eggs/meat etc to their birds, and how healthy it is for them. Is this something I should consider? I would never deprive an animal of what they needed just because I didn't agree with it. Personally I think vegan dog food is just silly. That's just me, though.

I found it here for 23 dollars. I'm unsure as to why the amazon listing is so expensive: http://www.naturechest.com/greys.html

My issue isn't with the microchip, it's with people taking the bird to get microchipped. I wish there was a tag or something that the bird could wear to let people know to check for one.

I'm curious if people who find lost birds think to check for microchips. Do you think a shelter would check for one if brought there?

Oh, sorry! Tiel is short for Cockatiel. They're a little parrot...the second most popular in the USA behind the budgie!

My 'tiel Shelby came with his wings clipped. This forum has educated me so much. For some reason none of the bird books I read said anything bad about wing clipping. Thanks to Grey Forums I understand now why clipping is bad..and, of course, my first hand experience. Shelby is only now, at 7 months, starting to grow back his flight feathers. Prior to now, however, Shelby has been extremely clumsy! When he tried to fly he'd fly into a wall or he'd awkwardly crash on a bed...and the scariest one was when I had him in my kitchen and the sink spooked him. He flew halfway into the living room before crashing into a lamp! If Shelby had his flight wings he could turn around or pull up before crashing into a wall, or land with grace on the bed. If something spooked him, he could land someplace "safe" instead of just crashing. His poor beak even has some cracks on it from all the crashing. I'm never letting another bird of mine get clipped ever again.

I read my local state law recently, and I think it said that African Grey's HAD to be banded in order to be kept as pets. Let me double check... RE: http://www.dec.ny.gov/regs/3939.html My 'tiel is one of the exception birds on the webpage that doesn't need to be banded. I had always just expected it for when I get my Grey.

Hey, I just wanted to let you know that I currently have five pet rats, four boys and one girl (one of my girls recently passed) and they are kept separate from my tiel. When I get the Grey he/she and my tiel will live in the living room, and the rats will live in the bedroom. I believe it is fully possible to have both rats and birds and take care of both species easily.

Is that perch he is on okay? I see them all the time at the pet store but I read that they're bad for their feet.

Oh my gosh, you read me like a book! I really want to want a timneh, but the congo keeps pulling me in. How did you do that? Smartie. EDIT: I just realized this post came off as sarcastic. I was being completely serious though. You opened my eyes to my problem. Thank you so much <3

Ever since I started wondering about Timneh Vs. Congo, everyone in my life has been chiming in! Even though I will be living in the apartment on my own, with my boyfriend staying with me once or twice a week (you know...just so we can have pillow fights and tell scary stories...obviously) My mother: Oh but the Congo is so pretty. The Timneh doesn't have such a nice tail! Me: Mah, I really don't care about how "pretty" a bird is. I didn't choose Shelby because he was "pretty", My Father: Wasn't that Alex bird a Congo? How do you know a Timneh will be as smart? Me: I read a lot of stories online about how smart some Timneh's are. My boyfriend: Didn't you say Timneh's are more easy going and accepting? Wouldn't a Timneh make it easier for the bird to like both of us? Me: That isn't true in all cases though! So yeah, I feel like I'm being pulled in every which way! I've been checking Craigslist and Petfinder and I have not found anything available for rehome. I really want to get a baby from Fancy Feathers Aviary, but if one pops up in a rescue I'd want to maybe go meet him/her at least for some interaction. If anyone knows of one that pops up in the NYC area...

Thank you for all the links! I completely see what you mean by price difference now. Not that I wouldn't be completely willing to pay the 500+ pricetag, but if I can get the same cage for ~250 that's awesome! I'm really loving these cages!

Wow, that's a really strong split to whiteface! What a cutie!

Cute! Did he get to eat any fries? Hehe!

She is such a cute! Do you know who the breeder is that has the original TAG?

Well, like I said Shelby is a young bird. He has already started to lose his pearls. Male pearl cockatiels don't keep their pearls, whereas females do.

Double your pleasure, double your fun with double-parrot, double-parrot Zon's!

Hm...it should be open to the public..maybe only facebook users? I'll try to upload it to youtube.

Are there sellers on ebay that you'd recommend, Dave? I ordered my rat's "Critter Nation" on ebay and had an awful experience with the seller.

I noticed you're also in NYC. Where is this factory located? Do they allow walk ins?

Your Tiels aren't very old, are they? My Shelby is only 7 months old. I know he is male even though he has lines on his tail and pearls because he says over five words now, he sings full songs and my vet sexed him as a male. From six months to nine months is when a male will molt his pearls off and grow in tail feathers that are bar free. Males do tend to talk and whistle while females mostly just contact call. However, There are females that talk and whistle. Here is my male, still with his pearls, whistling and saying 'pretty bird' for reference: You can see that he is also doing heart wings, which is a male trait.

Oh the talking ability is something I can care less about. I mean...it'd be nice to have someone to have a conversation with I suppose, but if the bird doesn't talk it isn't any skin off of my nose. I suppose when I have everything set up in August I'll see what types the breeder has, and work from there.

I guess the thing is that where I was planning on getting the Grey from, they really only have one or two at a time, and it's far enough from where I live that I would only be able to make two or three trips there post deposit. I love the idea of letting the "bird choose you" but I don't think that's in the cards for me, especially since I've only ever seen two African Greys, both Congo's, up close.