Ryan13

Does anyone happen to know of a good place to get Zupreem pellets online? I have found it for around 49.99 plus shipping for a 40lb bag. Does anyone know of a place cheaper with shipping? I moved and do not have any good stores to buy food besides petco which I don't like.

It actually has been almost 2 years!! Well since I posted that, I have had great success with My Timneh. He is letting me pet him and loves to come out of his cage all the time! He still doesn't step up for me, but its a working progress. I honestly believe he was never worked with, or even abused before I got him. Since I have had Pee Wee(timneh) I also got a Congo named Reggie. He is just a great bird, even though he prefers males! Having them two in the same room is just a riot! Once one gets going and talking, the other is just whistling off him! But thank you for your concern.

The responses are right, it is a myth about Greys bonding with the opposite sex. My CAG Reggie bonds only to males. He dislikes my gf and any other females. The previous owner was a Male and his wife was scared of him which made me think that Reggie believes most females are like that. You have to remember how old these birds live to be, so having it be young, it is common for behaviors like this. She will come around eventually with some training and handling. I do want to add that when I hold Reggie, he tends to give me a warning bite when a female is around, which is common when they bond with a certain sex. Good Luck tho!

I use Zupreem Pellets and Kay Tee seed mix. I havent heard many good things on Chet, I read alot of reviews that the guy doesnt send the videos after you pay him. And others claimed that his videos werent even that great.

I will also add, I bought a Sun conure about 2 weeks ago. My Timneh is an unhandled bird and since I have had my conure, My Timneh has came out of his shell and loves to try to talk and whistle and play alot. I didnt get the Grey a friend, but I bought the conure, waited 2 weeks and than put them in the same room, not same cage, same room. But my point is I doubt the grey will ever play with the conure, actually I read somewhere that greys do not like other birds but if u buy another grey Im sure he might get attached to it and get less attached to you. In my case, It helped me bc my bird was unhandled and he saw the interaction between me and my conure. Good Luck...Keep me posted!

I have posted a couple of times on my Timneh that I got that wasnt handled. Since then I have worked with him and bought a Sun conure and as soon as I got to put the birds in the same room, Pee Wee( Timneh) started making all kinds of noises, ones he did before but lots more. He whistles all the time and it sounds like he is trying to talk but he sounds like a chipmunk. Is this what greys do before they start talking is make their own sounds at first? I could have swore he said Come here but in a chipmunk voice one time but it was hard to tell. I was just wondering if most peoples birds started talking clearly or if they make their own sounds at first to learn how to talk. Thanks!

WhiteCrow - The problem with finding your grey a companion is that he could end up loving the companion, than not have much to do with you. Thats why you see breeder pairs not good pet birds because they are used to being with another bird. I am almost positive it wouldnt be a good idea but ask around. So if you dont want a close relationship with him than get him another bird, but who knows, he might not even like him and other things could occur. Sorry!

joePanic - I have submitted a couple of threads online and I will say right now I am far from a bird expert but I was in the same situation you are in. THis is the question you have to ask yourself, Are you happy with where you are at with ur bird? IF so, leave him be and let him run the show. If not, Start by working with him. The first thing you have to do is to get him in another room away from his cage to he cant see his cage. Alot of people will say, Be patient and he will come to you eventually, and I will you the odds of an adult bird doing that? It wont happen. You have to make the bird uncomfortable before he gets comfortable. he is just as scared as you are. You absolutely cannot react when he tries to bite because this forces negative reinforcement. So Take him in another room with nothing in it. Try petting him and getting him to step up even if u r following him around, so try in a corner. ONly do it for 30-45 minutes and let him rest by takin him back the his cage. Within a couple of weeks if u follow properly, u will make good gains. Keep my posted.

The is the risk of buying things online. I would recommend to find out where any Bird Fairs are in your area and buy one from there. They always have the best deals around. If you cant find one, Shop around at stores. Its risky buying things online so sometimes its not always the best thing just to save a couple of bucks.

I would try what you said and leave the following out. Do not use gloves, even though it sounds smart, it is very bad. Try a towel. Other than a towel, use your hands or wait for him to come out and close the cage. Do not use the light method either, I have never used that, how does a bird get used to another surrounding when you are playing peek-a-boo with the light? Take him into another room with nothing for him to get on or away from you and work with him to step up and and try to pet him. Good luck!

I would call the Vet and ask their opinion, but it sounds like you need to take your bird into the vet soon. Birds can hide illnesses very well. Keep an eye on his body language also.

Felix - I too got a bird that was unhandled. People on this forum were very helpful but I took a couple of different approaches. I do think time and patience is a factor, however with a bird that was never handled, it could also go against you because time could allow the bird to be set in his ways. What you need to do is get him out of the cage and into a room. Place him in a corner of a room thats empty and be there, Talk nicely and be patient with him, even if he bites! If he does bite, do not react. Use a stick for the first couple of times and try to have him step up. Keep trying this and eventually he will give up and step up. than start using your hand. if you are scared of being bitten, use the stick and your hand. I am in the process of doing this now. He doesnt react when I pet him and I also pet his neck, my gf however is scared of him and doesnt want to be bit so she allows him to run the show. Dont let your bird do this otherwise its pointless to have him in another room to do these taming sessions. Good luck and be consistent as far as training. Dont do it anymore than 30 minutes each time and allow your bird a couple of hours to rest between sessions. Good lUck! Ryan

My friend who has parrots told me that Parrots have their off days just like humans, sometimes you wake up and it just isnt your day, same way with birds. Its weird he is comfortable one day and growling the next, but he is still very new. I wouldnt leave him there for a week till he tames a bit, leaving a bird alone when he growls enforces negative reinforcement. Give him a day or so to chill out and then continue working with him. Did the websites give you any luck with the treats and pellets you were looking for? Ryan

Go to this site and look near the bottom, it has the cakes. http://www.lafeber.com/Products/avicakes.aspx Here is another site but for Pellets. I feed my grey Zupreem fruit mix pellets. Here is the site for those. I have a store I go to 20 miles from my town to buy food in bulk for my bird, but I hope you have success with these sites. If not, go to Yahoo.com or Google.com and just type Zupreem pellets or Avi-cakes. http://www.zupreem.com/animal/bird/nourish/avian_m.shtml Also try to get a sweet potatoe at the store next time, Pee Wee loves his sweet potatos! Good luck! Ryan