Doug

Just to be clear, the type in the pic has two parts that separate, leaving the outer portion as a shower head (fixed position) and the inner portion as a hand shower (with the hose). You can select it so the water goes to either the shower head, the hand shower, or both. (Both is the "normal" selection when the hand shower is latched into the shower head.)

I thought about the implications of multiple parrots, but I couldn't see how to manipulate the poll...

I have a shower head similar in concept to this one, so I can use the "hand shower" simultaneously with the shower head. Tomorrow, I'll see if I can use that without freaking Ellie out... Is it a problem to give a shower every day? It doesn't take any extra time or effort since I bring her down to the bathroom with me anyway...

I read that Sulphur-crested cockatoos are exclusively left-handed (footed). I was curious if African greys are uniformly one or the other... Ellie primarily uses her right foot for food and toys. What about your bird(s)? Right or left? (Please use the poll so we can track the responses.) Note: if you have multiple greys, please vote with the most common in your flock... (Sorry, I couldn't see any way to allow more than one vote per person...)

Question: is a shower still effective if the bird doesn't get soaked to the skin everywhere? Background: I take Ellie into the shower with me every day. She sits on the shower curtain rod while I do my thing and then I hold her in the spray for a while. I hold her on my finger and put her in the shower's spray, keeping her face out. (Of course, she ducks her face in and bites at the water and drinks...) This mostly gets her back, of course. I try to turn her some, but without lifting her wings (she does lift her wings just a bit on some days) or scratching everywhere, I can't get her wet to the skin all over her body. Of course, most of the water simply rolls off the feathers. Her back and neck are definitely soaked to the skin. Is this still a worthwhile endeavor if I can't completely soak her? She doesn't mind this at all...

Well, Dave, naturally I try to prevent her from sticking her beak in my ear. It's not like I am putting food in my ear and having her dig it out!! Ellie is on my shoulder a lot throughout the day and I can't always anticipate that she will try to stick her beak in my ear. I'm sure you're not trying to tell me to never have her on my shoulder... Obviously, if she is going through a prolonged "feed me, I'm a baby" episode, I don't keep her on my shoulder...

Thanks! I have three different types of branches on the top of the cage: hibiscus (farthest), magnolia (closest) and sycamore (connecting the other two). I bake the branches in the oven at 250°F (120°C) for about an hour. I use tie-wraps to hold them in place/together. Ellie doesn't chew through tie-wraps, so I use them for just about everything...

I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure that the answer will be to move it outside of the house. Anything that is bad for our lungs is even worse for their lungs.

Some more pictures of Ellie... ______________________________________ Kel was cleaning out the superfund site that was Keira's old bedroom (we've shuffled bedrooms since Kel's mom has moved into a home). While going through eight years of accumulated garbage, she found this little rattle. After cleaning it off, I showed it to Ellie and she ran up to me, grabbed the toy and ran off. Each time I would come near, she'd back off. "My toy, Doug! Stay away!" Even though I was the one picking it up off the floor and giving it back to her... Newest favorite toy by shyzaboy, on Flickr ______________________________________ This foraging toy is just a cardboard tube with newspaper taped over each end. Inside I put some walnuts and raisins. She had to figure out how to hold it so she could rip the newspaper. Kept her occupied for about thirty minutes... Foraging toy by shyzaboy, on Flickr ______________________________________ Ellie ripped a big enough hole in the paper and dumped out the treats. Here she's enjoying the nuts of her labors - a walnut... Finally! The reward! by shyzaboy, on Flickr ______________________________________ I purchased and installed a "boing" for Ellie, in my office, right next to her playstand. Her first order of business was to attack the bell at the lower end. Second order of business was to check out the installation. Make sure that I did it right... Making sure the hardware is secure by shyzaboy, on Flickr ______________________________________ The rest of the pictures were already posted on various threads, but I thought I'd include them here since I have the typical anal-retentive characteristics of an engineer... ______________________________________ Every day around 10 a.m., Ellie wants to snuggle up for a nap. Kinda tough to type one-handed... Ellie's nap time! by shyzaboy, on Flickr ______________________________________ One of Ellie's favorite treats. I don't give her a lot of corn since it isn't as nutritious as some veggies, but she has a lot of fun with it... Corn on the cob by shyzaboy, on Flickr ______________________________________ When she's not in her cage, or in my office, or on her window perch, or on her sunroom play-stand, or on me......she's on the play-top on her cage. I kept the original perch, but it didn't provide much activity for her, so I added a few branches. Unfortunately, the branches extend far enough that she can, with the right aim and trajectory, poop on the floor... I need to add a few more toys... Ellie's play-top by shyzaboy, on Flickr This is the toy that terrified her on Friday. Two days later she's tearing it up like there's no tomorrow... Not scared any longer! by shyzaboy, on Flickr ______________________________________ Ellie loves corn on the cob. I only give her a little slice (about half an inch - one cm) since corn isn't bad but it isn't terribly nutritious either... A bit of corn on the cob by shyzaboy, on Flickr ______________________________________ I prepare TINY sandwiches for Ellie - I cut a piece of sandwich bread into sixteen pieces and use two of them to make a peanut butter sandwich for Ellie. Something to play with while I chop up her veggies and make my breakfast... She doesn't manage to eat much (if any) but she seems to have fun with it! Messy peanut butter by shyzaboy, on Flickr ______________________________________ I carried a new toy past her cage (I had to get the scissors out of my office) and she was intently curious. When I returned, I showed it to her. None of the typical Grey fear of the new - she wanted it. Especially the bell. Once I held up the bell for her to see, she snatched it from me and wouldn't let it go... I had to attach the other end to one of the branches on the play-top so once she DID let go, it wouldn't go crashing to the floor. (Where the dogs would probably chew it up...) It is now in her cage so she can ring the bell for service... I may have to rethink the location of this toy... The other toy that I bought yesterday was a "kabob" (made with sections of yucca stalk). Ellie loved her previous kabob - she completely destroyed it. I showed her the new one and she growled and pulled away. I still can't get her within three or four feet of it without her freaking out. Weird critters... Ellie DEMANDED that I give her the new toy! by shyzaboy, on Flickr ______________________________________ I wanted to make a play-stand entirely from natural wood. This one is more of a jungle gym than a play-stand... I like sycamore branches because of their twists and turns. But those twists and turns are typically on a fairly large scale. I found a huge sycamore growing next to the road and cut up some of the dead branchs and hauled them home. This is the mash-up that I made (with a couple old towels underneath). It is very bulky. Ellie likes to climb all over it and chew up the bark. Kelleigh, on the other hand, is not fond of it AT ALL... One problem is that once Ellie picks off the papery bark, the wood is very smooth. That makes the vertical sections too hard to climb. I think I'll go back to hibiscus... Not the most successful design by shyzaboy, on Flickr

She was fully weaned when I got her almost seven months ago. She only does this with me, not Kel or the kids.

We were just sitting with her on my chest, one hand over her head and one over her back, while I was watching TV. (I just put her in her cage for "Night night".) For some reason, my wife and son both accused me of spoiling her...

Yeah, but she does it SO MUCH...

That's how it was with my cockatiel, Zippy (RIP). My college roommate taught him the wolf-whistle and that was a LOT easier than talking so that was what he did ALL THE FREAKING TIME. (He would say, "Zippy bird" but it wasn't terribly clear...) I really enjoy listening to Ellie work on new sounds. Today I'm pretty sure I heard her say a proto version of "Good bird"...

I did this. I find that the flavor is a bit too "roasted" for my taste, but Ellie (and the dogs) still seem to enjoy them. Tomorrow I'll go looking for almonds, walnuts and pistachios in the shell. (Gotta give her some challenge in getting to the treats...)

It's been almost a month since your last update, Mark. How is Anya doing? When our previous golden retriever got so sick, the vet found her spleen was cancerous. He said it would cost $1500 to remove it and it would only give her, at the most, three or four months. But we didn't even hesitate. How could we? (My poor wife - I was away on business at the time, and even with mobile phone and email contact, she was essentially dealing with it on her own.) We only got an extra six weeks out of poor Barley, but I couldn't NOT do everything I could...

That's kinda what I meant. Leave him in the carrier with it open, but have a playstand within reach and let him pick his own time to enter the bigger world.

Do you have a playstand that you can put in your office? If so, maybe you can put the carrier, open, next to the playstand and see if he'll come out and play a bit while you are near (but not right in his face). I'm not an expert, but it might be worth a try to gradually introduce him to wider spaces so he can feel comfortable.

A lovely and active little baby you have there! Thanks for sharing!

I've seen other people mention this, but I worry... Frequently, Ellie will crouch down, wings out a bit, head outstretched and upward, with her mouth open and acting like a baby chick begging for food from mama. If I put my finger out, she will try to swallow it with bobbing (gulping) motions. All the while making little chick noises. She is ten months old. When she does it while on my shoulder, she sometimes sticks her upper beak in my ear and does the swallowing thing. (Which is distinctly freaky, in case you were wondering...) She is especially insistent that she is a baby when I first take her out of her cage in the morning. I assume that is because she wasn't raised by her bird parents. How much of this activity is too much? Cause for concern? How long does this typically go on?

Yay, Aerial and Marco!!

Welcome to both of you, Laura and Mico. Unfortunately, I have no advice to offer, but welcome!

I didn't even consider "doggy" since it sounded so much like "boogie" to me. I thought you were dancing with Gracie!

Of course, Julia, he IS talking about Hawai'i. The temperatures there are wonderfully constant. My biggest concern would be wind. That's usually predictable, but the winds can be strong.

How has he been doing the past two days?

Well, Ariel, where are the pix of Marco in her new home??? Having too much fun so you torture us with further waiting??