kave70

Sam made me so happy yesterday. He sits with my husband every evening for head scratches and love. This was the first time he let me join in. He didn't even attempt to get away. He just sat there, enjoying it. I was so happy! He's coming along, slowly, but surely. Karen and Sam

Thanks for sharing. I loved listening to all those sounds. I had Sam watch the video with me, and requested that he repeat any part of the performance. He decided not to...... but we're getting somewhere.

I'm going to take this great advice and wait, and just enjoy the progress Sam is making. I've checked with the shelter and they say there is plenty of interest in her, so I'm sure she'll find a forever home, very quickly. I needed to hear some sound words, as those cute little beaks tug at my heart strings and all logic is lost :-) Much thanks from Karen and Sam

I need some advice, thoughts on adding another grey to our family. Sam has only been here for four months and I think he is beginning to show his true personality. He definitely prefers my husband and tolerates the rest of us. I have heard of a young (2-3 yr) female that is in a shelter for adoption. They said she is friendly, and seems to prefer women. Is it too soon for us to consider adding another fid? Would it be wise to pick a different breed? Or would it be ok to stick with Greys? Would a male/female combination be smarter? Or could it pose more issues? My thought is that we have the time, room, love for another and if it would benefit another bird and Sam, I'm totally for it. I don't want to make an impulsive decision though and would love to hear what you all think. Thanks, Karen and Sam

So glad to know there was a happy ending. That must've been scary for you both.

Sam has been with us since end of June - I received the best advice here, about not expecting too much, too soon, and understand that our expectations may have to be changed. That advice completely resonated with me, and we've been taking it real slow. Sam loves my husband, but has learned to tolerate me, since I'm the one with him all the time. Last night while he was on my husband's lap (his favorite spot every night for lovins') we whistled and he answered back. We had such a great time with him... we would whistle one of the various Sam sounds and he would repeat it. This was BIG for Sam. It's the first time he's communicated like that. Just wanted to share a big Wooooo Hooooo ! Karen and Sam

I ended up trying the cups that Thenabrd suggested. At first Sam was afraid to even eat pellets from them, but it's been a week now and we're all much happier. So much less food waste, and it's a heck of a lot quieter around here. Thanks for all the ideas. Karen and Sam

I loved seeing all the photos. Sam is still shy and afraid of most things, so it was great to see all the different activities! Karen and Sam

I'm in upstate NY, near the Mass border so I'll keep my eyes/ears open too. I can't even fathom this... Disgusting! Karen and Sam

Loved this- thanks for sharing. I can't wait to hear Sam actually say something, instead of screeching.

Thank you all for the ideas. I'm sure we have the problem solved now..... Poor Sam will have to find another source of amusement.

That's a good point- Thanks I'm working on figuring out how to insert from photobucket

I'm hoping someone might have a suggestion for us. Sam's food/water dishes has been his newest source of amusement. They are plastic bowls that sit in a simple metal holder. He has a new game (for a couple of weeks now) of managing to get them out and dumping them by first spinning them until he can get them in a good position and then picking up the whole dish and dumping it. Besides the wasting of all the food and the mess of the water, I'm concerned that he has no access to food then. He isn't brave enough to climb to the bottom and scavenge, till I can refill it. I tried to find some sort of remedy to this. My tiel's cage definitely has a better dish setup, making it almost impossible to pull those bowls out. I wish I had found a cage with a similar system. Suggestions, anyone? Karen and Sam

Agreed, but I'm grateful they left them all at a vets office. All critters now have permanent homes.

We have flemish giants too. What great personalities. Sam has never seen them though- they live outside in the barn- Not caged, but in a huge pen. We have chickens too, and I laugh when Sam sits and looks out the window at them (they free range in our yard) and has even clucked in response to a noisy hen. Best of luck.

Sam was abandoned in the parking lot of a local vet's office, along with other pets. My friend is a vet, and knew I loved birds, so we ended up with him. He's been with us just under three months and we can't imagine life without him. At the vet's a tech asked him "What's your name?" and he answered Sam. That's all we know about him. I do wish I knew a bit about his background though, because he's got loads of baggage, and I wish I understood where some of it came from and how to make him feel safe. We're working on it though.

Thanks- I am going to try chopping them smaller for a few weeks and see if I have any better luck. I won't give up, but was hoping to entice Sam with something. He has come a long way socially in under three months, so I guess I shouldn't push it.

I'm trying dilligently to offer Sam different foods (in addition to pellets) and so far we've only hit on a few he likes. The vet suggested I make a mix, which I did, and I still throw it out every day, untouched, except for the carrots. I'm not giving up, and will keep trying. In the mean time, does anyone have a photo they can post of the way they serve veggie/beans/etc/grains, etc... I'm wondering if it should be chopped up more, or if I'm missing something. Any photos to share? Karen and Sam of course.

Congrats on the happy news! Did you remember to bring the FIDS a gift? Perhaps thats what they were waiting for... ;-)

Hi all, Sam is learning to play with toys (a big wooo hooo to that) and I've bought a couple of foraging toys for him. He seems to really like things that keep him working. If you use foraging toys, which is your grey's favorite? I bought one that is a disk, with a knob, and he turns it. Unfortunately, the holes are so small that only small seeds seem to fit it there. Since diet is an issue with Sam, I'm trying to find toys with larger opening, so that I can put other things in there. Suggestions? Karen and Sam

Thanks for the insight. I think he has come so far in just a few short months; I just want to make sure we're doing everything we can for him. We've started clicker training and he LOVES it. He has learned how to wave already.

Hi, Sam came to us only two months ago, from an unknown background. When he first arrived he had a potty mouth and made loads of noises and sounds. As he is settling in and getting so much friendlier and adjusted, he language has diminshed to next to nothing, but screeching. He used to say his name (which is why we call him Sam) in a whisper, and had such an assortment of sounds. Now he has one or two and keeps mum, except to screech or he makes a high pitch beep everytime he sees my husband (his very favorite human). We do our best not to encourage the screaming, and we talk to him all day long. Do you think this is a normal part of his settling in? Is there something I should be doing? Any advice would be appreciated. Thank, Karen (and Sam, of course)

They are beautiful! We are lucky enough to have several adult pairs, but I haven't seen babies. Thanks for sharing.

Codys Mom- We have no idea how old he is, but the vet said somewhere between 4-6 seems right. He was dumped with a bunch of other animals in a parking lot and we were lucky enough to become his forever family. He's been with us since late June and his personality is just beginning to emerge.