Life is Greyt

Definitely a situation where it's probably best to ignore him when he's acting like that. If he gets what he wants, out of the cage, then he learns to scream to get what he wants. Sometimes there's nothing we can do about it and they just have to get over it and have to spend time in the cage. Maybe wait out the squawking until he's quiet for a few min, and then go get him as a reward for being quiet. Whenever Chickie makes any noise that I dont like or can't stand I just totally ignore it and dont say anything to her until she moves onto another "better" noise. They are masters at manipulation, though...lol. . Also, I have always been the chosen one with Chickie, but my boyfriend has worked really hard with her so that she will go to both of us. Maybe once Mav is more comfy with your BF he'll realize that he gets to be out of the cage more if he lets him handle him. Just a few ideas. Hopefully people with more experience can help more. Also, as I always say...the expert is always a good source, Georgia.

Both my breeder and vet gave me the 10% rule to go by-meaning that I only need to worry if Chickie shows a downward trend of weight and loses 10% of her weight. She usually weighs 426-430 and I weigh her the same time of day every time I weigh her. I'm not saying to not pay attention to weight loss, but, from what they both said, monitor weight and note any trends, but they can fluctuate and don't freak out unless the weight loss is trending and approaches 10%. Weight loss is the first indicator of possible sickness, but the 10% rule really helped me wrap my head around the idea of "how much is ok" and "when should I worry.". Hope that helps, I know it helped me a lot to not freak out over every little fluctuation.

I lost my first grey baby before I got to bring him home too-he died of PDD. I was heartbroken...I'm so very very sorry about your loss.

Is it like an up and down head bob?? If that's what it is, Chickie still does that and from what I've learned it's a baby behavior. It's kinda like the way she bobbed her head when she was being hand fed. She still does it when she hasn't seen me all day and I come home. Hopefully others will know more

I have VPI here in the US, not sure if they cover in the UK or not. If they do, it's totally worth it. All 4 of our animals are covered.

We are SUPER lucky to have an outstanding again vet in STL. Everyone for like 3 states uses him.

OMG I love his name!! Too cute!! The first noises they Chickie made when I got her home were those very same kissy noises!! Too funny!! Georgia gives the babies so much love and kisses that they must all do it

Definitely NOT a bad person. You have to make the best decision for you and the safety of your baby. We had the same issue when we brought Chickie home and she was going everywhere, including places we didn't have ladders to reach. She is clipped enough to impede long flights, but she can still go across a room.

We call Chickie "chicken mc nugget" and "chicken" all the time.

Chicken was never banded, so I'm not much help there. Just ask when you pick her up. Georgia is such a wealth of knowledge, I still text her all the time with questions. . What did you name your little one??

Like everything, there's 2 sides to the coin, but it seems to come down to personal preference. I would definitely ask Georgia for her advice on the subject too.

My breeder told me that it's ok to bathe them as much as you want. We have a shower perch too, and every time we shower Chickie goes with us on her perch. Sometimes I get her wet and sometimes I just let her have sauna time. I also shower her a few times a week in the kitchen sink with the sprayer.

FYI regarding #3-Greyt is also used in the greyhound world and that's where I got it from.

I get a lot of Chickie's toys off eBay from a store called "a bird toy." They have great prices and Chickie has loved everything I have bought from them. Shipping is cheap and fast...can't say enough good things about it.

My breeder actually encouraged me to give Chickie a warm treat from a spoon every so often so that if she ever needs medication, etc. she might be more willing to take it in a warm feeding from a spoon. Sounds like everyone have given you sound advice