Amali

Not yet. It was supposed to be last weekend but he just wasn't ready to give up the occasional handfeeding ... now it is just a matter of time as we sit and wait When do you get the caique?

Love the picture! One question - has Filbert shown any signs of regression with weaning? Any crying? I have been reading a lot of stories of cockatoos who do fine at the breeder's and who are maintaining weight, and then with the change in environment, revert back to needing some comfort feedings. I am considering getting some handfeeding formula to have on hand just in case it is needed at any point with Tucker. Or I could just mix up some oatmeal type warm comfort food if it is ever needed. (I have handfed before - no worries on not knowing what to do there.) We're still sitting and waiting to hear more as far as a new pick up day for Tucker. Boy does the time go slowly! I've used a lot of this time to sit down and make lots of excess toys. I swear, I need a spare walk in closet to dedicate solely to bird toys and toy parts ... LOL.

My Grey has had no issues holding on to the dragonwood perch. Going with a rope perch, you will have to be careful what kind you order so that it will bolt on rather than be the typical rope perch that has the plastic knobs that screw on to attach to a cage. The Pak O Bird has grommeted holes on each side for the perch to be bolted on.

What is it about soggy pellets?! LOL! I keep a bowl under Amali's water bottle to catch all of the drips, and she now will make pellet soup all by herself in that bowl by intentionally holding down her water bottle stopper to let the water flow! They are smart buggers

JeffNOK, Amali is right near the same age as Gracie. Amali has only regurgitated to me maybe 3-4 times. I simply said thanks and went on as if nothing had happened. It definitely isn't any sort of sexual behavior at this point - more just a show of love and happiness. She wasn't trying to feed me or anything like that ... and I believe the first time she did it, it surprised her as much as it did me. Ha!

So - how have the first few days with Filbert been? What do I have to look forward to?

So happy to hear this! You have no idea how much y'all have been on my mind.

Talked with the breeder today - going to hold off getting Tucker a bit longer as he is still wanting a hand feeding from time to time. Bummer ... but it's about his health and well being - not me!

There are three height options on where you install your perch depending on size of your bird, length of tail, and preference.

How many of you utilize separate sleep cages for your fids? With our birds being housed right in our busiest area of the house, I've been considering moving them to a different part of the house in small sleep cages to ensure a better night of sleep. Amali is covered at night, but it isn't always completely quiet in that area so I think moving her would be a better option. Additionally, the new double stack cage is so huge that I don't even know if I can find anything big enough to get Tucker's lower area covered well enough! I recently ordered two of these - http://www.mysafebirdstore.com/CARRIERS-Collapsible_Fold_Away_Carrier_24.html Now as soon as my oldest daughter gets married in August, I will convert the fids over to sleeping in her room in those sleep cages.

Nancy - you really need to visit the Cockatoo forum about now

That really brings tears to my eyes. It is a sad thought that people actually find this kind of torment funny.

Yay! So happy you got him home He is absolutely adorable. Tucker will be home Sunday morning. I sure hope Amali takes it all in stride like Sam is! She cracks me up because I bought a new double stack cage and she now has the top. Whenever I remove her tray for cleaning, she can see down below to what will be Tucker's new digs. She is very curious about all of his stuff set up down there ... I can only imagine when she sees him down there too! Now ... where is Nancy ... this thread is sure to get her thinking about a new baby again. Bahahaha!

Oh ... and the only thing I'm kicking myself over now is not ordering the double bird pack so that Amali and Tucker can both go at the same time! I will end up breaking down and buying a second one no doubt - but don't tell my hubby that. Ha!

You hear so many things about Greys being phobic and nervous, but I'm truly starting to wonder that if we don't approach them that way when they are babies, will it affect their attitude down the line? I never approach Amali thinking that something is going to be scary for her; I talk to her, tell her what I have or what I'm doing and stay relaxed myself. With this approach, she really seems to take to things much easier than I'd have thought if I just went off things you 'hear'. I had not even kept the Pak O Bird in her sight before using it as I had just set it up a day or two prior. Then the plan to go fishing was a last minute one, and just like that, I thought, Amali should go! So I pulled the backpack out, got Amali out of her cage, told her what we were doing, and set her on the perch. She never missed a beat. I forgot I took a few pictures that day - the one with the door open is literally within one minute of placing her in the Pak o Bird. The other - though hard to see - is her in the back seat of the truck, and she's chomping away on a snack. Clearly she was pretty relaxed!

I'm so sorry to read this - I can't even begin to imagine how you feel. We are all here to be your support, and I hope we hear good news back from you soon!

Others may have a bit more info on this, but I think the primary concern is making sure your bird cannot get to the screens or anywhere near the fireplace when it is actually burning. I would probably play it safe and say fire time = cage time. If you have the flue always open when burning, you should not be getting smoke into your living area. It would be wise to play it safe and have carbon monoxide detectors throughout the house just in case. Beyond that, you may need to keep an eye on the humidity level of the house and run a humidifier if necessary.

We do spray bathing along with a shower with me as well as spritzes with aloe juice usually twice a week. She takes it all in stride, and on occasion, she even has fun taking a shower There is nothing more fun than watching her start dancing as I spray her down. I'm real careful around her pin feathers - I must be doing alright because I'm the only person in the family that Amali hasn't nipped yet. Ha! I'm sure my time will come eventually, but for now, I'm the chosen one.

Amali has been in her first major molt for quite some time now - seems like forever! All those pin feathers coming in and boy do some scritches feel good. I bet we did this for close to an hour last night.

Nancy, from the sounds of it, two of us on here will be bringing Rosies home this weekend (myself and kave07) so you may get some cute baby picture overload soon.

Perfect! I had hit the jackpot and didn't even know it. I froze a couple baggies of small pieces of salmon for future use ... and I'm hoping that I can rely on some family connections for future supplies of wild caught salmon so I don't have to keep giving her that store bought stuff!

The front flap is open and folded back across the top in all of those pictures. It comes down and zips closed.

Amali hasn't taken to chicken bones at all so far - but we will continue to try. She did, however, LOVE some salmon. So she got some protein but still no extra source of calcium. If she continues to turn her beak up at chicken bones, I will have to start scrambling eggs with the shell left in.

Amali had her first outing in the Pak O Bird today. I was really surprised that she went right in with no issue and no stress upon her first time seeing it. We went in the truck and then went out to the tank to hang out while the kiddo and hubby fished. It was really hot out so I made sure she had water - even gave her some ice cubes and misted her a little. And she seemed to enjoy it all - checking everything out and just taking it in. I think we will get lots of use out of this new gadget!

I order so much from that site that I keep telling Kathie (owner) that I might as well have my paycheck direct deposited to her account! You won't find better service than from Kathie - getting packages from her are like Christmas morning! You'll see what I mean. I get almost all of my toy making supplies and food from her, and have also ordered a cage and playstand from her as well. One note - if you hunt around on her site, she always has a hidden 10% off coupon code posted on some of the pages.