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murfchck I hope Bubba is going to be okay. I LOVE that you are sneaking around to hear them! We are all guilty of that. LOL! Get some hockey or wrestling knee pads. It will help! Nancy

Sacr69 Of COARSE its special that he is talking! Be proud. You have alot to be proud of. LOVED the pictures. First one is typical of " warning!" Second is relaxed and " I am happy!" Nancy

Aerial... we LOVE you!Stay with us. I am excited I can give the gang a little bit of pumpkin! We get into Halloween bigtime, carve pumpkins etc. I've already had three people ask me to borrow Kiki for Halloween. They want to be pirates! LOL! NO WAY! Nancy

Proud of you all! Figure out what works for your birds. What does NOT work.... is waiting for your bird to let you know... " I want to practice stepup!" They never will. Training.... begins the day your bird enters your home. We are patient for many things, that require trust. The trust is earned. It takes time, but that doesn't mean you stop showing your bird what your expectations are.This is part of the development of trust. As well... listen to your bird. They will tell you, what YOU need to do, to earn their trust. I followed Sophie's lead. I soon learned, her pupils would dialate and constrict, for two reasons. One.... to warn me to back off, the other reason, " I want to learn!" I just had to understand which she was trying to tell me. Another thing I learned listening to Sophie, we as parents, tend to make things very complicated. Their needs are actually very simple. We, create the stress. If Sophie was freaking out about something when she was younger, I would think the worst. When I finally figured out what was annoying her, ( she didn't like where her 3rd water bowl was placed)... I fixed it, she was happy! ARE YOU KIDDING ME? She would look at me... " I TOLD you, I wasn't happy!" LOL! Sophie no longer freaks me out, when she isn't happy! Nancy

BeeFernandez22 Many greys LOVE swings! Some LOVE toys.... or you may have a grey, like I do, that doesn't give a hoot about toys. Just wants to be part of the family. If your baby is in the category of not giving a crap about toys, it would be a good bonding experience to build one together. Baby may never use it... but I suspect the building together, would be a great bonding experience. Nancy

Hi guys! Sean went off to college three weeks ago. He came home last weekend, expected me to love him like normal! NOT going to happen! I ignored him all nite, flew onto Rom's shoulder. He tried talking to me from the other couch. I TRIED to ignore him. It was tough! The next morning, I couldn't remain mad at him anymore. I am a failure! I'm back on his shoulder, kissing him. I'm embarrassed. I am weak. Kiki

braveheartdogs I appreciate your insight. I think you have valuable info to offer this site.I'm excited you are here!I think you have experience that can help us, as we have experience that can help you. I look forward to many future interactions. Nancy

Timbersmom... just wait! LOL! I think I have gotten off easy. Three windows out of approx 25. Bones, toys whatever! Although in all fairness, all damage has been done by my Amazon. My Grey does very little damage. Nancy

murfchck... Bubba will be quiet for awhile. Trying to figure out where Gabby fits in his life. Has nothing to do with you. Just continue to love and support Bubba. They DO work it out. Sometimes they need supervision, sometimes you need to step away. Of course, safety is the utmost importance. Nancy

Timbersmom Good for Timber, to be selective in what is worthy to stepup or down for. That shows a very secure bird in my opinion.Lately , Sophie is refusing to stepdown. No problems for a decade, now is refusing. In the morning, I have lots to do, so I don't have time for her refusal. Dogs and birds to feed, dogs need to go out twice. I finally figured out to put her on the floor in front of her cage. She stepped down immediately. Not sure why I knew she would.... but it worked. I feel bad that she wants to be with me longer, and I don't have the time. I always promise we will spend time together when I get home, and I always follow thru with my promises. Nancy

Kiki's pteradactyl scream is between three and four pm. Last about ten minutes. We have always ignored it, since I'm sure thats what they do in the Amazon.If I get home from work early enough and take the dogs for a walk, I can hear her two doors down with the windows closed! " Oh my"... a burglar would be scared to death. Nancy

Wken Sophie plays hide n seek with Sean, she can get a little too excited. She puts her beak in one of the holes of his crocs and runs. He is suppose to chase her, which he does. She hides right in front of you, head down, butt up thinking he can't see her. LOL! He pretends to look for her... eventually finds her. Tags her and runs. She chases, tagOUCH!s him again, but usually putting her beak in the hole in his shoe is a little more aggressive second time around.OUCH! He tells her to settle down, she does, the game continues. Nancy

murfchck... You guys are TOO funny! LOL! She doesn't stand a chance! She has a family that totally gets her.I give you guys six months.... she will be " putty in your hands"! I will bet a dollar! LOL! Nancy

LOL! Six months, for behavior modification, is quick! Many owners wait YEARS! Many disagree with me, but I have found African Greys, tend to follow the same time as children. IE: at the age of two... they say NO alot. At the age of four, they are interested in learning. Many follow the " flock" idea. Wait for your bird. I see many waiting for a long time! Nancy

Ariisamis... I have three birds. Kiki our Amazon, can fly like crazy. Sunny, our sunconure, can fly if he wants too. Sophie, my grey, can't fly all that well. She can fly, but sucks at it. Sophie, is my favorite!( i'm sure, many know this!) my question is... why do people want their birds to be able to fly? Why is it so important? I'll take Sophie, anyway I can get her, because she is my best friend. Whats more important to me, is having a bird room, where they can practice flying, to the best of their ability. Its more important to me, to NOT close their cage, and NOT dictate when they can fly, or not! I accept them, whatever they can do. What I don't accept, is getting attacked that your bird, will never fly, because he is missing a bone. They can compensate. Noone knows. Time will tell. Just continue to be encouraging. Nancy

Kudos to what works for everyone. I knew, noone would like what we did for our birds, but when we had 24 hr coverage, it worked for us, Five minutes in timeout, when they bit, discussed it after, it took us less than six months for birds to understand biting, is NOT allowed! We were lucky, as a family, to have 24/7 coverage, to educate, and follow with a routine. Not everyone has the family members to commit, and be on the same page. It was such a long time ago! Today, when I get home from work, no longer have kids to help me, I have three feet, lifted up, ready for me to pick them up. Sophie came first, Kiki flew into the same room, gave her attention. Sunny came last. I'm on my own past three weeks. They are working it out, and doing a great job. Nancy

If you are providing diets with healthy fruits and veggies, may want to cut back on fruits. Are they eating a healthy seed and pellet diet? Nancy

arlisamis... I am SOOO happy for you! A grey, that can fly, or can't, is really no big deal. I suspect your bird will fly, like a clipped bird.Sophie, doesnt fly well. She prefers to walk, but can fly, if she needs too! She is the ruler of our animal flock, including our dogs. Flight, is not important to me, or her. Her intelligence is amazing! She rules over two other birds, and two dogs. I can't imagine life without Sophie. Nancy

No grey, can ever outdo, an Amazon, in the feeding department. Amazons, live for food. Kiki inhales her fruits and veggies! Nancy

Dave, I KNEW you would have the answer for Timbersmom! Nancy

Jayd, Dave and Dan... we love you all. BUT.... this discussion is about Whitney. Lets figure out what works best for the bird. I'm willing to take her, which is a big step for me and my gang. Of course, location will be important.After much thought about our animal world, yes, I think they would love and accept her. Nancy

ariisamis... I would be interested in adopting your bird. I live in Rochester, NY. Is it a possibility? Nancy

I believe Sarasota, has an excellent suggestion. I was watching Sophie the other day. Can't say, I have ever watched her closely when she preens her feathers, but I took the time to watch. It amazed me, how she could grab one of her red feathers in one claw, seperate it from the rest. She did this to each and every red feather, cleaned her down. It is a serious process, takes alot of work. Just thought I would share my respect for the amount of work it takes to groom oneself. Nancy

Even just a " tickle", is progress! Always slow going with these guys. Nancy

Sarasota Thanks! I know how good I had it! LOL! Not anymore. Both boys off to college this year. We are in transition. So far.... not a problem. Sean came home this weekend. His first year at college. Kiki is bonded to him. She wouldn't talk to him for a day, instead flying and landing on me. LOL! ( I'll show HIM!) Next morning, she was putty in his hands! They are doing well with both boys away, but I can understand, how much work it would be for a single person! I'm learning. Nancy