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NOT a seizure;. Nancy

I agree with Luvparrots. Six months is quick. My belief, has always to compare my birds with the development of a child. I don't know, since I got Sophie at age two. She babbled alot, said a few words, but didn't start talking like crazy, until three months later. Kids always complain about how much I talk, so it is understandable, that Sophie talks too much! Like mother, like daughter! LOL Nancy

I remember camping with my good friend who rescued birds. ( where we got Sunny and was introduced to the world of birds!) She had a camper that slept six. Everywhere I went in that camper, was a baby bird that came along for feedings. LOL! I didn't have a bird at that time, but spent the weekend doing " feedings". It was sooo fun and amazing. " how bird will travel!" Nancy

You know they're gonna win! One way or another! LOL I get a kick out of the fact that Sophie understands she's losing. She knows I can't rap, so her changing the rules, makes her win! LOL. She wouldn't get away with that with Ryan or Sean. Nancy

Jayd... you misunderstood what we did as a family. You don't have to agree with it. Gently grabbing a beak, saying " NO!", when they bite, is not harmful. You are teaching acceptable behavior! Six months later... Sophie was sitting on my wrist, biting the air, saying... " NO BITE!" She finally understood. I did a " celebrating dance", kids were notified that Sophie understood. It was the last time she ever bit us. A decade ago. Nancy

You guys are both doing great! You are both learning. Continue with " stepup" training, but now think " I am the parent, you are the child!" Stepup training, away from cage, as much as possible. If bird tries to bite, gently grab beak... say NO! NO BITE! Walk away, try again in five minutes. Be consistent, let baby know when you are not pleased with behavior. Work on establishing trust. Very important. If other family members are involved, make sure you are all on the same page. Nancy

Great job! Follow your instincts... Nancy

Sophie knows how much I hate, when she has a feather, that " needs to go!" I will focus on a feather... she will actually " limp"! Kids know how much it drives me crazy! They call her on it, tell her " get rid of it!", she will comply. nancy

New babies, shouldn/t come home before sixteen weeks ( my opinion), anyway! Let us know your decision! Nancy

It was truly annoying! I stick close to home now, with people I hire, to care for the birds. Dogs get boarded. If people Sophie Loves, can't care for her, it takes her about a week, to accept someone new. New person meets with her everday for a week. By the end of the week, she is in love. If she is happy, all the birds are happy. Nancy

How old is she? Nancy

Good for Archimedes! He looks quite handsome! Nancy

So happy Sasha has found his favorite! LOL Not all greys play with toys. Try to think of " shredabble toys", such as a pinata. Try it, if it works, let me know. Nancy

I've also had to rescue my bird from a safety hazard. The blinds. Kiki was tangled, had to cut the blinds( it hurt... custom made). I then removed all blinds, curtains on the lower half of the house. Many years ago, but I remain happy about my choices. Birds much safer, windows without treatments look great too! I didn't suffer a bite, as she was unaware of the dangerous situation she was in. But I can understand, if Kiki knew or felt the danger, she would have bit. Nancy

Absolutely clip his claws. Eventually he will do it.( I was chicken... had a trimmer do it!) Whatever works! No blood should be drawn from practicing stepup.OUCH! Of course they grab on when they are scared. Nancy

They can " turn things around all the time!" LOL! Its all part of how amazing they are, and how much they CAN learn! Sophie and I have a favorite game. Either one of us start a whistle. The other repeats it, and adds more. We do this in separate rooms. When Sophie starts to lose due to my more complex whistle... she breaks out into "rap". She knows I don't have a clue! She wins.... as usual. nancy

Shay... hang in there! Typical behavior of a grey. They tend to pick one person. Sophie was adopted at age two, from a great home. She chose just me. She wasn't allowed to do so, We were a package deal. They are just babies. We opened her cage, played games together in front of her cage. We demonstrated that we were " all bonded". Demonstrated our affection for each other. It confused her, which was our goal. When she finally hung out with us, we took turns getting her to stepup. When she bit, we all were strict, grabbed her beak gently, said " NO BITE!" As a family, we made goals for her, and were consistent how we would respond to negative behavior. We also did around six months of " timeout"( five minutes), for terrible behavior. She learned.It truly was easy for her. Ten years later, Sophie loves us all. She steps up to all of us. We are all very protective, and boy, does she know it! She is also very protective towards us. nShe is loved, and secure with that knowledge. Nancy

Hurry! Hurry! Cage is sooo important! Big enough to make them happy, room enough to grow. Nancy

I'm no pro regarding diet. Others have excellent advice! I have always offered a diet of seeds, frozen fruits and veggies. Offered fresh fruits and veggies daily. Switched everyday. Of course, they went thru throwing the fruits and veggies against the walls. Ignored it... kept offering. Years later.... they can't checkout frsh fruit and veggie tray, quick enough! Its their favorite! Of course, 1/4 slice of buttered toast is their ultimate favorite! I( never give treats for " behavior", although I can see the benefit in it.) So happy diet is not an issue for us. They are " eating machines!" Nancy

I would suggest taking a " culture", of the site. see what it is! Nancy

Guys.. let me help. All birds and people's mouth, are gram positive. No matter how much we kiss, gram positive, is the normal flora. When you have a bird, that doesn't have a healthy immune system, they can get sick.Gram negative, is thru feces. This is where they really get sick! There are sooo many things they can get exposed too!WASH your hands! Kids know how crazy I can be. " wash your hands, before handling birds!" I am absolutely crazy about it! Noone even thinks about it anymore. Its normal for us. Wash hands, before handling a bird, no matter what the crisis is! I also know, the practice of " washing hands", has kept us out of vets office. I hate just the thought, of going to the vet! Sophie hasn't been to the vet over a decade. Some may argue with that. I don't want Sophie exposed to anything, she doesn't need to be. Nancy

its just the beginning! Believe me, I know! Everyone here, is into music. I also unfortunately suffer exposure to RAP! Kiki, our Amazon, LOVES Opera. I have seen it all! The " twitch", is just the beginning! Starting to appreciate music. Time to teach dancing! Expose your bird to all different kinds of music. Sophie, LOVES rap, Kiki loves classical! Nancy

JeffNOK... Are you kidding us? Gracie's accomplishment is amazing! Don't even think of comparing Gracie to any other bird, or owner. You are doing just fine. Gracie has always been a favorite of mine. She is developing quite well. There will come a time, that she will truly take off. Be ready! Nancy

Of course, you will be able to go! Charley should be included, no matter what! The large collapsible cage sounds perfect. A very important age. I either took Sophie with us, or had someone she loved, come care for her, for the week.(Sophie has always had lots of friends she knew, felt comfortable with). When I chose someone to babysit... they moved in for the week. As she got older, I took her to the groomer at the petstore, with instructions, to put her on the local gym, to socialize. Had to send my toaster, as she wants 1/4 slice of buttered toast every morning. When I got home, my groomer/petstore owner, presented me with requests from people that were interested in buying her. ( he was bound to tell me!) It kind of freaked me out, so I tend to hire people to come and live with Sophie. Have never had a problem. Nancy

TWIX absolutely beautiful pictures of DJ and your beautiful daughter! I LOVE how happy DJ is! Relaxed feathers, not a care in the world! When Sophie was clipped ( not anymore), she use to garden with me. Dogs also went outside at the same time, to help keep her safe. Always worry about " the sky!" Nancy