kins2321@yahoo.com

Take time to mourn. Nothing you did, could have prevented your baby"s death. Trimming, or being fully flighted, has nothing to do with anything. I've had both! You are a GREAT parent. Nancy

Some greys, never like standard toys. Thats okay. Be inventive, find what they love. NEVER, worry about encouraging agression. Play is play! If they become agressive, the answer is NO! Gently grab the beak, say NO! Distract, and move on. Nancy

I agree with Jayd. If new owners are looking into " red factor", or any other factor, I don't think you are ready for a grey. They are not a commodity! They are birds capable of learning the equivalent of a five year old. They have feelings and want to be part of a family.

If I can go in the garage and curse, everyone else can too! LOL! I believe it is very important to make sure birds have a clean mouth. Kids know how serious I take this. They can curse in the garage too! Birds are beautiful... and should never be tarnished by learning bad words. I'm sure, Sophie wonders what goes on in the garage! Nancy

Sophie does some crazy things! We could start a " weiro group!" Nancy

Steve... LOL! Sophie ALWAYS asks " Whatcha doin?" Of course, I always explain in detail what I am doing, then ask " what are YOU doin?" Nancy

I think whether you choose a Congo, or Tinneh, they have so much to offer! Either, will make excellent additions to your family. Thru our experience, allowing any of our birds, or dogs, to accept one family member, was never an option. We have always been a " package deal" All birds go to all of us. It was my expectation, as flock leader. Sophie, my grey, tends to think more, and gets concerned when there is a stressor. I remind her, " I will worry and figure it out!" I know she worries. and I remind her, " I will deal with this responsibility!" I think she is refusing to stepdown, because she knows, I'm worried. I don't know how to let her know, everything is okay. Nancy

danmcq... many people use treats to comply. I have never done so. ( not sure why, but didn't.) I have never used food or treats for behavior modification. It won't work at this point. Not sure why, putting her on the floor in front of her gym worked. I do suspect she is refusing to stepdown, as she knows I am concerened about my pup, and am focused on Zoey.( new seizure disorder), and I am worried. Not sure if Sophie is worried about Zoey, or worried about ME, being worried about Zoey.( she LOVES Zoey!) Sophie is a VERY intelligent bird. If something changes in our animal kingdom. she knows. Nancy

I am happy that Sophie has a pretty clean mouth, as we have sooo many teenage boys that come to our house. Both my kids, make sure that all friends, talk clean in front of Sophie. Kids are pretty strict! BUT... they are all into music. Ryan tries to expose Sophie to " clean RAP songs". He does a good job, but still Sophie prefers " rap". I would prefer she like other music, as she is exposed to all types of music. She dances perfectly, to rap, and prefers this music. YUCK! Nancy

Sophie sounds just like me also... but she can be EXTREMELY loud. She imitates the other birds to perfection. She talks nonstop... if she runs out of human words, she starts baby talk. If she talks too much, as well as other birds, I do have to say "quiet!" That gives me about ten minutes of peace! LOL I do have to say, if there is a crisis, they are all angels, and know when they seriously should be quiet. Zoey my pup, continues to have seizures occassionally, this is new to us. I'm sure they perceive my stress at the moment, and become the best supportive birds. nancy

Mistyparrot... Steve... GET TO BED! LOL I love when they learn a new concept. Misty knows " now", gets a response, and is learning its a " good" word, as something happens, and my moment is satisfied, hence, they learn " now". They assimilate the word with a response, and learn the meaning. Sucks to be you, because now you have to show her she is right, and thats what the word means. nancy

Casey Luria.... a VERY fun toy for your baby, would be a see N say Sophie's favorite. You pull the string... an animal sound is made.( turn the dial to the animal sound you want.) Sophie LOVES it! She knows them all and never gets tired of hearing it. Nancy

danmcq, very interesting! No, I really didn't know! ( seriously!) I am struggling lately, with Sophie refusing to " stepdown". I know this is the opposite of everyone's problem, but it is a serious problem for me! She will clamp her claws, to the point of hurting. She will only stepdown, if I put her on the floor. Nancy

Its NOT a given, with greys! Yes... you are right! My point is.... Its NOT up to them, what works. YOU are the parent, THEY are the child. YOU make the rules. Sophie rules the flock, including dogs, but I am the flock leader, and make all final decisions. nancy

Some greys, are meant to be leaders. Yes, they can rule over the animal kingdom including dogs. Sophie rules the entire animal kingdom. Always encourage your bird to be the best they can be. Nancy

Say " thank you", even though nothing has come up! He is regurg and loving you. ( just my opinion!) Many of us have different opinions about the regurg thing. Many ignore it and try to distract... I don't believe in that. I believe in always acknowledging their offer of love, and ALWAYS, say thank you. nancy

All greys repeat and also repeat secrets. I curse like a sailor. I just make sure I never curse around my grey. If I need to curse, it is always in the garage, away from birds. Noone is allowed to curse in front of Sophie. Her potty mouth was once saying " asshole". She said it once. Nancy

murfchck... anything they do, is normal! ( just normal to them!) LOL! ALWAYS listen to your bird. ( advice I once received!) Sophie's favorite thing lately is listening to the " Sound of Music". She LOVED the movie. I've been playing the songs on the piano and she has been dancing. She can't get enough! ( meanwhile, I learn a little slower, and she doesn't like it!) nancy

Just my opinion... ABSOLUTELY, get rid of old cage!!! Being the owner, of a rescued abused Sunconure, I learned to listen to his thoughts. I won't get into the hell and back we went thru for Sunny. NEW CAGE! Absolutely important. If your new baby wants to argue about a new cage.... THEN... their needs to be a discussion, and they lose. nancy

TWIX, Is your wife home during the day? The reason I ask, is she will need lots of help. Not only are you trusted, you are the flock leader. Nancy

Thru my experience, Sophie has vocalized more away from the cage thru games, reading childrens books and interacting with all of us. She is only in her cage to sleep, otherwise on her gym during the day when I am at work, then she is running to the door when she hears my car pull in. I many times have to ask her for a " potty break", before I pick her up! nancy

Many believe, bigger is better. I don't believe in that. Nancy

Sophie eats toast, veggies and fruits! We went thru food being tossed against the walls. She learned to respect fresh fruits and veggies. Nancy

Greys can pick one owner. They tend to do so. I know this, and have spent alot of time for Sophie, to love our entire family. The family, has spent alot of time, to get her affection! She has NEVER been allowed to choose a favorite. LIFE, is NOT about Sophie, its about where she fits into our family! She knows this. Once we established how our family works, Sophie, has taken over the animal kingdom, and makes fantastic decisions. If I don't like her decisions, It gets discussed. I know it sounds crazy... but it works for us. Nancy

murfchyck... You've got a baby, who loves you, and is showing trust! Congradulations! It is an important event. Nancy