kins2321@yahoo.com

I cannot tell you what dimensions are great! I can say, whatever cage you get, it should be their permanent cage. They tend NOT to adapt to new cage. Bigger, is NOT always better. Nancy

Kiki our Amazon of 10 years, is the only one suffering from " spring fever!" She is just being more needy. Certainly ,not aggressive, but wants to "be", with everyone. She DID exhibit aggression several weeks ago when I was changing fruit and veggie tray. She started to run across the top of the cage... she NEVER did this before. I stopped what I was doing and held my ground.( left my fingers where they were and waited for the " impact".) It didn't happen. She stopped short. I would rather take a bite, than give in to hormones. I can't give in to one bird since the rest will learn I'm not so invinsible. Yay! She's back to normal this week. Nancy

TWIX congratulations! We look forward to learning about your new baby. Nancy

Sophie does this also with her wings. Nancy

First off... thank you for rescuing this fantastic guy! How old is he? Your son is young, and needs to be told " he is doing nothing wrong!" I agree with all, your son needs to agree to limit the deoderant. He needs to be onboard for things to work as a family. Your baby also shows same symtoms for other things that stress him. It will be a long process, but your goals are obtainable. Family needs to be committed for the best outcome. Of course, we are all here to help you. We all have had rescues, rehomed, and have learned quite a bit. Nancy

Elvenking... first of all, if you are going to have bird school, I would like to sign Sophie up! LOL Second, your baby is happy and relaxed while you are in the shower. They pick and choose when they want to learn. So showertime it is! Nancy

How exciting! We are sooo happy and excited as well for you. We've all been there, and will always remember those visits and pictures. Keep us in the loop! Nancy

I tend not to say alot about Kiki, since I talk more about Sophie on grey sight. What can I say about Kiki! We love her to death.... and without her abilitiy to overcome her fear of new foods, new toys, and learning to fly.... there would be NO animal kingdom.She is the best flier, the best food and toy tester.She asks for little in return. Kiki was very difficult as a baby to wean. We got her at sixteen weeks, but of all my birds, needed furthur weaning. I still continued to syringe feed her for next three months. When she was ready, she let me know. We love Kiki.Sean, is her owner, but will stepup to all of us. Nancy

I am trying to post new thread. How to deal wuth a new Amazon. In my opinion, it takes a ton of work, to handle a new zon. Diet, is number one. Toys, is number two concern. Nancy

No matter what toy I buy for Sophie, no matter how expensive it is.... she doesn't care. She only cares about being a part of this family. I learned this along time ago. I always focus on being her mom. When she does something I don't approve of, I let her know. She always changes her behavior, and I compliment her. We have the parent/child relationship. I always encourage her. nancy

You will, and can, get past the biting problem. Biting, has always been an easy fix for our family. If you have issues, let me know, I will be glad to help. Its not allowed, has never been allowed, and noone bites. Nancy

Wingy... the baby will be ready to come home around 16 weeks from birth.( I never recommend anything sooner!) Kids of all ages adapt to a new bird. Birds adapt to having extra attention from kids. My kids were 10 and 8 when Sophie came home. They thought she was fantastic! Just a thought.... don't let anyone pressure you to get your grey. ( noone is.... but just want to reinforce this thought!) Only YOU have to be ready. It has nothing to do with kids. When you are ready.... get a baby grey. Don't worry about kids, us.... etc. What I DON"T want to lose, is your friendship, and wise words of wisdom! You help me soooo much! Skip the bird for now, but keep the wisdom coming! All of us learn from you. I personally am being selfish, and want Wingy to help me and NOT get a bird! Of course I will support new bird, but I will be honest, Wingy getting a new bird, I will lose out on wise words and suggestions. Nancy

I don't have an answer for you! I wish I did. I WOULD have a thought, but not sure, since she is stressing to the point of maybe plucking. I do know, she is trying to charm you so that she doesn't have to go to bed. She is more sensitive since she is pulling out her down feathers. I hope others here with more experience have a plan for you Nancy

snoepgoed123 So glad the harness is working out! I'm not sure about the crabapple tree. I think Dave will know. Don't worry about the branch that scared Archimedes. As long as he was safe. Life is about challenges that not only people need to meet, but also our birds. Meeting obstacles in life, is part of life. Reassure, and be there to support them, is what we do as parents. We don't remove all the obstacles of life, but are there to support them when they are scared, and support them when they aren't sure. nancy

Those special moments are sooo important! I promise, it will be your turn eventually, when you don't expect it! What makes a special parent is the one that is willing to " sacrifice their own special time", for happiness for their bird and another family member. When you aren't looking....they show you how important your sacrifices are. I have always fed Sophie, kept her safe, disciplined her. I was her mom (Rom). I'm reaping the rewards years later. She still loves Ryan to death. BUT.... I am her mom, and when and if she is afraid, she knows who is going to be there in a heartbeat. Nancy

Seek out Dave's advise with diet. He will guide you. He has excellent advice. Nancy

It sounds like greys have different temperments. Sophie is my only experience. Starting to worry about when Sean goes off to college, and no longer have help. Started cleaning cages by myself, as they have two cages that go 3/4 to the ceiling. I started practicing, Sean asked me why I didn't ask for help! I told him I was trying to do it by myself, as I will eventually need to do so. Of course, he jumped in. Told me, he is just an hour away, and will come home to help. Bless him! I just want to be independent, and let him focus on college. Nancy

ariisamis... so sorry, you got caught in us just having fun! Your children's ages are just fine! My oldest was nine years old when Sophie came home. She was the BEST experience for him, and loves him to death a decade later! The moment he walks in the door from college, I get a quick peck... he wants to see Sophie. She's already climbing down her cage to find him! I am sooo proud, that my goal of owning a grey, who loves the entire family, has been met. I am soo proud! Nancy

Birds of different species, CAN encourage the other species to be the best they can be! Everyone knows and respects Sophie. She rules over the animal kingdom. When it comes to fresh fruits and veggies... Sophie won't let anyone try it, until it is approved by Kiki. ( Kiki LOVES this rule!) If Kiki likes it, Sunny and Sophie will try it. Same things goes for toys. When I buy in bulk toys, Sophie helps to decide, who gets what. Sunny gets all toys with bells, Kiki gets big wooden toys.Sophie actually keeps little for herself, so I always keep toys I buy for her hidden, and introduce to her the next day. Sophie does quite well ruling over the animal kingdom. I am very proud of her. Nancy

SaladNinja... So cool when they love to be in the car and go for rides. Sophie LOVES the car!( she was originally owned by a racecar driver!) I could tell he took her for rides all the time. She wags her tail around every corner! LOL She learned though, she had to adapt in a car traveler. She STILL wags her tail, and has loads of fun. It is the next best thing to a seatbelt. If we crash, or get hit by another car, their chance of survival, becomes nil. Remember, their safety is just as important as every human in the car. Nancy

Definitely... let him spend fifteen minutes snuggling. As long as he goes right back to bed, it works. I would do the same, as long as he went back to sleep quicly. Nancy

Maybe thats why Kiki our Amazon, has been so noisy lately! She's driving me crazy! Not aggressive, but noisy. She's already been " bonded" to my sunconure for past eight years. I notice she is snuggling with him more than usual. He DOES get annoyed when she sinks his rope, but tolerates it. Deep down, he LOVES her to death, but hates when she sinks his rope with her weight. LOL! Nancy

pikachu... wow! Never even thought about it! We live in Rochester, NY... so having a tornado, was never a thought. We DO have a plan for a fire, and have had to evacuate for an electrical fire. It went well, we were all sitting in our yard by the time fire department arrived. All cages got removed, dogs were in the car. After it was deemed safe, the fire marshall commented that his group asked if they were at the " Webster zoo!" Ha! Ha! Nancy

ceiji... of course, he won't stepup. Your baby wants you to do it his way! Be strong, stick to your belief! You are the parent, they are the child! Many parents give in. If you give in, than your baby rules. If you stay strong.... I promise you, years down the road, your baby will step up to you without asking. He will be on your shoulder for hours. You will be where I am. It was a ton of work. It took six months of commitment. The one thing I compromised on was... I wouldn't make her shower at home. Groomer would shower her. She understood, and was okay with it. We still do it, and she;s good with the plan. Nancy

Sounds like a " Michael Jackson moon dance!" LOL! Nancy