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The birdistheword You are doing a GREAT job, and have the patience of a saint! Part of being a parent, is teaching a bird, NOT, to bite. Whether it be a firm, gentle shake of the beak, saying "NO BITE", returning them to their cage, ignoring them for five minutes, try it again.( of course, forget the bite, act like nothing happened.) Try again! Don't ignore the behavior. We all want them to love us, but " bad behavior", is not acceptable. They need to learn " good" behavior. If no boundaries are set... they won't stop! Ryan, Sophies soulmate is coming home this week.She's in for a pleasant surprise! I can't wait to see her face when he walks in the door! Of course...she will blow me off. I'm okay with that, as I know she will be sooo happy! Nancy

They do get better with practice. We are lucky to have a family room that is HUGE! We always practiced the entire gang with flying. We went thru the crash landing, but were successful eventually.. I have always trimmed my birds." trimming", is different than being clipped. When birds are little, they need to learn how to fly, develop their chest muscles. It is important to learn how to fly. I worked closely with my bird trimmer, who was vital to us. He knew our birds, their trimming was adjusted slowly, with lots of thought. They all fly well. Kiki our Amazon, flies much better than the entire flock.A bird trimmer, is so important to have. Nails, beak, unwanted feathers. Nancy

I would suggest three toys max! I would buy several toys, hold back many, and rotate them. I also take into consideration, what the gang likes. Sunny loves bells and mirrors. Kiki loves wooden toys to destroy. Sophie loves to shred. Nancy

LOL Ray P. I bet MY bird can fart louder than YOUR bird! LOL Sophie does all those unpleasant sounds. I always remind her to say " excuse me", as they are unladylike. Of course she never does! When I first got Sophie, she went in for her " well child visit", got a clean bill of health and was meeting her milestones. After being here for just one week, she started saying " ACHOOOOO". What did I know! I thought she had a cold, and made an emergency appointment with the avian vet. While seeing him, he had this " smirk". I asked him, is she sick? He explained to me, that birds don't say " achoo", when they are sick.Of course I was embarrassed! He couldn't help himself, as Sophie was flirting with him and being the prankster she is. Down right laughed! Told me, " Sophie made his day!" Nancy

LOL! You should see our water bowl every morning! They have certainly " dipped" their toast. YUCK Nancy

TWIX LOVES his new cage! A very important step. GREAT progress. Nancy

Dave is sooo right! I have never seen my birds over eat! If they STOPPED eating, I would be concerned. Luckily, have not been to an avian vet, for past decade.If they are missing any vaccinations, please let me know, but I will NOT expose my birds to VRE, MRSA, C-DIFF! If there is a question about their weight, my trimmer takes care of their health. Trimming is all about nails and beak. Nancy

Breakfast, for my guys, is very important. They get a bowlful full of seeds( very little), pellets, toast and fresh fruits and veggies. I remove the bowl of fresh fruits and veggies when I get home. There pellet mix, is out 24/7. Nancy

Luvparrots, has excellent advice. I watched the video twice. Of course, seeking an avian vet, is the first thing to do. Frequent yawning, is the first sign of respiratory distress. I didn't see this. I saw a bird that wants to be handfed. After ruling out health reasons, try an additional handfed mesh, twice a day. Kiki needed this, and exhibited the same symtoms. We continued to give her a " mesh", off a spoon for another three months. Nancy

JeffNOK...ALWAYS, trust your instincts! We give you suggestions, that are " generalized!" You did good! You felt she was ready, and yes, she was! I personally think the student that she pooped on the test, deserves an "A". LOL I will remind you of the advice I received when I fist adopted Sophie. He didn't pick me, Sophie did. He knew I had no knowlege of caring for a grey. He told me to learn the basics, diet and stepup. Other than that... LISTEN, to your grey. She will teach you! I have always remembered his parting thoughts, and have done exactly, what he suggested. Nancy

LOL! I'm sorry... it is quite funny! ( please apologize to your hubby for me!) I see more of the humour of the situation, that Gilbert saw. We've discussed, what " life would be like", if a burgular ever came here. ( God forbid!) Ollie would attack them, Zoey would lick them, Sophie would talk their ear off. Kiki would screech until they were deaf, Sunny... the littlest of the family, would bite their jugular, and they would bleed to death.( we've worked on the jugular thing). Nancy

thenabrd don't worry so much if she doesn't play with her old gym. She may have never played with it in the past. Sophie is NOT a huge player of toys. She LOVES her gym. Came with her 12 years ago. It is made of metal, and she REFUSES to update it. We fix it over and over. She LOVES to slide down the sides.... seriously, 90 miles an hour.Thats why she loves it. She doesn't care anything about the new toys.Maybe a pinata, destroying popsicle sticks. She LOVES to be read to.... anything that ryhmes, playing board games( she is seriously competitive), learning new songs, and tag! She loves her checkbook, regurgitating, and bossing our animal world around. What is most important to her, is being a part of our family. The moment I walk in the door, she comes out. Walks in... Hi! Gives me a big fat kiss! While I cook... I lay several spoons on windowsill for her to throw into sink. She LOVES it! Loves the clang! Nancy

We're all whipped! LOL BUT... being " whipped", also tends to lead to a bird that trusts you, develops a strong sense of self. I get such a kick out of watching " Miss superior Sophie!" Nancy

JeFFNOK and all... wow! I was in a " cringing" position with my face, ( I'm sure you can imagine!). The fallout didn't happen! Thanks! Today was Sunday. Sophie's day. I had such a hard week, I really just wanted to read a book, and have little responsibility. Sophie hung out with me, but I was boring.n While I was reading my book, she decided to learn how to " turn on the faucet." I had a little soap on the pan that was soaking.... turned into a HUGE amount of bubbles! Whwn I heard her sqyaking with excitement... WHOA! Bubbles everywhere, shes going crazy with fun! LOL Serves me right for being boring. Nancy

Ken... we certainly are NOT bored! You know what to do! Ruby is going to be great! Nancy

BeaRose... amazing that Tess is willing to bond in her cage. Most birds are a little more posessive! Kudos! Sophie still regurgs a decade later. Sunday is our day! She is with me from sunup to sunset. Granted, we spend several hours together every day, but Sunday, is all about Sophie. She will regurg a few times a week, but on Sunday.... boy does she have a gift for me! HUGE regurg! Of course I thank her! I know it sounds gross... but I thank her, and pretend to eat it. She is pleased. Nancy

I've decided to " sigh", when one moderator is wrong with their response. If an additional moderator chooses to "support", the first moderator, then I will just give a second sigh. I'm doubling my " sigh" Moving on..... Nancy

Four hours, is sooo much a better scenario. I suggest waiting until the " relationship, is fully established", for several reasons. First, you guys are working on your relationship. Complete trust, needs to be established. Second, I have never had a bird that chews their feathers. I am lucky. Greys chew, over the most ridiculous things! Slightest stress, sets them off. I believe a grey needs to learn " sense of self", meaning, I am AMAZING! Meaning... " I am awesome! I am superior to the world, you are invited to be part of my world. This doesn't give you a bird that thinks they are better.... but a bird that is secure with themself. Believe me, Sophie is not a snob, and has a difficult job, to be the lead bird Nancy

Greys tend to throw out a word or two before a year old. I would focus more on the chirps, whistles, baby talk. It IS their baby language. This is how I think of Sophie's cognitive ability. I always thought a grey has the cognitive ability of a five year old. ( at their best!) At age seven months, they are equivalent to a seven month old human baby. They dont talk, but they make sounds.t like a grey). At age two, they are starting to talk, but also starting the terrible two's. Testing the parent.( Sophie was right on!) Between the age of 2 and 1/2 Sophie was seriously in the terrible twos! Biting, out of control! I made the decision, that her growth, is the same as a human child. I decided to work with her with " timeout!". I put alot of thought into it. I discussed this with the kids, we had to be on the same page. We all agreed to give it a try, always conscious, if it didn't work, was harmful to Sophie, we would stop. We decided if Sophie bit... we would grab her beak gently, say NO! No BITE! She would go in a timeout cage for five minutes, discuss it after. It worked for us. I know I am about to get attacked by many. Please don't do so! It worked for us, Sophie was never abused, and I know what studies say. Nancy

On a healthy note... I have two kids with " respiratory infection induced asthma". On the third day of a cold, they will either wheeze or be okay. Its been like this since they were very little. As teenagers, they start to ignore their symtoms think they are fine. I(f Sophie is coughing alot and does so for a few days, I know someone is sick and not telling me they are wheezing. I will listen to their lungs, hear the wheezing and start nebulizing. Sophie has stopped them from having to start steroids more time then I can count! Nancy

thenabrd... I LOVE the name kallie!I'm sure she adjusted well to her name change. If Sophie was named Ethna when she came here, I guarantee you, I would have changed her name! Nancy

They sure do get into everything! LOL! I have been child proofed for 20 years! What the heck? Wasn't I suppose to remove the plugs from the electrical outlets years ago? Nancy

I can understand, a new parent being dissappointed, if the bird loves someone else, more than them. They may have put all the energy into buying the bird, learning how to care for it. The bird was extremely important to them, and not the rest of the family. That HURTS! Don't worry, Thebirdistheword! There is a solution! An African Grey, tends to choose one person. If Moxie's previous owner was a male, she will continue to do so. She is young and will be receptive to learning. Number one... it is important for Moxie to watch and be involved in interactions between you and your boyfriend. Once she is curious, wants to hangout with you guys, play a boardgame. I know it sounds stupid... but for us, it was that easy. If its your turn, Moxie needs to stepup if she wants to play. ( try the game TROUBLE).Sophie loves all of us! We fufill her needs, independent of each other. She steps up to all of us. We all think "she loves us best!" LOL Ryan teaches her music and dancing, Sean teaches her how to play tag, I feed her, enforce bedtime and keeping her safe, i could go on and on. At the end of the day, it is a family effort. She recognizes this. Hence... why wouldn't she stepup to all of us? We all have something to offer! Nancy

Sophie is VERY playful. She has different games she enjoys, for each of us. I LOVE what she does with my 17 year old! She LOVES his feet. He never wears shoes. She will chase his feet in the family room. He squeals in delight and runs! She puts her beak on his feet... TAG! Your it! She runs! He chases her( slowly!) LOL She puts her beak down, butt up in the air ( in plain sight!) LOL She stinks at hide and seek! She thinks she"s great at it! Of course Sean works very hard to find her. Once the game of tag is over, and he plays a video game, she starts digging at his feet. One foot digging like a bull. Does anyone understand what she is doing? We don't know what it means. We know she is happy. Nancy

Jeffnok... you and Gracie are one of my favorite families! I see the progress, and know in my heart, you guys are going to be JUST fine!Socialization, is vital, for what most grey parents strive for. Including me! Taking Gracie to work for eight hours, is too long, in my opinion, at this time. Her progress is fantastic! Sophie was two, when we got her. She had a previous owner, that was wonderful. A racecar driver, that was too busy and knew he was not able to give her the attention she deserved. I was one of the lucky ones. A well adjusted bird, who didn't even blink, settling in. I waited for the honeymoon to be over, but it never was. Sure... she bit me! All birds bite! Sophie was socialized slowly. First, to the kids, next to the revolving door of kids and friends that would come over. One memory I will never forget was, my girlfriend stopped over. I asked her if I could bring Sophie in to sit with us. She was fine about it. ( she also had exotic birds).I had Sophie for about two months. I woyld have NEVER brought her out if I had known why she stopped by. She told me she was getting divorced. Started to cry! Of course I was consoling her. At one point in the conversation when my friend was crying the hardest.... Sophie started laughing. I mean, REALLY laughing I was horrified! My girlfrriend stopped crying, and starting laughing!!! My friend said. " you're right Sophie! I'm going to be JUST fine!" My friend ended up being " just fine!" She has never forgotten Sophie laughing during the " worst" day of her life. She told me, Sophie gave her hope. I guess I helped! LOL NOT! Just Sophie Nancy