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I know I sound cold and heartless, ( but I'm not!). I don't offer treats to get Sophie to step down, or go to bed. She knows what I expect of her, and bedtime, is bedtime! Create the expectation! Nancy

hucker... doesn't look serious to me. What IS serious, sunflower seeds , needs to be a treat, and just minimal. What I would also recommend, is developing " parent/child relationship." It is the number one thing I feel strongly about. Yes... I am the " bad guy", over and over. I make the final decisions for our flock and dogs. Everyone tries to make me feel guilty, but I don't. They know I " empathize"... but my decision is always based on what is best for all. Nancy

Dave, you know I will never bathe Sophie. I am CHICKEN.....! I made the deal with Sophie. Everyone else bathes just fine! It is the one and only " deal with the devilchild", I made. I DO feel guilty, that I as a "parent", should have control over her hatred of water. Nancy

scooter4n If you think Grey poop is big... you have never met an Amazon! LOL Whats bigger than a 50cent piece? Amazons have the BIGGEST poop, I've ever seen! Regarding the bird dander from a grey, I never have actually given it alot of thought! It is obviiously is no big deal. Nancy

munch... Sophie's metal gym, she came with, 12 years ago. I have tried to replace it. No go! It has two circles in front, she slides down the sides at an amazing speed. She LOVES it! We have had to rescrew it a million times to make it safe. Its hanging by a thread, but my 17 year old is talented, and always fixes it to make it safe for her. Its on borrowed time. Nancy

Sophie will regurg on a daily basis. I make sure we thank her, and offer her a gift in response. I don't think we are encouraging her to continue to do so, just thanking her. A simple " bite from the popsicle I am eating, or a simple " kiss", makes her happy. What we do, is based on what makes her happy. Whether it is right... not really sure. It works for her! Nancy

Good thinking GT_Jacket. Morana... Wingy does alot of toy building of her own. Maybe she can help you with ideas for alternative toys. She has many fantastic ideas! Sophie LOVES to be read too, and I have done so since I got her. She goes crazy when she sees me reading a book. She thinks its for her. I have to give her a " children's book", just so I can read. I have to be careful, watch her while she is pretending to read, since I am concerned about the " ink". Nancy

Judygram... didn't know that! Interesting! Luckily, all my birds love neck and head scatches. Don't enjoy belly or wings touched. Nancy

I also didn't know about the stainless steel! Thanks guys! Sophie LOVES to be in the kitchen when I cook also. She is allowed in, if I'm baking, but if I boil.... she gets put on her gym, hall doorway is closed. Of course, once dinner is done, doorway gets opened. She can join us. She LOVES her small dish of pasta without sauce of course. A small piece of garlic bread is her favorite. ( I hope garlic is okay for birds, since it is her favorite!) Let me know guys about garlic. Nancy

Welcome Charles. Divorce is hard. Especially losing what is so important to you. Congrads! Nancy and gang

In my opinion.... I LOVE having an Amazon, as well as a Grey! They are perfect, since they are sooo different. Kiki, our Amazon, is awesome at flying, trying new toys and food. Very sensitive. She would NEVER bite. Sophie, is her " polar" opposite. Much more suspicious, hesitant to try new toys and foods, but watches Kiki and learns. Sophie is who she is, due to Kiki. Friendly, accepts all family members and friends. Sophie, is FAR more intelligent, but wouldn't be able to demonstrate the intelligence, if Kiki was not part of her life. They teach each other. They bring out the best in each other. Nancy

thebirdistheword, you know, I am going to be there for you! Love, aunt Nancy

I have had two girls. Never an egg. !2 years later! Don't anticipate. Nancy

Within our family, they picked us! Sunny our rescue sunconure, was out of " forever" homes. He was actually being taken care of in a rescue home, that happened to be our babysitter! Noone could care for this " bird", until my son came along. He was nine. This bird would attack everyones jugular. Ryan came along.... Sunny immediately fell in love with him. My babysitter talked to me about adopting him. I wasn't into it. She explained he was going to be euthanized.... out of forever homes. Noone could control him. Only Ryan. Took him home. Twelve years later.... still loves Ryan! LOL Nancy

It is hard, when it comes to biting. They all will do it. I encourage establishing parent/child relationship. You can't do that, without trust. twelve years later... noone bites or chews, because the " relationship", has been established. YAY!!!!! Nancy

Sophie is 12 now. Regurgitating, never really goes away. As babies they just regurg, but as they mature, they regurg, to show you love! Always except their offer. It doesn't have to be " mouth to mouth". Sophie will regurg in our hand. ( both kids and myself). We always say thank you, and make a big deal of it. She is always pleased! Nancy

Morana... Wingy has EXCELLENT advice! I'm sorry I made the video a " no big deaL". iT obviously is a big deal to you. I apologize. If your bird eats cardboard or paper... Yes, they WILL poop it out. Of course, I agree with your worry that ingesting the glue, is not healthy. I understand you are feeling guilty that you can't be there for your bird as much as you would desire. We all go thru that! Your bird is acting 100& normal. Some greys only like shreddable toys. Thats Sophie! Everything your bird is doing is NORMAL! Your bird reminds me sooo much of Sophie. She is 12 now, and a very happy young lady. I work tons of hours too. Its not the quantity of hours, but the quality. Today only my day off. Sophie and I hung out all day. Whether it be doing the wash.... Nancy

I have DNA sexed all my birds. Sophie and Kiki are girls. Sunny is a boy. Sunny LOVES Ryan to death, so it really doesn't matter if they are a boy or girl, whom they pick as their primary caregiver. They will " charm", no matter what sex they are. Nancy

Jimmydreams... forkeeps has excellent advice regarding dog training. It is a vital part of owning any bird. I was lucky my senior lhasoApso Max, who was eighteen when he died, was here to train Ollie and Zoey our Maltese, to love and respect the birds. They were both pups when she arrived. NOT the best timing, but Sophie was a surprise addition to our family. I got Ollie to keep Max going since he lost his mate Molly age 17. He got very depressed, so I brought home Ollie. Max couldn't keep up with Ollie, so I brought Zoey home, to play with Ollie, and give Max a rest. Next thing you know.... Sophie came home. ( this is NOT normal for me). Max just looked at me.... " are you KIDDING me? Max was blind, but he was able to train both pups, NEVER to attack the birds. Max became fond of Sophie extraordinarily fast! When pups would charge to checkout Sophie, Max would intercede. Max spent another six months working on new pups to love and respect all our birds. He trained them to respect Sophie as their leader. Once he new Sophie was respected as the " new" leader of our animal kingdom, he let me know it was time. Nancy

pkwjr... What a handsome boy Bernie is! I also agree with the separate sleeping cage.Many rescued or rehomed birds just "take", right away to their new parent. Sunny our rescue sunconure certainly did when he met Ryan more than a decade ago. Hasn't changed since. There was no adjustment for Ryan and Sunny. Just the rest of us! LOL! Sunny loves us all now... but he is bonded to Ryan. Nancy

I agree. Janet, your baby DOES love you. Amazons tend to be a little more sensitive than greys. They are more " tuned into their enviroment"... then a grey. We get it, and tell Sophie to "give her a break!" If she doesn't...Sophie knows we are going to have a " talk". It works. She gives Kiki the space she needs. Nancy

Not sure about the nodding. Kiki our Amazon, lets us know her likes and dislikes rather quickly. Nancy

Inmy opinion, birds bark more than dogs! LOL Nancy

Watermelon is awesome! Sophie loves it. Nancy

I believe in routine. I have always treated my birds, like they were my kids. You are lucky, your mom will be home. You can ask her to work on your goals for baby. Why wouldn't you want to establish routine? I don't understand. You are the parent! Birds will adapt to change in routine, if necessary. What they like is.... "I trust my mom or dad, to make changes if necessary". What doesn't work, is letting a grey dictate the agenda. YOU are the parent. Of course, I am not always Sophie's favorite person. I make the rules, and never stray from them. BUT.... when all the "fun" people aren't around, I am her favorite person. LOL Nancy