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The cage is rather large. Better suited to a grey or Macaw, but where do you live? Nancy

I'm not sure if I should tackle this one on but I will try. Take my advice or leave it. It worked for us. If baby is trusting you, encourage the relationship. As far as regurg... I am okay with it, just encourage it to be done in my hand. Its not always sexual, but a bird letting you know they love you. Sophie now, will regurg to me after having a fun day of bonding. I always thank her. As far as bird that has not had a forever home... but has chosen you to be part of his family.... LOVE your bird, make them feel safe. They are more than willing to accept your expectations. They have no idea what " rules" mean. NO shoulder status for sure. When you are in their vicinity... cage door MUST be opened. Wrist status only. When they scream... say firmly NO! Return the bird in a " timeout cage". Pick them up again in five minutes. Discuss the screaming. If they do it again.... back into " timeout cage", for five minutes. Remember to pick your battles. Greys need to scream at times.Sophie, a decade later, hasn't been in timeout for a long time. She is allowed to scream her heart out at times. If it gets annoying, I quickly tell her " Sophie... shhhh!" She stops her nonsense. I distract her with books, toys, or a game. If that doesn't work, she gets a warning. Haven't gotten past the warning in a long time. They are truly like kids. Tempt you to the end! Nancy

Many greys don't like toys. Sophie is one. BUT... they can't resist shredding. Get some pinata toys. Baby won't resist. Sophie's favorite thing to do when I pay bills, is to have her own registrar and start to manage her imaginary money! Encourage the hugging... BUT... time to get moving, practice flying! BEST done with two people, but if thats not the case, encourage walking, progress to flying. Practice! Nancy

They all have their way of letting us know... " you are a bad bad parent!" I absolutely hate the " indifference card they play". Sophie would try the " indifference" attitude... I would BEG for her forgiveness! She lasted mad at me less than 24 hours. I am always forgiven. YAY! Don't take it personally, you are going to get punished... plan on it! Nancy

So happy to hear! Nancy

LOVED the video! I promise to try and catch Ryan and Sophie rapping! Its the only time I WONT pick her up after as I will get a hard nip. She is WAY too excited! Nancy

That is so sad! Is there any way you can find her a " forever" home rather than sanctuary? They are great, but your bird needs a forever home. I can relate and understand about the asthma. Both my boys have asthma, and when I was asked to adopt Sunny our Sunconure, since he loved Ryan and bonded with him the day he met him at age nine, I hesitated due to the asthma. Had the boys tested first before I committed. No allergies to bird dander. Sunny came home. Nancy

EVERYONE should learn how to do CPR. You never know. Of course in any animal situation... you certainly have to try. They won't make it to the vet. Many of us that were unfortunately put in a situation that required CPR, were pleasantly surprised, that it worked. I would take an animal CPR course in a heartbeat! I just applied my pediatric knowledge, thought that was the best course... and happy it worked. Dave... Certainly, noone has a complaint against you! You have alot of responsibility on this site, and I can see how it could come back to bite you! It is parents responsibility to educate themselves. Talon... LOL! I'd have a hard time with a prairie dog too! Nancy

Sophie screams very little! She will yell for about ten minutes. I certainly don't discourage her, but OUCH! Nancy

I have had to do CPR when my Amazon was stuck under a gate and was on her last breath when I walked in the door. Dogs were freaking out, let me know something was wrong. I was doing CPR, all the birds and dogs gathered, and were quiet. They knew I was trying to save Kiki. She lived. Once they go into ROSC( recovery), then you call your vet, or emergency vet. I am pediatric certified, and apply that knowledge to my birds.I hope I never have to do that again! It sucked! Nancy

MKparrot... No rules to violate! A simple reminder, is always great! Nancy

Absolutely mention it to your vet. Not sure what you do for your bird. Is cage closed until you get there? Or do you have open cage policy? If cage is closed... open the door, say hello, and walk away. Let bird get comfortable, get his bearings. Come back in an hour... say " Good morning!" How are you? I always worked with my birds off the door. We have " open cage plan", tons of work. Nancy

Sophie also has a different contact for each family member. I am sure when kids come home, she will start them all over again! We tend to yell back and forth upstairs. I will yell " dinner!" I hear " coming" in both Ryan and Sean's voice. As I am 3/4 deaf in my right ear, I can't determine where sound comes from! When I hear " coming" in my kids voice, I think it is them. Its not. It is Sophie. She imitates them to perfection. So when they don't come down for dinner... I get so annoyed with them. It was Sophie. Nancy

I LOVED it! I tried to make it bigger,each picture, but the art was fantastic! Nancy

I agree with luvparrots. They ABSOLUTELY get mad at us. Sophie forgives pretty quickly. Four or five days sounds more like confusion to me as well. Sophie would never hold a grudge that long. Even at Sophie's youngest... she was mad at me no longer than a day. When she got boarded for a week... she lasted about 12 hours. ( I'll show HER!) Nancy

If Sophie is wiggling her tongue ( NOT going there!), its because she talks too much! She reminds me of my Aunt Agnes from Statten Island who never came up for air! Sounds like a tongue wiggler, is a very happy bird, indeed! Nancy

AWESOME! Sophie especially loves " the Sound of Music", especially " Do a Dear"... her FAVORITE! But when kids come home from college, she goes rap crazy! She has great rhythm, songs are clean, so I am okay with it. Head bobbing and clucking perfectly to the beat. Ryan will be home in three weeks. I'm ready for the change of music! YIKES! Nancy

Of course there are always " exceptions to the rule!" I have three. A party, a sleepover or game night. Of course NOT for a new babie. These rules of mine were established once she was old enough and had a bedtime routine. Nancy

UhOh! Time to meet your neighbors, and hope none of them work the night shift! Explain your bird is in " training", offer a dish for forgiveness. Let them know she is going to be very vocal during the training. The training will consist of.... ignoring her screaming. Tell her a firm " NO!" Ignore her when she screams, but pick her up when she is quiet.It will work. Nancy

I LOVE hearing stories about Inara..Keep them coming! She reminds me so much of Sophie. Sophie is 13 now... she is adorable, MASTER manipulator and my best friend. Nancy

Awww... adorable picture! We always had a routine as well. I'm surprised Sophie never learned to say " I need a drink of water!" Our routine consisted of reading a quick book, or a poem, which she LOVES! She is 13 now. Sometimes I'm not quick enough, and she has already walked into birdroom and put herself to bed.It makes me sad sometimes that she is now a teenager and doesn't always need me as much. Of course we read another time as I remind her she missed her bedtime story. Nancy

For the first few years... it is important to develop the " trusting" relationship. Focus on establishing " flight", and encouraging the entire family to help. Encourage the entire family to be involved in training. Once they LOVE the family, focus on what your grey loves about each family member. It becomes important, once training becomes important. Greys know what they love about each family member. Once they have developed the trust, and they are out of control... I had no problem putting Sophie in timeout! She had a timeout cage, and was put in that cage, when she bit us. Kids did the same. Timeout should be around five minutes, be discussed after. It took around six months, for Sophie to understand, what our expectations were. Nancy and Sophie

Kidney cancer, as a primary diagnosis, is very treatable! Hope, this is that situation. Nancy and Sophie

Sophie has her mandatory shower. She hates it... but knows she has to do it. She LOVES to take a bath in dogs drinking water. ( their bowls are very clean and refreshed twice a day). Dogs and I get annoyed when she chooses to do it.As dogs and Sophie have been swapping " spit" for past decade...I don't go crazy about germs. Nancy

I don't provide Sophie with any additional vitamins, calcium, etc. She has a very healthy diet. Her seed diet is basic. Most of her nutrients come from fresh veggies, a few fruits, proteins that include eggs, cheese etc. Nancy