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She is beautiful! I DO suggest letting bird on top of cage, once they are comfortable as well as you are, to be on shoulder. Otherwise, bird should be on wrist only, they " earn" shoulder status. When on top of cage... Pick up bird, when you are taller. Wrist status first. I am very strict regarding shoulder status. Nancy

We have resorted to a " forced shower". She gets showered, while screaming " NO ROM!" Closes off her feathers... but it gets done, Of course I tell her I am sorry, but needs to be done. When I blow dry her, she is more happy. I squirt areas that got missed, and she is okay with me squirting those areas. Of course she will " skype" with Ryan, telling him how we made her shower.Ryan of course is the emathetic one. I just roll my eyes! Nancy

Open the cage door, and work off of that! I personally, have never put my hand in a birds cage. That is their domain. When I needed to clean cages, they were always on their door, and thats when I cleaned their cages. They all stepped up, I put them on a jungle gym, and cage was cleaned. Nancy

It is important, to let bird know, you don't appreciate the poop. Sophie gives me her " sign", that I now know and understand. Otherwise.... when I got to work, my coworkers did a " bird poop check!" Nancy

I have a product called " dermabond" in case they bleed. I wouldn't remove the sand perches. The goal is for the bird to trim their beaks and nails on their own. Sand perches help. Nancy

LOVE your interactive log! LOVE Inara's " what the quack!" We have a rule that if you need to curse, do so in garage only. When kids come home from college, I will tell them they can say " what the quack"? They will LOVE it! LOL Nancy

Greys are like kids. Sophie would ALWAYS throw veggies at the walls. It was Kiki our Amazon whom loved veggies, that taught her to like them. Nancy

I agree with the dawn dish detergent. Nancy

Another thought... " Can I have an open cage belief?" I believe in an open cage philososphy. My cages are never closed. They have gyms to step up to. Their room is closed when I am at work. Their doors are never closed, and they have control of their room.I believe it has made a huge difference for my birds. Nancy

Sophie at age 13, HATES a shower! We have done everything to encourage it. Nothing has worked. Unfortunately, I am the " mean parrent!" Sunny our conure, gets a bath first, and LOVES it. Next... Sophie gets a shower, screams at me " NO ROM!" I tell her...." I love you very much", but you are dirty and need a shower. Its done. She is mad at me for around two hours. I am okay with that. Part about being a parent. Guilt trips don't work on me anymore. I have too many animals to deal with. Nancy

I can't stress enough... all new babies need to learn how to fly, develop chest muscles. We have always done so, with at least two people in our family. One to send off... the other to receive. The desire for a Grey to like one person, was never tolerated and was never an option.Sophie adopted at age two, did learn to tolerate all of us, and practiced flying with all of us. She steps up to all. As she went thru terrible twos, we DID " trim" her so she could focus on education. She could still fly within three rooms. NOT a clipping, but a trimming. It is very important to establish a relationship with a trimmer. Ours know Sophie, and can help establish the goals we want for her. Nancy

Excellent post! I sure didn't know what I was getting into... but in hindsight, I wouldn't change a thing.Sophie brings me so much peace in my life, and truly has become my " exceptional child", that kids laugh about. Nancy

You have to remember, Ryan has been dating his girlfriend for five years! Its crazy! Nancy

As a beliver in " trimming"... please listen. A trimming, is NOT a clipping! All new birds need to learn how to fly. Develop chest muscles. When they get to terrible two's, trim back a bit. Sophie could fly, but not crazy! Her trimmer knew what my expectations were. We identified, that since she was adopted at age two, she hadnt developed her flight muscles. We made a plan for her....develop her chest muscles and work with her.We did. We have had a close relationship for a decade. A decade later, Sophie is flying well, LOVES the entire family. I continue to work closely with Sophie's trimmer. It doesn't mean he has trimmed her... he hasn't. A GREAT trimmer... is also an expert in getting a bird to fly! Nancy

M'sBabies....I was overwhelmed what you did for this baby! Sunny our first bird was a rescue, I really didn't want to get a bird, as I knew nothing about them. Sunny fell in love with Ryan at daycare. He was the only one that could love him. Ryans babysitter who also was a " rescue foster mom", was caring for him. She told me about Sunny being out of forever homes, and had chosen Ryan. I agreed to take Sunny home. Only Ryan could handle him. Within a week, I got pneumonia. I could breathe better in family room where Sunny was located. Thats where I slept. Within a few days, Sunny was on my shoulder while I lay ill. Sunny would preen me....I was at his mercy! He was an amazing nurse! After a week, I went to my room, getting better. Sunny would fly to my room to check on me. To this day, I will NEVER forget what Sunny did for me. He has a forever home for sure. Nancy

Wayne... I am furious! You verbalized what you wanted to this trimmer. Your rights were violated! I have no problem with parents that trim their bird. This wasn't a trim. Trimmers that are great, also recognize, when the bird is too scared and it is not safe to trim. Nancy

Sophie regurs's all the time. When she feels we have played and snuggled especially that day, I get a BIG regurg and I wait for it. She will do so in my hand and I compliment her. I give her a big fat kiss and thank her for her efforts. She is pleased. Most think the regurg is a sexual thing. Has never been so for Sophie. Sophie is a snuggle muffin, and what has worked for us is I listen to her. I needed to understand her needs and requests, as well as she needed to understand " not happy with your decisions". I am her " rom"... mom...I keep her safe, develop relationships with other people and family members,and she is thriving! The regurg I think, is not interpreted as it is meant to be! It is an offering of love, and is ignored all the time.I believe in satisfying her need. I never reject her offering, just not in my mouth as it is unhealthy. For a baby... they want to regurg in your mouth. More like " rooting". They need to be redirected into regurg into your hand.I know it is frowned upon... but I have never ignored my birds regurg. Just redirected it.It has worked for us. Sophie age 13 now, loves everyone and regurgs to everyone here.She doesn't bite, doesn't chew, for all family members. She will regurg to all of us. Nancy

Carolina... you are doing the right thing. Grow your babies feathers out.All babies need to learn how to fly, and should do so from the beginning. Develop flight muscles. BUT.... I still support parents that " trim", when entering terrible twos. Meaning... bird can still fly, but NOT out of control. It takes an important relationship between trimmer and parent. To me... this is the most critical time for parent and bird. I know most disagree, but thats okay! We all have our own beliefs and what works. Nancy

Its called " love"! Most people discourage the regurg, I do not. Of course, I never encourage an offering into my mouth, but if they want to regurg after a fun bonding moment, I have no problem letting them regurg into my hand. That is just me. Sophie is 13 now. She will regurg at least once a week especially after I spend alot of time with her. I always thank her for her regurg. She is pleased. Her regurg is mostly based on how much time I have spent with her. Oneday per weekend, is always about her. Nancy

LOL! Sun conures are amazing! They are little... but they can give a bite much more amazing than a grey or Amazon! OUCH! My little conure, can bite better than all of them. He is a rescue, has never bitten my grey or dogs. He knows who is friends are, but when first rescued, would fly and attack the jugular. He will defend pups and Sophie to the death now. We all love him, and while he was out of a forever home in the beginning, he adopted us and found his forever home. Nancy

Play a game with her. Make contact call to her when in another room. Teach her " wolf whistle", see if she imitates it. It is Sophie's favorite game for more than a decade. I start a whistle, she returns. Of course Sophie is 13 and has been playing this game forever, so the " contact calls" in rooms that separate us, have become more complexed. She breaks into rap that kids taught her... I lose! LOL! I go get her and let her know she wins. She is thrilled and gives me her " approval" cluck. Nancy

Not sure how long a molt lasts, but I agree with others... sounds like a molt. She is beautiful and relaxed. Don't make it a big deal... gather your feathers and put them in a baby book. Watch for bald spots, over preening.My estimate is two weeks, but I think Dayo can answer better. Be careful with the excess fat. Sesame seeds should be limited. You are doing a GREAT job, and should be very proud of the picture you showed us! A BEAUTY! Nancy

If I go out on a Friday night after work, and get home a little after 10 pm... Sophie is up and meets me with a cluck of " dissaproval". YIKES! I am in trouble! LOL! She puts herself to bed at 8pm nightly, but if I am not there... not good! I am gonna hear it. It amazes me that she won't go to bed until I am home. Nancy

I put up plastic on the bottom shelves of my new kitchen. HAHA! I win! I also lose on the window sills of several windows. I win on the couches! YAY! She has given up on chewing couches. Recently, its been 2 to 1. I am winning! More like she is letting me win. Nancy

Awwww. What cute pictures of snuggle time. Maybe all non snugglers SHOULD take a picture of birds that snuggle! LOL! You all DESERVE it. I developed a rash of unknown etiology. three weeks ago. Noone can figure out what I have. I've been so worried about birds and dogs, I have been keeping contact minimal. Sophie is really upset, but I have to think of her safety. Finally diagnosed with Pityriasis rosea. Dermatologist said it was safe to care for her. I am still hesitant to snuggle with my snuggle muffin. I am glad my son is coming home this weekend, he will snuggle with her. Nancy