murfchck

How cute! Even eating his nut, you can see in his eyes that he is thinking about his "what's next" plan of mischief! Like, okay, I am going to eat this, then go over there and I may or may not rip that apart. lol

Woo-hoo! Just knowing why is half of the battle and will lighten that load you have been carrying. Best wishes!

I think anything more than my skin and a short sleeve would make her nibble at whatever is new. We did more step ups last night and she did really well so I decided I would let her go to my shoulder for our walk about. I learned something yet again, I do not have shoulders for big birds. My shoulders are short and my posture isn't the best so they drop. She can't get a grip and slides down them. lol. They are okay for my Bongo and Chacho but even the Toos have a bit of trouble hanging on and I end up walking with a lean and that isn't good for a bad back and isn't pretty at all, lol. hahaha! We are going to stick with the arm for a while. So Mary Anne yesterday decided she wanted her dad who was outside with a neighbor talking. She held her foot up and kept yelling "What" to me so I braved it and picked her up and took her out. She was so happy and Pat and I were too since we were told she would never come to me like that when a man is around. That statement had been true until this happened! These little steps are what keep me at it! I was wishing that the neighbor we got these 2 from was watching from her window, I would never tell her the progress because she wouldn't take it well but if she accidentally saw then I couldn't be accused of rubbing it in her face. I am pretty surprised she hasn't been over or even asked about them. Oh well just goes to show that some people should not ever have a parrot!

I am so excited for you! I will help you all I can in your newest adventure with Grey Bird! They are smart and a complete joy. Congrats again

There are fears some people have with birds, what they may call aggressive could just be their own fear. His "aggression" may just be fear that his current owners don't know how to handle. People ***never*** exaggerate so I guess he is truly aggressive and should be sent to a sanctuary that is probably overwhelmed with birds already and would be fostered out anyway to that, what? 4th home now? If someone is willing to put in the time and is asking for help, why wouldn't we help her? I thought that is why we are all here together. I have 3 cockatoos and their personalities and ticks and bites are WAY worse than a grey. She does have big bird experience, just not grey experience and she is asking for our help for this bird. If you read her post, she said she agreed a few years ago to take this bird when they were ready should something change in their life, I did not read that they are getting rid of Grey Bird because it is aggressive. Any person who has a parrot is going to get bit one time or another. Right now we have a macaw who had only ever been handled with welding gloves, yes she is younger but she still has to start over with what she has been taught or should I say not taught. Chacho our 15 yr old amazon was said to be aggressive and I will not lie, so far I am the only one who he doesn't attack, but that doesn't mean he is any less smart than the others and that he can't learn. He just has to learn differently. He has just as much time out of his cage as the other 11 we have here in our home, he gets just as much one on one time also. He is not miserable now like he was when he was locked in his cage for years on end and I am proud and happy that we have gave him this chance to be the bird they said he couldn't be.

A step forward for me! Found out she doesn't like sleeves and that is why she was biting me the other evening. Where she came from they always wore those long welding gloves when they handled her, now that she has touched and used skin, that is what she wants! We were back to normal last night and even got to walk her into the kitchen. Usually she starts to panic about half way through the living room but made it all the way. She is demanding to be a shoulder bird though which I am having trouble with stopping her. I am going to say it, "Bless my husbands heart" he keeps trying to tell me what I need to do to stop her from it (like I don't know) but she is just being a snot about it. I can normally just go to a chair and sit and she will climb down to my lap where we can start again. I did this last night though and may I say thank heavens for padded bras, I thought she was just going to use her big old beak to balance down my chest but no... She got a good mouthful so to speak and I have a bruise, lucky it isn't a piercing. I think her shoulder thing is that all our greys will be on shoulders so monkey see, monkey do. Since keeping her off isn't working too good I left her there when we were in the kitchen but Pat kept telling me I needed to feel confident about it or she would sense it. Okay, I get that but I also get that my head is a wonderland of toys for her too, I wear glasses and keep my hair pulled back with an elastic band. Oh and I have ears and thin skin I want to keep in one piece. lol She did step up for Pat though which is a huge first. May Anne is such a fun bird and Pat has been working with her every night also, last night he was able to have her on her back cradled like a baby playing with her. She also likes when he sticks his finger out and she grabs it softly knowing he is going to pick her up by it. She is just a playful ham, loves to play ball and catch with him. And holy cow she loves to take baths. Not sure why snow and sleet and 17 degree weather makes the birds want to bathe but they all did yesterday. lol

I agree but only to an extent. We were told one of ours was aggressive and she was, to the person that had her. In our home she is a changed bird. Has never been aggressive. Grey bird is smart enough to know the difference, maybe he isn't happy where he is. If your talking about a sanctuary, why not give him a chance in a home first? Just my opinion.

Yep and in typical bird fashion, yesterday was not a good day for stepping up. She did step up but not without challenging me when she was on my arm. She just kept reaching down and biting me. She was thinking, okay, you got me here now what if I bite you, what will you do then? One bite had me to my butt on the couch in case I had to roll her off (I wanted a soft landing for her, she had me in her beak at the bend in my arm, you know that really thin skinned painful area, lol.) Ah well, just gotta keep on trying. At least now I know she really can do it, just have to make her want to do it.

Marley is stepping up! Not without the occasional bite from being unsure. We started off in a room away from all the birds and from the floor learned the step up. I would take her from the floor to the bed to learn step off. We then moved to her stand and did several attempts to step up from there. It didn't work to well from there though, she had to many toys to distract her but I was able to get her to use my arm as a bridge back to her cage, slowly moving the stand further away. Last night the bulb went off in her head and she now steps up from anywhere, including from inside her cage! Still not 100% but I was so excited I could hardly sleep last night. I wanted to wake her up and keep working with her! She raises that cute little foot of hers asking me to pick her up, it is just so darn cute. Two weeks of daily training with her but so worth it, this reinforces why I have chosen to do what I do. God only knows what this baby went through its first year of life, but we intend to be sure the rest of her life will be filled with love and attention and flying along with the others who we live with!! On the bright side of this for me, the extra time working with her and the 4 birds who attack Pat now and being sure Bongo has his extra attention, my housework and cooking has decreased some so Pat is doing more of that for us! Yeah!!!!

Umm, i was testing it to be sure it was safe. You SHOULD be thanking me! Your welcome.

So, we have 4 greys, they are each their own personality. None can really be on the same stand, perch, shoulder etc. They tolerate each other from afar. They all talk in their language to each other, finish songs and even talk human language with each other. Every morning when we leave for work Ixta will say "I'm going" Cotay follows with "I'll be back" then Gabby will say "hello". (Gabby has it backwards so Cotay will correct her by saying "bye") Gabby has laid claim to the kitchen counter and to the table, Bongo has just started to explore things and has found out all on his own where he is not welcome. They beak it out until Bongo flies away. From your video, that was just normal jabber from a grey, lol. Just wait until they pick up the truck backing up beep, that will pierce your ears. They growl also so expect to hear that sometimes as well. The squeaky door, the microwave, the dog barking the cat meowing lol, the garbage trucks loud brakes, all the outside birds too, all of that times 2 in your case, times 4 here. Cotay and Ixta have this high pitched whistle that they will do when I walk past them. Cotay does it to the hubs when she is on his shoulder right by the ear. If you think that was loud and hurt your ears I would advise you never to own a cockatoo! heehee

She stayed on my arm. Yesterday I took her into a totally new room and we worked on the step up and step down. We only did this for about 20 minutes and she did not bite once, stepped up after a few tries and after me rolling my arm for her off just once for the step down she mastered that. Once back into the main room though it was like she didn't want to remember anything.

If you can't beat them, join them! lol

As most of you know, Bongo is my statue. He sits where ever you put him. Doesn't fly around much unless I am cooking his dinner then he will be on my shoulder before I can turn around. My little man has started exploring now. It has taken over 3 years for him to do this and he is making up for lost time. I have found him in the other birds cages, on "forbidden" countertops, in Gabby's area of the counter (huge no-no) and even on the stands the other greys are on. He is everywhere and into everything now. Last night her got on the counter behind Mary Anne and when she turned around he was smacked by her tail, maybe he will stay off of that area now. Maybe? God help us! Now all 4 greys are into everything. I always had my reliable Bongo who never gets into trouble and now that is changing. He is pretty cute though, he goes up to Gabby and makes his big smooching kiss. She in returns tries to remove his neck or feet but he isn't giving up on getting that kiss from her! He may be 9 now, but he will always be my baby boy and I hate that he is growing up and getting independent, but also kinda proud!

So I got the hardest bite ever from Marley yesterday. Usually bites are just a few holes left in the skin from the beak but I had the entire beak print in my arm. She finally stepped up for me, then realized what she had done, looked down, saw my arm and bam! Of course I couldn't react because this was her first step up, if I had twisted my arm to make her off balance to stop the bite it would have ruined all the time I have spent working with her. So I just took it telling her softly not to bite, while hubby is watching with a grimace saying "that is going to leave a mark". And it did too, not nearly as bad as we thought it would though, lol. I get so upset thinking about what this little girl(or boy) went through the first year. It really sickens me because she is just so sweet and wants to learn so bad. She gives full on kisses when she is in the cage and last night I got them, I had just put her dinner bowl in, she came running to me putting her whole beak through the bars, tongue sticking out so I gave her kisses, lots of kisses. By the time I went in the other room to deliver their dinners my lips were on FIRE! She must have just finished a pepper. Little stinker! Mary Anne is also getting more relaxed. Right now her stand is just a T-stand because we were told she would stay on the big tree stand. She has been on her stand now for just shy of 2 weeks without an attempt to get down so we decided yesterday to bring the big tree out for her. She wouldn't budge from her T-stand. We left both stands there for her for an hour or so, so she could decide which one she wanted. She hated the big one so T-stand it is. lol

There are many times a few of mine get their beaks trimmed. A lot depends on well they maintain it their self. I have 3 greys that have never had their beak trimmed and one who has to go in 2x's a year. I have one blue and gold that has scissor beak so he has to get trimmed 2 x's a year also and one who's beak just grows like mad. I now live with 12 flighted birds, 2 of them have a bad wing so they can not fly, but clipping is not done here and that is just my choice. I do have safe guards coming in and out of the house otherwise I wouldn't be able to do this. The beak trims however are necessary for those who need it, otherwise eating and playing become to difficult. One of mine had a liver condition as a baby and he has a very thick beak that grows out from his face and not down like most, it must be trimmed or there gets to a point that he can't open his beak far enough to even eat. He sticks his tongue out to the side to get what he can so he is watched carefully and trimmed as needed. I don't understand the hammered part, are you asking if the chisel the beak? If so no, they use a small drill to grind it down. It sounds horrible but my guys take it like nail trims, which they also need from time to time. Good perches help with this but I swear that a few of mine take prenatal vitamins and the nails and beaks grow very fast! I have 2 greys with bum legs and keeping their nails trimmed is a must since they are flighted. The numb toes can snag on things and hurt them worse if not watched carefully. If they big boys nails get to long, they don't have a good grip on their perches so that could cause injury also from them falling. Getting things trimmed on our birds isn't a mean thing we do but something we have to do for their safety and well being. Wing trimming is personal for each person so if that is what they choose to do, I feel there are reasons and I am not here to judge anyone for their choice (as long as it is done correctly and the poor bird doesn't crash to the floor). :-)

Things are moving along with Marley. She is so afraid yet so brave. Last two days I have had her on my arm/shoulder. I only count yesterday though since she came to me on her own and not because she flew to the floor as she did the day before. I have been able to put a little piece of walnut on my lips and she will take it from me without even touching me. Hubby says I am crazy, I told him I just wanted a matching lip scar from when Bubba got me. You can not move you hands around when you are near her either, petrified is being mild in a description of her. I don't know what happened to this little one but she is coming around slowly to me. Not the hubs, but he keeps saying that I need a big bird of my own so he isn't pushing it. The only birds I actually can call mine are Bongo, Chacho and Lily and Koko. I am thinking that the cockatoo's are big birds but, what ever he say's. lol Mary Anne is also doing great, she loves Pat beyond words. We were told she would be a pain, not letting me handle her and getting on the floor chasing us around. I bring her out from her cage, I put her in her cage and she has stayed on her stand not trying to get to the floor at all. It makes a difference when they are a part of the group, not in a room by their selves wondering what is going on outside their door. I like her because she eats everything I give her and gives me a Mmmm when she puts her face in the bowl!

After the second egg, he did just that. Didn't work. She was on the bottom tending to egg #2 last night when she just stopped and stared at it. I was making my good night rounds and knelt down to see what she was looking at when #3 popped out. lol And by tending to, I mean she was rolling it around.

Miss Marley is going to be a tuff cookie. Since she wasn't handled and doesn't step up we have been target training and she is just great at it but still won't step up. I can pet her and get kisses as long as she is inside her cage and the door is shut, once it is open she gets independent. She is clumsy as poo too, but likes for some weird reason to put things on her head. She broke a big ball in two and had one side in her beak flipping it up (like a hockey goalie's mask) then up to her head. She does that with rings too though so I have had to make some changes in her cage so she can't do that when I am not there, I can just see her flipping a ring over her head and hanging herself. The only way she was taken out of her cage was with a towel so I tried to get the step up last night from inside her cage. She went on a full attack, biting and screeching and yet not one bite on me. So sad that at 1 year old she doesn't know the basics, she wants to know them but is scared. Mary Anne, I was told, would never let me handle her, she is a mans bird. HA! She lets me be her transportation so that is a step in the right direction. lol She is in season though and sees my hubby and turns her back to him, throws the tail feathers in the air and purrs. She loves her Pat and even says his name already. I am starting to think that Pat is just a parrot noise, not that they are saying his name.lol, yes I am jealous.

And another 2 days ago. This time she went to the bottom, was playing with a ball when my husband told me she was rolling an egg around. I told him it wasn't an egg but a little golf ball whiffle ball I had given her to play with, he asked me where the holes in were then.?. I looked and it was another egg. And now the scarlet macaw is in season, she sees the hubby and turns her back to him, the tail feathers go straight up and she purrs that macaw purr. Boy is the hubs walking around proud, all these girls pining for him, such the stud! lol.

Almost got it in the trash can. lol We are a phonebook family here. They all love them. Lilly get her on paperwork to shred, usually the Kroger recipe books and Kohls flyers.

Aww, we have a pin up amongst us! Congrats!!!

We heard a really weird noise coming from one of the greys, almost a purring sound. It was very soft and we were getting into bed, I am surprised we could even hear it. We snuck in because if they would see us we wouldn't know who was making the noise. By the light of the night light we knew it was Ixta. Pat looked in and she was on her normal sleeping perch but still purring every few seconds. We turned the big overhead light on and before I got back to the cage, Pat said she was laying an egg. lol Sure enough, she did. It dropped to the bottom of the cage and cracked but we left it there just in case and went to bed. Pat felt so guilty, he is such a great dad. He wanted to go and sit with her and reassure her everything was okay. He said that she had just "given birth" and he felt she should be with him. Such a softy! Most greys look and act like they are dying when they lay, not Ixta. We wouldn't have even known except for the purr. lol She beat the egg up the next day. I told her previous owner and he said that they had a conure for a bit but the spring they had him she laid 12 eggs. Lord, poor girl.

I have become the queen of squeezing out extra space. And an unutilized garage is just fine. You can tarp the doors when it does get cold and put in good lights and a heater. On the nicer days, open the garage doors and let them get that fresh air! Like was said, they are use to less than perfect so anything would be an improvement until upgrades can be made for them. Gee death or a little more time in the cages, I choose cage time. You can do it! I have 12 now, soon to be 15 big birds in a 1700 sq ft house and they each have their own areas to play in when not in the cages, it can be done! The amazon looks just like Chacho who also was labeled a mean wild bird. He needs to fine the right person to love as did Chacho. He loves me and will protect me to the end but no one else better come near. There is someone out there for each of them! I would take him in a snap if I were closer and if Chacho allowed it. He needs one of his own, he is my only odd ball! lol Best wishes to you all!

I can only find it anymore at WalMart. Kroger, Albertsons and even the WalMart Grocery store stopped carrying it and let me say I have to make a special trip for it. Bongo likes the shells raw from it and don't try and trick him with some other shell either because you will get your finger bit. When he sees me get that out, it doesn't matter what he is doing, he will be on my shoulder before I can turn around.