murfchck

My hubby keeps saying if we just had 6 greys instead of our brood now, our house would be quiet. None of the greys scream at all. Just whistle and talk. I take that back, bubba taught Bongo and Cotay a girls scream that would pass on any horror movie. It's bad. First time we heard it, we were frozen in fear ourselves! Now 3 do it, oh joy! Lol

LOL, We have. At one point we were going to build a shed with a deck off of it for the BB-Q. He had plans of putting his mover and that kind of stuff in it. My plan was a fridge and a cot for us to sleep in!

Yeah, hitting zero does work, but it takes the same amount of time for that stupid little automated man to finally say, " I am sorry i am having problems understanding you, please wait while i transfer you to a representative." lol

Oh boy, cockatoos are for just the right family. They are the best cuddlers but with that being said, they scream if not being cuddled every moment! lol. The decible level has been compared to airplanes. I have one Macaw who cuddles hubby, and one that only lets me cuddle him and of 3 greys, only Gabby who is in her 20's will let my husband cuddle her. The others are independant little cusses! Gus (U-2) will let anyone cuddle him, but again, we pay the price when we try to put him back on the stand. So as far as suggestions, every bird is different and i do not think type of bird matters too much. It is all in how they are raised. I have read where parakeets are loving but the ones i have had just flew around and chirped.

Second or third now, not sure. Even the dogs have more room than we do. We gave the birds our master bedroom and we took their rooms. Since sitting in the livingroom is next to impossible after they go to bed, we decided to give up our space for an area we could actually sit in and watch tv in the evening. Before, when they went to bed, we had to also because if Gus saw light or heard us, game over and no one sleeps. Pat went a little over board though, bought them a new flat screen, ordered their own cable box so they didn't have to share with another room and put in a water purifier in the mater bathroom ( for ease of water changing ) moved their shower head into there since it has a mister on it and even insists we leave the curtains open so they can sleep with the moon and wake with the sun and know the day cycles. LOL, everyone thinks it is me who the birds have wrapped but in thruth, it is Pat! Oh they also have an infer red (?) heater in the center of the room on a steady 74 degree, because the naked ones may get chilly. When i die, i want to come back as one of his birds!!! Oh, last night he grilled them chicken legs and a sweet potato and they ate around 7pm. Me? I had to wait until almost nine for him to bb-q our dinner! He would never admit it but they are his world, and he spoils them to no end! I love having a spouse who shares my passion and I feel very lucky!

In hindsight, their names should have been Bonnie and Clyde!

Knock on wood, have not heard it from them for two days now. I had to work yesterday so i wasn't actually home most of the day, but i am still counting it as a day! LOL

All I can say is to read my thread in the macaw room. Macaws gone wild if you are thinking of multiple birds. This should change anyone's mind! Lol

Poor Bongo was on my shoulder the whole time and was not amused, as i was. I wish i could have caught Bubba inside the drawer yelling at Oliver to join him. Oliver had other plans though and pulled the drawer above him out making steps to get on the countertop. Bubba knows the word help and when he got covered up, he yelled it and that is what got Gus started screaming. They are such a mess and i love them all even though i am starting to lose my hearing! Bubba also got to go for a car ride yesterday, just to 7-11 down the road but he had such a good time. Pat put the seat back and made him a perch and off they went. He said there was a group of people around the car when he came out of the store and Bubba was just saying "hello" to them all. What a ham he is! (Bubba is the one with the feathers, Ollie is our nudist)

Anyone ever feeling like they are contracting MBS should watch this video with the volume turned up and invision their lives like this day after day after day! I was of no help, and by the movement of the phone i was videoing this with, you can tell how hard i was laughing http://s1296.photobucket.com/user/murfchck/media/VIDEO0090_zps0e53cd85.mp4.html

The dogs have started demanding they get some of whatever the birds are having! Last night was just wacky mac noodles and assorted steamed veggies so the doggies snubbed it!

Isn't that the truth Ray! So they technician came yesterday and I had every intention of wasting his time until i felt my anger was vindicated. I was going to demand the cable be run thru the attic, have him check all the lines while he was up there (we had insulation blown in a few years ago, so tracing the line would be hard) and i was going to leave all the birds in the room he was working in so they would scream at him. I was at a loss for words and was stunned when i opened the door and it was one of my associates that worked for me at Depot. And I really liked this guy, very hard worker. So my master plan of being mean didn't get to happen, in fact, i even hugged him when he left. Not how i pictured my service going at all! On the plus side, the birds have their cable and he gave me his direct number and said to not call the 800 number ever again!

Yeah, they are a touch spoiled. http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag4/murfchck/IMAG0743_zps2b582aa2.jpg http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag4/murfchck/IMAG0741_zps119d8e15.jpg http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag4/murfchck/IMAG0740_zpsec086d9f.jpg

This needs to be on the front page also for those just finding us and not accustom to the site. The vast amount of information within this forum gets overlooked because people don't really know what or where to look! Very well written and oh so true. There are many tv commercials out right now with parrots in them and i fear people will start rushing out to get one like the chuhuahua fads that started and left so many in shelters.

Bongo was clipped very badly when we got him, flying was not even an option for this poor guy. We called him our statue for a very long time. Once his wings did start coming back in, we did practice flights where hubby would hold him and i would be a few feet away and call him. He could make those short hops but couldn't master the landing at all. We did this daily for months and months increasing the distance when he was ready. He is now one of our better flyers. He hasn't mastered hoovering yet but still tries, that usually ends with him landing on my head though. If i am not ready and don't get my arm out in time when he flys to me he tries so hard to hang in there until i can turn around, but tuckers out and just plops onto my head, regains his composure and tries again. And just so you are not shocked, it has been over 2 years since we got him and just last week a clipped feather fell out so he still does not have all his flight feathers in. That takes a while.

Mine do not last long enough to need to really clean. They are ALL rope chewers, lol. When i have had the accidental poop though, i would just let it dry, scrape it off and wipe it good with vinager water solution and air dry it where it is. I vaccuum it in between for the food debris. As far as the new boing, color matters. It is a new object and fear of it normal. It doesn't matter that it is the same toy, it is a new color. Bongo hates the color red but loves the color green. Gabby hates white and the others have only shown to dislike a red shirt i have, but red in the cage doesn't bother them. Go figure, they think way to hard about some things! lol

So everyone has settled in very nicely since the move. This room is also the warmest room in the house, even in the summer, so with my night sweats this has been a treat for me! Cable will be installed tomorrow (after a huge battle with U-Verse). We went and got them a nice flat screen tv and mounted it were they all have perfect veiwing. They can all see out the windows too which is a plus, and we leave the drapes open so they can see the sun setting and rising. Since the room is in the back of the house, we feel safe in doing this now! Gus has been doing really good and has become such a joy. Now we have to get him into the vet for his check up and nail trim so i see set back in our future. lol He just loves being on the floor and hopping around and is now staying away from our feet 30% of the time. Funny our dogs, who he adores, all have 4 feet but he doesn't mess with theirs at all!

Bubba decided to chime in with the f bomb last night. 2 years of not using that word (inside the house) and one day with a slip and now the two that knew the word when they joined our flock are using it again, alot. All we can do is repeat back, "yes, duck, quack quack". If people outside can hear us, they must think we are nuts! And because we had finally gotten to a place where Thanksgiving will be at our house again, i have one month to fix this! hahaha! I can hear it now, " Turkey's ready" followed by one "F*#@" and one F*#@ing Geek"! Explaining that to my husbands family will be fun!

I had a big issue with our cable yesterday, att-uverse. (which i would like to say never got resolved, bad company with lousy customer service) Almost each transfer, i got disconnected and when i called back I would get the automated guy asking me stupid questions like my number, what am i calling for etc. It got to where i was yelling, and i mean yelling loud and with pure anger, I was outside or at the farthest corner inside away from the birds. Bad words were slipping out so i did not want to be near them, it was only to the automated guy so i could vent before a rep got on the line with me. When the human would get on i would walk back inside. I guess greys can hear way more than i thought. Once inside Cotay decided to repeat, "F*#@in Rep" and wouldn't stop. She came to us with that word and had only said it once after i had taken her picture so if we ever felt the need to drop it, we would go outside. Big back slide i am afraid to say... Arrggg...Now i hate U-Verse even more!!!!

I just signed. said they only 278 signed.

It really should be tight enough on its own but you can always use stainless bolts if really needed.

So we had a busy weekend here, the birds moved into the master bedroom, it is large enough to house them all with a good distance between them for the too dust and macaws and greys. They seem to really like it. Our set up before was good but the lighting during the day was not too good for the macaws and then when Cotay moved in she blocked the window where Gus could see outside. We did weeks of measuring and planning to be sure it all fit and would work before making the move. Before we had 3 tv's running and 3 lights on all day, now it will be just one tv on for them! Gus has been doing so good so yesterdays little backslide doesn't seem bad at all. He took off flying to get to Pat, 3 times. lol. A little excessive screaming last night too, but nothing like his first few months with us. A new neighbor stopped by and could hear him inside screaming and pointed out to us how loud he was, we laughed because we didn't even hear him as we have learned to block out that noise, but when we listened all we could say to him was that we hoped he like birds because Gus is just warming up, he isn't screaming, "YET".

This is all so true. Gabby hated me when we brought her home, two years later she accepts me but no hugging or petting. I do get to sometimes pet her head but only when she thinks it is Pat, lol. ( I take what I can get!) She has been soooo much better with me though and will now perch on my shoulder and just yesterday tried grabbing my lip to pull my head to her for a kiss, she may be there but i am not there yet, she has gotten a good bite in playing cute one too many times. Cotay, she totally hates me and i am not allowed even close to her. We try building trust when Pat is in the room he will hand her to me and i will back up for just a second with her and then return her to Pat, so she knows i will always keep her safe, each time is a little longer but we have not made the minute mark yet. This, i fear, is going to take way more than the two years it took Gabby.

The stick training for step up is the way I am having to go with our newest. It has been a little over a month now, just to give you a little insight on the time it could take, and Cotay has just begun to touch the stick with her beak. When she would see it she use to fly away from it, so progress after a month to touching it, not stepping up on it. I can not handle her at all but daily will sit with her and talk and sing. I will let her out of her cage but she doesn't come out of her room until daddy gets home to bring her out. Thats okay, she trusts him fully, and we will get there. It took over a year and a half with Gabby, but about a month or so ago she just started to accept me. I get to pet her and i get kisses now. Bongo, after 2 years will still fly away when my husband tries to approach him, it breaks his heart but he still works slowly with him and knows one day it will happen! It is worth the wait and such a good feeling when that ice finally breaks! Don't give up or force the issue with her, she will come around.

We leave the tv's on while are at work, i found a great station on Starz for kids. It runs cartoons in the morning and then kids movies during the day. We use to play a kids music station through the tv for them but when Gus moved in we found out pretty quickly that he hates music so that had to stop. No snapping or clapping in front of him. :-(