murfchck

I put cherrios in Bongos bottle. Its a small one and he loves when i shake it. Never over his head though, he does seem to think i would hit him, shake it below or in front of him and watch him bobb his head. Try rice in the bottle! Keep it fun and build that trust! He is a cutie!

Tempting for me! Lol

We got Gabby at the age of 20, almost a year ago. She was both a rescue and rehome. She had a great home in the begining, she is somewhat well adjusted, but that changed when they left her on someones doorstep. Have no idea how long she went from home to home before we found her in a small cage right over a smelly cat litter box. She says some words and has learned the word goo, i call her Gabby goo alot. Lol It has taken all this time to learn her and we still are learning every day. Lots of "learning/teaching bites have been given by her too. Just don't go into this thinking the grey will understand the wonderful, loving home you are giving it and that he will just blossom and be well behaved, because he may not. No one ever really knows what these guys have been through, you have to be able to put in the time they will need and be able to accept them as they are with no expectations.

Ahhh, those baby picture sure make it tempting... But... Case in hand, i would strongly suggest having her own baby first and then think about the prospect of a bird. Her life will be changing enough, soak the newborn up with all you have and then once you have a routine down and know you will have time for a bird, get one! I would just hate to see her run out and get one, and it be ignored or pushed aside once her new born arrives and she is sleep deprived from being up all night feeding and changing him/her. IMO

Oh what a cutie! Congrats!

He is my baby! If ever he gets startled, he flies right to me! When he ends up on the floor, he will seek me out and step up on my foot for a lift up. We have this silly game we play too with the breeder door, i open it up and he runs to that area and hangs upside down and swings himself to the door for what we call fly by kisses. He then runs across the top, grabs his toy and plays keep away. If i get close to it he pulls it back with his foot and laughs. Pat only gets the laugh out of him at bedtime. Their game is Pat puts his finger between the bars, he grabs it, Pat say ouch and Bongo laughs. (he doesn't bite him, just grabs.)

Harness please! Mine even get put in a carrier to go from the back door to their aviary.

Happy Hatch Day!!

Oops, lol. Olivers is the dark grey color and boy does he stand out in it against the flesh tone color he sports! The greys got a light grey one, i have to look for their lil red bums to find them! Bubbas is what they call salmon, gus is sporting an off white right now. Hoping to find another dark grey one for Bubba and give Gus the salmon one. WAY in the future though.

Think bigger! Get a bigger cage that will break down for the colder months. Try a harness. To me a travel carrier would like us being trapped in a tube, wheres the fun in that? Its the time for your baby to be what he is, a bird! Let him fly and forage and play! Maybe build a aviary that can double as a greenhouse.

Yeah, he had to go to his cage. Pat was with him back there for a while but Gus was just pissed at him. It was back to normal the next day. Tonight though he seemed happier than ever before. He acts more like the greys than my actual greys! Lol

Heehee, last night i was cleaning the bowls and he flew to me. He isn't much of a shoulder bird but he went right to it and stayed there. I walked all over the house and was shocked he never got flustered. The house is blown up, cages everywhere as Bongo and Gabby got a new double macaw cage, with divider, to share. It was funny, we were rolling Gabbys cage past Bubba and he hopped on it and just started laughing, like a ride at the park! Bongo stayed on my shoulder even through that. Him and Gabby have started doing this very high pitch, ear drum busting, wolf whistle that they only do while on your shoulder. I think he is watching Gabby and learning from her and how she interacts with Pat and then tries it out on me. I believe in our situation, having 2 greys is a good thing for them both!

They share the stand in the kitchen area and their other cages were beside each other. Notice the use of the word other? Lol We couldn't pass it up, and the cage Gus has is just as large so it just seemed right for the greys. They both kinda eyed it funny but when i put the bowls inside they both ran right in. We set them up with perches and toys in the same areas, thought the change would be less stressful. Bongo ran all over it, climbing on the top. Gabby went right up to the top corner where she can see all. Oliver actually got the new one. It was the exact same cage that we got Bubba, only the color.

Oh yeah, Oliver here. Those peppers a great, fresh from the garden. When i am done eating them i love giving kisses to mom and dad. They make funny faces when i do that but i don't give them out often so they say they will take what they can get! Bongo here! When i first came to live here, those red peppers were my fav! They didn't know that though. I loved giving mom kisses but she started to worry because her lip would burn or feel numb and sometimes her eyes when we played. She thought she was allergic to me! Then she caught me eating one, holding it in my hand chomping down! She said it was her ah-ha moment and kissed me and kissed me!

Take it slow and let her lead the way. Trust must be gained before she will let you near her without fear. Let her out to do her thing, talk softly to her but don't push yourself on her. Keep handing her the treats, and one day she will not see your hands as a danger! Greys have their own timeline, what seems like forever to us is just a blink in time for them. Congrats on your new friend!

I have a chance to get a double macaw cage and was thinking using the divider and having my greys move in it. They easily adjust to new things so changing cages wouldn't be a big deal. My worry is them being so close. Do you think they will feel like they have their own space? This sounds silly but Bongo has the smallest of all the cages, its still plenty big, just not "as" big. I am a big stickler on being fair and equal with thm. I already have 2 double macaw cages for the macaws and we thought it would look better and be easier to get Gus one also and the greys to share one. They are fine in what they already have, just a deal i hate to pass up. Darn these bird fairs and getting to know the vendors, very dangerous!

Happy Easter to everyone! Dallas/Fort Woth, Texas.

Oh my goodness. We had attack of the cotton ball tonight. He flew on to Pat and bit him several times, in angry mode. We are really wondering if its because Pat was sick yesterday and had no contact with him....

Welcome! You have come to the best place ever to learn all you can! Congrats!

Goodness! Pat was home very sick yesterday, the fiddos did good for him not screaming cuz he was home and they were in their cages. Of course i had to stay later than normal at work. I couldn't get them out until about 6pm, they are use to being out by 3 at the latest. Needless to say yesterday taught me i couldn't do this if i were byself on a daily basis. I got them to bed about 8:30 and for the first time in months, i slept thru the night. ( i have a sleeping problem ) I can't tell yet but i think Gus may be plucking. He does chew on his feathers but i found 5 nice ones on the bottom of his cage yesterday. The macaws seem to be molting, finding even numbers in their cages and lots of fluff, fluff in the greys too. Shedding for the warmer weather? Bongo is the only one i knew molted last year and it was about this time. I am not stressing over it, they are healthy, plenty of toys and lots to shred so... Lol whats one more naked bird?

I don't get to talk much about Bongo's achievements, they are visually unseen. He is very reserved and has been since we brought him home. A little back history, he was kept in a cage in a warehouse office, kept as a show piece for customers. He is 6 yrs old, said step up on his first day here and nothing since. He is 100% my little boy. He has a weird beak growth also and in his last home they trimmed it theirself and what a mess. His wing clip when he got here was something i have never seen before, not just the first 5 feathers but the entire wing. We have since retaught him to fly, its still not perfect but he flies to me and can land easily on my arm. Only landed on my shoulder once. Hubby can handle him but if i am around, no way, he flies around until he finds me. I have noticed this last week that he is starting to use different whistles as words. Hello is a short, quick one etc. He is matching the sound of the word. I am starting to think he may start using words again! He has also started whistling while he is perch on me. During our nite nite playtime last night, while he was inside his cage he, in his own way, invited me in to play. He uses his foot and opens and closes it to say come here, when you do go to him he will hold his foot out for a step up. I see how smart he is and he is starting to open up and show others!

Lol, Oliver is my chicken butt, i always tell him he one more feather away from being mistaken for dinner!

Happy hatch day!

Lets see, we have Bongo, he is sometimes Bongo butt or bingo, bango Bongo. Gabby is Gabby Goo, and at 20 yrs old has been heard saying it. Also "your lil girl" to hubby when she gets into stuff. Oliver is Ollie Ollie or Chicken butt. Bubba is normally Bubba or Bubbabooie or Bubbaloo. Gus is Guster or Butt wipe, or Poop head but "your boy" to hubby when he is being a terror. Bubba calls him Stop and Shut up". ( bubba came to us with the shut up but sure knows when to say it! )

Been a few days but Gus has been doing really well. Got in a tiff with Gabby yesterday but she was pulling his tail feathers, i woulda screetched too! Then Bongo tried to land on top of him, that didn't work to good. Saturday for the first time in months, we got to sit in our living room with all the birds out and watch a few hours of tv, then I got bored, boo me. The screaming is getting better. None at all this morning so far. :-) (knock on wood)