murfchck

Lol, hearing your description made me chuckle. Far from a field, more like running around a tree trying to avoid dead branches/twigs on the ground by doing a weird high step run, come to think about it, maybe thats why the cars stopped, trying to figure out if that weird lady needed medical help!

I am going to try and get it on video! I thought i would take Oliver out today and fly him around some. We got out there his eyes pinned, he leaned back on my hand ready for take off... Just as i started to go, he totally relaxed and quit holding on to me. We couldn't fly that way so i just set him down to wander around, that he did too, he took off running through the flower bed, over the rocks and edging down the sidewalk right to the front door where he looked in, paced back and forth and then would turn to me and lift his foot. Lol

Ahhh, that explains why Bongo stopped talking! He eats with his right foot but plays with his left foot. Poor guy is just confused! Lol

We had a blast tonight! Knowing they can't be within viewing distance made all the differance! Also discovered that when Bubba gets his wing feathers back that boy will fly! I guess his floppy wing has built up strength with our simulated flights. It was a beautiful evening, no hawks seen so i brought bubba out front under the trees for our flight. I trotted around and he started flapping. The strength and power were amazing, i slowed but he kept going forward doing a forward flip around my hand. We took off running again, same result except this time 2 cars stopped, just watched. Pat was at the front door watching us too, just amazed at the obvious fun he was having. Harness next Saturday! LOL

We figured out (ok, more like we are admitting) what triggers the Bubba bites! Hubby got his first nip tonight. When the boys are away from their cages and away from their stands, they are out of their comfort zones. Each bite has been when they are within viewing distance of each other but away from their safety areas. If we have just one of them, away from their safe zones it is just fine, their temperment is acceptable. So, no more together walks, one then the other no matter how loud they scream!

You can sure tell he went to the vet. He was singing his opera again! Poor Oliver doesn't stand a chance to get a word in around here, between all these guys chatting at the same Pat and i can hardly talk! They compete too on who can be the loudest, other than the macaw scream, Bongo wins hands down. At bedtime we always do our pretend fly with them, Pat had Oliver and i was behind them with Bubba and we took off. For some reason Pat stopped and i had to do a quick stop which caused Bubba to lean forward, he was already crouched like he was taking off, he let out a laugh like it was the funnest thing ever and laughed all the way to his cage. We came out laughing with tears running down our face saying, " this is what makes all the stress worth while". He really is smart and uses his words at just the right time. Last night we had company, they got up to leave so Bubba said bye to them, of course they stopped and said bye to him, then started talking again. Bubba gave up saying bye and started saying go, over and over until they moved to the front door then he lifted his wing and said bye. My friend said she had better go after that because she was afraid of what he might say next if she didn't. Lol

I am, thanks. I was actually going to add that i too had not seen the refuge part, as your first statement is what stood out. But your defensiveness to my statement and your trying to turn it around onto me says alot. For all i was saying was not to get it from the wild, get someone elses that they couldn't handle. I will not get into an arguement with you. Best of luck with whatever you choose.

The birds in my home are all rescues from people who got in over their head. I know what i am doing is right by and for them. They are free flighted indoor and have large aviaries outdoors. I twisted no words, that was your quote.

[quote=camoka;269488 I see time to time local people selling parrots in the streets which they cought from the forests along other animals..I will send my maid to her hometown (Bamenda) where there are plenty of Greys since that part of the country is their natural habitat and shell get me one right from the wild Will be interesting experience What you wrote and how you are trying to justify your decision do not gel. First our birds are not wild caught, we are not removing them from their " natural habitat " ( your words) and " right from the wild " ( again, your words ). " Will be interesting experience"? These birds are not an experiment for your whim. Lets say you remove one from their natural habitat and things don't work out and you just open your door and let him out, you have delivered him a death sentence. No flock to protect him, he is on his own. Does this bird you have snatched up for your amusement have a mate, babies he is protecting, feeding? They mate for life you know. How many will die because of you? Why not get one someone else snatched and has already damaged and try like hell to help that bird have a chance at a life and not be on someones dinner table because it bit them. And they will bite, don't kid yourself into thinking you can take the wild out of them if thats all they have known. This is a sad thread that breaks my heart to read. Jeff was not being dramatic as you said, he was being real in a real situation. You stated you found us because you wanted to learn about greys, well please learn. Learn that you can make a change and help these birds and not become one of the people that hundreds of thousands of us are trying to stop.

Woo-hoo! Happy dances here! Bubbas weight today is 818... AND no more weekly or bi-weekly visits! No cyst, no stretching, he is good to be a bird again!

Yepper, Bongo does the truck backing up tone too. He was outside with us and our neighbors were having their cable installed. The truck had to back up and Bongo had it down. The second truck was getting ready to leave and we asked him to back up just for fun, he did it again. Two out of four birds have the dog barks down too, so now instead of 4 yipping dogs, i have the noise level of 6.

It would be wonderful! It was so cute when i dropped him off this morning, i had his carrier covered since it was 40 degrees and when we go into the office i uncovered him and he just looked at me and said hi. ( he was only covered from the car to the office but he acted like he hadn't seen me for a long time.) The nurse came to get him and when she said hello to him, he said ouch, then as she was taking him to the back he said bye to me. All this time, they have never heard him say anything and he has something to say about everything! Now the poopie news, he last weigh in was below 800 grams, 786 to be exact. Hopefully it is just because his butt was sore and he knew stuff would come out if he ate. Oliver has been screaming all morning for Bubba, getting a headache now but what can ya do, his buddy isn't home.

Well after one week of no bites, from any of them, Bubba goes back to the vet tomorrow. So much for my record of being bandaide free for a week. All the kids love orange juice, Oliver makes his own by squeezing them in his water. I decided to try and make them some oj popsicals. They came out great, went and bought some cute little molds and the sticks, too bad the hate them! Bubba flipped his over and chewed the stick while the oj melted making a sticky mess, Oliver gave me the foot chop, Bongo ran to the other side of his stand and Gabby just looked at me like," really? ".

Happy belated birthday wishes! Hope you got everything you asked for this year!

Greys take time to adjust. She can come back from that, but it will take your understanding and patience. Read about Gilbert in the rescue bird haven, (thread Gilbert is home). This will show you an example of what we mean by patience! I moved a houseplant yesterday after they went to bed last night and am expecting some pouting and fear this morning that could last a bit, and it took me since last weekend to get it into place, moving it a little bit each day to let them adjust. (large corn plant tree) Our second grey took to my hubby the minute she saw him, me, she has just started to be ok with but i was her chew toy for a while. ( one week bandaid free now! ) She is also fearless! As for the food, just keep trying. What they hate one day they may love the next and vice versa. Just don't stop trying, keep offering things. And keep reading, there isn't a tread on here that you can't learn something from. Congrats!

Just for kicks though, i would take my own sweet time showing these guys i am learning from their book! Payback time! Lol

He would have to tell me what he is saying first! When i steam mop, he is just fine, even likes to learn words. Regular mop and his wings go up, vaccuum and he yells! I mean, i know its loud but gesh! Lol I gotta suck the stuff up first before i can mop!

My macaws like the Zupreem nut blend and the veggie blend over the seed, so they are both available in their cages 24/7. My greys however hate and turn their noses up at any pellets, i went through them all with them too. Zupreem fruit pellets they atleast pushed around so it is offered daily. My flock gets fresh fruits and veggies in the am and a full course dinner in the pm in addition.

Been a few years for me, spaying is a wonderful thing! Bubba yelled at me yesterday! I was cleaning the stands while they were on them, had the vaccuum going and he went off on me yelling. I over cleaned because i couldn't stop laughing. His sweet little hellos turned into a very sarcastic helllloooo. The parrot garble in angry loud tones, full running statements. Then when i did stop, i turned to get the newspaper to line with and he went right to his food bowl and shoved it all out to the floor. I guess he wasn't done yelling at me!

Lol, they are in it for theirselves! Gabby was a hoot yesterday. She kept flying to a counter that we try to keep her off of. She took everything, one at a time, and tried to take it to her "nest". From a spoon to the top of the sugar bowl and fortune cookies. We tried out the training of not paying attention to what she was taking and get her interested in an acceptable toy and praise and reward her for choosing the toy. She is a smartie pants cuz she kept going back and taking stuff and then looking at us for the "come on guys, time to trade toys" game. Guess we need to practice this more and reread that chapter, we seem to be doing something wrong! Lol I have noticed that these parrot behaviour books should be titled people behaviour when living with a parrot instead. It is our actions that they feed off of!

NO! Who should be allowed to choose is the new family. How can a breeder or rescue organization even say that? A rescue group who says you "must keep your bird clipped" for the rest of their life does not have the birds well being in mind. Birds and flying go together like peanut butter and bananna sandwhiches, meaning they go together but are not right for everyone!

All books and learning are always welcome! I will check it out. I found out i was being emotional past few days cuz i was sick, doh! Ya think i would know better but, it wasn't till the fever hit hard that my light bulb came on! 90 degrees outside and i was in a jacket, hubby asked if i was ok and i looked at him and started laughing and said, now that you mention it no. After choking down dinner, and that is literal ( poor hubby had to heimlich me last night ), i went to bed. Today was much better, not beating myself up today! Pity party is over, watch out birdies! Lol

Wonderful!!

Yeah, the plan is to switch books. He is reading "the Parrot Problem Solver" and i am on the "Clicker Training for birds". Well i am done with mine but want to soak it in and read the other before we start any training. Yesterday our debate was when he said he took the birds out of the cage and just put his arm out and if they stepped up he gave a reward, hence Bongo stayed in his room and came out after i got home. I asked why he rewarded them for stepping up, which they do just fine? His reply was his book said to do that. My come back was well my book did too IF they are just learning it. We did agree, no training until we have finished both books and sit down in agreement to plan our direction. It is very eye opening how easy it is to confuse and scare them though. We are both very easy going so we lucked out not screwing them up so far! We let them be who they are, express theirselves and be happy. A few less finger bites would just be swell though!! Lol

Oh boy, i almost started a warning thread in the training section. We bought two books dealing with behavior, one for him and one for me and then we would switch. As of yesterday, when we are working with our kids we are both saying to each other, "my book says....". Yikes, next time, one book! We got it mostly for Bubba and his biting but learned basic boo boos we have been making, both books agree with the boo boos but both books teach diff ways to deal with it! I am correcting him and vise versa, lol. I want to go back to being dumb about it!