BeeFernandez22

I assume this is what everyone refers to as the pterodactyl scream? Not too sure what he is doing but he does it usually once a night lol. Any ideas?

Maverick also does this to my boyfriend. He is 100% attached to me and tries to bite Eric whenever he goes to pick him up. We have just been trying extra hard to make sure he is the one that handles him when he wants out of his cage or off of his perch so that he learns he is going to have to allow Eric to handle him in order to get what he wants. He does not always go along with it, but he has improved quite a bit. I have learned (and MANY others on here will tell you the same thing) that they feed off of your energy. If the person attempting to handle the bird is hesitant or fearful of being bitten, the bird will sense that and in turn try even harder because they know it works. When Eric started being more insistant because he learned Maverick was bluffing and usually didn't bite hard, that is when the improvement set in. Just something to keep in mind.

Thanks!! That sure is some colorful poop!! Haha!

That is some colorful poop!!! Haha! Thanks for sharing. I would love to own one of those gorgeous birds!

Oh no!! Haha.. I will have to search around for them!

We are all still patiently waiting for Toucan poop pics!!! lol

Thank you SO much for all of the info, guys! I figured this was similar to the crying toddler approach and that I should ignore him but then I read that reinforcing their contact calls is important so I wasn't sure what to do. I can't wait to get home from work to check out those links! I also purchased the Barron's Guide to a Well Behaved Parrot last night on Amazon because I know there are more behavior incidents that will come up as he keeps testing the waters! He is such a little manipulator because he knows I am a sucker haha... He does try to bite Eric every time he goes into his cage. I told him that he needed to just continue to try but after Mav bit him once pretty good, he is very hesitant with him and I know Maverick picks up on that and uses it to his advantage. Eeek.

Hahahaha!! I swear they are little alarm clocks!!

Maverick has been with me for almost a month now and has trained me pretty darn well already. He is not very much into playing with his toys in his cage and when I am home, spends most of his time on his basket or play stand. There are times, however, when I am home and he is not able to be out. Lately he has developed a little habit of squawking EXTREMELY loud when he is in his cage and I am home, or even if I leave the room to get something while he is on his basket. Being that he is only 5 months old, I know it is important not to reinforce this behavior. How should I approach this? This is also an issue when my boyfriend is home and I am not, as he will not allow Eric to get him out of his cage.

I, too, was wondering this because we have been talking about repainting some rooms!

Thanks, all! I don't give fruit simply because he isn't all that fond of anything other than his Harrisons pellets and I would like him to get more veggies in before introducing sugary fruits. He has had a piece of peach and really liked it, so he has gotten that one other time since then. I was giving him a couple pieces of shredded cheddar (the kind in the bag) because he absolutely LOVES it but my breeder told me that is too much because they are lactose intolerant. Oops I had read on here that some give their bird cheese so I thought it was okay. Where can I get this Wacky Mac?

As mentioned in another thread, Maverick is a "potty holder". As in, he doesn't like to poop in his smaller sleep cage unless he absolutely has to and usually waits until I take him out in the morning to make a huge mess. The last couple of days I have noticed his morning "surprises" to be quite watery. There is still a mix of all of the elements and there are some solid pieces in it but overall it is watery. The rest of his poops throughout the day are absolutely normal. Also, when he went in for his initial checkup they did a fecal smear gram stain and found that his bacteria was just slightly off so they have put him on a probiotic mixed into his food. Should I be concerned?

I actually asked the vet about it and he said it is totally normal. Many birds don't go to the bathroom throughout the night which is why I get the morning surprise and as long as you are finding at least a couple droppings in the cage, it means they will go if they really need to. He said this is a common thing people ask him about and its nothing to worry about.

This is the case when Mav isout of the cage!!! Like every 2 minutes it seems!

Maverick holds his business as well. I use a sleep cage in the spare bedroom.. he gets put up for sleepy time around 9pm at night (right after a generous formula feeding) and is in there until 7 or 730am the next morning. Rarely do I find any poop in there. As soon as I put him on his basket, though, he lets loose. He is in his large cage until about 430pm and I sometimes find a pile or two, but am always greeted with a large present when I let him out for the evening (again, on his basket..though today it was on the carpet).

I know I read somewhere else on this forum that even going to Hawaii requires quarantine so even within the US can be an issue for someone traveling frequently. Something to really look into before getting your grey!

I, too, have considered this but not because I am worried. I am just nosy and curious as to what he does all day!!!

Oh this just made my night!! What a DOLL!!!

What types of untreated wood are acceptable? I was at Home Depot today looking but was too afraid to purchase any until I asked on here hahaha....

Dan hit it right on the money! Just got back from Mavericks vet check up and I asked him while I was there! He said that's just him moving food from the crop! Thanks Everyone for all the input

Really? I thought it was so odd. He wasn't acting sleepy..

This link should hopefully work when put in your browser...

I am gonna talk to the vet tomorrow about how to handle the regurg. I have always thought it was not supposed to be encouraged but I've not done any proper research on the subject yet. I know everyone has different opinions so I want to really research before choosing how to handle it. I see both sides of the argument have valid points. And I'm going to work on the photobucket in a few min! Stay tuned!

Absolutely. Maybe I can upload it to youtube? Any other ways you guys know of?

Thanks, guys Maverick is almost 5 months old so he is still fairly young. Hopefully he takes to it okay!