neoow

So glad to see there has been some progress and success with your husband and Vannah's relationship!

I've had Alfie since he was 11 weeks old but he's never been a big talker. He has learned and 'forgotten' words and phrases over the years. Though I don't think he really forgets them, just chooses not to say them any more. Occasionally he will relearn or remember old words/sayings or he'll come up with something he hasn't said for a long time. My dad taught him to say "Oi! Put the kettle on!" when he was young. He also taught him to say "nag nag nag" to my mum and "naughty naughty!" but he no longer says these phrases. He also learned to say "Widget" (one of my cat's names) but only said that for a short time before stopping. He now says "Pixel!" (the other cat's name) but never Widget.

Hahaha such an awesome video!

Welcome to the forums! I'm afraid I have no knowledge about breeding or rearing parrots so can't offer much advice. Do you know any breeders that are local to you? You might be able to get in touch with them and ask for their advice? Some may be willing to help or even mentor you? It's well worth checking out historical threads here on the forums. Like greytness mentioned, the nursery section is probably the best place to start,

I think just keep encouraging her to exercise and flap her wings etc. Alfie is fully flighted but still enjoys climbing. Sometimes he'll opt to climb when flying would be the easier option. Any form of exercise will be good for her. She might not know how to fly or might not have the confidence to try it.

What a great idea! Glad she's still willing to try new foods...even if you do have to be a little creative in how you present them!

Oh poor Rio :( Grey's are really empathetic, so all the stress and uncertainty of this year would undoubtedly have rubbed off on him. Not saying it's the cause of the feather butchering, but it could be one of many factors. It could be hormones, stress, diet or illness related. I can only echo what others have said- if it was Alfie in this situation then the first thing I would do is contact an avian vet to rule out any illnesses/infection. It's always worth reviewing any changes that have happened in Rio's life/environment recently or around the time his behaviours started changing... no matter how small they may be. Grey's can be quite change adverse.

Alfie chose my housemate as his favourite after years of me being the favourite. Unfortunately there's not a lot you can do. My housemate moved out a few months ago but still comes to visit. He can instantly give Alfie scritches whereas I still can't- despite always being the main caregiver, food bringer etc etc etc. Unfrotunately you just have to roll with it. I would recommend looking up birdtricks on youtiube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1BpMn4ErGPo8XB3Rzltojg they are parrot trainers and have loads of useful videos on their channel which may help you.

Sounds like she is making really good progress! The mental image of you running round the room with her is just too cute!

Oh she makes me melt. Look as those beautiful baby eyes!

Aw happy belated hatchday!

No worries, it did take me a little while to find it, but I was sure I had seen it before!

I think the aviator harness is one of the most well known ones and has been rated highly everywhere I've looked. I have one for Alfie and was starting to get him used to seeing it and putting his head through a loop, but I wasn't able to continue as he took a disliking too me and I had to take a bit of a step back until he calmed down. I would love to be able to get him to wear a harness, but he hates his back and wings being touched and won't even let me give him head scritches at the moment... so it's going to be a long a patient road before I get anywhere close to trying again with him. There are lots of videos on youtube of people harness training their parrots though- it's a good way to start doing some research. It make take time and patience, like anything with a grey. The younger you start the process, the better.

Welcome to the forums! Sorry, I saw this post a while back but for some reason didn't respond at the time... but better late than never I guess! I look forward to hearing more about your grey adventures with Lucy!

you mean this one? https://greyforums.net/forum/9-off-topic-discussions/

Natural sunlight (not from behind glass) is the best- so taking your bird outside in travel cages (or having an outdoor aviary) is the best source for this... or whilst wearing a harness if your bird is harness trained. Either way, they should be secure so they can't spook and fly away. However this obviously depends on weather and temperatures in your area! The next best thing is an avian safe UV light. Make sure it's an avian one and not a reptile one though. You can locate these above the cages or above their favourite perches.

I can't watch the video unfortunately - I just get a grey box with a play button. Will try a different device later to see if I can get it to work. In regards to flying- if she's not used to flying it will probably take it out of her to begin with... imagine trying to for for a run if you've done no exercise whatsoever for months on end -you'll be out of puff to begin with but the more you do it, the better you'll get. If you encourage the short flights she'll start building confidence and will slowly build up her strength too and will start to take longer flights. She may even get the confidence to start flying round obstacles/corners etc over time. If you are worried about her crash landing and potentially hurting herself then you can try and stage the initital flights over soft furnishings such as beds/sofas or put some blankets and cushions on the floor.

If by sunroof you mean it's in two halves that opens up (and can be propped open with a perch) then yes, it has one of those. However, I have some fairly heavy toys hanging from both sides so that Alfie can't push it open. He has tried messing with the top of the cage but there is too much weight for it to go anywhere. Thankfully, he's not much of an escape artist!

That's disappointing. I'm guessing they won't even entertain the idea of a refund either...

Glad you found something that helped! Alfie over-preens on his sides under his feathers so they look a little tatty, but he doesn't seem to pluck. They just look messy as opposed to ripped out. So I don't have much experience in this area.

Funny you mention it, because after 7 years of living in my current house, I finally have a dining table! I had a housemate up until recently so my PC and other stuff was downstairs where the dining table would normally go. After my housemate moved out I was able to turn his bedroom into an office and my parents gave me their old dining table and chairs! I only got it at the weekend but Alfie has already been exploring it. BUT! He shows absolutely no interest in my food- never has done. I can pretend it's the best thing I've ever eaten, I can eat it in front of him and I can try and hide it from him and be secretive... he doesn't care! He even sat at the dining table on Sunday with me and was more interested in throwing the coasters around than what I had on my plate! His favourite treat of all time is cedar/pine nuts. They take a while for him to crack open but they are the only treat that really motivates him. So they are the treat I am using and reserving for training. He also likes walnuts... but he will someitmes leave them and they are not as much of a motivator as the cedar nuts.

Hmm, I'm always cautious about sudden changes in behaviour like this. Talon raised some good points about eating/drinking/pooping normally. If you're concerned then I'd recommend a visit to an avian vet, as birds do try hard to mask their illnesses. Has anything else changed in the environment? Have you introduced anything new or moved things around at all? Is she perching and moving around ok?

I've not seen this particular behaviour in my grey, Alfie before. Is it a new behaviour? Is your vet an avian specialist? I'd probably be slightly concerned about the heavy breathing too. That doesn't sound great. If you think your vet missed anything then it might be worth trying to get a second opinion if possible.

I'm so so sorry to hear this Maggie. Jayd was a very valuable member of these forums and offered lots of sound advice over the many years. I offer my deepest condolences.

Haha oh I have no doubt that Alfie will start to use it to his advantage somehow! I'm waiting for him to make the clicker sound himself!