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Yeah I'm really happy about it and I hope the bond continues to grow between them. My housemate is the only person who has showed any amount of interest in trying to befriend Alfie. My family are happy to speak to him when they visit but my sister is too scared to be in the same room as him when he's out. My parents allowed me to let him out of his travel cage when we visited them, but they were both quite nervous and I don't think they would be keen to handle him or give him a head scratch. So I'm glad Alfie has another human to interact with rather than just me!

My current housemate has lived with myself and Alfie for three years, and previously lived with us whilst I was renting for about a year as well. Alfie and my housemate have always been a bit wary of each other. My housemate hasn't had many pets in the past and hasn't had any dealings with parrots before moving in with one. Originally he struggled with the noise levels but after moving this was less of a problem because Alfie's noises don't travel to his bedroom as well in my current house. Over the years they have started bonding- ever so slowly. My housemate would talk to Alfie and give him the odd treat here and there. Alfie was always interested in him and would watch him intently. Eventually Alfie would allow my housemate to scratch his head, something he rarely does to others. Now my housemate is comfortable enough to be in the same room as Alfie when he is out of his cage and will even sit and scratch Alfie's head. Alfie will seek my housemate out and will fly so he can see him. He will even fly to him and sit on his knee or sit on the arm of the chair to get head scratches. Alfie will also move around in his cage to get closer to my housemate so he can stare at him and watch what he is doing. I'm really happy that Alfie is bonding with someone else other than me - even if he prefers my housemates company over mine. 🤣 They are still a little wary of each other when Alfie is out of his cage but they are getting better each time they interact. It's been really good to watch their relationship evolve over time. I always joke that they have a 'secret bromance' going on between them. 😁

Thank you for all the knowledge you have shared with us all over they years Jayd. You have provided so much valuable insight and advice over the years to many on these forums (and undoubtedly elsewhere to). I really appreciate every response to my (sometimes) daft questions and have learned so much about Alfie from these forums and people like yourself.

Happy new year everyone!

Yay! Well done you and well done Tali! Now you can have all sorts of fun adventures together!

Very sorry to hear this.

I'm sure some people get offended just for the sake of getting offended. I think it's a brilliant photo! Looks like she has her own little winter coat!

Definitely expose your baby grey to as much as possible when they are young. Foods, toys, people, places etc. Obviously keeping it within the grey's comfort zone. Grey's can be notoriously change adverse. I am lucky in that Alfie isn't too bad. He has to observe new things like toys for a while but will take to them quicker than some. I have heard about some birds who won't accept changes to owners hair, makeup, nails, glasses etc etc. Alfie has gone through three cage changes and two house moves in his 15 years and he's always adapted to each one pretty quickly.

I would think it might be a mix of hormones based on the age and change of routine. Is he getting any time out of the cage regularly? I know you said you have family who socialise with him but do they let him out? Birds don't do well if they are cooped up all the time... despite how many toys they might have to play with. They need mental simulation and lots of it - plus they need the time and space to exercise and explore. I went through a similar problem years back. Changes in my life meant I had less time to let Alfie out of his cage as much as he needed and that meant that some of the bond and trust broke down between us. I was wary in case he bit me and he probably bit me because he was struggling with the changes in routine and the fact he wasn't getting enough exerciseand attention. I had to make changes to my routine to improve things for him as I wasn't giving him the best life I could. I actually considered rehoming him for a while as I didn't think I was a good enough owner. I'm pleased to say that I decided to change my routine and habits and was able to make a lot of changes that revolved around Alfie's best interests and he's still living with me.

I had to get Alfie's band removed from his leg as it was rubbing and started to look like it was getting sore- that's the only time I've ever seen him poke at it. I asked my vet to remove it to avoid any issues/pain. Edited to add- I had him micro-chipped at the same time so I still have a way to ID him if the worst should happen and he escapes the house.

Someone elsewhere made a good suggestion- see if you can volunteer at some bird rescue centres. This will give you some insight into bird care and what's involved- particularly if you intend to take on a rescue bird yourself. Plus you'll be helping them out which will always be appreciated. They also had the argument of - if you can help clean all of the rescue bird cages then cleaning one cage in your own home regularly will be a dream. 😂

Hello and welcome to the forums! Congrats on your new addition! 2 weeks is a very short time. Schooner is probably still adjusting to the changes that have taken place in his life and is probably still adapting to your home, your presence, your routines etc etc. Grey's can take days, weeks or even months to adjust to changes- even small ones like new toys- so please don't be disheartened if Schooner is still wary of you or new foods/toys etc. There is lots of useful information on these forums so feel free to take a look around. If you have any questions, do go ahead and ask. Whilst we're a little quieter these days there is still usually someone who can answer and help. Oh... and we love pictures! (hint hint!) 😁

I got Alfie when I was 17 years old and whilst I don't regret having him at all, I do now think it would have been sensible for me to wait. Life took over as it sometimes does and I found it hard to juggle everything including Alfie at times. I feel like I let him down a lot as my life changed over the years. With the benefit of hindsight, I could have done a lot of things differently and I probably should have waited until I had my own place before getting a bird. I was still living at home when I got Alfie and my family weren't as keen on parrots as I was. However I was home often enough that he got a lot of time out and about. When I moved out I house shared with people who weren't keen on birds either and the layout wasn't suitable. His cage was in the hallway and he didn't get enough attention. I was also limited to when I could have Alfie out at that point due to the housemates being scared of him. I even went through the agonizing decision about whether or not I was the best person to care for Alfie and whether I should rehome him. However, my housemates decided to move out and that meant I could rearrange the house to better suit Alfie. I got him a bigger cage and spent much more time with him, rebuilding the relationship that had broken down a bit. A few years later I bought my own house and made sure the layout suited Alfie and his needs first. Ever since I have been trying my best to make sure Alfie is cared for properly. Looking through the points you mentioned in your posts, you should probably be aware of the following: Whatever age the bird is, it won't necessarily bond to you. Even if your family aren't as involved as you in the day to day care of the bird, he/she may still favour someone else over you. That's not to say you can't have a relationship with the bird- but they may favour a famliy member over you. Alfie has taken a shine to my housemate, despite the fact he's lived with me all his life and my housemate doesn't have a massive amount to do with him. Alfie still follows my housemate everywhere to see what he's doing. I get totally ignored when my housemate enters the room. Not all grey's talk. Alfie doesn't really talk. He prefers noises and whistles to words. Grey's have a reputation for being the 'best talkers' but that doesn't mean all of them will use words and be able to communicate effectively. Do not assume your bird will be a talker otherwise you may be disappointed. They can be loud. Yeah sure, maybe not as loud as cockatoo or macaw... but believe me when I say they will pick up the loudest most obnoxious noises and use them with gusto at every available opportunity. 😂 You'll only need to burn toast and set the smoke alarm off once for a grey to learn that it's great way to get a human's attention and use it accordingly. If you want a quiet pet- get a hamster. Parrots are the equivalent to living with a toddler. Whilst the toddler phase in humans only lasts a few years, the toddler phase in parrots lasts a lifetime. Birds are sensitive, emotional, intelligent and needy. They are fantastic companions but require a lot of work and understanding to give them the best available life. I'm not saying don't do it or trying to say it's not a good idea (even though some of my post probably comes off as a bit negative). But you have to know what you're getting yourself into before making that decision. Parrots are a commitment for a lifetime, just like a child would be.

Welcome to the fourms! What a lucky find! I hope he is settling in well and adapting to his new home.

I don't have any advice other than what's already been offered. Just posting to say I hope your bird is ok and recovers fully!

I'm very sorry that you lost your bird. Were you able to take him to the vet before he passed for an examination? I think only vets could determine the cause and perform the proper procedures to investigate after his death. I'm not sure we will be able to help you here...?

Oh that's unfortunate. Hopefully you manage to get it sorted and they send a replacement bulb!

Yeah I can laugh about it now but it was a little concerning at the time for the both of us! Alfie was very well behaved though.. he gave my fingers a few munches whilst being toweled but not as hard as he could have done. I haven't had to towel him in a long time so I kept everything as calm as possible throughout and made lots of fuss of him afterwards. My poor housemate is still working on bonding with Alfie. He's never been so up close and personal with him! 😂 He had to clean up the leg and side whilst I held Alfie, as I didn't want him to be at the beak end! Hopefully Alfie has learned a little more about gravity and will resume pooping in the usual upright position! 😂

We had a little scare this afternoon with Alfie. He freaked out in his cage and when we looked we could see he had a line of poop attached to his leg. It was like he'd somehow managed to poop on himself and it was still attached so there was a long string of it. I enlisted the help of my housemate and let Alfie out of his cage. I got him to fly to me then put him on the floor. I then toweled him gently and held him whilst my housemate gently cleaned him up at best as possible. I then let Alfie go and monitored him. He straightened out his feathers and seemed ok - he flew around the room a few times, played with some toys and whistled at me a few times. He also did a few healthy looking poops whilst he was out and about, which is what I was most concerned with. I wanted to make sure he didn't have some kind of blockage. Goodness knows how he managed to get himself in that pickle in the first place. I can only imagine that he tried to poop whilst he was climbing and gravity interfered. He's now settled down and is having a little afternoon siesta. I'll keep an eye on him but I think/hope he's ok.

Oh my goodness she's so cute! I'm afraid I can't help much with the feedings - I got Alfie at 11 weeks and he was mostly weaned by that stage. I was still hand feeding him but he was eating form a spoon not a syringe. I think it was either one or two offerings a day because he was moving on to eating solids by that point.

Yeah I did feel really sorry for him. I just calmly removed the bottle and hid it from sight and sat back down. He stopped clucking and wandered round for a bit and then came to sit with me. He was a little restless and kept wandering across my lap and back again and then eventually he bit me on the arm. I hadn't moved or anything, I was just letting him calm down on his own. I didn't react to the bite (other than a slight flinch because he caught me on a fleshy bit!) I didn't say or do anything for a few moments. You're probably right and I just need to ride it out. I just didn't know if there was anything I was doing wrong or anything I could do better to stop him from getting like this (other than avoiding the toys that seem to instigate the behaviour). I did wonder whether allowing him to continue shredding cardboard boxes was a bad idea but it's one of his favourite things to do (plus it stops him destorying shelves and walls) so I'm hesitant to take them away too. He doesn't normally get frisky with things after shredding cardboard boxes so I'm hoping this is a just a passing phase.

Alfie got a little flustered today. He had been out for a while, flying around the room and playing. I rolled a bottle across the sofa for him and he chased it pushed it around for a while. Then he started drooping his wings and making clucky noises. (See the video) I immediately removed the bottle and hid it. I didn't want to encourage the behaviour. I was also a bit worried as he picked at his wings as he was doing it. He's not typically a plucker. He nailed me pretty good on the arm soon after, so I'm guessing he was feeling pretty frustrated. Is there anything I can do to help him and prevent him from getting frisky? I never touch his back or wings, he only gets head scritches. I'm not letting him play with any small round toys in case he treats them like an egg again. I also won't try bottles again! 20181004_212220.mp4

Thanks for this. I did put a tray of iced water out for him when he was hot but he just ignored it. He only ever baths in his water bowl, which is why I ended up misting him. He was standing next to it but wouldn't go in it or touch it. And what about lower temperatures now we're heading towards winter?

I think it's sensible to get it checked out. It looks like she's either been over-preening or picking at that area, which means it might be bothering her. Better to be safe and get an avian vet to give her a look I think. Do let us know how you get on.

Hi all, I have an outside aviary for Alfie now which he went out in a few times over the summer. We had the longest and hottest summer I have ever known this year and so Alfie didn't go out as much as I would have liked, because I was worried about him overheating. I took him out one day and he wanted to fly and climb around but started panting and holding his wings away from his body. I misted him with some cool water and encouraged him to calm down a little and he was absolutely fine after that- but it did worry me. I didn't take him outside if I couldn't stand the heat out there. What sort of temperatures are safe for a bird who lives indoors? If we have a sunny autumn day is it safe to take him out or will it be too cold for him now? I think I'm being a bit paranoid about it. I have a wonderful aviary for him to use and I think I'm being a bit too overprotective and worrying about him getting too hot or too cold. 😂 I'm just worried because he's not used to staying outside for several hours at a time so I don't want to make him uncomfortable or ill!