neoow

I have just seen this thread for the first time. I'm glad you and your flock are still doing so well!

I have often thought about getting another bird (possibly another grey) in my household and I have looked at these cages as well. My major concern is that they could bite each other through the central divide. If I were to get another bird, I would want them in separate cages to begin with. Then I might consider one of these cages if they did get on. My biggest stopper for not getting another bird is 'what if they don't get on'? My attention is already divided between my two cats and Alfie. If I added another bird to the mix which needed to be kept separate from Alfie because they hated each other then that wouldn't work for my household - I just don't have the space provided (or the time) to be able to juggle the requirements of two birds if they can't be in the same room together. My advice for these types of questions is always 'plan for the worst case scenario'. If you can handle that, then you're probably safe to go for it. If there are any doubts then I would reconsider.

Sorry, for delayed responses, things have been a little quiet round here of late. So I have a few things that I've picked up from your posts so far: The house move probably would have been stressful, especially as grey's can be quite change adverse. He might still be stressing about all the changes around him and getting used to his environment. Grey's operate on something we call "grey time". This is the time that grey's take to adapt to changes or new things in their life. Grey time isn't a set period of time. For example, this could be the length of time it takes for a grey to accept a new toy in his/her cage. It could take hours, days, weeks or even months... depends on the bird. Your grey has been uprooted from an environment they were very familiar with and placed in a new one. So it may take some time for your bird to settle down. The screaming and banging on the cage just shouldn't happen. Frightening a bird like that will have detrimental affects on their trust. I don't really have anything else to say about that other than try and prevent it from happening. This can be easier said than done if family members aren't on board with learning how to treat birds... but it really needs to stop. You also mention the introduction of dogs a few years back so Timmy has less time out of his cage. This will have a detrimental affect on your relationship with him as well. He probably feels frustrated and probably has a lot of pent up energy... so this also could be contributing to the change in behaviour. I went through similar with Alfie. I was working full time and trying to study towards a degree in my spare time and I struggled to give Alfie the attention he needed for a while. Our relationship suffered because Alfie didn't trust me like he used to and would often nip or bite in frustration when he was out, meaning I was scared to handle him. I had to make a fair amount of changes to my lifestyle and his environment before i started getting our relationship back on track. Trying to get him to go back in his cage was a nightmare, because he didn't want to go back in. He wasn't having enough time out of the cage so I understand why he would get frustrated. Now, I don't have any problems. He has a lot more time out of the cage so he sometimes takes himself back into his cage or he will climb back in when I take him back to it. You might need to take a few steps back and maybe try doing some basic step up training with him. Get some of his favourite treats and reward him regularly when he lets you handle him without biting. Are there ways for you to give him more exercise time outside of his cage? Can you section off your house at all so the dogs have part of it and Timmy gets another part to play in? I have to do this as I have two indoor cats. When Alfie comes out the cats get the upstairs part of the house and Alfie gets downstairs.

It's difficult to know what to do for the best and it's easy to fall into the trap of trying to work out all the 'what ifs'. As soon as Sukei was taken from the wild, there was no going back. And sure, he's been through a lot to get where he is now but it could have been a whole heap worse. He is in a good home with a family that loves him dearly and who moved mountains to get him home with them... where others may have simply given up and left him where he was because it was too inconvenient for them to fight the battles you had to fight. He doesn't know any different. His life (other than he early part) has always been with you, your family, & your environment. He is in the best place he could be with his background and I think you should be proud of everything you overcame to get him there.

I've been in my house for 5 years now and I desperately need to redecorate. I moved in with everything as was so all of the rooms need some TLC now. My only worry is paint fumes and fumes from new carpets. I am planning on decorating my hall first and there is one door between the living room where Alfie lives and the hall. If I close the door and crack open the windows in the living room, will Alfie be ok or will the paint fumes still cause issues? I'm also planning on having new carpets fitted so I'm cautious about any fumes that might give off too. I can't leave him in the outside aviary as its too cold. He might be able to go in his travel cage and stay with my parents for a day or two, but he would be stuck in his cage as they don't know how to handle him so wouldn't let him out.

So far he's managed to turn the lights off on two occasions. Alexa took a wild guess at what Alfie might have been muttering about and decided he said 'lights off'. Alfie has also managed to trigger a news update and a couple of random phrases which Alexa responded too... mostly with confusion or to say she didn't understand.

I got an Amazon Echo and some Philips Hue lights for Christmas. Seeing as Alfie doesn't pick up on many words, I didn't think he'd pick up on the name 'Alexa' very easily. Oh how wrong I was. Less than a month later, my housemate heard Alexa responding to Alfie today. I check the history and listened to the recordings the Echo had picked up and Alfie is just repeatedly saying 'Alexa' and practicing it in both mine and my housemates voices! 😂 I'm waiting for him to start changing the lights and music! (I have turned off the option for ordering by voice, so I don't get any surprises sent out!)

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! 😂