neoow

None of us are vets so can only advise what we would do in that situation. This does seem like very strange behaviour and not something which I have witnessed with my own bird. I would pester the vet again and if I wasn't happy with the treatment plan I would find a second avian vet for a second opinion.

I'm a little stuck on this one because I don't have any children (and am not planning on having any children) and I doubt my sister would take Alfie in as she's not keen on birds. I have a 5 year old nephew so maybe he will grow up to like birds and would like to take Alfie in... here's hoping. The best I could hope for is that someone in my family would take him in temporarily and find a good home for him.

Alfie makes a water noise when I replace the water in his bowl. He says hello when the phone rings or the door bell goes. He also says hello when he hears/sees my housemate return home from work in his car (probably does the same when I return too). And he now says hello in my voice and responds in my housemates voice. He also says see you later and bye when he knows we are leaving the house. Alfie isn't a big talker, never has been. But he loves his whistles and noises. I love hearing other birds (not just greys) talk. I find it fascinating. I don't mind that Alfie prefers noises over words. He has his own way of communicating with me.

Hello! Welcome to the forums! Aw I'm so excited for you and your new addition! Just take your time and be patient with your bird. Changing homes is a big deal with lots of new people, places and routines to figure out. Greys CAN be fairly change adverse, so it's usually best to work at the birds pace. If she seems confident enough then let her out. If she is visibly scared or anxious then let her settle in for a day or so. Wing clipping is a personal preference. I believe the owner needs to make that choice based on the bird itself and the environment they are in. My bird, Alfie, is fully flighted- and I am super cautious about doors and windows. It works just fine for us and I've never personally had a reason to clip Alfie's wings. If she is already able to fly then you might be taking a bit of a risk by trimming her wings as she might try and launch off as normal and drop like a stone after a trim. So long as she is safe and family members are careful about doors and windows then you should be able to keep her fully flighted. If you do decide to trim her wings then I would suggest a VERY light trim in the first instance to let her get used to the change. Otherwise she could potentially injure herself if she falls or crash lands.

If you have any doubts I wouldn't use it. If the play stand is for indoor use then I don't think you need to varnish it...? Your bird will probably want to remodel the playstand by chewing parts of it, so I probably wouldn't run the risk, just in case.

Such an adorable baby bird. Glad he's settling in so well!

Wow! What a great toy! Bet they love it!!

Welcome to the forums!

I really feel for you because I know it's not an easy decision to come to. A few years back (just before I found these forums) I was going through the agonising decision over whether or not I was the best home for Alfie and could give him everything he needs. I know how difficult it is to be in that situation and how tough the decision is to make. I know it's not one you would have made lightly. Thank you for your post and for your honesty. I'm glad you've already found a possible home for Casper!

Welcome to the forums! Please do stick around and share your stories/questions with us! (and photos... hint hint!)

That is really good news, thank you Jayd! I'm sure this has put quite a few minds at rest!

Oh that's awful. I'm sorry you both had to go through that. Fingers crossed for no permanent damage

If Cosmo strongly reacts to the new perch you could try leaving it nearby within his sight (but at a distance). I've found this sometimes helps when introducing new toys that Alfie doesn't like. I'll leave them near his cage (but not in or on it) so he can check them out and make sure they're not going to kill him. I usually find it's easier to then add the toy to his cage. I've never really had a problem with perches though. I usually just add them in to his cage and he accepts them readily enough. Hopefully it all goes smoothly for you! (and Cosmo)

Aw he's a cutie!!

I managed to get a sneaky photo as Alfie was stretching and getting ready to sleep. It's not great but hopefully helps to show what I'm going on about. When his wings are down you can't see these feathers. But he preens them a lot and you can see they are quite separated and tatty compared to his other feathers. I don't think he's plucking them out as I can't see any bald areas. I'm fairly certain any feathers that do drop out are due to a natural moult and not being pulled/plucked. I've never noticed any damage to the feathers I have checked after they fall out. It's been like this for as long as I can remember and he's always preened himself a lot in that area (on both sides). He preens the rest of his feathers too but nowhere else on his body looks like this. I'm not sure if this is anything to worry about. He baths in his water bowl (refuses to bath in anything bigger despite my best efforts of finding an alternative!) and I try and mist him regularly- though perhaps I need to do this more often. Under the wing is the trickiest part for me to get as he rarely opens his wings for me to mist and he will always put his face in the way of the spray.

Hahaha! I love the relationship you have with your birds- especially with greycie.

Do any of you have a social media account for your birds (or other pets)? I usually post regular photos of my cats and Alfie to my own social media accounts. It might seem a bit daft but I recently decided to start a twitter account for Alfie - which is written as if he is posting the content. I have actually found it to be quite fun and I have connected with several other pet accounts (and regular human accounts!). It allows me to share some of Alfie's antics and see what other people's pets (mostly birds) are getting up to. I just wondered if anyone else here does similar?

I bought an aloe vera plant recently (mainly because they are supposedly easy to look after and I'm not normally very good with plants!). I've had it several weeks now and it hasn't died yet...!! I have read about the qualities of aloe vera and know you can use 100% aloe vera juice/gel with birds. Can I use the plant itself for Alfie in any way? I've seen mixed comments about birds eating the whole stalk so I'm not likely to try that. But I'm assuming there is a way I can safely extract the... sap(?)... from inside the stalks? Can I then mix that in Alfie's water occasionally? Or mix it with water and spray him with it? ...Or am I better off sticking to buying gel and juice and keeping the plant as a decorative feature? 😁

Amazing, thank you! I knew Greycie wouldn't let me down! 😁

I have a weird request. 😂 Has anyone got photos of underneath their grey's wings including the body? I've always suspected that Alfie 'over-preens' that area, as the feathers on his body underneath his wings always look a little tatty and he often preens under there- more so that other areas. I'm just curious about what that area looks like on other birds. His wings look ok from what I can see (I only ever see them when he stretches as he doesn't let me handle his wings). I don't think he is plucking, as such because the whole area is covered in feathers and doesn't look patchy or sore- the feathers are just never as neat as the rest of his body. I also don't have a pile of feathers left at the bottom of the cage.

Exactly the right attitude- work at his pace. If he's showing signs of fear or aggression when you're up close then take a few steps back until he relaxes and is comfortable. Get him used to you and your family being in the room with him and moving around him. Get him used to your voices as well- so just have a chat with him and let him know what you're up to and why. If he's not used to being handled much then this is going to be quite new and probably scary for him - so always watch closely to see how he's reacting and back off if needs be. Slowly build on it bit by bit, getting closer- hands closer etc. Maybe offer him a tasty treat and see if he comes towards you to take it/investigate. The feather chewing can be caused by a number of reasons - it may well be a habit that is going to be difficult to break or he may settle in with you and stop doing it as it may just be a stress response. Others here may have some extra advice on this. There are lots of threads about plucking/feather chewing available on this site so it might be worth searching through those to see what others have suggested previously. Don't forget- he's probably trying to figure you out as much as you're trying to figure him out!

The cage looks awesome! Your new grey is going to love it in there! I echo what others have said, pellets are great for a daily go to but it's also worth supplementing with lots of fresh veggies and fruit etc. It's better for them to have lots of different options for food so they don't get stuck on one brand/food type.

Thank you for taking in a rescue bird and welcome to the forums! Poor little guy seems to have been through a lot! Grey's are particularly sensitive animals and can be a bit change adverse. He has been through a number of major changes over the last few years and it's probably taking him a little while to get used to this. This latest change is a total change in environment and humans so there is a lot for him to get used to. It sounds to me like you're doing all the right things. The important thing is patience. It might take days, weeks or months before your new addition trusts you enough to step up. He might not find this the easiest thing to accomplish due to the damage on his toes so he's probably happiest with a nice stable perch rather than a hand right now. But patience is key. Don't give up on the little guy and you will be amazed how much he can offer as time goes on. He will start to come out of his shell and show you more and more of his personality and traits- but it will just take time for him to have the confidence to do this.

I see Huey tried to chew the note as well! 😂

I would not advise doing this just for a nail trim. Is the vet experienced with birds or an avian specialist? If not, that may be why they are making that recommendation. Alfie was gassed by a vet once so they could help with his beak (it was growing longer on one side and causing the beak to grow out wonky). They gassed him and sorted the beak but Alfie was sick after the procedure and very dazed/out of it from the gas for a good few hours. I found another vet who is further away but obviously has a lot more experience with birds, as he is able to handle Alfie a lot better, with a lot less stress and most importantly- no gas. I have never been back to that first vet and always travel the extra distance to see the vet that I trust. I would personally seek a second opinion from another vet who is used to handling/treating birds. The risk and stress isn't worth it for a nail trim. It should be achievable with an experience hand and a towel. If you have any doubts about the care being provided by a vet then you are better to walk away and find another vet. It's always important to be able to trust the person giving care to your beloved pets.