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Ooo sounds like a bit of a breakthrough! I'm sure Alfie mellowed with age. If Sukei has a favourite treat then it's a good idea to throw that in his food bowl to reward him for going back in his cage nicely when asked. Might help encourage the good habit. Alfie knows that he gets a pine nut for stepping up on the perch (or arm, if he so chooses) and he gets 3 or 4 in his food bowl once he's back in his cage. Has really helped cement the routine.

That's strange and not a problem I've really had to deal with before, so not sure what advice to offer I'm afraid. Talon's idea of walking them around and letting them see and touch the angled ceilings is a good one I think. Maybe they're still getting used to the space and the ceilings are off-putting. I've noticed that houses in the US seem to have much higher ceilings than here in the UK. In my current house the ceilings are quite low - a bit below 7ft. However, they are all straight/flat so no weird angles for Alfie to deal with.

Alfie previously learned to yap like the neighbours dog- and also learned the whistle that the neighbours did to call the dog in. He does meow at the cats but it's a bit of a sarcastic impression of a meow!

haha I saw this somewhere else recently. It did make me smile! I think the owner was a little worried about being squashed at one point!!

Very cute! I love how dainty they are as they munch away! Alfie has never been a fan of pasta, cooked or uncooked.

Another variant on the theme would be "tell me you have a grey without telling me you have a grey" Photos of things like chewed furniture, shredded toys/boxes, poop on clothing etc... 😁

hah! Love this idea!

Alfie refuses anything green! And most healthy things too!

Hi all, Sorry for the radio silence recently- my PC developed a problem so was out of action for a while and work has been absolutely crazy busy so I haven't been able to check in much recently. How are you all? And how are all your birds doing? Alfie is his usual rambunctious self. We haven't had the opportunity for any more big exciting adventures since our parrot/human meet up in the summer. But he still comes with me to visit my parents and get his mashed potatoes. My nephew stayed round a couple of times over the summer too. I'm not sure if Alfie knows what to make of this smaller but much louder human.... But he did learn a new sound- a very loud "mew" type sound when my nephew was sarcastically mimicking my cats (they are very loud and "shouty"!) So Alfie has picked that noise up and uses it with gusto regularly. He also learned a "whoop whoop" noise from me and again uses this one with lots of enthusiasm. I'll have to see if I can get a video of it as it makes me chuckle every time.

I'm a bit late to the party here and you've already had some great advice. I'm glad to hear Corey is doing better and adapting to the situation. I think Grey's are a bit hardier than they like to let on sometimes! I follow a parrot rescue/sanctuary based in South Africa on social media and they have a couple of greys (at least) with no feet, just stumpy little legs. I really feel for them whenever I see photos but amazingly they can still get around. I don't think they fly but they can waddle around and can still climb. A lot of the time they are on soft bedding such as towels and blankets. I'm glad Corey has such an awesome home where she's clearly well looked after!

ooo I recognise that look... you are definitely in some BIG trouble!!! 🤣

Haha they do have such a good sense of humour! Alfie always amazes me with his good timing too. He knows exactly when he should mimic a laugh in a conversation, for example. It's equal parts adorable and hilarious every time.

Love that!! It's almost a look of "What? Have I got a little something on my beak?" 🤣

Glad to see you're back and glad things are getting back on track for you all!

Sounds like it's all going well, which is great! I love that she's learning to correct herself so that a bump will do. I had a similar process with Alfie where he (and I) learned that if he turns away or walks away then that shows me he's not interested. Previously his first response was a bite to tell me to go away. But we've both learned how to read each other better so a bite isn't needed. It's very rare that I get bitten these days (which I'm very happy about!). The most recent occurrence was when I had my feet up on a footstool and he flew over and bit me on the little toe because I didn't move out of the way quick enough. 🤣

Haha oh I do hope not! No he was absolutely fine. He was understandably tired when we got home (as was I!) and had a big dinner and lots to drink and he hadn't had much during the day. But he was absolutely fine the next day and up to his normal levels of mischief!

The only downside to taking him to the event last weekend...? He's been practicing what sounds an awful lot like some macaw noises/screeches.... 🤣

Woo! Congratulations! It sounds wonderful! I'm sure it will be a lot of work to get everyone moved in and settled but it sounds like it'll be a great change for you and your flock! Alfie has moved twice with me too - he's pretty boisterous for a grey though and seems to handle change pretty well, even major ones like moving house or moving cage. He's lived in three different houses and four different cages over his lifetime.

On Sunday Alfie and I went on a bit of an adventure! We went to a parrot/owner meetup in aid of the World Parrot Trust. It was just under a 2 hour drive each way and it's the first time I've done something like this with him as well as the furthest I've taken him in the car. There were loads of people (and their parrots) and I wasn't sure how he would take to it. His travel cage is heavy and bulky so I bought a trolley to pull him along in. He was a bit worried when we were moving around but settled really well when we stopped. Loads of people came up to say hello to him and give him some attention. He was a little wary of some people but pretty calm about the whole thing overall. I really enjoyed the day too and I think I'll see if there are other events I can take him to in the future, now that I know he won't completely freak out about it. 20230813_153218.mp4 Free flight macaws- this was fascinating to watch! The house/location we were at- the event was all outside on the grounds and thankfully the weather (mostly) held out! 20230813_154523.mp4 This was as the day was winding down- there were lots more people and birds than this there! 20230813_155306.mp4 Alfie's new wheels! This blue and gold macaw is Rio and he took a liking to all the ladies. He landed on me a few times - I was holding a hot chocolate drink that he tried to steal. The next time he landed on me I moved the hot chocolate out of reach so he grabbed my thumb in annoyance. He landed on my back at one point and played with my hair. Then he landed on my arm again later and pinched me a few times. It reminded me of why I don't have nor want a macaw- the strength in their beaks is unreal. He was relatively gentle but it still left bruises! All in all it was a great day out and I was super proud of how well Alfie coped, especially seeing as he's never done anything like this before. He had so much to deal with - the car journey, a new location, his new wheels that we've never used before, so many people and parrots and a few dogs around. Some loud music at times. He took it all in his stride and didn't freak out or panic at all. We were both super tired when we got home!

Grey's are such contrary little buggers at times! 🤣 I too have been on the receiving end of a bite from Alfie after he has stepped up nicely. And it confused me too as I always give him the option of refusing the step up and don't pursue him if he refuses, I always back off. But every so often Alfie will willingly step up and just grab my hand/wrist seemingly out of nowhere. It doesn't happen often at all. But I usually just try not to react, set him down somewhere and ignore him for a few mins. When Alfie spooks, he typically takes off in flight instead of biting. It does mean there's been a couple of times when I've been smacked by a wing unexpectedly! How old is Vim? It could be boundary testing depending on her age or because she's more settled. They do have a toddler attitude about most things! Or it could be hormonal. Alfie is very distant from me at the moment. He'll fly over to see what I'm up to but he is absolutely not interested in head scratches right now. A couple of months back and he was like a velcro bird- always flying to sit with me for some head scritches. Now if I try to offer head scritches he ignores me or shakes his head if I go to touch him. I know full well if I tried to persist, I'd get bitten. They can change, even month to month in what they'll tolerate/like. And they do figure out how to push your buttons as well, just like a child would. And other times it can be as simple as something spooked them or something they don't like happened nearby so they take it out on you! I sometimes find the trickiest part is not letting it hurt my feelings! Especially when you can't figure out the trigger.

Thanks for the update - glad you are doing ok and have adapted. Must be a relief knowing he has settled in well and is happy.

I'm in! 🙂 Thanks Kevin!

Thanks for all that you do/have done to keep this place going Kevin. It's very much appreciated.

Very thoughtful indeed! Alfie didn't get me anything for mothers day... or my birthday... mind you, as I'm the only human in this household I'd have to go and buy it for myself on his behalf... which sort of defeats the object really!! 😂 Hope you enjoyed your flowers and had a lovely mothers day! Well I guess that confirmed your place in the household pecking order!! 😂

I only have one African Grey- Alfie and he is 20 years old now. I have long thought about bringing a second bird home but like others have said, there is absolutely no guarantee that they will like or even tolerate each other. I know that if they had to have separate out-of-cage time because they don't get on then I wouldn't be able to give them both the time and attention they need. I always think that this is a 'plan for the worst and hope for the best' kind of situation. Are you in the position where you have enough time, space and energy to keep two birds separately if they really dislike each other to the point that they can't be out at the same time?