neoow

That's amazing! What a clever musical duo!

Alfie's pretty good. I can't remember a time when he's destroyed electronics. I tend to move them out of the way before he gets there. He has a java tree on my computer desk and he likes perching on the back of my computer chair so I don't have problems with him getting at my computer. If he does decide to slide down my arm to take a look, I let him so long as he doesn't bite anything. If he bites anything then he goes back on his tree or the back of the chair. It's worked well so far.

Alfie was pretty good about it. I left it nearby (but away from his cage) then progressed to hanging it outside his cage, then inside his cage. I showed him that there was water in it and ow much fun he could have with it. The main thing I don't like about it is that it is all plastic- so I don't leave it in his cage all the time because I know he'd take chunks out of it. The other thing that interests him is the nuts that hold it together- he likes playing with them and trying to unscrew them. So I have to make sure they are all tightened before I put it in his cage. He mostly ends up sitting on top of it instead of bathing in it! So not a complete success- but he has at least flicked some water around inside it. Maybe one day he will realise he can fit inside it and enjoy himself!

I got Alfie one of these because he always tried to bath in his water bowl... and doesn't fit. http://www.northernparrots.com/savic-splash-extra-large-parrot-bath-prod476055/ However, apart from a few splashes I've never seen him actually go fully into it.

Oh wow, that's good going! It looks awesome!

Wow, they are awesome photos! Someone was having fun!

It's so difficult to know what to do in this kind of situation- especially as it is very painful and difficult to try and ride it out. However, please don't beat yourself up about it. 'Mistakes' will be made and learned from. It is going to be much more difficult for you to know how to handle these situations because you don't know how much baggage Alex has brought along with him. Other members will probably have more experience and better ideas than me on how to deal with this sort of thing. I can't recall a time when Alfie has properly clamped on to me when biting so I don't really know how I would react to this (probably not very well- I have no idea how you could just sit there calmly and take the bite for so long!)

How funny! Are they always so bouncy?!

I just saw this video on facebook and had to share as it made me chuckle. Hopefully that's viewable to everyone!

If they are soft white floaty feathers (which stick to EVERYTHING) these are probably normal down feathers. You'll get used to seeing these floating around your house. Noodles will drop lots of these and it's not necessarily plucking. If you're finding grey feathers mixed in and you see him pulling his grey feathers out then he might be plucking or over preening. Others will be able to give you more advice about this as fortunately I haven't had this kind of problem with Alfie. However, a regular vet checkup isn't a bad idea... so you may wish to book him in for a routine checkup at some point anyway.

I've changed Alfie's cage three times now I think. He had his original cage which was in my bedroom at my parents house then he moved downstairs to a corner cage. When I moved house I got rid of the corner cage (too much vertical space and not enough horizontal space) and he went back to his original cage and was located in a hallway. Then when my housemates moved out I got him the biggest cage I could find and moved him into that. He also moved into the living room at that point. When I bought the house I live in now he moved with his big cage. Fortunately, Alfie is pretty good with change. He has moved house with me twice. I kept his original cage in case he ever needed to stay at my parents house whilst I was away but I'm going to throw it out because it's stuck in the garage and is starting to fall apart. I can't get his current cage out of the room without pulling it completely apart (it doesn't fit through doors) so if he does need to stay elsewhere then he'll go in a travel cage. When I go away on a couple of courses next month my lodger will look after him for me, so no worries there. Anyway, I digress.... Whenever I wanted to move Alfie I put him on the cage, then in it and let him get used to it. As I mentioned, I'm really lucky because he'll sit on a perch and observe everything closely, then he'll explore. He never really freaks out about changing cages/house/toys etc. He just likes to have time to sit and look at everything first. I'm finally at a place where I'm happy with his cage and because I now own my house I'm not moving any time soon either, so he shouldn't have to deal with any BIG changes like that for a while yet.

Wishing your son a very speedy recovery!

I am getting parrot broody from your updates/photos!

My personal preference for Alfie is NOT to trim. He has had two wing clips in his life (he's 12 years old now) and they only trimmed one wing lightly each time when he was very young. Once he'd got his balance back, he was flying just as well and just as far as he was before- so I didn't see a point in putting him through the stress of a clip again. I know I can keep him from harm (and from escaping) and he knows what a window is/where they all are so I see no need to clip his wings. Edited to add: As it's a baby bird, my personal thought would be to leave him/her be (no trim) to begin with. Let him/her settle in, find his/her wings and learn what they are for- then assess whether a clip may be needed later on?

I have to be careful when I pet Alfie. If he flies over to me, I set him down on my knee (he's a non-shoulder bird) and I wait for him to indicate if/when he would like fuss. Sometimes he's quite content just to sit with me, sometimes he wants to wander around and other times he will want fuss. If he wants fuss he will shuffle over, head down and brush up against my hand/arm. I then watch really carefully whilst scratching his head/neck. If he turns his beak towards my hand, I stop and move my hand away. If he wants more fuss, he will tell me. If I tried to carry on when he turns his head/beak towards me, then I'd likely get a bite to tell me enough is enough. Alfie seems to like short sharp bursts of fuss. I think others have given really good advice about the timing. Do not let it get to the point where he bites. Fuss him in intervals. (You could reward if you don't get bitten if you feel that will help.) But don't keep fussing him until he bites. Just stop, move your hand out of the way and see what he does. He may follow your hand and ask for more fuss or he may be content and go about other business.

Hi Kevin, Congratulations on taking in Noodles! First off.... 2 weeks is absolutely no time at all in a grey's world. So please don't think you are doing anything wrong because he isn't noisy or nips you. This is to be expected at this stage. Think of it from Noodles point of view- his whole world has changed. New home, new surroundings, new people, new routine. Greys are super observant and can be change adverse. At this stage he is still getting used to the changes that have happened and probably doesn't trust you yet- which is why you'll get a nip if you try and ask him to step up. Just take a few steps back. Talk to him, sit near his cage, feed him as you have been doing. Get him used to you, your family, your home and your routines. If you try and rush him, he will react negatively. He needs to have time and space to figure things out in his own time. And that length of time will vary. It could be days, weeks or months before he's ready to step up for you. Check out the thread about a parrot called Gilbert (or miss gilbert)- that'll give you a good indication of what we mean when we mention "grey time"! Also, check out some posts by a user called samansad (I think I got the name right!) - he recently took in a grey and has been busy posting questions and videos about his new grey, Alex and how they are adapting to life together. The sounds will come, given time. As will the trust and mutual understanding required for him to step up for you. Patience and respect is key- Noodles will let you know when he is ready... or not ready!

Count to ten and breathe!!

They are REALLY good at picking up on our emotions. I don't know how they do it but they are really good at reading us. Alfie knows when I'm upset and will do his best to cheer me up. They do seem to react to emotions, even when you don't think you are displaying them!

Welcome to the forums! We'd love to have some more information about your new family member. As well as photos if at all possible. (We love photos!) Have a look around at some of the different threads and do post questions as and when you need to. Everyone here is always happy to help!

Welcome to you and noodles! I hope things are starting to settle down a bit for you both now. Others have already given good advice. Feel free to make new threads if you have any other questions. Everyone here are always willing to help out.

Welcome to the forums! I'll second what others have already said- pictures when possible please!

I've never been lucky enough to get up close with an Amazon parrot before. But if the opportunity ever presents itself, I will make sure to take a big long look.

Way to go Dorian! Alfie refuses to come out of his travel cage when he gets home from being somewhere. Doesn't matter if it's going to the vet to have his beak sorted (which is usually an annual thing, thankfully) or whether he's just come with me to visit my parents (he grew up in my parents house so it's nice to take him back there every so often). When I get him home I have to leave the door open and let him get on with it. I offer him a hand to step up on to every so often and he'll usually either ignore it or ask for scratches instead. Eventually after a while he will step up or climb out of the cage himself. It doesn't bother me, as I expect it each time. I just wonder what's going on inside his head, bearing in mind he doesn't really like going in the travel cage in the first place. You'd think he'd be out of it like a shot when the opportunity arose... but no. He doesn't puff up or get angry about it- he just seems to like sitting there for a bit before coming out. I wonder if he feels the need to just readjust after visiting a different place. I know he doesn't really like being in the car all that much so maybe he just needs a bit of quiet/calm time to reflect before he wants to get out and play/explore/fly/go back to his big cage.

Sometimes an animal will choose you rather than the other way round. I'm never quite sure if I'm a believer in "fate" or "everything happens for a reason" but sometimes, things just seem to fall into place and work out ok. Well done you for giving Peanut a home. Please do let us know how you all get on. We'd love to see some photos when you're able to get them. There is so much information available on the forums so do have a good look round. If you have any questions then don't be afraid to post them. I've found that everyone here is willing and happy to share their knowledge and will help you regardless of how silly you think the question might be. Welcome!

Aw that's quite sweet, as well as amusing. I love that Sophie is such an integral part to your household. Just a thought about Ryan... It may be that he just doesn't want you to worry about him.... but by not telling you, he's making you worry even more! When he's ready, he'll share. I go through this with my parents a lot. I don't actively keep things from them, but I'm quite a private person and need time to try and work out problems on my own before I talk about them. So they usually hear about it after the fact- during which time they are super worried about what's going on!