neoow

There are far more experienced people on here who will be along very soon to offer much better advice than I ever could however I have a couple of thoughts. Normally a change of behaviour in any animal would ring alarm bells for me and I'd look to pull that vet visit closer if possible. Or if not, I'd be watching the animal like a hawk because I'm a worry guts haha. However as you've only had her for two weeks (and that's practically nothing in 'Grey Time') then it may be that she's taking some time to soak all the recent changes in. Have you made any other changes in those two weeks? Changed something in her cage? Changed something in her surroundings? She may be checking everything out. Grey's are very observant. I know when I change something in Alfie's cage he will go very silent and will sit and watch it for a while before finally perking back up again. If she's still active, curious, playing and eating then I wouldn't dash her off to the vets right this instant. If the change in behaviour was greater- e.g she was much more reserved, reluctant to move, hunkered up in a corner and not eating/drinking/responding etc etc then I'd take her to the vet ASAP. I'm also wondering that as she was in a pet store previously- were there other birds/animals making noises? It may be that she had lots of noise to contend with, so was more vocal herself to make sure she got attention. Now she's in a quieter environment without so many other distracting animals/noises/people etc- maybe she might not feel the need to make so many noises? Also, Grey's like to 'contact call'. This is where they call out to flock members to find out their location and check in on them. If you're in the room with her a lot of the time, then you might not get so many noises out of her. Alfie is usually silent for the majority of the time I'm sitting next to his cage other than the odd squeak, whistle or hello. He makes most noises when I move away from his cage into another room. Then we have a little game of making various contact calls to each other so he knows I'm still around and listening in. It may be that the noises she may in the store were contact calls to the other people/animals in the store. She may have been making them when she first came home with you because she was contact calling to the other animals/people from the store? Honestly, I'm just speculating and throwing some ideas into the pot. I'm certainly no expert whatsoever and some other members will probably come along with some better advice than I can offer.

Gorgeous photos! He's a lovely looking boy!

Amazing! LOVE that cage! Glad he seems to be settling in ok. I second Acapella's suggestion of lining the bottom of the cage with towels. They'll get a little messy, but will prevent him from hurting himself if he has a fall. I had to do this with Alfie as he was very clumsy! (Still is, at times!)

I'm getting excited for you!!! Haha

Just take it nice and slowly. Alfie always takes a little while to adapt to new things. Especially big scary play stands. It takes time and patience before he'll go anywhere near it, let alone put a foot on it. Don't try and force her on there, as it'll make it even scarier and the process will take even longer. If it's in view of her cage as soon as you get her home, it will be a bit easier, as she'll be able to observe it from a distance before trying it out.

Welcome to the forums! I bet you're super excited about bringing Onyeka home! Love the photos!

Amazing video! Greys always make me grin when they fly. They're not overly graceful in flight, like some birds. There's a heck of a lot of flapping going on all the time, like they're late for work and in a rush to get there! Alfie has to sit and look for a while before he takes off across the room. He seems to have to work out his route and the distance before he launches himself. I can always tell when he's on his way!

Woohoo more photos!

Oooh that looks amazing! Well done you!

Thank you for the update! I got Alfie around 11-12 weeks old so this was a blast of nostalgia for me as to what he was like at that age! Alfie was mostly weaned when I got him but still had some formula alongside his food. So I remember those screams very well! It's great to see that Clara is adapting well to her new surroundings and looks happy and confident too!

Apologies, I was half asleep and didn't even think to go back to the start of the thread!! That makes it a lot clearer though. Thanks!

What is the difference between thanks and reputation please? I've been a member for a while and just realised I don't think I've ever used the reputation button. I've always used the thanks button. Is one better than the other? Or for use in different situations?

Alfie scared the heck out of my dad once (which takes a lot of doing). My dad went downstairs in the early hours to grab a drink and suddenly heard a really deep voice say "Morning" (as a greeting). He thought someone was in the house and rushed to turn the light on to see who it was... only to discover he was alone in the room with Alfie in his cage. It was his latest word and he wanted to try it out!

Awesome stuff! You're doing a great job and it'll be an amazing experience for both of you. I really wish I'd been able to do with this Alfie. It was my fault entirely, I was 17 when I got him and didn't like being bitten because he was scared of it so I didn't persevere. (He would snatch it and try and throw it away if it went anywhere near him). He's also never liked his back/wings being touched. Now every time I hear news of people harness training their parrots or see videos of their parrots flying I really regret not trying harder to find a way to convince him that it was a positive thing. I wasn't brave enough at the time to keep at it and wasn't really anywhere I could go to for help or advice. I think it's a little too late for me to even entertain the idea of getting a harness for him. He's going to be 12 in April.

I think eating is the only thing Alfie does daintily. You should see how he goes after his toys haha.

Oh I'm always finding those everywhere. With two cats and two humans living here they get spread all over the house. I often have to pick them out of my hair and clothes before I go anywhere!

The best part is that he dropped paper all over the place from the envelope... then flapped his wings to spread it all round the room!

And here he is shredding an envelope for me: He did a very good job of it too! All that munching and shredding was hard work though... time for a rest! [EDIT: Not sure why the photo turned out on its side and not sure how to change that]

Here's Alfie making a mess with some banana chips (one of his favourite treats). He munched his way through three of these. Good job I had a blanket on the sofa! [video=youtube_share;MIdPBwWj0Co] Needless to say, I had a lot of tidying up to do (as always) at bedtime this evening!

Haha... I'd have kittens if Alfie landed on my PC and started pulling bits off. He's banned from the desk! The closest he gets is the back of my chair. What's that you've got in the background- looks like some kind of rope net? It looks amazing!

I have no idea whether Alfie is actually a male or female. He was sold to me as a male but I'm not sure if he was ever DNA tested or if they just guessed. I never bothered to find out for sure and stuck to calling him a he! I didn't think there was actually a way to tell a grey's sex unless they were DNA tested? I didn't think there was a way to visually sex a Grey.

Aw yay! Hope all goes well for all of you.

Zoe is a total cutie. How awesome that you're able to watch her progress so closely and get photos etc. I got Alfie at 11 weeks old and I met him on a few occasions before taking him home but I didn't get any baby photos like what you've got. So it's pretty cool that you've got those to keep too!

I wish we had something like that nearby. I have to get all Alfie's stuff online... and even then the choice is still lacking somewhat.

Amazing video! I wish I'd tried to get Alfie used to a harness when he was younger. I'd love to take him out on walks etc and allow him to fly in safe spaces. I don't think I'd have much luck if I tried now, no matter how patient I was and how long it took. He's going to be 12 this year and doesn't really like his back or wings being touched.