Timbersmom

Yes, I've tried raw and cooked cauliflower, broccoli, etc. etc. He will occasionally eat raw broccoli so I throw a piece on his skewer a couple times a week. The only thing he will ALWAYS eat is junk food. Pizza, bacon, sausage, cake, you get the drift. Of course he rarely gets to indulge in that. Basically, he's a spoiled toddler

Timber is extremely picky. You may remember my experiments and failures with every pellet made. After Timber's seizure issues and his weight loss, what is in his bowl is pretty much whatever he will eat. Daily, he gets nutriberries, quality seed mix, a piece of avicake. In his "people" food bowl, he has mashed sweet potato, peas, pinto beans, hamburger, mac and cheese, and cooked Higgins rice mix. He has sweet peas on a skewer, and usually has corn on the cob or an artichoke to mess with. He eats dinner with us, whatever he can (or will) eat safely. He usually has a small (maybe 1/16th slice) of toast with a little peanut butter at breakfast time. I'd love to improve his diet a bit, but he won't eat birdy bread or any chop I've tried (or pellets or any other vegetables etc. etc. etc.). He gets a chicken wing bone every week (sometimes he will eat it, sometimes not) and a piece of boiled egg fairly often. He eats a bite of banana with dad occasionally, but really isn't a fruit eater. As a treat (like most of his diet isn't already a treat) I give him a cashew, an almond, and a couple of peanuts in the evening. Oh, I almost forgot the cheese... He gets a very small piece of sharp cheddar cheese a couple of times a week. I'm sure there are other things I'm forgetting, but those are the staples!

Well, keep whistling! Try whistling when he doesn't do it first and see if he will respond. That was one of the first ways Timber and I established communication and I think it helped a lot. The little things are often what makes the difference in the long run.

Very true. Missed filming my grandbaby's first real smile by about 5 seconds.

Wow, beautiful! Dexter is beautiful too (troublemaker though he may be

Erfan, have you tried whistling with him or to him? That was a great help when Timber was new to my house and afraid of me.

How frustrating!

What a pretty girl!

Most greys do not accept new things easily. What I do with Timber is place the new toy near his cage, not in it. Over the next few days, I move it closer and closer. Eventually we get to putting it in the cage. Then there is a good chance he won't be interested in it anyway, but he isn't scared of it, ha. This kind of behavior is very normal from what I've read on the forum. Do you have any plain stainless steel bells? Most greys love bells, but you have to go through the same process of getting them used to it. At any rate, I just wanted to reassure you that his reaction to the new toy is in no way unusual and nothing to worry about, To sum it up, they DO NOT like change!

Sure wish your weather would have cooperated! That's the way is goes it seems. Can't wait to see pictures of the finished product

Do you have access to parrot pellet type food? You are right about sunflower seed not being the best choice for the majority of his diet. As for fruit, greys aren't supposed to have a high sugar content so fruit should be limited too. I'm thinking a small piece a couple of times a week is what is recommended. Your go-to for diet should be vegetables. There are recipes on the forum for "mash" that you might look at. This thread on the forum talks about vegetables: The entire thread on feeding your bird has a lot of good information. Be sure to check out the lists of things your bird CANNOT have. I had no idea when I got Timber that there were foods that would literally kill him, but there are.

I'm glad you are willing to take the time an effort to keep Bobo out of a bad situation. It is terrible when they are shuffled back and forth between owners and pet stores. What a miserable life that would be, especially for a bird who was yanked out of his natural environment. It sounds like you are making progress and that's great! Do you whistle back? One of Timber's favorite things is to whistle back and forth with me. That is a natural form of communication for them. Sometimes he will mimic what I whistle, other times he does his own thing. You've probably noticed that your grey whistles a certain pattern in the mornings? If I understand correctly, that is their natural flock "call." He's letting you know his location and leading you too him. One thing I wanted to mention, though you may already know. A parrot is never "tame." Bobo will never be domesticated like a cat or dog. He will become attached to you with time, and you will be able to teach him things like stepping up etc., but he'll never be tame. Even parrots who are bred and born in captivity aren't considered to be domesticated. Remember when you get to the point of handling Bobo (it may be a long way down the road) that parrots are prey animals in the wild. Trust is hard to build, and they often react out of fear.

LOL They are master manipulators!

I use an avian sun light for Timber. It is important to give them UVA and UVB rays if sunlight isn't available. This is the one I use: https://smile.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Aviansun-Deluxe-Floor/dp/B01M6DIDB2/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1519399048&sr=8-4&keywords=avian+sun+floor+lamp This is the bulb alone, but make sure if you don't get the lamp that you have an appropriate fixture to hold the bulb. https://smile.amazon.com/Aviansun-Compact-Fluorescent-Bulb-Pack/dp/B00TNHLTEW/ref=pd_bxgy_199_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00TNHLTEW&pd_rd_r=3E85BWPMTVT345FP41HF&pd_rd_w=bMUuf&pd_rd_wg=ly876&psc=1&refRID=3E85BWPMTVT345FP41HF Also read the instructions carefully. These bulbs have a "burn in" time when they need to be farther from the bird. They are also only good for six months before you need to replace the bulb, even though still comes on. It losses it's ray generation capabilities apparently. Another word of warning, reptile lights and others aren't suitable for birds, so if you don't get this one, be careful what you buy. I'm not sure what you have access to in your area.

17 days is a very short time for an AG. Here on the forum, we call it "grey time" because you have to let them take things at their speed. It often takes months for a bird who is bred in captivity to adjust to a new home. Brace yourself for the fact that it will probably take many months of adjustment. Remember that he is terrified. They are prey animals in the wild, and he has no reason to believe you don't mean him harm. Speak to him in a calm, gentle voice and try not to make sudden moves or enter the room suddenly. If he whistles or clicks, whistle and click back. I'd be whistling before I enter his room. That's how my bird and I first started communicating. If you posted as to why you have a wild-caught grey I missed it. I assume it was a rescue situation?

Like toddlers, they always wants what isn't theirs. Or, as Timber would tell you, it's all his. Hope Joe doesn't decide to make a habit of it, poor Salsa!

I'd say it is very common. When Timber learns a word or phrase he really likes, that is all you hear for awhile. It's like he savors saying it. The good news is that so far, it has never lasted for more than a couple of weeks. Then he'll move on to other words or noises.

Glad to hear it Maggie. Yes, please keep us updated! God bless

Timber absolutely loves cardboard. This one really looks neat.

I hate to hear that. It is so annoying to have a chronic condition and never know when it's going to flare up again. Prayers for a speedier recovery!

We share dinner but don't let him at the table. He sits near and we feed him bits and bites.

Looks great!

If her dogs are noisy as well, I'm puzzled as to why she'd complain. I'm not sure what your relationship is, but I would be to talk to her, point out that your birds aren't the only animals in the neighborhood making noise, and express your hopes that all can live in peace. I can't imagine a noise ordinance that wouldn't cover ALL species, not just birds. She is probably so accustomed to her dogs noises that she doesn't notice it any more. Maybe she needs to be reminded. As SR said, the first thing I'd do is document the other "critter" racket in the neighborhood, specifically hers.

I commented about the loss of your dad but not your apology. I thought I missed something and didn't want to show my ignorance. If you are talking about the site, it is far better than it was! Sorry if anyone was giving you grief about your good work. Change is difficult sometimes, but we were having so many problems with the old site that it was necessary. I'm just glad you had the knowledge and willingness to do it!

Prayers for Jay. God bless!