Sarasota

I only snapped one (I zoned out). It's boring, but it shows was a complete mess we make!

Do you have a video? That would be helpful. Scratching can be normal - especially if you mean on the floor of her cage. Also stop and watch what you are doing when she scratches. If you are taking her out of her cage and cuddling her - the scratching works to her benefit. She's a baby and she will do her best to only eat what she wants. Limit her access to peanuts - treats only. .

He seems to enjoy the camera. Mine run and hide! He's simply lovely.

By far, with both parrots, the favorite is Harrison's High Potency Coarse. Some other favorites with Grey owners are TOPS Organics, Roudybush, Zupreem, Scenic and Mazuri.

At .21 and .40 the trainer specifically states she is teaching "training techniques." 1:17 bird shown open mouth panting. 1:33 bird bites when forced onto the hand. 1:53 trainer advises owner to "take the hit." 2:53 birds flys back into cage to avoid the hand, vocalizing loudly the trainer grabs the bird by the foot. 3:30 bird is grabbed by the foot, wings flapping, loud vocalization. 3:40 trainer advises the owner to be bitten. 4:44 trainer refers to this as "bonding." 5:02 bird shown eyes wide, panting, feathers slicked down, wings held apart from body. I understand we do whatever it takes to assist our birds in an emergency situation. This is not a good demonstration. Please compare to something like this (only positive reinforcement used):

Yeah, and they always seem to remember what you said when you hit your thumb with the hammer. S%&*!!!

My CAG is microchipped and has no band. My TAG is 30+ years old, not chipped and has one of large quarantine bands.

Actually, Judy's very correct. I went to Florida earlier in the year for one week. My caretaker was great with the birds - and reported that my CAG spent most of the time in his cage, even with the door open. I can tell you, in my situation with all my different animals, I wouldn't feel particularly safe having the birds out with someone who isn't completely comfortable - and can react quickly should a dangerous situation arise!

It depends on the bird. I bought a fantastic cage for my TAG, large with a playtop. He hated it. Hardly moved. Bought a smaller cage with a fold down platform and dometop - loves it!

Ray, this brought a huge smile to my face.

Hmmmm. It's a tough call. If she's uncomfortable with the bird, probably safer not to have them interact. But staying in a cage for a week is hard on the bird. Are there any good bird boarding facilities in your area? That might be a happy solution.

Sondhi wants to be wherever I am - and Burt wants to be where Sondhi is. I find, with my greys, that it can take them sometime to warm up to certain toys. After trial and error, I'm pretty good at eliminating things that will just end up as "art." When I get a new toy, I'll throw in some training. I use the toy as a target - one touch, click and treat (I only use the clicker in the initial stages of training). Touch a little longer, beak the toy, chew it, move close to it, etc. All get clicks and treats. In no time, they are investigating it all on their own.

Fantastic news! Can't wait to see photos.

Hi Nikki and Tango! Welcome. It will be nice having a Vet Tech on the board!

Burt (TAG) is the more introspective bird. He doesn't practice aloud, he just blurts out new phrases, perfectly formed. Sondhi (CAG) will practice when I'm not around. I solved that problem - I watch them both from a webcam during the day. Mostly, he starts with sounds and mumbles. They become clearer with practice.

It's amazing - my homing pigeons are (mostly) a full pound each. It's pure muscle. Even though my parrots and toucans are fully flighted, nothing compares to daily exercise of flying several miles a day. If you've never had your hands on a homing pigeon - try it! It's incredible!

Practice makes perfect! My little guys fly like helicopters around perches to make that perfect landing. It's a joy to watch!

What a gorgeous bird!

Love is blind...her leg looks just perfect to me - as long as she's happy and healthy. She's a lucky gal to finally find a loving home.

Wow. Sounds like awful store. There is a store in my area that sells only their "enriched" seed and nothing else. The owner is a bit fanatical that his diet is the best. Needless to say, I steer clear! My suggestion for Harrison's is to buy it direct from their website. The prices are fair and shipping is fast. Since it's *mostly* organic you want it fresh as possible. In a store it can sit for months on a shelf, or kept at improper temperatures. To keep my fresh I always reseal the bag and keep it in the fridge. There's nothing better than a well rounded diet. I do add supplements in the form of flax and hemp powder - in very small amounts.

Not at all! It's a major step towards building a relationship of trust with your bird. Good work....and congrats!!!

My CAG is 2+ years and weights 413.

I call that "Velcro Birdie." I've got one too. Beautiful day. The TAG and the Toucans are in the aviary...and my CAG wants to sit inside with me on top of the computer screen. Big dork!

I love it! I can't believe your countertop is so clean. Weekend birdie breakfasts in my house are bedlam! I'll try to get photos tomorrow and we can compare.

Thank you for this, Ray. I have worked with all types of birds - but hardly any Amazons. They are quite an enigma to me. I live in Southern California and we have quite a few flocks of wild amazons that live in our palm trees. I am fascinated by their coloring and vocalizations. I'd love to learn more about them!