Sarasota

I'm glad you mentioned that! Food for thought. Sondheim will talk to the dogs, but it's generally understandable. When I call the dogs outside he calls, "Come on, Howard! Pottie! Let's go!" and that's parroting (sorry) what I say. BUT, there is an absolute connection that the big, black hairy thing too close to his cage is "Richard! Uhh uhhh uhhh." There's one other thing (my mind is on a roll now): Once or twice, the smoke alarm has gone off in the middle of the night. I jump out of bed in a panic, realize it's just a battery going bad, and go back to sleep. But there is a true sense of emergency. Burt has started using the sound of the smoke alarm as his own "danger" call - like when he sees a cat or someone he doesn't know comes close to his cage.

I am SO glad the crisis is over and that he's feeling better (and you too)! It's a good reminder for all of us to keep certain items on hand at all times like Apple Cider Vinegar and maybe some Powerade. It's one of those precautionary measures that can't be understated...like having styptic powder!

Oh wow, what a great story (minus the crap with your Uncle - that sounds awful). Your birds are adorable! That's why I have to stay away from stores and friends with rescues - I'd have every bird in town living in my house. And, I'm sure you've done all your homework - but Eclectus' diets are very different from other parrots (I know, I'm a party pooper! But I'm always looking out for the birds). I look forward to lots of stories and pictures.

You surprised me with the "no whistle" with the birds. First I heard of that! Birds vocalize for lots of reasons. One of them is contact calls. You'll notice most birds are noiser at dawn and dusk. It's a sort of "hey! I made it through the night!" and then "ok everyone! let's settle in" (a silly illustration, I know). When the flock is separated they will use these calls to stay in contact. If you hear your bird whistle in the other room, give a little whistle back (or words you like). Burt, my older guy, taught me his contact calls right away when I adopted him. He also has a "you're too close to my cage!" whistle. You will pick up, in time, what each call means to your bird. You can even use them back at them. Sometimes Burt doesn't like me changing the paper in his cage and he will get too close and I give him his own "back off" whistle...and dangit! it works.

I use a brand that's already ground up. I mix it in with the mash and it works out pretty good! http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001186572/ref=oh_details_o00_s03_i00

The good news is, the studies continue with Griffen and Wart: http://www.alexfoundation.org/index2.htm I find that it's extremely difficult to separate logic from anthropomorphism when dealing with the birds that live in our home (or any animal). When I am speaking loosely on a message board I'll use words like "angry," "sulking," "happy." But constructs can be dangerous. Once a bird is labled aggressive, hormonal, etc. we look away from what the bird is actually doing, i.e. eye pinning, body posture, wing flapping. That said, I've seen levels of cognitive ability in my birds. I don't mean the "good timing" stuff like laughing at a joke, or saying hello to someone passing the cage. My younger Grey, Sondhi has invented a work that sound like "Shooooo!" It's not a real word, or something I that I say around the house. But it's his word for "I'm about to fly." And it's consistent with launching off a perch into flight. A word he created concurrent with an act...pretty good! And here's an example of what can *look* like cognitive ability, but it's just a lot of training. I have a colored ring game I use with my bird Burt. First he learned to hold the ring, then put it on a post, finally to put the ring on the correct colored post. It took many sessions and tons of trial and error, but he does it perfectly now. There's no way to test whether there was a light bulb moment where he recognized it was a color thing....or whether he got more treats putting a ring on a certain peg. I can't get it in his brain, but my guess is that he did it for the sunflower seeds. I'm not certain yet if they are self aware when looking in a mirror (I've been meaning to try the colored sticker test...need to get on that). As far as my toucans go, nothing. My female constantly attacks her own image in the mirror.

Today's batch of mash. I'll add a few fresh fruits and spouts to the mix when I serve, with a pinch of hemp powder and flax.

Absolutely gorgeous!

So glad you mentioned this! It's not well known.

A dog trainer once told me - the only thing two trainers will agree on is that the other one is doing it wrong.

Talon...are all those your current kids? Wow! I feel so lazy. I have a hard time keeping up with 2 parrots, 2 toucans, 2 dogs and a loft of pigeons. How do you do it?

I think you just convinced me to get one of those nets!

Oh my gosh, Sweetie. I'm just getting used to the forums, catching up on threads and I just saw this one. You are, for sure, not alone. I've been struggling with some major medical issues for the last 2 years and there are times when I just want to hang it all up. I so get it. I am sending you giant cyber hugs and wishing you well.

Heck yeah! I just re-did my kitchen. Not for me, of course. The kids needed more room to romp around on the (yes, grey) countertops. JeffNOK, you have a lot of questions. It shows that you are really paying attention to detail...great work, and great care! I notice my birds (all of them) go through phases with their food intake. Often, the toucans will go completley off their pellets, other times it's their blueberries. Same thing with the greys - at times pellets are only for shredding. You mention peas, corn, etc. Are they frozen veggies? Those can contain a lot of water. I am NO expert when it comes to diet. I follow the mash recipes on Feeding Feathers to get a complete mix of veggies, fruit, legumes and grains.

Robert, any update? I can't stop thinking about this and hope everything turns out well for you.

Craiglist. I know it sounds hokey, but a lot of people look there for lost animals. I found a dog running loose in my neighborhood, posted on about 6 sites...the owner found me through Craigslist. Good luck! Fingers crossed!

Thank you so much, Michelle. Many people don't realize that this practice still continues - and certainly not just Greys!

Ohhhhh yes. It's what I'm going through right now. Apparently, there's a need to climb into my hair and chew my ears off. Little stinker!

I had to stop and count. 12 large parrots...wow, impressive! I am looking forward to hearing (and seeing) all about your setup.

They have an indoor cage that they share. It's 8 long, 6 feet high, 4 feet wide. They also have an outdoor aviary that they play in, weather permitting. Naturally, their favorite place to be is in the kitchen.

Yup. Baby feeding behavior.

I had one of those "duh!" moments the other day. Sondheim likes to chew on my fingers when he's on my hand. Instead, I taught him to target my finger with the top of his beak and hold it there. I tell him "touch" and he does. Instead of gnawing, he targets and gets a tiny piece of grape. So far, so good.

Yay! Another aracari owner. I have two Green Aracaris.

Unfortunately, there are all sorts of shady folk out there when it comes to parrots - and there are a lot of stolen birds. BUT, he could have been just in a hurry to get her out because of an insistent landlord, or maybe he just really needed the money. We can't know the entire history. If the bird is chipped, you be able to return her and you'll have done a wonderful thing! If not, sounds like you are on the road to a beautiful relationship. It's a win-win situation, either way. I am wishing you the best of luck!