Sarasota

He's absolutely adorable! Enjoy! p.s. Getting him DNA tested is a good idea. It helps to know if your bird is female in case of egg binding, prolapse vent etc.

I haven't heard of Liberty...but looks like they aren't in production at the moment.

I can't express how sorry I feel for you and bird. I'd be in a panic. Hopefully, it's something very treatable. I am sending good thoughts your way.

That is the best.

It used to be an outdoor plant...and he pretty much took it over. I added a layer of sand to the top so he can dig around. They also enjoy tearing at the sissal/twine sides (this is actually my second planter). He enjoys it so much, I'm constantly adding toys, he brings a few of his own to the basket, etc. It's in my aviary, right next to a boing, so he can plenty of room to romp and play. It's kind of a lame video (it had sound, but I took it out because of copyright), but you can get a sense of the aviary from the video:

I'm new to the board....and I'm really enjoying reading about Gilbert. He's quite the looker. Reminds me of my little guy!

All I see are beautiful birds! I'd get a second opinion on the wing. If he broke his wing and it successful "reset" on its own, he probably should be able to regain flight. I'd be super cautious about rebreaking and resetting a wing - especially if he's already learned to compensate for the injury.

Signed and sent as well.

No worries. Sounds very much like "baby" behavior. Enjoy it! The trick is to make sitting on the playstand, playing with toys (or whatever you want the bird to do) equally as rewarding as sitting on you. It may take a bit of training, not all birds instinctively play with toys. Here's what I do when presenting a new toy - I bring the toy to the bird to judge reaction. If it's scary, I don't force it. If it's *mildly* scary, I present it while showing a handful of reinforcements (seed, nuts, dried papaya). If the bird touches it, he gets the reward. I move from touching, to holding to actual play. It may take several sessions until the bird actually gets that playing with the toy is (a) fun, and (b) brings treats!!

Awesome! One more quick thing to add: It's work. One of my dogs is a terrier-tyoe mix. He's fine with the birds when they are in their cage, hanging out on perches/playstands. When they fly he will often go into chase mode. This is stressful for everyone. I have two commands that I work with - "Here!" and "Leave it!" I'd love to tell you they always listen, but I'd be a big liar. You can also train your dog to go into a crate/get on a blanket, etc. when the bird is out. It doesn't work for me because I have so little time with everyone that I let everyone out at once. It doesn't work for every household.

Communication - in any medium - can be challenging. But especially so over the Internet. Even more so when the subject is an emotional one, such as pet ownership. Yikes! When it comes to personal opinion...please work within their own experience. I try to keep in mind, always, what Susan Friedman says about bird behavior - that behavior is the study of one. What works for my bird may not work for another as they are all individuals. As for the wildcard punctuation...it's everywhere! Protect the apostrophe! http://www.apostrophe.org.uk/index.html

I'm so sorry about the decision you had to make. But it sounds like you really have the bird's best interest in mind and he will be well taken care of. I'm so glad that you will be able to visit as you are probably both bonded to each other. So very sorry. I can't imagine having to make that decision. Big hugs.

Wow! Thank you for those kind words. I was worried they didn't come out right. When I saw a photo of Burt and heard his story - I just knew I needed to meet this bird. And when I did, it was an instant connection. I wasn't planning on another Grey, it just turned out that way.

Wow. So many recalls. Thanks for that - a lot of people use Nutriberries.

That is so cute!

Eeeks! Don't punish youself. We try to be perfect with our birds, but it's impossible. I burned a pot of beans once and had the same situation. If it's very hot and uncomfortable outside (it sure is in Los Angeles), I would mist them down - but keep them outside as long as possible. If you can, when you bring them inside keep them in a room with a door that closes and put a rolled towel under the door to keep the fumes out.

Absolutely beautiful. Well done!

Everyone is giving great advice. It will take some time to bond with your new bird. Just another tip: Start training all your animals (yes, ALL of them) right now. Every interaction you have with your bird, dog, cat is a learning experience. The mammals need to learn now that the bird is off limits. The bird will have more instinct that the dog and cat are dangerous. But you may have to teach your dog not to chase, etc. One way to deal with it is to teach the dog "leave it." There are many way to teach this with positive reinforcement training. Check out Victoria Stillwell teaching this on YouTube. BUT, until the dog knows the cue, you may have to completely separate the animals. You don't want any "ooops!" moments. Having a multi-species home, this is something I work with constantly. It's not always easy. Sometimes it's two steps backwards, one step forward. But you want to keep everyone as safe as possible.

Casper, that set is perfect. Also, if you live near a Costco, they usually have a nice set (or two) of stainless steel cookware.

Amazing photo!

Adorable videos! Mine usually go silent when they see the camera.

Zulu is a really cute name. Darwin might be difficult for the bird to pronounce. I have a Sondheim (named for the Broadway songwriter, Stephen Sondheim) that nicknames to Sondhi (Sohn-dee). It's too hard for the little guy to say and it comes out "Hi Thonnnndee!" Still, very cute.

Yeah, I hate to say it, but that's just not good enough for me. I know plenty of people that will take the risk. They also use cleaning fluid with chemicals, burn scented candles and incense. They point out that their birds are "doing just fine." Point is, unless there's a full blood workup on a regular basis, we don't know that the bird is doing just fine. There could be horrible health problems down the line. Better safe than sorry.

Wow, thanks for the warm welcome! I'm already having a great time reading through threads.

Bonnie, here's my take on things (and others may disagree). With birds from these types of backgrounds, extra care is needed. The important thing is to build a level of trust with your bird and move at their pace. Your bird may never step up if he doesn't get comfortable with hands. That can be just fine. I have a 30 year old TAG that came from a hoarding situation. He has come so far in the time that I have had him - his one request of me is "hands off!" I have used clicker training and positive reinforcement to train him to step up onto a rope ring (he is also afraid of sticks) so that I can move him around. If he ever steps up, it will be on his own schedule and when he feels comfortable enough - not the other way around.