Sarasota

That's such an amazing feeling, isn't it??? I'm not in the most ideal home right now. My yard is tiny and the area of town pretty cruddy. But nobody bothers me about my birds, the neighbors love the pigeons flying around the block, and I have a makeshift aviary attached to the back of he house. Tonight I was listening to the pigeons coo, the parrots were grinding beaks on the boings...and I thought, I'm pretty lucky. Someday I'll have a house among the trees...but I can deal with this for now. All is well.

I hope everything works out for the best! Pepper sounds well loved.

Congrats on your rehome! I have an older, wild caught TAG that I adore. It's not always easy to see the antecedents before the bite. It sounds like Ivan has been somehow reinforced for the biting in the past and is now continuing the behavior because it, in itself, is reinforcing. You may want to go hands off for now. I have trained Burt to enter and exit his cage on cue - that way 1. I don't get bit, and 2. I can avoid the stick (he is also afraid of sticks). Also, try alternating the reinforcements, and don't feel shy to pull out the big guns (Burt is happy to do a behavior for a sunflower seed...but goes ape for an almond so I hold them back for larger behaviors). I think being stressed and keeping him up late probably added to the bite. I find that I miss the signals when I'm moving too fast (i.e. rushing to get ready for work). If you don't already, keep a journal of the bites and what is going on in the environment (not that you want to get bit again, but even if it's just keeping track of the signals). By writing it down, you may see patterns you missed before. With one of my other birds I noticed that when he was on the arm, and I moved the alternate arm too quickly, he would start to pin his eyes and raise his nape feathers. I hope some of this is helpful. I also took Susan's LLA course and the course at Natural Encounters. I've been on the waiting list for the parrot course for about 2 years. Hopefully, this will be my year. Keep us posted on Ivan's progress!

He's a beautiful guy. Video can be really helpful!

White fluffs and little piles of powder. Love them greys!!!

You need wings...and to get the Grey scream down! These ugly things are getting cuter by the second.....I think I need a pair for Halloween. If not, I'm going as Tippy Hendren from The Birds..and covering myself in fake crows!

Are you required to return her? Perhaps she could go someplace like Project Perry? They have a huge African Grey aviary where she could have a great life, or they could find her another home. It's in Virginia. Just a suggestion: http://www.projectperry.com/the_grey_aviary.php

That's great! He's getting really comfortable. Some birds just aren't the head scratch type...BUT that can change. Hard rules hardly apply when it comes to living with a parrot. They keep you on your toes!

Great news! Sondhi hovers around the low "normal" range. Gets me worried from time to time too!

Parrots slippers??? Too funny! Of course, most parrots would be scared silly of them!

Not only do I enjoy these boards...but it's a wonderful break from my boss. So, Ray, what's more addictive? The Grey Board? Or Greys? Trick question!!!

The posts above reflect my thoughts too. The bird can live a perfectly happy, healthy life this way. I've seen birds missing toes, entire feet, one wing, partial beaks. Ask yourself what your expectations of parrot ownership are, what you are prepared (and are able) to give, and what is best for the bird. On a personal level: From someone who has a "damaged" bird...it's one of the most fulfilling experiences I've had with an animal. Wouldn't trade Burt in for a "perfect" bird.

You can do a few things. You can separate the birds and keep the sexes together. You can also keep the paired birds together and replace their clutches with wooden or plastic eggs: http://www.cutlersupply.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=12_71&products_id=744. Lovebirds live pretty peacefully if they have a large enough enclosure. I would keep all four together in a large space and use dummy eggs. They do well in flocks.

Oh! Ooops, the first part was meant for you. The second part responding to the original poster! Yes, some birds will never be comfortable with it. Never say never...but I'll eat my hat if Burt ever lies on his back in my hand!

We are going to have to agree to disagree on this one! I don't think there's anything in their skeletal or muscular structure that makes them more clumsy than another bird. And mine have never shown any signs of it. So I guess we - in the case of my two greys - have to change it to "some greys" or "most greys." I look forward to your posts as well.

I love watching and studying bird behavior. Yeah, I'm a super dork! Thank you Timbersmom! I have some pesky health issues and they are always running tests. They injected me with a dye and then I had to wait several hours before x-ray, etc. Apparently, the dye was moving slowly, blah, blah, blah. Took SIX hours!

I mean - don't buy into the generalization and the constructs. If we automatically label something as "clumsy" or "a biter" then we limit the possibilities for change (or being the creators of change). An extreme example: Let's say an African Grey falls off its perch a lot. The owner is told, "Well, Greys are just clumsy!!" Then the owner may not look any further into it. The bird could be sick, or have a horrible wing clip that goes unnoticed. I think every animal should be seen as an individual. If you want a super example....Green Aracaris are touted as "extremely quiet birds." Oh yeah? Tune into my webcam sometime and listen to my male mouth off! And I want to see you practice flying!!!

Good for you! The crappy news is that sometimes the cravings really never go away. I quit...let's see...about 15 years ago. I still tend to stand near smokers just to get a whiff.

Try to avoid chasing him around the cage. You don't want to inadvertently train him to be fearful of hands. Watch him when he eats. Whatever he goes for first and with a lot of gusto...take it away from daily feedings. Make sure that he only gets the treat when he comes up out the cage. If he's still afraid to climb on your hand and get out...let it be for now. Show him a bowl of treats just a few feet outside the cage and let him come out on his own. See if this helps at all.

Try talking on an iPhone with a hormonal Aracari on the loose. Wahhhhhh! Watch out!!

It would be a fine idea...if the bird was not already attacking. Right now, you have to just keep them apart. Depending on how things go, keeping them apart may become permanent. With my previous dogs (Pekingese), I had no issues with the toucans. These dogs are much more exuberant. When the let the toucans fly in the house, the dogs must be outside or crated. No exceptions. It's just too risky. That even goes for when I walk the toucans from their daytime aviary to the night roost. Things may change as the bird matures and the other animals get more used to its presence.

Good to know, Dan!

Good for him! I wish I had such a support group. Burt is terrified of my brother. Instead of my brother following the rules of standing back from the cage, offering treats...he blows him off. If he really wants to get on my nerves, he will wave his arms in front of Burt's cage until he growls, and then ask me "Why does he growl like that?" Yeah, my bro can be a big jerk!

LOL! Probably more like me reading too fast...and ducking away to type before my boss sees me. My kids are Hollywood Birdz. We hate it! It's way too hot in SoCal for me. The minute I can, I'm heading to the Pacific Northwest. I like seasons!

Laying down does not sound normal. If you get a pic, post it. But in any doubt - vet. Always.