jbsmomto1

Thank you very much, this makes me feel alot better as I was worried about the 7pm feeding tonight and now will go ahead with it knowing that I have been ok all this time. I love that special time with both boys and really didn't want to give it up for fear of hurting my sweet echo bird

Yeah Echo seems to need more sleep then Storm does which strikes me as odd given that Storm is so young.

sorry did I say palm nuts? I meant pine nuts, those I get at the local grocery store. Sorry about that.

ok I am so confused....i never said he got up in the middle of the night to eat, not sure where you are seeing he has or that I do, I said that yes if my daughter wakes up because she in hungry I would feed her...they get fed before bed, 7pm is NOT a late night feeding. I fail to see how this special time with him is harming him. Nor do I understand why you feel there is no bedtime routine..they both gets fed at about 7 and echo gets his quaker song sung to him, Storm gets either a pine nut or an almond, twinkle twinkle litte start sing to him and than bed at 8:30..this IS their routine....I don't understand why you think there would be behavioral issues b/c I hand feed them at night. I also do not close the boys cages up unless it's at night or I am not home, they are free to play on their cage tops though and I often take them along while I get my daily chores done.... ETA : to correct palm nut to pine nut!

Why not? what harm is it causing? and yes if my 3 year old woke up hungry, I would absolutely feed her and have done on several occasions even at 9 yrs old.

awww what a sweet guy lol. I feel so much better knowing it isn't a dislike. I was very confused as to why he would follow me around and want me but then not like me...ah well, all is good in my world again.

awww if he loves me I can deal with that he doesn't flutter thouh he just holds them slightly away from his body....but if it'ss LOVE than this is awesome and you just made my day.

Oh wait I found this http://www.itsagreysworld.com/fun/bodylang.htm but nothing really there describes Storm, maybe you will have better luck ? I posted a similar question in the nursery forum and was told that it sound like he loves me :) I can handle being loved lol. So maybe Felix is telling you the same thing?

Storm is also 5 months old and when I get to close he spreads his wings just a tad and starts to grunt (sorta) I wish there was a place where we could get a list of their body language to use as a reference....if you find out what it means let me know, it sounds like they might be doing the same thing (sorta lol)

I still do feed him at night, and probably will forever. Echo has always gotten a night feed and he is almost 3 in March. I look forward to that time with my boys as much as they do. he wasn't weaned when I got him and I knew that but I have also weaned a few birds before so it wasn't new to me. he is offered his pellets as well as fresh food 3x a day plus his night feed, so he does eat a lot and he is much better and trying everything you offer him, he may not like it, but at least he usually tries it. Jay your opinion is not much different than my own really. Sometimes he refuses his night feed and I take that as a good sign, Echo on the other hand never refuses, he might take a very little bit but he won't refuse. So you never ever have to worry about me not feeding him right or offering it, ever. Most of the time, my birds eat better than I do. His and Echo's reg routine is as follows: Breakfast they get their mash (sweet potatoes, apples, veggies, flax seed and palm oil) warmed up. about noon they get a dish of veggies usually fresh sometimes frozen, with some brown rice or wheat pasta at dinnner they get anything off our plates that is healthy for them at 7pm they get their bedtime hand feed. Than at 8:30 they go to bed, only to start the routine over again the next day lol. I think they eat really well and they always have pellets and water available to them

I know he trusts me but at the same time I think he hates me I believe he has trust because when his nail got caught up in his cage, he did beak me but it was so gentle and he never once applied pressure, hissed or growled. However I think he might not like me too much b/c the past 2 days when i get to close to him, he spreads his wings the tiniest amounts and starts making almost like grunting noises, he doesn't go to bite me, but he just does this thing with his wings and the noise. I can easily pick him up and love on him, and if I leave the room he will be sure to follow me. I have no issues with caring for him, he only does this when I get close to him and as I said it isn't mean or agressive by any means...I don't know what I have done to make him start doing this. maybe he just doesn't like me near his cage? maybe it isn't me at all but a "grey thing"....he just turned 5 months old, and has only been with us about 4 weeks. I have never hurt him, I give him all sorts of attention, love and scritches, he gets lots of food and toys. He has learned the difference between red, green and purple and will pick the right colour you ask him to almost all the time, so he is smart. No he doesn't talk yet, but wow does he have an assortment of whistles and clucks.....I have been trying to figure out what I have done and I just can't think of anything, other than helping him remove his foot, and scooping him off the ground when he tries to fly after me. He does this with nobody else and everyone can touch him or hold him, they don't get the wing thing or the grunts, just me. ....so.....what do you think?

Sophie your parrot or child??, Echo my Quaker has taken every key off my laptop keyboard several times, mind you he doesn't hide the keys. just leaves them in a heaping mess and takes me ages to get them all back in the right spot lol. Yep I agree soap and water is probably the best and safest hand cleaner, used properly for a full 2 min suggested wash will make it work even better!!! many wash their hands a million times a day but many also do not wash the right way and its only effective if done right.

I was just with Storm, went into the kitchen to get his bedtime treat and came back in and he was perched up on the top of his cage as usual but he looked like he was struggling, so I went to see what the issue was and sure as heck his nail is stuck in a teeny tiny hole under the bar on the top of the cage, the hole serves no purpose or if it does I can't figure out what it might be. He was really twisting his little leg to get it free. I tried to look and see what it was stuck on and saw the hole. He was beaking me so gently while I was getting him free but he was yelling to, so he knew I'm sure that I was trying to help, I made him step up with the other foot so he would quit twisting and than was able to free his poor foot, I thought for sure he was gonna break his leg by the twisting. But it's out and he's not hurt or anything. What can I use to cover the holes when I looked to see, I saw there are 4 of them one on each underside of the top. For tonight I just used a small square of duct tape, but it's 100% certainty that once he knows it's there he will have it yanked off in a new york second and if he doesn't Echo will when he visits. Like I said I can see no purpose (unless its for cleaning reasons, but if they are sealed up then water can't get inside, which I don't think it should anyway) to them so they can be covered or filled permanently, but I dunno with what... Duct tape? Glue? Cement? Maybe there is nothing to fill them with thats safe?

he is now 330-335G so he is doing quite well, I am happy with his progress

you are 100% right but the next vet that will deal with birds is over a 4 hr drive ....

my vet just called me back and she says that they will put him to sleep amd that scares me, he is so little I would be afraid of him never waking up I don't know what to do.

So after reading some of the stories about people losing their parrots I am a little nervous, it seems like its so easy to have your baby fly away, get found but have no 100% way of identifying him other than by his band, which is really hard to read at the best of times for me, I can't imagine him letting a stranger read the band or even know what it is etc etc. How dangerous is chipping Storm? I know its easy for dogs and cats but he is much smaller than one of them, does it hurt the bird? will they have to put him to sleep to do it? any after effects?

Storm is Canadian Hatched his parents belong to Susan Mazda I believe. I got him from the handfeeder who doesn't breed she just feeds, loves and sends them on their way. And yes he still has baby eyes, but yet when you look at him in a different light you can kinda see them starting to change a little bit. I LOVE the baby eyes, they look so trusting, once they start to be able to pin them I get a little nervous b/c I'm not sure if I am reading them right...

After looking around for just the right perches for the boys so that they were able to be in which ever room we are in and not finding anything good here in Canada I decided to make my own. I tool and old Towel rack and some ceramic tile, to make it heavy and non tippable, attached them all together, covered the towel holder in vet wrap and called it done. It cost $23 to make has opposed to $50 to buy and shipping prices. It isn't fancy or anything but it serves its purpose. This is a pic of Storm and his perch : I bought a percher as well for each of them but they are kinda light for a grey, I worry that if he decided to take flight it would tip over and he would be hurt, This is a pic of him on the percher : He saw me getting ready to feed him his night time formula and got a little excited and was intent of rushing to me to make sure I did it exactly to his liking: He is getting so excited for it, though I am not sure why, he hasn't take much 2 nights in a row now. And Echo would totally insulted if I left him out of our photo shoot so here is with Storm. I am still amazed that they get along so well and hope that lasts a lifetime, though I know in my heart it probably won't, the relationship seems very one sided, Echo plays with Storm on Storm's cage, but heaven forbid Storm wants to play on Echo's cage

I may have to make that my motto for life~! "do things in grey time" LMAO ...when I mentioned to my 9 year old, she asked if she could clean her room in "grey time" lol

NONE of that today, some clucks and some attempts at whistling but none of that noise yay...he also hasn't asked for a feed today but did a great job at eating Higgen inca Bean mix and softened pellets.

He does seem to love something one day and not want it the next. I am not trying to go to fast on purpose. Echo eats everything you give him, I could probably offer him (not that I would of course) rat poison and he would likely eat it, as long as it comes from me it's all good in his world. He eats so very well and I am hoping Storm will follow suit. He did REALLY well today, he loves the inca bean mix, he ate some palm oil off a spoon and just about ALL the soaked pellets I gave him. I don't think I have ever had a picky bird, since I was a child every bird (which isn't that many) I owned would eat everything. Mind you back then it wasn't common for a bird to eat human food or even pellets, simply seed. It catches me off guard that he is finicky because just like I am new to him, his pickiness is 100% new to me.....I think my biggest fear is the weaning part of it, I have heard, read and seen parrots that were weaned to soon some of them have done great but some of those didn't do so great and I have wondered how many of their behavioral issues are from being forced to wean. I don't want to force it but I do want to encourage it kwim??

Storm has been with us only 8 days now and it feels like he has been here forever. He fits right in and is so social and playful. Totally opposite compared to breeder bird mango, the difference is night and day. Right now he loves everyone and steps up for all those that ask and if you don't ask and are close enough he will grab your finger and pull your hand closer so he can step up lol. He is a bit stubborn so I hope someone can guide me along on this. Sunday he ate everything offered to him, but since then he has been a pill....He will only eat softer foods and even his pellets have to be soaked in water in order for him to eat. He will be 5 months old in a few days and is still getting 2 formula feeds a day which is fine but I would love it if he would go back to the trying everything bird he was on Sunday. What I am doing now is using Echo to show him that it's really ok to eat and that he won;t fall over dead if he tries it. Usually it works pretty well and when Echo starts to get to greedy and not letting Storm try things, I move him back to his own cage so they both can eat from their own dishes. I feel terrible using Echo like this but really can't see any other way. I have tried every pellet I can get here in Canada and in just 8 days have spent a ton of money on various pellets....He does like nutriberries but I don't want him on all seed. This morning I gave them higgens inca bean and he likes it, he started in on it right away, which was a nice surprise. He also loves his sweet potato mash for breakfast. As long as it's soft he will eat it. If I just put the made formula in a dish on his cage will this be ok for him? I don't mind feeding him really I don't but really want to get him eating on his own more, so I thought if I put formula on his cage top maybe he will be encouraged? They don't taste well to they? so putting some pellets in a blender and turning them into a powder and handfeeding that probably won't work will it and seeing as it will look different then pellets we would be in the same position?? am I correct in my thinking? He ate higgen pretty well this morning and his mash so I wasn't going to offer a handfeed unless he asks for it, is that right and ok? I won't refuse it but wondering if the "don't offer but don't refuse" line of thought is ok for him. (thats how I weaned by daughter from nursing lol) I also wonder if he just has me whipped and since I am doing it to suit him he sees no reason to change it? What would happen if I stopped making his pellets soft, would he just suck it up and crunch them or would he ignore them and only eat the soft foods that I give both boys everyday? He was an only chick, so I wonder if this is one of the reasons as to why he is so much slower in figuring out the food thing, which is why I am using Echo to teach him. His is a true love bunny though, he loves to snuggle, loves to be with people kids, or adults he doesn't care at this point. He is whistling sort of and does that noise I showed you guys the other day if he feels neglected (which he isn't but clearly he thinks he must be) he tells me he wants to be fed by grabbing my finger and pumping it ever so gently but enough to get his point across. Bedtime is still a battle, he takes forever to settle down and fights even getting in his cage at night, but he IS getting better, once he settles I don't hear another word from him until he sees me up in the morning. We are so in love with him, its so hard to believe that it's only been 8 days when it feels like he has been here a lifetime.

he has continued it off and on for short spurts during the day, it really does seem to be attention related and when he is quiet I will go over and engage him. I don't think he was doing b/c he was hungry as he did it today after our handfeed was done and he had eaten plenty and stuffed his face full of his sweet potato mash this morning, he ate the entire dish I gave him which was about 3tbsps full. So I am certain it isn't about hunger but more begging for my attention and he is only 5 months (almost) old so I get that he is a baby and still adjusting to his new life , and I have been ignoring the noise and talking to him instead. Which he seemed to like, not quite as much as physical love but enough. I think I am more surprised at just how affectionate he is, he just wants love love love thrown in with lots of cuddles and snuggles. Echo loves attention as well but he also likes to be alone. I hope is cuddliness lasts for his lifetime.

150G or is that a typo?? That seems so little and makes my guy look like a giant