MiracleAces

Dumb question: If the raw peanuts in the seed mixes are potentially bad for our birds why do the manufactures include them in the mix? It seems pretty irresponsible to me.

Im so happy for Luna! Today she actually used her broken/ healing leg. It still has the new smaller splint on it. Generally she either grabs something with her beak for balance and then puts her good leg on my arm to step up or she leans her head all the way over my arm and uses her head/neck to pull her body onto my arm. Today without balance issues she raises her healing leg onto my arm first and then stepped up with the good leg. Amazing progress for her. What a great thing to see before going off to work.

I absoultely agree and getting another parrot wasn't my intention. Just getting one African Grey was a decision that took over a year to make. We wouldn't just jump into another parrot Besides we have other pets and the financial burden alone would be enough to deter us. I only asked out of curiosity. I saw so many Greys with other parrots that it peaked my curiousity

I did do a quick search, but really couldn't find what I was looking for... I was browsing through many of the great pics and videos and noticed many people who had two birds (one being a Grey) often had a different type of parrot as a companion. Obviously each bird will have their own personality, but is it easier to introduce two parrots if they are of different species? I've heard and read both of the success and unfortunate failures of people trying to get a companion for their Grey. Just curious if what I mentioned above has any merit.

These type of stories are wonderful. It sounds like Henry is enjoying his new life as are you.

I love these kind of success stories. It's scary to take those leaps like you did pressing against the cage like that. But the rewards can be so amazing. I remember the first time I gave Luna a peck on the beak. It took lots of courage and a willingness to get bitten should that have happened. Now only a couple weeks later she rubs her beak and head under my chin and I massage her beak for her all day long. I hope you many more experiences/ stories like this with you and Rosie. I'm glad Rosie has someone as patient as you to work with her.

Did Gabi have any nerve damage issues?

Thank you for letting me know. That lessens a lot of my own stress.

Luna had her follow up today. They removed the splint and said her leg is healing quickly. She definitely has some nerve damage in her toes They applied a smaller splint that is suppossed to be slightly (not much at all really) less comfortable than the first one. I dont like how her leg is turned inward. Just seems wrong. She is at work with me now. She is going crazy tearing up some cardboard that one of my employees gave her. Occasionally she stops and closes her eyes. She's definitely worn out from the vet visit.

Here is a pic of Luna sleeping on my lap. It's tough for me to get a pic of her sleeping against my chest. She wakes up when I start moving around and besides my ugly mug would mostly likely be in that picture

I spend about 45 minutes to an hour with Luna each morning before going to work. She seems to understand when I put her in her cage it's because I am leaving. I get home and spend minimum one to three hours with her depending on her mood. Lately it's longer because she sleeps on my chest with her broken leg healing. My wife is great. While she wont handle Luna right now because she is afraid of hurting her borken leg she still sits next to her cage and watches TV or does her cross stitching. She will have the dogs out at that time as well. Luna seems to like watching the dog and trying understand just what they are doing. Luna gets spoiled on Sundays (my day off).

Hi everyone. I haven't really done much on here since introducing myself and Luna earlier last month. Back on the 13th my poor girl broke her leg. The vet thinks her ID ring got caught on something. Oddly enough Luna was born in the U.S., but she had the 'open' ID ring (not the solid one) which would indicate she was transported into the U.S. which I was told is illegal now. Anyway... they had to cut the ring off so they could splint Luna's leg. The splint is big and long making Luna's movement very difficult. They believe she may have some nerve damage in her toes. I am taking her in for her follow up appointment in the morning. The reason I am posting about this is that as unfortunate as this has been and my heart breaks for Luna everytime I see her unable to move or to lift a peanut (I now open them for her and hand her the pieces that fall), this situation has brought us very close. Luna is now about 19 weeks old. We have had her for about a month and she was always very friendly. Now however, her dependence on me has brought us somewhere we may never have gone. She still likes her alone time to do what she can. However each night I take her into her blanket and set her on my chest. She leans sideways to take the pressure off of her one good leg and her broken leg is sort of swung backwards with no pressure on it as well. I then pet her until she falls asleep. It started with her sleeping on my lap. Now she has pulled herself up under my chin where she rubs her head and beak under my chin and slowly falls asleep with her head on my chest. I never would have imagined being this close so quickly. Luna is definitely a strong willed Grey and I'm proud of how well she is coping. Hopefully the splint will be off three more weeks from now. I did have one of those cones on her, but she knows how to unsnap it! So no use keeping it on her. She has mostly stopped picking at the splint.

What a great morning! I had Luna playing with one of her toys on the floor this morning and I was recording it with my cell phone. And once she was done throwing the rings about she chose to walk towards me so I put my hand down and she stepped up! All on video . And it didnt end there. She has a 'natural tree' table top playstand which she only stays on the highest perch. This morning she finally decided to investigate the other branches. Defintely made my day before leaving for work.

Thanks for all the kind words everyone. Luna is amazing. I am still learning from her as she is from me. She loves to be pet so much that many times I can't get her to the playtop or playstand. She just wants to hang with me. I am not complaining. Any one on one time is great. I am going to try and attach some pics of Luna on her table top play stand.

Hello everyone. My name is David and our new African Grey came home Friday night. Her name is Luna and I feel fortunate that she has been socializing quite well for the most part. My wife who originally wasnt as keen on a new bird has even fallen in love with Luna and helped me spend a good amount at the store on a new play stand as well as more toys. We have three friendly dogs who have had short supervised trips into the living room and Luna now continues to play with her toys, eat and talk while they are around. I take this as a good sign of her comfort level. Our dogs also live with two cats so they are tame around other animals (I know - the dogs will never be alone in the room with Luna and the cats will always stay in another part of the house). I do have a question that I believe is somewhat different than the other 'Step-up' threads I have seen here. Luna is a baby - just under 6 months old. She is very communicative. I know when she wants to come out of here cage, go to the play stand or even to my lap believe it or not. I feel lucky to be at this point so quickly with her and give the aviary where I got her all the credit. So here is my situation. The first night and even Saturday morning Luna was stepping up to my hand. Then we had a situation where she tried to fly to me across them room and got trapped between the banister and our couch. She was in no danger but was trying to get out of there. Rather than risk getting bit I used a small hand held perch which she immediately grabbed onto. This perch has become the new bonding point between Luna and myself. I honestly believe she now sees this perch as a 'safety net'. She ALWAYS steps up to the perch. However she now does not step up to my hand. She wont try to bite or even move away. She will generally put one foot on my hand and go no further. While she is on the perch she will let me pet her and it's obvious she is quite comfortable with it. She starts moving towards me when she sees the perch. My question is - Do you believe she will always be partial to the perch or will I be able to train her to step up successfully again? I am very patient and don't mind the wait. I just dont want to discourage her from my hand by always using the hand held perch. Thanks for any help and I really do look forward to meeting everyone and educating myself through these forums.