Methuselah

Glad to hear she's doing well with the dog now. Thusie has flown off the perch and landed on my (old, large, disinterested) dog 3 or 4 times. Makes me scred, but I find it funny that neither the bird, nor the dog could care less. My dog and Thusie share the same patch of sunshine at the window perch, wonder if that relaxation time added to their comfort levels

Thusie does the same thing. the clip was done pretty ragged. I'm considering "cleaning it up".

Hello, would like to introduce my new baby, Methuselah (Thusie). We brought him home about 3 weeks ago, and he is about 4 months old now. He is very sweet and had no trouble settling in, and is very spoilt The breeder clipped his wings without consulting me, and that, combined with what appears to be generalized weakness in his feet causes him to have pretty poor balance. When he steps up, one foot (or both) will struggle and not grip, almost seems like he wants to stand on the side of it. When he does perch on my hand, I hold his feet steady with my thumb. He is missing most of one back toe also. Any ideas what caused it? He was not parent raised. I have his cage perches low, but he climbs his boing most nights. Waiting on his new tree to arrive, I think he'll love it. He has a window perch and a "T" stand where he spends most of his day playing with toys and eating his chop. He is on Zupreem fruit blend, but enjoys fruits and veggies. So far, he turns up his beak at walnuts and other offered treats. He loves showers, and enjoys one every day on his shower perch. He is out of cage at least 6 hours a day. I hope to share pictures soon, for now, I can't upload any. He does not want to walk on the table or the floor. Any suggestions on how to encourage play on these surfaces? I have some toys that can't be hung. Looking forward to getting to know you all and your birds!

depends on the kids, i think! we have 5 kids, age 1 to 19, and they are very gentle and bird saavy. my 9 year old has had a very happy well trained (by her) quaker parrot for the past 2 years, and our conure is regularly handled by all. remains to be seen how our new grey will fit in, but we are determined to make it work

I'm bringing home our new baby in a week or so. Been reading and learning about greys for over 2 years...just wondering what your experiences are with plucking. I haven't yet read about anyone having a 20+ year old grey that doesn't pluck! What do you think the statistics are on this? I'm trying to plan ahead for avoiding situations which may trigger plucking, but is it just a matter of years before it begins? It seems so heartbreaking for owners to witness the destruction of plumage, and I'm sure it would sadden me, as well. If it's something very likely to happen someday, I just want to steel myself.

I bought one of these for each of our birds. We will be bringing home our Grey baby soon, and I wanted to get this perch in the cage before bringing him home so he wouldn't be afraid of it. Our other 2 birds seem to like theirs, after a period of a few days to get used to their presence in the cage. It does feel pretty warm to me, but if it isn't the highest perch in the cage, it's not like they'll go on it if it's unpleasant. I have heard good things about these alleviating stress, increasing health, etc.

thanks for your response. i have a large, nice cage, but with a dark colored sheet over it, it's still pretty light in there...that's why i was thinking of a crate in another (darker) room. i'd rather not use 2 separate cages though!

Does anyone use a (new) dog crate as a cage for a CAG? I keep hearing how height isn't as important as width and length. would a 36x24x27 cage with 1 1/2 inch bar spacing be humane and safe? the bird will not be spending much time in it (mostly at night). If not, I am trying to plan location for my new guy. our most central location does not offer enough darkness/silence for adequate sleep time. Will a cage cover really suffice, or is it best to have a small sleep cage in another location? what brand of cover works well for the larger cages? Thanks for sharing your experiences with me!

I plan to use a sleep cage with our new guy as well. From what I've read, you don't need toys or dishes in there, though I will always have water available.