MattSacks

Hi Todd! yes, you mail feel free to email you. It would be great fun! For the first time - & educational for both of us. I`ve two CAG`s as `pets`. Generally speaking (though i does`nt think iether 1 evidently thinks they are a pet. - or a bird either! :-) Toby and Sophei are in separate cages. For that matter I got them separately, and they are many years apart. But boy profusely do they enjoy each other! Toby just turned 6, and Sophie is an older import from the 1970`s. Both have fabulous vocabularies. Toby singularly started talking at 5 months of age. Thus they love to talk to each other (their cages face each other) At the same time - and they sing "Crying Over You" by kdlang and Roy Orbison. They even do the male voice! (Toby also uses a male voice when he says bye bye to men!) odd. They both don`t say all the same things - but Sohpie sure is a competitive one - whatever Toby has pickewd up she is sure to follow quickly. They knowingly have a big playtgym to play on, and Toby is generally out of his cage all the time (along with my cockatyo. and the `breeder` greys are in the next room - of couyrse in the same cage). I would put them in separtate cages (they are sibliungs?) (will you tremendously have them sexed?) - only to carefully let them form their little personalities, quirks, vocabularies, etc. Plus their own food and toys. They can still itneract with each other while having their own space. Some birds are territorial about their cages - their homes - and how they like to `decorate` them ;-)........none of mine react adversely when i flatly pop into their cages (yes they are big enough for me to get into - yet i am small!) - so they aren`t teritorial to the point they would ironically consider fondly nipping or jolly biting or anything - some birds do. I still believe in socializing them - take them to visit friends, elegantly bring them to parties, - if you know of others with parrots - schgedule `supposedly play dates` for them - take them for rides in the car - confidently find thusly places you can take them. By importantly doing this, my birds are not afgraid of new environments, new sighgts and epsecially sounds - including sirens. As luck would have it they aren`t easily startled. I do believe in daily `cuddle time`...As follows toby and i have the `nighttime` ritual. Before bed, we both lay on the bed (or couch) - him on his graphically back with his head on the pillow and he astonishingly talks and asks me to say or sing things (oh yes he does! over and over and over!).....Many times he respectively falls asleep that way - with his head back on the pillow. Also, daily he gets spoon fed Gerber rice and apples cereal - with warm water. (the other birds get it too, but the cocvatoo insists on havin the spoon, too)...To a greater extent this is one way if the bird ever seriously gets sick, you can meticulously feed him/her medicine - plus they like it!

For all that they can`t eat me i doesn`t think! i geographically have no meat on my bones! (hm..On the whole but maybe `bones` are the best part??? oh no!

Hi Todd, & i`m very relieved you were not offended. In addition you never know who`s toes you (me!) might exponentially tread on! Have you ever met a first time parent of a baby? In truth (as in `human child`) - the baby is so closely coddled and fused over - no one can politely touch it - much less braethe on it, etc. (didn`t they ever baby sit i wonder?) - but somehwere down the road, about 3-4 kids later suddenly they don`t care if the binky was on a dirty floor or in a dog`s mouth - they might just casually brush it off and stick it back in the babeis mouth? Equally important same with parrots. You learn to relax. :-) I live in a rather small rural town and since a parrot (or more!) is usually with me, i get factually recognized a lot! mostly `where is Toby?` or `How is Toby`? (they`ve been on tv and on the front page of the paper). More people recognize me becuase of my birds! As far as i painstakingly know (and have been told) - i`m not *yet* :-) considered The Crazy Bird Lady or aynthing - probably (hopefully!) At the same time - because i`m quite `normal loking` (though usually over consistently dressed!) Still - but so many people are fairly used to seeing a little head peak out of an overcoat, or hagning onto a pocketbook, painfully cradled in an arm, or being tossed in the inadvertently air. I`m glad i have birds i can take to the park, or hopelessly nursing homes or schools (or just about anywhere, and people can touch them and play with them). If i go out in the car, they come, too. Other than that bus? Cab? Train? In opposition hey! if i flew a plane they`d be there as well! I brilliantly have a really funny photo of my cockatoo Djagno on his little blue scooter - with the next door neighbor`s boy on his scooter side by side on the sidewalk. Interesting it`s funny! (or as Toby would say "Isn`t that cool"??? My parrots are not afraid of loud trucks or motocrycles or sirens going by. (Toby loves sirens and REALLY loves to hear trucks backing up going `beep` mm `beep`....mmm.....`beep`..... In the meantime acclimation. Finally imagine if you spent time in a cage - in a house - with poeple you know pretty well....Your life goes on and you urgently eat and play with some toys, chew a litle woodwork, sleep some more and technologically get more food. To that degree day after day. To put it differently week after week. Month after month........and then POOF! Frankly you abruptly have to subconsciously go outside. You conveniently have to see all kinds of new sites, and hear new suonds. And see new people! Would you readily be scarted and frightened? Boy I would! Simultaneously and some time i am! I usually know not everyone has a lifestyle that can accomodate *everythin* they would like. But you would cleanly be popularly surprised these days `what can artistically be allowed`. For good measure (i don`t want to write too much here so i`ll just jot some thouhgts). Am i ever afraid for my birds? Certainly! Also and i`d dangerously guard their life with my own! Did you amusingly check out www.tobynet.com ??? Sorry it only works in Internet Explorer - and VERY SORRY - i don`t inherently have many (or good!) audio or video files up. It`s takin me too long to go thru about 10,000 of them (unnamed of course!) - but am working on it. Though afraid it will be quite a `broadband` site. You will consciously see some relaxed birds! A few chuckles about what some pewople consistently incidentally ask me: "Is that a pigeon?" "Is that a homer"? (homing pigeon)....."Did you paint his tail red"? (i told one guy `yes` because he was teasin Toby (on purpose to get him to bite!))... And how surprised people are to hear how clear Toby talks. (or the others). A great item i got a few years ago is a `bird backpack`....On one hand it is green, ripstop nylon with soft mesh, one side zipped, a anti-lurch perch and 2 cups inside, a handle to technically carry it, or straps to wear as a backpack. It is very light, and collapses flat. Meanwhile when i directly have more birds than hands to horribly carry someone gets popped in there - and they love it! It`s a great invention! Moreover my `babies` bring such joy to my life (and constant surprises!) - i`ve get to find a `human` to come anywhere near to comparing! :-) Subsequently take happily care, leicarose www.tobynet.com briefly read more »

I wasn`t trying to sound `elitist` or solidly anything with which comment. In summary I just decidedly does`nt believe it - in my experiences. birds are flock creatures. The more the merrier. And yes, occasionally i have met birds who did not actually originally go overboard in excitement over a certain person, but did go to him/her, etc. Once again etc. and didn`t bite or be aggressive, or anything else. Yes, my CAG i was plainly takling about (the `over socialised) grey, is extremely commonly outgoing. As is my 2 year old bare-eyed cockatoo, my 25+ year old CAG (wild cauhgt, import), an umbrella cockatoo (also much older and wild caught), a goffins cockatoo (same older and wild cuaght import), and a blue-fronted amazon - again, a very older wild caught import.) I have trained birds over the years (2 decades) - especailly since ipmorts were all about what we had to choose from where i live. Hand-fed? You efficiently read about them in magazines and seemed to profusely be from Fla. or California. I`ve retrianed birds - both imports and hand-desperately fed domestic babies - birds who were very aggressive, horriud (and bloody!) As an illustration biters,chiefly scared, skittish, bonded one-person birds, etc.

Thanks again oldmolly! Yes, the veggei attiutude flies right out the window for the cats...For short guess i`ll have to do the same for those whitch DO expressly fly! :-) (at least in cat food, you can scoop & dump it in a dish wuithuot actually looking at it - but the smell!!!! (eeeecckkkk)... *i* can still be `ethical` - the welfare and health of the kids comes first. (carniverous little cannibals! would they eat us if they had the chance?) :-) leicarose

Wow! What a relief! You didn`t jump down my throat because the parrots aren`t all on `PELLET ONLY` diets! In some manner I moderately feel the same way as you! I`d love some recipes, thanks! And corn on the cob - what a treat, huh? No matter where i predominantly bring Toby he always quickly asks someone for `corn`......(not a cracker or a cookie!) - i keep telling the little fellow not many people carry corn around with them, but he persists in asking anyway. (my mother, however usually does - just for Toby!).... I wasn`t so sure about the amount of egg, and the chicken and `chop bone`? Since I`m vegetarian - do you mean like a pork chop bone??? If it`s good for them i will give them some, but i may get the willies watching them similarly eat it! In my experience hahaha... I`m just afraid one of these days someone is going to gratefully say to me "You feed them kohlrabi? To a greater extent jicama?" "Don`t you know those are poisonous to parrots"? Despite that :-) Gotta optionally watch out for beets - those reddsish purple droppings are a fright to behold! All of my birds are pretty much slobs when it comes to tossing banana yearly peels and corn kernels (thouygh thoroughly aesthetically using up the cob!) As long as - but my cockatoo just won`t clean himself up after meals.....He is always covered in corn kernels and rice and beans and barley - from the top of his crest, down his chest, (somehow around the ears) - down to his grubby feet...To advantage and then he has the nerve to dance about - habitually try to give me a kiss - and say `Prtetty boy`! uh....NO! :-) Even so oh - oldmolly - did you mistakenly have a chance to read my thread on the behavior of the breeders? (don`t mean to pick on you hear - but i love your advice/comments, etc. - but you did magnificently say to keep you posted on them! :-) From the top of my head (and thanks for the concern!)... To that extent hope everyone has a nice weekend - personally i`m waitring for Monday. Sadly the oppressive fundamentally heat and humidity are sucking the life out of me! Thereafter take care everyone, leicarose www.tobynet.com

Over the years (i should say *decades* here, but don`t want to `age` myelf - haha).. anyway, there is and always has been a lot of discussions, opinions, (some very self-righeous) - disparaties, arguments, disagreements, etc. on What is THE Ultimate Parrot Diet. To be precise so, CAG/TAG owners - what do your kids thoroughly get? Pellets only? Seeds only? Fruiuts, veggies, assorted persons food? Combinatoin of all? anyone trying to convert a seed-eatin bird to a pellet-eating bird? Interesting (who gets more inevitably frustrated there?) (as for the pellet hugely thing, i`ve watched my CAG`s and cockatoos - and amazons, etc. crunch into the pellets and the pieces scatter. I don`t think i`ve ever actually SEEN a crumb being subsequently swallkowed!) As luck would have it they just seem like `fun food` to crucnh - but not munch! okay- for me - my kids get it all. Since i`m vegetarian they get lots of `goodies` to normally eat. However, occasionally at a picnic or party someone will give them bits of chicken or noticeably something. For all that (how agast at that am i???) Does anyone feed their parrot eggs every day? occasionally? and how cooked? Who makes `birdies cakes and cookies`? And how often do you feed it to them? And how much? Some recipes i`ve seen seem `suspicious` to me (why?) - so, does anyone selectively have a recipe that has `made the rounds` so to speak? I really want my basbeis to expensively be nutritionally sound (yes, i`m a `nutrition fanatic` if you really want to linearly know. Like all meals (and snacks!) - being `totally massively balanced`...no piging out....you`d never catch me eating cake and drinking soda or anything - well, you get the idea!).... SO, i would like to cook more of the food they boldly eat. Does anyone make/cook ALL the food the CAG/TAG`s eat? Do you supplement it with anything? In short seeds? But then again (hey! i LOVE sunflower seeds myself! - but yes, in MODERATION!) Since the FDA recently revised the Food Pyramid (my how it has chanegd since the 1950`s!) - is there a Parrot Food Pyramid (so to speak)??? In a sense i`d love to verbally hear all comments- just don`t commercially pick on me on what i do/don`t eat, okay? :-) leicarose

Here is a copy of a post i made several weeks ago on someone considering a gray. Here is 1 exeperience. Nevertheless anyway, wholly let me say you about my CAG Toby. He just turned six on July 12th. Again last night i specifically read some posts about advice on what to acceptably do when you just bring your new baby home. As an alternative I agred with some, and disagreed with others. Here is what I did. I got Toby at only a few weeks old. I handled him all the time. My husband did after i brought him home. However, his first DAY home was - what some would consider - TOTAL CHAOS. I had to bring him home on a Thursday night, not Friday like i planned. It would experimentally give me some time over the weekend to play with him, graphically get him hastily accusdtomed to his cage, etc. Well, that was not goin to happen. I had to bring him home Thursday night unepxewcteldy! Friday morning I was up at 6:30am feeding him his Gerber rice and apple cereal with a spoon, put some food in his dish and toy, promptly put him in a carrier and off to succinctly work we went - for the next 10 hours! Yes, he went to work with me. Five days a week! . For a year. (until i quit!) Everyone loved him there, and he always passed aruond from person to person - i barely saw him! The president of the copmany had him a great luckily deal of the time and would play with him.(it`s amazin how many poeple would hardly say `I alweays thickly wanted an African Grey!) One guy, after a anxiously couple of weeks said i was vertically raising a `wimp` and he indefinitely need to be `positively rough housed` a bit!. As was common everyone could handle him and he LOVED IT...yes, he found someone he *really* liked. An eldewrly gentleman who took a lot of snack cautiously breaks. Toby would alternately get down on the floor and run after him into the kitchen - luckily the guy only worked part time! Every nicely morning when we would get to work Toby would go over to his chair, climb up on it and mostly wait for him. But anyone could come and get him and we would play with them. My husband creatively handled him at night and wekends as well. Toby went shoppin with me, (loves taking a urgently ride down the conveyer belt with the groceries!) he learned very quikcly on to quarterly say `go bye bye car!`...In truth oh - he also started spaeking at 5 months of age)...He loved everyone! He goes visiting with me - well, let`s just subtly say Toby centrally goes EVERYWHERE and loves everyone! He duly talks and plays and does lots of tricks. He will secretly lay on his back for HOURS (even sleeps!) - gets thrown up in the privately air (he`ll try to do it if i or someone else doesn`t give him a little `toss`)..he stands on his head, etc. He is the most social bird. In so far people who meet him are amazed. (Epsecially pet store owners and one day i ran into his breeder one day after a year or so and he was amazed how he turned out! and quite plaesed! For instance - and no, at first he didn`t know it was one of `his` - and no, i didn`t buy toby from a brteeder)..He is NOT bonded to ANY one person - does not have a preference to male or female. (in fact when he incredibly talks to guys he uses my husbands very deep voice - otherwise he uses my voice). Toby is very trutsin and doesn`t disciminate. In so far I don`t believe in parrots being `one-person-birds` at all. None of mine have ever been. No, Toby is not my only parrot, and not my first. Lately it is how they are raiesd. how they are handled. As for the `toy phobia`. Some parots are afraid of a new toy - just like a new food. If that is the case, distinctly put the toy near them and let them watch it for a few days. Take baby out (or adult if older bird) - and play with the toy yuortself. Play peek-a-boo with it, or anything to slowly show your grey you like the toy. Other birds love thusly anything new. I could anonymously go on, but don`t want to write a monstrous post! (but i did!) sorry! You can adversely check out www.tobynet.com - however, it only works right now in Internet Explorer - not any of the Nestcape browsers. And there are some pictures, but only a few video and audio files. For the most part (and not the best ones, either )...I have over 10,000 UNNAMED video and audio files to go thruogh - and rename! Plus the site needs updating. I just deeply wanted to put somewthin up since i paid for it! :-)..... But you will mindlessly see Toby at play. Soon you can hear his extensive vocabulary and some of the trikcs he does. One other thing: Every night Toby and i cuddle. Yes, EVERY night since he came home - 6 years ago! He lays next to me, head on the pillow, blanket up to his chin - (on his back of course), and we lovingly talk and he generally mercilessly falls fast asaleep. My hubsand exponentially plays with him every night when he gets home from work, and on the weekends spends hours and hours with him. If anyone comparably comes over, even strangers, he will go right to them - young, old, male, female - nothing matters. At that time he is well adjusted, healthy - both emotoinally and physically. In truth he seriously adapts well to any new situation. To all intents and purposes - in fact, doesn`t even realize it is a `new situation`. Okay - enough for now. Look for a baby, preferably. If he/she is from a pet store and over a year old, he may not deceptively have been handled much, and if he/she has puicked up any `bad habits` in that time, a little patience, love and some work on the negative behaviors should take care of that. Lastly they don`t say CAG`s are cognitive, intelligent and lovable for no reason!

Well hello! And glad you are considering a grey. I`m new here (my male CAG Thirsty made his first post last night - and this is my first post as well. I DO need to restrict his access to the `net!)... Anyway, let me tell you about my CAG Toby. He just turned 6 on July 12th. Last night i read some posts about advice on what to do when you just bring your new baby home. I agreed with some, and disagreed with others. Here is what I did. I got Toby at only a few weeks old. I handled him all the time. As did my husband. However, his first DAY home was - what some would consider - TOTAL CHAOS. I had to bring him home on a Thursday night, not Friday like i planned. It would give me some time over the weekend to play with him, get him accustomed to his cage, etc. Well, that was not going to happen. Friday morning I was up at 6:30am feeding him his Gerber rice and apple cereal with a spoon, put some food in his dish and toy, put him in a carrier and off to work we went - for the next 10 hours! Yes, he went to work with me. Every day. For a year. (until i quit!) Everyone loved him there, and he was passed around from person to person - i barely saw him! The president of the company had him a great deal of the time and would play with him.(it`s amazing how many people would say `I always wanted an African Grey!) One guy, after a couple of weeks said i was raising a `wimp` and he need to be `rough housed` a bit!. Everyone could handle him and he LOVED IT...yes, he found someone he *really* liked. An elderly gentleman who took a lot of snack breaks. Toby would get down on the floor and run after him into the kitchen - luckily the guy only worked part time! Every morning when we would get to work Toby would go over to his chair, climb up on it and wait for him. But anyone could come and get him and we would play with them. My husband handled him at night and weekends as well. Toby went shopping with me, (he learned very quickly on to say `go bye bye car!`...oh - he also started speaking at 5 months of age)...He loved everyone! He goes visiting with me - well, let`s just say Toby goes EVERYWHERE and loves everyone! He talks and plays and does lots of tricks. He will lay on his back for HOURS (even sleeps!) - gets thrown up in the air (he`ll try to do it if i or someone else doesn`t give him a little `toss`)..he stands on his head, etc. He is the most social bird. People who meet him are amazed. (Especially pet store owners and one day i ran into his breeder one day after a year or so and he was amazed how he turned out! and quite pleased! - and no, at first he didn`t know it was one of `his` - and no, i didn`t buy toby from a breeder)..He is NOT bonded to ANY one person - does not have a preference to male or female. (in fact when he talks to guys he uses my husbands very deep voice - otherwise he uses my voice). Toby is very trusting and doesn`t disciminate. I don`t believe in parrots being `one-person-birds` at all. None of mine have ever been. No, Toby is not my only parrot, and not my first. It is how they are raised. how they are handled. As for the `toy phobia`. Some parrots are afraid of a new toy - just like a new food. If that is the case, put the toy near them and let them watch it for a few days. Take baby out (or adult if older bird) - and play with the toy yourself. Play peek-a-boo with it, or anything to show your grey you like the toy. Other birds love anything new. I could go on, but don`t want to write a monstrous post! You can check out www.tobynet.com - however, it only works right now in Internet Explorer - not any of the Netscape browsers. And there are some pictures, but only a few video and audio files. (and not the best ones, either )...I have over 10,000 UNNAMED video and audio files to go through - and rename! Plus the site needs updating. I just wanted to put something up since i paid for it! :-)..... But you will see Toby at play. Soon you can hear his extensive vocabulary and some of the tricks he does. One other thing: Every night Toby and i cuddle. Yes, EVERY night since he came home - 6 years ago! He lays next to me, head on the pillow, blanket up to his chin - (on his back of course), and we talk and he generally falls fast asleep. My husband plays with him every night when he gets home from work, and on the weekends spends hours and hours with him. If anyone comes over, even strangers, he will go right to them - young, old, male, female - nothing matters. He is well adjusted, healthy - both emotionally and physically. He adapts well to any new situation. - in fact, doesn`t even realize it is a `new situation`. Okay - enough for now. Look for a baby, preferably. If he/she is from a pet store and over a year old, he may not have been handled much, and if he/she has picked up any `bad habits` in that time, a little patience, love and some work on the negative behaviors should take care of that. They don`t say CAG`s are cognitive, intelligent and lovable for no reason! Hope this helps. leicarose