MoonRock

Ellie has learned Oscar's "squeaky door" sound (often used as a contact call to me). So now whenever I enter or exit a room, especially my bedroom, I hear 3 squeaky doors- the real door (which, honestly, isn't that squeaky!), Oscar and then Ellie. It is hilariously obnoxious how the "doors" get more and more squeaky over time. Now Ellie tries to beat Oscar to the squeaky door sound, and also make it louder than he does. In response, Oscar makes the squeaky door sound even before I could open or shut a door all the way, and practically shouts the squeaky sound. I am going to die laughing, but will try to post a sound clip or video of all this before I do...

4/6/13 AM: Oscar and Ellie keep calling back and forth to each other! They have unique voices, but it can be tricky to tell which bird is making the initial noise. They seem to be trading off, one calling and the other answering. "Ollie ollie oxen free!" I think the two Greys are truly becoming a flock.

4/4/13 PM: Oscar has gotten into the habit of screaming at dusk. It took me until today to realize that this is probably his "everyone settling in?" contact call. He also seems annoyed with Ellie when she won't call back, as he continues to scream louder until she makes some kind of acknowledgement that he "spoke". Oscar is hilarious, and becoming more and more confident every day. I think Oscar appreciates the extra wood toys in his cage to chew, as he is molting like crazy and needs to get some of that itchy energy out. Tomorrow I will make a point to be especially playful with Oscar, as he loves when I gently tease him, and I feel he could use a little extra one on one attention. This may reduce his dusk-time screaming- least of all it will remind Oscar that he is , as always, my "bro".

Yep, both Oscar and Ellie are new to me, but I am not new to Greys. I ordered your fun swing (the square one), the almond stick, the cage-topper stand and the table top stand! I can't wait to get them!

I want to get this! I love your website and products.

4/2/13 PM: Oscar had a good day today. He had some particularly yummy foods (bits of pork chop, Cheerios, veggies and banana) and enjoyed our silly interactions between the cage bars. I very much want to allow Oscar more out of cage time, but I have to take it very slowly to avoid him getting hurt (if you recall, he has been known to panic while out and fly into things). The veterinarian gave me some good advice about enriching Oscar's life while he spends more time in the cage than out of it (again, just for the time being). Oscar received some kick-butt toys recently, and as much as I hate to see my $50 "destroyed" (haha), I fully encourage Oscar to beat up on wood, bells, Krazy Kookies (I think that's what they are called) and cardboard (his favorite- and thankfully the cheapest)! I have learned a few tricks to help socialize Oscar. Oscar tends to bite out of "displaced aggression" and "habit" (two of the biggest reasons for biting I read about lately). With regards to the displaced aggression, I ensure Oscar has plenty of toys and wood and fun stuff to shred and beat up. I praise him heartily for taking his aggression out on that stupid, stupid wood. He loves the praise, and if he reaches out to bite me (also due to habit) I redirect him with a toy, even coaxing his aggression into playfulness. For example, if Oscar goes to bite me as I place his food bowls in their feeding stations, I 1. offer a piece of wood or other chewy item (foot toys do not work in these moments, however) and 2. do not put down the bowl until Oscar stops attempting to bite. Oscar is learning that biting me equals no food in the immediate future. He's gotten particularly obnoxious with the reaching out of his feeding station doors and gearing up to bite, sticking his neck way out to try and grasp a finger, so I need to be extra stalwart with this no bite behavior modification. Oscar is getting easier to redirect when he screams, though some days are much better than others. I offer praise when the screaming stops, even if very briefly, and this is usually rewarded with a longer silence the next time as Oscar waits for me to chat with him or offer a toy or treat (not during the screaming, of course). I have to be sure not to compare Oscar to Ellie- "Notice how Ellie's being quiet, Oscar?!" I don't think that's fair, as Oscar has his own reasons for making a loud fuss just as Ellie has her own reasons for shutting down in silence. Oscar is such a funny guy, I asked him tonight "Are you really sure you want to bite me, Oscar?" and he said "Yeah!" and then I said "Well I don't like it" and he said "Oh!" Coincidence, maybe, but his timing with regards to this conversation (we've had it a few times) is impeccable. One more thing- I don't know how controversial cage covering is on this forum, as I haven't done a search for the topic. However, I would like to share my own experience with cage covering. First of all, I have read in more than one African Grey parrot book that it is better not to cover cages as birds really appreciate and need good air flow. Also, covering and uncovering a cage can lead to neurotic birds (or so says this one book I have). However, I found it good practice to cover Oscar's cage at night for several weeks when I first got him as a very obvious "bed time" indicator. Once Oscar got used to my routine, however, and the approximate time I/ we go to bed, I have found that he seems more comfortable with an uncovered cage. As for Ellie, her former owner says that Ellie considers a covered cage punishment and dislikes it very much. So once Ellie came on board, I decided to try out uncovered cages at bed time and it's honestly working out great. And I feel better, knowing that my birds are getting good air and receiving a more gentle awakening than the immediate removal of a cage cover and then *boom* sunlight! As always, input is appreciated. I know this is preaching to the choir, but I have to say this: I LOVE AFRICAN GREY PARROTS.

Hello folks! As some of you may know, I only recently adopted Oscar and even more recently adopted Ellie. So I went from learning the ropes with one particular Grey to figuring out how to live and love yet another. This a very exciting time for me, but I admit to being a little overwhelmed now and then. I am quite pleased I spend a lot of time at home due to my teaching job's flexibility, but I am sure most of you could agree- it is the quality of the time that you spend with your bird(s), not necessarily the quantity. That being said, I would like to start a thread where we can share our ideas on how to accommodate multiple Greys. Oscar and Ellie have distinctive tastes, likes and dislikes. Oscar doesn't mind the color green, while Ellie does. Ellie turns her beak up at pistachios, and her former owner felt this had everything to do with her Senegal buddy liking them so much. Ellie really craves independence and expressing her individuality. Oscar is more "go with the flow", though he can be quite a biter and a noise-maker. When upset, he will bite (which he also does out of habit) and scream. Ellie becomes sullen and quiet when she is upset. Both Oscar and Ellie do not want hands in their cages! As for how I can attend to the needs of two very individual Greys: *I respect Ellie's aversion to the color green, to a reasonable extent. Before she came home, I changed out my green fitted sheet and pillowcases with blue ones (her favorite color). Every bird is entitled to his/ her preferences, and they should be accommodated within reason. *I don't deprive Oscar of green foods, just because Ellie doesn't like them (except for one big exception- green grapes, which she loves)! Oscar had some green veggies tonight, grilled and kind of bland but amazingly tasty to him. Success! Please see the above italicized statement, as this is a continuation of that thought. *I make a huge point to meet each bird where they are at. Oscar had a horrific life, of that I am nearly certain. So he has the behaviors that go along with broken trust, lack of stimulation, and improper handling. Ellie is the "easier" bird, but her life has been rather charmed. I am committed to each bird equally and don't expect Oscar to begin talking, snuggling, and stop biting immediately. In fact, he may always have some behaviors I don't like, but I will never stop indicating to him what my boundaries are and giving him the time and space to heal. As for Ellie, she is well-adjusted but that doesn't make her needs any less important that Oscar's. Ellie deserves quality time with me just as much as Oscar does, and I am making it a point to go and buy some DVD's I know she likes (she can sing along to The Little Mermaid- interestingly this is my all-time favorite Disney movie)! Meet each bird where he/ she is at, not where you would like him/ her to be. Be careful not to compare one bird negatively or favorably to the other. *I am leaving room for changes in my birds. As they get to know me, and eventually, each other, I need to be aware that good and bad behaviors may crop up. Who knows, maybe Oscar and Ellie will completely stop feather-damaging when they meet, having a friend who "understands". Or, they may both begin making more obvious feather piles. I really don't know. If I have to play mediator, for any reason, I will. They each deserve to be happy, whether that is with their cages side by side or far apart. Allow the birds to choose their relationship to each other, and allow room for that to change over time. As always, feel free to add your own input, agreement, or even disagreement. We're all here to share information to make the lives of our Greys GREYT!

Oscar has a new "friend" in the house! Ellie Noel is a beautiful female CAG. Please look for my Ellie posts in the Introductions section and the Cognition (GREY Lounge) threads if you would like to know more about Ellie. This journal is focused on Oscar and his progress. Oscar seems to enjoy having another Grey around. Ellie called out her name to Oscar across the house, and Oscar called back with "Eh-", which amazed me because it indicated a couple things: Oscar's ability to learn human speech may be more advanced than I first gave him credit for. Hearing Ellie call out "Ellie" only a few times before attempting to repeat it is impressive. Also, Oscar obviously recognized "another Grey". "Of course," you might say, "Oscar could recognize another Grey's voice! He's a Grey!" But the thing is, Ellie has great human speech, but wasn't making a lot of Grey sounds in her first few moments at home, when she instinctively knew Oscar was in the house somewhere. And Oscar immediately knew a Grey had entered the home, as evidenced by his blushing. Oscar has been very vocal, mostly in positive ways ("hello" and various whistles), but he has also been screaming. I wonder if he is frustrated that he cannot see Ellie just yet, or if something else is going on that I don't understand. I feel strongly that Oscar already knows a few basics about Ellie, like her sex and perhaps even her age (based on her sounds). His seemingly attention-seeking behavior makes a lot of sense in that context. He is competing with her for my attention, now (don't worry, I make sure Oscar still gets plenty of one-on-one time with me). Oscar has been fairly easy to redirect when he screams. While I still feel that ignoring "bad" behavior has its place, I see the value in simply analyzing what it is I think Oscar wants. Today, his screams seemed to indicate he wanted attention. If I whistled to Oscar, most of the time he would stop screaming long enough to whistle back. If I went one step further and did a silly dance or called Oscar a "good boy" in a goofy voice (after the screaming ceased, of course- I did not praise the screaming) Oscar would laugh his human laugh. Oscar loves to laugh! He would seem more relaxed after I attended to him, and at least for a few moments I could get Oscar to stop the screaming. Please note: the screams Oscar displayed were not distress calls or otherwise emergent. I made sure Oscar was fine before redirecting him (I was sitting with him during the worst of it, so that was simple). Oscar has been especially excited about cashews, and I am curious as to whether he would take a carrot once he meets Ellie (she willingly eats her veggies). Oscar is eating well, playing well (you should see the cardboard tray on the bottom of his cage, with all the chew marks) and otherwise acting happy. I must admit, I have sustained more bites than usual lately. I am wondering about the cause, because the increased biting preceded Ellie coming home. But it is entirely possible Oscar knew something was up before Ellie arrived, so the biting may still be related to her presence afterall. That being said, Oscar seems to quite enjoy his far-away Grey friend. I think Oscar gets very flattered when Ellie repeats his calls back to him. He will fixate on whatever calls she copied, and attempt to get her to use them again. Haha! Ah, Oscar. My beloved, complicated Grey.

It was a huge decision for me to adopt another Grey. I am not exaggerating when I say that I put nearly as much time into this decision as I did when I decided to apply to adopt an autistic little boy (for various reasons, I declined to adopt the boy at this time). I almost feel as though I am welcoming a new little person into the house, and so soon after Oscar came home (check out my signature). But, I feel prepared for this little feather-butt. I spend a lot of time at home, as a part-time special education teacher. And while Ellie is her own unique parrot with likes and dislikes all her own (likes: peanuts, baked potatoes with all the fixin's, sliding down the pole of her wheel-y perch, basking in the sun; dislikes: the color green, being spritzed with water), she is still a Grey and therefore, I feel I *know what I am getting into*. Sure, she will surprise me. Based on her history, she will probably eventually bite me. But Ellie needed a home, I had room in my heart and house, and Oscar could use a like-species friend (yes, I know they may end up disliking each other- I am prepared for that). Pardon the rambling, I am really trying to harness my thoughts. Some things about Ellie: she loves to talk, but will not do so "on command". She speaks at length about a number of things, and takes treats very gently (what a difference from Oscar!). Ellie knows there is another Grey in the house, and Oscar does too. Ellie tells him her name, and uses some of his own whistles when calling out to him. Oscar seems flattered when she does this (as evidenced by blushing, and endlessly repeating the series of sounds she copied). I must admit, I am not 100% certain Oscar is a male, but I will be taking him to the vet this month for a general check-up and hopefully to be DNA sexed. Ellie is for sure a female. Ellie was (and is) very much loved by her former family. She was included into the family activities, including watching football, which she adores. She doesn't care about baseball or basketball. Ellie has a fantastic cage and toys- appropriate perches, large fun toys, and everything was/ is clean. She has a great stand that I need to go back for, which is fine because I am in close contact with her old family. They want the best for Ellie, and only rehomed her as a last resort. I take this opportunity, of being tasked with Ellie's welfare for life, very seriously. She is simply precious, and beautiful, but even if she was "difficult" I would still feel the same way about her. What's so cool is that Oscar and Ellie seem to mesh personality-wise. Oscar is very outgoing, and while Ellie is too, I think Oscar may help her to be even more bold and confident. Oscar doesn't talk a whole lot, and it would be fun (not necessary, just fun) if Ellie taught Oscar some phrases. Already he tried saying her name from across the house, but only came out with "Eh-". Haha! How cool is that?! Ellie eats a very varied diet, and sometimes with Oscar it could be a fight to get him to eat his veggies. I will try "chop" for them both, but I figure Ellie could help Oscar along with improving his diet. Ellie plucks a little (more than her former family seems able to see/ admit) as does Oscar (though it's fairly minimal for them both). I think it is *possible* Oscar and Ellie will want to look their best for each other (after quarantine, I mean) and maybe stop plucking/ feather damaging. Flirting doesn't leave much time to pluck. Oscar is very adaptable, and strong. He is wise. I would like him to influence Ellie to try new things, such as the foraging paper balls I make for them (so far, she would rather just have the darn nut)! If anyone has any advice about keeping two Greys, and how you do/ would manage, feel free to respond. Don't worry about bursting my bubble, I have taken in advice from former members that I didn't necessarily want to hear (for example, that I shouldn't ignore Oscar's screams for quite so long- he has something to tell me if he's screaming). I want what's best for Oscar and Ellie, and am willing to listen to and consider any sound advice. Or if you just want to give encouragement and congrats, I am in the market for that too! :cool: Thanks, folks. I can't wait to post photos. Stay tuned!

So I went ahead and listened to my gut, and adopted a lovely female CAG named Ellie Noel. Ellie was treated extremely well by her former family, the issue is that they will be moving overseas, and in the meantime they have little time to spend with her. Oscar knows there is a Grey somewhere in the house, and Ellie calls out to him. They both make broken smoke detector alarm sounds, which is hysterical (and a little maddening) when they do it at the same time. Ellie is a "talker", though also at times a biter. She bites for more obvious reasons than Oscar does- she doesn't like her cage space to be invaded, and sometimes she bites due to feeling anxious or threatened. Sometimes with Oscar I feel he bites out of habit. But either way, I am committed to working with both my CAG's to extinguish the biting, and increase communication (and I don't mean by talking, per se). Ellie is a gorgeous heather gray, much lighter than Oscar. Their colors really compliment each other. More later, about the more pertinent stuff. My friend and I are at Peet's Coffee and she is waiting for me to finish this entry.

After much consideration, I determined I was not out of my mind for considering adopting another Grey in need. Oscar has completed quarantine, is making progress with me, and personality-wise I suspect he would very much like the company of another Grey. Ellie is also bird-friendly, having lived with a Senegal for many years. From what I know of each bird, I am convinced they will mesh well. Of course, I will not know for certain the particulars until Ellie is out of quarantine. I am committed to each feather-butt, and as Blueberrytunes said, "Once you decide to adopt Ellie, there is no going back. Oscar may want her as a mate or friend, yes, but be prepared for them to dislike each other because you would need to navigate around that." With that in mind, as well as the technicalities of adopting another bird (time, expense, emotional and other general resources), I decided to move forward with adopting Ellie from an extremely loving and stable home (but time-limited, hence the need to rehome her). Ellie's situation was basically the opposite of Oscar's. Here is my reason for introducing Ellie within this thread: Ellie is already a talker, so displays her intelligence perhaps more readily to my dim human self than Oscar does (and as you all know, Oscar does display great intelligence in spite of his status as a veritable "non-talker"). Already, Ellie mocked my coughing (I have a cold), asked for a grape when I presented her with a nut, meowed at the cats (in a very put upon, "ME-OW", way less realistic than Oscar's mew, haha) and said and done a number of "intelligent things" since arriving home yesterday afternoon. But one thing in particular struck me: As we were pulling away from Ellie's former home, Ellie's loving former owner tearfully said "Goodbye, Ellie" through the car window. Much later, yesterday evening, Ellie grew quiet and seemed pensive, and said in a choked-up human voice "Goodbye, Ellie." This may seem like pure mimicry to some, but Ellie only heard this particular farewell once, and duplicated the sad tone and emotional weight of it perfectly. Furthermore, Ellie grew very quiet, acting very thoughtful for a good long time after she said goodbye to herself. I have no doubt in my mind that she understood she would not be seeing her former owner again. It was a very bittersweet moment for me. Happy Zombie Jesus Day, everyone. I will introduce Ellie more properly later today, as well as update Oscar's training journal.

3/22/13 AM: I have not posted to Oscar's training journal in many days, as lately our bonding and training has been happening at a glacial pace. This is not to say that no bonding and training is taking place. In fact, when I look back at when Oscar first met me, I am quite impressed with how far he has come. His velOSCARaptor screams are now clearly intended to get my attention, whereas when I first met Oscar his screams were definitely a warning: "Stay away!" Oscar quite likes me, at least when there are cage bars between us, and I can see the difference in his mood when I have busier days (and therefore less time to spend with him). On these busy days, Oscar is more grumpy, even somewhat needy. His grumpiness looks like puffed-up feathers (and not in the brief, playful puff way). he will also be more inclined to try to bite me. However, he will also be needy on such days, as evidenced by frequent calls to me, smooshing himself closer to the cage bars when I approach, and attempts to impress me with his in-cage acrobatics. Do not worry, fine folks of the forum. I am receptive to these attempts at getting my attention. If Oscar screams, I will wait a moment until he is quiet and then praise him for his silence and hang out with him for a while, even if I am "super busy". I chose Oscar, he didn't choose me- so even if I have a work deadline, a meeting to go to or whatnot, I owe it to him to be receptive to, and meet, his needs. I will say, one of the reasons I felt so good about adopting (rescuing, really) Oscar is that I have a very limited work schedule. I only work about 15 hours a week for most of the month. I do have busy days where I teach for 8 hours (!), but that is rare. So Oscar and I get lots of good bonding/ training time in. Nancy, thanks for noticing that I make a point to appreciate and understand what folks on the forum have to say about my work with Oscar. Blueberrytunes and I are becoming good friends (we know each other outside of the forum) and she was my biggest critic with regards to ignoring Oscar's screams. The bottom line is, everyone is here because we want what is best for our Greys and everyone else's Greys, too! If someone has a suggestion for me, I will read it and consider it. In my experience, when advice is offered on this forum it is done carefully and with respect. And I am certainly not immune to mistakes. Oscar continues to enjoy his "I'm a little teapot"/ hula hoop dance. He grips his favorite perch with his talons and leans far off of it. I would worry he could fall if he wasn't well, a Grey, or so very joyful when he does this (so obviously he is not worried about toppling over)! I will try to get some video footage of his teapot/ hula hoop moves to share. While "not a talker", Oscar is quite clear about his preferences, moods, and desires. I do encourage Oscar's (human) speech by requiring a "Yeah" when I ask him if he wants a nut/ treat/ etc. This is not difficult for him to say, and it enhances our communication. His "No" is a stony silence, haha. I believe I recounted the time when I asked an already crop-stuffed Oscar if he wanted a nut, and tested his silent refusal by offering him the nut anyway. Oscar took the nut and angrily chucked it away. We both knew, even before the nut-chucking, that Oscar did not want one. It would almost be easier if I played dumb with Oscar, but we both know that he communicates perfectly well without much human speech. It breaks my heart that Oscar seems to have been treated as a novelty for years, with humans hoping he would provide some "parlor tricks" by talking and doing other parrot things. Oscar is as smart as the Greys that do talk, he simply communicates through body language and sounds. It's a shame his past humans didn't try to decipher what he was telling them, though I would suspect even if he chatted a blue streak his past humans still wouldn't have "gotten" him.

3/13/13 PM: Oscar indicates he is happy in a few different ways- going through all of his sounds one after the other, standing on his perch very close to me while I sit by his cage, and poppin' out with his new "Hahahaha-hello!" An explanation of each: When Oscar goes through all of his sounds, he tosses his head lightly about as if pleased with himself, occasionally pairing it with wing flapping. He taps this way and that on his perch, as if imitating my terrible dancing. He seems enthusiastic but calm when he does his "sounds sampler", as I like to call it. When Oscar perches very close to me as I sit by his cage, he appears relaxed, as evidenced by his smooth feathers (not puffed up with excitement). He rubs his beak against the bars playfully. Also, and this is the best part, he will allow me to pat his head with my finger. Sometimes this makes him nervous and he scoots to the end of the perch away from me, but more and more often he lets me touch him through the bars. This is nice progress. The veterinarian wants me to keep Oscar in his cage for quarantine and training purposes, treating Oscar with small bits of nut and talking to him during this "getting to know you" period. I am dying to let Oscar out (and sometimes I do) but getting him back into his cage can be an upsetting experience for us both. So, once again, I will adhere to doctor's orders. Any thoughts, Dan and others, about Oscar's lack of a reaction when I touch his head? Unless he scoots away, he simply acts like I haven't done a thing. But this is a big deal! Hmm... Oscar's new "Hahahaha-hello!" is very charming, and he usually says this when something amusing has happened. For example, I dropped something near his cage, which startled him for a second. When I said "It's no big deal!" in a silly voice, he gave me a "Hahahaha-hello!" Oscar had a fairly quiet day today, and some fun following me around his cage. He watched the door a lot, which surprised me because I was right there with him, so who was he waiting for? I do wonder if he misses his former owner, as neglectful as she was. Or perhaps he dreads having to see her again? I really don't know. Oscar is blossoming, but we really are operating on the very slow Grey Time. When Oscar is ready, I will handle him. Until then, I will make do with an occasional head pat.

Oscar sees a ghost! Check it out at 0:21! Turn off the HD option, it is more convincing in low-def. http://m.youtube.com/user/MoonRockStardust?feature=guide#/watch?v=sWziOFzxZh8

My favorite band is The Who, and I was thinking about one of my favorite Who songs, "1921". I figure Oscar is about 21 now, so the following lyrics seem especially fitting. This is me, trying to look on the bright side of the wild-caught question. "I've got a feeling twenty one Is going to be a good year. Especially if you and me See it in together. I had no reason to be over optimistic, But somehow when you smiled I could brave bad weather." Isn't that sweet? Oscar's 21st year is going to be good, because he's with me. He may be out of the jungle but he's in a warm, loving home.

Maggie, Blueberrytunes also speculated about Greys and telepathy. We had a very interesting conversation about it. How do you suppose one would "test" a Grey's telepathic powers? It seems that would be very hard to prove (and I say that with all due respect, of course).

Oscar keeps making an EMF (electromagnetic field) meter sound. EMF meters are used to detect the presence of ghosts. I am quite the ghost skeptic, but admit to watching a fair amount of paranormal TV shows. I have a good laugh about the folks who scare themselves silly in the dark of their night vision cameras, and the shows that replay video snippets over and over to show proof of... absolutely nothing. I also get quite a kick out of EVP (electronic voice phenomena) recordings, as they are always subtitled, which means what is actually being recorded is totally debatable. Oscar must have amazing hearing, as he's not in the room where the TV is, and EMF meters are only used very briefly in each paranormal show that I watch. Of course, I suppose it is possible Oscar heard EMF meter sounds in one of his former homes. Maybe he's seen plenty of ghosts and that's why he's so weird. Or perhaps somebody wandered into the jungles of Africa, EMF meter in hand, when Oscar was a baby, to find proof of voodoo. Oscar is a very entrancing bird, so this is perfectly plausible.

Hi Dave, the reason Oscar's *potential* wild-caught status bothers me is because I feel somehow responsible for what happened to him in his past. I know, cognitively, that is not true, but emotionally I feel like I am playing catch-up with Oscar trying to give him everything he clearly didn't have before. I secretly fantasize about re-releasing Oscar into the wild, which of course would be impossible to do for many reasons... Life is hard enough for a lot of Greys, it makes me very sad to think Oscar had it even harder than I suspected. However, you are absolutely right in that "things are only getting better" and that I need to look ahead, and not back. I feel like a "wildlife steward", and that is a little intimidating. But boy, do I love Oscar. What a tough, funny, enthusiastic featherbutt.

Hi DanielaWelborn, before I could get close enough to read Oscar's leg band I was able to at least see that he had 3 figures followed by 3 more figures inscribed. Could you tell us how many figures, and any spacing(s), there are? I would love to help you discover where your Grey came from, but as others have said sometimes that is impossible to determine.

Here is today's entry from "Mary's training journal" from the 4 the birds section of the forum. Oscar had a few things he wanted to say. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?198380-Mary-s-training-journal&p=280420#post280420

3/10/13 AM: I think Mary's getting it, albeit very slowly. When I scream, there is a reason. Today I noticed one of the little budgies (also known as American parakeets- seriously, why do the little buggers need two titles?) out of the cage. I screamed about it, partly because the little bugger was annoying me by flying into the room, partly because I am jealous that my wings are clipped and his are not, and partly because Mary was taking so long to answer my alert-call. Finally Mary walked in and the look of surprise on her face at seeing a budgie on the loose was so priceless, I laughed! Mary quickly got the little bugger out of there (I hear his name is Pax, but whatever) and I waited calmly (and quietly) for Mary to come back with my praise and a nut, which she did. I mean, I seriously helped her to realize Pax was out of his cage, the least she could do was say "Thanks". And she did. A side note: The other day Mary let me down when she was cleaning cages and I really needed her (so I screamed) but she ignored me. I felt pretty bad about that. I even considered asking Blueberrytunes or Dan if I could live with them instead, because they both have so much insight into Greys. But honestly, Mary has some good insight too. She just doesn't always put it into practice. Frankly she is amazed to be the keeper of such an intelligent, sensitive, aware being (me!) who requires some explanation every now and then. And seriously, I love her. I would not trade her for another human, I just want her to listen better. We are getting there...

I joined the Yahoo Leg Band Numbers group, but haven't gotten any further information about Oscar's round, metal, open leg band beyond what I have already researched on my own. Oscar's band reads LCL 957, which is an ID that is very plausibly from a now-closed private quarantine station. The private stations all used three letters and three numbers in their metal, open leg bands. Please see the following explanation (based on my research): L: Louisiana quarantine station ID (now all closed) C: one of the 6 sub-stations ID L: the first letter of Oscar's personal ID 957: Oscar's personal ID number Also, the veterinarian says it is apparent Oscar is "not young", but I didn't ask him just how old he thought Oscar was or to look at his leg band. Oscar's former owners are very short on details, and as one owner is now incapacitated and another (her son, the "original owner") is long gone, I don't see how I can get much first-hand information about Oscar's 8 years with the family. I suspect he was already 13 or so when they bought him, because if he was imported as a baby in the very last year of legal African Grey importation, that still makes him at least 21. This seems plausible to me, given the leg band and what little family history I have. I mentioned the possibility (and now, in my mind, likelihood) of Oscar's wild-caught status before but felt compelled to bring it up again so that I could get some input from other wild-caught Grey owners or anyone else who wishes to speculate. If your own Grey is wild-caught, what are the band numbers? Or, if you are certain your Grey is not wild-caught but your band numbers are similar to mine, who was the breeder? Thank you. This is torture, I sincerely hope Oscar was not yanked from the jungle but I suspect he was.

3/9/13 afternoon: Oscar is in a good mood today, in spite of our upsetting experience of a few days ago. I was so determined to extinguish his screaming behavior that I neglected to investigate what was bothering Oscar in the first place. I had to take some deep breaths, paired with a couple days away from the forum, in order to help me process the responses I had received to my account of the cage cleaning incident. I did not want to be defensive, as I understand Blueberrytunes, Dan, and those who thanked them for their posts want what is best for Oscar. And looking back, it is obvious to me that ignoring Oscar's screaming was not what was best for him in those difficult moments. Oscar has a long memory but is quick to forgive. Yesterday he was more wary of me than usual (as evidenced by his dilated pupil, feather puffing, and less pursuing of me as I moved around his cage). However, Oscar was quick to laugh when I made jokes and did funny dances, and seemed to relax more as I talked to him. Both Blueberrytunes and Dan emphasized the importance of communicating with Oscar in a very clear way: "Oscar, should I put this cozy, blue blanket down for the rats? I'm going to clean your cage next, could I put in this extra perch?..." Oscar loves it when I talk to him, and can also be soothed from anger (and the screaming I dislike) if I make jokes or otherwise let him know "it's no big deal". I have also read on here that making a "sad face" paired with a slight head shake can also be useful in getting a Grey to quiet down. Thanks, folks, for reading and responding to my journal. I want my Grey buddy to thrive. :cool:

3/7/13 PM: Tonight Oscar was the loudest he's ever been since I brought him home. This time, though, it was pretty clear why Oscar was screaming: Jealousy. Now, as I write, I can chuckle about what happened, but at the time I was pretty steamed. Oscar's cage is within view of my three rats. Birds and rats really don't mix, so I have to be extra careful when handling anybody within sight of the other species. I am certain Oscar had already picked up on my "starting tension" (my internal resolve not to mess anything up, and to keep everyone safe, while cleaning cages). After a few moments of attending to the rats first, Oscar began to scream. I always do Oscar last, as he likes to "direct" me and also he is still in quarantine. So, startled by the first few screams, I turned and faced Oscar. He immediately quieted down, and once again he fooled me into giving him exactly what he wanted: 100% attention, when all I needed was maybe 20 minutes to clean and redecorate the cages. I was annoyed by Oscar's manipulation, and Oscar was annoyed by my "failure" to do what was expected of me (ignore the rats and play with him- after all, rats are incredibly inferior to birds, or so says Oscar). I kept on with my cage cleaning, my back to Oscar, and Oscar kept on screaming. It was difficult, but I was trying to teach Oscar about sharing my attention (and this is particularly important now- I have sworn Blueberrytunes to secrecy but I do have something up my sleeve which I will share with the other forum folks within a few weeks). So, Oscar needs to learn how to share. And I need to learn how to self-soothe when a CAG is screaming bloody murder in my ear! So Oscar screamed and screamed, until one moment when he made a scream-sound that made me think, immediately, "This is the sound he made when someone hurt him." Of course, I have no way of knowing this. It was simply an automatic thought paired with a feeling in my bones. It was a scream shortened by a stunned silence. That is the best description I can give. I turned around, after the painful-sounding scream, knowing that Oscar was reliving something somehow. He got very quiet as I looked at him, his pupil wide and his expression... lost. I wonder if my purposeful (momentary) neglect of Oscar brought up some bad memories for him, and/ or his screams in the past have brought on harsh punishment. Besides the other day, when I shushed Oscar, my "punishment" of his screams has always been reasonable. Turn my back, walk out of the room, or turn up the music. And always, I praise for silence. The moral of this story is that it is becoming almost shockingly apparent how sensitive Oscar is. I admit, at times when he drives me nuts I tend to make the assumption that he doesn't get all that upset about things, partly because he's already been through so much but also, if he was oh so bonded to me already then why won't he let me hold him?? Yes, I now see that Oscar is bonding pretty tightly to me, with the full range of emotions: enmeshment, jealousy, humor, gratitude, friendship, annoyance... I understand, now, that Oscar doesn't have to be a cuddly bird for him to be realizing he needs me on some level. And I think that scares him. I know sometimes it scares me. Forgive me if this is all conjecture, or anthropomorphizing. All I can go with is what I observed of Oscar's behavior, though I realize I have added a lot of "feeling" to this entry. Indeed, it is hard not to "feel" for a bird like Oscar. 8+ years of neglect, it's no wonder I read recently that parrots can indeed suffer from PTSD.

I managed to get in a tiny, tiny head rub. Oscar's head was very close to the cage bars, so I stuck my finger in and gave him a tiny scritch. He didn't react at all, but at least he didn't bite me. Progress?