SRSeedBurners

Yeah, Terrible Twos are relative. GreycieMae was a sweet little thing until the nipping and bitey started. She's also gotten very aloof. Where she used to want to come and get all in my business all the time, now she just wants to sit 'over there' and stare evil thoughts (at least that's what it looks like to me). The worst part is, she won't allow me to play with the other birds. Toby loves a good hand wrestle and the new baby needs handling but Greycie sees any of that and she has to come over and run them off and then go back 'over there' and be aloof. She's really selfish right now. I have to wonder if this is related to her molting? She's molting really bad right now and this behavior is very sudden, although we did just rock the boat four weeks ago bringing in Rio. Another tell-tale sign: sometimes she gets into a situation where she would normally fly to me. This happened twice this morning. She lost her grip playing on her chain and recovered her flight about 1ft off the ground. She circled and as she was passing me, her instinct was to land on my shoulder but I saw her switch her thoughts and flight-path to purposefully avoid me. It actually took extra effort to alter around me. What a flying turd! I'm fine with a Grey growing up and not wanting to be soft and cuddly anymore but I'm not going to allow her to control the house and stop me from playing with the other birds. She's developed a bad habit of aerial bombing the other two when she notices them playing with their toys. She'll fly across the living room to bomb the baby if he makes any kind of excitable racket. Toby is the same. Our breeder we got Rio from showed me how she barely trims the flight feathers to slow down her strong flyers. They still get around just fine but it takes the fighter pilot out of them. We might have to do this with Greycie but I'll give her a few months to sort this out first.

This morning I was washing some of the disaster my wife created making birdy bread for my babies. Greycie Mae decided to jump into the pan I just finished cleaning, so I put some water and ice cubes in and let her go at it. She won't really take a bath unless I put the ice cubes in - weird. I've decided, that if she keeps giving me that 'terrible-twos' garbage, the next time this happens, instead of ice, it will be carrots, potatoes, peas and some seasoning. There's not much action, and the first part of the video is shakey as I was still trying to clean with one hand. Towards the end she does her classic lay on her side and paw move that I think is cute. [video=youtube_share;XMJKSGwVToI]http://youtu.be/XMJKSGwVToI

Until I got our Caique, Toby, my BFA Tigger was probably the most playful, energetic bird I've ever encountered. I'm pretty sure he was wild caught and dragged across the Mexican border too. He never really 'tamed down' or learned to trust me, but at 19, I'm not sure I was trust-able. He used to ride on my beach bike, hanging upside down with his wings flapping out of sheer playfulness. Only my Caique has matched his robustness when it comes to playtime. Amazons are fun fun fun. If I didnt have a three bird limit, I think I'd be talking my wife into an Amazon. Also, I've had two separate parrot lives. One well before the age of the internet and the wealth of information it has afforded. Not sure if my Amazon Tigger was a boy or girl, I just assumed based on 'his' personality. 'He' never was aggressive like I now read about Amazons. Shoot, maybe he was a she?!? Do the shes get aggressive/hormonal? He was always the same - very leary of any of us humans.

Kind of in the middle here. Greycie Mae started using a few words, not real clear but we could tell what she is saying. Estimating 7-12 words/phrases. Then she quit learning anything new. Quit saying some stuff she was saying and now only uses a few of her words. I'm on the other side of the fence in that I DID want a talker. We get a hell of a lot of enjoyment listening to her say stuff and will engage her talking almost immediately. Our Caique - same story - learned a few phrases and used them up and now almost nothing. Now our big talker is the baby Jardines. He's really vocalizing and if he keeps going, he will out talk the Grey and the Caique (not known to be good talkers). Not only that he appears to be quietly smarter than both. Also we're dealing with new issues with Greycie. She's pulling away and becoming a touch-me-not all of a sudden. They're growing up!

At 3 weeks old, that's probably a good time to do it as they won't have many hangups about bringing in a new bird.

This is the exact problem we're finding with Greycie Mae. We brought a new Jardines in the house 4 weeks ago and it's changed the dynamics. Greycie barely could 'get along' with our Caique and now I think having the Jardines in the house is cause her to act out. She's gotten very bitey, nippy and hateful in the last couple weeks. She no longer really wants to sit with her daddy, she doesn't throw herself off the front of my shirt and try to give me 'kisses'. It's kinda sad but hopefully she'll get back to me. She gets 90% of my attention but apparently that's not enough.

Welcome to the GreyForums. Heartbreaking to hear how you lost Missy. A house fire is one of my worst fears concerning my birds, with a break-in and being stolen a close second. I love the little memorial you have for her. We lost a much loved Jardines last year and we planted a bush that has orange feathery flowers similar to the orange cap that Jardines have. I still talk to her when I'm out there. Your username reminds me of my managers Grey - Seawee!

I think this applies well to Greybies too!

It's hard to find a toy that will suit all birds but we've come close. Our breeder that we got our Jardines from asked that we purchase a couple of the triangle teasers. All three of our birds go after this one. Greycie Mae can destroy it quick but the smaller/younger in our troup take a little longer. It's a very simple toy. Has two latches on both ends and is designed to hang in an inverted arch. (Not hanging straight down as shown). It's completely re-loadable if you have the tools or can buy wood reloads. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=24822

Bean...I've told this here before multiple times: I took my Grey to a venue where I race. Multiple people came by and wanted to hold my Greycie. She can sense fear. Almost everyone hesitated after asking to hold her and she showed aggression. There was one lady who came by and and said "birds love me" and boldly told Greycie to step up. Greycie step'd up like she was ordered and absolutely no aggression. This lady had absolutely no fear and that's the day I learned how Grey's can sense our feelings. She could practically do anything I could with MY Grey.

Very timely post. Probably had the worst day ever with Greycie yesterday. Bitey, hateful, spiteful, aloof, cranky and wouldn't stop aerial bombing the baby Rio or fighting with Toby. I kept thinking 'terrible twos, terrible twos, terrible twos....'. Hopefully this phase will pass. If not and she grows to be a total pill, I got two other birds who will hopefully be nice to me. She had me on edge and I was acting out too. My wife actually told me, if I'm going to get rid of her, do it now while she's not attached to her. This of course was a total female gameplay b.s. statement. I'm not allowed to act out but the two girls in my house can go berserk - go figure. We're both attached to the Greycie Mae and there's no way she will be sent packing. I still contend - this bird, even if she turns into a total shiit is easier than my daughter by leaps and bounds and leaps and bounds. Human children can literally bring down hell on earth.

Greycie Mae would like to know when the Pet Human training manual will be out for purchase.

Brutus nows how to butter mommy up!

haahaa. Parrot rule #?: What mine is mine. What's yours is also mine.

My preference was a female as that's what I had 20 years ago, but would have easily taken a male. My 'big' qualifications were that the breeder knew what she was doing (abundance weaning) and keeping baby flighted. When we visited I actually wanted the female that was taken already. I remember that one being a real sweety as a 4mo old. Greycie was sort of - "hi whatchya doing - see ya later" kind of bird. The breeder kept trying to convince me that the other one was sure to be a velcro bird and not something I would want but it's all hogwash to me. They will somewhat become what you make of them, with their own will and desires mixed in. I also don't buy into the 'picking' their human at that age either. I have experienced that with older, rescue type birds but don't think they do that at such a young age. A baby that will go to you, will probably go to the next person that shows up to - personality. We recently got a baby Jardines and I was hellbent on getting a female because we lost a female we had last year that was such a super sweety with my wife. Jardines are incredibly hard to find so I had to with what I could find - a male 6 hours away. We went and got him and he's the sweetest thing ever, with a touch of a temper to go with it. I say don't put too much into the picking process. Just treat them right and let the fun times begin. Now if we're talking Caiques...different story. THe males can be....males - oh boy am I in for it in about 2-3 years.

I wouldn't put too much weight on gender. If you have the opportunity to go visit them and see which one you meld with, that's a better option than picking based on stereotypes. Our female is rowdy, she likes me best (male) but loves my wife too and will contact call and get unsettled if she leaves the house. She is not quiet most of the time and is our hardest to handle bird, always getting into or causing trouble. Sound like a male? Well, she's not. There's a lot more weight in what you do after they come home than in the categories you'll read about on the net. Just like a kid, they will have their own distinctive personalities but will be in the 'formative years' when they are new in your home.

Yes patience. I have to work on mine constantly. My three brats get under my feathers quick.

We're looking for something exactly like that. Does it have a brand name/model?

No - don't hit me with the SPAM tazers... I just found out about this today: if you shop from smile.amazon.com, you can choose a charity that will recieve .5% of your purchases. Since the only charities I give a damn about have to do with animals and birds topping that list, I typed 'parrot' into their charity search list and several pages came back. I bet you can find a favorite on their too! Im' looking for the little parrot rescue in South Dallas. I saw one in Carlsbad or Fallbrook California (KimKim )

Pretty clear to me - you got the under-feeding situation resolved and now baby wants to play now that he has excess energy! That behavior is normal. All birds tend to scratch a lot but Greys and other dander heavy birds will do it quite a bit. By the way, that's pretty benign behaviour compared to the way they can get. My Greycie Mae will strafe the living room and shoot down any who dare to fly in her airspace (kidding). Here's a good example of more of what you're in for. It's all just their way of playing and getting their rowdy on. You'll see it commonly referred to as the 'pterodactyl'. [video=youtube_share;KmoMJYTU10g]

It's looks like you're getting a very beautiful bird there. She looks very healthy. Just don't rush things and let her settle in as she feels comfortable. Making her feel at home is your best bet to getting into her good books. My problem is always trying to rush things, you may have more patience. Every bird I've brought home seems to take a minimum of a couple of weeks before the real birdy starts to come out. The two rescues we brought home took a lot longer. Just get to know her, she looks like she'll really flourish under the right care.

Good to hear. I knew he looked like a hungry baby. I see the same thing around here when I get a new baby (3 so far).

It's videos like that one that fuel my addiction problem. She reminds me of a big green Caique. My Amazon was never that playful with me.

Definitely in range but the best you can do with that is to start taking regular weigh-ins and keep track. The weight mine centers around is exactly one pound - 454 grams. She drops to 445 and gets up to 465 regularly with some further extremes but never gets too far away from her normal weight for very long.

If you can get a weight scale that does grams and report back on his weight that would be great. Even better if you can get a starting weight on him from the breeder to compare with. Their droppings will definitely changes based on what they are eating. Fruits tend to create a more watery poop. Stuff like blueberries or beets can create colors that will alarm you at first. Do you have access to soy milk? I use that to give the oatmeal a little of that 'milky' texture. Here's the recipe I've been using with Greycie Mae forever. She doesn't 'need' it, she just really likes it and will beg for it when she sees me getting out the container: - Old Fashioned Quaker Oats (not the quick cook stuff) - 1/4-1/2 spoon of almond butter or I also use peanut butter although some say to stay away from peanut products. We live on the edge here. - small piece of a banana - almond milk (I will even use milk sometimes but some people say not to) - cinnamon. I mix in some water with the oats/smashed banana/almond butter/cinnamon and microwave but don't over do it. Greycie Mae likes just a tad watery/creamy consistency, doesn't like it gummy. The banana and/or the almond milk give it a creamy consistency that she likes. I also have a kitchen thermometer I use and when it's 105-110F, that's where she likes it best. They like warm foods. You can also feed him warmed up sweet potatoes, they really love those. I don't know where you live, but if that were my bird, I'd be inclined to put him on the Katee baby bird food until he doesn't want it anymore. He just looks and acts really young to me. My Grey is 20 months old and she still thinks she has to have the Katee baby bird food (we have a new baby in the house I'm feeding). - Greycie's Head Chef