KevinD

I always like when folks are just starting the journey, they will amaze you each day with new things you never even thought of. Good luck to you and all the new stange adventures you are about to have !

Finally had some time to catch him talking..... And now without great fanfare..... "You Know What?" Watch "You Know What"

Caught Sukei in the tree again..... Guess it comes natural

I knew someone was going to go there LOL

Same thing happened to us, making all kinds of strange noises for a few days, and BAM, out it comes, lol I know you are happy congrats!

I know we have not posted in a while, I was sent on a field trip lol. Anyways, thought I would give a Sukei update. He has started talking And the first words are........ "You know what?" It was funny because I was sitting on the sofa, and typing away on the lap top, and I hear "You know what?" clear as the day is long lol. And I without looking up say "What?" not realizing it was Sukie LOL Anywyas, just thought someone might get a kick out of it... He plays games on the Ipad now too, have to post some pictures do not have them here with me.

I thought it would be a fun subject LOL, but did not mean to disrupt anyone's dinner time.

This has enlightened me on the eating thing, LOL but let me change course, maybe what what makes you a Parrot person more so then a dog or cat person..... I dunno, I think you can be both, I think all you need is a caring compassionate love for these intelligent compassionate creatures. I think there is a mind set that you are a "Dog" person or "Cat" person or a "Bird" person. I just think it depends on your ability to provide for them and the environment you can responsibly give to each. Through this I figured out you cant be labeled any kind of person, just a kind and responsible person that takes on a responsibility that you can fulfill to the best of your ability...

Have not been bit yet, guess Ive been lucky, Ive been beaked, just a checking of the surface. But I also read all the advice here about body language and eye pinning so I don't even make an attempt to mess with him if I notice anything out of the ordinary. When I join the club, Ill post the blood LOL

I'm from Texas, so I have eaten all of the above, but I draw the line on some things LOL

I know, i am very hard to offend, Potato Patato, Filipino Philippino, its all good.

I am married to a Philippine princess, and they try to get me to eat a bunch of stuff... Please take what I say in the manner it is intended, I will leave each to his own LOL

I'm allergic to cats, so I will have to defer to your judgment on that one. As far ad being needed, we are all needed, every live touches another, in ways you will never know (Usually) Your life have changed others in ways you will not know, 1 single event can put a person on a course that changes their whole life...so never feel you are not needed.

I think you hit the heart of the situation, but I think they miss the extra rewards, and as they learn, they start to understand. Just a quick note that is off topic, I hope this understanding leads to more awareness of the plight of these wild caught ones.... I know it is probably a pipe dream, but all things evolve slowly. But back to the original post.

Yes it is, but i is true, you have at least 20 different cultures in each Middle East country, and they WILL eat Dogs, Cats, Birds and any other thing they can get their hands on. I have seen it first hand so it isn't a old wives tale. I do not know your back ground, so I can not presume to say, but assuming you have not been out the civilized world you will find things to make your hair turn grey or fall out.....it is sad.

I thought this might be a fun thing to discuss. Ever since I got Sukei my family is has been giving me the business, saying stuff like, you were always a dog person. I have had two Golden retrievers and loved them to death, but my situation in the middle east made me consider NOT getting another one, because Goldens love to run, and there is no where for one to run in this environment, and if they get out, they can be eaten by the local population(No Joke) So I resigned myself to being friendless/petless, untill the day I saw Sukei in the terrible place, and it was just an impulse to save this poor soul. I had done ZERO research, (Not a good idea I know now) but my heart just went out. I thought in my current environment I could care for a parrot, and just scooped him up and ran LOL, literally. So back to the title of the post.... This is just an observation, but it seems to me, that parrot people are much more involved in every aspect of their parrots life, then dog owners. Maybe that is because Dogs are pretty self sufficient and only require love, where parrots require not only love but specialized attention. I dunno, just rambling, thought maybe someone might have some thoughts. I fully plan on getting another Golden when I get home and can properly take care of one. I guess I am just surprised my family is so surprised I got a Grey, as I send more pictures they are starting to understand the bond developing. Anyone have any similar stories or thoughts?

I do not know if it was mentioned but I found the humidifier setup I put underneath Sukei's cage has helped a bunch. Hope I do not have to go through what you did, and I'm glad Talon is doing better.

You just need something more interesting then the perch to chew on... I know I posted this before, but here is the vid again.... Suk used to chew on the perch, but no more......the wood blocks are the ticket, he can destroy these inside of a week.now, its like a few days... Even after the block is destroyed, it seems he is satisfied for a while and leaves the perch alone. Watch "Sukei Destroying A Block Of Wood"

Just my two cents, and the Avian vet I have talked to. I know there is ALOT of feather plucking info here on this board, and different publications by notable folks that deal with this kind of thing. In my opinion, as stated here before , parrots do not pluck in the wild unless it is a damaged feather. So you have to figure out what is different from the domestic situation then the wild in your particular environment. For us a humidifier, Avian light and spending more quality time fixed the problem. The Vet said he could prescribe a drug to relax him and make it stop, however, it would start again when the drug was stopped. In my previous career, I hold a degree in Emergency medical sciences, besides chronic illnesses, drugs are only good when, if not used in the situation of issues dealing with incompatibility with the life function are not going to do any good. You have to find the cause.... in humans you have nail biting, and hair twisting and all sorts of nervous habits.....when under stress. I cant imagine Parrots are that much different. Hope I did not offend. K

After I found out Sukei was a he and not a she, I thought about trying to change his name, and after much thought, I figured parrots do not know if a name is male or female, so just decided to go with it. However in your case the name might be offensive to you, or for other reasons, I can understand that. In our case though, Sukei was so screwed up emotionally when we got him, I just couldn't see adding to the confusion. Im sure how ever you work it out it will be just fine, : )

These kinds of threads bring life into perspective, what is important, what is not so important. Everyday any of God's creations take a breath is a blessing. Live is a gift, enjoy it, and don't waste a minute. We are lucky people to have found such intelligent, passionate and loving friends with our greys and other animal friends. They are the best of us.

Its funny you say that.....because at the moment that picture was snapped I was thinking.... What if he gets angry for some reason and took my eye out LOL, then I would need the patch! LOL

It really has not been that much of a wait , only 4 months and some change, and from what Ive read of wild caught greys it is warp speed. Even some of the domestic hatched have more problems then I have. I spend three or 4 hours a day with him, and he is out of his cage all the time except for bedtime, maybe that helped a little bit, but I think most of it is him. You kind of inspired me to try a few different tactics when I saw yours sitting on top of your knee eating popsicles LOL. This entire board is full of helpful, healthy constructive ideas and encouragement. Want to say thanks to everyone!

Yea I was surprised....I was talking to him doing the Argh Matie we be pirates! and I held out my hand and he scampered right up my arm and on to the shoulder......I just stood there, and he nudged me in the ear like GO!, and I walked around and stopped, and he nudged me again untill I would go LOL.

I'm glad you took one in that needs you, patience the key...... Ive been at it since April and think the progress we made is probably on the speedy side, but it does take trust and time. Good luck to you and your new family member!