Mirek is home!

[danmcq]

Hi Geoff,

 

I am glad to see you posting these regular entries on the phases Mirek is going through. Then seeing the replies from other Forum members that have experienced the same thing and what they did.

 

This is going to be highly valuable to me when we get to bring our baby Dayo Home :-)

 

Does mirek also make a type of air pushing sound like a human baby does? It's hard to explain the sound, but I'm sure some of the Ladies here that have had babies would know :-)

 

Keep the updates coming!!!

[hveusnthbrige]

He makes several noises. Usually very high pitched squeals with his beak closed. But if I approach with my hands in front of me he reverts to hand feeding posture and the verbal "Ahh!" begging that goes with it. Lots of gargling noises too of nearly any pitch. Low octave sounds happen but they are rare.

 

I find it somewhat confusing what he wants sometimes. I will leave him alone if the tone in the sound he made suggests it but when I start to back away he cries with the opposite tone to have me come back.

 

I made a silly post just now about him responding to music too. He tried all the sounds he knows when going along with the tune.

 

Oh and I forgot to answer your initial question Dan, yes he makes lots of inhaling noises. If it's exhaling it usually becomes a scream type sound.<br><br>Post edited by: hveusnthbrige, at: 2007/07/11 22:03

[danmcq]

Mirek sounds like he's trying to learn to communicate, which in my opinion is just another example of how intelligent these Grey's are! :-)

 

I'm certain I will go through the same confusion you are in trying to understand what it is that they are trying to communicate.

 

It all just sound so wonderful though!!

 

I'll bet you laugh aloud sometimes :laugh:

[hveusnthbrige]

Oh ya, sometimes he makes some silly noises. And yes he's really trying his best to communicate but right now he lacks the vocabulary. Likely not for long though, a few months and he'll be yappin it up ordering me around...

[judygram]

Give him some time for the vocabulary, some don't talk until they are around a year old, mine included. Sounds like things are going well but slow but soon you two will bond so have faith.

[hveusnthbrige]

I get the feeling he does enjoy having me around and spending time with me. But it's entirely dependent on how tired he is. Tired usually means miserable, just like a baby would be. He spends about 3 hours a day right now under a towel sleeping on my bed. Right after he wakes on his own accord and stands up he's right ready to play with me.

[judygram]

Well good, Geoff, glad to hear that, I must say I did not have Josey cry for her nest mates as she did not have any. She was hand fed as a single baby but she had a small stuffed animal to cuddle with and I don't remember her crying for that.

[hveusnthbrige]

So again as to report in, Mirek is doing well. I had to work today so I couldnt spend much time with him.

 

He has tried on the harness a couple times. It really is the time to start the harness thing. He hates it right now but he doesn't know how to defend himself and prevent me from putting it on him. It is quite tricky to adjust it as too tight and he will have trouble breathing while in heavy exercise mode/flapping his wings which he does very often. Too loose and he tries to pull it off by using his feet, which then get caught in it making him fall over. He usually wears it for 20 mins each day, or I'll put it on him then cover him up for a nap with the towel and he sleeps in it. Right now he's wearing it and going about his typical wing flapping craziness on my bed.

 

Also I gave him a piece of banana and he ate it. And by ate it I mean I stuck it in his mouth lol. He smushed it up and swallowed it. Before long he was taking more little pits of it with slightly less frustration. So we've managed a 1/4" long slice of banana... heh and only the soft part not including the middle where the seeds are.

 

Here are some pictures. This is my 2 tiels, Pinkie and April walking around with him. I see it as very important that Mirek learns quickly that he is not the only bird around and that he should get along with his roommates. I would also like to note that Mirek's first word typed on the keyboard was, well I know the forum filter will block it out so, 3 letter word starts with A and ends with S... 11 weeks old and already cursing like a sailor.:blink:

[judygram]

How adorable all three are, the grey and your two tiels. Glad to hear things are going well and at least yours will eat a banana, mine won't touch it, I don't think she likes the feel of it.

Great that you have already tried the harness, boy you are moving right along with your baby. I am glad you are having a good time with Mirek, she looks like the typical baby. Thanks for the update.

[hveusnthbrige]

Here's some more pictures:

These are of his favourite place in the whole world.. a towel. He is fast asleep right now in these,

[judygram]

That is so cute of his butt sticking out from under the towel, but you had better watch out for those remotes I see laying there on the bed, he will tear those up.

Thanks for sharing these with us and keep em coming.

[hveusnthbrige]

Haha Judy! Yes he's found those remotes alright. And I think I was wrong, he prolly wasnt sleeping in the last few towel hiding pictures... I think this pic here might suggest the latter:

[judygram]

Too funny.{Nature-00020095}

[danmcq]

Hi Geoff,

 

Mirek is very intelligent. Notice how he is scrutinizing the training book already and devising methods a head of time to counteract your methods ;-)

 

The towel photo is a gem, it looks like they like to find a nice enclosed place that they think makes them invisible. Such as a child hiding under the blankets when sleeping :-)

 

Thanks for sharing all these great snapshots in time of his progress!!

[CeasarsDad]

GREAT photos.. This is gonna be great to watch as your baby grows and learns.. More photos please..

[Guest briansmum]

these updates are brilliant, he's so cute, the shot of mirek with your tiels is lovely. keep it all comeing, it's great to read!

[hveusnthbrige]

Heya guys I'm glad you're all enjoying it. I suppose you long time Grey owners are living vicariously through me remembering your first days.

 

Today, another day I had to work all day long.. 11 hour shift running a retail shop.. alone, cause the other guy is on vacation. It's just nice when I come home and he wakes up and is just thrilled to see me.

 

He always begs for hand feeding when I get near him; the low on the perch, wings mantled just a tad, head up, beak open with gargly "Ahh!"'s; and I'm somewhat lost on this whether I should be entertaining him or not.

 

I will let him take 2 fingers and he tries to induce feeding from them. But I don't really want to teach him that I'm a source of food in that manner.. food comes from the bowl, yes I put it in the bowl, but you put it in your mouth yourself. On the other hand hes only 3 weeks weaned and likely desperately misses being handfed. You guys think I should avoid letting him suck on my fingers? Or let him keep trying until he gets frustrated and figures out fingers have no food to give?

 

I'm really torn on what I should do, I don't want to rush him but I also don't want to be the food source. I'm worried he'll revert and then he'll have to be weaned again. Hunger is a powerful teacher though so it might not be a problem...

[judygram]

I would spoon feed him some soft foods, it will not hurt to give him that, it is just taking a little longer to wean him, some of them take longer. I still give my grey some warm baby food in the mornings with a spoon and she is over a year old. No harm in it, he will wean when he is ready.

Thanks for the update.

[hveusnthbrige]

I know he's eating well on his own too. Right now he puts away about 50 grams of pellets each day. Likely 10 of that falls on the floor so he eating just about 10% of his body weight each day. Plus he eats all the time throughout the day happily.

 

I'll try what you say though Judy. Yet what could I give him? I know to warm it up and he'll like that even better but need some ideas of what to make for him!

[judygram]

Put a little oatmeal in a bowl and a little water and microwave it for a minute, then add some baby food vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes or squash and mix it up and spoon feed him, my grey loves it and I give it to her every morning and will for the rest of her life as long as she wants it. Gets some veggies into them too. Try it.

[hveusnthbrige]

I tried the oatmeal for warm spoon feeding and he hated it at first. I tossed the powder from the remains of the pellets into the oatmeal slop an then he had a less negative reaction to it. Prolly tasted a little more familiar.

 

I had to basically do the finger trick again and when he started to induce feeding from my fingers I would pour the oatmeal from the spoon into his mouth... he didnt like that one bit.. shook his head and man.. food flung on the walls, the cieling.. the floor, the tv.. the, um, everything had food on it. lol

 

After a couple tries I think it clicked in his mind, or his crop, that: this stuff = food! After that he slowly started eating it on his own from the bowl. Sprinkling pellet dust on the surface of the sloppy mess made him dig in aswell.

 

Anyway, thanks for the info Judy! Next step is to figure out how to get some solid chunks of veggies into him. I'm thinking dicing them up really fine and putting them in the oatmeal once he begins to eat it more freely.

 

I think after a few different

[judygram]

Sounds good to me, offer him some cooked vegetables and you can mash them up some. But try different veggies in different ways, cooked, raw, cubed, mashed, sliced and so forth. Maybe he will prefer them a certain way.

Good job dusting the oatmeal with pellet powder to get him to eat it, whatever it takes is fine.

Thanks for updating us on his progress and glad he is doing well.

[hveusnthbrige]

Ok more pictures today!

[judygram]

Great photos, Geoff, the first two, yum, yum, I'm going after what is in the bowl.:laugh:

Thanks for sharing these with us, Geoff, I love seeing the baby greys.:kiss:

[danmcq]

Thanks for the update Geoff.

 

It sounds like you are having loads of fun and from the pictures, I see your new baby is too!! :laugh: