AbbysDaddy Posted December 24, 2009 Share Posted December 24, 2009 Well hello everyone just thought I would formally drop in and officially introduce my self I am JR and for xmas this year my wife got me a African Grey Conga 8yrs old named Abby. Poor Abby spent a few yrs of her life in a laundry room cause the first owners for some reason or not stuck her there and favored the birds they already owned. Then the lady that I bought her from fell ill and after taking several extended unplanned stays in the hospital Abby didn't like that too much and let her know it and well now she is with me! She has adapted to me very fast and I can do almost any thing with her already, but I am wanting her to be more vocal. She does talk and from all I can obtain about her from previous owners she says about ten words. My wife heard "hello" and then a hiss last night while I was at work and I heard "come on" the first time I saw her before I bought her and brought her home. So I know she talks ... any ideas about where to go on this board here and get some advice ... hope to talk to you all soon and I will have a pic up when I get it re-sized. PS I have had her in my house for 8 days now i think?<br><br>Post edited by: AbbysDaddy, at: 2009/12/24 17:51 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 Well AbbysDaddy, congratulations on becoming a Grey parront! Will be looking forward to seeing pictures of Abby and hearing more about her. Welcome to the Grey family! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JillyBeanz Posted December 25, 2009 Share Posted December 25, 2009 Ah, congratulations to you for becoming Abby's Daddy! Welcome to our family. Karma to you for taking on an older bird - they all need our love and attention. Looking forward to learning more about you all - there is tons of helpful information on this forum - any questions ask away - there's always someone here to help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbbysDaddy Posted December 26, 2009 Author Share Posted December 26, 2009 I defiantly wanted a younger one but I felt so bad for Abby I did her her talk and Im not going to lie I do want a talkative bird and I have heard her talk so we will see how it goes ... she said hello for my wife while I was at work ... if any thing I will get another baby bird. How would the 2 CAGS do together? Obviously not in the same cage lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 If she talked for her previous owners then more than likely she will for you too just give her some time, they usually have to feel more secure in their surroundings before they feel comfortable enough to talk. Getting another grey and a baby at that is hard to tell how they would react to one another, usually older birds don't do well with younger ones but personality differences is what matters whether it works or not, they each have their own and sometimes birds of similar ages don't even get along good. Greys in the wild usually flock together for security reasons but in the home they tend to be individuals for the most part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 Congrats to you and your wife for getting you such a wonderful precious gift! Abby is very capable of learning to enlarge her vocabulary at any age. It will take a few months for her to really settle in and realize that this is her forever home. You will watch her blossom more and more every day. I adopted a 1 1/2 year old grey and I was her third home. It took her a full year to realize that she is here for good! :huh: Give Abby lots of love, comfort, and always talk to her. She will pick certain words up quickly. They love it when there is a lot of excitement or high pitch in a word. You will tell she is listening and memorizing what you say to her if you repeat a phrase or word over and over again and she is very still and staring at you. Do that on a regular basis, and before long, you will hear her muttering it and practicing. Then one day, she will say it louder. Praise her and show lots of excitement, that only encourages them. :woohoo: :blink: I'm very happy for you! Please keep us updated, and we would love to see her picture when you can! B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 Oh ya.....I have 2 greys and am amazon. At this point, I do not recommend getting a baby grey just yet. Give Abby time to feel her own special bond and security with your family. You can get one down the road, but it will change Abby's disposition. You want her to blossom with your tlc, not have to share it just yet. Let her bond with you and she will talk more and more as her trust and comfort with you grows. That is my opinion.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbbysDaddy Posted December 26, 2009 Author Share Posted December 26, 2009 Talon wrote: Oh ya.....I have 2 greys and am amazon. At this point, I do not recommend getting a baby grey just yet. Give Abby time to feel her own special bond and security with your family. You can get one down the road, but it will change Abby's disposition. You want her to blossom with your tlc, not have to share it just yet. Let her bond with you and she will talk more and more as her trust and comfort with you grows.That is my opinion.... I definitely was not going to be getting a second one any time soon lol .... would be a few yrs down the road ... Abby would definitely need time to adjust and feel she is in her own ... I will put some pics up of her and my wife here tonight ..... and also she has progressed with me very will ... I can pet her most of the time with out her growling at me like the coffee pot lol she is still cautious but she lets me pet her and now and rub her neck and also she is pacing he cage when I walk up to it with her wings spreed like she knows I'm going to get her out even though her cage is open and she could get out on her own lol .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted December 26, 2009 Share Posted December 26, 2009 She sounds very happy! You'll have such fun with her. I look forward to seeing her pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbbysDaddy Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 Wow sorry for all of the spelling errors and what not and just bad English on that last post. LOL oh well at least you guys and gals got what I meant. One question I do have and if I should go to another room let me know but I want to clip her wings eventually and rather sooner than later but am afraid that if I do it now she might not progress as well as if I let her have full flight (i.e. when she gets scared of something and wants to fly to her cage or if she is just excited and I cant hold on with out her twisting her feet*that has only happened twice*). Should I do it now while she is adjusting or later after she has? Can it be possible for her shell up for more if I wait too long to do it after she has adjusted cause she feels belittled? The vet says its a bonding experience cause I dont cut the wings they do and "I save her from the big mean people who cut her wings off" whats your opinions on this ... she has had full flight for quite a while I understand it a few years at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Don't worry about the spelling errors and such, yes we did understand what you meant but please think more about your decision to clip her wings especially if she has been flighted for a while now. Please read thru the threads we have here on clipping versus not clipping before you decide to clip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 I HATE starting this heated topic up again....Wing Clipping....please do a search on it, some of us have very strong opinions on this debate. This is what I think about the subject....clipping a bird that knows the delight of being fully flighted as they were meant to be, thus given their wings...is like cutting off someones legs! That is my own personal opinion....sorry if I sound harsh. I DO understand that others have their own reasons for thinking differently. I just will never agree with them and that is fine. We are all entitled to our own reasons and opinions. But remember, we respect everyone's reasons for doing as they choose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Everyone has their own reasons for clipping or not. My grey was clipped when I got her and I watched her struggle for almost a year before she was fully flighted. The joy of watching her fly to me is priceless. Please read the many threads here at the forum on this subject. Some greys change when their ability to fly is taken away. I would hate for Abby to become resentful and onery because she could no longer fly. I would hate to see her spirit broken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Welcome JR, Abby and Family. Congratulations on coming together and learning the pleasures of living with a delightful enchantress. Everyone has reasons for clipping, or not. Let me tell you my experience. Our breeders usually clip because they travel. They let our boy's wings grow. He came home and had a clumsy week or two learning to use his flight. Every time he flew he whooped with delight prior to his takeoff. We only had six weeks together and watching him fly is one of the things that has given me the greatest of joy. We have another bird, flighted for three years and it really is a gift to ourselves to keep them flighted if you can manage it. It is a hard choice, there are lots of threads to read. I was new, I was scared to leave him flighted in case he should hurt himself. I am so glad I took that path. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Luvparrots & Katana600, You guys said it perfectly..."it is priceless" to watch the delight in their eyes when they are finally able to fly! And those many tries and clumsy falling are well worth it when the day comes and they master that flight for the very first time....they really do "whoop" with excitement! What a precious moment to witness! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbbysDaddy Posted December 27, 2009 Author Share Posted December 27, 2009 Flying is great and I love that she can but she only does it when she is startled never from her perch to her cage and when she is in the bathroom she insists on taking off from the shower rod when I am done and then flying to my lights I have in my bath room which are HOT ... and she LANDS on them lol .... of course by this time I am flying out of the tub trying to catch her out of mid flight so when she lands on them she wont burn her feet ..... but that is really the only time I am scared for her. I will think about it more oh and how long does it take for the birds wings to grow back if they are cut to the proper length.? Keep in mind she is 8 and she never has used flight for fun or to get around the house. Although I see what some people mean about it being compaired to loosing your legs ... this is why I wanted some peoples opinions on this .... these birds are too smart to do something blindly with out asking others advice!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted December 27, 2009 Share Posted December 27, 2009 Sorry I can't help on the experience you need to consider clipping, I just don't have that knowledge yet. I believe you will find what is right for your home, for your bird and for your peace of mind and respect whatever choice you make. Since Abby can fly if she wants to, I believe it gives her confidence in herself. She doesn't know you well yet and in time she will see how much you love her and learn to trust you in the shower and other places, that she is okay with you and she is safe. Juno was a baby, he only took about two weeks to start seeking me out and flying to me. Since Abby has had some life experience it might take her a little longer to build trust. It might take her a lot longer depending on her personality and what she has learned about people. You already have a good relationship with her so that is a good sign. Enjoy her. Life is good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbbysDaddy Posted December 28, 2009 Author Share Posted December 28, 2009 Well I am in agreement with you I believe too. She will most likely be keeping her flight skills for a while longer. She is excited for me to come to her cage she lifts her foot so fast and you can tell she is excited to see me. She is progressing nicely with me for what I want except for the talking. My wife has about half an hour of video of Abby talking, she is saying her name, come one, and hello. I think she is trying to say good night and good morning ... maybe shes just trying to figure out the word good its hard to tell from the video.Any who I have heard her say multiple words just not in front of me lol and here is the kicker part she wont come out of the cage for my wife just me and wont let any one else pet her and cuddle her just me lol but she wont talk for me oh well it will come with time ... I know shes not a baby any more being 8 and I dont have any kids but it feels like I missed her first words lol!!!! I dont know if any one on here would want to watch threw a 5 min video of her when she only says about 3 or 4 words but if any one is i might post it up later on tonight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 AbbysDaddy wrote: Flying is great and I love that she can but she only does it when she is startled never from her perch to her cage and when she is in the bathroom she insists on taking off from the shower rod when I am done and then flying to my lights I have in my bath room which are HOT ... and she LANDS on them lol .... of course by this time I am flying out of the tub trying to catch her out of mid flight so when she lands on them she wont burn her feet ..... but that is really the only time I am scared for her. I will think about it more oh and how long does it take for the birds wings to grow back if they are cut to the proper length.? Keep in mind she is 8 and she never has used flight for fun or to get around the house. Although I see what some people mean about it being compaired to loosing your legs ... this is why I wanted some peoples opinions on this .... these birds are too smart to do something blindly with out asking others advice!!!! I know what you mean about worrying that they fly to the wrong places where they may get burned by lights, etc. I keep a small spray bottle nearby and when they fly to dangerous spots, lightly spray them. My greys HATE being sprayed by the "evil green bottle", :evil: and now I only have to pick it up and they fly off or change their minds... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JillyBeanz Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 It is such a delight that you don't have to fetch them around the house, let alone anything else! I can be in one room - upstairs even, and call for Harvey and up he comes - no need to carry him! I have had to alter my home somewhat since Harvey's arrival. I have an "uplighter" light in my lounge that now remains switched off - we sit in the darkness of the electric fire!!! It's just too hot and just too much a temptation for Harvey! Just what you have to do to make your fid safe and happy - just like having "real" kids really! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 It is so funny that she chats away but is mum to you when you want most of all to hear her speak to you. At least you know she is capable. When you discover the magic that is her safety zone and she realizes your delight in her talking ability, you won't be able to get her quiet again, I have a feeling. I am glad we are here to share with you when she starts talking just to you! It is going to be amazing for all of us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted December 28, 2009 Share Posted December 28, 2009 We love videos. So if you have a video of Abby, please give us a looksey!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbbysDaddy Posted December 29, 2009 Author Share Posted December 29, 2009 The video is taking way too long to upload Ill try it later on today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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