Jasper's Home!!!!

[Pyroe87]

Yey today finally arrived and Jasper finally came home :laugh: . He had to spend 3 hours in his carrier for the journey back but he is now in his cage and seems to be settling in. Can I check if these things are normal for a baby grey in a new environment:

Firstly he sat on one of his perches (they are all close to the bottom of the cage for now) and had something to eat. Then he had a look around before making really loud noises and flying/jumping round the cage. Finally he sat on the bottom of the cage and had a chew at the towels (on the bottom to provide a cushion for any crash landings). Now he is huddled up in a corner at the bottom of the cage.

Is this all quite normal? Especially the bit about him being huddled in a corner of his cage?

Any advice welcome and pictures will follow when he has settled in properly

[JillyBeanz]

Hi Jenny - Great to hear that Jasper is home!! I did exactly the same as you - put the perches low, put the towel in the bottom - but Harvey did exactly the same as Jasper - jumped around the cage and within minutes he was hanging upside down!

 

He's just making himself a little bed in the corner of his cage - when you went to collect him you will have noticed that he probably wasn't sitting on the perch either - although they are obviously trained to perch, they prefer to be near their clutch mate (which would have been in the next cage to Jasper).

 

Don't worry - he's just settling in! Can't wait to see the pictures of Harvey's relative!!! :laugh:

[Pyroe87]

Hi Jill

 

Jasper is a lot darker grey than Harvey (in the photo's I've seen). There were 3 babies in separate but 1 still wasn't feeding 100% properly so I was able to choose from 2 soooo cute greys. There was another Grey who looked a bit older and was a lighter grey (similar to Harvey). Jasper was sat on a perch though having some lunch when I arrived which I rudely interupted by having a hold of him (hope he didnt mind). He was quiet all the way back but has made a few chirps since being at home. Currently he's just come around and is preening himself on the bottom of his cage

Glad to hear this is all normal, i'm so anxious for everything to go smoothly

How is Harvey doing?

[JillyBeanz]

I can't tell you how Harvey is doing - Jasper and him are probably from the same parents and you may take Jasper back if I tell you! Ha Ha! He's fine - sitting on the top of the door reciting his new "Michael" phrase (obviously I must shout it a lot - it's my husband's name)!

 

His other favourite is "the duck". I ask him what a duck says and he says "quack quack". He is so proud of himself with that one!

 

The photo in my Avatar is of Harvey when he was probably about 14 weeks old - he has lightened a lot since then - and regularly showers help!

 

Looking forward to hearing more of Jasper x

[Pyroe87]

Lol :lol: ok I wont press for more info..............tell me, tell me hehe. Aww Harvey sounds adorable, I still laugh about him pulling a red bum feather out :lol: !!!!

Jasper is currently doing acrobats around his cage - he's gone right to the top - hanging upside down and vocalising. Do you have any dogs at all? I have 2 small one's who are both so intrigued that they run over to have a look whenever he moves or makes a noise - how should i best introduce them to each other??

[Luvparrots]

Congratulations on Jasper coming home!!!! How exciting for you! The only advice I have is enjoy!!!! Can't wait to see some pictures of Jasper's homecoming, hint, hint!!!!

[JillyBeanz]

Jenny - could you stop cuddling Jasper for just one minute and give us an update (and some photos!!!)

[Pyroe87]

Hi again, sorry for the delay, been settling Jasper in, he's into everything I cant take my eyes off him when hes out his cage :lol: . So i've been out and got him some baby toys and teething toys for him to play with which he loves and is keeping him occupied. I'm trying to devise a loose routine for him so rough time for wake ups, breakfast, going to work, etc. For feeding i've been giving him fruit in a morning, and veggies in an evening. Pellets are always available and a handful of seed each day, but i've noticed his droppings have become like water - i'm a little worried about this - should I make some changes to his food? On a more positive note (if this works as ive not uploaded pics yet). Ive attached 2 pics of Jasper - he is 12 weeks old today .

 

IMG]http://i891.photobucket.com/albums/ac116/JasperGrey09/Jasper/JasperPlaying1.jpg[/img]

[Luvparrots]

Fruits are watery so that is why the droppings are probably watery. You should probably mix up the foods a little more. You should take a look in the Food Room where members have posted recipes, etc. that they provide to their fids. Jasper certainly is a handsome bird!! Thanks for sharing him with us!

[Xtreme575]

Congrats on Jasper's arrival, and welcome to the forum. It's true, the fruit really impacts the droppings, but when I brought my guy home at 12 weeks I remember worrying about his watery droppings and I was only feeding grapes as fruit (with a good mix of veggies and pellets).

 

Anyway, it turned out to just be the stress of the new environment. Even though his disposition was great, he was friendly with me right away, and it appeared that he was taking it in stride, his dropping reveal the truth. Even now, at nearly 7 months, when I take him to a new environment, watery droppings. I'd keep an eye on it, lay off the fruit a bit (mine loves broccoli, carrots, jalepeno peppers, green beans, etc for breakfast) and make sure he's drinking and then see how he is in a couple of days. If no improvement you might want to consult with your avian vet.

[Pyroe87]

Hi thanks for the advice. Jasper seems to be settling in better now and loves playing with his baby toys. I'm off today because work has been closed due to snow :woohoo: lol, so have spent the day with him at home, so he has been out of his cage all day. Tried a spray bath ealier - dont even think he got wet before he took off back to his cage in disgust (tried again but still didnt like it) so i've let him off, I might try a small bowl of water next time - see how he takes to that. His droppings are a bit firmer today but (I know this is bad) I think its because he's eating too many seeds. His breeder recommends 33% good quality seeds, 33% pellets and 33% fruit and veggies. In a morning I give him a dish of fruits, check his pellets (rarely touched) and some seeds (as this has always been eaten). Then when I get in from work, I remove the spoiled fruit and make him his veggies for tea, but he doesnt eat much of this. As I dont want him to go hungry, i will give him some more seed. He always cries for the seed, so this is why I reluctently(sp) give in. The seed I was given by the breeder appears to be mostly sunflower seeds - any tips on getting him back on his pellets and veggies?

One finsl question - Jasper keeps flying into the window(patio doors) and although i keep taking him over to them and explaining they are glass and not fly-troughable - he still attempts the impossible - so far he hasnt hurt himself badly, but im worried he might - anyone know of any tips to help?

Many thanks

[danmcq]

The fruit and veggies will make his poop watery. Fruit should be a very small quantity and only 2x a week.

 

To mist a flighted bird, it is usually easier to wrap a sheet or something around the sides of the cage and mist him in the cage. That is how I mist my flighted grey.

 

In regards the windows and sliding glass door. Cover them when he is out or place stick-ons on them that you can live with and he will see. He will learn windows after a while, but right now he is very young and does not understand many things.

[Pyroe87]

Hi thanks for the advice - I have been closing the curtains but start to open them gradually for a bit of light - that's when he takes off (I think its because he can see wild birds outside - today has been really good though, as no crashes yet .

 

You say give fruit only twice a week - this is ok for me to do, should I give veggies then bother morning and evenings on these others days alongside his pellets? In regards to seeds - i just read someone mixes their seeds with the veggies - should I do this to encourage eating, or keep them separate?

 

Thanks