FirstPenguin Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Hi, This is my first post. I currently play second fiddle as the companion of a lovely Senegal named Evie. She was a gift (a well planned gift) for my girlfriend. She's adored animals of all kinds her entire life but never had the joy (or the responsibility) of owning one. We've had Evie just over a year and what a roller coaster ride it's been. My girlfriend has had trouble dealing with the demands of a pet, let alone those of a Senegal parrot. It's been tough for her living in the close quarters of a one bedroom apartment. My gamble has luckily paid off. I refer to myself as second fiddle because Evie has bonded quite strongly with my girlfriend, but has stayed very social and handleable with myself and a few members of my extended family. We regularly travel with her with in the region to visit family and have left Evie with my mom on more than one occasion. In fact if Evie and I go visit my parents with out my girlfriend Evie seems to prefer my mom to me when we are just hanging out. She clearly has a preference for woman. The reason I've joined the Grey forum is to help my girlfriend and I develop a road plan to hopefully complete our flock. Evie has very much become my girlfriends daemon (in the golden compass sense of the word) and when we get the space we hope to get either a timneh or a congo for me. We originally went looking for either a senegal or a timneh when we decided to get a bird. My girlfriend still can't believe I talked her into it. Up until... about a year and a half ago she thought pet birds were entertaining animals that lived in a cage rarely interacting with people, and the ones at zoos and on TV were just professionally trained like the lions and tigers at the circus. We've already started browsing the web for the right breeder even though any such adoption would be atleast a year or more away. When we did research to adopt Evie we formed some strong opinions on what makes a breeder the right breeder for us. These opinions have only been strengthened and added to by a year of learning, reading and hands on experience with Evie. We believe strongly in the following... lots of socialization with people and other birds (the concept of nanny birds) longer rearing time at the breeders for Congos: These birds live a much different life than other birds in the wild. Full fledging: If possible never clipping, Evie is two flight feathers away from having a complete set of primaries and we couldn't be happier. Abundance Weaning: This is an obvious, popular technique these days but I think there are varying degrees of implementation practiced and some breeders may just use the term and not take the concept to it's fullest potential. Additional focus on nutrition: I click off pretty quickly when seed mix is mentioned on a breeders site. And the List goes on. Point is I've joined here to figure out which bird is right for me and how to find the best life time companion for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Hello First Penguin, I just wanted to welcome you to our family and to say I like your plan on adding a grey to your flock, wish everyone was as thorough as you are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 I would not turn off a breeder because the mention or uses seed mix in a good varied diet. In the wild they do consume seed as well as fruit, flowers, leaf buds some insects and what ever ground roots and veggies they find. It can be a healthy part of a well rounded diet. Variety is the spice of life for them as well as us. There have been recent studies showing kidney and liver damage from too heavy a reliance on pelleted foods, so keep all these things in mind. Kudos to you for doing your research and planning ahead. You will make a good life for what ever Grey grabs your heart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Welcome First Penguin! It is good to see you have already been researching and found the importance of getting your Grey from the right breeder. YOur list of things to look for is spot on. Since you have a year to mull this over before moving into a larger home, you will have plenty of time to consider the requirements for an additional parrots care and maintenance requirements. One thing about a Grey, is they require a lot of personal attention. They want to be with the flock at all times, whether sitting on you our perhaps just perched hanging out in the same room. Also, they may or may not get along with another parrot. But, you can learn how to handle that as well. Looking forward to hear more from you as this progresses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 Very cutie Avatar, FirstPenguin. Evie is a sweetie!!!! I commend you on your research and am looking forward to seeing which grey you choose a CAG or a TAG. Welcome to the Greyforum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstPenguin Posted October 1, 2010 Author Share Posted October 1, 2010 Thanks everyone for the kind words. I would not turn off a breeder because the mention or uses seed mix in a good varied diet. In the wild they do consume seed as well as fruit, flowers, leaf buds some insects and what ever ground roots and veggies they find. It can be a healthy part of a well rounded diet. Variety is the spice of life for them as well as us. There have been recent studies showing kidney and liver damage from too heavy a reliance on pelleted foods, so keep all these things in mind. Kudos to you for doing your research and planning ahead. You will make a good life for what ever Grey grabs your heart. I may have been a little sarcastic when I was ragging on seed mix. We use the tiniest bit with our Sennie but never in her main food bowl. She only gets it when using foraging toys in her cage. Many Pois are known for gorging on one source of food they like so we're careful about how much she has access to and make sure the healthier stuff is easier to get to first. That does bring up something my lady and I have formed an opinion on as well. We're surprised at how some of the experts out there vary so much on what percentage of a birds daily diet should be represented in pellets. I would be very interested to see some of the articles or sources that relate to pellets and kidney and liver damage. Welcome First Penguin! It is good to see you have already been researching and found the importance of getting your Grey from the right breeder. YOur list of things to look for is spot on. Since you have a year to mull this over before moving into a larger home, you will have plenty of time to consider the requirements for an additional parrots care and maintenance requirements. One thing about a Grey, is they require a lot of personal attention. They want to be with the flock at all times, whether sitting on you our perhaps just perched hanging out in the same room. Also, they may or may not get along with another parrot. But, you can learn how to handle that as well. Looking forward to hear more from you as this progresses. Thanks Dan, I'm counting on it. My sennie is napping on my shoulder right now. I'm well aware of a parrots desire to be part of the flock at all times. We've already run into the issue with Evie. She will play independently in her cage at times but other times she wants to do nothing but be with her human. In many book and online resources Senegals are not recommended as first birds despite having the attraction of being known as one of the better apartment or quieter birds. I'm starting to see why they're not recommended for first timers like my girlfriend. I had a conure when I was little among other animals and was much better prepared. Right now I'm dealing with the issue of her human being out of town and Evie being stuck with me. She likes to fly from one end of the room to the other. I think she flies around quite a bit more in hopes she'll eventually find her human or someone female and therefore closer to what she's looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted October 1, 2010 Share Posted October 1, 2010 We feed very little pellets to our fids' there diet consist of mainly fresh "when possible".They receive about 1/8 cup, seeds and pellets,[separate cups] from after breakfast till the next morning. The proper amount of seed's are necessary for there health, we serve pellets as a treat.....P.S. stripped sunflower seeds, 1/2 teaspoon a day is smart..... http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190462-We-Feed-Our-Fid-s!!!-Update http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190489-Welcome-PROSPECTIVE-and-NEW-GREY-Owner-s.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstPenguin Posted October 2, 2010 Author Share Posted October 2, 2010 We feed very little pellets to our fids' there diet consist of mainly fresh "when possible".They receive about 1/8 cup, seeds and pellets,[separate cups] from after breakfast till the next morning. The proper amount of seed's are necessary for there health, we serve pellets as a treat.....P.S. stripped sunflower seeds, 1/2 teaspoon a day is smart..... http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190462-We-Feed-Our-Fid-s!!!-Update http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?190489-Welcome-PROSPECTIVE-and-NEW-GREY-Owner-s.. Thanks for the info and the links. Like you mention with the chickpeas. We worry if we make certain things available at the same time she won't eat her other stuff. We too include sweet potato in her our fids diet. Instead of a mash we chunk fresh sweet potato, lightly steam them till they soften and freeze what I won't use in two days. I heat a few chunks a day along with other frozen and or fresh items. We also regularly feed whole edamame. She spends a good amount of time chewing on the beans and the pod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FirstPenguin Posted October 19, 2010 Author Share Posted October 19, 2010 Very cutie Avatar, FirstPenguin. Evie is a sweetie!!!! I commend you on your research and am looking forward to seeing which grey you choose a CAG or a TAG. Welcome to the Greyforum! To revisit your previous comment. We have always leaned towards TAGs because the more published opinion is they adjust easier and are easier to socialized with a lot of people. Then I read about people who breed and rear them differently and the resulting Congo is nothing like the stereotypical congo. So for a bit I was leaning towards congos. I just posted in the classifieds section looking for a TAG. My girlfriend is most comfortable with the TAGs so it looks like that's what we're going to hopefully find. We're thinking a rehome that prefers men would be good bet so it's less likely to bond with my lady who is already taken by our Sennie. My TAG Classified Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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