marybeth Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Hi guys I just thought I would introduce myself. I am a 34 yr old mama of a 2yr old and a 4 yr old (of the human variety) and a cat and dog . . and as of yesterday, rather unexpectedly, a CAG that needed a home. We've had parrots in the past, quakers and a conure, but it has been a few years and I fully expected we would share our home with them again someday but I wasn't expecting it yesterday morning when my husband called and stammered around a bit, asking if this was something I would be interested in, yada yada, all the while not telling me what the "something" is . . I'm going, "what? WHAT? what are you asking me!" and he finally spits out that a volunteer at his work knows someone who is caring for a grey who needs a family (in his previous family, hubby had gotten him for the wife, wife passed on, hubby doesn't want to keep the bird). And I'm like, um yeah? Let's go meet the fellow! So, we went and met him, he whistled at hubby alot (he supposedly likes men), and well . . he was in a small cage in a dark house and the woman works all day and he is alone and of course we couldn't leave him there. So that's where we are. From all the info I could find, he is somewhere between 7 and 12 years of age. He seems a bit tentative but not scared, really. We haven't attempted to take him out of his cage or anything yet, although tomorrow his new, more appropriately sized cage will be here so I am hoping we can get him to check that out without too much hullabaloo. I've sat by him quite alot and just chatted him up, and today he started whistling at me every time I sat to talk. It was very deliberate, he looked right into my eye and gave me a nice big whistle, and I returned the favor. So far we have only heard the whistle and then some sort of electronic sound. Oh yes, also, he has some issue with one of his legs. The woman told us his toe was messed up or something, but it's not his toe, it's his entire leg, it's as if it's rotated out wrong, he can use it to hang off the cage just fine but he doesn't quite perch upright on it. He leans a bit. I hope it's not painful for him. He's pretty gimpy when it comes to standing or perching on two legs but like I said he climbs just fine. He hangs by his beak alot. Yesterday morning I had no idea I would be sharing my home with a grey come afternoon, but we are really happy about it. We are taking everything very, very slow because we have no idea what sort of life he has had. What do you think about his leg? I wonder if there are any special sorts of perches or anything we could do to make him more comfortable. Of course we are getting him into our local avian vet in the next few days, too. Anyway, I'm excited to be here and get to know you guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cupid Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Welcome to grey forums! So glad you were able to rescue "Gimpy" Theres another member here whos baby has a bent leg too, so I dont think its a problem because her bird is wonderful just the way he is, as Im sure yours is too... Hopefully you can share some pics of your new family member soon. Glad that your here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbara2 Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 One member here, Rudysmom, has a grey named Cody who had it's leg broken in the nest. She has gotten a cage that isn't quite as big but has a very nice playtop to accomodate her little boy's "handicap". Also some special perches. I'm sure you will find a lot of great information here to help you and your new buddy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Hello MaryBeth and welcome to our family, I am so glad you could give this grey a new forever home, poor guy surely did need it. You are doing the right thing to take some time to get to know him, let him decide when he is ready for more interaction, the important thing is to not push him for more than he is willing to give right now, he has baggage he may be unpacking soon as is the case with an adult bird. Who knows what may have happened to his leg, it could have been that way since he hatched but in any case the vet will be the one to decide what if anything can be done about it, he seems to have adjusted to it as most do when they have always had the handicap for they don't know anything else. I hope it doesn't cause him any pain but I would imagine it would reveal itself if it did. You will learn much from reading thru the many threads here, we have lots of useful information in them that may be of help to you in the coming weeks, months and years down the road as it is of firsthand knowledge with like grey owners as many have shared their pains and gains. What is his name? We would love to see some pictures of him if you have some you would share with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marybeth Posted July 15, 2011 Author Share Posted July 15, 2011 Ty for the welcome! The cage we ordered for him isn't HUGE because I was a bit worried about him falling but it's a decent size and much better than the travesty he is in right now. And it does have a nice play gym on top, and we are also going to get a standalone play gym when he warms up to us some. I will do some searching on the forums for ideas on special perches, I would love to make him as comfortable as possible. We took the lock off of his door tonight for a bit (he can open his cage if you don't put an extra lock on it) and he decided to come out and join us for a bit, and then after awhile he went back inside. I know it may take some time for him to feel safe around us but I really think he is going to fit in so well. I love him already. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marybeth Posted July 15, 2011 Author Share Posted July 15, 2011 Hi judygram! His name is Gabby. I will most definitely be posting pics soon! I am a photographer so I can't wait for a chance to get his beautiful face in front of my lens. His leg does not seem to cause him pain, he does stretch it occasionally but I remember my other parrots doing that also. He takes treats that we offer quite gently from our fingers (only myself and hubby, the kids are only allowed to watch from a distance for now). He is eating and drinking well and climbing all over on that leg, just when he perches he pretty much lays his body on the perch as if that leg doesn't support weight at all from that angle. But from the way he uses it to climb and hang, I am hopeful it's not hurting him. I am really looking forward to seeing how he fits into our family. He is very beautiful and his eyes speak volumes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Marybeth, hi and a big welcome to the Grey Family. I think you will be surprised at how clever our little grey friends can be. Does he have a name yet??? There is oodles of information here at the forum about just about anything you can think of so look around and read, read, read. If you have any questions, just ask. You have come to the right place if you are looking for like people who just love our greys!!! We also love pictures so if you get a chance, please share a looksee at your new sweetie! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tODDski Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Welcome and congratulations Marybeth. I look forward to some quality photos. Cheers to many years, Todd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranaz Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Hi Marybeth and Gabby and welcome to our greyt family... Im so glad Gabby has found you and your family. He is a lucky fellow I guess. Im glad he can move around on his leg without pain. The vet will certainly give the right advice. Cant wait for the pix though, both his face and his leg to see how it looks. So his cage arrived? I hope he likes it. I think what you are doing is great, being patient and approaching him with care. Its gonna take patience and lots of love but Im sure its gonna be worth it. What does he eat? I hope he is on pellets and he does like fresh veggies. The vet will also give you the best advice concerning his diet. Keep us posted and let us know how he takes on to his new cage. All the best... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marybeth Posted July 15, 2011 Author Share Posted July 15, 2011 Hello again! Thank you all for the warm welcome and the advice. It is always so nice to see people who care so much about our little friends. It looks like he did not have a good diet before he came to us; the lady handed us his "food" which was two big bags of seeds. We stopped and got him some pellets right away and we share whatever we are eating that is appropriate for him. We eat almost 100% clean, whole foods so most of what we eat he can eat. He is doing great with fresh fruits and veggies and a little pasta, though. I think later today or tomorrow I will try a rice/bean/veggie mixture and see how he likes it. He takes the offered foods from our fingers SO gently, and we have offered some gentle scratches around his head and he loved that too. His cage should get here sometime today. I guess we will just set it next to the one he is in right now and open them both up and put some food and water in both and let him decide when he wants to check it out. I will try to get some nice photos then too. I am excited and can't wait to get to know this little guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Hi guys IOh yes, also, he has some issue with one of his legs. The woman told us his toe was messed up or something, but it's not his toe, it's his entire leg, it's as if it's rotated out wrong, he can use it to hang off the cage just fine but he doesn't quite perch upright on it. He leans a bit. I hope it's not painful for him. He's pretty gimpy when it comes to standing or perching on two legs but like I said he climbs just fine. He hangs by his beak alot. What do you think about his leg? I wonder if there are any special sorts of perches or anything we could do to make him more comfortable. Of course we are getting him into our local avian vet in the next few days, too. Anyway, I'm excited to be here and get to know you guys. Hi , welcome to our perch As far as the weak leg/claws, it's probably a partially splayed leg. If he's lasted this long, there shouldn't be a problem in the future. What type of perches------- Natural wood branches that are different thicknesses are best for weak feet that don't have strong gripping power. The branches can be taken off of dead trees. Put a few odd sized branches in the cage and that'll given him a chance to squeeze the feet tighter and looser. The odd sizes allow your bird to find the best thicknesses he likes. Playstands can be made of them too. An example below------- http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/DaveVP/P1010002k.jpg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranaz Posted July 15, 2011 Share Posted July 15, 2011 Loved the playstand Dave...creative as usual... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marybeth Posted July 16, 2011 Author Share Posted July 16, 2011 Thanks so much Dave! That is exactly the sort of thing I was wondering about. That playstand looks perfect, I will try to get something like that for Gabby, I think it would be really helpful for him because he seems to prefer to perch with one leg underneath him and the other one out to the side. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popsicle Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Welcome, Marybeth. Looking forward to seeing photos of the new member of your family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoom Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Welcome, Marybeth! I think Gabby is so lucky to have found you. And vice versa, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marybeth Posted July 16, 2011 Author Share Posted July 16, 2011 Ty guys! Today we got his new cage set up and it is so much nicer than the one he is in, I hope he will check it out soon. He is getting used to us. He likes to have his neck scratched and will tilt his head down for me and especially hubby. Today he tilted his head and looked away a little, it looked like he was being a little bashful, and he said a really quiet "Hello" to me. It was so exciting to hear him speak to me and I hope it means he is feeling a little more comfortable with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zoom Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Oh, that's so sweet! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ranaz Posted July 16, 2011 Share Posted July 16, 2011 Oh so cute... I'm glad he is opening up so quickly... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marybeth Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 Last nite he was sooo sweet, turning his head upside down for scritches and giving me kisses. But now tonight I scared him while trying to put a perch in his new cage so I doubt he'll even let me scratch his neck before bed. We'll see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 Don't worry, this won't be your last misstep. There's plenty more where that came from And just when you think you've got the rules down, he'll change them You guys are doing really well. The fact that he even let you give him scritches at this point is very positive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marybeth Posted July 18, 2011 Author Share Posted July 18, 2011 Thanks! I hope so. I fed him some whole wheat pasta a little bit ago, I held it for him because he doesn't seem to be able to use one foot to hold his food and eat it like I've seen parrots do, and he ate quite a bit and was totally ok with me so I think he has forgiven the incident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malikah Posted July 18, 2011 Share Posted July 18, 2011 Welcome Marybeth and Gabby and flock. It sounds like things are going really well so far. I hope the honeymoon never ends. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marybeth Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Thanks Yeah I think things are going SO well, for an adult bird that we have no idea what circumstances he comes from. He must have had some love, though, because he has alot of sweetness in him. He said hello to me again today. So far he has only spoken to me. He has whistled to me and hubby, but he has said "hello" to me twice. I know it's not a huge deal but I wish you could see how he said it, it was so sweet and deliberate. Gosh, I just love him so much, I can't even believe I didn't know he existed a week ago! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morana Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Hello and welcome to you both!:-) I read your story just now and I think it is great you found each other:-D I hope he stays so sweet but do read through threads here which talk about honeymoon period.. Patience and everything will be fine. You are already doing really great:-) More pictures please :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marybeth Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 Thank you! Oh yes, I'm sure it will be months before we really see his full personality. I can already see hints of attitude here and there, sometimes it just blazes out of his little eyes and I know he's going to be full of mischief when he really gets good and settled in. I love it though and can't wait to get to really know him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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