Wingy Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 I have been visiting your forum for the past few weeks and am really impressed with the amount of knowledge, helpfulness and friendliness of this group. A little about myself. I have been fidless for a little over 10 years. I used to be a slave to 2 quakers, 2 conures and the food buyer of a yellow nape amazon. It was decided that the fids would remain in their home when the ex and I separated. Not the best decision for me but a the time it was the best decision for them. I had an excellent relationship with all but the amazon. That bird hated me with all the hate in the world and that experience has left me a bit shy around birds with large beaks. Over the past few years I have been entertaining thoughts of having feathered companions again and with all the kids grown and out of the house I have been giving it quite a bit of serious thought. I am torn between the quaker and the grey, which is how I ended up here. So please excuse me if I ask a bunch of silly questions or ones you've been asked a million times before. Your knowledge will help me decide if a grey and I might be a good fit together, if I should stick to quakers which I love dearly or if now really isn't the right time. Wingy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray P Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Hi Wingy, There are no silly questions when there is a need to know so welcome to the grey forum and ask away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffNOK Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Welcome--just poke around the forums a bit and you will probably see a lot of your questions already answered. And don't hesitate to ask new questions as well. That is why everyone is here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Hi Wingy, ask a way. There are oodles of threads here about all kinds of grey subjects. I look forward to hearing about your journey to find the grey/quaker for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted October 30, 2011 Share Posted October 30, 2011 Many members are working parronts. Greys and other parrots are left alone for the work day. No problems. Just make sure there are toys, foraging toys and food and water in your parrot's cage. Some leave a radio or such on for their birdies. I am home all day long and my parrots joy time away from me, sitting on perches in other rooms and playing and getting into mischief out of sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cheri21 Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Hi Wingy and welcome.....I also wanted a parrot and went in to specialized pet store that does mainly birds to investigate a small parrot. I have always wanted a grey but wasn't sure about spending the bucks for one. Well needless to say I am well on my way to bringing my CAG home in a few weeks. He is not weaned yet so I am waiting for that. Greys are one of the smartest, with the largest talking ability of the birds and also one of the quietest. There are some very cute Quaker babies in the store also and they are very noisy. I wanted something a little quieter, not that greys can't get noisy also, but I am finding out it is all in how they are raised and then handled once they come home. Definitely get one from a breeder or store that specializes in birds and has a lot of experience with them. I get to go and visit with Buckeye three times a week and he is now 11 weeks old. I think that this week he started really reconizing me when I came in. Visit when you can and you will for sure bond when he gets home. Good Luck with your search, that in itself is fun...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffNOK Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Wingy, as far as your time away--just budget time into you day to sepnd an hour a day giving direct attention to your fid (playing/talking/holding etc) and 3 hours of "out of cage time". As far as big beak fears. I had the same concerns. I am getting my baby in a December and have been visiting her at the breeder almost daily. She has never bitten me or even nipped. She steps up nicely. I do think babies are less likely to bite that older birds--though there are exceptions of course. Visiting her once a week should be a great start. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 There is a dedicated bird shop about 80 miles from my home. They are wonderful there and well worth the drive. Unfortunately its not a drive that I can make often especially with winter getting ready to rear its ugly head. An hour of personal time and 3 hours of out of cage time is more than doable. I'm home most days by 4:30ish and most of the time on weekends. There are, of course, exceptions to this like if I had an appointment, driving home in the snow or had to work a Saturday. Actually I might be able to bring bird with me to work on a Saturday. Sometimes people bring their kids... mine would just happen to have feathers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted November 8, 2011 Author Share Posted November 8, 2011 I went to ds's home today to play with his baby quaker. She is such a sweetie which doesn't make my decision any easier. I'm flip flopping more than a crooked politician. I really wish I knew of an elderly person near by that had a loved and cherished grey and would allow me to form a bond with and eventually adopt their bird when the time came that they could no longer take care of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted November 8, 2011 Share Posted November 8, 2011 I went to ds's home today to play with his baby quaker. She is such a sweetie which doesn't make my decision any easier. I'm flip flopping more than a crooked politician. I really wish I knew of an elderly person near by that had a loved and cherished grey and would allow me to form a bond with and eventually adopt their bird when the time came that they could no longer take care of it. Huh. A pet vulture! (Circling the nearly dead, waiting to snatch away the pet...) Just kidding, naturally. As you're concerned with big beaks, keep in mind that Timnehs are even smaller that Congos! (Although they can still draw blood, of course!) My baby is only 280 grams... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted November 8, 2011 Author Share Posted November 8, 2011 The SO and I, ok more I, decided that we will take this winter to clean and rearrange our home into a more bird friendly place. I'm going to do the carpets with just a hot water steam clean and check for non drafty areas for a cage. My first step tonight was to put light bulbs in the lamps and actually turn them on. The SO is laughing because he knows I see better in the dark. High on the "to do" list is to find a way to cover the 100 year old woodwork. My landlord would have a cow and a half if that was chewed to toothpicks not to mention 100 year old varnish can't be healthy if some bits flake off and are swallowed. Are greys poo shooters like quakers? When I had quakers I found poo on the ceiling. I never did figure that one out and they refused to tell me how that happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tias Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Welcome Wingy! I can only go from my experience on your questions...As far as big bird/beak....I have a Mini Macaw (Beautiful colors minus the "Big" part) and an AG, I got the AG to keep Macaw entertained while everyone was away, I also leave radio on while I'm at work....sometimes switching to tv for the day...As far as poo shooters...I've never cleaned poo off the ceiling from either one. Hope you find all the info you need to make a good decision! Good Luck to you!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted November 9, 2011 Author Share Posted November 9, 2011 Huh. A pet vulture! (Circling the nearly dead, waiting to snatch away the pet...) Just kidding, naturally. Circling the nearly dead? You obviously haven't been shopping on senior discount day. Some of those elderly folks should have their license to push a cart taken away. Seriously though I don't have my heart set on a baby and a much loved older bird, if he/she accepted me, is something to consider. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted December 9, 2011 Author Share Posted December 9, 2011 My DS came for a visit on Thanksgiving and brought his baby blue quaker. She is such a sweetie. The bird shop did an excellent job socializing her and the love they have for all the birds just shines through this little one. My SO wasn't impressed with the quakers smaller size and I caught him looking at pictures of greys. A grey is really where we are leaning though SO is being a typical man by leaving it up to me. There are still some pieces to put in place like asking DS if he'll take my fid when I can no longer care for him/her, figuring out how to cover the old woodwork, and coming up with an alternate heat source if we lose power in the winter. At least I feel like we are making some progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 Wingy... I don't think you could go wrong, with either of your choices. It sounds like you had a bad beak experience with an Amazon. I have an Amazon that I reared 10 years ago. She wouldn't know HOW to bite. All birds are different. My experience, greys and amazons tend to " clamp down", for a bite. Cockatoos tend to " tear", sunconures also "tear", with their bite. My little sunconures bite, is more damaging then the other big birds! I would suggest a baby for you. It sounds like you are more comfortable with a Quaker, that I know nothing about. Go with your instinct! I am partial to a grey, due to their intelligence. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawL Posted December 11, 2011 Share Posted December 11, 2011 Hey Wingy, and welcome to the forum! I completely LOL'D when you asked if Grey's were poo shooters like the Quakers! Oh man, Quakers are SO BAD about that! I have a little Quaker that I love to pieces named Kiwi (I hand raised her). She would shoot her poops all over the place! Thankfully she decided to stop doing that, and it hasnt happened in 6 months or so. About your decision between a grey, and quaker...it is going to be a tough one! I am actually waiting to get my grey home. He is in OK, and I live in NC. I found a GREAT breeder online, and he will be coming home hopefully by the end of January. I dont worry at all about him not being bonded to e when he arrives home. I know I have PLENTY of time for that. Take time in making your decision, and dont be afraid those big beaks...all birds are different, and you should be just fine. Just be sure to read up on Grey's BODY LANGUAGE. People would be able to avoid A LOT of bites if they would read their bird's signals. I have inserted a GREAT link on reading a Grey's body language and avoiding bites, and also basic behaviors to expect from a parrot, and how to reinforce wanted behavior, and change unwanted behavior. Good luck with your decision, and if you are anything like me, you will end up having a grey AND a Quaker eventually anyhow! http://www.onafricanwings.com/behavior.htm http://www.onafricanwings.com/biting.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now