Guest Jocelyn Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 ... We have decided for sure to adopt a Grey! So I have been seriously thinking about a Grey, up until this point I was still not positive they were right for us. My biggest concern was that our house has to much going on with all of our pets, friends, and someday children. But now that I have done some research I am realizing we may just be a really good home for a Grey for those reasons. In this household our pets are a part of our family, for example this Christmas we unwrapped our presents Christmas morning with our extended family we brought the bunny into the living room (a rare treat for him as he is usually barred out of this room). Christmas morning would not be the same without a bunny tearing through wrapping paper and binkying (look it up) across the living room. Going to the cabin overnight ? So is the bunny hoggy and dogs. Out on the deck having a beer? Rats, headgie, bunny and dogs milling about in the grass. Having a party all the cats and dogs are circling and mooching for food, the bunny is not far behind either lol. The best news of all I think we may have found our breeder They are calling me tonight. I am actually a little nervous because these guys are very particular about who adopts their Greys and I think they are calling more to figure out what I am all about than to try and sell a bird. On the plus side that is the reason I really like this breeder so far. I will update you guys after we talk, they said they will also help me out with my research even if I do not decide to adopt from them. They are in the neighboring province but they are only 3 hours away so it’s not too bad We still wont be bringing home any Greys for at least 2 months, which this breeder knows. Still we are now officially on our way! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Congrats Jocelyn on deciding a grey would be a good fit for your home and I do like this breeder as most would not go the extra length to make sure their babies go to good homes, I am sure you will pass the test and your new grey will fit right in with the menagerie you have, do keep us informed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jocelyn Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 (edited) Thanks Judy! I think these guys are really impressive considering they are willing to help me research even if I don't take one of theirs because they just want Greys to have good homes and quality of life. And it's long distance and they are calling me. If anyone is curious this is their website http://www.parrotsonly.ca/ Edited March 31, 2012 by Jocelyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray P Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Sounds like you are on your way, Congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 And thus begins the journey of the rest of your life! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jocelyn Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 I spoke to the breeder for about a half an hour, she was very helpful, very informative, and was drilling me pretty hard to begin with. She wanted to make sure I understood how amazing Greys were and how they are not to be a cage bird, but a bird who spends time with you. I was concerned that my answers wouldn't be "right". She asked a lot of questions about us, our other pets, if we were planning on having children ect. But suprisingly she seemed happy enough with all my honest answers. They send their birds to a trainer, they are use to being towled (held in a towel I probably used the wrong term ) having their nails filed and there wings clipped (her own birds are flighted though). Seemed like a great place and I told her that when we are ready she will be the first one we contact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Sounds like my greys' breeders. Neither of the people I got my greys from would ship or take a deposit before they met me. Looking forward to hearing more about your grey journey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Sounds like a very responsible breeder. Congrats on finding them and hopefully whom you will be getting your grey from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snoepgoed123 Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 the breeder sounds fantastic, I hope it works out! I'm wondering, is the wing clip something they do automatically or something that you want? Personally I love having Archimedes flighted, and I know that it's healthier for him in the long run... would you consider leaving your guy flighted? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerial.2000 Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 good luck to you you will just love your new edition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jocelyn Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 the breeder sounds fantastic, I hope it works out! I'm wondering, is the wing clip something they do automatically or something that you want? Personally I love having Archimedes flighted, and I know that it's healthier for him in the long run... would you consider leaving your guy flighted? Its something they do when they first leave, she suggests it for a house because people are always coming and going and they could get out easier. Her birds are still flighted because they have an aviary on site. The flighted non flighted thing is a big decision I dont quite no how to make yet. He will for sure be clipped at first which I am fine with. After that I dont know. I want so he cant get away as easily. I dont want to because if he does get out he cant get away from a predator as easy, and it doesnt seem fair to take flight away from a bird. But at the same time I hear the can still glide around. More research required! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snoepgoed123 Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 In the health room, there are 4 stickied posts about halfway down the page that discuss pro/cons of flighted and nonflighted, if you haven't read it, go read it, because it's a great piece of information showing both the pros and cons Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 And you'll find that it is, perhaps, the biggest "controversy" on this forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Congratulations on making such a thoughtful informed decision and for taking time to research and work with your breeder to be the best educated when you make this commitment. You will know the right thing for you when you have your baby grey home with you about the clipping thing. There really are pros and cons and you have to be the one to see what it means to you when you bring home the little one. Best of luck in the long long wait when you get the call and they tell you it will be about a week or so before they are weaned and then it is just awesome to bring them home and bond with them. After that, it is one delight after another, followed by moments of "what have I gotten into?" followed again by, "this is the most wonderful bird in the world". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Followed by moments of "Bird! Why won't you behave??" Like right now for me... Ellie won't stay on my shoulder, she keeps climbing down my shirt and getting on my desk. I put her back up and immediately back down she goes. "Pain-in-the-butt bird" is her most common nickname... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Life is Greyt Posted April 1, 2012 Share Posted April 1, 2012 Its something they do when they first leave, she suggests it for a house because people are always coming and going and they could get out easier. Her birds are still flighted because they have an aviary on site. The flighted non flighted thing is a big decision I dont quite no how to make yet. He will for sure be clipped at first which I am fine with. After that I dont know. I want so he cant get away as easily. I dont want to because if he does get out he cant get away from a predator as easy, and it doesnt seem fair to take flight away from a bird. But at the same time I hear the can still glide around. More research required! It's definitely a decision that you have to make while considering your lifestyle, house setup, etc. It's really a personal decision of what's best for you and your fid. Some people here clip, and others don't. It's a hot topic, but, at the end of the day, I've found everyone here to be supportive when a person is making the best and safest decision for their fids. My Chickie is trimmed for now. We brought her home fully flighted and she was quite the excellent flyer. She flew all over the house and I was ok with that at first. I began to worry when she would fly to the light that hung over our stairwell and we would have to nearly kill ourselves to get her down. Also, she figured out fairly quickly that we went in and out of the doors and that she wanted to follow us. That really worried me. I didn't want to clip her, but I wanted to keep her safe. My breeder and I decided that we would slowly clip her and stop once we found the right balance. She did a baby trim at first and that didn't slow my Chickie down at all. We then progressed from there to where we are now-she has 6 feathers trimmed on both sides and that impairs her flight enough to keep her in the same room with us. She can go across the room if something spooks her or if she wants to come to us,etc. She also cannot get high enough to get herself into some of the very precarious situations she got herself into before. Like I said, it's a personal decision, but this is what works for us, for now. I would like her to be fully flighted one day, but not for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimijean Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 I take it on a bird by bird basis. Some of my birds are flighted and some are not. And remember, trimmed flight feathers will grow back, then if need be you can trim again. Kim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CathyJr Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Sounds like our house , we have two Cockitiels, Two Ferrets, two turtles, two crabs the kids got us from florida, A dog , a guinia pig. and my african grey hannah. we are one happy family. How are Hedghogs as pets? Might have to get one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jocelyn Posted April 2, 2012 Share Posted April 2, 2012 Sounds like our house , we have two Cockitiels, Two Ferrets, two turtles, two crabs the kids got us from florida, A dog , a guinia pig. and my african grey hannah. we are one happy family. How are Hedghogs as pets? Might have to get one. Headgies are cute, there also kind of jerks, mine is particularly bad because of his past. Ever seriously looking into it check these guys out, http://hedgehogcentral.com/forums/ they know their stuff. As with anything else though take it with a grain of salt they are enthusiasts to the extreme. Also I thought my call went well but I was not positive, I emailed them telling them I appreciated him their time and if it was alright with them they would be the first I would contact when I was ready. They said I can contact them when ever I am ready. They don't breed every year and this year they are allowing their breeding Greys a year off so they stay healthy and happy. They do have 3 adults, one is one year old the other 2 are two years old, we discussed the pros and cons of adopting a slightly older Grey and if one of these guys are still available when we are ready we would like to adopt one of them. They are already socialized (the breeders have cats the trainer has dogs), use to the vet, being in towels, people. It might be nice since we are starting from scratch completely to have a bird some people have worked with who really know what they are doing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I don't know how to start a forum, " to clip, or not clip", but I wish I knew how. So, I will say... it is an important decision. My birds were all taught to fly as babies. Need to develop their chest muscles. Once they were flying everywhere, were out of control, needed to learn basic training. My groomer trimmed them. They were still able to fly, but a little more limited. They were able to focus on training. They still could fly, and they practiced daily. Eventually, their flight feathers grew and grew, until they were fully flighted again. To find that groomer, that can do this, is even more important than finding a vet! I have had more contact with my groomer, than vet contact. When I needed time to have a certain bird focus on learning, I let my groomer know. Baby could still fly amazing, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 I take it on a bird by bird basis. Some of my birds are flighted and some are not. And remember, trimmed flight feathers will grow back, then if need be you can trim again. Kim This is true, but it is much harder to repair the mental damage to a Grey...Jayd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 A young baby need's their wings the most, They learn balance, confidence and developed strength. A Grey is naturally clumsy. You could tell the breeder not to clip them. I'm sorry, I wouldn't by from a breed who put down such demands.Have you ever seen a baby parrot who had their wings clipped? When they do get their wings, have you ever seen them try to fly?, Clipping so young can stunt muscle development....Jayd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 Clipping so young can stunt muscle development Exactly and I know this well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 A young baby need's their wings the most, They learn balance, confidence and developed strength. A Grey is naturally clumsy. You could tell the breeder not to clip them. I'm sorry, I wouldn't by from a breed who put down such demands.Have you ever seen a baby parrot who had their wings clipped? When they do get their wings, have you ever seen them try to fly?, Clipping so young can stunt muscle development....Jayd Ellie was clipped by the breeder. I would be willing to bet that the vast majority are. She's not a great flyer, but she can fly across the room and land on my shoulder, or fly into the next room and land on her playstand. She's probably got several months before she molts her wing feathers. By everything you've said, Jay, I would guess that Ellie is now permanently physically and emotionally scarred... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jayd Posted April 11, 2012 Share Posted April 11, 2012 (edited) Ellie was clipped by the breeder. I would be willing to bet that the vast majority are. She's not a great flyer, but she can fly across the room and land on my shoulder, or fly into the next room and land on her playstand. She's probably got several months before she molts her wing feathers. By everything you've said, Jay, I would guess that Ellie is now permanently physically and emotionally scarred... Sir, I'm sorry you felt a reply like this was necessary. Most of us on the forum ,#1. research or have seen of know from experience to most questi9ons asked. #2. If you check, only a few breeders nation wide, clip before selling .[ you can research this on the net.] #3."Shes not a great flyer" you stated, this is exactly what I said! #4.We, right now have 4 parrots, that are problem flyers, Joe, a grey, flies like you state your baby flies, he's 6yr's old, poor muscle development. I feel it's sad that I will have to start stating in every post:"There are exceptionsBy everything you've said, Jay, I would guess that Ellie is now permanently physically and emotionally scarred...And last, I pray not even a inkling of this is true..." ". Sincerely Jay Side note: Please research!!!!!! There's thousands of threads and posts on this Greyt forum, We are blessed With Dave007 who has more Grey knowledge than anyone I've ever known...Who happens to be a foremost breeder... Edited April 11, 2012 by Jayd 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