Hello from Mumbai, India

[judygram]

Excellent advice Birdhouse, time + patience does equal success.

[TIMS]

Oh, those loofas are nylon, I'm not sure of they are safe. I know people use natural loofa sponges but those ones in the photos are man made. Maybe someone here will know.

 

Thanks ZulusMom.... the loofah goes out of the window...Will find some other use for it.

[TIMS]

Thought these might be a few more helpful links to add to your reading list.

 

SAFE/TOXIC LIST (another fridge list lol)

http://www.parrot-and-conure-world.com/non-toxic-for-birds.html

 

DIY TOYS/FORAGING ACTIVITIES

http://www.parrotenrichment.com/images/PEAB_V1.pdf

 

 

JIM MCKENDRY'S BLOG

http://parrotconsultations.blogspot.com/2011/12/parrot-feeding-strategies-part-1-free.html

 

I'm a great big fan of Jim McKendry. This blog post just had a couple of relevant food tips. So I thought I'd share. Please keep in mind that he's feeding an aviary full of Aussie breeds, for the most part. So the food is much higher in fruit than is advisable for Greys. But anything else applies.

 

The rest of his blog is full of little jewels, too. You can also find articles by him in many publications & all over the Web. I think he has a great approach to companion parrots. So I thought some of his articles might prove helpful.

 

Awesome links. Thanks a Ton.

[TIMS]

Kikki may be starved for the contact but freaking out from too much stimulation. And believe it or not, he may be missing his last owners. It's a grey thing. It doesn't matter if it makes sense to us.

 

I'd encourage you to ease up on the physical contact. Let him find his own pace. Let him start to come to you when he's ready. Making eye contact, talking, whistling are all forms of contact, too. I think that's more of Kikki's speed for the moment.

 

Greys can tend to have a real problem w/new toys, too. Actually, greys tend to have a problem with "new" period. lol So again, I'd suggest you back up. Put all your "big" toys away, for now. Find bits of wood, buttons, plastic bottle caps, etc, foot toys for Kikki to play with. You can collect a cup full to leave in his cage. You can also use them as an excuse to make limited contact by handing him something several times a day.

 

Sorry, but it just doesn't matter that you want to give Kikki a greyt life Right Now. Looks like he may be trying to tell you that it's all too much too fast. So just be patient & give him however much time he needs.

 

TIME + PATIENCE = SUCCESS

You'll see that a lot around here. It's our mantra. Another thing to put on the fridge. lol

 

I guess you are right Birdhouse...Maybe I am going too fast for him to digest. Will ease off and let him take his own sweet time. However, I'm sure he is quite comfortable with the head scratching because he calls out to me for it. The moment I'm near his perch, he gives his head forward and enjoys a nice long scratch on his head and neck. Will cut down his bathing to twice/thrice a week. The toys are going out for now till he's comfortable.

And yess!! The Mantra too goes on the fridge.

Thank you!

[TIMS]

Hi Folks,

 

There has been a good amount of improvement in Kikki's interaction. He has started following me around the house (will not step up though). He will walk around the house and come and sit near me if he doesn't see me for sometime. At least he has become bold enough to get down from his perch and on to the floor. He's been doing this for the last 3 days.

 

Thanks for all your inputs

[birdhouse]

Good to read this! Kikki sounds like he's a very special boy. I think once you both start to build some trust & learn to communicate you're going to have a greyt relationship.