murfchck Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 Lol, I bet that is so cute! Gabby does the ring then the hello. I know she can say a whole bunch more than she does, she is just so darn quiet and my house is not quiet by any means! We hear her chatting away but can't hear it to understand. I would think that since she can say hello and some basic words that goodbye, good morning and goodnight would be flowing but she hasn't uttered them yet. I am also rethinking teaching any of my birds our names due to the Howard name she keeps saying. They are going to outlive us and and hearing one of our names repeated by the birds would be hard. I don't know if i could handle them saying Pats name if he should pass before me. Maybe i am being selfish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 22, 2012 Author Share Posted August 22, 2012 He never comes over to steal from my plate but as I usually finish well before he does. Steve n Misty We have some bad habits to break with Gabby. When we put her in her cage for dinner, she will not eat. Lol She did much better tonight. She flew from her stand to pats plate. He put her in time out, went in a few minutes later and got her out. She sat beside him and didn't bother his plate or mine the rest of the meal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted August 22, 2012 Share Posted August 22, 2012 Gabby sounds very smart! Even though she is 20 and set in her ways in many aspects, she is certainly trainable. Continue with your expectations. I think Greys ultimately want to please us, just don't always know what we expect! The same can be said, we don't always understand what they want! Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 23, 2012 Author Share Posted August 23, 2012 Oh yes, she is way smarter than we could have imagined. Really wants to please us but also very set in her ways. Right now we are trying to find the middle ground. Today we were working fixing up their room, so we needed them on their stands. Really expected her to be flying into her room but she stayed on her stand without any problem! We did have an issue where we were trying to get Bubba his butt ointment on and she bit into the tube. It was no where near her but she zero'd in on it and got it! She punctured the tube but didn't eat any of it thank heavens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chezron Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Sounds like she is fitting right in. I am so glad she found a home as good as yours! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted August 23, 2012 Share Posted August 23, 2012 Gabby is going to be GREAT! I feel it. nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 She helped me with dinner tonight! I think back to my first week with Bongo, how i wished and tried to get him to help me in the kitchen, nibbling the veggies as i chopped, oh how cute it would be. Welp, that beautiful dream i had was proven to me tonight to be more of a nightmare. Goodness she was into everything, crawling all over my cutting board, stealing my carrots, potatoes and celery. Then she spotted my new shoes in the pretty new box. I guess her helping me in the kitchen and helping me get rid of my pesty shoe box is a step in the right direction with me and her! ( Bubba on the other hand, ouch, he turned on me today and got me goooood ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 PVC piping to cover the legs! At our house it was the molding and door frames be fore I got smart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 24, 2012 Author Share Posted August 24, 2012 Yeah, she got the baseboards in a few places and Bubba got our window frame. For the first time all 4 of them were chatting up a storm last night together. Hello's back and forth between Gabby and Oliver, Bongo and Gabby were whistling things back and forth, copying each other then it happened. Our first not so nice sound, Gabby did a fart noise, then right after said, " thats not nice". Although we were in the other room laughing our butts off, thats not something i would like to hear daily out of 4 birds! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 I love that pic! Timber's favorite thing is to shred cardboard and paper. He's driven Every morning I put a couple of paper towel or similar roll pieces in his cage stuffed with paper and a nut in the middle. He wants to eat, but keeps looking longing at the rolls. I think he is on them as soon as I am out of the door, and it never seems to get old. He would love a shoe box. I'll have to find one to put in the bottom of his cage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarasota Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 He would love a shoe box. I'll have to find one to put in the bottom of his cage. You know what the kids love? Empty Kleenex boxes shoved full of "goodies." Doesn't matter what it is: birdie bagels, crumpled paper, bottle caps. It's all an African Grey smorgasboard! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 LOL Thanks for the tip! I've asked my coworkers to save the paper clip boxes and any other supply boxes they would normally pitch for me. Anything he can dig through with his beak is a treat! I need to remember the bottle caps though, I hadn't thought of that. I was really surprised when I put a good sized but thin box in the other day and he ran right in it. I was just experimenting, and put some stuff toward the back. He is still a bit edgy with being at our house (or can be), but he ran straight in the box. All you could see were his tail feathers sticking out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarasota Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 ...I've asked my coworkers to save the paper clip boxes and any other supply boxes they would normally pitch for me. LOL! My co-workers save me their newspapers, etc. The birds also love the large plastic paper clips (supervised only, since they will chew them to shreds). I use the black clips to hold things onto the cage - like paperback books to shred. p.s. Yeah, I just snapped that photo while sitting at my desk. My co-worker is looking at me like I'm loopy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 ooo... I didn't think about the binder clips to hold stuff. I can see Timber making short work of the plastic paper clips! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 LOL! We do so much to make our babies happy. Kiki has decided she LOVES my basket on top of the refrig. I had important things in it, removed them, put old Christmas cards, old medication bottles, got rid of the pills, filled them with pennies and marbles. Now if I look in the fridge, I get hit in the head. She is having such a good time.Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 25, 2012 Author Share Posted August 25, 2012 With Gabby, no box or paper is safe. Nothing is safe really, she inspects everything and destroys what she can. We have the new aviary done except for a branch or two. This is them yesterday enjoying some sunshine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Wow, that looks great! I wish I had the room/ability/ingenuity to have one of these. For now, Timber will have to be happy with the porches, which he is except that he wants me to stay there with him the whole time he is there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chezron Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Sweet! Great looking aviary! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 The shoebox is officially gone. Lol she has now moved on to the garbage bag box. I stuffed it full for her, then gave the 2 macaws the mail and Bongo got his fav, sale ads from the mail. Gabby got mad at the macaws and took their mail away! Good times, they wanted it back! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 Restaurant supply shops carry pizza and bakery boxes. Another good source for boxes is your local daycare or headstart program. Most serve cereal for breakfast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 oooo more good ideas. Thanks Wingy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarasota Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 We have the new aviary done except for a branch or two. This is them yesterday enjoying some sunshine. It looks amazing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 Okay, my husband calls it bonding time with me and Gabby. I call it scary and dangerious! Gabby is taken to the living room when i am cooking. Tonight however she kept flying into the kitchen and onto my shoulder while i stood frozen in front of a hot stove. Scared to turn around for fear i would scare her and make her panic and hit the frying pan or stove. We tried to stop her from this but she isn't listening so after the prep, i am afraid she will have to go to her home. She loves the prep. She will sit on the faucet and just watch until i get to something she likes, she will flutter down to the side of the sink and oh so slowly walk to the cutting board and get what she wants. It is so cute. While on my shoulder tonight, she gave me my first kiss and again a kiss when we put them to sleep. Bongo and Gabby had their first close encounter too. It went pretty well. They stood on the stand together but Bongo always moved away from her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLB Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 You do have a bit of hesitation in your eyes. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 28, 2012 Author Share Posted August 28, 2012 Yeah, right now i am a tad gun shy of all beaks and my face was between them. After the macaw got me and i put him in time out, i forced myself to get him back out myself despite the pain and fear. ( he had his foot up to be picked up, once he was on my arm he clamped down on the back of my hand and tried to remove the skin and vein and wouldn't let go ) Oh and i also hate having my picture taken, lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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