Hello Everyone

[lockarec]

Just letting everyone know that I have come out of lurk mode in order to be a "official" member. I came home from a 6 week business trip, to find my husband had surprised me with a 7 1/2 month old CAG we have named Gizmo. He is a replacement for my Mynah, Yewbie, whom I had raised from a featherless nestling. Yewbie died tragically two years ago, and I have longed for another bird to talk to since.

 

Gizmo had been in the care of our housekeeper for three weeks while my husband was also away on business, and had completely stopped the feather plucking he had started in the pet shop. I am saying "he" only because when I tried to teach him to step up, he began to make small chirply sounds and then mounted my hand. I told him "thanks, but no thanks". He sure is a fast worker! Is this in fact what was happening? It seems awfully young.

 

He is not out of the cage yet, as our only air conditioning is open door sea breeze. We are having proper screen doors made as I type this. I am also making play stands for him for my workshop (only when safe), and other areas of the house. In a few days all should be ready, then, slowly, slowly, we will let him begin to explore the world. We have two dogs and a cat; one dog and the cat grew up with Yewbie, and seem completely unfazed by Gizmo. I won't take chances with any of them however.

 

I have introduced fresh vegies and fruits, as well as cooked grains and legumes. He is keen on some...not so much on others. Not to worry, it's early days...I have only had him for 10 days! He is certainly a different type of bird!

[Inara]

Welcome to you and Gizmo! Am sorry to hear of the death of your Yewbie. It is lovely that even in that sadness, you have room in your heart for Gizmo. It sounds like you have a great plan for allowing him plenty of time to acclimate to his new srroundings while you get them parrot proof. We all love updatess, photos, and never tire of hearing about all that transpires. So glad you landed here.

[2birds]

Hello and welcome to the forum. What a nice and exciting surprise for you this must have been. Wow, Cyprus is so beautiful, it must be really nice living there. Looking forward to seeing pics and hearing about your new life with your grey.

[Luvparrots]

Hi to you and Gizmo. Looking forward to learning more about him and seeing some pictures!

[Ray P]

Hi and welcome to the grey forum to you and Gizmo.

Greys are awesome companions and will give you a new look on life.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Gizmo, I am sure, will never replace your lost baby! I am sooo sorry! I hope you can open your heart to a new baby! Nancy

[Brat Birds]

Welcome to you and Gizmo. Looking forward to hearing all about his growth and the ways he works his magic with your heart!

[katana600]

When we first got our greys they went through an "I love you" stage. Two were male babies, one was an older female. It could be just a nervous excitement of showing someone new to them they want to be really good friends. Distraction is the best defense, and that droopy wing love dance didn't stay around long. You and Gizmo seem off to a good start. You have already been amazed and thrilled by Yewbie and will soon be captivated by the unique and exquisite creature who will completely steal your heart. Thanks for joining us and sharing the journey.

[lockarec]

Thanks to everyone for the warm welcome! Thankfully my heart is plenty big enough for Gizmo...we were always the neighborhood "I found this...hurt...abandoned...etc.." house when we lived in Saudi, so I am used to opening my heart wide. I have raised or nursed Bulbuls, ring necked doves, bunnies, African hedgehogs, and a baby squirrel to happy, healthy, re-homed adulthood or to a place where the mother could safely retrieve it away from the dog or cat which had nabbed it from the ground. The screens are being installed today!! I am so excited to learn more about Gizmo and to be able to have him more closely involved in my day to day activities rather than in the living room in a cage while I am in my workshop.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Are you planning on " open cage concept?" Nancy

[JeffNOK]

Hello and welcome! I would love to know how you perceive life with a parrot as compared to life with a mynah. I have always been interested in all birds, and really have no idea what a mynah is like. Have you noticed differences? similarities?

[lockarec]

Nancy, I am still learning about all of the options, so am eager to hear opinions on different methods. We are in a leased villa at the moment, so we are hesitant to let him out with free reign. That said, there is no way for his cage or even a smaller cage to be moved where I spend the majority of my day, so I would like him to have a "place" however that can happen safely...for him and for my workshop. Another consideration is our young dog, Wilbur, who is fine until he flaps his wings, then he is all, "Wow! That is a really cool thing that I might need to see much more closely!" It appears that Gizmo has been clipped severely...he still doesn't like to be held, so it has been difficult for me do a very thorough exam...so he won't be able to fly in defence for quite some time. I know that is a lot more than you asked, but it is what is on my mind at the moment.

 

We are letting him out while standing or sitting beside the cage. So far, he is content to stay on top, or on the sides. Surely that will change?

[Inara]

Nancy, I am still learning about all of the options, so am eager to hear opinions on different methods. <snip> . . .

 

HRH Inara spends a couple of hours or more out of her cage in the morning, during which she helps cook and eats breakfast, checks the weather out the window, then scouts for The Squirrel(!), does flying exercises, scolds my Joe if he dawdles too long in "You go byebye. Get to work!", and takes her shower. She then likes to just hang out upon her cage (with the door open) while climbing around, chatting back and forth with me, and then she will for some reason these days rather than going back into her cage on her own will climb down onto the floor walk over to me and lift her foot and will say "Let's go home." So into her cage she goes and she contentedly hangs out there snoozing, snacking and playing until late afternoon when she will ask to come out. At this point, she helps make and munches salad for supper and if there are no major pots and pans involved on the stove, she continues to hang out on my shoulder until she moves to her perch by the table and joins us for supper. After which, she likes to spend time flying again between perches or from perch to me to perch to perch, etc. When she's had enough, she then just likes to sit on my knee until she starts to yawn and then it's back to her home where she begins to slow down and settle in for the night. This is usually about 7 PM. She then starts the entire routine over at 6:05 - 6:15 in the morning. Winter hours she gets up much later and goes to bed much earlier.

 

Inara makes it known when she prefers her time in her "home." She has an entire wall of floor to ceiling windows (for the summer) to look out of and can watch the trees, wild life and other birds. She's almost always very cheerful about returning when that falls within the parameters of her own daily rhythm. If I move to put her into her cage and she does not want to go, she gently lets me know by pushing at my hand with her beak and making kissing noises. So I give her a few more minutes and then she's usually ready to go. This is usually at bed time, or if I have to rush her schedule a bit if I have an out of the house appointment.

 

She's great about asking to come out when she wants, and if there is no danger (like hot pots on the stove, or little kids visiting) I always go and get her out. When in her home, I keep her door shut, because I have a Rhodesian Ridgeback who now is quite friendly with Inara (and vice versa) but given our RR's strong prey instinct I would never put either of them in the position to have a tragedy happen, if I was not right there.

 

So no open cage policy here, but lots of freedom to come and go dictated primarily by HRH Inara's own daily rhythms and her requests to come and go. She will say, "I want to go out there and see you." or "I will help you cook," or other variations that let me know she's ready to socialize or simply hang out and play on one of her mobile perches. It apparently works well for her, as she is a very healthy, happy, easy going, secure little gal.

 

EDIT: I should have said that I am semi-retired and so am home most days all day, thus a lot of flexibility around HRH's wishes.

Edited July 18, 2014 by Inara

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

You certainly have a few weeks to decide on your " method", of training. Just make sure, the method... doesn't contradict! If you work from home... its more geared to " open concept". If you work " long hours", but have family committed, its not open concept.Don't confuse the bird. I know I sound crazy about it, but I see soo many confused about it, and the bird gets confused. Nancy

[lockarec]

Thanks for the welcome! There are huge differences! Yewbie was a much less demanding bird. He was intelligent, and definitely used his words intentionally, but in the 4 years I had him, he never learned to open his cage! Gizmo sussed that out this morning...including the carabiners and snap clips I had on the door. Of course, there are the obvious food and water differences. Mynahs bathe several times a day, so Yewbie had to have a bathtub in his cage. We used shower curtains cut to size as cage liners, and had plexi-glass lining the bottom half of his cage to contain shake off.

 

It is hard to determine what is bird trait, and what is personality. Yewbie was a very happy, cheerful bird. But was that due to how I had raised him, or just his natural "him-ness"? Gizmo is also a happy bird, but there is also an undercurrent of neediness that makes him unpredictable at this point. Perhaps that is because we have not completely jelled...I have not completely figured all the ins and outs of being his mom...or because he is young and doesn't always know what he wants or how to ask for it from moment to moment. I remember that stage from raising three boys. In any case, I do love a challenge, and learning about a new type of animal friend keeps my brain cells active. It's all good!