Baby Grey Is Home!

[Angelwings]

Our baby has finally come home after a long wait! 12 weeks old and very inquisitive, she seems to be very content and happy exploring her new environment and chirping a lot. She has "stepped up" onto my partners arm after some coaxing. We soon found out that she could fly after bringing her home she flew right onto the kitchen sink lol! Just had to share our excitement over our new arrival.

[SRSeedBurners]

A new baby on the forums. Enjoy, they don't stay that way very long!

[Angelwings]

She keeps on attempting to fly from one mineral block perch to another (they're not very high in the cage) and has had a few near misses but we've lined the cage with newspaper so if she does fall in the night it will be a soft landing. We think that she was perhaps kept in a box with a small perch with her breeder and may not be used to all this freedom. Is this normal? As I'm a little worried. She's had lots of attention and tickles on top of her head from us but has been very active. Will this continue in the night or stop once the cover is over her?

[Luvparrots]

Looking forward to pictures and posts about your new friend. Enjoy!

[SRSeedBurners]

She keeps on attempting to fly from one mineral block perch to another (they're not very high in the cage) and has had a few near misses but we've lined the cage with newspaper so if she does fall in the night it will be a soft landing. We think that she was perhaps kept in a box with a small perch with her breeder and may not be used to all this freedom. Is this normal? As I'm a little worried. She's had lots of attention and tickles on top of her head from us but has been very active. Will this continue in the night or stop once the cover is over her?

 

When GreycieMae was that age, we went to see her at the breeders home and she was flying around like a full grown Grey. She *may* have been 14 or 15 weeks old at that point but you could tell she was a pro flyer at that point and had been for a while. Do you plan to keep baby flighted? Can you let her out with you and see how she does. I hope you've gone through all the safety measuers: ceiling fans, cooktops, open doors etc. It takes a while to train YOUR brain to the fact you have a bird free flying in your home.

 

One of the breeders here will know more than me about a 12 week olds flying ability but I believe it should be more controlled by now.

[Angelwings]

Thanks for the info. Yeah we've gone through the saftey checks and being in the UK we have no ceiling fan anyway. Doors are always shut as it's an apartment we're in. Windows rarely open which is good as she just flew up to the curtain rail after perching on my partner's arm for a few minutes but thankfully managed to get her back down safely. We're considering getting her wings clipped. She's not an accomplished flyer, she can loose her balance a little.

[Luvparrots]

Thanks for the info. .........We're considering getting her wings clipped. She's not an accomplished flyer, she can loose her balance a little.

 

I am not a big fan of clipping wings. Birds are meant to fly. Frankly, that's why I have my birds, I love to see them flying so free, and light and happy!!!! If you want a pet that sits, get a dog, a gerbil....... (just my personal opinion)

[judygram]

She is still young so expect her to be somewhat unbalanced but the only way she can learn is to keep trying and believe me she will get better. It is so much better for them to remain flighted, especially when so young because it builds confidence and gets the muscles required for flight prepared to take on that task. Give her more time to become settled into her new home, you only just brought her home and grey time moves slow so be patient as she develops into a blossoming flower, an expert flyer.

[neoow]

Wow how exciting!!

 

We'd love to see some photos as and when you're able to take some!

 

Does your new baby grey have a name yet?

 

I would second (or third or fourth?) what other members have said about wing trimming. If you are going to trim wings, then at least wait until the baby bird learns how to fly properly first. Otherwise you're at risk of causing more trouble because he/she isn't developing as nature intended.

I had Alfie's wings lightly trimmed when he was much younger and it didn't actually make much difference. It didn't take him long to start flying about exactly as he had done previously. If he got out, he'd still be able to fly away just was well as he could have done without the trim- so I decided never to bother with it again. It was too much stress for him for no reason. I'm super careful with doors and windows when he is out and he knows what a window is and where they all are.

I also figured that asking a bird not to fly is like asking a dog not to bark!

[Angelwings]

She's called Babs. We thought it was cute and funny at the same time. I've taken a couple of pics (and that's her on my avatar) but not sure how to upload them!

Thanks for all the advice on wing clipping. We live on a main road in the city so I'm wary if for whatever reason, the door is open and the front door is-she could escape. My auntie had a bird who was able to fly and she (stupidly on her behalf) left the garage door leaving the bird on her own and she never saw it again. Not that we'd do that obviously I'm just a bit worried as she's very exciteable atm. As she was jumping this morning she got her wing caught in the cage and freaked out. Our hearts went but thankfully she was ok and her wing seems to be ok. She's just been quiet ever since. We checked her and it all seems fine. I'm just wondering what to do for the best.

[Angelwings]

Here she is! Sorry for the poor quality, it wasn't done in great lighting and she was desperate to be on the floor for some reason. You can definitely tell she still has some baby left in her.

[Timbersmom]

What a beautiful baby! I understand your fears but know this, even clipped birds can catch the wind and be lost if they get outside. If they do manage to get outside, they are much eaasier prey because they can't fly to escape. I hope you don't decide to clip her. I rehomed Timber at age 5 and he was clipped. He is 8 now and hasn't been clipped since. He still doesn't fly. I'm assuming he never fledged and never learned. It is sad.

[danmcq]

Congrats and she is beautiful. Please don't clip, let her be all the bird she was born to be. We all are always aware of where our birds are and make certain there are no flights out an open door. It is easy to remember and also advise guests if the birds are out.

[Angelwings]

Thanks for your advice. It is nice to see her flying around and a nice surprise as we wasn't sure if she could fly. Perhaps we will end up leaving her unclipped after all. She's still in fledgling stage (just turned 12 weeks today) so she looks a little awkward when she does fly. She's going to the vets in about a week so we'll also ask her for advice and take it into consideration along with what everyone has said here and base our decision around that.

[Luvparrots]

My greys are microchipped so if they do go on an adventure if they are taken to a vet they can be scanned.

[danmcq]

Thanks for your advice. It is nice to see her flying around and a nice surprise as we wasn't sure if she could fly. Perhaps we will end up leaving her unclipped after all. She's still in fledgling stage (just turned 12 weeks today) so she looks a little awkward when she does fly. She's going to the vets in about a week so we'll also ask her for advice and take it into consideration along with what everyone has said here and base our decision around that.

 

Word of advice, most Vet's for years have told everyone to clip their birds wings. I must say though not all. It is because they are fearful the Bird owner will not be responsible enough and let the bird fly out the door. Your Grey at 12 weeks old is just getting started in learning flight control. You'll be amazed what what they can do once accomplished. Birds are made to fly. A large portion of their Brain is devoted to it. Your Grey will be happier and so will you with them if they are flighted. They can also fly and get out of danger if need be from a dog, cat or even young child that could harm them. They can be hurt very easily by any of these. They only weigh around a pound and their bones are hollow.

 

I also need to add, when your bird is fledging make certain you have mirrors covered and windows curtains closed. You can introduce her to windows while carry around on your hand or arm and letting her beak them to see they are solid. It will take her a while to figure out you cannot fly through them.

Edited November 16, 2015 by danmcq

[Luvparrots]

My greys, my Timneh, Ana Grey, has never been clipped, she is very confident with flying and does not hit windows. She always sits high up and never near the floor. My CAG was very lightly clipped when I got him and he is also a very strong flyer now. They do not run into the walls or windows and are very confident greys. I never have them out of their cages when others/friends/family are around. My CAG loves to dive bomb people when they are around and my TAG loves to land of people (their heads). My greys are in charge and very confident creatures.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

I am okay with " trimming"... not a believer in the word " clipping". Now,is NOT the time, and certainly most vets suggest clipping. Your bird needs to develop wing strength, and the ability to fly. If you don't develop their wing strength as a baby, it may take more than a decade for them to be able to fly. I know. I did it! Let your baby learn to fly and develop wing strength. Practice flight from one to send off, one to receive. Put decals in the windows, as they don't have the capability in " perception", in where the window begins or ends.

Once your baby is two, a trim may be advised. ( we did this when entering terrible twos!) My trimmer was so awesome, they didn't even notice! Nancy

[Greytness]

I'm a 'no clip' proponent, too. I love that my birds can fly around. We make certain that there are fail safe precautions in place before they're even let out of their cages.

 

Is your baby weaned, or are you hand feeding her? Greys take awhile to wean. 16 weeks on the average is my understanding that most greys take before they wean themselves. I got my boy when he was 14 weeks old, and continued to syringe feed him until he was 17 weeks of age.

 

Congrats, and welcome to the forum! Looking forward to watching your baby grow!

[murfchck]

Which ever you go with just remember:

1) wait until Babs knows how to fly, this is very important to their well being. You never know, she may outlive you and her new owners may have dogs and she wouldn't know how to get away if she never learns in the beginning.

2) even clipped, they can get a gust of wind and be gone. Or be able to climb to a higher branch and catch some wind we can't feel blowing and just drift.

I also am a non clipper and sometimes feel like a air traffic controller inside our house. But seeing the fly and knowing they are doing what they were born to do is heart warming. If you are worried about her slipping out the door, take the necessary steps. Add a second door area if you can or hang beaded curtains on the inside that have to be moved to get out. It is a pain for us to walk through day in and day out but hey, we would do anything for our babies!

Congrats!

[Muse]

She's called Babs. We thought it was cute and funny at the same time. I've taken a couple of pics (and that's her on my avatar) but not sure how to upload them!

Thanks for all the advice on wing clipping. We live on a main road in the city so I'm wary if for whatever reason, the door is open and the front door is-she could escape. My auntie had a bird who was able to fly and she (stupidly on her behalf) left the garage door leaving the bird on her own and she never saw it again. Not that we'd do that obviously I'm just a bit worried as she's very exciteable atm. As she was jumping this morning she got her wing caught in the cage and freaked out. Our hearts went but thankfully she was ok and her wing seems to be ok. She's just been quiet ever since. We checked her and it all seems fine. I'm just wondering what to do for the best.

 

We've (our rescue) helped with searches for two clipped birds in our area, just in the past six months or so. One owner states in her email: "Sadly we lost him out from our back patio, as I was giving him a bath. His wings have been kept clipped, but apparently that had little effect on his flight. I feel duped, as I believed the clipping was to prevent him from getting any "lift" and would make any real flight impossible." The quaker, fortunately, was found and returned to his family. A friend of mine had a bird that was scared and flew up in a tall tree, and fell trying to fly downwards and broke his back. He was completely dependent on full time care after that. Birds that don't have flying skills often want to come back, but just don't know how.

 

We advocate building a solid relationship with your bird and letting them learn to fly well, while teaching and reinforcing recall training. A skilled flier is more likely to evade predators, and be able to fly back to you to return. And a bird that has been repeatedly reinforced for returning upon request to do so is much more likely to do so in stressful situation such as being startled into flying up into a tree or the top of a building. Clipped or not, recall training is your best option for safe retrieval.

 

Congratulations on your new baby and enjoy the baby time - it goes by way too fast!

[Angelwings]

Thank you to everyone who replied to this thread. It's definitley information to consider. She seems to have become better in flying and balance in general. She's out a lot these days (first week we were told by the breeder not to let her out) and can now fly around the room and back again which she wasn't able to do just last week alone. We get her out and spend as much time with her as we can during this baby stage. We got the Christmas tree up over the weekend and she was fascinated by it. She sat on her cage door trying to nibble at it, I have pics of her which I hope to upload, if not this evening then tomorrow.