Thoughts of Isaac

[Elvenking]

Hi all. Most know my relationship with Isaac. We are super close and neither of us could do without the other. It's also a thought that is a little scary; I am the primary concern of my little buddy. Over the years it has occurred to me that Isaac may never see another of his kind. I have a Conure, and he seems to pay a little attention to him with some chatter here and there. However, it does occur to me that Isaac down't even get a chance to relate to another parrot like himself.

 

I was recently approached by someone at work who made me aware that he is trying to rehome a Blue and Gold along with A Grey. Now the BG is totally out of the question, but the availability of the Grey got my mind going again. I understand that it is probably not the dire situation for Isaac as it is for me. Maybe he thinks little other than the things that come into his life. I don't know. Many times I would feel better if Isaac had more than me to look forward to. I am at work all day and it always kills me to leave him behind for any period of time. I am really sensitive to it all.

 

So, anyone had similar thoughts in the past or tried a 'friend' for their grey. Someone talk some sense into me. My heart says yes but my mind says no. Two children in the house....hell...Isaac keeps me busy. LOL. Speak freely!

[SRSeedBurners]

In your situation, where it's just you and Isaac, I'm totally for it. If there was a way to find out if they like each other and can form a birdy friendship, I truly believe it will be in Isaac's best interest. Maybe you can birdy-sit the Grey for a few days and see what happens?

 

Going from one to two Greys I don't think is too much of a leap. We noticed a big jump when we went to three. And I'm not sure how I'm going to handle a fourth when my Aunt decides to return my Grey from 25 years ago.

[Luvparrots]

I first acquired my Timneh, Ana Grey (2008), and about a year later got my Congo, Sterling Gris. My greys do not interact at all. They are not interested in each other at all. They do not communicate at all. When Sterling Gris first came to live with us, Ana Grey would feed the baby grey by beak a little but only for a little while and because that was what I was doing; spoon feeding the young grey. If I only has one or the other grey, the other grey wouldn't give a poo.

[Elvenking]

Thanks for the replies. I would so love to give Isaac a bird-friend, but I am so worried that it creates a tougher situation than I already have. I would have a chance to try them out together. I work here with the guy who has em. I might go visit the other grey first. Uhhhg....what am I doing.

[Greytness]

I don't have another grey, but will attest to the fact that Maalik has a few favorite fids from our flock, and a few that he loves to harass mercilessly. It's a crap shoot as to which bird might connect with another. It's great that you can give it a test run, but even then they might start out interacting harmoniously, and then have things evolve into something less desirous over time. Guess you'll have to keep an open mind and see how things go.

Edited February 18, 2016 by Greytness

[neoow]

I only have the one bird- Alfie- but I do understand where you're coming from. If I had more space then I would question whether it would be a good idea to introduce another bird to the household- so that Alfie has someone else to talk to/interact with whilst I'm at work (other than the cats, who I'm pretty sure just sleep all day!)

 

If I DID have the space and the funds available for a second bird then I'd spend a bit of time thinking about all the possible outcomes and how to manage them. For example- what happens if the two birds don't get on- how would I manage that? How would I balance their time out of the cage and interacting with me if they couldn't bear to be in the same space together? So long as you have a rough plan to answer all the "what ifs" then I don't see a second bird as being a problem.

[Elvenking]

Yeah I am not too sure about making this kind of move now. Given only a chance of success and living in an apartment, I don't think I could take it if anything other than the ideal situation came to be. I may be projecting sadness by imagining Isaac at home alone. When I check him on camera, he usually seems in good spirits and is either resting, chewing up his water bottles, or making his noises. I do also have my Conure, so it would now be three birds. At least the two of them are together. My heart gets me into more trouble than anything else, so I have to watch it.

[SRSeedBurners]

I didn't realize you had a conure. That changes things considerably. Are they in the same room during the day when you're gone (caged of course). I always thought Isaac was completely alone which always bothers me. Another bird in the same room to yack it up with all day makes a big difference. Our three make it sound like a rain forest in their room for the first few hours until they pass out around 1-2pm. Then they fire it up again around 3pm. They all seem to rip through their toys at the same time too.

[Greywings]

Well we have more than 2 Greys here and most of them do not often interact. They do swap dialog and finish each others sentences so I do think they enjoy the flock sounds. Pookie was our first grey then slowly others arrived unlooked for but welcomed. It may add another dimension to Issac's life either way and definitely another personality in your home and heart.

[Acappella]

My worry would be what if they don't get along and you have to restrict Issac's out of cage time in order for the new one to get some one on one time with you. Could you handle any guilt feelings you may feel if this happens? I think a test run would be an excellent idea. The thought of this poor grey needing a new home would pull at my heart too.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

I can't imagine having another grey. I think it would stress Isaac out, and I know you want him to find a buddy. We had an Amazon that was just a baby when Sophie came home. They grew up together and got along quite well. Sophie would be the boss, and Kiki would follow her lead, but when Kiki wasn't happy, Sophie gave in. Kiki was our hormonal bird, and Sophie made sure whenever Kiki was hormonal, we all took care of Kiki. Nancy

[Muse]

I personally think it's always good for a bird to have someone of their own kind in the flock. Mar and Meg were handfed together and were very bonded. When he died, I knew we'd get another Grey. Along came Peck and Megan tolerated him while I fell in love with him. I compare them to bratty siblings. They didn't really fight, as in trying to harm each other, but they squabbled. Peck spent an inordinate amount of time trying to "bomb" Megan (and me, until he got me once). It was a game to him, and one he was very good at! Megan, however, only had eyes for Rasa. And Rasa for her. They are a strange pair - the big, DYH Amazon and the tiny Grey diva. But who can question love? Heck, I'd go for the macaw, too. You can never have too much birdie chaos, right?

 

Seriously, though, they do choose their own friendships. I have found Greys are often tolerant of new Greys if they aren't forced to interact. Megan is curious but cautious around Ife and Adom. Ife is curious, Adom is afraid. That's just their personalities. Megan stares at him a lot. I think she's trying to figure out why he looks like Mar - EXACTLY like Mar. I am sure that confuses her. Of course, they all interact at a distance, right now. Ife and Adom are wild ex-breeders, so they aren't handled at all. Whenever Megan is playing with her daddy, Ife watches very intently. I think she's trying to figure out what is going on and reconcile that with her previous (not so good) interactions with humans. But none of them have ever shown any aggression.

[Elvenking]

The gentleman ended up giving them to a sanctuary after I said I was unable to take it on right now. My baby is probably alright hanging out with my Conure. It would kind of be a lot to do to invite another Grey into the home who probably also needs some special care and more socialization. I just don't think it will solve the problem. If I had an expansive area for more birds, maybe...but I live in an apartment. I will continue to devote myself to Isaac.

[SRSeedBurners]

....and more vidoes/pictures of Isaac...dagblast-it

[Elvenking]

Okay...I often don't have the motivation to get video going when Isaac gets into his antics...I am too busy appreciating him for them most of the time. But this evening the little guy wanted to play a little fetch and I caught a little of the tail end. Now he does this pretty consistently. I think now when I chant (Buddhist practice), he likes to start this game now....ahhh boy...such a character. He had been fetching the bottle about 12 times before i got the video going, but you get the idea...it looks like this over and over again. He always does that little whistle after he lands too. What a sweetie.

 

http://vid952.photobucket.com/albums/ae6/Elvenking71/EF0082AB-3D78-41E9-9F9D-9029952ACE2B.mp4

[Acappella]

What a cute little whistle. Love it.

[Luvparrots]

Issac is always a joy to hear or watch. Thanks for sharing.

[SRSeedBurners]

I don't think I've ever seen a Grey retrieve like that. He's a real cutie.

[Greytness]

That was fun to watch. Isaac really loves playing fetch!

[Elvenking]

I don't think I've ever seen a Grey retrieve like that. He's a real cutie.

 

I know right? The way he plops it in my lap like...."Let's go again" just blows my mind every time. Her really likes to play! Just him baiting his playmate I suppose.

[GC180]

Awesome video! You should upload more.

[Elvenking]

He is a real love bird. He was doing this for 20+ minutes this morning. I throw the bottle out, he fetches, and I kiss him on the beak...we do it again. I'll try to capture more videos. I'll have to catch him doing all of his animal sounds. He does a great wolf, "Ahhoowww Ahhow Aaaahhooooooooowwwwwwwwwoooooooo"

[Muse]

He's so smart! What a gorgeous boy!

[Inara]

Doing a quick pop-in to catch up with everyone, and the second I saw a post on Isaac, I had to click first! SO glad I did, what a wonderful video, and really enjoyed the thoughtfulness of the replies (no big surprise around here ) to your quandary about whether or not to introduce another Grey into the mix. Am glad the situation sorted itself out, and your little flock remains unfluttered with Isaac at the helm!