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Bird friendly outings


John_Woodside

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I've take my Amazon allot of places. the beach, the mall, the park, visiting, She love to go out. Tyco my Grey isn't harness trained so I have to take her out in her travel cage but she has gone out to the park and on a few outings she enjoys meeting new people and getting some freash air.

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I have taken Josey with me to work occasionally in her travel cage, I haven't harness trained her so she has to be caged. I also take her with me when I go visit my son who lives 4+ hours away, it usually is a weekend visit and she rides very well, she plays with her bell and chatters away on the ride there and back.

 

I live out in the country and don't get to places I could take her very often and when I do go I have to go several different places and some I couldn't take her so she doesn't get to go but I would if I could.

 

I would encourage you to take your grey to as many places as you can for it socializes them more and exposes them to more and varied things than if they spend all their time at home.

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Like Judy, I take Maxi to work with me occasionally in her backpack travel cage. When my dad was in a nursing home toward the end of his life, I used to take her regularly to visit (he was a real bird guy), and she developed quite a following among the residents and staff there. And one of the outings which I think we both really enjoyed was that I strapped on her travel cage and walked along next to the middle school band last year in the Memorial Day parade (my daughter plays clarinet). I actually thought the drums might bother Maxi, but they didn't seem to.

 

I will say that at the nursing home I met two nurses who had sibling Congo greys, and they both told me that they would never be able to take their birds out the way I could - way too nervous. They thought it was a TAG vs. CAG thing - there are those that think the Timnehs are a bit mellower in temperament, and maybe that was it. I'm guessing the fact that I started taking her "on the road" very young also had something to do with it tho.

 

Right now I am trying to harness-train Maxi, because her wing feathers are really growing in, but it's R-E-A-L-L-Y slow. She's a stubborn little girl, and does NOT want that thing near her yet!

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I take my brids to the bird store to see other birds and owners (there is a great one here) and to the plant nursery and home depot. They also get to go visit friends/family and Schroeder goes to the park to watch softball games with me. I have also brought him to the track (horses) on a pets day. He thought it was fantastic. I don't take Buddy as many places as Schroeder because it freaks him out. We are working up to big busy places with him. They both LOVE car rides and will wistle and flirt with other drivers at red lights. You should see Schroeder around firetrucks. Woah baby!

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I take Storm just about everywhere! She hates the harness, even broke it so i use a carrier as well. I take her to friends houses. I hava a small mobile perch i take with me and plenty of paper towels!. She also goes with me for rides, she loves to ride in the car. I think the younger you start them out the better. she also goes grocery shopping with me and pretty much everywhere i go. except for pet stores.

 

Jef

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yeah, I've heard the tag vs cag thing, and it made me lean towards a tag, but I like cags better, tags are too small. I figure if I do things well then it wont matter too much.

 

I was wondering about the grocery stores, but they all have bakeries and delis and I worry about teflon

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The only time I took Jenna into a grocery store (Central Market) they told me she was not allowed in there. I gave them the choice of having me walk away from a full basket or finishing my shopping and leaving, and they let us stay Hehehe Anyway, I can't get Jenna harness trained (at least not so far) so we can't go as many places as I would like. But she has an acrylic travel carrier that she likes to be in for car rides, and I have a freestanding perch that I have used a couple of places for her. I had her in the office yesterday because we had a vet visit scheduled, and to my astonishment she chattered away all afternoon in my office!

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Yes, I have avoided taking Max into groceries or restaurants, because I figured they might well have issues with sanitation - which is totally fair, of course. (And most of them probably don't even know that greys are powder-down birds and hence very dusty!) I hadn't even thought about the potential Teflon issue in bakeries, John - I'm glad you brought that up!

 

I used to take Max back to visit at the store where I got her, but I have since thought better about taking her into any pet stores with me, due to the possibility that she might be exposed to some sort of as-yet-undetected illness in such places. Of course I suppose that could also happen in a vet's office, but the environment is much less controlled in a store.

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In her adventure pack I have taken Emma, to the outdoor markets, the park, the petstore, the bookstore, the hardware store, the grocery store and to the vet. I have noticed that when I go to the grocery store... I must always purchase or have some fruit on hand for her to eat or else she starts to do flips in her cage and then I worry that she'll get poop on her head (I think she knows that it drives me crazy) but somehow she manages to do flips in such a small area without touching any poop at all. I have noticed that she is always as quiet as a mouse when we are out. It is pretty great because most people don't even realize that I have entered the premises with a parrot.

 

I must admit that this year I am a bit hesitant to take her to crowded area because now she can talk english.:unsure: I'd really hate for her to pick up some inappropriate language.. it's just something I'll have to think about.

 

Post edited by: lovethatgrey, at: 2009/03/27 03:03<br><br>Post edited by: lovethatgrey, at: 2009/03/27 03:16

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Lyric isn't harness trained but I use a carrier and bring him to work with me when the weather is nice enough. He really seems to enjoy getting out of the house and spending extra time with me. I highly recommend taking your bird for outings with you- I think it is good mental stimulation for them.

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John, about the acrylic carrier - I was lucky on that. My previous bird was an eclectus (he died suddenly a year ago at Christmas). I used to take him to work, and at one time Bird Talk magazine had an issue on people who took their birds to work. I submitted an article on my bird, and they ended up paying me for the article and his photo, and the money bought him his acrylic carrier, which was carefully scrubbed and de-germed for Jenna. I think they run about a hundred or so, but I'm not sure, that was a long time ago. It is great for a car carrier but it is small and has no provisions for climbing or playing in it. I have a small toy hung inside in case she needs something to do in the car.

 

The Ecky used to go to the Texas Storytelling Festival with me, and that is happening this weekend. I'm considering taking Jenna, but she is MUCH more shy than he was, it might make her too nervous! Maybe once I get her adventure pack

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One of the things I actually like about the adventure pack (and some other carriers) as opposed to the acrylic carriers is the fact that it has window-flaps built into the cover, which you can roll down to give the bird a bit more privacy if things are too chaotic in the environment. Like: the bird is with you, but it can be hiding if it seems appropriate.:)

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I had a small gathering at my office yesterday. There were 4 of us. A friend brought his doggie, an American Cocker Spaniel. Instead of the doggie, Koko growled at the Cocker Spaniel.:laugh:

 

It didn't take long for Koko to accept the doggie is not a threat. Koko had a good time socializing with my friends.

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Tobie went for walks on trails around the lakes around Boone and for car rides. We visit my mother and mother-in-law. Tobie gets lots of attention and I'll admit that I like the attention and opportunity to talk about Tobie. My mother lives in a retirement center and the residents enjoyed him as well. He wore a flight suit last summer but we are trying to get used to the aviator harness now. I think the aviator harness is more comfortable for him, but it doesn't have a poop pouch. The lack of poop pouch will limit where I can take Tobie.

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