Bittersweet news

So today is a happy/sad day. As you all know I've been visiting Zada the macaw since she was 8 days old. I fell in love with her from day 1. I thought that after awhile she would bond to me and recognize me. But when I visit her she really has no interest it me at all. Im sad to say this, I will not be getting Zada anymore. There is a couple that has been waiting for a catalina and my breeder had them on a waiting list I guess you could call it. If they decide to take her, I think they would do a great job. But the news isnt all bad! While I was visiting Zada a couple weeks ago I noticed an african grey. She looked at me and Patrick and jumped onto the side of her cage begging to come out. We took her out and its been love at first sight. I wasn't planning on this happen but I guess things happen for a reason. Im sad that things with Zada didnt work out but I think its better to get a parrot that seems to like me then one that doesnt? Anyway, welcome to the forum:
Marceline, Marcy, Muzzy, or Muzzy Moo

YES! YES! YES! CONGRATS! This is good news as you and the grey have a connection or as vicki#s puts it - a *spark*.

Beautiful little baby grey!

Thank you! She's a real sweetie and we did seem to have a connection and I am very excited to bring her home on (hopefully!) tuesday!

coco my cag and i have a special bond...sounds like you are heading for the same thing....congratulations...you won't be dissapointed in the long run!

dusty

Im super excited to be owned by a grey and to start training. Any tips?

Awww- s/he's snuggly! I'd love a snuggly grey! Well, congratulations!!

Do you like Greys though? They have a totally diff personality from Macaws.

Yeah I love greys! It wouldnt make sense to get one if I didnt lol. I was originally looking for a grey when I first joined the other forum. I think its destiny! Or just a coincidence. But I am very happy with her. Shes very hyper and outgoing and loves cuddles. Shes clumsy too haha.

make sure your boyfriend plays with her too...they tend to one person oriented and jealous...lots of scritches and love is all you need to get them to do what you want...and keep the play play biting down to a minimum...they tend to get carried away when excited...lol...of course i asked for it when i started wrestling with her...you will have a blast and be amazed at their intelligence...don't let her get bored


dusty

Thanks for the advice Dusty!

She likes Patrick too!

anything you want to ask, message me here or on facebook...i love my gray...lol


dusty

dusty wrote:

anything you want to ask, message me here or on facebook...i love my gray...lol


dusty

Will do! Thanks! And its hard not to love them!

If raised with a lot of socialization and confidence they're not "phobic" or overly cautious. I used to be able to flip mine over on her back and carry her around cradled in my arms like a baby and raspberry her tummy. And they don't necessarily turn into pluckers or otherwise develop neurotic behaviors. I took mine everywhere and she seemed to enjoy outings. About biting - If you're gentle and don't allow anything too hard they're very gentle with their beaks. Mine never bit me - ever.

Something to keep in mind - I feel they can be "harder" to keep because they're not overt complainers. By that I mean if their mental needs are not being met they don't necessarily act out. They seem to internalize their emotions. So it can be harder for people to notice if there's something wrong or if the bird needs "more". Whereas my little conures turn into little nut job monsters until you figure out what their problem is.

As for Dusty's suggestion to keep the bird social with people - very, very good advice. That's one thing I would have done differently with my grey is to have socialized her with different people more. When I was raising her, I started out letting different people handle her. But she was a baby and most strangers are ham-fisted louts that don't really know how to handle birds. I was afraid she'd develop negative habits and associations from other people's poor handling techniques so I stopped letting strangers handle her. I was also too young to be assertive enough to tell people how to properly handle her. I made the decision to let her become a one person bird. Even so, she wasn't that bad. She could feel when someone was a "bird person" and she'd let them pick her up and she was never afraid of strangers.

So exciting! So happy for you!
Oh - It's also easier to find housing with a grey than a huge honkin' macaw...

Thats great advice, thank you!! Im very excited((:
She already lets both patrick and me flip her over on her back, its very cute.

Congratulations! You and she look adorable together.

Thanks!

I LOVE that picture of her squished in Patrick's armpit. So funny, hahahah!!

She loves to burrow it things! Especially Patricks armpit! Its so funny (:

It's so friggin' cute Is she flighted as well? How old is she?

No the breeder had clipped her wings, after she fledged. But she will be flighted here so we just have to wait for her wings to grow out. How long does that usually take? And she is about 4 months old(:

Her first moult should come in a couple of months, so then? I'm not sure if this is bad or not, but there is the option of plucking the clipped flights so they grow out right away.

I think that would hurt really bad if I plucked them. I couldnt do that to her. Just gotta wait till they fall out on their own. Hopefully they grow back quick and we can start flight training! Theres a batting cage that I can take her to fly around. And my neighbor owns a church so I can use that building too!

It's not against God or anything to have animals flying in Churches?

A batting cage! Omg, that sounds absolutely awesome. It's like a ginonormous free-flight aviary!

I'd avoid plucking the flights at this young age. She's very impressionable right now. Don't want her to make any negative associations with you at this age. Some childhood traumas are permanent.

Greys seem to be prone to breaking flights as they're growing in. We had a prior thread touching on it:
http://www.parrotparadiseforum.com/t259-trips-vet-visit

Dusty - Was your grey clipped at one point and had to grow out? How did that go?