This is my neice, Shannon, with our baby, Sammy. Like I said before, he really took to her. Paul's mom and sister just left here after a quick trip for Christmas and I know Julie,(the sis) thought Sammy was way cool! Now Jeanne (mom) wasn't too impressed after Sammy took a nip of her finger. He's still going through his terrible twos....don't know how long that really lasts, but he's improving in a lot of ways.
Remember Shannon, I know a good breeder!! LOL
I am glad that Sammy is a very personable bird. On Christmas Eve we had everyone here at our house and moved Sammy's cage closer to the action. Everyone was so enamored of him and talked to him all night long. But after 10 p.m., there were only a handful of people left at the house, one being my niece Shannon. Shannon is just like me and would have a small zoo at her house if her husband would let her. Sammy was so taken to her. He cleaned her teeth and kissed and cuddled with her for at least 30 minutes. We would warn her that he might poop on her or get some oatmeal on her but she said she didn't care. (She runs a day care). Even Paul was happy that Sam loved her.
Can't wait to see how Julie likes him.
This is a BIG deal because usually Val's scared Sam is going to gouge out an eye if you get too close. He was very sleepy at the time and just wanted to be cuddled with.
Lucky girl.
Lucy bird.
(sigh)
I'm sure you all loved that last blog...haha. It's true about them regurgitating for love. The paragraph below is from Pet Bird Magazine.
RegurgitatingWhen done in the presence or in close proximity to a human, it normally means that the bird has chosen you as it's mate, and wants to feed you! This action is also sometimes performed on a favorite toy or other object. Bonded birds show their affection for each other by feeding each other, and accomplish this by regurgitating food. This actiivity consists of bobbing the head up and down to bring up food from the crop, and depositing it into the mate's mouth. This is also the manner in which parents feed baby chicks.
Shannon, I'm pretty sure that when your dogs throw up that it's not intended to show you their love. If that were true, they would always vomit on the tile instead of the carpet....LOL
I know it's gross but it is a sign of love and appreciation from a bird. Paul has figured out that Sammy sees me as the reason he gets put into the cage. So for the past two mornings I have left the dogs in the bedroom and Sammy is extremely nice to me. He actually regirgitated 4 or 5 times while on my shoulder!! It was peaches and cream oatmeal. And he would swallow it back down and then give me kisses on my cheek. I know.
About 3/4 of the way in Curtis makes a fart noise and says "who cut one?"
Wow! This morning started out as usual. But instead of Paul putting Sammy back in the cage for me and the dogs to get up, I left the dogs in the bedroom and went into the kitchen with Paul and Sammy. Sammy was so excited to see me and to also not be put up that he jumped on my shoulder and gave me lots and lots of kisses. I was so overwhelmed and happy. He sat on my shoulder instead of Paul's and just talked up a storm..it won't be long before he really talks. He chewed on my ear, which he has NEVER done before. It was great.
I'm viewing videos from a site called Bird Tricks and it's teaching me how to gain Sammy's trust and not bite me. I hope it works but I understand that he doesn't want to go back into the cage. I'll let you know.
I started using baby talk with Sammy and he acts nicer to me. I'm always laughing at Paul when he does it but I now know why. We picked up tree limbs yesterday so when we finally were able to sit down and get Sammy out of his cage, he was starved. I forgot that I usually provide him with seeds when he's at work with me. Poor widdle feller....
Do you enjoy watching the videos I have on here or not? Let me know. Sometimes Sammy doesn't do anything memorable and so I have nothing to write. Enjoy.
This is Sammy eating his oatmeal. Watch him gulp it down like a baby bird does. He's so cute. We are covered in ice here and our beautiful trees in the back are breaking off and making a hugh crash. I went out back to bring the dogs back inside so they wouldn't get killed by falling branches but I guess my voice was loud and stressed. When I came back in I saw Sammy shaking like a leaf. We had to get him out and talk nice to him until he settled down. He wouldn't even take a peanut!! It looks like there's at least one more day of this ice stuff. Bah Humbug!
Paul and I have been discussing which type of food is better for Sammy. He loves sunflower seeds, peanuts, safflour seeds..pretty much all the seeds and nuts but they aren't good for him to eat all the time. He also loves rice, corn, oatmeal, fresh sugar snap peas and potatoes among other stuff like that. He doesn't like the pelleted stuff offered in pet stores.
But I also have been making a sprouted diet for him and the canaries. This consists of hulled seeds ......well, here is what is all in that mix.
The 15 sprouting items included in AFD-Micrograin: Triticale, Rice, Millet, Alfalfa, Fenugreek, Buckwheat, Fennel, Flax Seed, Dill Seed, Sesame Seed, Amaranth, Quinoa, Mung Bean, Radish Seed, and Red Clover Seed.
I sprout these for three days and when they are ready, they are soft and very good for him. The makers of this mix say that it is all that is needed in a parrot's diet. Sammy really likes this mix but what I failed to notice until today is that I also have another bag of sprout things that Sammy would probably love more. I thought the two bags were identical but they are not. The second bag contains.....
The 17 sprouting items included in AFD-Psittacine: Hulled Sunflower Seed, Whole Yellow Corn, Whole Oat, Brown Rice, Hi Pro Wheat Berry, Whole Green Pea, Garbanzo, Mung Bean, Buckwheat, Millet, Fenugreek, Pumpkin Seed, Sesame Seed, Quinoa, Radish Seed, Mustard Seed, Red Clover Seed.
THAT'S what we should give him, along with the other mixed in. I just put some of the second bag into the sprouting tower. It'll be ready in 3 days. YUM!! And the canaries can have some too.
I found this article on grey's and thought you guys would enjoy reading it too.
The African Grey Parrot has been called "the perfect mix of brains and beauty" (Bird Talk, Aug. 92) and the "cadillac of parrots" (Bird Talk Sept. 93). Much of the notoriety of this species stems from the phenomenal gift of speech members exhibit. While many parrots learn some words or phrases, many cases have been documented of African Greys learning multiple lines of songs, prayers, or plays. The Guinness Book of World Records lists the best talking parrot or parrot like bird as a African Grey named Prudle. Prudle was captured near Jinja, Uganda in 1958 and when "he" retired from public life in 1977 had a vocabulary of nearly 1000 words.Greys (the English spelling is usually used - not Gray) are not limited to imitating speech. Phones, microwaves ovens, answering machines, other birds and chain saws (in the African jungle) have all been documented as part of the Grey's repertoire. Many owners and some studies suggest that Greys don't just mimic but can use words learned in new combinations to convey new wants, needs and desires. Alex, a famous Grey that has been studied for years by Dr. Irene Pepperberg, invented the term "long yellow" to express his desire for more corn on the cob. A European study found Greys to have the intellectual capacity of a 5-year-old human child with the emotional development of a human 2 year old.Greys are certainly exotic but are not unusual in aviary collections. Compared to many other parrot species, they are moderately priced, moderately sized and adapt well to human companionship.
Oh, and by the way, Sammy was cuddling with Paul right before bed and I was jealous!!
I think this is the best picture of Sammy. I use it for my phone wallpaper. He's obviously at my desk next to my fax machine on his perch. Paul's been gone again but is on his way back. Both him and Sammy missed each other. Paul would call me and ask how Sammy was doing, so I told him to talk to him and held the phone up to the cage bars. Sammy came over and licked the phone when he heard Paul's voice but then the actual phone creeped him out and he fluffed up and retreated. It was sweet though.
Yesterday late afternoon when I stopped working, I put the dogs outside and was going to take Sammy into the family room but he didn't want to go. Imagine my curiosity...he never really liked the work cage. After trying more times than I can count, I finally just left the room and waited. I figured he'd start whistling in a half second, but no, he took about an hour nap. And so he didn't want to go night night until I forced the issue around 9:15. He's usually asleep by 8.
But he also slept late this morning, so I didn't feel guilty about sleeping in....haha
Here's some more pics of Sammy. He's become a very good bird to me. Anytime I eat dinner, he waddles over to me to get a taste. Have you ever seen a bird walk on flat ground? It's funny. Anyway, he liked chili with fritos the other night. And chicken and rice is a favorite too. I'm the only non-germaphob of the whole family and will let him eat off my fork.
This is Marty's biker coat...when he goes for a walk with Paul early in the morning, he gets cold because he's so scrawny and has practically no hair on his body. It's supposed to look like a leather jacket..we have to get him something macho.
I just love love love Sammy!!! Yesterday was perfect!! I didn't get Sammy out until around 2:00 and he played behind me on my chair. I got a couple of quick kisses but not much more. He got tired around 4:00 so I gave him a 10 minute warning and checked his food and water and he went right in without any fuss. Bravo!!
I then got him out around 5:30 and we went into the kitchen. He was such a good bird there too. When Paul came in Sammy was certainly glad to see him but was just so sweet. He kept bending his head down for scratches and kisses from both of us. Paul was the one to put him back in the cage so I didn't have to wrangle with him.
At about 8:00, which is usually bed time, Sammy became very active and we decided to get him out once again for a quick visit and again, Sammy was so cuddly and sweet. AAhhhh,...
smooch, smooch, kiss, kiss.
Sammy was so much nicer to me at 5:00. He gave me a kiss (had to take my glasses off) and I babied him like crazy. I opened his sunflower seeds for him and fed them to him by hand. We had a really good time until.............................
We played the top of the cage game. You know the one..jump from one side to the other. It wasn't fun for me. But when I finally had him in my clutches and he couldn't fly away, I praised the #2*& out of him. Good boy, good bird, good Sammy, very nice Sammy...etc. No peanut for Sammy.
My son and daughter-in-law came over last night..it was her birthday. She's 26, such a baby still. Wish I was 26 again. Anyway Sammy loves loves loves her. It figures.
More later.
Well, yes and no. The first time I attempted to get Sammy back in his cage he was on the back of my chair and I gave him a 15 minute warning. Then 10 minutes later I put new food and water into his work cage and believe it or not, he went without too much problem.
The second time was a much much much different situation. He was on top of his work cage and it is a little bit taller than me. So Sammy would jump from the back to the front on top of the cage which made me have to walk around the cage. Seriously this went on for 14 minutes. Also he would charge me and bite the crap out of me too. I realize that I have to win but geez he was really pissing me off!! I saw that the dogs had gone outside so I closed the dog door and showed Sammy the hallway so he would know that we were going to the other cage. Nope that didn't work either. So I just grabbed his little legs and pried his little feet off the cage and took him flapping and biting. No, I didn't hurt your baby, Paul. By the time I got him to his cage, he had quit biting and so I started praising him, all the time cussing to myself, and gave him a peanut. He took it. I won!?
So today, I thought about what my daughter had said. That he's around me all the time and just like a small child will be awful to the mother who is with him all the time but be such an angel for daddy. I said good morning to him as always, then ignored him and went back to work without him. He was whistling dixie (not really) but he was calling me ALOT and I would whistle back. In fact, I didn't get him out until 1:30 when I stopped for lunch. He sat on my shoulder for a good 15-20 minutes and didn't want to get down. I still couldn't get kisses but he was really glad to see me. When I said it's dog time, he kept walking and flying away from me. And of course, a few bites but nothing like yesterday. I'll get him out around 5 today and see what happens then. Wish me luck!
Okay, I'm done. My pitty party is officially over. The reason was that I forgot to take my meds yesterday morning....haha No really. Once I figured that out and took my meds, things were better.
Sammy is sitting on my desk as I work today happily chewing up a piece of cardboard. He's been a pretty good bird so far but in 30 minutes it's dog time. I'll see if he is going to bite me or not as I put him in his cage. My bet is that I'll get bitten. Is saying that optomistic or pesomistic? Hum.
Sammy loves loves loves fried rice with egg. Paul made some stir-fry last night that was to die for and Val made the fried rice. Paul offered Sammy a bite of all the ingredients but the rice was the winner. Oh, and we have found a new toy that Sammy loves....the styrofoam box that mushrooms come in. It's blue and it chews up nicely. You know, having a parrot is very messy. We have little bits of styrofoam, peanut casings, sunflower seed covers, bits of paper and food all over the place all the time. So Donna, you can give Sammy that paper feeder thingy for Xmas!
Sammy loves Paul more and is more closely bonded to him. Paul can put Sammy back into his cage without a nip or screech but when I do it, all my fingers are nipped and he's flapping his wings in my face and so he never gets his "good bird" peanut treat from me. What gets me is that I'm always doing good stuff for him...giving him greens, letting him come out to play at least two times before Paul gets home. I can't hardly wrangle a kiss from him either, I have to sneak up on him and give him a kiss on his wing where the first thing Sammy does to Paul is kiss, kiss, kiss....and then a kiss after Paul puts him back in the cage!! IT'S NOT FAIR! My heart is broken.
On a lighter note, I swear Sammy said "hi" in my voice a couple of times yesterday. He was flying to my head and I held up my hands and caught him and he was flapping his wings like mad, causing my hair to fly and he said "hi". Can't get him to do it any more...that figures.
More later
Sammy has picked up a new whistle. It's that whistle that you do to get some one's attention. Whee oo weet. Does that make sense? So now when you come in the door of our house you hear a blend of the wolf whistle and this new one. We found out that Sammy loves tator tot casserole. Just a few bites, nothing big and he doesn't like cranberry sauce. Paul fried a turkey outside but he wouldn't say "bird" instead of turkey because he didn't want Sammy to know that we were eating a "bird"...LOL Valerie came over and Sammy jumped onto her right off the bat. That's a good thing. Sam is still very friendly to other humans too. We hope he stays that way.
Sammy still doesn't like his new "work" cage as well as the other cage. Val and I were putting him back into his cage after an hour and a half "Sammy time" and he fought us both to stay out. He bit Val pretty hard and kept a steady tirade of bites on my fingers until we forced him back into the cage. I scolded him but it didn't do any good. I don't know why it's much harder to get him in this cage. To put him into the other cage is relatively easy. He doesn't bite and most of the time goes right in. With both cages, we offer a peanut for him when he gets inside. Any idea?
This is Sammy's new cage. Paul and I put this thing together last night. This one is perfect and you can actually see Sammy in the upper right of the cage. He likes it because it's bigger but he stays on the upper perches most of the time. Right now he's getting ready to take a nap so he must feel protected. He did fall to the bottom one time which scared the yikes out of me but he wasn't hurt. He has to get used to the perches in there and the size of the bars. Never fear, Lulu was right there waiting to catch him.....she's such a good helper....yeah, right.
Now I read someone else's blog and she said that cat and dog saliva can be fatal to birds. She recommended that you wash your hands before handling your bird if you've been petting a cat or dog. I don't know about that, but I intend to find out.
Well, it's true. There is a bacteria in mammals that can be given to birds and they can die within 24 hours if not treated. Cats are the worst, then dogs, then humans. I read one vet say that he has never seen a bird that got the bacteria from a human, but he has seen several birds that got it from the pet dog or cat. Well, my dogs aren't going to get anywhere near Sammy. He's way too precious of a pet to be careless.
More later
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This is Misha on the left. She's the sweetest dog ever but she is a true hunter. She's caught and eaten many squirrells and she would probably not be able to stop herself from chasing Sammy.The one on the right is Lulu. She's a rescue and a trash eating dog who has to dominate everything the others do in the family. She'll nose up to Sammy's cage and he'll run at her with her beak open and growling. I think Sam's realized that she doesn't like him and would like him to go away. The first words Sammy will probably say will be "Leave him alone, Lulu"! But in her defense, she's the most loyal dog to me. She has to go everywhere I do all day long. Well, yesterday was pretty uneventful. Sammy did get to be out of the cage for about 3 hours. He was so mad to get back in but it was "Dog's time". I hear him out there just whistling away....whee whoo....whee whoo. And, because I'm a trained human, I'm whistling right back to him.
More late.
1. Being out of his cage around us
Over to the right, you'll see random videos from YouTube. Just click on it and it will play at the top of the screen. I hope you enjoy these.
Please scroll all the way down the page to see some random youtube videos all about different animals.
You have to be sure to keep an eye on Sammy when he's out of his cage. He stripped my telephone cord down to the wires in the blink of an eye. That's why you give parrots wooden toys. It takes longer to destroy them than the plastic toys.
Did you like my pictures?
Sammy is going through his "terrible two's". I thought he just misbehaved only with me but this morning he did it to Paul. Sammy is only 4 months old but african grey's can live to be over 50 years old so this really could be his time as an adolescent. You know, most animals go through this stage. I think it's called by most to be their teenage years too. I know my sugar gliders and my dogs are nicer after about 2 years and up. Having gone through both a boy and a girl human teenagers, I think I can handle all most anything. Our kids were very good kids but they had their moments. I always tell my friends that by the time they can drive, then they'll almost be back to being a normal person. Same thing for pets. You just have to grit your teeth and bare it.
More later.
Yea!! Paul is back!! That's Sammy talking. Sammy adores Paul. I'm learning to deal with it. LOL Actually it really is good that Paul's back because he can resume the morning feeding and playing. Then I get to play later during the day. Sammy grows more intelligent every single day. He certainly knows how to play me. If he wants out of his cage, he pitches a fit like a 2 year old child. He'll pace at the bottom looking for any way out, then hang upside down from the top. He knows it scares me. The first time I saw him do this, I ran to his cage to help him and all I got was a bite on my finger. It didn't bring blood but it sure wasn't his normal tasting. Then I read that you're supposed to ignore them. That did work but it took alot for me not to look while listening to all that thrashing around.
Today is my birthday so if you read this send me a birthday email to TandPKreth@aol.com
I'm a HUGE animal lover. I have had an iguana, a bearded dragon, an anole, three sugar gliders, 3 dogs (Lulu, Marty and Misha) and two canaries. I know what you're thinking. We have lots of room for more animals so we got Sammy. The three dogs have always been with me around the house. I work from home and so they have me pretty much all day long. Now that Sammy's here, he wants to be with us all the time too which is okay if he wanted to stay in his cage, but he doesn't. He wants to be on my shoulder or the back of my chair. The breeder said that we are Sammy's "flock" and he will want to be with us all the time.
My dog Lulu is a rescue dog and she is the head bitch of the group. She has to always, always, always be in charge of everything. She constantly growls at Misha. So much so it's terribly annoying. Well, she also wants to control Sammy. So the two cannot be left alone and never ever can she be around him when he's out of his cage. If Lulu gets too close to the cage, Sammy will puff up and growl and run at her with his beak open, but he hasn't fooled Lu.
So my day starts like this...Paul gets up earlier than me and takes Sammy out of his cage for some one -on -one time and breakfast. Sammy's favorite is Peaches n' Cream oatmeal. I stay in bed because the dogs won't leave the bedroom until I do. This lasts about an hour.
Then Sammy goes up and the dogs come out. Then after the Ellen show, I put the dogs outside and bring Sammy to my work room (bedroom again) and he stays out for about an hour, usually on the back of my chair. This is also his time to "poop". And yes, you can teach a bird to poop on command!! This routine is repeated 2 to 3 times a day. The dogs and Sammy are all starting to get used to this routine. Except when Paul goes out of town. That's a whole other blog....
More later.
Well, the cage had been damaged during the shipping process. The seller is going to send me another one but it will take another 7 days or so. Oh well. Now all we have to do is put it all back into the box.
Sammy is learning the hard way that his feathers don't give the same lift as before. He probably feels like he did when he first started flying....banging into everything. But he's a quick learner and will realize which perches he can still fly to.
As I'm sitting here at my computer Sammy is behind me on the back of my chair making all kinds of interesting noises. Some of them sound like a noise a new baby makes. It's very relaxing when he does that.
More later.
Hi! I'm Marty. I think my new brother, Sammy, the African Grey Parrot is pretty neat. But, boy, he sure does wear me out!
It was a lot harder for me and Paul than it ever was for Sammy to get his wings clipped. It's just sad to see him try to fly across the room and instead he only goes down, not up. But, like I said last time, we don't want to lose him.
He finally can whistle the "wolf whistle" that Paul and I have been teaching him for weeks. He sounds just like Paul which is a good thing because my whistle is a little weak. We have a house that when anyone opens a door or window, a beep is heard and Sammy quickly realized that the beep means someone is coming in. So if you come to our house, the first thing you'll hear when you come in is that Sammy thinks you're hot!! It's a great ego boost!!
Today we're going to be putting together a new cage that I bought for Sammy on ebay. It's a very large cage so that when he's working with me, he'll have a big cage to play in. The one I have now is way too small. Sammy likes to climb all over it, sometimes upside down and he just doesn't have enough room to do that in his work cage.
So enough for now but I need to let you know that Sammy wasn't over the top to see his breeder. He gets alot more excited when he sees us. Which is the way we want it to be!!LOL
Today is a big day for Sammy. He's mastered the art of flying..and landing. The landing is the tricky part.
Four weeks ago Sammy started flapping his wings really hard. He would be on his perch and let it rip and papers or anything else not tethered down would fly away. A week later he took his first leap of faith..from the top of his cage, over my head, and smack into the window blinds. But he didn't fall to the ground. He hung on for dear life until I rescued him. From then on until today he would soar around the room, up and down the stairs and learning the crucial down flapping that lets him land on our heads. Perfect!!!
But today, we will get his wings clipped. We both had misgivings wondering if we were doing the right thing. Sammy absolutely loves to fly and we love it when we tap our outspread arm and he comes happily flapping over to us. But we've heard the stories, one especially frightening from Sammy's breeder. Some one comes in the door unexpectedly and the bird flies out the open door. It happens all too quickly and it can take days or maybe never for the owner to find their bird...searching for water when it doesn't know how to because it's always been given to him in a shiny silver bowl. We don't want that to happen to Sammy so we will have his wings clipped in a "show bird" style. This will allow him to fly about five feet but always going downhill to the floor.
On another note, we're anxious to see if Sammy will remember his breeder. We call him his granddad. More later.
Spray Organic Apple Cider on your fruits & veggies to remove harmful toxins. Wait five minutes then rinse.
The unique bird’s respiratory system dictates that they are much more sensitive to gas and vapors than we humans, hence special cautions must be exercised in the home. The gas released when Teflon pans are heated is perhaps the most devastating as they are not only odorless but few individuals even realize the hazard exists. This is not to say that all Teflon pans need to be removed or that home cooking should be stopped, but to be aware of the situation. Using a thin layer of water when preheating will absorb the formaldehyde gas released.
Should exposure to any gas or vapor occur, immediately remove the bird from the environment and air out the house. Other common household hazards include insecticides, self-cleaning Teflon ovens, solvents (including nail polish remover and paint remover), most varnishes and stains, carpet cleaners, lead based paint, and oven cleaners.
Remove the animal immediately if you believe that toxic gas has been released. Always err on the side of caution, waiting to watch the bird for a sign of a reaction will only prove irreversible.
African greys are particularly sensitive to a mold (aspergillosis sp.) that grows in the Midwest due to the extreme humidity changes we experience, particularly in spring and fall when molds grow at an accelerated rate. A good quality air cleaner and dehumidifier in the household is strongly recommended, to prevent this fatal disease.
Blend all ingredients until they form a smooth paste.
Pour the mixture into popsicle molds or ice trays. Freeze the pops until they are solid.
As an option, you can cover the trays with plastic wrap, and insert halved popsicle sticks through the wrap and into the pops before freezing, to give your bird something to hang on to.
Any combination of bird safe fresh foods, nuts, and seeds can be used.
Sammy joined our family on October 12, 2007. We first came to know Sammy by finding a veterinarian/breeder out of Moore, Oklahoma. Glen or Sammy's granddad, as we refer to him, has a fantastic knowledge and friendship with each bird he raises. In fact, on the day we brought Sammy into our home, Glen was at a loss for words. Granddad will be happy to know that Sammy will visit him on regular visits for his check-ups.
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