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Post by christine on Mar 8, 2012 21:41:37 GMT 10
Hello, I thought I would be picking up my baby grey next week but now the breeder says not yet - another week :-[I'm not sure if I should put the grey's cage between the cockatiels and the conure's cage? Would he be happy with that arrangement? Or, should his cage be by itself in another room? The other birds are in the family room with TV against windows that overlook the mountains. I know your not suppose to put a cage against windows but they are all fine with it because the windows are high and not at ground level. The kitchen is not a possibility as the Nanday is in there and I can't move her. I read that greys frighten easily and because they are clumsy when young you should pad the bottom of their cage in case they fall and put their perches and toys low to the bottom? I bought the grey a manzanita (not sure of that spelling) play stand that I can wheel around anywhere. I have had to move furniture and things out to make room for this lovey I want him to have the best possible start. This house is becoming an indoor aviary. Any comments appreciated. Have a good day/ :)Montana
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Post by avinet on Mar 8, 2012 22:17:28 GMT 10
Hi Montana, It is good that the breeder is wanting to wait until fully satisfied that the baby is ready to go, rather than push it out of the door as quickly as possible. I would, if possible, start out with the cage in the same room but a little distance away from the other two cages. If you put a big bird like a Grey between the cockatiel and conure cage the much smaller birds are likely to be stressed by the sudden appearance of a big bird right next to them. If the new cage and bird are across the room it will give them time to get used to the idea of a big bird appearing in their lives without being too stressed. And a stressed bird can rapidly become a sick bird. Once they are used to the Grey, and the Grey with them, then I would suggest putting the cage at the end of the line rather than in the middle, and have it next to the cage with the bird that is least bothered by the Grey - which will probably the Conure. When I first bought a Grey home that is how I did it - and now their cage is in the middle of the collection, as the photo at the end shows. Greys can be very cautious of new things - not really frightened just very cautious. Too smart and therefore too much imagination I put it down to  They have a reputation of being clumsy but my experience is they are not - certainly my two are definitely not clumsy, in fact they are very sure footed. I think the clumsy reputation comes from babies that have been clipped before they learn to fly. Baby birds need to learn and become skilled at flying, it develops good muscle tone and good balance, and both my birds did have a good learning period of flying - around a month - before getting clipped. They remained clipped for around 3 years while we had our pet shop and they used to go into it every day, but now we are retired and at home, they are flighted again. The bottom of my cage is newspaper - I am not a fan of grills on cage bottoms so put down newspaper on the grill, and change that every day. If you are worried about falling then a few sheets of newspaper should be sufficient - I use it in a 3-4 sheet layer.  The cage on the left has a pair of ringnecks, then the Grey's cage (they now have a larger one in the same position) then the cockatiel cage (6 tiels in it) then to the right the Princess cage. They all cage hop around, without problems, when let out of the cages. cheers, Mike |
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Post by christine on Mar 9, 2012 0:35:09 GMT 10
Thanks Mike, I will do as you suggest. I use newspaper also and I will just add a few layers. I see all your birds are out and happy. Its quite a site here when all the birds are out and flying. I guess they all find their place in the scheme of things. Do you have any suggestions as what to feed the baby grey? I plan on having formula if he wants it. Thanks again for the good advice. Regards Montana
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They have a reputation of being clumsy but my experience is they are not - certainly my two are definitely not clumsy, in fact they are very sure footed. I think the clumsy reputation comes from babies that have been clipped before they learn to fly. Baby birds need to learn and become skilled at flying, it develops good muscle tone and good balance, and both my birds did have a good learning period of flying - around a month - before getting clipped. They remained clipped for around 3 years while we had our pet shop and they used to go into it every day, but now we are retired and at home, they are flighted again.