jujube1209
Meeting neighbors
My parents bought a CAG in mid-late 2003 and named her Lucy. To make a very long story short, Lucy has been living with me for the last week, and I intend for her to stay. I watched my parents' four parrots while they went on vacation (made 11 parrots in my house!) and she and I bonded. It's clear Lucy prefers females, and while my dad tried his hardest with her (step-mom completely lost interest in her), she began plucking/mutilating her feathers. She was vetted when it all began, and no medical reason was found. She is a fuzzball except her wings (feathers destroyed), tail, and head.
She is amazingly affectionate with me, and very gentle. I'm implementing a few changes already (improved diet, LOTS of attention, different toys/treats), but am open to any and all suggestions. Parrots are not new to me (have had them since 1999), but greys definitely are. I've interacted with Lucy at their house, but never to this extent. My dad sees how she is with me and he is just blown away at how different she is.
I do have one question though....and I know the whole disclaimer that not all parrots will talk, BUT... Lucy does not talk. She has been known to say "hi baby girl" occasionally. She does whistle and make lots of noises though. She was in a bedroom (bird room) off of a hallway (with 3 other birds), away from the main living area. Dad has stands in the living areas, and nice "garage" cages for playing, baths, etc. At my house, Lucy IS in the main living area. I think she CRAVES the activity and attention (I also have 3 kids, ages 11, 9, and 5 so there is ALWAYS activity). Being that she is 15, is it possible for her to learn to talk at this point? I've been trying to teach her some new noises (a loud cluck/knock with my tongue) and there is a lot of beak activity, and she has finally started quietly making the noises. It really doesn't matter to me if she talks or not, but if there is the chance that she could, I'd like to start working with her. My other birds have just picked things up in passing...and I can tell there is some healthy competition going on currently.
Any suggestion/tips/etc are welcome.
She is amazingly affectionate with me, and very gentle. I'm implementing a few changes already (improved diet, LOTS of attention, different toys/treats), but am open to any and all suggestions. Parrots are not new to me (have had them since 1999), but greys definitely are. I've interacted with Lucy at their house, but never to this extent. My dad sees how she is with me and he is just blown away at how different she is.
I do have one question though....and I know the whole disclaimer that not all parrots will talk, BUT... Lucy does not talk. She has been known to say "hi baby girl" occasionally. She does whistle and make lots of noises though. She was in a bedroom (bird room) off of a hallway (with 3 other birds), away from the main living area. Dad has stands in the living areas, and nice "garage" cages for playing, baths, etc. At my house, Lucy IS in the main living area. I think she CRAVES the activity and attention (I also have 3 kids, ages 11, 9, and 5 so there is ALWAYS activity). Being that she is 15, is it possible for her to learn to talk at this point? I've been trying to teach her some new noises (a loud cluck/knock with my tongue) and there is a lot of beak activity, and she has finally started quietly making the noises. It really doesn't matter to me if she talks or not, but if there is the chance that she could, I'd like to start working with her. My other birds have just picked things up in passing...and I can tell there is some healthy competition going on currently.
Any suggestion/tips/etc are welcome.
