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He has a whole series of things he does with the phone.
He'll ring, then beep, then say "Hello? Hey! Oh, it's not problem. Alright. Bye!"
Amazing.
He also says "Smoky Bird", "Nana", "What!?", "Do what?", "Come here, BooBoo!", "Kisha!", "Let's Go!", "bye", "Good boy", "Smoke", and a few others I'm sure I've missed out.
He also does a remarkable little dog bark (his previous owners had a toy poodle and 3 large indoor pit bulls) and sometimes he'll growl very vicious sounding and then bark like a poodle. Crazy how real it all sounds.
He also does the beeps for my CPI Security System when we're all leaving the room and it sounds EXACTLY like the system.
Most, if not all, of this was from his previous owners and I can't wait til he starts saying things he's learned from us. He's amazing. I'm working on getting a video together of him talking and making noises.
Oh, one more thing he does is shake his head back and forth and sings and he literally sounds like a Michael Jackson impersonator when he does it. TOO WILD!
A trick you can try: you need to (very convincingly) pretend the Harrison's is your food, a special treat just for you, making all sorts of "yum, yum, gosh that is good!" noises, etc. etc. If you're "eating" it, chances are better that he'll want some.
Harrison's truly is worth it. It's a fantastic food for them.
I converted a seed-eater to a veggie/fruits/grains + Harrison's eater. Were I in your shoes, I'd start with "tastier" options than the ones you mention - mainly fruits, juicy fruits at that. Really good sweet melon, banana, even (ye gads, it's candy!) grapes. Corn on the cob too as, especially if it's been frozen, you can make it suitably "juicy". My two will not, under any circumstance, eat citrus. One will find the seeds and root them out, the other just uses it as a projectile.... However, if I drink orange juice, well, that's a whole different story.
On the pasta, I had to laugh. One of ours is a wee bit of a gourmet. She can, I kid you not, tell the difference between pasta made with Italian semolina flour and all others. All others get summarily dismissed, Italian pasta gets eaten.
Judicious use of their natural inclination to be "jealous" ("if you've got it, I want it") + subtle manipulation ("Mine, all mine" says you) can work wonders with parrots.
This is our CAG, she's 9 months old so still a baby.
Oh my, he's beautiful! What I wouldn't give to get a pic of mine eating something healthy!
What's his name and, if I may ask, where did you acquire him? We're kicking around the idea of maybe getting another somewhere down the road but I don't even know what to expect to pay.
A trick you can try: you need to (very convincingly) pretend the Harrison's is your food, a special treat just for you, making all sorts of "yum, yum, gosh that is good!" noises, etc. etc. If you're "eating" it, chances are better that he'll want some.
Harrison's truly is worth it. It's a fantastic food for them.
I converted a seed-eater to a veggie/fruits/grains + Harrison's eater. Were I in your shoes, I'd start with "tastier" options than the ones you mention - mainly fruits, juicy fruits at that. Really good sweet melon, banana, even (ye gads, it's candy!) grapes. Corn on the cob too as, especially if it's been frozen, you can make it suitably "juicy". My two will not, under any circumstance, eat citrus. One will find the seeds and root them out, the other just uses it as a projectile.... However, if I drink orange juice, well, that's a whole different story.
On the pasta, I had to laugh. One of ours is a wee bit of a gourmet. She can, I kid you not, tell the difference between pasta made with Italian semolina flour and all others. All others get summarily dismissed, Italian pasta gets eaten.
Judicious use of their natural inclination to be "jealous" ("if you've got it, I want it") + subtle manipulation ("Mine, all mine" says you) can work wonders with parrots.
This is great info and I'll try your plan this evening. He's launched cantaloupe, tangerines (very juicy), grapes, and oranges completely across the room. Wants none of that! (I have a piece of tangerine skewered in his cage now and he won't touch it!). I haven't tried banana, but at this point I gotta be honest and I'd bet he won't take it. Perhaps I'll put him at the table with the family tonight and see if he'll eat some banana there. I did get him to eat a little cooked green beans the other night by doing that with our flock (family).
I won't give up until I accomplish this transition....
One thing I am trying right now if taking everything (food-wise) out of the cage for at least an hour and then I'm going back in with just the Harrison's and see if he'll move on it. I took some of the coarse food and whacked it in a bag with a meat tenderizer and mixed it with the fine food to vary the consistency as was suggested earlier.
We'll see and listen, keep the advice coming. I need the ideas and especially the encouragement.
A trick you can try: you need to (very convincingly) pretend the Harrison's is your food, a special treat just for you, making all sorts of "yum, yum, gosh that is good!" noises, etc. etc. If you're "eating" it, chances are better that he'll want some.
Harrison's truly is worth it. It's a fantastic food for them.
I converted a seed-eater to a veggie/fruits/grains + Harrison's eater. Were I in your shoes, I'd start with "tastier" options than the ones you mention - mainly fruits, juicy fruits at that. Really good sweet melon, banana, even (ye gads, it's candy!) grapes. Corn on the cob too as, especially if it's been frozen, you can make it suitably "juicy". My two will not, under any circumstance, eat citrus. One will find the seeds and root them out, the other just uses it as a projectile.... However, if I drink orange juice, well, that's a whole different story.
On the pasta, I had to laugh. One of ours is a wee bit of a gourmet. She can, I kid you not, tell the difference between pasta made with Italian semolina flour and all others. All others get summarily dismissed, Italian pasta gets eaten.
Judicious use of their natural inclination to be "jealous" ("if you've got it, I want it") + subtle manipulation ("Mine, all mine" says you) can work wonders with parrots.
I agree. Whatever it is that you're eating... they want it.
Eggs are good protein for birds. I always give him some of my brocolli and cheese omelette when I make them. My birds love pizza, too.
Put fruit on a Birdy Kabob so it's a toy. (seems to me I've read that birds shouldn't have too much citrus)
Make it a game for them.
I didn't see your other thread but if no one gave you this link, you may want to read it.
I'll read it. Here's a thread on another board I've been soliciting advice from as well.
New Grey Owner and need a "help" thread - BirdBoard.Com - Parrot Message Board & Pet Bird Owner Forums (http://www.birdboard.com/forum/african-grey/958410-new-grey-owner-need-help-thread.html - broken link)
Oh my, he's beautiful! What I wouldn't give to get a pic of mine eating something healthy!
What's his name and, if I may ask, where did you acquire him? We're kicking around the idea of maybe getting another somewhere down the road but I don't even know what to expect to pay.
Thanks!
Her name is Atia. She came from a breeder in Ohio. We didn't have any experience with larger parrots, only smaller conures and lorikeets so we wanted a baby CAG rather than a rehome.
The average price for a baby is around $1000 depending on the breeder.
I have a piece of tangerine skewered in his cage now and he won't touch it!
I have mixed feelings about the "birdie kebabs" personally. Food should not equal toys - they waste enough food as it is. Toys are for shredding and general destruction, food is for eating. On the other hand, if food is "fun", it should be easier to get the bird to eat it... Or that's the theory anyway. I did use one at the beginning, but as it just added to food not eaten, I stopped.
Personally, I found that feeding the birds their supper when we were going to sit down and eat was (aside from that for me, it was just practical) beneficial - as a flock would do, we all "foraged" together. In your particular instance, you can have a plate with offerings - i.e. bits of what you're eating assuming it's something suitable. Making pasta? Take a small handfull off and rinse under cold water (so they don't stick) before you put any sauce on.... things like that. Then it's all psychological because Birdie is getting to eat what you're eating from the table.
It's purely an exercise in psychological warfare. Birdie likes living on "Twinkies" and you want him to eat "health food"? You nuts or something?! So you have to turn the tables... make the "health food" the desirable food.
Chick peas (garbanzo beans), lentils (not the favourite in this house), peas - any of your "pulses" are great for them. Eggs are good - but I was always warned to limit intake as Greys also can develop cholesterol problems, so no more than one whole one a week or so. Having said that, our two would walk on hot coals to get to hard-boiled egg yolk.
LOL - my husband actually tried Harrisons. "Nice if you want to eat sawdust" was his verdict.
I have mixed feelings about the "birdie kebabs" personally. Food should not equal toys - they waste enough food as it is. Toys are for shredding and general destruction, food is for eating. On the other hand, if food is "fun", it should be easier to get the bird to eat it... Or that's the theory anyway. I did use one at the beginning, but as it just added to food not eaten, I stopped.
Personally, I found that feeding the birds their supper when we were going to sit down and eat was (aside from that for me, it was just practical) beneficial - as a flock would do, we all "foraged" together. In your particular instance, you can have a plate with offerings - i.e. bits of what you're eating assuming it's something suitable. Making pasta? Take a small handfull off and rinse under cold water (so they don't stick) before you put any sauce on.... things like that. Then it's all psychological because Birdie is getting to eat what you're eating from the table.
It's purely an exercise in psychological warfare. Birdie likes living on "Twinkies" and you want him to eat "health food"? You nuts or something?! So you have to turn the tables... make the "health food" the desirable food.
Chick peas (garbanzo beans), lentils (not the favourite in this house), peas - any of your "pulses" are great for them. Eggs are good - but I was always warned to limit intake as Greys also can develop cholesterol problems, so no more than one whole one a week or so. Having said that, our two would walk on hot coals to get to hard-boiled egg yolk.
LOL - my husband actually tried Harrisons. "Nice if you want to eat sawdust" was his verdict.
Well, I'm not gonna chow down on my bird's food....so thank your husband for me for being the guinea pig, so to speak!
As far as the kabobs, it hasn't worked yet anyway....so I don't know what to do. I did catch him eating some of the pelletized food yesterday, so maybe we're making marginal progress. Hard to say a this point. Right now he's on the back of the chair beside me as I work from my kitchen table this morning. He's a good bird. I want him on a good diet!
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Corn on the cob too as, especially if it's been frozen, you can make it suitably "juicy". My two will not, under any circumstance, eat citrus. One will find the seeds and root them out, the other just uses it as a projectile.... However, if I drink orange juice, well, that's a whole different story. 
