The New CAG is Recovering Quickly...

And last night he was asserting himself a lot more now that he is no longer too weak to fight back. He is definitely bite pressure trained, but now he is demonstrating that CAG opinionated side.

I watched the first half of the game with that bird on my shoulder, and Tusk and Lila on my arm. He is a head tucked under the chin bird... so he sat there quietly and stretched his neck out under my chin for an extended head scratch.

I left cage doors open last night. This morning when I got up, he immediately flew to the kitchen and asked to be picked up. He helped me make coffee and sat on my shoulder as I did my "morning greeting" with all the other birds...

He seems to be making a remarkable recovery for a bird that was skin and bones... he's still underweight, but he eats well.

Then I started making breakfast for the fids... he was very good at first, until he figured out that it wasn't his breakfast I was making, and then he asserted his displeasure, pinching my cheek with his beak. (Gently. He is bite pressure trained, he was just getting my attention - I want some of that too!)

Tusk is still very quiet. He hasn't spoken much since he got home. He is very clingy with both Lila and me... You can tell this was very, very traumatic for him. He was actually getting fat when I lost him. Now he's a little underweight.

Lila bounces back and forth between both grays. She was housed with a CAG for around 20 years, so she considers every CAG her buddy bird...

Tusk doesn't know quite what to make of the new bird yet... "What, I'm gone a week and you replace me?!" "Dammit that's cold!"

Actually, neither bird is talking much, though I know for a fact that both of them do.

Glad both birds are recovering. I'm sure Tusk will bounce back soon! It probably was very traumatic to be separated from his flock, no idea where to go or what to do, hungry.... He's probably SOOOO happy to be home with you and his bird friends and is still letting it all sink in that he's really home

I'm surprised you haven't found the other owner yet... The bird sounds like a sweetheart who was cared for, surely someone is missing him?

Kiwibird said:

Glad both birds are recovering. I'm sure Tusk will bounce back soon! It probably was very traumatic to be separated from his flock, no idea where to go or what to do, hungry.... He's probably SOOOO happy to be home with you and his bird friends and is still letting it all sink in that he's really home

I'm surprised you haven't found the other owner yet... The bird sounds like a sweetheart who was cared for, surely someone is missing him?

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I've got 7 ads up... and I've had three calls. Just none of them were the "right" parrot owner.

Like I say, Tusk is clingy, which is unusual for him. He's always been pretty independent. He just had a really good scare, and came home to find another gray in the house...

He's a boy...

Not just any boy, he's a VERY GOOD BOY. Told me so himself tonight.

He was bite pressure trained the same way I do it. He was beaking my fingers and said "Not so hard. That's a good boy. That's a very good boy,"

He dances when I open his cage door.

He spent half an hour curled up on my lap tongiht.

He still hasn't told me his name.

Maggie and Sweepea were playing peek-e-boo tonight... Tusk couldn't stand being left out. He joined in and started talking to me....

He's still pretty upset. The other one, is pretty happy to be inside... I'm guessing he was out there for quite some time.

Two days later, and he's no longer just skin and bones.

Ooooooh, he sounds like a VERY GOOD BOY.
If only he could tell you the address he came from.....
I wonder if he is lost for a long while and his person gave up looking for him.

torrap said:

Ooooooh, he sounds like a VERY GOOD BOY.
If only he could tell you the address he came from.....
I wonder if he is lost for a long while and his person gave up looking for him.

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I'd settle for a name at this point...

I do know who he isn't...

torrap said:

I wonder if he is lost for a long while and his person gave up looking for him.

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Good point! If he's been out in the wild all summer or something, his owners may no longer be actively searching.

Hopefully he gives up his name soon so you have something to call him!

Oh, and I had Sally on my shoulder tonight... she was curled up into a ball and I was scratching her head...

That silly little bird did his poofy bird dance, raised his foot, and then lowered his head.

Does the name "Arnold Horshack" mean anything to you...

(I mean besides "the cattle are dying.")

Oh wow, that other CAG must have been exceptionally loved in his family! Same goes for Tusk, of course. I'm sure he's still rather shocked by the events that occurred as he's likely never had a traumatic experience that could tally up to what recently happened considering his loving upbringing... I hope his personality perks back up soon and that he turns back into his opinionated and independent self once again

And does this new CAG happen to have an overly entertaining (yet somewhat concerning) laugh to accompany that adorable puffy dance? If so, I think a video recording is in order...

No, but I nearly fell over when he put his foot up, did the poofy bird dance, and then lowered his head....

"ME TOO! ME TOO!"

He's gaining the weight back surprisingly quickly. And he seems to be coming out of his shell and exploring faster than Tusk did. (Though Tusk finally started talking to me this morning.)

I notice both birds have quite a few bumps, bruises and scratches from their ordeal. (Tusk is not exactly a graceful flyer, and frequently crash lands when aiming for the bushes.)

Like I say, hopefully I can get a name out of him.

We've had five calls on him so far, but none of them were the right bird. So far everyone's been honest...

Bird people are like the line from Iron Man 2: "That's not my bird."

We just know. And we don't want A BIRD. We want OUR BIRD!!!

Dinosrawr said:

Oh wow, that other CAG must have been exceptionally loved in his family!

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Yeah. That's why it's so important to find the right person. There's a lot of lost CAGS out there.

I believe we will find them. It's just a matter of time. He's meant to find his home.

I've got someone coming tonight. It's possibly her bird, but not likely... she got some of the answers to my quiz wrong. The bird will know...

What kind of questions do you ask? (Without posting the answers, of course. Lol!)

Well I asked about the band. (wrong answer! red flag) About some of the distinctive things the bird did. About where and when she lost her bird.

Her bird was probably not gone long enough to be in that condition when I found him. (Red Flag.) It's close enough to the area where I found him that it is possible. (So I agreed to let her come look.)

This bird has been trained/or has learned a few peculiar quirks that an owner would know immediately, and laugh about. One in particular will be the dead give away - she had absolutely no clue. (She did not know any of them. Red Flag.) She couldn't tell me anything he said. (Red Flag.) He also seems to prefer men to women, and speaks with a male voice, not a female voice. So, as the one she lost was a 100% woman's bird, it's probably not him... (Red Flag.)

When she comes over, I want to see a picture of her with her bird, or just her bird. (Not that it helps since most CAGs look alike. This one has a slight difference, but I won't post what it is. And that's one of the reasons I haven't posted any pics yet. I need to hold that info back.) But if she can't produce a single photo... that would be another red flag.

This call came RIGHT AFTER that flipper guy called me - like two minutes later. Coincidence?!

So I am keeping an open mind, but being somewhat careful.

Oh boy, I just asked you in the other post of yours about the birds voice.
This is important!
I was thinking actually about Tusk.....how he went to the male person, looking for someone who reminded him of you.

torrap said:

Oh boy, I just asked you in the other post of yours about the birds voice.
This is important!
I was thinking actually about Tusk.....how he went to the male person, looking for someone who reminded him of you.

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Well, he also said "HELLO TUSK!" when he stepped up, which was a dead give away. And he did the owww that hurts! number when someone he didn't know tried to touch. I had pics of him and me, and my daughter, AND he did the poofy bird happy happy joy joy dance, the second he saw me...

THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO DOUBT IT WAS MY BIRD.

AND I KNOW IN MY HEART, THE RIGHT OWNER WALKS IN THE DOOR, THE SAME THING WILL HAPPEN FOR THEM...

I'm getting calls. I've got the bird person network in San Antonio involved. We will find his owner...

Arnold Horshack...from Welcome Back Kotter? That laugh? What a hoot!

labell said:

Arnold Horshack...from Welcome Back Kotter? That laugh? What a hoot!

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Well it's the visual. The foot comes up and he waives it around like Horeshack raising his hand with a little grunt. Then he does the poofy bird dance... then he lowers his head for a scratch and holds it there.

He didn't do the laugh... the little grunt just reminded me of that "Ooohh! Ooohh!"

Sounds like a sweetheart!

I'm pretty pissed off at the moment...

Red Flag doesn't even begin to describe it.

Fiirst of all, she told me her bird had a band. Until she showed up and realized that this one didn't. Then, oh, i talked to my husband and the band was cut off...

This bird steps up readily... NOT FOR HER. Didn't recognize the name, or anything else she said the bird said.

The bird not only didn't know her, she was afraid of her.

The picture I asked her to bring? She didn't have one.

Three different stories about where the bird came from, and how it got away..

Told the bird didn't like the car over the phone, then something different when she got here...

Finally even got her to admit it wasn't her bird...

but you have so many, can't you just give me this one?!

GGGRRRRR!!!

AND THE TRAVEL CAGE SHE BROUGHT TO TAKE HIM HOME?

A FREAKIN' CARDBOARD BOX!!!!

And when I said no, the guy she was with tried to intimidate me... didn't work though....

NOT YOUR BIRD LEAVE NOW!!!