Meet my new baby, Davy Jones!

Grash0perC

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Davy Jones - An African Grey
When I was 8 years old I saw an African Grey at a petco. He was $4000 and I desperately wanted him. I went home and did a bunch of research, and from that moment on it was my biggest dream. I'm 26 now. I had to start saving over a year ago to adopt him.

Not just him, but the cage, toys, etc and rainy day fund in case he gets sick or injured. When I had enough saved, I started searching online, for months. Every post on craigslist was a scam. I also didn't want a newborn baby being shipped and traumatized for life.

Finally a week ago, a three month old Congo baby was posted. It was real! I had to drive 11 hours round trip to get him, but it was beyond worth it.

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[ame="https://youtu.be/piHuDw5b2Eg"]Video of us cuddling.[/ame]

I'm going to teach him to be a pirate bird. "Ahoy Matey!" instead of Hello. "Walk the plank," "Shiver me timbers" "I feel a scurvy coming on. "His" name is Davy Jones. When I ask him, "Polly Want a Cracker?" I want him to say "No. I want a soul." I have so many ideas!

I say "he" tentatively because he wasn't DNA tested and the breeder said he knows based on looks. I'm taking him for his first check-up at the vet tomorrow and I'll ask for one then.

I have a few questions. He is super cuddly! He likes to nestle into my neck or just lay right on my face lol. Will that be something he grows out of? I know African Grey's aren't usually very cuddly, but I'm hoping that if I cuddle him as much as possible he won't.

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When do they normally wean? The breeder said he was already weaning. However, he can barely eat solid food. He puts a tiny bit in his mouth and licks it. If he focuses on eating for ten minutes he might get one pellet down lol. So obviously, that was incorrect. I read somewhere that it can take up to 20 weeks.

I'm hand feeding him 40 - 50 cc's of formula three times a day. His poop seems good. I just haven't found ANY guidelines as to around how much I should be feeding a day.

When should I start potty training him? Since I got him, he hasn't been in a cage once. He sleeps with me in a box on my bed at night (with my arm inside and him cuddling). I work from home, so he is playing under my desk under my supervision or in my lap all day. He is always on towels. I don't want him to think it's okay to poo everywhere forever, but I don't know when he will be capable of understanding potty training.

I'm actually planning to build a perch next to my desk with a large litter box underneath and train him to go there to poop, so he doesn't have to be in a cage. Do you think I can I do that without needing to use a cage?

Speaking of cages this is what I got him:

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It's 3' x 2' x 4'5". Will that be big enough when he is fully grown? He will rarely be in it.

I dunno if I have ever been this happy in my life!! :D:D

Don't tell my husband because it's supposed to be the day we got married... ;)

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Grash0perC

Grash0perC

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Davy Jones - An African Grey
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Also I want to get started on training him somehow right away. Are there any books or videos I can use / buy specifically for training a baby from 3 months to 6 months? Everything is for older parrots and I want to get a good start on him.
 

Laurasea

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Congratulations!!! Your joy is contagious! He looks way to young to be weaned... The breeder should have been honest with you, and should be a resource on formula and feeding. You can read about weaning by abundance, which is while still feeding formula you offer lots of other foods all the time to. I don't have hand raising experience so I'm not much help. You can try reposting under the breeding forum. SilverSage has a lot of breeding experience but I haven't seen SilverSage active lately, maybe a mid would pm for you, as you need more posts before you can.
Anyway wonderful pictures, and best wishes for a long and joyful, healthy life to you both!
 

bigfellasdad

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Enzo - adopted Female CAG circa 2004. A truly amazing young lady!
Fabulous, how stweet is he :)



Do you know why pirates are called 'pirates'?
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.
.
.
.
.
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Because they just 'aaaargh'
 

itzjbean

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He should be getting 10-11% of his body weight at each feeding, until he refuses. When he starts eating more solid food, try eliminating the middle feeding but continue to feed the morning and night feeding until he begins to refuse them. Temperature of the formula should be no less than 100 degree F and not over 110 degree F. Get a gram scale to monitor his weight daily.

The breeder was lying to you about being weaned, he is definitely not done! I think greys are around 4-5 months before weaning. So he still has a bit to go. This person you got him from is not very responsible to sell an unweaned baby, we sort of frown upon that here. Weaning baby parrots can be very difficult and we've had a lot of people post about having issues with unweaned babies! Hopefully you didn't pay full price for him considering you have another couple months of weaning to do.

You can get DNA tests for super cheap online! $12 from IQBirdTesting , I'm sure the vet will try to charge you a ton for it.
 

Scott

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Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
Welcome to you and Davy Jones, congratulations on realizing your dream!

Please check the following threads, may be of great help as you continue bonding.
http://www.parrotforums.com/breeding-raising-parrots/74363-so-you-bought-unweaned-baby.html (Note: I cannot assess whether he is partially weaned, something to be aware of though)
http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html
http://www.parrotforums.com/congo-timneh-greys/59366-cag-101-a.html
Not sure if ready for training, but here ya go! http://www.parrotforums.com/training/60435-clicker-target-training.html

Cage looks fine for now but may be a bit smallish over time.
 
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Grash0perC

Grash0perC

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Thanks for the info! I read a very detailed website on hand feeding him so I already knew all of that ;). I forgot that I could just weigh him and weigh the food to make sure it's 10%. I'll do that today.

I'm glad I got him early because I'm concerned that he wasn't getting enough attention from the breeder. I don't know if it's normal for a three month old - but he has a big bald patch of missing feathers on his chest. I hope he didn't pull them out or the other baby didn't. It really seemed like the breeder didn't care very much. He asked me if I would give him at least 1 hour of attention a day. Uh! No!! Of course I give him much much more!!

I wasn't going to let one of these amazing animals get abused by passing him off because he wasn't perfect. Either by the breeders lack of attention or a different parront that would have abused him in the same ways. I volunteered at a zoo from when I was 11-16. I worked mainly with birds. I got my animal handling certification which took a lot of training.

What's important is that he seems very healthy. Eating well, sleeping well, playing well, and excellent poops. He doesn't seem to have any mental deficits - he is already trying to talk! Of course I can't wait for his vet appointment to be absolutely certain that everything is fine (and get him on insurance.)

I also nursed three baby wild birds who were abandoned or injured (under the supervision of a certified rehabilitator) and released them back into the wild . I took several veterinarian classes in high school in a special program.

It's been several years so I needed to brush up on my knowledge and skills, but I have a good idea of what I'm doing! Just trying to figure it out for a parrot and do the absolute best that I can. He is amazing and deserves the best.

I have documented every cute moment of his life since I got him. I can't wait to edit it into one video and share. He is a very special little pirate dude. :)
 

itzjbean

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You sound very well prepared to take this guy on! Making sure he is healthy with a visit to the vet is going to be great, they'll be able to determine too if the bald spot on his chest are abnormal or if they were plucked, be sure to do all the tests like gram stains blood test to make sure he is also healthy on the inside. Some plucking behaviors are caused by internal issues so best to rule those out early on. With sketchy breeders you never know what kind of conditions they are raised in, OR the health of their parents.
 
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Grash0perC

Grash0perC

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He just said his first word!!! HE'S A GENIUS!

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKhxnWiHIbk"]Three month old African Grey parrot says first “word” !!! - YouTube[/ame]
 

Inger

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Ok that whole video is the cutest thing I have ever seen. He’s SO excited to be chatting with you! I love him.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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Grash0perC

Grash0perC

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I'm working downstairs and I hear him talking to him self "oo oo aw aw" over and over upstairs omg it sounds so adorable I can't stand it.

I took him to the vet and they said everything looks great. I had them run any test they recommended.

I asked them to do a DNA test to confirm his sex and they said they needed to get blood. They said the best way would be to clip off the tip of one of his quicks. I let them do it and I heard him cry out in the other room. I instantly regretted it and wanted to cry. If that wasn't the best way for them to do it I'm never going back there again.

However, he was totally fine when he came back and the quick clot had worked. I just hope they didn't traumatize him and he will be okay with nail trims in the future. I hate so much that he was hurt :(
 

GaleriaGila

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Thank you for sharing. As you can see, this is a great place for info and support.

As for the gender testing... I believe the Rickeybird's was done as part of a routine blood panel many ages ago.

Would you like some possible second opinion options?

Most of us swear by our avian vets in the event of health concerns.
Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet.

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AmyMyBlueFront

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Amy a Blue Front 'Zon
Jonesy a Goffins 'Too who had to be rehomed :-(

And a Normal Grey Cockatiel named BB who came home with me on 5/20/2016.
With Davy's mumblings and chatter already,I believe he's going to be a little chatter-box when he gets older.

I waited over twenty-five years before Amy got HIS dna done, I just couldn't bare to see his Doc sticking him with a needle :eek: but at one of his wellness checks,Doc Kristin INSISTED they draw blood to check levels so I said as long as you HAVE TO draw blood,get enough for the dna.
Imagine MY surprise when I found out "she' was a HE!:eek: I've been living with a transgender all these years and didn't even know!!

Well if all goes to plan,you will have many many wonderful years with Davy! So please stick around and don't be afraid to post pictures or video's...we love 'em here!!


Jim
 
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Grash0perC

Grash0perC

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Oh my goodness. I am so glad I saw the link to toxic things to birds on here. I didn't know that non-stick stuff was so dangerous. I manufacture patches at home for a living. I heat press PVC with non-stick coated paper. I thought he would be okay upstairs in the bedroom with the heat press down stairs. I'm not taking that chance. Looks like I am moving the heat press into the garage to work in 100 degree + temperatures in Las Vegas. He's so beyond worth it lol.
 
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Grash0perC

Grash0perC

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Here's my little head's play area in the day time under my desk. He's never in here unsupervised in case he gets his foot caught climbing or something. It's safe ghost wood.

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Grash0perC

Grash0perC

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OMG!!! I just took the cutest video of him being crazy. I can’t wait to edit it and show you. You’re going to die!!!
 

texsize

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He is so cute.
When setting up your cage remember to keep the perches down low till Davy gets the hang of "hanging on" so to speak.
Young birds take time to develop a strong gip and tend to fall off of the perches in the beginning.

I am a little confused and concerned about the sleeping arrangements you have with Davy. Sleeping with your bird can be more than just dangerous, it can be fatal.
There have been several people here on the form that have lost birds due to accidents when sleeping with there bird.
I am not trying to come down hard on you, please understand. I just don't want something horrible to happen when you care so much for your new family member.
 

bigfellasdad

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When I first got enzo she had anxiety leaving her in the cage whilst I went upstairs to bed. One night I brought her up with me and she got startled during the night and flew into the wall. She has never slept any where other than her cage since
 
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Grash0perC

Grash0perC

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Davy Jones - An African Grey
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He is so cute.
When setting up your cage remember to keep the perches down low till Davy gets the hang of "hanging on" so to speak.
Young birds take time to develop a strong gip and tend to fall off of the perches in the beginning.

I am a little confused and concerned about the sleeping arrangements you have with Davy. Sleeping with your bird can be more than just dangerous, it can be fatal.
There have been several people here on the form that have lost birds due to accidents when sleeping with there bird.
I am not trying to come down hard on you, please understand. I just don't want something horrible to happen when you care so much for your new family member.

He used to be in a little box on the bed but he learned how to climb out of it (not while we were asleep) so now he is in a bigger box on the ground next to the bed cuddling my arm <3 I'm going to start introducing him to his cage soon. I just read about how baby african greys are raised by their parents in the wild and it said they are basically with them 24-7 until they wean. It gives them self confidence and self esteem. So while he was still a baby living in a new place I wanted to replicate that. I also have the cage in our office that I can't lock the cats out of, and I'm scared they might scratch him through the bars, so I need to make a cover for it before I leave him in there. He's almost ready to start becoming more independent.
 
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