I got so LUCKY! - This is Cricket!

[kodimerlyn]

So a while back I posted about a ACG that I was hoping to adopt from a terrible owner. Thankfully, he was rude and it did not work out (although I feel so bad for the ACG!). The next day I found Manya, which is apparently Russian for Mary. I have decided to change her name to Cricket and we use both names interchangeably right now until she gets used to her new one.

SHE IS AWESOME!! VERY attached to me already and adapted extremely quickly to her new cage and play stand. She wanders all over the kitchen looking for food to steal...I have to watch her very closely! Mostly she just wants to be with me. She gives me kisses, and is very gentle. Loves to have her neck scritched, especially in the evening, and I can pet her back. She will go to anyone and is VERY gentle. Here are some pics (sorry they are so big!)!

 

[Terry57]

Congratulations! Cricket is gorgeous!
I'm so glad it worked out for you
We ended up changing a couple of our birds names, and what worked for us was to use the old name and the new name together, until we eventually dropped the old name...like call her Cricket Manya, and then drop the Manya part after she recognizes the new name

 

[labell]

What a beautiful CAG so happy that things worked out for you getting your long awaited dream bird!

 

[Birdman666]

That is a big CAG. Looks like this bird is Tusk's size...

 

[labell]

That is a big CAG. Looks like this bird is Tusk's size...

I thought she looked pretty big as well! Mark, what does Tusk weigh? How long before he was his adult weight?

 

[Birdman666]

That is a big CAG. Looks like this bird is Tusk's size...

I thought she looked pretty big as well! Mark, what does Tusk weigh? How long before he was his adult weight?

Believe it or not, Tusk weighs in at 545 gms. and he isn't fat! Honestly, I don't recall. That was over a decade ago...

HE was 525-ish when I got him just off hand feeding... SO, HE WAS ALWAYS GIANT FOR A CAG!

Seriously, as a baby I set him down next to all the other CAGS, and he was about 1/3 larger. Their heads came up to his neck...



This is one of the better comparison shots. As you can see, lose the tail, and he's the same size as my RFM! So, yeah, macaw sized CAG...

 

[Allee]

Cricket is a beauty! Congratulations!

 

[RavensGryf]

Wow, Cricket is a gorgeous Grey !

 

[LeaKP]

Amazing bird!

 

[Darci]

beauty! congrats on your new fid

 

[labell]

So tell us a little more about Cricket. How old is she? Is she a she for sure? How much does she weigh? Is she fully flighted? She really is a big beautiful girl!

 

[rope]

cool! nice looking gray!

 

[GreatBlue320]

She's beautiful! Congratulations!

 

[OOwl]

Cricket is adorable and sounds like a wonderful companion. So happy she landed in a loving home.

I just weighed my 11-year-old male Grey, who is fully flighted and not overweight, and he's 585. He's a really big boy.

 

[akrrm]

Very pretty! Congrats on your new family member.

 

[mh434]

What a beautiful gray she is! Congratulations!!

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Beautiful! golly I just love that face!



Jim

 

[Birdman666]

Cricket is adorable and sounds like a wonderful companion. So happy she landed in a loving home.

I just weighed my 11-year-old male Grey, who is fully flighted and not overweight, and he's 585. He's a really big boy.

Yeah. The interior grays are huge... (Silver Grays.)

 

[OOwl]

Birdman, can you tell me more about the "interior/silver" greys? I've never heard of that subspecies before. I always wondered why he was so much larger than other birds. Sounds like your Tusk may be from the same subspecies.

 

[Birdman666]

It's not a subspecies per se... it's where in Africa the bird originated.

I can give you the theory behind it.

CAGS originally migrated to Africa. Some CAGS stopped when they reached the Coastal Areas of Africa. These are the smaller Coastal CAGS. Others kept going, moved inland, and found more food. These are the Interior CAGS, i.e. the SILVER grays.

The theory is the smaller and less hardy birds stayed on the coast, where the larger, stronger birds pushed inland. The rest is straight DARWIN...

There were more Coastal CAGS than interior CAGS legally imported into the US.. so the breeding stock tended to be the smaller birds.

Interior CAGS are SIGNIFICANTLY larger, and some say, less inclined to pluck. 525-625 grams is the norm on these guys which is 100+ grams more than the coastal CAGS. When yours is standing next to one of those 375 gram coastal grays - YEAH - not quite, but almost double the size...

I'm not sure I buy that less inclined to pluck thing. It would be an interesting thing to get feedback on. Mine has no inclination to plucking. He does get nervous easier then the amazons and macaws. I've always thought that had to do more with how they are raised.

This one here definitely looks like a Silver gray to me...

And a 585 gm. bird is definitely a Silver gray, that's bigger than Tusk...