Tika is a Blue & Gold female Macaw and l am a female and the only one she likes.

(forgot to run spell check on the last post!  I hope this post works.  I just tried to repost it and it didn't take.)
Right now I cover their cages with old bed sheets.  I'm kind of afraid to put something thicker over them (like a blanket) for fear they will be smothered.  I've thought about getting a new window covering that will block the daylight out, but those are kind of pricey.  For what it's worth, the quaker cracks everyone up!  He has such a funny personality!  He's jealous of one of my dogs, and that dog is jealous of him.  If I have the bird on my finger, the dog will come up and nudge my other hand to be petted.  If I'm petting the dog and the quaker's cage door is open, the quaker will fly over and perch on me.  I bought both birds an electrically warmed perch (because I keep my house fairly cool in the winter to keep the utility bills down).  The quaker perches on the warming perch and then puts his security "blanket" over his back and wings to sleep.  The "blanket" is actually a toy that consists of about 5 small chains that hang from a ring that is clipped to the cage top.  So he basically sleeps with chains on his wings.  Weird bird!    If I could only get the quaker to be nice to my hubby and boys things would be much better!

Do you cover there cage really tight where they cannot see when the sun comes up? If not try that and see if he will sleep longer.

I have a ****atoo that is **** ant!! He hates everyone but is such a cutey that I just cannot get rid of him....lol....

I have had my Grey for 22 years, but he was about 5 when I got him, so I missed his baby years. I have also heard that Greys don't start talking til they are 1 - 1 1/2 years old. The cute thing about them is that they will "practice" a word first. You will hear them saying a new word very softly, like they want to make sure they can say it right beforethey say it out loud. I know my bird is a male because I had him DNA tested, but in an older bird, the males tend to have red around their vent area.  I also believe that the males talk better than the females, although some people don't think so. Give your bird another year and it will be talking like crazy, my bird says about 350 words and phrases.

Glad to see other bird people here. I have a conure and a ****atiel. Going to pick up two more ****atiels tomorrow. My white cap pionus crossed the Rainbow Bridge this past March, and so did my Quaker. They make my life complete with all of their antics. Would love to talk to other bird people. Rachel, Hope your surgery went well.

I have a male Eclectus - his name is Cozmo! What a great bird, he is truly spoiled and I think he knows this. lol We also have a ****ateil and parakeet....happiness is having birds!

Hello, some of you may know me as Eveningblossom or Evebanded. I have 2 female green Quakers, Griffen and Forrest, and a Male Blue Quaker, Skyler. I thought for sure Griffen and Forrest were males hence the names, DNA testing proved otherwise. I have a female Pineapple Conure, Flora Mae her grandparents are a green cheek conure and a sun conure. My blue and gold Macaw is named Tika after her mother. Although I am not a breeder I plan on birdsitting in my home. Griffen is my four year old and Tika is 2 years old they talk real well. Caring for my feathered babies and wls is what makes my day and a reason to get up in the morning. Would love to hear from other bird lovers Eve

Yeah - I think the Bichon is a perfect choice if you want a dog and have a parrot too. Neother of them show any interest in harming my Grey (his name is Zazu) at all. They may come over and sniff at him when Zazu calls them but that's about it. I think the dos have more to fear of Zazu than vice-versa. Of course, I would never trust any animal to be left alone with the parrot as anything can happen but I'm glad to see they've never shown any sign whatsoever of wanting to harm the bird. By the way, I remember from your profile that you like to ride a motorcycle. I rode mine for the first time last night since surgery and really enjoyed it. It was a perfect evening for it too.

Wow - I didn't even notice the date of the post!! I'm used to seeing pages of current day posts on many of the other message boards. Now that I see this was 2004 - what did you end up doing?

I think I read most greys don't start until 1 - 1.5 years out and it's sex may make a difference too. Mine is a male and he started probably at just under a year old and has never shut up since! Actually, he can be very quite for hours but at other times he tried to get attention. Whenever someone walks in the door he starts mimicking things they say in their own voice. My mom and dad get a real kick out of that. I work from home often and his cage is in my home office and he might be quite for hours but as soon as I get on the phone it's like he competes with me. The people on the other end, usually co-workers, really have fun with it too. What funny is if I pick up the phone to dial it or if it rings, he'll make the sound of the phone ringing and then say hello in my wife's voice. He then goes through this jabbering conversation which is obviously one-sided as that is what he hears. He keeps throwing in "OK" throughout the jabber too. Finally, he'll say "OK, Bye Bye Now" and then make the sound of the phone hanging up and start the whole routine over again. It's hilarious and he does it all the time but only when the phone rings or someone gets on it. Too funny!