Hi- I live in NY and have a wonderful African Grey named Bill, who is 19 years old. He was a rescue 9 years ago and he is a joy. However, since his previous owners did not handle him that much and did not let him out of the cage for a few years, he was very wary of being handled and I have the scars to prove it! It took me about 2 years of working with him to really get his trust and love. He still bites though!! He is so smart. He can imitate just about any noise, burglar alarm, microwave, telephone, ME!! He can pick up just about any tune and whistle it down to the note and retains it. He "joins in" conversations with just the right word too (what? Oh!!, etc.)
He is a rather fussy eater, but that's ok. He swings on his toys and laughs, and when he does something he knows is not good (like chewing on my table!), he looks at me laughts and runs away! I also grew up with all kinds of birds, canaries, parakeets, chickens, ducks, mynahs, parrots, so bird behavior was not so foreign to me. It's wonderful to see how happy my wonderful bird is now.

People who are not "animal" or "bird people" think you're crazy if you talk about your feathered kid, but I don't care, I know that there are lots of us out there who love, respect and take care of our feathered friends, who in turn give us love and laughter in appreciation of their care. They don't know what they're missing! His name should be Ralph Kramden because he knows he is king of his castle!!

I hope you enjoyed hearing about my feathered kid.
Laura
Birddoll1