The Story of an African Grey
Hello, my name is Kramer. I lived in a pet store for almost a year before I was purchased by my human. I was put behind a glass display in the middle of the store. People would knock on the glass and make me a nervous wreck. I plucked out all of my chest feathers, chewed my ankles and bit very hard. No one wanted to buy me because I was just a basket case. The feathers I did have were all down. My diet consisted of pellets and veggies that were cut too big for me to handle and eat, so the fell to the bottom of my cage.
One day, two humans came to look at me. I was in bad shape. The woman said that they had to buy me...no matter how ornery I was acting. She said that she could just not let me sit there.
That evening, I went home with my new humans. I was very scared. I bit everyone that tried to touch me. I bit hard too. But, the lady would not quit. She talked to me softly and coaxed me into standing on her finger. She worked with me for months. She fed me bite-sized carrots, apples and cheerios and gave me fresh water everyday.
After about 3 months, I started to trust her. I even let her stroke my head and beak.. I discovered that it felt pretty good. I decided that I liked my new home and I thought I would stay.
The lady let me eat with her and and stand on the shower rod while she showered. I was afraid of the water. In the store, they used to corner me and spray me. The lady eventually let me sleep with her. She never made me stay in my cage. It was a big cage with toys, but she left the door open and let me decide.
The lady was very kind. She told me things like : I love you, you re a good boy, give me kisses , hello baby, up baby, and hello sweetheart,
I say those things to her now.
My favorite things to eat are carrots, brocolli, cinnamon toast and yogurt...strawberry. I have all me feathers now and I dont chew at my ankles anymore. I talk alot....I love to say I LOVE YOU.
I also live with a man and a boy. I like them too , but the lady is my favorite human.
I live with other animals too. (click here for photos)
Jerry, a double-yellow-headed Amazon
Porter, an orange-winged Amazon
Newman, a Sun Conure
Petey, a love bird
and six dogs which were all rescued ......Jake, Kobie, Midas, Casey, Baby and Daisey
Steve....a hamster.
And several saltwater and fresh water fish
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Talking to Your Human
Sometimes, humans say in appropriate words and we repeat them. The humans may think it is cute at first, but soon they will become embarrassed by it. Try not to repeat the bad words that humans say. Train your human to say positive things. I am training my human to speak to me in the first person, so that it sounds like I am saying things instead of just mocking. I never yell at my human. I talk in a firm tone and simply say NO when she is bad. I try to stay away from negative talk, I do not want my human to respond badly or become afraid of me.
My Eating Habits
My vet says that I can have whatever my human eats.(except chocolate and avacados, or anything cooked in a teflon pan.) Human food is fortified with nutrients. Seed and pellets dont have as much nutients as human food. I like to eat with humans, since eating is a flock activity. Eating with humans, even off the plate,spoon, or fork, makes me feel like part of the family. I also like seeds for a snack. I enjoy drinking water right out of a glass.
My human has to always watch what I put in my mouth though, I could easily choke on small items. I once ate the keys off my humans keyboard, that is why she has no apostrophe. (hee hee)
Listen to Me
Hi baby, up, give kisses, I love you
Hi baby, up, good boy, good boy
Hello
Up, up, r u ok? I love you
Kiss sound, I love you
Whistle ( for dogs in back)
That's a good boy
To hear everything let it play through, some sounds are mixed in too.
