thanks saz yeah i like cody..........
het can you tell! got every thing set up and the calcivet arrived today.phoned the breeder (david) last night we are going to collect sat morning.bring ? her home give her time to explore the cage etc when we take the kids swiming.looking at the play stands now......lol
how do i introduce the hounds etc to her.
if we do get it sexed it will be by dna don't like the sound of surgical.
he told me she has had a bath in the sink etc but do you dry them off or let them dry out themselfs?????? the last thing i want to do is wrap her i a towel if she is scared of me etc.stupid questions i know but its me .....lol
was thinking get a washing up bowl and she can clean herself etc rather than me spraying her down.i have got a spray for her but don't know if she will like it or prefere bath's.

keep them coming at last we have some good names.....

leo spraying is better
we spray ours once a day
they soon get used to it and love it
to dry them off use the hairdryer but not to close to them,just enough so they get a breeze

thanks jacs will do....so i will use the spray then i guess she will get used to it.
do you use any commands? what words for what action.
mark said step for her to know to step onto ............
trying to think of things tha are easy for her to learn and understand.
going to buy more toys to play with her on friday....other than the ones for her to chew at in the cage.
alot of them have leather on them is that safe?
the ones i have got are wooden and a mirror with a bell as she was playing with 1.
which ones are to avoid?

leo we use the command "step up" for ours to get on us
you shouldn,t let them get on your shoulder as this is a dominance thing with parrots
they should always be below your eye level,then they know you are boss
when you tell them "no" use your whole hand in front of their face,if you use 1 finger they tend to bite

toys with leather on are really good
the parrots love them
just be careful of bells as some parrots take them apart and can injure themselves on sharp bits

ok so leather is safe.
yeah david told us that like dogs thinking they are the boss etc.
i have a book ..lol which say the same make sure the bird is lower than you and don't allow it to sit higher than you all the time move it down etc so its doen't think its the boss looking down.
so i put my whole hand up and say no stands to reason really...lol wiggle your finger is tempting i guess.
yeah i will watch that like the dogs and broken stuff will be in the bin.

any way jacs if or when we go away i'm bringing her to you for babysitting!
might come away with 2 though.

she is welcome here anytime leo
i have just had 2 babies here for the new year with us
they went home 1st jan

and yeh if it was baby season i,m sure you,d go home with another bird

Mine prefer to be sprayed as well, although they do love a bowl of water on the floor to play with. I dry them with a hairdryer sometimes....but if its warm enough i just leave them to dry themselves....they seem to enjoy preening themselves when they are wet. I introduced Lucy to the other animals straight away, she was really fearless when she was tiny so i just held her on my lap and let them all see her, they weren't all that bothered about her really, and the cats soon learned to steer clear and keep their tails tucked in.
i had the Hahns Macaw sexed by sending off a feather so it was pretty easy...
I agree with Jackie on the bells....they have to be really strong to withstand a parrot beak, you have to be careful with hooks and fastenings as they can end up with them stuck on thier beak. Oscar has a small bell which he holds up to the side of his head as if hes on the phone and he whispers into it, he also likes the hide and leather toys as he can get a good chew. Mine also get sticks and twigs which keep their beaks healthy, willow or apple generally and I give them a good scrub first.
I use 'up' for step up....I also taught mine to go back in their cages when asked......I just say 'in your house now' Also 'bye bye' when I am going out and then they know that you have gone and they settle, and I always say night night properly. They are so intelligent and they really like to know whats going on and be part of the household routine.

oh i think you know me too well.........plus i get to meet your gang at the same time.
at least i know you will take care of her and know what your doing with her which is peace of mind for me.
david told me she will be 3 yrs old before she is classed as an adult..... but thinking about it how long they live 3 yrs isn't alot really.
i must admit the thing that worrys me a bit is if she is a girl and lays eggs what if she gets egg bound? what do i do? plus do i take them away so she doesn't try and lay on them?

thanks het........how long is it approx till she will become used to her new home etc.i don't want to force her into things she isn't ready for because of doing it too soon.
he told me to give her a day in the cage to learn whats what and just give her treats etc through the bars to start with.
time to adjust then start offering the hand etc although she would step on to all of us at their house.
she seemed happy with louis the most cleaning herself sitting on his shoulder.

they are so curious when they are young thats its pretty easy to introduce new stuff, I think once you have had her a day or two you will be able to tell how fast to take things with her. even on the first day offer her morsels of food, get her used to the hand being always a good thing, and not a threat to be nipped