Sunday July, 11, 2010

July 11, 2010

So I talked to Delores and Brenda today, apparently; after they talked to Tag a few days ago and told Tag he “needed to get down to two feedings a day, to be able to go home to Kelli and Cid,” he took a turn for the better. I knew I had a smart bird!!!!!
Within 5 days, he started eating better and was able to pick at seeds, grapes, and, mashed potatoes and gravy, on his own, which apparently mashed potatoes, are his favorite! He is ahead of normal feedings by 3 weeks, like I said; I knew Tag was a smart one!!!!

Tag will be flying home on Delta airlines, in about 2 weeks, vs. six weeks. WOW, what have I got myself into!!!! Cid and I sat down tonight and talked about how to handle a grey. She is going to be my experimenter B. Let me clarify, experimenter A is the one who feeds and experimenter B is the one who helps Tag, learn words. For example, Experimenter B/Cid, responds to questions that I/experimenter A, asks, such as “want grape?” Cid, Experimenter B, says “wants grape”. Cid, in turn, gets the grape. Which makes the Grey/ Tag jealous, and more ambitious about obtaining the language to ask for the grape? This makes Tag, want the grape more, which in turn, he/she will develop the language faster. Well that is the goal/paper/book for college.
I won’t bore you just yet, about all the mubo-jumbo about this. But that is the basic ways Greys learn. They like the added competition. They want to please their owners and they will go to extremes to do this.
Most greys don’t start talking until two years of age.{ I plan to debunk that as well.} They are like children, they go through developmental stages, and they get cranky when they don’t get what they want. I must be crazy for taking on this! But,I have always been one to take risks. Here are a couple of pictures of Tags new starter cage.