A Boy named Sue

[Lisa B]

Here is a note from a friend who has a grey with the same Specialalbed problem as Miss Emma, Miss Gemini and Ulrich.

The story behind the name is bitter sweet. Jean had a friend who had passed away. This friend liked birds. When this special abled baby needed a home, "she" was taken home and named after her friend who passed on. After a blood test, it said that "suzanne" was a boy. Because Jean and I both like the song " A boy named Sue" by Johnny Cash, it became the way we talk of Sue, Now known as Sylvain....


Hi Lisa!

Well, Sylvain, that boy named Sue, is now past a year and a half and is a wonderful guy! He has grown up to be a very affectionate bird who loves for me to give him beakrubs and kisses and though he has his weak feet and crooked body, he loves to hang upside down and ferociously battle bells! He is a big whistler and is working on talking to a lesser extent...my favorite is that he likes to say 'grey grey grey' (also 'grey grey bird' and 'grey bird grey'...never says Sylvain of course). Sometimes he'll yell it too, like 'GREY GREY GREY GREY GREY!' while bobbing his head up and down on top of his cage, lol!

Since July I have been working on weekends at a bird store, the best bird store in my area and where I got my first bird, my Meyer's Molly. They had four baby CAGs this summer, two sets of siblings. Cyndi who really specializes and works with the store's greys, likes to let them all play together when they have time out of their individual cages, and frequently they are all perched happilly preening each other on the store's hanging gym orbs. Well, gradually of course Bongo, Polo, Buffy and Willow all started getting sold and going to new homes. When Polo, Willow's sister, was sold, Willow became upset and suddenly chewed off his tail and then started plucking his breast feathers. He also became very frustrated about staying in his cage, and obviously wanted to be out on the orbs as much as possible. About a week after this started happening, I told them that I would like to adopt Willow.

I brought him home about a week and a half ago, and his new name is Nigel. He wants so badly to be friends with Sylvain, but Sylvain is afraid when he is on the same playgym with him and bails off to the floor and climbs back up to his cage. I set up a hanging orb and Nigel flies around in circles on it whenever he's out. Overall I think he will wind up settling in well, and I know he is glad to have another grey for a roommate. Sylvain has already taught him that showers and travel cages aren't scary, and that Harrison's and Goldenfeast pellets are good as are raw vegetables. And Nigel is trying already to copy Sylvain's sounds. Now if Nigel can only teach Sylvain that preening is good! I don't know if Sylvain will warm up to Nigel anytime soon. Nigel has already started trying to not push Sylvain so he doesn't jump off the gym, but that may be the best I can hope for.

[Doyle'sMommy]

I hope they start to get along soon. Poor Sylvain, he so scared of him. Nigel just wants to play.

[Lisa B]

Most greys actually, and not grey friendly
They tend not to get along like other species.
Sydney and Emma are like brother and sister. Always fighting and trying to get the other in trouble.
none of them can be left within beaks reach unattended.
I'm gunna send Jean a note bout that...they like to be friends from a far.

[jeangaut]

Hi this is Jean!

Yes, Sylvain and Nigel are still stuck at the "three feet away then it's okay" stage! At the store I work at though all those babies just adore each other! In the new batch (named Bandit, Beemer, Lexi and Mercedes), all four hang out together...and an adult CAG named Quito who lives at the store is very good with any of the younger greys...we can put one next to him and they will preen each other, no problem. Quito's owner brings in one of her other greys occassionally and she can just put him in Quito's cage, if you can believe that, and they both get along, even though they don't even see each other that often. I think it's just a matter of individuals and how they grew up around other greys. It was really touching when my Nigel had been upset about his sister leaving, and several weeks later her new owner brought her back in to visit and get her weight checked. Nigel and Polo immediately started greeting and feeding each other and preening together.

[jeangaut]

Sylvain, like Emma, has a crooked spine and neck from being born calcium deficient...he also had one of his legs broken in the nest at the time he was pulled. That leg was allowed to fuse as is, so it's a little weak and misshapen...his grip when perching is not very solid, and at least one toe doesn't work right. Though he was partially clipped when I got him at 14 weeks, he could fly, and flew well for several months prior to a series of falls that broke the primaries on one wing. I have been waiting for those feathers to come back in, but he has chewed or fallen and broken the emerging blood feathers for a year now. So he remains off balance and without flight for now. I honestly feel a handicapped baby like him with weak feet should have never even received a slight clip, he needed those wings..I fought on his behalf, but the breeder would only compromise slightly and here's where we are today.

But he sure doesn't think he's disabled...he's a very happy grey, and loves to hang by one foot and battle toys, and if he falls he knows he just has to walk over to his ladder and climb back up on his cage. He can't tuck his head under his wing when he sleeps, so it hangs down...but he likes to sleep on a corner platform or on a figure 8 soft rope swing, and have me tuck him in and wake him up with beak rubs. Often he perches on a branch with part of his sisal boing wrapped around one foot for support. I would say my other baby grey Nigel is more adventurous and active, but Sylvain is no slouch! And boy does he love to vocalize! He is a character and a great bird.

[Doyle'sMommy]

I am glad to hear Sylvain is a happy bird, poor little guy!

[jeangaut]

Here's a couple of videos of Sylvain...

the first one is from last winter, probably January, when I still thought he was a Suzanne!

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...71084304629960

And a few more...all from about spring 2006...
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...92337049231834

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...34280102167656

http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...22171836040381

[Lisa B]

Great video's, thank you for sharing!!
I would swear that that was Emma on the videos!

[jeangaut]

I posted a two photos of baby Nigel under the Greys section, and one has Sylvain off to the side of the gym and my Lesser Jardine's Aukie in the background on Nigel's cage.

[Lisa B]

and he;s a cutie!!!