I have quite a few of your products: the Brainiac Block ,Seek a Treat, CurlyCue, Fuzzy Wuzzy, Foot Ball ...My timneh loves them all! I had yet to purchase a Get-A-Grip. I have wanted one for quite a while, but had not made the purchase. Well, I went ahead and got one while I was at the Birds Unlimited store in Penfield, NY. I was interested in the Get-A-Grip partly because I knew my timneh would love it and also because I thought it might be useful as a type of physical therapy tool for my nearly 8 month old congo grey, Forest.

Forest is a special needs parrot.

Forest, as a baby, was living at a large---chain type----petstore. (NOT the Birds Unlimited store). I found her there when she was four and a half months old. I knew as soon as I saw her that something was "not right" with her. As it turned out, she has neurological problems that effect her legs and feet. Her ability to get around is quite compromised. While at the petstore, Forest was kept in a acrylic type cage with slippery plastic perches that she simply couldn't climb onto. The slippery flooring was covered in a layer of pine shavings. So, for over two months, this baby girl basically just stood and tried her best to walk around on pine shavings. She had no place to climb onto, she couldn't exercise her wings and she had only one small plastic toy that she could reach.

Her wings were clipped - well, not just clipped, they were butchered - all 10 of her primaries were severely cut. Additionally, she was being housed with an older female eclectus who was dominating the food dish. All Forest had available to eat ,when she could get to the food, were low quality pellets and seed. Forest was emaciated, had developed large calluses and sores on her keel bone from bumping onto the floor so many times and she had severe diarrhea from a very nasty bacterial infection.

I simply couldn't leave her there at that store. I felt that I would have been leaving her there to suffer more and, perhaps, to die.

In the three months that I have had her in my care, she has been nursed back to health, and she has started to learn and experience things that she had not been given an opportunity to experience before. She recently "discovered" that what I have been telling her is true -- that fresh veggies, fruits, and birdie bread really DO taste good! And she thinks warm oatmeal for breakfast is something to get very excited about. She is now playing with toys, and she has learned that touches, scritches, beak rubs and petting actually feel quite nice. She is getting stronger and is developing more balance and control of her body. I am so pleased that she is finally feeling good and can enjoy life!

I have been attempting to get her to learn how to use her beak to assist her in moving around. She did not seem to understand the concept. She really hates to be on flat surfaces like a table or even a mattress. She gets really panicky. She needs to grip her toes around something in order to be comfortable and to feel safe. Because of this, her play areas have been limited to perches. And that is a problem - because it is really hard for her to move around from perch to perch in her cage. She loses her balance and falls. I have set up ramps and such in her cage but even with those set up, I hated that her living and playing areas were so limited.

When I set up the Get-A Grip, Forest did not seem afraid of it at all. So, I went ahead and positioned her onto the bottom square. Right away she took off ----using her beak!!----and climbed and flapped her way all the way up to the top! I was thrilled! I think she was too!

She has played on it each day since we got it. I help her step off onto the rope and she then makes her way around on it and eventually gets to the top. Then, at the top, she sits and fluffs and flaps and looks really proud of herself! I still supervise her when she is on it because she can lose her balance, but I think she is doing great and each day she seems less clumsy. I also have draped the GAG over the bed and Forest went from square to square easily and seemed very relaxed.

Her avian veterinarian feels that she may have experienced a stroke as a young chick. He said that with time and with practice using her legs and feet, she might regain some functioning. I think it is working! I feel that the GAG is helping her learn and practice what it takes to move her body from one point to another. And the Get-A Grip is certainly expanding her play area!

I just wanted you to know how excited I am about our GAG! We love it!

Thank you for making such wonderful products - they truly have enriched the lives of both of my parrots.

Christine Bertot