That Monday his middle toe was already black and I tried to open the split band that was around the foot...only to have blood start gushing everywhere!!! I just about freaked because these birds are so small they really can't afford to loose much blood to begin with so I packed the foot in flower and was able to get the bleeding to stop. The next day I go to check him out again and a second toe had turned black and it had gotten stuck to his torso from the blood/flower mix. I tried running warm water over him to free the leg but it was caked on like cement so I then had to cut the feathers away from his belly before he ripped the skin trying to free his limb. At that point I looked at the leg again and saw more dead tissue and there was a bubble of infection between the band around the foot and the band still on the leg. I knew there was only one option for the little guy...amputation.

I told Steph that we needed to take the leg off and when she realized I was talking about doing it myself she brought up that the shock of cutting off the leg could kill him I wasn't so confident in my backyard surgery skills anymore. I started looking online for information on "do it yourself' amputation and was shocked that there was not one site with any viable info on it...who would have thought that you can find videos of two girls eating bodily fluids, secretions and excrements out of a cup and yet nothing on "at home" amputation.

After talking with Steph again I decided to give my Avian vet...Dr. McKelvie...a call and see if he could give me some pointers. I talked to the girl at the desk and told her I needed to talk to Dr. M about doing an amputation she said she could 'schedule me in'. I was like 'no, no, no...I need to know HOW to do an amputation!' She went and asked him while he was in surgery and I can only imagine the look on his face when told he had a call about 'instructions on removing a leg' and he told her to just have me come in and he would take a look at him.

I rushed him down to see him and was just in time for him to be coming out of surgery and went back to an exam room to meet with him. He took a look at his bound foot and wanted to see if he could save it before we took the leg so off to the O.R. we went. I was kind of suprized when Dr. M whipped out the anesthesia, I don't know why but it was kinda funny to see him put this tiny little bird under the muzzle cup till he passed out. The to keep him 'under' the vet tech had to rig an extention tube with the finger off a rubber glove to keep his head in the gas. Dr. M then took wire cutters and took off the bands. The leg had obviously been broken from the band because the foot was just dangling so Dr. M took the foot in his fingers plucked it off. The dead tissue going up the leg came off along with the foot and just the itty bitty bone was left. He took a pair of surgical scissors and snipped it off and then super glued the stump to close it up. He gave him an injection of Batril to fight any infection still in his system and then mixed him up some pain killers. After he woke up we gave him his first dose of the Butorphenol (which I have to give him every 4 hours) and he didn't fight it at all and as soon as we put him back in the carrier he started using the nub to get around, was making his little beeping sounds and was eating.

It's been a few weeks and he is now in with all the other finches and is getting really good at using his one leg and nub to perch. It helps that I already have a Zebra that had a badly broken leg that healed upside-down and made the cage "handicap excessible" for him.

Here is a pic of his amputated leg.

<br><br>Post edited by: BMustee, at: 2009/01/09 06:34

Wife named him Hope.  He sits above my workstation all day Hoping for his next feeding.  Hes starting to walk around a little.  A little preening, a little wing stretching.  We noticed in the last couple days he's starting to pay attention to us.  growing out of the pure baby instinct and starting to discover his new little world.

Today I have seen robins going in and out. So I am assuming the eggs have hatched???

Saw a robin go in with food in its mouth so yes the babies are hatched!!! I am too short to see the nest's interior without a stool and I will not go near the nest now. I have hand fed baby birds before and it is not something I ever wish to do again. So I will try hard not to scare the parents away. As much as I would love to have a pet robin; I will be good.

http://world-bird-sanctuary.blogspot.com.au/2014/04/eagles-of-world-vulturine-fish-eagle.html

​

Anyway, I used to have a *real* pet pigeon, not just an over-priced hookbill pet pigeon. I found him marooned as a young squeaker on a little island in the middle of a stream underneath a bridge when I lived in San Antonio. No nest or parents to be found so I figured he must have floated down stream before I found him. I took him home, raised him up and he lived in our house. I built a little pigeon house just outside of our back door where he stayed during the day. He would fly partially to work with me (I rode a motorcycle) and would return during the day to his little house. He was a great little pet, I'll always remember him.

Fast forward about 30 years and now my wife has arranged to take me to a pigeon fanciers house not too far away from where we live. I guess all my ranting about wanting to fly pigeons around our barn finally wore off on her. So she takes me to this guys house that has probably 200 birds of different types. He showed me how his Iranian High Flyers will circle high above the house and finally come in for a landing. They typically will stay aloft for 2-4 hours. So I got to pick out 3 breeding pairs. These birds can never be flown as they will try to leave for home, and with no homing instinct will surely die looking. So the plan is to hatch out their offspring and start flying them next spring. Prepare yourselves for those videos.

Here's my birthday pigeons! Pair #3 are most likely not a pair. There has been no song & dance, no candlelight dinners etc. So the guy got it wrong on those two. One or the other will be getting exchanged.

Also, these are Iranian High Flyers and Pakistani High Flyers. Which is which I have no idea. Going to ask the guy when I exchange one of the third pair.

Pair #1:

Pair #2 ( my favorite pair. Can't wait to see babies out of these two ):

Pair #3 - most likely not a breeding pair. Maybe two males?

Brava Poko! Brava!!

[video=youtube;O7D-1RG-VRk]

A week ago from today I went to a local pet shop here called Bird Cage with the interest of picking up a diamond dove. My first ever pet bird

The store worker gave me some information on what cage and food I should have, and told me it was mandatory that I buy two. So I got all that taken care of.

I now have two, seriously scared out of their mind doves. I can't go near their cage or offer my hand inside without them running in terror and hurting themselves running into the cage bars. I don't think they were worked with at all in that pet shop, so from what I can tell I'm dealing with pretty much wild birds.

I don't know where to start on getting them to realize I'm not trying to hurt them. When the male gets tired sometimes he will step up on my finger for a couple seconds, but once he realizes its my hand hes back to running away. The female wants nothing to do with me completely. I'm scared to try working with them on the small room technique I read up on, because when I have one out it will start breathing really fast and hard and go still, and I dont feel like I'm making any progress.

Is there anyone out there who could offer me some advice so that I can relax these scared birds? All they do all day is sit in a fluffy ball and stay still, and they rarely coo

Male parrots are better talkers than female parrots.

Make your comments !

[video=youtube_share;I8jVNqi8DpE]

So to make it easier for me.....

Please reply with the total number of birds you have in your homes that you care for. A breakdown of the types would be much appreciated as well!!

I will increase the reputation of anyone replying here.

I have 3 parrots:

1-timneh african grey

1 congo african grey

1 yellow crowned amazon

They are now wanting to breed however, the female was laying eggs, so we have sent them to a good breeder who has a huge avairy...and Lily, the girl Ekkie, has laid 3 eggs in 3 days...so they are very happy!

Here are some pics of them with us:

They are both very sweet! Lily was very nervous when we first got her but settled after a week or so. Ted just lvoed everyone from the start, I think he was just so happy to get attention and be allowed out of his cage!

I just wondered if anyone here owned an Eclectus as well as their grey? Or had experience with them? I was curious to know a bit more about them, is all. I've read a bit about them but just wanted to hear some stories from someone who had experience with them or owned one.

I used to work in a pet store (which is where I met my first African Grey and what set me on the path to owning one) and we took on an Eclectus for a while because another store wasn't looking after him properly. He was in a right state, poor thing. His feathers were all tatty and messed up and he wasn't really used to people. A few of us (including me) spent a lot of time working with him on our breaks. We'd take him out of his cage on our lunch breaks and socialise with him and give him fresh fruits and veg etc. He was a fantastic little guy and if I didn't already have Alfie, I would have taken him home with me! His name was Reggie and I sometimes wonder how he's doing all these years later. Once he was used to people and was looking much healthier and happier the store sold him to a family. We actually refused to sell him to a few different people because they didn't know what they were doing and we didn't trust them to look after him. (The last thing we wanted was for him to come back to us).

I'm not planning on getting a second bird. (I don't have the space for another cage!!) I was just interested to know a bit more about a different breed.

She barely moves. Well she moves to go to the food dishes to have her meals. Where ever i place her is where she stays.

March 10, 2014 Stories

Have you ever heard of a Kakapo?

I wouldn’t be surprised if you haven’t. These incredibly rare parrots live in New Zealand. They are large, scholarly-looking birds that you’d just want to cuddle (if they weren’t a wild animal with really, really sharp claws). Their numbers are rapidly dwindling, they are officially a “critically endangered” species. Researchers can count (and list by name) the number of Kakapos left on earth. That’s why when one chick was in danger, an entire group of rescuers leapt into action.

This little gentleman is a Kakapo, also known as the owl parrot.

Flickr

Kakapos are large, flightless, nocturnal, ground dwelling parrots. And they are on the brink of extinction. There are approximately only 125 individuals alive today.

Flickr / whatscapes

So when Lisa, the momma bird, accidentally crushed her egg it was vital for her keepers to attempt to save it.

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The keepers used a gentle adhesive to hold the egg together, hoping that the membrane inside and the baby Kakapo weren’t damaged.

Facebook

All they could do was pray and wait.

Facebook

Then, a miracle! The little Kakapo broke through the shell on February 28th, 2014.

Facebook

This chick is the first Kakapo hatched in 2014.

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Smile for the camera!

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The little chick is growing and staying strong. Hopefully, this is just one chick on the road to helping the Kakapo recover.

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Kakapos are unique, wonderful birds of New Zealand. Kakapo Recovery is an organization dedicated to saving the critically endangered animal. They work closely with the Kakapo population of Codfish Island in New Zealand to help boost their numbers.

This was dramatically illustrated by the phenomenal breeding event of 2002, when 24 chicks were added to the kakapo population in a matter of months and again in 2009 when 33 chicks hatched. Two kakapo staff work on Whenua Hou, and have to put up with an isolated location and the wild weather of New Zealand’s deep south. It has no roads and is reached by light plane or helicopter.

The island is a specially-protected nature reserve, and no unauthorised landing is permitted.

If you’d like to help the Kakapo, please visit the Kapapo Recovery’s website and donate to their cause.

In late Nov or the first part of Dec, we will add a greenwing macaw. I am getting extensive training at the aviary when I visit him but I value the input from others who have a grey and a macaw.

I'm nervous. Really excited. He's at an aviary I volunteer at. I have watched him grow from a tiny baby and didn't think about him for our family. This last visit, I just knew he was the second bird we've been considering.

Anyway, I'm hoping to hear about life with a grey and macaw.

Michelle

Here is some eye candy of Malachite

Here is a video

The father (Petee Peacock) is strutting around the pen while mom (Hanna Peahen) is happy sitting in the nest.

Can`t wait to see them hatch.

We drove down and picked him up on Memorial Day weekend, so he's only been with us less than a week. He's still learning the ropes at Sterling-Ranch. Tears started flowing when we both were driving home with him. He has so many of the mannerisms that our Raven had and is peculiar to this breed. He even makes some of the same sounds Raven made. He rides on the seat back and looks out the window the same way she did (horizontally rather than vertical - you'd have to see it).

My wife wasn't too sure about adding a third bird to the mix as she kind of led the charge on the impulse buy with Toby our Caique. She kind of gave up on the search for a Jardines and was resigned to just getting along with our two current birds. That has all changed now that 'Baby Rio' has entered the home. She can't believe how much she missed her Jardines. Fortunately he's tied to the female voice and I'm having a hard time convincing him I'm his friend - just like Raven

Another peculiarity about these birds: their beaks. They have enormous beaks/jaw bones for their size and also the power to match it. Up to this point, Raven held the record for the worst bite I've ever had from a parrot. She clamped onto my finger once and had me dancing with pain. I like to tell people Jardines have a 'hydraulic' bite. Most parrots will bite and done. A jardines will bite and then apply the hydraulics and continue to apply increasing pressure - it can be extremely painful even if the skin isn't broken. Well, this little guy broke the record on his second day here for my worst ever bite. I foolishly went in for a pet and he took my finger and bite the ever-living-hell out of me. He didn't do it maliciously - he just doesn't know the power of his bite when he wants to warn you. Rio's parents are known for throwing babies with extremely large and powerful beaks - double whammy! However my wife and the lady who raised him can pet him, give him kisses and anything they want without repercussions. He just loves women.

Greycie has done amazingly well with him. I figured she would be the big problem as she still doesn't much care for Toby. She barely reacted to Rio. The only time he gets a rise out of her is when he takes off flying. Greycie has to fly into the same general area and either show off or give him a good buzz. He's not a very good flier yet so Greycie could fly circles around him if I didn't intervene. However Toby our Caique has made it his life mission to beat the feathers out of Rio. Didn't expect that. We'll see if things settle down - hopefully so.

A short crappy cell phone video:

[video=youtube_share;VhCcbxya2wk]

http://blog.petflow.com/no-one-thought-this-eagle-would-ever-fly-again-until-a-hero-proved-them-wrong-im-in-tears/#8julCXV4mwUz3qpX.01

I love my Cape girl. She is such a clown. She has the talking ability of the CAG...in fact they hold on conversations together, but she has the playfulness, spunkiness, and attitude of a caique, amazon, and conure combined, but the cuddliness of a cockatoo. She is fearless and thinks the world is her playground. If it exists, then it must be a toy for her. She's very nosey and active. But when she's worn down and tired from being so rambunctious, then she will curl up in my lap, many times on her back, and fall asleep while I pet her.

I definitely love my flock. They each have their own personalities and are all wonderful.