Acappella

I work in a pet store, but we only have budgies, canaries, and we'll re-home animals for people, like a bunny that just came in and went right back out to someone. Even then, I get attached. I even missed the last hamster we had when he was gone. I don't know how you do it, but I'm glad you do. Will the disabled baby be able to get around his cage and perch once he's old enough? Will he have to be taught to rest on the bottom of the cage or other flat surface so he can rest his good leg? Does anyone on this forum have a bird with similar issues? Inquiring minds want to know

Wow. Not only have you a bird that does a trick, you have one that will do it On Camera! What's your secret?:silly:

Well guys, guess it wasn't meant to be. While I was trying to decide she sold it to someone else. I'm sure the right cage will show up, hopefully when the thought of my credit card statement balance doesn't set off a panic attack:P

The best, most reliable way, to get Dorian into full performance mode is for me to sit at the piano. So, with apologies for my singing, especially to Carole King fans, Heeeeeeeeeeerreees DORIAN:P http://s226.photobucket.com/albums/dd158/Schemda/?action=view&current=MusicCritic_0001.flv<br><br>Post edited by: Acappella, at: 2009/01/27 16:42

OMG, Dayo's sooo cute. Dorian tends to clam up when the camera is out as well. I found leaving it out on a tripod all the time gets him used to it, then when he's in full performance mode all I have to do is aim and hit record. Glad your boy is back to himself:)

I'm so sorry you lost your baby. You must be feeling emotionally and physically stretched to the limit. I agree with others here. You have to listen to your heart about being ready to get a new grey. It's probably very hard for your husband to see you upest so he naturally wants to make things better for you. Just let him know how you're feeling. When you are ready for a new bird I'd be very dubious about getting another one from the same place you got Zeus, expecially since, if I'm understanding what you wrote in a previous post, the vet is saying he may have come into your home already sick. At least make sure you can take the new bird to a vet for a complete check before you bring it home. I hope when you are ready a bird who needs a good caring home will come into your life. It's obvious you have a lot of love to give.

Those are good sites, Dan. Problem is I'm in the great white north up here, and there can be a huge $ penalty from customs on anything that crosses the border. I wouldn't open the top right now as Dorian is in a room with a low ceiling. That's one reason I was looking at this particular cage: it has a playtop but on a lower level so he can use it without hitting his little grey head:P The only reason I'm hesitating is my goal of getting my credit card down to $0, and this will put me almost two months behind schedule. I just think that I'll be kicking myself if I don't get this one when I have the chance. I have to make a decison by tomorrow morning. Thanks for the input guys.

I think you're making the right decision. Those weeks of waiting will probably seem extra long, but from what I've read here and other places there are things that can go wrong hand feeding even under the best care. Visit the baby as often as you can, maybe you could even do some of the care to lighten the breeder's load while you're there. Oh, and pictures, lots of pictures, because most of us here aren't any better at delayed gratification. We want to see, NOW:P

I have a chance to get this cage for Dorian in white, barely used, for $475cdn + tax. Retail new is $725cdn. I'd have to drive a couple hours to get it. It divides into two cages, but of course Dorian would use the whole thing. Dimensions are 42" x 26" x 55" (64" H when top is open.) It's 5mm gauge wire with 5/8" bar spacing. Do you guys think this is a decent deal? <br><br>Post edited by: Acappella, at: 2009/01/24 22:11

He'll enjoy having a bigger cage, but you'll probably have to introduce it slowly to him like you did the new perch. Let him see it being put together but from a safe distance, moving it closer and closer over a period of days (his behaviour will tell you if you're going too quickly for him) With Dorian, I used a long perch that he was used to and attached it as a bridge between the two cages and let him decide when he was going to go into the new cage. Of course, letting him see me put his favourite treat in the food dish of the new cage helped move things along! Meanwhile, here I sit in the dark days of a cold Ontario winter, so I'm totally jealous of the blue sky and sun I see in your picture. Have fun shopping for your fidB)

I just picked up a bag of Legos in great shape at a second-hand/thrift shop for $1.50cdn. Having Dorian around, now I always wander through the kid's toy section of every Goodwill/Salvation Army/Value Village I can find looking for good quality toys. A thorough clean and they're good to go!

Ouch. I fell shoveling snow yesterday and watching this video literally hurt because I laughed so much! BarbPA you painted such a great picture of Keena caught in the act. Thanks for sharing.<br><br>Post edited by: Acappella, at: 2009/01/08 23:03

Please protect yourself and avoid personally confronting this person. People such as yourself and the members of this forum, who are passionate about animal welfare, are easy for others to 'write off' as extreme or nuts. If you lose your rationality you risk losing your credibility and your voice. If you act on your emotional instincts to go after the breeder personally you may feel bettter for a moment, but lose your power long term. If you go after her businees in a cool, methodical way, you have a real chance to change her ability to continue her mistreatment of the birds in her care. Plus, DavidH is right. If you give her notice that you're coming after her she may be able to cover her tracks. I know someone locally here who confronted someone running a disgusting puppy mill and told him she was going to report him. By the time someone with authority got out to the property a couple of days later the place was spotless and almost all of the puppies had been 'sold', (almost certainly killed) Honour Shadow and all the other birds who have suffered because of her. Vent your frustration and anger here if you need to, we're here to listen and to help. Love from Marguerite and Dorian

I can't stop crying. You have been through such an emotional roller-coaster ever since you brought Shadow home. You don't bear any blame here. Only someone who cares deeply would be so shattered by this experience. It's been clear from the start that you were doing everything you could to make Shadow's life a healthy and happy one. Even though he was clearly in distress, animals know when they are in the presence of someone who loves and cares for them and his life, however unfairly short, was better because of your place in it. When you gather up some energy again please do try to spread the word about this so-called breeder. Have your vet write up a report that makes it clear Shadow came to you straight from the breeder with metal poisoning, and that he was probably born with it, then take that information and what you went through while you had him to anyone with any authority or interest in animal welfare. This case is so awful you might even contact someone in media. Try a small local paper in your, or the breeder's, area. Many neighbourhood papers will take on a human interest story like this when larger publications will not. Remember, it isn't defamation if what you are saying is true! You can get through this, and I agree with others here who have said there is a grey soul out there for you and your family. Please do continue as a member here. The grey community needs people like you who care and educate themselves about our precious birds.

Dorian's water gets totally disgusting looking on a regular basis because he loves to float walnut shell boats in it. I had his water dish and food dish on opposite sides of the cage for a while, and he'd dutifully carry his food from one side to the other to dunk it. So add changing his water dish multiple times a day to the list of things you do for your grey:laugh:

Dorian had to get used to his cage being cleaned on a regular basis when he got here. Now he comes down to see what I'm doing, preens my hair, and waits until I'm done, then spends the next half hour 're-decorating' with freshly torn paper!

You may never know what set it off. Are you in a house or apartment? I remember one member here a few months ago had a grey start plucking after a maintenance man came into the apartment during the day to do some work. Maybe a car back-fired outside, a helicopter flew over the house. . . Could her skin be dry/itchy. Does she get baths on a regular basis? Pat's advice is on target. If you start giving extra attention when you see her plucking that may be enough to reinforce the behaviour. Give lots of praise and attention when you catch her being 'good', playing with a toy, foraging etc. They pick up on our moods so easily, so stay as calm as you can. Hugs to you and kisses (and an almond) to Gracie. xoxo

Welcome Matt. Karma to you for taking in a grey who was not in a great living condition. Sounds like he was in a similar situation to the one Dorian was when I got him. How do you know he's a he? Did he come with dna papers? What's your greys' name? Most importantly, where are the pictures:P There are a bunch of threads here on extinguishing screaming, screetching, or other undesirable noises. Bottom line is don't reward the bahaviour. Even returning to the room to scold him or tell him 'no' could be seen as a desirable outsome by him, because he wants your company, and negative atention is better than none. My guess is once he feels more secure and trusts that he is in a forever home with an owner who cares for him, his behaviour will become less needy.

Barbara, I've been thinking about you and wondering how things are going. Any update?

I was pretty much oblivious to the pet bird world. Then a couple opened a pet store in town and I got to know the wife through a community group. I changed Jac's (my cat) food to a good one she carried in the store, and while shopping there I got to know 'her' grey, Dorian. He never spoke, and it was a few months before he would even move while I was close to his cage. I could tell he had a high-strung personality and wasn't a good fit with my friend, who is a pretty boisterous person with a huge personality and a loud laugh. I also saw that he wasn't getting any more used to having people come in and walk by his cage all the time. Also, people can be real jerks and I figured for every person that we caught in the act poking their fingers or other things at him, there were probably ten we didn't catch. Pretty soon I was in the store every day just talking calmly to him, and then I started working there a few hours a week to help out my friend who had become ill. After about a year Dorian was taking treats from my hand, letting me scratch his head, and making his baby sounds when I came in. He also started to come out and sit on the door of his cage when I was there, the first time he'd been outside his cage in at least two years. During that time I'd found this forum and started realizing exactly how much more care he needed than he was getting. I was now convinced that he was my bird, I just had to convice everybody else. Dorian helped by becoming hostile to my friend's husband, and very cool to her, while making a huge fuss when he saw me. One day out of the blue she said she'd decided to sell him. The thought that he might go to a home where people might not know how to care for him pretty much made me feel sick, so I set up a payment plan with her and a few months later the little monkey was mine.

I only have one bird, but I'm guessing Indy will help alot. If she has a "chill, Ice, this is a good place with extra attention available" attitude, Ice might feel safer, faster.

Welcome Joe and Maximus. Sounds like you are going to be a greyt parront! Really try Pat's suggestion about eating new foods in front of him, it works. He'll want what his flock has. With Dorian, I wanted to get him to eat Nutriberries, hoping he'd love them enough I could use them for training, but he wouldn't have anything to do with them. So for a couple of nights I popped some popcorn for myself and put it in a opaque popcorn container from the dollar store. Then I hid a couple of the treats in my hands and let him watch while my hand went container to mouth over and over again (helps if you make a bit of a production about how much you are enjoying the food) The first time I offered him one of the palmed Nutriberries he came over to inspect it, but didn't take it. This was already an improvement over his "there's something in my dish trying to kill me" first response, so I pretended to eat it! Now he's right up to the bars of the cage watching my hand, container-mouth, container-mouth, and I let him watch for awhile. The second time I offered it to him, he grabbed it greedily like he hadn't eaten in weeks! Technique also works with veggies and other new foods. Just make sure if you put salt or other seasoning on your food, you have a parrot safe bit on your plate.

Lyn, I'm sorry about your dad. No matter what age we are, when we lose a parent it leaves a huge hole. So glad you have Alfie at home to give you something else to think about, and something to make you laugh, because I believe every time you laugh it takes away a tiny bit of pain. I hope your mom's ok. I had to go away for 6 days early in November and I had huge worries about how Dorian was doing while I was gone, and how annoyed he was going to be when I got back. Well, he was soooooo glad to see me. He was a perfect angel for a little while, and then when he figured I was sticking around he acted out for a couple of days. Had to let me know he was displeased with my absence I guess:P<br><br>Post edited by: Acappella, at: 2008/12/04 16:33

Is Charlie in a room that you can leave so she can no longer see you? If you leave the room every time she's making the noise, and you don't talk to her or come back into the room until she's quiet, she should figure out pretty fast that choosing to make that sound means she's left alone. If you can't leave the room, turn your back and don't speak to her until she's quiet, or makes a more acceptable sound. Remember, just like with a child, negative attention is still attention, and greys' love our attention and company. Even going up to the cage and saying 'no' could be seen as entertainment by her. Good luck extinguishing this sound.

Dorian has what I call his tired birdy chirp. Sometimes it happens at 9:00. Sometimes he's up with me till 11:00. You'll get to know Gregory and how he communicates what he needs. As for the heater, I just add the normal caution about teflon coating, as some portable heaters contain small amounts of it.