KevinD

Welcome, I know you will get at least as much from the forums as I did. All VERY cute

I was surprisingly amazed to find an Avian Vet in Kuwait that seems to know what he is doing and genuinely seems to care. I took Sukei in for a few things.... one to have that band removed from her leg, it was causing her no end of frustration. Two to get her checked for scratching and itching. Three to get her/him DNA sexed. I also ended up getting her tested for Avian beak and feather disease which is prevalent here . I was going to have the chip put in for the eventual trip home, but this is what made me understand the vet actually cared and was not just trying to jack up the bill.... he said PLEASE wait another 5 or 6 months as he thinks she will still grow a little bigger and that it is a fairly traumatic ordeal, and I agreed. He confirmed what I had suspected, that based on her behavior and the band that she was probably wild caught. But he did say that she was remarkably well behaved for what he has seen come out of the Avian trader market. Said to him it was a crime, but it isnt like you can just put them back, they probably wouldn't survive. He said over all she seemed to be in perfect health and nutritionally we were doing all the right things. He put Travipharm/Ivermectin drops on her neck and will repeat again next week. He gave me a tip on the spray bottle that I had not read before.... put a little vinegar in with the water. Scratching down by 90%. Get the test results back from Germany in 2 or 3 weeks. We forge on

That is just plain impressive to me. I hope someday to have the same problem LOL

Shower time has always been a traumatic time...... We finally figured out the proper configuration ! Watch "Niagra Falls"

Well, that did not take too long, seems all she needed was a welcome wagon basket LOL. I am very amazed after reading alot how quickly she adapts to new things. I have been out of town on.......business, and the wife does not like the whole posting business, although she loves to read. While I was gone Sukei has learned to fly short distances 15 or 20 feet or so. I think the bigger living area will help boost her confidence and make her feel a little more secure.......but what do I know.....you try something if it works, go with it

Yes, she never spent anytime in the old cage, 90% of the time she stayed on the perch, thats why as you suggested, I left the perch next to the new one. I dunno, if I was stuck in a cracker box and someone said here is a big ole house, Id be happy LOL. While by nature you are correct they are phobic, it never takes her long to get used to new things. Give her a few more hours she is starting to make her familiar noise effects.... See what happens

So I was thinking the house Sukei came with was too small, so we went and got her a bigger house. She seems freaked out, wont come off the roof, been 4 hours now.......just sitting there....:confused: Maybe she just needs more time, but I figure she will have to come down to eat after a while :confused:

Yea, she will turn a block that size into pile of splinters in a few days. We go through more wood than food LOL

Good to hear!

Does she have a favorite snack? If she does I would load a bunch of whatever it is on top of the cage and pray... that is as far as my thoughts take me. Wish I could help, I can only imagine

While Sukei is destroying this wood, you can see a pretty decent example of eye pinning. If you go full screen, you can see it even better. She is molting, so excuse the bad hair day Watch "Sukei Destroying A Block Of Wood"

This is such a cool picture I wanted the High Definition original. If anyone wants the HD shot you can download it here.... just right click the picture and save as. http://greyvid.com/addons/pictures/greys_and_elephants_HD.jpg It makes for fantastic PC wallpaper!

I will, but it is going to be at least a 6 month story

Very Cool!!!!

Sweating to the oldies LOL

I appreciate the sentiments, however I too am a cog in the "Government Machine" I can not really do anything beyond research at the moment for a work around. I do not know how much longer I will be required to stay here. Unlike the actual military, we do not have a set time. It will happen, one way or another.

Hmmm, does sunlight through a UV filtered window count? I cant really put her outside during the summer, it is over 138 degrees out on some days, but never goes below 111 or 112 while the sun is shining.

Wow, Wing clipping, contracts, fees, passion all around.... I guess there is more politics in this then I thought. But I guess it goes back to the opinion thing..... everyone has one

Avian Flu. SARS now you got MERS that kills 60% of those infected. That is over here and it does not have anything to do with birds. I say the US should stop importing people (Tongue in Cheek) What are they going to do next, stop all international travel? Or domestic travel for that matter.

Id bet she starts talking real soon, they kinda of have a will of their own

I love this line, but it applies. "What we require now is a feat of linguistic legerdemain and a degree of intrepidity" And some luck wouldn't hurt either

Well, that matter is somewhat subjective, splitting hairs if you will. While I do not condone the practice, the fact of the matter is that I really do not know if she is wild caught or not. I know she was in distress, and I pulled her out. She is banded and in this corner of the world, if you throw enough money at a problem, the problem goes away. Sukei WILL be coming home one way or another because the alternative is not something I am willing to consider. Thanks for the input. When she gets back to the states she will have a whole family to be with for good. All responsible adults and visiting grandkids. In my mind I am balancing what she will have to go through to get there, I think the short period of discomfort balanced against the potential 40 + years of a reliable home, care and comfort is something I can do for her, and in the end, she will be better off.

Thank you for the replies, I just did not want to support a below board operation.

Thanks, Ill have a look. We have a home in the Philippines, probably start looking into that. We will be splitting time between the States and the Philippines, but I really wanted to get her state side.

Well, I am still 6 month out, hopefully they will lift it in the mean time. If not may be able to go through the Philippines. I know one thing, I AM NOT leaving her here.