Muse

Funny you should mention, but I kept calling him Mister Peck at the vet, and the vet laughed and said "Mr. Peck sounds sounds so dignified, like someone talking to Gregory." We have several mockingbirds here, and I did threaten one last night. Not with death, but with eviction if he (she?) gets in that bluebird house I just put up. They were just fascinated with it. I hope they don't drive the bluebirds off.

Hahaha! Yes, and I bet I get many more lessons.

Ouch! I have NO doubt if that had been Megan, I'd be looking for the benzalkonium chloride and some steri-strips. I suspect he's more of a bluffer unless an issue is forced. Dayo sounds like he's a very strong-willed boy!

Very interesting. So that is scientific validation for the old saying "Birds flying low, there will come snow." Very cool!

I think he is quite handsome! And yes, I am very much in love with him. Oh so very much. He is just such a GOOD bird! His ability to understand, or at least go along with what I say to him, is amazing. I don't think he will ever be a talker. That's okay. I never wanted to live with a bird because they can talk. I am just in love with their grace and beauty, and a little envious of their ability to fly.

Nava Maeve was our first hatch, on 04-18-12. Today, she turns two. She's the sweetie of the bunch. She loves to sit on my head and preen my hair. Noah Alden will be two tomorrow, 04-19. He is a cinnamon mutation, like his mother. He is sweet when he wants to be, but bites hard when he doesn't. Loralese Marie will be two on 04-21. She is very much like her mother. She does not step up, but will come perch on my head and preen my hair only on her terms. I love them all dearly and the memories of their hatching and witnessing the miracle of seeing a new life emerge from an egg will remain some of the best memories of my life. Pics are from a few days after they fledged (6/03/12).

So I can't really post this in the "Bite Me Club" because I don't think it qualifies as a bite. I am beginning to suspect that this is a game for Peck, more than anything. Today was gorgeous and I'd made a huge corned beef roast in the crock pot. We decided to eat our supper outside and enjoy the weather, and I wheeled Peck's cage out onto the deck so he could enjoy it too. A little hummingbird buzzed us, looking for something to eat. He went over to a red feeder, only to find it was a seed feeder. I ran in the house and got the hummingbird feeder and hung it in the tree. About this time, Raven decides it would be fun to chase the mockingbird who is sitting on the fence. Her barking scatters all the birds and I wanted the little hummer to come back and eat before it got too late so I was telling Raven she had to go in the house. At the same time I was disciplining Raven, I was wheeling Peck's cage back inside. Peck immediately picked up on the fact that I was distracted. I somehow let a finger slip through the bars. He stealthily moved from the other end of the cage and suddenly he lunged. He did not bite. He just 'tapped' the finger. Not hard - it didn't hurt at all. Afterwards, he goes to his perch and I swear his expression was smug. I had to laugh. He is so adorable!

You can see his left foot is the affected one. The long toe was curled almost all the way around. The big joint where the toe connects to the foot is huge compared to the other foot. The foot seems weaker and the toe appears to have atrophied. Tonight I had him chasing my fingers all over the cage. He acts like he *really* wants to bite me and will make a bee-line for my fingers if they are even near where he thinks he can reach them. So I had him climbing and hanging from the top of the cage, and going from perch to perch chasing them. Hopefully by using it he can build some strength. It does not seem to be causing him pain, as perches on it just fine. But he could just be a tough guy, too. I spoke to his previous human, and she said she wished she'd have known he would tolerate the vet so well as she would have taken him years ago. She said when she took him as a young bird, he got completely freaked out and was shaking all over by the time they got him home. I know this was right after they got him, so maybe he was not long out of the jungle and completely scared by being thrust into our human "civilization"? I am just glad I know he does well at the vet, and he will get regular vet care now. I really love this little guy.

This was some great, and very patient work by a very good avian vet, Dr. Eckermann-Ross. Before - notice how elongated his beak appears, both top and bottom. After- he appears much more relaxed, and can get the beak closed. Even the shape of his head looks different now that his beak is not being held so far apart.

I don't like the feather method of DNA collection. The only time I have had to pull a feather was when it got broken, and was bleeding. The affected bird, Maks, bit me quite hard and screamed like I was killing him. I imagine it does not feel good. We have had all of ours but the budgie, Aria, sexed by short-clipping a toenail into the quick. You only need one drop of blood for the test. The person doing it will clip the nail, wipe a special card over it to get the drop of blood on a small spot of the absorbent paper, and then stop the bleeding using a powder or cornstarch. Some were done at the pet store, some were done at the vet. Marden and Megan were sexed when we got them. Maks is the only one who hasn't been sexed, and I am convinced he is a male just from his attitude (and he sings beautifully and is quite chatty). Alex, the green cheeked conures and finally Aria have all been DNA sexed. Aria's was done along with other blood work during one of her vet visits, via blood draw. The vet did say the toenail method is often insufficient because their toenails (and thus the quick) are so tiny that they are often unable to get enough blood for the sample (it has to be a decent sized drop of blood). Which, failing to get the blood, requires a draw anyway. Our vets draw from the right jugular, which looks a bit scary to someone untrained, but they have all been very good about it. We had one vet that preferred the medial metatarsal, but I am told that it is a smaller vein and harder to get a good sample from. Either way, venipuncture appears to be less painful. I have yet to have any of the birds scream in pain or otherwise indicate it is hurting them. I have had single hairs ripped out and know that oddly, one single hair seems to hurt worse than several for some reason! I cannot imagine yanking a feather out of one of the babies unless it was an emergency (broken blood feather).

Definitely. On stormy or even really dark, heavy rainy days, the outside birds all huddle up somewhere and the feeders are deserted, and the inside birds just want to have birdie quiet time all day long. I can't even get them stirred up with videos. Maybe they don't like the damp in the air. Maybe they are performing some instinctive behavior as if they were out sitting in the downpour. But either way, it is a very noticeable change in their behaviors.

Having moderated groups myself, I know the kind of time and sacrifice this takes. You folks deserve props for a job well done!

In researching and seeking information about healthy feeding, I joined one group who claimed to be about healthy feeding of parrots. The moderators there were what I can only describe as sanctimonious, intolerant, and rude. While I suspect they truly believe they have their birds' best interests at heart, their methods were unbelievably ill-mannered. And an environment like that stifles exchanges of information from which everyone might learn. I have since found other groups that are polite and helpful, but none compare to this group.

That is so true! Amen!

What really amazes me here is that this discussion, though touching on some emotionally charged points and differing opinions, has remained respectful and civil. I fully agree that plucking, like any other behavior - or even health problem - can occur beyond our best efforts to be good "parronts". I do not have any pluckers (yet) but I can relate to that feeling of helplessness in watching a bird begin to pluck - as I watched my boy go from a perfect, handsome, healthy three year old to holding his dead body in my arms and wondering what I did wrong -- all in less than one month. Despite the vet visits and hospitalizations. Despite trying everything to get him to eat. Despite medication twice a day. Nothing helped. As we play detectives and search for answers, I mull the evidence and wonder if it was that cheap food I decided to use up instead of tossing. Could that corn in it have been contaminated? From the massive amounts of research we have done we are sure that fast as he went downhill, he had to have ingested a large amount of spores. Or maybe that bag of food that I accidentally got that had peanuts in the mix - I could have sworn I removed them all. Could I have missed one that was full of spores? I could beat myself up and torture myself with this - but it wouldn't do anything but make me cry more than I already do, and believe me when I say I am already way over the too much crying limit. I keep going back to the words of my stepmother - everything happens for a reason. I believe God has His own purpose in the trials we face in our lives. If I still had Mar, who knows where Peck might have ended up. Or how long we'd have dragged our feet on starting the rescue. The bottom line is, no matter what goes on with our feathered babies - be it illness, behavior or injury - all we can do is do our best, and beyond that, we can only pray for healing and continue to use any experience that comes our way to learn and grow. Stephen, I pray your boy will be back to full feather soon and that your health continues to improve as well.

Before I start, I should give some disclosure about myself. I have been online for many years. Early on, I wanted to get into tech support, and found a volunteer opportunity that would give me free training. For about two and a half years, I was a "sysop" for an online gaming community, doing both technical support and enforcement of their code of conduct in both the games themselves (mainly one in particular) and in the out-of-game user chat areas. I also frequented their newsgroups, and eventually started several of my own Usenet-style groups run on our private server. During these years, I saw some of the best and the worst of the online experience. People who would make "sock puppet" accounts to attack others, people who would lie and con and yes, steal from others - and on the other end of the spectrum, people who would gladly give the shirt off their back for people they'd never even met in person. There were always petty arguments, disagreements across the political, religious and even game-related spectrum including flame wars and personal attacks, even among those who considered themselves friends. During the time I have been coming to these forums, I have seen a lot of truly helpful, polite, and very supportive people. I see people getting joy from the triumphs of others, and sharing tears and pain. I haven't been a member here very long, but everyone jumped right in to console me when I lost my boy. I thought, wow, "parrot people" or "parronts" are really wonderful! I have since then had experiences in other "parrot groups" that have shown me that this is not the case. So it is not just a "parrot people" trait - because obviously not all "parronts" are as kind and considerate as those who make up the backbone of this forum. It is just that you have a really special group of goodhearted people here. I am really glad I have found this group and all the wonderful friends here.

Your little girl continues to just amaze me. She is so intelligent. I love hearing stories about her. I know what you mean about the updates. Peck's 'mommy' cried when she left him. I think it is entirely possible to love an animal but yet be ignorant of their needs. The problem with her keeping Peck was of course, their eventual move to Europe. Since he's not banded or chipped, he can never leave this country because of the export laws. So though she did not have to rehome him right now, she has been looking for some time because she knew she would have to give him up eventually. I think she also wanted to leave a 'way out' in case he was adopted to someone who felt he wasn't "working out" in their home. I am sure she misses him, as she has said so in her emails, but she is also happy for him because she knows we love him and will give him the best home we can. I am betting it is the same with Inara's original humans. I don't know under what circumstances they felt they needed to part with her, but I am glad she is with you. As my stepmother always tells me "Things always happen for a reason." I feel you are the best mother she could ever ask for and I think she really was meant to end up with you.

Okay! Update! First the bad news: It appears that his nails were grown out so long, that it has caused some deformity in his left long toe. She said it appears the joint may even be a bit arthritic. Nothing can be done there. She also mentioned he walks a bit bow-legged. It could all stem from his nails being overgrown for so long. As I said before, he had not been to a vet in 22 years. This is the *ONLY* bad news (pending blood work). The good news - she gave him an EXTREMELY good exam. I had some concerns about his toileting habits, mainly in that he will squat down, do what I call the Congo African Grey Butt Wiggle, and sometimes nothing comes out, as if he's constipated. Then he will do it again and produce a normal stool. She did a thorough exam of his cloaca, and even up in a bit, and said everything looked great. She did a swab and a stool sample, and it was negative for pathogens. She said his feathers look wonderful. She reassured me about his flights (which I thought looked over-preened). Without calling me a nervous mommy, she basically explained that they look really good to her. I also discussed his not flying with her. She suspected it was from being kept in a cage for extended periods of time, and being away from other birds. She believes Megan will soon teach him now to be a bird. She was pleased with his overall appearance - eyes, ears, etc. She thinks the beak is congenital, as both upper and lower are extended and more narrow. She did trim both and especially the lower beak and said he may need regular trimmings to keep it in a shape that does not interfere with his eating. He can now get his mouth mostly closed! I am hoping he can now crack pine nut shells as well as Megan. He could not before. Time will tell, right now he is refusing everything and chilling out on his swing. He was SOOOOOO good!!!! I softly explained (in tears) that he needed to see the vet and it was important to get his toes fixed so his feet would feel better. I apologized for having to take him but said once it was all over he would feel much better. He went down to the bottom of the cage, but did not do the wild growl at me, and let me wrap him in a towel and gently put him in the travel cage he had arrived in just a few days ago. I also wondered if he thought maybe this meant I was taking him somewhere to leave him, so I reassured him we were both coming home again when we were done at the vet. I strapped the cage in the front seat because it has a little sliding door I was not entirely sure he could not open and I wanted to keep an eye on him. He whistled nicely and along with music on the way there. He did do his really LOUD whistle as we walked in the door. I am sure the smells of an exotic vet are scarey since many other patients are predators (snakes, lizards, ferrets, etc). I sat down next to him and talked softly while we waited (we were WAAAAAAY early because I anticipated problems that, thanks to all of the good thoughts and prayers from everyone here, never materialized). He remained calm even in the exam room. The tech toweled him out of the cage, so I got to sit back and not be the bad guy. She found he likes his feet stroked. So while the vet very patiently tried to listen to his heart and lungs, she stroked his foot and he quieted right down. He also requested, by bowing his head, scritches when we got back in the car. I obliged him and he seemed to enjoy it. I suspect once he's been integrated into the flock, he will realize he likes touch as he seems to be comforted by it. During the whole process, he protested, not quite as vehemently as Megan does. There was none of the deep, wild growl that he did that first night as I rolled his cage into the kitchen. He did not bite one person, nor did he really even try to. I suspect he understood my emphasis on how badly needed this vet visit was. We had some extra bloodwork done to hasten the quarantine process. She said a minimum of two weeks, so it will not be this Thursday, but next Thursday IF his blood tests all come back good, that he will get to meet Miss Megan. I cannot wait for her to start showing him what it means to be a flighted bird. Thanks to everyone who prayed and sent good thoughts. It really helped! Now I must go and fulfill my promise to Megan to give her some extra mom-time for being patient and staying in her cage while I took Peck to the vet!

No hijack. It's always good to share insights. I really enjoy hearing about your very special girl. Thanks for the kind words. The visit went great - I will give a full update shortly.

Thank you so much! I will let everyone know how well it went!

- emphasis mine You know - it is not simplistic at all. When we form thoughts into words (which is an extra step humans take) those thoughts are also in their basic form. Temple Grandin calls it thinking in pictures. I am not sure at all that Greys are not more than empathic but slightly telepathic, or at least far, far more intelligent than we thought. Here is why. One of the last times I took Mar out (he loved car rides and going out to eat) I put his "diaper" on, but for some reason he threw an absolute tantrum at the harness. I tried talking soothing to him and it was having NO effect. He finally looked me square in the eye and loudly and emphatically shouted a very clear "NO!" Once I recovered from the shock, I told him, "Look, you can't go out in just your diaper. If you want to go bye-bye in the car with mommy, you are going to have to put the harness on." He paused for a moment, then moved his head up. I moved the harness towards him and he did not flinch or move away and I simply slipped it over his head. He remained cooperative as I snugged up the waist. How much of those complex sentences did he understand? How much of what I was thinking was he able to "see"? A combination of both, maybe? Then with Megan - we were having a TERRIBLE time getting her back in her cage. It meant at the least a fight and at the worst a good hard bite (refer to picture of the bruise on my forearm in the bite club thread). EVERY time was a battle. Then I decided to start reasoning with her. Can animals reason? Science and "behaviorists" say no. I say yes. So the next time I needed to go somewhere (grocery shopping) I walked to the cage with her on my arm and calmly explained to her that I needed to go bye-bye to get more food, and I promised I would be back. I added that I would bring her something very good. She looked at the cage, turned and looked at me, looked back at the cage and stepped off on the perch. This has worked repeatedly. When I have to put her in the cage, say to go outside if my husband is not home, I now explain that it is temporary, and ask her if she wants "something good" to have while I am gone. I usually give her a handful of fresh mix to pick through or an almond in the shell. I am definitely going to have a "talk" with Peck. He's done really well at understanding other things I have said to him. He instantly accepts redirection when he accosts something I'd rather he didn't during his travels on the floor. I suspect he is a very intelligent guy. Thank you so much for the thoughts and prayers!

Tomorrow will be Peck's first vet visit in 22 years. I do not expect this to be easy. We tried a trial run today. First the "coaxing" into the travel cage. No way. Then trying to get him even near a step up stick. Vetoed most viciously. (He lunges at my arm if I offer it, though he usually misses, which is leading me to believe he may be missing on purpose). He's calmed down a lot. He and Megan were calling back and forth tonight between the rooms. It was really cute. I think they are going to get along fine. She seems more curious than jealous. She was showing off her bird calls during their "conversation" ("How's a dove go? *mourning dove call* That's a dove" etc.) Peck seemed pretty impressed. He would answer with a cooing sound. She also did a grackle and a chicken. (More aptly, my poor imitation of a chicken that she has learned). He did that haunting hollow whistle and she tried to imitate it back to him with a pretty good rendition. I am hoping dragging him to the vet does not destroy all this. I am going to have to towel him, and he is not going to be happy with me. I am used to sweet, gentle Mar, who was taught from babyhood to snuggle in a warm fleece so he never minded being toweled. He would nestle on my chest and I would gently cover him and then hand him off to the vet. If it goes anything like our practice today, Peck is going to be very unwilling. I considered putting off taking him to the vet but his nails are in terrible shape. He walks on the side of his toes because the toenails are so curved he cannot get the toes flat on the floor. The beak he seems to deal with, though I suspect he must have a terrible dry mouth from it being open all the time. But just seeing his feet hurts me and I know it must be terrible for him. This is not the best picture, but if you look you can see what looks like a ring below his foot hanging from the cage door. It is not. That is one of his nails. They are that long. Please, if you pray, say a little prayer that he won't be too stressed and that the vet visit will go well.

They eye each other across the room and through the doors. So far it has been a lot of curious staring, and no puffing, hissing, growling, beak-banging or "a-wooo-ing" - on either bird's part. When the grackles are outside at the feeders and I show them to Megan through the door she *always* does the "a-wooo!" and a very loud bang-bang-bang with her beak on the window. I picture her imagining herself flying out there and chasing them all away from the feeders. LOL I am sure that Peck is probably thinking, "I don't know how I am ever going to get her trained, she's very slow. It took several reps for her to catch on." LOL I just hope he can feel the love and I also hope he understands the frequent tears are not over him. I am dreading Tuesday. I am sure I am going to be on his "list" after I drag him off to the vet, probably involving a towel and some biting. I think that is why my husband is the adored one here. I do all the "mean" stuff.

When we got the Greybies, we were told by the store and their breeder (who worked there) that clipping "keeps them from gaining altitude" - quote. Hahaha. Right. Mar proved that no, it does not. All they need to overcome the lack of surface area is either a good wind or more thrust. The day Mar flew across the (fairly good size) back yard and landed on the fence was the day I bought his harness. We had the harness but my husband was *convinced* he 1. would not be able to fly, and 2. was too "bonded" to him to leave his side. That was a "told you so" moment I absolutely hated to have to experience. How I jumped straight up in the air and caught him was simply a miracle. Especially since I am pretty sure my heart stopped beating during that moment until I gathered him back in my arms. I suspect a lot of escaped "clipped" birds are due to people getting this "they can't gain altitude" information from sources that they trust like bird stores and breeders.

Peck had a badly needed shower today and at first I was worried because he already gives me the impression he'd love to sink his beak into my hand. But he took it really well and after a short time leaned forward and fluffed up. He didn't open his wings, but he was overall pretty cooperative. Megan used to strike out at the spray bottle back when we were new parronts and forced the shower issue, but luckily never got flesh.