Muse

I took a very long look at their website and didn't see anything about "natural" except for describing the style of some of their burners. They also market the scents in other formats which makes me believe they are not using essential oils or anything natural. I would recommend a bathroom away from the birds, or a bedroom they aren't allowed in, if you want to use it. I am moving to beeswax here, even in my wax burners (and I just bought two new ones). The jury is out on the essential oils until I speak to the birds' vet this week. It looks like Scentsy has some adorable burners. Maybe skip their wax and substitute with some soy/essential oil or even beeswax?

I am going to discuss essential oils and oil warmers with my avian vet this week. I will post here what she her answer is.

I did a LOT of research on this. Steam for cage cleaning actually wasn't my idea - I have been a long time customer of Windy City Parrots, ever since we got the Greybies, and it was the topic of one of Mitch Rezman's wonderful Sunday newsletters - where he pointed out that our usual method of hose and water allowed water to get inside places in the cage body that would eventually lead to rust and the need for a new cage. Which is strange coming from a place that SELLS cages - you'd think they would WANT people to need to buy new cages. I have found they care more about customers taking good care of their birds than they do about sales, which is one reason I am still a customer there. That was when I started using the hand-held steamer but it was simply too under-powered. It took forever to loosen even one 'splat' and by that time I'd run through a significant amount of the reservoir. The main reason we invested in the big one was the thought that eventually it will be more than one small and four big cages, and three bird stands. At some point, if we start doing rescue, we will need a machine that can do a heavy-duty job. My husband liked that the element can be replaced. I like the POWER and how fast I can clean. It is a bit more messy than the small one (by virtue of higher PSI pressures that tend to "blow" things around. They suggest putting towels behind what you are cleaning. I think I will try that when I clean cages. I am going to try to put together a video of this thing in action if I get time. I never ask for other expensive gifts like jewelry (don't wear it - not even earrings), or cruises, or new cars. My Santa usually gets off pretty cheap, except where our fids are concerned. I figured this was one gift that would literally keep on giving every single time I clean. And with our sights set on building a huge aviary, and taking in more birds, that is going to be a LOT of giving!

Thanks, Dan! I have been, and he's getting a little extra mommy-time. He's been super-clingy and SUPER cuddly. Even with me. (He is always cuddly with Daddy except during hormonal times). I am loving that but still wish he was feeling better. I notice he is still holding things with the left foot to enable him to support his weight with the right. He will go back to the vet this coming week and we will see how he is doing then. At least his appetite picked up! That had me worried.

I tried three bags, the last from a different store in a different state, even, because I was thinking that the first two were maybe old and stale or stored improperly. It gets really hot in Texas and I thought maybe if they were left in a warehouse, or in a back room of the store that wasn't climate controlled, that may have accounted for the difference. All of them smelled the same, and the smell was nowhere near what they used to smell like. About that time, the fids started getting less excited about them. When I opened that third bag, I called the number and left a message. I have not heard one word back. Maybe after the holidays I will try to call again and see if they will give any insight on why the product changed? We noticed an extreme change in the Sunny Orchard and the El Paso berries' aromas. I was looking up the ingredient list and noticed propylene glycol as an ingredient in Nutriberries. Although it is considered relatively safe, it is not allowed in cat food. I don't want my birds eating it either. I really liked the sound of those TOP organic pellets and am going to try those next. I am moving away from processed foods for everyone. I bought a book of recipes for the cats and dog (soon to be dogs). Things that are turned into "slurry" and then baked into kibble can't be that nutritious. We had organic popcorn popped in organic coconut oil tonight. No salt, no butter and it tasted GOOD. I am learning to like new things and eating things I never thought I would. I guess that is one more positive in my life from having these birds.

Thanks, Nancy. He had a 7 day course of Meloxicam, but is still favoring the leg a bit. He did better for a few days, but a couple days after his last dose (today) he's turning down almonds and things he has to hold in his foot. So back we go next week. He's been the biggest clingy little cuddle bug, though. The vet said soft tissue injuries sometimes take a while to heal. I will be glad when he's back to being himself.

I noticed a change in the smell of the Nutriberries lately. And the birds seem suddenly less enamored with them. Are the two facts related? Probably. I know the orchard flavor ones used to make my mouth water when I opened the bag. Now they don't smell like fruit at all, they smell like old stale peanut butter. I contacted them and never got a reply. I suspect there may be some cost cutting in ingredients going on there with less fruit and more peanuts, but I don't know facts because they didn't reply. Those TOP pellets look like just the thing! Thanks for the link and I am going to try some of those out!

https://www.candleshopcreations.com/home.php This is where I get mine. I believe it is a small personal shop run by a young mother. I believe I read that she gets her beeswax from her parents, who run Honeyflow Farm who also sell candles. I get mine from the daughter's shop and have been very pleased both with her service and the candles themselves. I initially requested the ones with lavender essential oil and she actually persuaded me not to buy those, but to try the plain beeswax as she thought the essential oils might prove harmful to the birds. She advised me to check with my avian vet before purchasing anything other than pure beeswax. I do love the soft glow and warm sweet smell of pure beeswax candles. Our Avian vet recommended some candles and I bought one. I took the label off mine to improve appearance but I think it is this: http://petcandles.com/index.htm I will check with them Monday as I need to schedule follow up for Mar anyway. They use them in the office and claim they are safe for use around birds (they are labeled for reptiles). Personally? I wasn't sure. Once I burned it, I found the wick did have a wire core, but I don't think I am going to keep using it. They are probably okay but I tend to be a bit extreme with being cautious. I have a friend with an over 20 year old cockatiel and he burns just regular cheap candles daily and insists I am a paranoid nutcase. Which is probably true, but I am a paranoid nutcase with healthy (so far) birdies.

Thank you for sharing this link. It was a very moving video. It makes me ashamed to be human sometimes when I see what we as a species have done to the creatures we have been charged with overseeing in this great world. I feel deep guilt every time I watch a video such as this, not only for the abuse these magnificent creatures suffer at the hands of other humans, but for our even assuming they are ours to take and own. I look at my own two Greys, just shy of three years old. They were born of parents who had been captured in Africa, but they themselves have never known a life in the wild. From the moment they opened their helpless little eyes to this world, they were depending on humans to fulfill their needs. Even now, they are bonded to humans as well as each other. They cling to us for security when outside their own familiar area. They depend on us for food, shelter from heat and cold, clean water to drink, and tender care when they are sick. Yet I cannot give them what they would have in the wild. The freedom to come and go as they please. As a kind of compensation, I do my best to protect them from harm. They get the best I can give, whether it be carefully selected organic foods or the best veterinary care I can find. They have crates of toys. And hopefully soon they will have a large aviary where they can actually stretch their wings out and fly. I have to say one thing. I am glad we have two. There is something magical I see in their interactions, and it is something they cannot get from myself or their daddy. But I still feel a heavy load of guilt over keeping them captive in our home. Maybe this whole guilt thing was just compounded by a visit to several animal shelters today. We are adding another dog to the family. Our only dog used to have next-door neighbors for socializing, and now he is isolated from others of his kind. The cats are older and getting grumpy and barely tolerate him but will no longer play with him. So we decided it would be best to get him a brother or sister near his own size and age. We searched three shelters. I wanted to take them all. Every pair of sad eyes broke my heart. I spent most of the day fighting tears, mostly unsuccessfully. I was in shock at how many of them were Pit Bull purebreds or mixes. (And I had serious doubt about the 'mix' labels, wondering if it is a smokescreen to make them seem less frightening). We had already decided we need a smaller dog, one that can play with Riley without inadvertently hurting him. We finally put a deposit on this bedraggled looking small poodle. She seems very anxious and afraid at this point, but I am sure after some time with our family she will be just as comfortable and crazy as the rest of our family. Then I come home and watch this video and the flood starts all over. I am absolutely certain Mar must think I am very odd because my eyes leak so much. He often reaches over to wipe the tears from my cheek with his beak.

Wow, it sounds like you have been through a lot. I am very sorry for your loss and for the stress you must be going through. From the video, I thought perhaps Pearl was a new baby, until I looked at your sig. I noticed the "pumping" on your finger tip. She is doing what our Greys did when they were still taking formula (which Mar did for an excessively long time). Mar enjoyed the formula and often begged even well past the time he was weaned. Alex (our Sun Conure) STILL pumps on my finger or knuckle and he is almost three. I think he was weaned too early (as well as being clipped before he ever flew). I was concerned about this behavior but when I asked our board-certified and very experienced avian vet what I should do to prevent it, she said it could actually turn out be a good thing. She suggested if they were begging and pumping to give them a little syringe of something tasty once in a while, and then if they ever get sick and need medicine, it will be much easier to get them to take it. So far, Alex has been the picture of health, however Marden injured his left knee a couple weeks ago, and had to take an anti-inflammatory medication. The vet was right. He nuzzles that syringe and takes the medicine like he thinks he is getting hand-fed a tasty treat. I think Pearl is adorable. It may be with all the stress and so many people around that she is wanting extra attention, and remembers getting lots of attention during the time she was being fed as a baby. Naturally she will try to re-create the behavior that got her the attention successfully at that time. It reminds me of children who go through stress and revert to sucking their thumbs or talking baby-talk many years after they had previously quit these behaviors. Sending thoughts and prayers for you and your family.

I follow both "Life with Alex" and "The Alex Foundation" on Facebook. Arlene posted video yesterday of Wart and Alex who evidently would spend holidays at her house. Both birds looked very well feathered. I suspect some of the rattiness we are seeing in old pictures and videos may be more related to moulting than plucking. I know Little Budgie is moulting now and I keep finding bunches of feathers on the floor of his cage. I am sure if someone saw him right now they'd think I was a horrible mother to have such an awful looking bird! He's starting to look better than he did a week or so ago but he still looks pretty ragged. Maks and Alex (my Alex aka Alejandro) are both finishing their moult. Alex still has some patches that are mostly pin feathers on his head. Maks looks better but that is because Alex preens him, I think. Maks does not seem willing to reciprocate. All I can offer Alex is lots of "sprays" which he loves, and wait for his pretty fluffiness to grow back.

When we first got the Greybies, I was intrigued by the videos of free flighted birds. But the one time Mar took off it made my heart stop for a moment. This happened WHEN HE WAS STILL CLIPPED!! CLIPPED BIRDS *CAN FLY* IF SUFFICIENTLY STARTLED! Too many people learn this the hard way, and my husband was one of the stubborn ones. He brought him outside on his shoulder while I was setting things up for a garage sale. We had a mister going as it was extremely hot, and as he walked out of the garage, the mister his Mar and he took flight. I will never, ever forget the raw fear and adrenaline of that moment. I literally JUMPED into the air and caught his feet as he flew over my head, gaining altitude. I have no idea how I caught him or how I even managed to jump that high, but I tell you right now, the words I said to my husband were not kind at that moment. I didn't use any bad language but he knew I was NOT happy with him. Mar has an aviator harness that he wears. We've gone outside and done short flights for exercise. He flies all over in the house. But after hearing this story, I will never allow him to fly outdoors on his own. One of the guys who helped us move in met our birds and was telling us of some of his relatives that had an African Grey. He started the story with "I'm not sure I should tell you this, I can see you love birds and it might upset you, but..." He proceeded to tell us they had this Grey for years, and it was very attached to them. They let it fly outside and it would always fly right back to them. So one night, they let the bird fly, and it went to a perch then they called it to fly back. As it was flying back to them, a hawk swooped in and grabbed it. He said they were devastated. I made up my mind right then that I could not take that risk. We are planning a massive aviary. I want them to have room to fly. Not just hop from perch to perch, but room to really fly. We are going to build as big an aviary as we can afford for them, because they are birds and they need that, and we love them with all our hearts. But there is no way I could risk free flight and allowing a predator taking my babies from me, especially right in front of me. How horrible that must have been. I cannot even begin to imagine.

With mine, there is a lot of 'blow off', which then has to be mopped/swept off the floor. No water, just food, poop, etc. And don't ever forget to remove a food bowl. UGH.... dry food goes EVERYWHERE when hit with a blast of pressurized steam. That Gruene one looks really nice, I just needed one that was a bit more powerful and would last a long time as we have future plans for it. This has a user-replaceable heating element which was a big selling point for us. We are planning a huge aviary in the near future, and would like to start doing rescue at some point, so I am counting on this machine doing large-scale cleaning duties at some point.

That sounds SO cool! I am getting a new Blackberry in a few days. Maybe I can find some like that here! I did have some photo bumper stickers made for our cars as a surprise to my husband. I used the picture I have as my avatar, and the caption was "Love comes in shades of Grey" ... evidently, since I seem to live under a rock, I was unaware that there is some dirty book out that has "shades of grey" in the title? My husband got a laugh, and I got to be embarrassed when he explained to me how people are going to interpret our stickers. Ugh.

Okay... we put it off until the last minute, but I put some photos up on my Flickr account of the toymaking. http://www.flickr.com/photos/59819856@N05/sets/72157639067370135 The descriptions contain information on what we were doing. If you have any questions or want more information on anything, feel free to reply or PM me here. Hope everyone had a great holiday and hope everyone's fids got something lovely for Christmas.

My dear husband got me the steamer I wanted for Christmas. It is a Daimer (pronounced Dime- er) KleenJet Pro Plus 300CS. He knew I was excited, so he let me go ahead and open it. (We have no human kids, no family here, so holidays are on our terms). As parent of two very copious poop-producing African Greys, and seven smaller birds, I have to say I am in love with this machine. I have three bird stands, five cages downstairs, a small stand upstairs and two sleeping cages upstairs. This machine is going to be a huge time saver for me! The old way was to drag the cages out and hose them off. We bought a handheld (cheap) steamer, but it took forever and ran out of water constantly, because it did not have enough steam and pressure to clean efficiently. I knew the KleenJet was coming today, so I did not drag the playstands out for washing over the weekend. So they were a day or two overdue, and very dirty. We have been having out-of-cage breakfasts as well. We rotate who gets to eat in the playroom, and Mar and Meg are eating in the kitchen. So all three playstands were a huge mess. Poop, food, and we had two pumpkins this week. HUGE mess. I read over the manual. It's in English, easy to read, and has good illustrations. Operation of the unit is pretty straight-forward. It holds 2 liters of water per fill. The filler bottle has a special top that only lets the water out when you press it down so you can turn the bottle upside down to put the spout in the tank without spilling a drop. After filling the tank (2 bottles) with distilled water, I turned it on. It is quiet, making some soft noises as it was heating up. Time to steam was not quite ten minutes. Once it was steaming, I tested it out and the pressure and amount of steam were perfect. It is SO much more powerful than my small handheld was. That bird poop didn't stand a chance! The unit isn't heavy. It is about the size and weight of a canister vacuum cleaner. The hose is a perfect length and the handle felt very easy to hold in my hand. The buttons are very intuitive and easy to use for switching between low steam pressure, medium and high as well as off. I used the "steam lance" attachment which also allows you to ad a nylon detail brush to the tip, which is great for scrubbing those hard to clean spots. Between the steam power, which has three pressure setting choices, and the brushes, I had no problems getting the stands nice and clean. When the water runs out, the steam stops and a 'low water level' light comes on. You just open the lid to the tank, and pour water in. No stopping the machine, waiting for it to cool down, or waiting for it to heat back up. Once filled, you go right back to cleaning. I love it. It sure saves a lot of time over the handheld - which DID have to be cooled, filled and reheated after it ran out - which was about every fifteen minutes with its tiny, tiny reservoir! I love that the KleenJet holds so much - two liters(compared to the handheld at 500mL)! I ran through two full tanks and cleaned two big and one small bird stands, without down time! I love the fact that it was not only cleaning off the food and poop, but was sanitizing at the same time. Added bonus, the windows were all steamed up and the room was pleasantly warm and humid, which I am sure is good for the birds and the plants. They seem to market these more for house cleaning (bathrooms, ovens, floors, and getting rid of bedbugs). I am sure that bird cage and stand cleaning is only a fraction of what this thing can do. I think this is a great tool for bird owners. It wasn't cheap, but I am sure it is going to pay for itself as I buy less Poop-off (and other cleaners around the house). And I feel it will keep my birds healthier as I know their homes are going to be cleaner, with less germs. Now to find a home for the handheld... EDIT: NOTE - if you are considering getting one of these - I had previously used the handheld in the same room with the birds as it made only a soft hiss. I would just put let Mar and Meg bunk up in one cage while I cleaned the other and so on for the little birds. Not so much with this one as they seemed to get kind of upset over it running. This one has a pretty loud hiss and makes a bit more noise. Not bad, kind of like a fan running without the wind noise. But the birds did not seem to like it. I only cleaned the stands in the kitchen and playroom tonight, and made Daddy take the Greybies upstairs while I cleaned. I suspect it was the louder hiss they did not like. But unlike smaller ones, this one is probably not good to operate with birds in the same room while cleaning.

I enjoyed the video. I do have to wonder why Dr. Pepperberg clarifies the birds' communication by saying "It's not language." I would have to say I do not believe that. Megan has shown understanding of tenses and even inflection. She changes questions "Want some WATER?" to statements "want some water" and "FLY, little birdie!" to "Fly little BIRDIE?" Is not using complex sentence structures, verb tenses and inflection using language? She is speaking our language as plainly as I might expect a child from another country to do. And yet she maintains her own language, along with mimicry of both flockmates and other birds she hears from outside our home. Does she know what she is saying? Of course she does. Although she babbles to herself when settling in, she still uses her requests and commands to get what she feels she wants, needs and deserves. The other night, she was ready for bed. She stated "Ready to go bed-bye?" When I said no, she changed the inflection from a polite request to a statement "Ready to go bed-bye" (as in "I am, and you should be too!"). When Alex looked at Dr. Pepperberg and stated "I want to go back" he was talking to her just as a student would. He was tired of the lesson and wanted to go back to his cage. That, to me is using language - "the system of words or signs that people use to express thoughts and feelings to each other" (Merriam-Webster definition).

Let me know if you hear back from Dr. Pepperberg on the plucking. There were times Alex looked kind of ragged, but I wondered if that were moulting. Other times he appeared perfectly feathered. Ours were clipped for the first year, until they moulted. I made the decision not to clip after they got flights and my husband supported it. I have been discussing with an acquaintance that owns a bird supply store if he knew of any studies on flighted birds and plucking. I know flighted birds are more confident and seem more calm because they know they can get away from things that bother or frighten them. I wonder if that could possibly mean they are less likely to be bored, stressed or frustrated. I know if someone took my ability to get around, I'd probably want to pull my hair out. I just haven't been able to find any decent study targeting flighted birds and plucking (or hopefully the lack there of).

I strongly suspect birds are just like any other creature. Every one of them learns and develops at their own pace, partly influenced by genetics/native intelligence and partly by the surroundings. Megan talked at three months and now has a huge vocabulary and Mar barely utters a word. He did tell me, firmly and very plainly "NO!" when I was putting his harness on the other day. He put the diaper on, no problem. So I calmly told him that he could not go outside unless he put the harness on as well, held him and cuddled for a minute, and he changed his mind and slipped into the harness with no further argument. I guess he only talks when he has something to say. After raising nine, I have decided they all have their own strengths and weaknesses and all learned to talk at completely different times, despite having the same parents and mostly the same interactions.

Looks like he has flight feathers (a feather?) on one wing and not the other. That will put his balance off. Our cockatiel actually moulted like that once and drove himself nuts trying to fly, only to crash every time. Sounds like you are giving Joey lots of love. He has a very intelligent look in his eyes. Best of luck with him!

Marwan, Glad you finally made it to the forums! When we first got Megan, she had all kinds of attitude with me. She bit me on a daily basis. I have many scars on my hands that I can attribute to her sharp little beak. It was hard to anticipate what would bring the next bite. She bit for lots of reasons that made no sense to me. For changing her food bowls. For taking her out of her cage. For looking at her the wrong way. If she could get near my flesh, she would sink her beak in. I strongly suspect she was jealous of me as a rival for my husband. We went through months of me spending an incredible amount of time working with her. We found her weakness. Food. She is very greedy and will do anything for food. So we found her very favorite treat. It happened to be pine nuts. So it was decided my husband could NOT give her pine nuts. For those, she was forced to come to me. It took a LOT of patience, but the other day, when she flew OFF my husband, landed on MY shoulder and gave me an unsolicited kiss, it made me so happy! She has finally accepted me and only bites when she is mad about something, which I can usually predict and avoid. As for wild-caught birds: put yourself in the bird's place. Imagine someone came to your home tonight, captured you by throwing a net over you while you were eating dinner, and dragged you forcefully from your home. Then they shove you in a small crate and take you to a place you don't know. Unaware of what they were going to do, you would be very scared. And then imagine what it would be like if they took you somewhere to a land of giant beings that put you in a small cage and kept you from fleeing, while all the while you were scared and only wanted to get away. Several times a day, a giant would come and look at you and scare you even more. That is what the bird is going through. It is a traumatic experience, and it will need time to learn to trust and become somewhat tame. That is not to say it cannot happen. I have had relationships with many wild creatures, and I can tell you it just takes time and patience to win trust. Once they trust you, then you must take great care not to break or misuse that trust. Right now, the bird sounds as if it is terrified, and not ready to build a relationship. Keep the stimulation to a bare minimum. Keep the area quiet, and the light filtered much of the day (not dark, just not really bright). Get as close as you can without the bird screaming. Maybe put a chair clear across the room and sit quietly and read or listen to quiet music. Let the bird come to see that your presence is not a threat. Each day, move the chair a little bit closer. If the bird reacts badly, move back a little and give it more time. Find something the bird really likes. Be the only person who gives the bird this treat - even if it means dropping it in the food dish to avoid a bite (this is how I started with Megan). When the bird finally allows you to come close, offer the treat from finger tips only, and at a distance where the bird is leaning out to you, off balance. Make it extend as far as it can, so it has no room to lunge and strike. It may take a lot of time and treats, but in the bird's mind you will gradually become associated with a pleasure. A good treat. This will eventually cause the bird to anticipate, then enjoy your coming to its cage. But this requires time and patience. LOTS of patience. We had a feral cat that we had to trap and bring inside because neighbors were trying to shoot her. It took YEARS to win her trust but when I did, she became a wonderful companion as long as I respected her boundaries. She was never like our other domestic cats. But she was special and left a very big hole in my heart when we lost her to thyroid cancer. Patience and love can reap fantastic rewards when working with animals. Good luck to you. I hope your bird will come around and become a wonderful friend.

Our Greybies' annual check up came a little early this year, with Mar having hurt his left leg which prompted a trip to the vet. Since it was almost time anyway, I just scheduled the appointment for both and had the yearly done in one trip. They both got the full deal, including blood work. I was kind of anxious as I made a decision some time ago to wean off any pelleted (read: processed) foods and go with basic natural and organic nutrition without artificial colors or additives. For about the last six months, the only 'pellet' they got was a very occasional Nutriberry and we are phasing those out as well. Except for Mar having lost 8 grams due to his lack of appetite (or possibly ability to hold food with is non-dominant foot), the visit was very reassuring. And now that he has pain relief, he's been working full time to regain the weight by eating everything he can get his beak on. Fecal smears were normal, and I got the call today that the blood work looked "great"! This made me feel much better about their diet. And happy to know my kids are doing well, with the exception of Mar being a little lame at the moment, but he does have some pain medication and is on a "no play, 'cage' rest" order - which translated means he's spending all day with Mommy so he does not get antsy and try to climb or play from boredom. He's been an absolute darling about it, and is even taking the medication well with the help of a few drops of apple cider. I also had their bands cut off. I know a lot of people disagree about banding, but Megan's banded leg was getting chafed and she constantly gnawed at the band. They will go back in a week or so (after Mar is healed) to get 'chipped' for security and in case of escape.

He looks like a smart little guy, just the way he is staring at the camera. What an adorable baby! Makes me miss the days when my Greybies had those beautiful dark, wide-eyed stares.

What a sad story. Everyone deals with grief in different ways. I am glad Savannah found a good home with you. They are wonderful companions. Congratulations and enjoy your new girl!

Wow. What an amazing video. I have long held that humans do not give the respect or understanding to animals that they should. When I was younger I was ridiculed because I preferred to spend time with animals over humans, but there is something in the way they think and feel that I feel closer to. I recently bought the book "Animals Make Us Human" by Dr. Temple Grandin. She is an amazing woman who, in her own words "thinks like a cow." She is severely autistic and despite dire predictions from doctors and other science-backed "experts" she went on to earn a PhD, and do some amazing work improving conditions for livestock and making slaughter more human. She explains that animals think as she does - in pictures. Just a theory here, but perhaps our own "intelligence" tends to blind us as a race, to something that these gifted women can see because they can set the "intelligence" of facts and experts aside and be willing to take the naysayers and ridicule that they surely must have endured. Thank you so much for sharing the link, and for the warning about the tissues. Now off to try to explain in pictures to my beloveds why their mommy is crying....