Dave007

I think you're luckier than most. Normally, finding another home for a bird is difficult because the person has no idea about the adopter and it's very hard to find out. You aunt has experience with birds so she realizes that the TOO is an older bird with established habits. Many people wanna adopt a bird with no habits which is vertually impossible so many times that bird is soon shuffled off to a new abode. As far a your TOO and grey liking each other, It's normal for 2 birds to like or dislike or show no interest in each other. Evn the same species may intensely dislike each other. I would say to take advantage of your aunt's offer. You'll be happy, the TOO will be happy and your son can get into all the things that boys do.

4 tbs rice milk-----stop the rice milk--that type of dairy isn't good for greys as well as any other white dairy. yogurt/cottage cheese----yogurt is only used to replenish any good bacteria that was lost--won't increase any weight. Cottage cheese is another white dairy product which your bird won't metabulise and will not won't put any weight on your bird. Levels of calcium will be affected. Fruits -----fruits are acidic and shouldn't be given everyday--at the most once or twice a week only. No fruit will help a bird gain weight. Don't crush pellets. It won't stay in the stomach for long. Give plenty of pellets all day long. They should be available all day long. Veggies---have them available to the bird all day long--don't measure out amounts of things. Increase the amount of veggies that you give. Have them around him all day long and if they have to be refreshed, do it. Heavily increase the amount of parrot mix you're giving. It should be available in the cage all day long. Everyday, give a large scoop ( coffee scoop_ of warm thick flavored oatmeal. Give either plain or toasted bread or english muffins to him. 2x a week give one square inch--1/8 inch thick piece of very hard YELLOW cheddar cheese which is totally different than white cheese. Give many almonds to him as well as other fattening nuts such as peanuts. Get some red palm oil and give 1/2 teaspoon 2 to 3 times a week because an underweight bird has very little VIT A and VIT E in it's system. If your bird doesn't like it, spread it on things that he likes or microwave it, make it a liquid and put it on the parrot mix and stir it in. You're giving to much white dairy products and that's no good for a grey. You may think that many things I name are unhealthy but they're not and you're dealing with an underweight bird who's food isn't remaining in the body long enough. Don't expect thefuul weight to come back. You never mentioned what the original weight was but his present weight is that of a medium sized african grey.

Ok "in the lifetime of African Grey ownership it is AGAINST THE LAW to decorate"! Feel better now?<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/03/05 21:08

""""Pom Pom Girl! """"" Any exciting pictures you'd like to share? I hear that Pom Poms are the in thing this year in the UK.

One thing that you can do to get the odor out more quickly is to put a strong fan up against the window. Turn the fan so it faces the open window. It's act like an exhaust fan and pulls the odor faster.

Ok, change the word from *shoulder* to *stomach*. If that's the area where he bites you, gets to your clothes, couch etc, then he doesn't belong on your stomach. Stop him before he gets there. You know his habits. You know where he starts his descent from. If it was your feet, socks, shoes then he has to be kept away from that area. There's just so many times that you can put a bird back in a cage. Obviously, it's not working well so try the *stop it before it starts* method.

I wouldn't recommend using any type of litter or shavings in any bird cage, especially if your bird has a way to get to that area. First off, all of those products can mask possible problems in a bird's fecal droppings. Second, the odor can be toxic to a bird. Third, it's very easy for any of that material to turn to a fine dust which can rise when a bird starts flapping around and it can get into nasal passages. A bird who is flapping around can withstand it's own dander but having foreign matter in the air isn't a good idea. Different birds have different calloused feet. Some are very soft and tender and others are much harder so I really wouldn't recommend putting sand in a cage to forage with. Sand will also hold feces and a bird will eventually pick off that sand from the feet. Greys are well known for keeping their feet extremely clean. The subject has been brought up countless times and the general and safest product to use is plain newspaper and the newspaper provides easy visual conditions of fecal matter.

Well, we all got together here and decided to wish you the best in your time of torture and pain. We hope the trip between the bed and the couch isn't draining the strength out of you. Just remember that we're all here for you through thick and thin. Not to worry, you'll never be forgotten during this low period in your life. Always know that things will get better.

""""but then he just wants to chew me to pieces. He has put holes in jeans, shirts, sweat shirts and has punctured my skin numerous times.""""" You never mentioned it so I'll ask--May I ask where your bird is located when he gets to your different pieces of clothing? If it's your shoulder, then you have a bird that should never be allowed on that area. You're vulnerable and so is your clothing and skin. You may have what's called a *non-shoulder* bird and if he's a *non-shoulder* bird and is allowed there, your problem will only get worse. There is no changing the habits of a *non-shoulder* bird.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/03/04 01:37

PM sent

That's a good decent size and the filaments are good No closer than 4 ft from the cage, about 1 hr a day. Try to position it so light is aiming downward over your bird. Oh, you're putting it over him----good.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/02/26 22:37

The purpose of my post was to give people knowledge about the baby bird they now own and the adult bird they will also own. I would assume that people would appreciate it if there's no surprises in the future. It's my contribution concerning the african grey. Take it for what it's worth. In my opinion, knowledge never hurt anyone.

And I'll add another important thing here and it concerns people who have recently gotten very young greys and who are now going through the first stages of ownership with those birds. Most of the relationships chat here has to do with what is going on with that new or very adolescent grey. I can say this---deeply enjoy these first stages of ownership with your grey. It won't always be that way. For many people, the grey is their first parrot. Let me see, how can I say this without hurting people's feelings? Okay, I'll simply say it the way it is and it's not meant to accuse, hurt or insult people. Many, many people even though they've thoroughly checked out many things concerning buying a grey before purchasing a grey haven't done one particular certain thing----learning about the future personality of greys when they're adults. The adult 4,5,6 yr old grey will be nothing like the very young baby bird that's owned right now. The adult grey will become very possessive, jealous, aloof, head strong, sometimes aggressive and will show signs of what many people will mistakenly think of as moodiness or unhappiness. The multitude of toys that are played with right now will lessen. The bird will want more time to be by itself so that it can ponder and act like a grey acts. The sweet cuddling and petting of the baby grey all over the place that's going on right now will eventually become very sexually oriented by the bird and that type of thing will need to be lessened or serious biting will occur. It's happened countless times. Many many people don't realize that the species called african grey--CAG or TAG are well known for not being a *cuddle* bird when they're adults. This upsets people as and when they see it happening. I can't begin to tell you how many times distraught upset people have posted here and on other boards about their *cuddle* birds who in their eyes are going through a personality change. They're so upset that they sometimes put their posts in capital letters. They simply can't understand why the bird isn't the same bird that it was when it was a baby. I've seen people take their bird to a vet because they thought their bird was sick. Most of the time, people wrongly blame themselves. With that change, the permanent personality of the adult african grey emerges. That change has nothing to do with what the owner is doing or not doing. It's simply a change that many people never knew was coming. It's a change that occurs with greys. I've dealt with hundreds of greys and I've yet to see it not happen.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/02/26 22:12

Woman Sells Children For $175 And A Cockatoo Posted by AP on 2/25/10 NEW ORLEANS -- A Louisiana woman has pleaded guilty to selling two children for a cockatoo and $175 in what her attorney called an attempt to do a good thing that went wrong. "It was a really clumsy attempt at an adoption proceeding," said Steve Sikich, attorney for Donna Louise Greenwell of Pitkin. "She was trying to help the children and get them situated." Greenwell, 53, was sentenced Monday to 15 months of hard labor on each of two criminal counts: sale of a minor. The sentences are to run concurrently. The case centered on a 5-year-old boy and a 4-year-old girl in Greenwell's custody. Investigators said she called Paul J. Romero, 46, and Brandy Lynn Romero, 27, of Evangeline Parish early last year after seeing a flyer they posted offering a cockatoo for sale, and offered to deliver the children for about $2,000. When the Romeros said they could not afford that, a deal was stuck for the bird, valued at $1,500, plus cash. Greenwell had custody of the children for more than a year before meeting the Romeros, Sikich said. Her lawyers have maintained she was just trying to find a better home for them. "They were undernourished and not well taken care of," Sikich said. "It's my understanding that the mother had requested that she take care of the kids." Another lawyer for Greenwell had said previously that the children were "abandoned to her care." Neither the children's mother or father could be located, Sikich said. The $175 was to cover the cost of an attorney to transfer custody of the children to the Romeros, Sikich said. The cockatoo was a gift to Greenwell's granddaughter, he said. Greenwell's sentences were part of a plea deal worked out with the Evangeline Parish District Attorney's office. Sikich said Greenwell could have faced up to 10 years on each count and another 20 years as a habitual offender. The district attorney agreed not to file charges against Greenwell as a habitual offender as part of the plea bargain, Sikich said. "She did not have a good attorney for two previous counts, which left her with a record she didn't really deserve," he said. He said the charges were for issuing worthless checks and second-degree battery. The Romeros, of Eunice, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of sale of a minor child, the district attorney said in an earlier statement. Their five-year prison sentences were suspended in exchange for their testimony against Greenwell, the statement said. The district attorney's office did not return repeated calls Tuesday for comment. Greenwell will begin serving her sentence on March 25.

""""Can they actually "love" a parent bird or flock member be it human or birds in a wild situation"""" Change that word to *depend upon* Answer is yes--Love? no. Anything your bird does with you, he /she will do with flocks of birds in the wild no matter how affectionate he/she may seem to be. That's part of their survival mode. In the wild, they simply don't have the multitude of man made items that a bird reacts to---Toys. Will show love to their new born chicks? No. Change that word to careful tenderness. Then the answer is yes. Extreme protective attitude of both parents? Yes. That has to do with survival. The purpose of tender extreme nurturing by the parents is another survival mode. The chicks must be made strong in order to add to the success of the flock. Nature dictates when the bond between parents and offspring is broken. These are basic facts about wild animals. Birds are wild animals and haven't made us dependent on them. It's the other way around. If parrots in the wild were given the choice, they would have nothing to do with us. Another thing as far as love for us, if they escape they won't make any big effort to come home. They usually have to be found, captured or tricked in order to get the bird back.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/02/25 23:15

Good for you. Do it over and over and over and over. PS--I want a 25% return on the profits from the patent.

""""There is not a particular problem with landing on my head.""" Well, that's until he shits on your head. You can never be guaranteed that he won't drop a plop. Not to worry, it can be used as a new styling gel and if it works, get a patent. Now that your bird is flying all over you, it's now the perfect time to teach him to constantly land on your hand or wrist. When he finally gets that down pat, your head won't be as attractive. You bird will feel thatit's accomplished something good just like they feel when they learn how to fly from branch to branch in the wild.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/02/25 19:40

I really don't know anything about mercury in cuttlebone. I can only tell you that a couple of the posts in this thread describe to a tee why cuttlebone is useless to large parrots. Don't be fooled by store advertising. Just because they say it's the right thing to do, that doesn't make it true. There's 2 types of parrots that eat it. Budgies, parrotlets. They're both tiny birds. They have the ability to hold a tiny piece and chew it up. Big parrots? Well, one bite and it splatters all over the place. Many opinion is that it's a waste of time but it's good to use if your bird considers it a comfort zone type of thing. I never heard of washing off cuttlebone BUT on the other hand, rarely does a person go searching on beaches for pieces so washing is probably necessary. I can see Ranaz walking along the beach in search of the prize cuttlefish and the excitement that happens when one is found. It must be an absolute thrill. Good hunting.

bigbird519 Let me add something to what you need to know. It's not absolutely impportant that your bird get natural sunlight. Within the last 25 yrs glass manufacturers took away all of the ingredients from their window glass which if left in the glass would seriously burn people. It's what was taken away that contained the D3. At least 95% of grey owners don't have access to that type of sunlight. If those 95% of people have generally healthy birds that are fed a variety of decent foods, they'll be no problems. In the wild, birds have access to it but only remain in direct sunlight for short periods of time during the day. Most grey owners don't take their birds outside for a variety of reasons. So, I wouldn't worry about so much about natural sunlight so much especially if you live in an area that's very cold during certain parts of the year.

Go the top of the HEALTH ROOM page and you'll see a sticky that tells all about feces.

Cuttlebone really does nothing for birds that are hookbills. Their main reason for biting it is simply to crush it just as they would when they're eating a chicken bone. Only the inside of the bone is where the nutrients are. A better item to put in a cage is a medium sized mineral block. They'll constantly bite at it to make it a rough surface and then they'll use it to file and blunt their beaks. Not every grey will do this but many do. Hookbills get their calcium nutrients from different foods and the rays of the sun.

This is the situation as far as chipping a bird and chipping 4 legged animals. A bird may fly away and most of the time, it's either very hard or sometimes impossible to get the bird back. That's because a parrot is a wild animal, will always remain a wild animal and flying away is natural. 4 legged animals are domestic and can be found much easier. Now concerning the capture of a parrot.---the person finding the bird would have to go to a vet and have the bird examined to find that chip. Many who find the bird won't do that. So, it's much harder to get a bird back even though it's been chipped. Many people here will tell you that their bird flew away and were never found. Others will say that they did but I can tell you that they're in the minority. I'm not trying to change your mind. I'm simply telling you one side of the situation. As far as the method your vet will use, if he can do it that way, fine. A good avian vet has a few methods of inseting a chip.

The standard problem with teflon has to do with fumes in the air, not in food. Teflon doesn;t get into any food.

You can try many suggestions that are offered but there's one important thing you should keep in the back of your mind. It has to do with preowned birds. In one home a bird may be naturally sweet. It their normal behavior. When the bird goes to another home the bird may become aggressive for many different reasons but the main reason is change. As time goes on, that same bird may eventually go back to being sweet again. Basically, the bird's natural personality comes back even though it takes a long time. When a bird is naturally aggressive, all of the above may happen except in reverse order. All of this also takes a while. You really have no idea who was the favorite, if he had a favorite, or did he change his natural habits in the past. So, keep in mind that your bird may simply not like you and as far as teaching tricks, that can only be done with a bird that likes you and is receptive to you. That's like putting the horse before the cart. I tell you these things just so that you can be prepared to deal with another phase of a parrot's personality which may be disagreeable and unpleasent for you.

"""""So many people have said that their parrots can't fly downward which I don't understand. If someone can explain that to me I would be grateful.""""" Flying downward is one of the most difficult things any wild bird can do and success only comes with practice and when a bird has a long distance to fly. All downward landing is accompanied by gliding quite a ways. In the wild some birds that are in high nests will die when learning when practicing how to fly downward. They don't have the coordination to accomplish that. That's why many land animals hang around the base of trees when nests are. Once the birds fall, the animals have a sure meal. This is especially true of medium to large sized birds such as eagles, owls, hawks and other predatory birds. In the wild, parrots aren't urged to fly from the nest. That's why in the wild, greys and other medium to large sized parrots are fed by the parents for up to a year.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/02/20 23:55