Dave007

[TABLE] [TR] [TD=class: middletext, colspan: 2] The Medical A lady takes her parrot to the Vet. The Vet takes one look and says, "I'm afraid your parrot is dead." "That's terrible," says the woman, "How can you know that. You haven't examined it or anything." The Vet heaves a long-suffering sigh, places the parrot on the examination table, opens the door and whistles. At this, a labrador dog bounds into the room, hops up onto the table, sniffs at the parrot, looks up and shakes its head sadly. Then the Vet gives another whistle and a cat comes into the room, springs up onto the table, sniffs the parrot and then shakes its head sadly. "Well I'm terribly sorry Mrs Jones but there can be no doubt about it. Polly is dead." "Well, it's devastating news but thank you. How much do I owe you?" "That will be $640 please." "How much?" cried the woman in shock. "That's far too much money!" "Well it's your own fault," Said the Vet, "If you had believed me in the first place it would only have been $20. But you insisted on a Lab report and a Cat scan!" [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: middletext, colspan: 2][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD=class: middletext, colspan: 2][/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE]

I am not familiar with your background..breeder? or just an owner of a bird?, not sure what you mean by YOUR breeders? but I feel the same that it is a privilege to hand feed a bird. It also takes care, time, and love to bond with each particular bird as they are all different...... as we all know. Others here can tell you about my breeding experience. I've been breeding greys for 25 yrs. and I also have pet greys besides the breeding pair. As far as bonding and caring about chicks, the only caring the chicks want is to be fed so they can immediately go to sleep after defecating. As far as trying to bond with a chick, it's the person who buys a chick who's job it is to bond with their new family member. The magic word is *family*. The seller stays neutral in that area.

Well, years ago, I taught my wife how to deal with birds---hand feeding, abundance feeding, time schedule feeding and guess what? I never hired her! Now a days, she does most of the feeding because during hockey season I'm too busy watching my hockey games. She knows better than to disturb me. The person being taught how to hand feed is being taught by a mentor. There's different types of breeders--breeders who sell quality chicks and breeders who sell quantity chicks. There's a huge difference. Feed, feed, feed????---I have a lot more respect for people who take the time to feed, feed, feed specially over a long period of time. That's called abundance feeding which creates a strong healthy chick. Any chick can't be force fed. They simply won't accept food when they're finished a feeding. Most importantly, A chick will tell the feeder when to stop feeding a particular feeding. A parrot only suffers when a bird is not fed, fed ,fed. Ps, just by what the OP said, I'm convinced that he/she knows what to do but if I use that person to do hand feeding, I won't hire he /she. It would actually be a privilege for the person to be allowed to deal with my birds because my breeders have a lot to say about who feeds them.

Actually, we strongly discourage people from handfeeding/ buying unweaned babies. There's many problems that can crop up and I feel that breeders selling their chicks at an unweaned stage are risking the health and well being of the chicks. That's been documented for years and it doesn't only apply to greys. People who are selling unweaned chicks are only trying to make fast money. A well check after purchase done by a vet can't get the full results of those tests because of the age of those chicks. In the UK and related countries, it's against the law to sell unweaned chicks. On this board and other boards there's been too many serious problems that have occurred by having unweaned chicks. There's those people like yourself who have the experience to do that but on this board and other boards, the amount of people doing that are in the minority. Consider yourself one of the lucky ones. I breed greys and I would never sell unweaned chicks even to people who will offer me double the price for an unweaned chick.

I,m glad that you changed your mind about reptile bulbs. What type to get? Any bulb that has the word *avian* ( on the box or bulb ) can be used. If there are no bird bulbs available, the next best thing is any regular flourscent bulb. They come inthe screw in style or tube style . The one you want to avoid is the incandescent bulb for house use. Even in fish tanks, incandescent tank bulbs can't be trusted because they give out too much heat for a fish tank. Many fish die because of the heat from those bulbs. Even some plants die from those bulbs. Succulents, hybrid aloes, miniature orchid, certain types of hybrid bonsai, certain types of hybrid cacti. Many people switch to flourscent lighting. Most of those plants need to go into hibernation. Too much heat doesn't allow that to happen. Samples of bird bulbs on AMAZON http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Aviansun-Compact-Fluorescent/dp/B000KH9S88/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414171987&sr=8-1&keywords=avian+bulb http://www.amazon.com/FeatherBrite-15-Watt-Full-Spectrum-Bulb/dp/B0002JOYMO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1414171987&sr=8-2&keywords=avian+bulb

I think you're misunderstanding me concerning aquarium hoods. I never said anything about buying T5 or T8 bulbs. I only said to use the hoods that the aquarium bulbs are placed in. They're cheap and some pet shops actually sell them used. Many people who have aquariums may decide that they want either a larger tank or a smaller tank so the hoods are different sizes. The end sizes ( either end) are the same as avian bulbs so they can fit into those different size hoods. I breed angel fish---I have a 5 gal tank for the fry to hatch in. I have a 20 gal tank so the fry can grow in. I have a 55 gal tank which is a community tank. I have loads of old tank hoods from different sized tanks. If I knew you, I would give you one. I really don't care about that person who said reptile bulbs are the same as avian bulbs. That's the wrong info. The spectrum from reptile bulbs is basically red/blue which also gives off heat. In order for reptiles to successfully live, they need that red spectrum lighting. The brightness from Avian bulbs are full spectrum ( many shades of light invisible to us.) They don't give off heat. Avian bulbs help to produce Vitamin D3. The lighting from rptile bulbs is very low. Many people who don't have access to avian bulbs simply use flourscent bulbs for brightness. Many parrot breeders who produce a large amount of chicks for sale don't have avian lighting in the large rooms where the chicks are on display for sale. Just flourscent lighting from places like Home Depot or Lowes or Ace Hardware or other large places/centers that deal in home improvement. If you come to this board, you should expect all the great people here to give you proper info concerning the welfare of your bird. They have long term experience obtained from trial and error. I'll say it again----don't use reptile lighting. Either use avian bulbs or regular flourscent bulbs. ******** I don't think the heat would have any affect. **** Maybe not but it will affect their eyes.

http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/pull_apart.html

http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/walking.html

I can see that you've been doing a lot of investigating concerning different things concerning your new bird and that's great but there's another area that you don't know about because it's not covered in books or videos. That has to do with what you don't need to neccessially need to worry about. Thousands of people who own greys and other parrots don't have avian bulbs for their birds simply because they're not as important as you think. If you look up places and businesses who deal with different bird items, you don't expect them to tell you that you don't need them, right?? They're in the business of selling products. Situations vary. There's no absolute yes or no answer to certain things. Lighting is one of them and I see that you are worrying. What would happen if you're not able to get avian lighting??? You think your bird will suffer?? By the way, Repisun has nothing to do with birds. The spectrum is totally different. Reptisum is for snakes and the whole variety of reptiles that are available for sale. Reptisun also provides heat for reptiles. Reptiles stay away from sunlight for at least 75% of the day. They're cold blooded and only need heat when their core temperature drops and also for incubating eggs. Avian lighting doesn't. Birds aren't cold blooded but they also stay out of the sun for 60% of their day. That's why people who are building outdoor aviaries are told to provide a shady area for their birds. Parrots will stay in that shady area much more than the sunny areas in the aviary. Too much sun causes serious problems for all wild birds ( greys and all other parrots are wild animals even if a person owns them). They will always remain wild. Understand something---I'm only posting this so that you realize that you can have a healthy bird even if you don't provide everything because everything may not be available. Basically, you can do what you want but also remember that everything doesn't need to be perfect. PS--Concerning avian lighting/ positioning----if any avian lighting which will be put near a cage ideally should be put above the cage because if a light is placed on the side and the bird's face/eyes are constantly exposed to the light, there's a chance that the lighting could cause cataracts or even blindness. Prarrots don't constantly stare at things that are above them. **********My question is would it be better to have the light horizontal like the zoomed hood or vertical? Does it matter? Vertical hoods are a lot easier to find. Haven't seen any horizontal hoods, so I'd probably have to make it. ********* Simple aquarium hoods can be used. They come in all different sizes.

You really need to post some pictures about what you're doing. It's hard to visualize what you mean and you need to tell us what the average temp is in your house. You're making it sound like your bird is living in a tent with a heater and if you are, that's no good.

Hi old timer. Rumor was that you may have found a new girl and run off. How many years? Well, about 5. Concerning members, many aren't here anymore and many new ones have taken their places. That's what normally happens. A couple of new rooms have been added so basically the board has expanded. Too bad about Caesar. There's lots of birds out there that need owners so maybe you'll think about that. Anyway, don't be a stranger.

Honestly, I've never heard that they're sunflower seeds out there that can have aspergillosis. I've eaten sunflower seeds from parrot mixes that taste the same as any other sunflower seeds. Usually, a raw seed ( or nut ) tastes different than human grade seeds or nuts. I'm not saying that there aren't raw sunflower for sale, I just never came across them. If it were me, I would simply go to an animal feeds place that usually sells all types of food for ( horses, goats, cows, rabbits, all types of poultry, different birds and purchase a regular bag of sunflower seed. That type of seed is so cheap and it can be eaten by people. Usually, a 25 lb bag will cost about $13 to $15 and sometimes even lower when on sale. That's where I,ve gotten mine for years and it didn't matter what state I lived in. Sunflower can be gotten in the same places that sell other seed. Walmart, supermarkets etc. in smaller bags. Since nothing can be done to a bag of raw sunflower I would simply dump it and get regular sunflower seeds. NOW, as far as the peanuts that come in a parrot mix---they are raw and a person would find that they taste awful. Many people don't know this but a person can take a huge tray of those raw nuts, put them in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes and they would immediately become human grade nuts and would taste great. Any type of aspergillosis or bacteria would be dead and neutralized. I eat them all the time. They taste exactly the same as what's sold in supermarkets. ALL monkey nuts are originally raw and made into human grade fresh roasted nuts. I constantly take out the raw nuts, roast them and feed them to all my birds. My birds have never had any problems with them. It's up to you but I wouldn't buy any sunflower nuts that couldn't be changed into human grade quality. I know that all sunflower seeds in parrot mixes can be eaten by people with no problems and they taste fine.

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A guy is being chased and when he rounds a corner there is a nun waiting for the light. He says to the nun, sister could you hide me I'm being chased. The nun lets him hide under her habit. A few seconds later two MPs go running bye. When they're gone, the guy gets out and thanks the nun. He says thanks sister they were trying to return me to Iraq and I don't want to go. The nun says if you looked up while you were under there you would have noticed two balls. I don't want to go back to Iraq either.

Since there's more than one in the aviary and both are identical, I'm gonna assume that these macaws aren't hybrids and are simply located in a foreign country. Unusual. Beauties.

London cab driver's answer to a request from a Muslim to turn off the radio. (You just got to love the Brits.) A devout Arab Muslim entered a black cab in London. He curtly asked the cabbie to turn off the radio because as decreed by his religious teaching, he must not listen to music because in the time of the prophet there was no music, especially Western music which is the music of the infidel. The cab driver politely switched off the radio, stopped the cab and opened the door The Arab Muslim asked him, "What are you doing?" The cabbie answered, "In the time of the prophet there were no taxis, so piss off and wait for a camel.." --

Many parrots love seeds and may quickly take to eating sprouts. Sprouting seeds can be bought at a health food store, some parrot stores, as well as online stores. Here's a list of seeds you can use to sprout. Grains Wheat Wheatgrass Quinoa Millet Whole oats Hulless Barley Spelt Kamut Amaranth Wild Rice Brown Rice Hulless Oats Rye Teff Legumes Mung Lentils Adzuki Chick peas Whole peas Seeds Sunflower Seeds Clover Alfalfa Broccoli Arugula Radish Fenugreek Pumpkin Seeds Raw Buckwheat Chia Sesame Seeds Flax Fennel Mustard Seeds When sprouting legumes, only use lentils, adzuki, chick peas (garbanzo beans), or peas, and sprout until the tails are 1/4-1/2" in length. Larger beans must be fully cooked and not sprouted. Most sprouts are fine to feed after 1-5 days, depending on length of sprouting times. Whether you buy premixed sprouting seeds or create your own mix, the goal is to get your bird eating sprouts. Sprouts can be left within the cage for several hours. Once the sprouts are ready to be fed, start feeding them! If your bird readily eats the sprouts, after a week, you can start adding in 1-2 finely chopped vegetables. You might try carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, steamed sweet potatoes, corn, cilantro, hot peppers, etc. If you notice your bird starting to eat the vegetables in addition to the sprouts, more vegetables can be added to the sprout mix. Once they are eating the sprout mix well, you can also add in some healthy sprouted and/or cooked grains and legumes, with a small amount of fruits. There isn't a bird around that will like all of these foods BUT try and experiment with different things. You'll be surprised. Also, it may actually teach people some new skills about products that may be around in the house hidden in jars and deep in those closets.

Why would you wanna put chemicals in your humidifier? The whole idea of using a humidifier is to simply eliminate very dry air and replace it with different levels of wet air depending on the controls of the machine. The humidity in the surroundings of their natural/wild habitat has no chemicals in it. Citricidal is a product that's made for internal use by people and certain animals but that doesn't include birds and doesn't include humidifiers. Grapefruit extract does nothing for birds.

A great big welcome to BF. Concerning the manzanita stand......... Many birds don't like them because of their smoothness. Some birds can't grip without slipping so if you get a chance, find a handsaw and start cutting lines in the wood. Put lots of lines in and do it in all directions and the underside of the branches. That'll make the wood easier to grip. Have a good time here.

I'll agree with you in one area----CL isn't the place to sell, trade animals of any kind besides birds, I;ve also seen other types of animals sold there. EBAY and AMAZON at one time did this and that was ended. Otherwise, there's nothing for us to agree or disagree on. I too have also seen the same types of bad conditions exist concerning selling and trading and that doesn't only apply to CL. I'm was referring to the mixing of legitimate rehomers in with bullshit rehomers/sellers/traders as far as being judgmental. In my eyes that OP didn't say anything that would make him sound illegitimate. He stated the situation as best as he could to strangers. His post is what I'm responding to. I stopped trying to find the bad people a long time ago because it doesn't take much to find them and finding them is very depressing and there's nothing that one can do about it. I also believe that some people who rush to *save or rescue* loads of birds are hoarders. No one talks about them though. They're just as bad as the bullshit rehomers/sellers/traders . Those birds don't get treated well too. Not enough time, space, lack of great food. I've also seen those hoarders. . I can guarantee that the OP will get lambasted because of his decision. Does he deserve it? I don't think so. Is there a way to separate him from the others? I don't think so. He advertised on CL? Maybe that's the only place he knew about. I don't know and neither do you. NOW, as far as people who are having babies----- Let me tell you a story about a TAG named Tee. A married couple that I was slightly aquainted with from another bird board got Tee when he was 4 yrs old. They didn't know much about parrots but were genuinely interested in having one. They didn't know that greys can have different personalities, especially older ones. Well, Tee came with his own cage which the bird knew inside out. Every nook and cranny. It was his fortress. This bird could be classified as the ultimate attack/aggressive bird. They had him for 3 yrs. He couldn't be handled by someone's hand or arm. He couldn't even be handled with a perch. The normal hand perch is about 12 inches long? The perch they needed to use was 3 ft long because he went out of his way to savagely bite. Every bit was a skin breaker. This bird used to go out of his way to attack the husband. He went out of his way to attack the wife. He was only let out of his cage a few times because of their fear of him. Well, as many married couples do when cohabitating in bed, they had a baby. Eventually, Tee finally knew where the baby was and as soon as he could, he hunted the baby down in order to attack the kid. Luckily, he never got close enough thanks to the parents. BUT he tried a few times. There were really frightened. It was 11PM on a cold winter night when my phone rang. The wife was on the phone crying. She begged me to take the bird because they were truly frightened. She also said that I needed to come to her house to capture the bird to put him in a carrier. Husband and wife tried but both were bitten. They wanted to come here but they couldn't catch Tee. She promised to pay for the gas because she lived 220 miles away. I agreed to take the bird and the cage. There was no charge for the bird and cage but I didn't want her carrier. I brought my own little rabbit carrier. I finally corralled Tee and got him in the carrier. Long story short, it took my wife and I about 1 1/2 yrs to change him into a friendly bird. We took many bites but were used to getting bitten from other parrots. If these people were to put him up for adoption and said the reason was because of a new baby, they too would have been lambasted. Would they deserve it? Absolutely not BUT IT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED. Well, Tee is now 16 yrs old and he's lost all of his aggression with people. It took a long time though. Everytime I go on my laptop, he flies over to my shoulder and he's asleep within 5 min. I constantly forget that he's up there. Yes he's still aggressive but that only applies to other birds which I can't change. That's his personality. He's a TAG and has to deal with 2 other big CAGs. Moral of the story----they were legitimate but could have suffered from insults from people who knew nothing about things and worst of all those people wouldn't have believed them anyway. They were good people who were only trying to do the right thing and they too didn't know much about greys. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/DaveVP/CopyofDSCN0164.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/DaveVP/CopyofDSCN0173.jpg

I'm really glad you posted this. It makes my day. It shows that there people out there that still haven't lost their humanity. That guy should be applauded. Again, thanks.

Maybe some people here should study *wild animals* such as greys who can also be pets. After years of dealing with greys of all ages, sizes, personalities, living conditions, it's found that greys are very adaptable to other new homes, environments, new owners, living conditions. They do extremely well. After all, what about all the adoptable adult birds? It seems like maybe they're pretty happy and contented There's loads of people out there that shouldn't own baby birds, adolescent birds or adult birds but unfortunately they do and when other experienced bird owners need to advertise that they need to rehome their birds, the first thing that happens is an attack on the person who's doing the rehoming. No one knows what's going on in other people's lives and their personal situations. Many times, people decide that it's all right to be *over judgmental* even though they don't know all the facts and figures that are existing. Concerning Jazzyboy, No one really can tell if Jazzy is gonna be sad and confused. ******* Imagine the outcry if someone advertised their human kids on Craigslist or in the paper? ****** Hmmm, it sounds like a wonderful idea to me.

I know what you mean about hip replacement. My mother in law had both done and at the time she was 75 yrs old.

Well' date=' you may be asking the wrong person---maybe others will add to this thread. As far as clipping, [b']I'm totally against clipping any bird's wings.[/b] They were given wings for a reason and in my opinion one of the most important things to learn about is how to deal with a bird in the house when the bird has wings. It takes some time but in my opinion the bird will not need to depend on a person if they have wings. AND, they shouldn't have to depend on people where manuerving is involved. To me, it's just another part of learning to live with a bird with what nature has given them. In the health room there's 4 lengthy posts concerning an unclipped bird and a clipped bird. I wrote them and I made sure that everyone knew I wasn't siding with either. I put the word *neutral* in those posts. It would be wise to read up about clipping and not clipping. What you stated today concerning what your bird can actually do is different than what you originally said. So, I'd say that the clipping was done properly. BUT it's up to you about reclipping. This answer is simply my opinion which totally leans towards not clipping. I can tell you that people have kept their bird clipped and haven't had any problems. I can also say that many people have not clipped wings or have let them grow back in and are extremely glad that they went that route. Again, these are just my personal feelings.