Dave007

Confident about what?

I'm afraid that much of the info you're talking about doesn't apply here to birds that are owned, purchased or adopted in the US whether they're in one state or another Numerous amounts of parrots are sold everyday all over the US and those birds have no ID bands nor have they ever had any bands. The breeder makes the choice of using them and whether a bird has one or not has nothing to do with moving a bird from one part of the US to another. There's no law that says a bird born in the US has to have any leg band. What you refer to concerning going from on state to another with a parrot has to do with the species of parrot such as a quaker. 23 states have various laws concerning the ownership of a quaker. Many states allow them to be sold by breeders but not pet stores. Many states won't allow any commercial breeding of quakers but will allow private breeding. Many states don't allow any quaker ownership of ANY type. People can have their quakers taken away and the birds will be put to sleep and the owners are subjected to heavy fines. The laws concerning quakers were enacted approx 50 yrs ago because they infaded and caused severe damage to thousands of crop areas all over the US. The quakers were classified as feral and because no human importation was ever involved the USDA was allowed to put serious restrictions and laws concerning those birds. The birds came from Peru and Hondurous. None of these USDA rules have anything to do with banding or any other type of information. The rules that you're speaking about are about birds that were imported into the US legally and illegally and that practice was stopped in 1992. It's against the law to import ANY parrots into the US and jail time or very high fines can be involved. US bred parrots of all species are commercially bred all over the US everyday and are shipped all over the US everyday and any type of leg band or other information is not required. Chipping isn't required. DNA isn't required. The seller makes the choice of what bells and whistles to provide the customer and the customer is told what will be provided. There are 2 types of leg bands. One is called a closed band which can only be put on a bird before it's 10 days old. The other is called the open band which can be put on at any time on all birds. Anyone using a leg band isn't required to put certain official info on that band. It's totally up to the breeder concerning that info. Banding doesn't provide any official information which can allow a person to get permits since anything can be put on a band. A person looking for a permit to breed birds for selling purposes simply needs a tax stamp. """""" The owner says she DOESNT have a leg band to mark her but she has a DNA Paper for her we live in Ohio,Usa I have been told that the bird has to have the leg band! When i asked Owner About Leg band this is what i was told by them "(The bird was bred domestically, and we really had not reason to care about marking her, since we had no plans of selling her. Which was why there was no band.)"""""" The breeder is totally correct. He/she doesn't even have to provide DNA results to a person but if a person does get a bird that has results of DNA, the certificate will say 1---the sex of the bird and 2---the date that the testing was done. Even if there is no band, that bird can be sold or given away or put ino a shelter and banding isn't required. That same bird can be adopted or sold and also shipped and no ID is required other than a health certificate BUT that's only required in countries that allow shipping from one country to another ( not for selling purposes). Example, someone lives in Canada and wants to move to the US. Quarantine is required, health certificates are required but leg bands aren't required simply because any info on a band could be false or not apply. Nor is any type chipping required. I can give you the name of a well known company that sells thousands of bands all the time in many colors and they'll put any info on them that the buyer wants. I also recommend to people that if there's the slightest bit of difficulty or problems that a bird has concerning the band on the leg, that person should go to a vet or qualified vet tech and have the band immediately removed because many times, bands are put on incorrectly or the right size is not correct. PS--AS an aside, For those that happen to be interested the US laws concerning Quakers. Illegal and restricted laws about Quakers qp-society.com/wildquakers/wildtext/illegallist.html Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/02/04 01:37<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/02/04 02:33

All bad Chocolate----apple seeds-----avocado----onions----alcohol----mushrooms---tomato leaves----salt---- caffeine-----dried beans.

They're not dangerous but they all create acidity which a bird doesn't need. Fruits aren't as important as veggies The benefits of fruit are very small compared to veggies.

The eating is a good sign. That means that his respirtory system wasn't affected. If it is affected, swallowing is difficult. Him eating pellets is also a good sign because it takes strength to break and chew pellets or nuts. More than likely, if the diagnosis is a fractured back, the vet will recommend a body suit to keep everything in tact. The wings won't be affected and you should expect some difficulty with him walking around right now. Don't put large hard pieces of food such as large nuts in his feeding bowl because the instinct for a bird is to grab that item with a foot to eat and if he were to do that it'll throw his balance off which you don't wanna do.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/02/03 18:31

Line the wall and the floors of the tub with toweling although a square container would be good such as a fish tank. Change his bowls to a smaller size. Make sure those bowls are near him. Keep him away from things that may scare or startle him. If you have a soft toy such as a furry teddy bear or something soft that he recognises, put it in. Don't let your bird flip around a lot. If you have to call the vet again, ask what's the best position for your bird. We can't advise on that type of thing. Don't isolate him from yourself. Make sure he can see you. If you see he trying to flap his wings, distract him from doing that. Basically, all of these things are meant to make him feel comfortable, warm and not to give him the ability or urge to move around alot. Fractures on the back can heal and the only small bad result after healing is that flying may be a little difficult depending upon the depth of the fracture. Good luck. Keep us posted.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/02/02 23:59

Go to any good drug store and look in the humidifier section. There's about 3 or 4 models. The prices are different depending on how many gallons of water they hold. They can be used as straight humidifiers or medicines like Vicks Breathing Fluid mixed with water can be used for people who have breathing problems. They have no teflon. None of them do. They hold about 1to 5 gallons of water and can be run for 24 hrs straight before it has to be refilled with water. It comes with 3 speeds. They don't overheat. I don't know the UK price but here in the US, they cost about $35 to $40.

Macaws, small, medium and large have very sensitive nasal paggages and they inhale much deeper than other medium species. Eclectus, Amazons, Conures, Ringnecks, Rosellas, Pionus and others don't really have problems. But, it's always a good idea to have some type of inexpensive exhaust fan in any bird room or area. It keeps the dust to a minimum. It really doesn't matter if you only have greys. Cockatoos are the species that have heavier amounts of dander than greys and their dander is lighter in weight so it spreads out farther in any area they're in and messes up lots of items--furniture, shelving etc.

"""""When I hold him and he is close to my chest he will make a sort of panting/whining noise. Is he just showing me affection? He is 4 years old. I say he but I have not done dna, so not sure of the sex.""""" Those are sexually stimulated reactions that birds do sometimes when cuddling is going on. It's not wise to pet your bird on certain areas when he's doing this. Sex of bird doesn't matter. Both do it. As far as the other, it could mean those things---getting the idea to fly or getting your attention. Nothing is abnormal there but if he doesn't fly yet, expect it to happen soon. He's just getting his nerve up to do it.

Many parrots become friends with other species. As a matter of fact, many times it's easier for one species to hook up with another kind as opposed to hooking up with the same kind. Each parrot ( ex--greys) knows eavh other's personality and temperment and ways of thinking so many times, jealousy occurs.

Ok, you may not be able to post a picture but if you say that the bird's beak looks the same then don't worry about it. Lots of people get upset when that beautiful shiny black beak eventually disappears. It's all a part of a grey growing up and getting rougher.

We would need a picture in order to give a reason but if the white beak looks like the bird below, it's very normal. It comes from lots of scraping. The black disappears and is replaced by what you see. All greys go through this.

Nothing unusual is going on. You've only had him a wek and it takes a lot longer for a bird to get used to things in a new area even though you were cuddling him right away after bringing him home--Sorta like a security blanket at the time. Going to a vet can be a good or bad experience. It depends on the bird and it depends on the vet and how things meshed. Subtract that day at the vet that had unpleasentness attached. Some take a day or so to get their normalness back. Others take much longer. Nibbling and chewing is the only thing any parrot can do when reacting to something strange, odd, surprising and also it's the basic way it tells another creature to leave it alone. Right now, less handling is a better idea. He needs to get familar with all the new things, habits, environments and other people in the house. The best place for a bird to accomplish that is from the safety of a cage. If you're about to say that all of these things have already happened, I can guarantee you that in no way has it happened in only a week.

Ok Go to the drug store. Buy Aloe Vera Gel. Take his perches out and make sure they're clean then put them back. With another person holding the bird, take some of the gel and swab the bad foot area with it. Rub it in a little without hurting him. Hold him for about 5 minutes. He'll squawk a lot. The gel won't burn nor it it toxic. It's very soothing and many bird owners use this item for birds that have wounds/cuts/serious scrapes plus damage to the skin areas which have been plucked. It's also used on bird's feet which have dry scaly areas which the bird picks at excessively. PS----repeat the process for 2 to 3 days and if possible, do it 2x a day but if not, once is ok.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/02/02 00:19

Never give a parrot any cage that's been repainted. Yes, it can be used as a sleep cage though.

"""the lamp shade thing"""" For a bird, that item is called an Elizabethian Collar and it's only used on a bird's neck to prevent the bird from plucking or biting bare skin areas starting from the neck down. and it's only available from an avian vet. Something like that can't be purchased in pet stores. I still feel that you should see the vet because bleeding is involved and possible infection can set in. Look at it as a follow up medical visit just like people do after seeing their doctor for the first time for a particular reason. OR--put him in the small cage until it's totally healed.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/02/01 22:21

Jayd wrote this in grey lounge but it should be everywhere. ""Well, Spock's a year old today, he's also very sick...I haven't posted anything because it's been to hard to talk about. It started showing up about a month ago, first, excess urine and soft feces, then he quit eating his regular food, then he started mutilating his chest and back feathers. Nothing from the vet worked, antibiotic's etc, was told "probably liver or internal", "born with it"...[non-contagious] Similar symptons to PDD. He's started losing weight and his "keel is prominent, his "crop" empties extremely fast, and at times without warning he gets violent and bites. He's down to 435-440 grams. He doesn't look very good...There's nothing they can do... We've changed his diet completely, high protein/fat, vet started him on detox herbs:Aloe, milk thistle, dandelion, leafy veggies, rice/beans, anise seed, flax seed and we feed him Formula 30-50 ml's at bed time. His stools look somewhat better, very little urate and his urine is thick. He eats a lot but it doesn't absorb into his system...In past posts, I've mentioned he had a fast metabolism, and from a baby his crop emptied too quick, he never had any excess fat. We're doing all we can, this is so hard. He's still strong and fly's all over, we won't clip his wings unless he get to weak to fly...One of the worst things is you can be holding him and all's ok, then he starts screaming and attacks you biting, and after a moment he's ok again... He spends all his time staying with Maggie or me, he' resting at least 13+ hours a day. A few months back he was on antibiotics for watery stools...We're doing all we can... We'll keep doing our regular posts and keeping the Amazon room going with Spock sitting on our shoulder, correcting us. We love you all... Jayd and Maggie"""""""" We all send our prayers to you and Mr Spock. Hope for a recovery soon!

We rarely overide or recommend that other things be done to an injured bird who's already been treated by a vet. You're talking about an open wound that may get an infection from all the nipping at the foot. It's best that you contact that vet and thoroughly explain the problem. He's the one with a variety of solutions. We haven't seen the bird or the injury. You say that ointments and creams have been given so there's no over the counter products that deal with that wound. Call or visit the vet so he can see the extent of the damage. He can give recommendations or have possible treatments.

Either go with the bare bones upstairs area which you think is safer or put a large fan facing the area that's being painted which will deter fumes from drifting in and getting to your bird.

You sound like you just got your bird within the last 2 weeks. No judgments in such a short amount of time can be made concerning the bird's attitude towards you and it's feelings of security yet. It takes quite a while before a bird is used to different people, environments, daily habits and general atmosphere of everything going on. You've gotten a very complex bird who is very different than other species of parrots. This especially applies to a congo grey. The bird should be allowed to come out of the cage when it wants to. Dealing with a hand who's feeding it can be stressful and cause a bird to bite. The safety of his/her cage is the most important place for a bird to get used to things. I doubt very much that your bird hates you especially at that age. They haven't yet learned how to hate. Many things have to happen before a bird falls into that catagory. Nervous, yes. Leery, yes. Defensive, yes. Afraid of all new things, yes. What's the normal reaction of a bird that's going through all of that?---The only thing it can do, bite. Patience on your part is extremely important. Ignoring the bird is extremely important. Invading a bird's new future home( cage) isn't a good idea. You'll need to learn whether your bird is the type that will or won't accept your hand in a cage. Some do, some don't. It all takes much time to learn about your bird and it'll take time for your bird to learn about you.

Maybe you can be more specific when you talk about attempting *free flight*. That term can have different meanings to many people. There are different free flight methods. I ask because you sound like you may be expecting trouble. What's meant to be is meant to be? The bird is the most important living creature on this forum and there are standards for dealing with different situations and environments. PS--There's a man who I've talked with in the past named Shanlung and he's very experienced in the art of *free flight*. He's had numerous successes but even he would never recommend that a person who's focus is on free flight do this procedure without the aid of some type of harness. He even makes his own. The birds he deals with are extremely well trained and he would be the first person that would say that flying with no harness can end in tragedy.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/01/29 20:41

Hormonal comparisions----- Amazons and greys are pretty different during a hormonal/mating time. A grey wants to be left alone, is very quiet, won't be as tolerent of things that she's used to. The female are a bit more aggressive and short tempered than the male. Greys don't like to be handled as much by owners during this time. They will show definite signs just before they act aggressively. If the owners show restraint and show understanding during this time, problems are minor. Amazons --Females are usually calmer than males during the the breeding season. An attack by a hormonal male can be vicious and will not be limited to one bite. The time of aggression varies with the individual bird. It usually appears between the ages of 5 to 12 years. During this time there will be one to two years in which they will be very aggressive. They show little signs that they're about to bite Once they go through this, they generally settle down with little or no aggression shown when they are not hormonal and some aggression when they are. In general, owners should be more understanding of their ZON and show more restraint. They also won't hesitate to bite other birds who are annoying them when they're hormonal.

You're welcome. It's a common question and pretty easy to answer. Size wise, that has to do with whether your bird is small, medium or large boned. All are equally healthy and have no faults.

Weight wise --2 yrs old Size wise---8 to 10 mts old.

Vit D is gotten from a large variety of different veggies--basically, the greenest ones. Tht should be available all the time. They shouldd be a basic part of the bird's diet. Your bird won't like all of them which isn't unusual. Other nutrients are gotten from the same source. It's a matter of trial and error. Luckily for you, fruit isn't that important to a parrot's diet. You say that he's now skipping meals so I'm gonna assume that you feed a certain amount of meals a day. A parrot doesn't eat like us. They should have food available all day long 24/7. Comparing eating to human beings------if you were being given 3 meals a day, would you find it unusual that you may not be hungrey when one of those meals were given? I've seen parrots do the same thing with their favorite treats. It happens to people and parrots and dogs and cats and other animals all the time. You said that he used to pluck, had a poor diet but that's in the past and you said that all is well now so you're basically wondering about why he looks sad. Coconut/palm oil----if your bird likes it, it should be given 2x a week. You're judging how you are health wise and assuming that the bird has the same problems. Parrots don't show the same signs of illness even if the problem is exactly the same as a human being. You've had no uck with vets in the past. Were they avian vets? Big difference between a DVM vet and an Avian vet. It's hard to judge a parrot's situation when he/she is alone in an area. maybe it's boredom or maybe there's not enough stimulation. We all get bored and need new stimulation. Yes, the bird needs a checkup by a proper vet and yes, they have much better tools to determine deficiences and they also have proper ways to correct that problem/problems. You need to talk to your parents about having the bird in and amongst the family upstairs . That's the way to judge what a bird is doing all day and also reacting badly to certain situations. A bored bird can easily look like a sick/sad bird, especially greys who are known for being quiet. sitting still and not interested in many things at different times. There's a big thing you need to do right now and that's to make that bird a family bird. PS--a parrot who's around the family constantly will see those people eating and giving that bird some of that human food will make for a much happier bird plus that human food is safe. Parrots are scavengers and will eat many things and they'll get nutrition fom different types of human food. PS---concerning 24/7 foods. That'll mean giving your bird a decent parrot mix plus parrot pellets besides veggies. Those foods don't go bad. Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/01/28 18:25<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2010/01/28 18:31