Dave007

They can be comefortable in temps as low as 65 up to approx 71/72 degrees. Any change should be very gradual and remember that a hot room in the average house/apt also means that the humidity is also dropping and greys need humidity because dry temps with little hudidity will lead to very dry, itchy skin which will cause lots of scratching, possible feather plucking and excessive molting. In general, your temps should be lower or else switch your bird to an area that's lower than 75 degrees<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/30 00:27

Did she see you moving the furniture or was she in another room?

With very young greys that has to do with irritation and at that age, irritation comes from very tender skin. 18 weeks means that he's just finished the weaning process. Sometimes the quills overlap each ther which causes irritation and after the feathers have grown in, there's still more quills that haven't sprouted feathers yet. Basically, you need to keep that area moist ( with coldish water) especially where the quills are located. This also happens to birds when they have a regular molt. Many times, bald spots will show up because a grey will be excessively biting that area. Feathers usually do eventually grow in those areas. Birds don't *learn how to molt*. Nature plus dried, old, ready to fall out feathers is what makes a bird molt. Feathers such as tail and flight feathers are never part of the automatic yearly molt. Those two areas drop their feathers sporadically throughout the year. When feathers are chewed off it takes a longer amount of time for aa full set of feathers to grow back in. PS---It's good that your bird likes fruit but it should only be given once or at the most twice a week. Fruit is very acidic to greys and in the wild, they don't eat such a huge variety of fruits. PS---also, the UROPYGIAL GLAND sometimes gets a little clogged and the proper amount of oil doesn't come out and causes irritation which will cause dry feathers which will cause chewing.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/29 22:48

Now is simply the time that your bird wants to practice many different sounds which more natural to him. He's not mimicing the sounds he's making, just doing what comes naturally. Actually, your bird is talking but you just don't understand what he's saying. Things like this will happen more often as the bird gets older.

Sanzoni Luckily, you have a young bird and they accept new toys much more easily than adult birds. Adult birds usually stop playing with their toys and concentrate on heavy duty chewing. Go to your site and click on MEDIUM SIZED BIRDS HAPPY BEAKS RADICAL RAFIA-------$6.99 HAPPY BEAKS WITH BALL AND CHAIN----$7.99 PARADISE TOYS TRIANGLE WITH BLOCKS AND BELL---------$10.99 NATURE'S INSTINCT - FIRECRACKER SWING----$14.99 There's others but this is a good start It would also be wise to go to a regular pet shop and pick up a heavy duty cowbell (about 2 to 3 inch size) which the bird can have mock fights with.

ecodweeb------Plucking Go to AVITEC.com----click On the left you see list PLUCKING/SCREAMING----click Look at third picture from the left----click Theres a picture of a spritzer and a jar next to it--click. The 2 jars are different sizes ( 8 oz and 16 oz---$5.99 and $15.99 Each jar contains a powder which mixes with water in a spray bottle. Spray once or twice a day.( room temp water) Stay away from the pre mixed bottle. Don't get as much as with the powder. It'll last a long time and it works much better than other formulas. Follow directions and use often. Correction---8 oz jar is $9.95 Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/27 18:31<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/27 18:43

All model Cuisinart Griddles are double coated with Teflon onto thin stainless steel plating.

Hi Julklsy First and foremost, welcome to the board. I'm sorry and many others are sorry that your entry onto the board was extremely negative. We have a policy here--no one should be treated that way but since this isn't a perfect world, there are those times when negativity/ cruelty is hiding in the woodwork. It doesn't take much to draw that type of person out to show him/her self. Jamal is such a person. Basically, he's a half wit that makes not only stupid remarks but also negative remarks and constantly misleads many many people with advice that's ridiculous. My biggest worry with him is that the idiotic things he says are sometimes aimed at first time owners of birds. I'm afraid that they'll actually believe his rubbish. Why does he do this? I really can't answer that question. I can only guess. Maybe he was an abused child. Maybe he was unwanted. Maybe, he couldn't mix in with normal playmates which has definitely escalated in his not mixing with other adults especially here. Why is he still here? Well, the administraters here are very flexible. They're not too quick with the ban button. That's a sign of maturity and kindness. They give people chance after chance to straighten up. Just remember that just about every board has a half wit/ jerk/cruel person hanging around. The administrator here can't be chasing and checking every post 24/7. That's why they put a number of moderators here on different places to weed out the idiotic and sometimes cruel things that a person says to others. I don't know if you're ever gonna read this but if you do, I hope you don't leave because of what an obvious moron says. I can guarantee you that others here aren't that way. This is a productive bord in which many good things happen to loads of people here. In your original thread starter, I can guarantee you that most others here felt your sadness and pain. You're not the first person here that's gone through your experience. Why do they feel your pain? Because many have gone through your problem but didn't get as good results as you did. They lost their birds permantly. You got yours back. Just remember that you don't need to come here just to ask questions. Many people here post many times just to have a shoulder to cry on and walk away feeling good.

There's many toys on the market but that doesn't mean your bird will like them all even if the advertising says that they're made for greys. It's a hit and miss situation. The link you put in is another bird board so it's just people's opinions concerning toys. We also have loads of people here that can give excellent ideas for store bought toys and toys that are home made by members here.

Knowing what normal droppings should look like is as crucial to maintaining bird health as watching for physical injuries, providing a good diet and making sure the room is not too hot or too cold. Droppings that change in quantity, color, consistency or smell are one of the easiest ways to tell your bird is ill, yet many pet owners overlook this simple diagnostic tool. If detected early enough, many illnesses and health problems that birds otherwise mask can be treated or cured. What's normal, what's not Unlike cats and dogs, who often send clear signals they're not feeling well (usually on your favorite rug), birds drop subtler hints, literally. The droppings your bird leaves on the bottom of the cage is a hint you should not ignore. Droppings reveal a great deal about a parrot's general well-being. By observing droppings every day, you can be your bird's proactive health guardian. You needn't spend hours poring over each masterpiece, but you should study your bird's poop enough to know what a normal one looks like. Once you know, a glance once in the morning and again in the evening will help keep your bird in the pink. To make detecting changes easy, use plain newsprint, paper towels in the bottom of the cage. Never use commercially sold cage bottom materials such as walnut shavings, corn cob shavings, or pellets. They make it impossible to monitor droppings - and they can harbor mold and bacteria that can make your bird sick, no matter what the manufacturers claim PLUS, these other beddings can cause odor. Odor from the bedding and odor from the bird are two different things and each has it's own smell As a part of your exam, you'll want to also keep an eye on your bird's vent area and the cloaca, the sphincter muscle that controls elimination once in a while. The vent area should always be clean and dry and the cloaca should remain fairly tightly closed, with no odd growths. Moisture, matted stools or extra tissue in the area warrant closer inspection by a vet. Droppings actually consist of three recognizable parts: feces, clear urine and a white urine called urates. You'll want to get a good idea of what each part looks like normally for your bird and monitor all three daily so you can report any serious changes to your vet. Generally, the feces part of the dropping should be green or brown . It should be solid and coiled like a snake, segmented or in pieces. The urine portion of the stool should be clear and watery. Urates should be an opaque white-beige crystalline material. Sometimes the urine and urates are mixed, creating a cloudy-looking material, but usually they are separate. Being mixed is not anything to worry about though. Not all changes in droppings indicate a health problem. For instance, different types of food can change the color of your bird's poop. Birds that favor pellets of a certain color may release feces that have taken on the same tinge. (The feces of birds who eat ordinary pellets are usually rust colored.) Strawberries may introduce a slight reddish color and blueberries, cherries and cranberries can turn fecal matter black. Just make sure you know the general color of the food you feed. Watery foods can make your bird's droppings appear looser than usual. Sometimes droppings may even be all liquid. However, as long as any fecal matter remains solid, watery droppings are not diarrhea. They are perfectly normal instances of polyuria, an increase in urine. In fact, long-time bird owners who feed a healthy varied diet including not only pellets but moist foods such as fresh vegetables, fruits, beans, pastas and cooked grains know that extra-wet droppings are the norm - they mean the bird is well-hydrated. You can expect to see an increase in urine also if your bird receives unusual stress, such as during a veterinary exam. Birds on a seed-only diet pass dry and sticky or pasty-looking greenish-black feces, which is sometimes a reflection of malnourishment that eventually can lead to disease, but that doesn't happen a lot concerniin disease. Some species of parrots simply have odd-looking poop. For example, some healthy cockatiels have feces tinged a light green. Poops can naturally vary in amount, too. Most birds hold their poop overnight until the next morning, when they release a larger-than-average dropping that may smell a bit, too. The exception to this rule are small birds with higher metabolisms such as cockatiels, who poop throughout the night and will have a pile of droppings beneath their sleeping perch the next morning. Even if you don't breed parrots, this is also good to know--Laying females have different bowel habits. They drink more water than usual and spend more time in the nest box, where they will hold their droppings. When they leave the box, they expel large, smelly droppings. Baby birds still on weaning formulas have large droppings, too, with urine composing a large portion, so with them, it's not a sign of health problems One possibly serious change is diarrhea, which appears as loosely formed feces that are not coiled or solid but watery. Some people think that the extra-wet droppings that come after a bird eats greens or watery fruits is diarrhea, but it's not. Remember, an increase in urine because of diet or nerves is normal. With diarrhea, the feces themselves are watery. Diarrhea is rare in birds and usually indicates a problem in the digestive tract. Sometimes it's caused by introducing new foods too quickly. Other times the bird has eaten spoiled food, a foreign object, or a toxin such as lead. Luckily, lead isn't used for bird cages or products anymore. Only items that are old and rusted down have lead. Antibiotics also can cause diarrhea. So can a bacterial or fungal intestinal infection, parasites such as giardia or roundworm, hernias, eggbinding, or disease. A bird with diarrhea often will have a "pasty vent," with fecal matter sticking to its behind. If you think your bird may have diarrhea, or if you're just not sure, contact your veterinarian right away. Birds with diarrhea can become dehydrated and die within a very short period of time. Even in the absence of diarrhea, you should always be on the lookout for worms such as roundworm or hookworm in your bird's droppings. If you really don't know how to do this, contact the vet by phone, tell him what you see and let vet make the decision as far as what you should do. If your bird's red, gray or black feces can't be explained by a diet change, consult your avian veterinarian because these discolorations can mean something serious. Blood found throughout the feces usually means the bird is bleeding from the lower intestinal tract. It can be a symptom of intestinal infections, poisoning, warts, tumors, ingestion of foreign objects such as parts of toys, parasites, problems with egg laying or even eating cuttlebone or mineral blocks. If you suspect your bird is bleeding internally, never wait to see if it gets better. If you wait until the bird shows signs of weakness, it may be too late to save it. Here are some other feces abnormalities you should speak with your vet about: Dark greenish-black coloration. This could be a symptom of liver disease. Undigested food. If you notice any bits of seed or pellets, be worried. These symptoms could mean parasites, an intestinal infection, proventricular dilation, or a disease of the pancreas or other internal organs. Tarlike consistency. If you notice that your bird is defecating blackish, tar-like feces, it could mean he's stopped eating. Wiith some small species of birds such as lovebirds or cockatiels, the feces may turn dark and pasty within 24 hours. It may take 48 hours or longer for larger birds such as African greys and Amazons to have these dark, dense droppings. Change in volume. If you notice an increase in the amount of feces in each dropping, it could mean your bird is not digesting its food properly or is having a problem laying. Very small, compact, and dark droppings could mean your bird is not eating enough due to an appetite loss from illness or an internal obstruction. Changes in urine The clear, watery urine part of a bird's dropping can change very rapidly according to diet, stress, excitement - or disease. Increase. If a normal change in diet or emotion can't explain a dramatic or prolonged increase in urine, it could be an early symptom of a metabolic disease such as kidney disease. Poisoning, infections and drug reactions can also cause polyuria. Decrease. A dramatic decrease in the urine part of a dropping can indicate dehydration, which can rapidly lead to death. Pasty appearance. Birds on malnourishing all-seed diets often have urine that dries into a white paste. Many people who feed seed diets often mistake this for a normal dropping. Color changes. Changes in the color of urine, normally clear, are pretty obvious and usually a sign of serious disease. The most common change is a yellowy or greenish tinge due to liver disease. Reddish-brown urine may indicate metal poisoning. Changes in urates A dropping's urates - the opaque white-to-beige portion - change much like the urine does when there's a health problem. A change in color to yellowish or yellow-green could indicate liver disease. Red or reddish-brown urates also can be a symptom of liver disease or lead poisoning. Some veterinarians believe yellowish green urates may also be a symptom of anorexia. If your bird's droppings seem to consist of more urates than usual, it may mean he is dehydrated. Bubbly not good Finally, you should watch for a couple of bathroom habits that could mean big trouble. For one, droppings that contain any bubbles or foam probably indicate an infection such as clostridium. Another symptom of an underlying problem is straining. If you ever catch your bird having problems eliminating, get him to a veterinarian pronto. Straining could stem from a physical blockage caused by a growth or wart or another serious condition such as egg-binding. Tests at the vet's A lot of people ask me what kinds of fecal tests they should expect their vet to perform to determine general health. There are several tests your vet might use, depending on the bird's age and whether it seems sick or healthy. Vets tend to perform more tests on new birds than on older pets because there are more unknowns. Before taking fecal samples for testing, your vet will ask you what recent stools have looked like and look at the droppings in your bird's carrier. This cursory visual exam will reveal general intestinal and liver health. Some vets will tell you to just drop off the sample. Others will say to bring the bird in. It's really up to the way your vet operates. If you really have confidence in your vet then do what he/she recommends. For a complete checkup, the vet will need to run what is commonly known as a gram stain on a fresh stool sample, usually one taken from the bird's cloaca using a swab. Gram stains, which involve smearing a glass slide with feces and staining it to see bacteria under a microscope, can be used to check for bacterial and yeast infections that can make your bird sick. If the vet finds a problem, he or she will run an additional culture test on a separate plate to grow and identify the bacteria. Once identified, the bacteria is transferred to another plate upon which tiny labeled discs using various anti-bacterial agents are placed. In about 72 hours, the vet will know which anti-bacterial agents will do the best job of killing the bacteria and can prescribe an antibiotic for your bird. With vets now able to pinpoint the best antibiotics for infections in birds, just as they do for dogs and cats, there's no reason left for owners to rely on the shotgun approach of trying various pet-store antibiotics. The vet can also have your bird's fecal sample screened for parasites, which would show up under microscopic examination. Finally, your vet can use droppings to screen for fungal infections, which can be difficult to eradicate unless caught early.

Char is totally correct. If there was a necessity for that vaccine, believe me, many vets would be pushing people to vaccinate their birds. Just another way to make some money. She's also right about chickens. Like the 2005 virus that spread around, this virus and that virus primarily had to do with all types of birds that stayed on the ground. Almost all were used as food and had to be destroyed. Another thing about this virus has to do with when a bird gets it. The virus affects parrots when they're chicks. By the time they're weaned, if they have the virus it's too late. This virus basically affects poor quality parrots who are originally in large masses. If the parents are carriers, the chicks will get it. One other thing concerning the virus. It's more likely to be spread by poor quality imported amazons that were originally caught in the wild such as the greys that were in the past. In 2005, there was only one reported case of a parrot getting the virus and that happened because that parrot lived in an indoor area where hundreds of poultry animals were being raised for food purposes. Basically, it was a barn located on a farm.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/25 19:35

Here's hoping for a great holiday to all the members and future members of this board. Enjoy your family, friends, big dinners and last of all, those wonderful gifts that everyone will exchange. Merry Xmas.

Just a good dusting and or some heavy rinsing in hot water with a tinge of dishwashing liquid is okay. Not to worry so much about dirt. Your bird will make sure that they get thoroughly soiled. In the future, the buildup of fecal matter should always be removed from toys and perches.

"""""is it an age thing or more of a time of the year thing? willis will be a year old in jan. """" It's both. Greys will have their first major molt between 10 to 16 mts. After that occurs, a time line routine sets in and greys will molt once or twice a year. All molting is messy, dusty. If you have a large amount of feathers in the bottom of your cage, lightly mist them with water. The dampness won't let them blow around. Do this when changing the bottom tray. The humidity or lack of has a lot to do with molting. The dryer and less humid it is, the more times the bird will lose feathers. Other greys will lightly molt all year long because they have more feathers that die off quickly. Most of those birds are adults. Other reason for molting is because a bird's dander remains on feathers and causes heavy feathers which causes the parrot to shed those heavy feathers and get replaced with light fresh feathers until they also die out. Then, the cycle starts all over again. PS--the shafts (pin feather area) are always more visible when a parrot is losing his/her feathers<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/23 22:38

You can slowly introduce the birds by making sure that they have no physical contact for a while. That may mean weeks. Each needs their own cage and space. There is the Lesser Crested Cockatoos and Greater Crested Cockatoos. I'm gonna assume that you have a cockatoo and if so, your cockatoo will be very loud as it gets older. That's common for them and it's one of the reasons that they wind up in different homes. Yes, the grey will definitely pick up many different bird sounds that the TOO does, even the screeching. They won't pick up existing human words though. If you do have a cockatoo,you need to be careful because as they get older, they will periodically bite other birds and a cockatoo is much bigger than a grey. Watch the cockatoo for excessive nervousness. Too much tension will cause a cockatoo to pluck their feathers.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/22 20:56

Tell your friend that since the bird was stolen, notify the police immediately. Put up flyers, post the information on the Internet, and let all the local veterinarians and bird or pet shops know. Have some good recent pictures of the bird and be sure the person know any distinguishing features that might help someone recognize the bird. If possibe, know the band information if the bird is banded; however, many thieves cut these bands off so this is not always helpful. Keep an eye on classified ads in local papers to see if someone is advertising the bird. However, do not attempt to confront a suspected thief by yourself. He might have a weapon. In some cases, thieves have been physically violent with bird owners. Many times it helps to report thingsespecially since there's been other burglaries. Just a suggestion

And Dan, I'll be passing it on to others whether you like it or not. If you say no, it'll be the last no you'll ever say.

Of all feathers that get injured, the flight and tail feathers give the most trouble. Many different after effects can happen. Most of the time, those two different areas that have injured feathers will take the longest to get back to normal. What your is doing isn't unusual especially if they is constant irritation going on. Flight feathers, when broken aren't usually laying on the rest of the feathers in the proper way causing a bird to constantly bite at them. This is especially true if only one side was affected. Losing those feathers during a molt is the closest natural thing that can happen but those two sets of damaged feathers don't all fall out at the same time. When a bird is naturally molting, even birds that have no damage, the flight and tail feathers won't all fall out at the same time. Flight and tail feathers aren't part of the once or twice a year molt that birds go through. Most of the time during a molt the flight and tail feathers will still be there. All flight and tail feathers only fall out when they're dead which means that the blood no longer is in those feathers at any part of the year. 1 or 2 or 3 at at a time. So, pulling, cracking, plucking, biting at those remaining damaged feathers isn't unusual and they can be removed by a vet at the base of each feather or they can eventually fall out. They will eventually grow back but it'll be uneven and more than likely will take a long time. If you choose not to have them removed, about the only thing you can do is to put aloe vera gel on the body where the shaft is coming out of the skin. That'll ease the irritation caused by those shafts being bent. If your bird has broken feathers sticking out but not bleeding at the point of the crack/break, the feather above the crack/break can be snipped off. the snipping can only be done above the crack. That only pertains to the feather that remains long but broken and isn't bleeding. Irritation caused by broken flight feathers can be corrected by a vet or you can do it the long way which is the method above. You should expect more biting if the long method is used. It's a matter of when the feathers come in all at once and no one can predict when that'll happen since they all fall out unevenly. That also applies to tail feathers but to a lesser degree.

Many of these questions can't really be answered with accuracy because it's the birds that make up their minds to do or not do certain things. Basically, you've put 2 greys in one cage that has a divider in it. That's not a good idea. In general, greys each needs their own cage or it could hamper what each bird will do. They need to develop individually. They need to not worry about another bird right next to them. Right now, you have no idea what type of personality that young bird has and putting that bird right next to the other in one cage may cause either one to not do certain things. Maybe they will, maybe not. The baby bird will more than likely not imitate human words but will imitate bird sounds which are built in such as whistling. Actually it's not imitating anything. It's just doing what comes naturally. """can any one please advise me on the best way for tim not to stop talking and also getting the baby to start """ There is no such thing other than for you to talk to the bird and if that bird does start talking, it will be months before you hear anything. The same thing applies to the older bird. There is no such thing as not stopping a bird from talking. Training a bird, not matter what the training is, is usually done with the bird being in it's own cage away from another bird where the bird's personality is allowed to develop. If one turns out to be aggressive towards the other you would have to separate them and put each one in it's own cage.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/21 01:22

"""For example if I bring a new toy and I put the toy one meter away of the cage she just freezes on the other side of the cage for 2 or 3 days (then I quit and I take the toy out from there).""" Because all birds are different as far as accepting something, you may have to change what you're doing in a few areas. First off, take your bird away so she can't see you when you put a new toy in. Put the toy farther away than you've been doing. Leave the toy in that area for a longer period of time. When you eventually wanna put it closer, remove her again. Keep doing it that way until she accets the idea that it's around. Some greys will take to something pretty quickly; others will take a long time to accept things. As far as treats-I don't know what is available where you live but many greys like different types of unshelled nuts. Partially crack it open and instead of handfeeding it, put it in her food dish. If you can get an item called Nutriberries, give that in the same way. """When she made one year old she started to don't let anybody touch her besides me. So during those 4 years she was mainly inside the cage."""" By one year of age, most greys start having their permanent personalities coming through. To be honest, 4 yrs in a cage wasn't a good idea. Many habits, likes and dislikes start to develop and may not be so easy to change because the bird has gotten used to those new habits. I feel that because of the unusual situation you and your bird were in, it's gonna take you a much longer time to redevelop a relation and that's not unusual. Many people here have birds that were adults when they got them and they also had to spend more time with their birds. "" So she just step up when she flies and fall down, then she needs me to get back to her cage.""" Basdically, she has to learn how to fly again so it's a wise idea to put a small rug around the cage if she's falling straight down. When you pick her up put her on a playstand but remember that she has to get usued to that too. Others here may offer other advice.

1--""Are there any general rules regarding introducing a new CAG with existing CAG? "" All CAGs need their own cage. Putting them together in one cage could cause problems for either bird/birds or problems towards you. Any introduction has to first start with the birds being aware of each other's presence with each in their own cage. The next step of introduction is out of the cage in neutral areas. Each bird must be able to get back to their cage when they want to. """"Will they bond and treat their humans differently?"""" All parrots have individual personalities and what happens when they're together is totally up to them. Bonding could happen but that will happen when they're in the same cage or they will hate each other and show aggression and jealousy. That especially applies to the older bird. A parrot doesn't like their personal home ( cage ) invaded by another bird. Again, how they treat the owner is totally up to them but as long as they're kept apart and treated as individuals, most will stay friendly with the owners but there's no guarantees Sex has no bearing here. Males can hate females, other males and the same thing also applies to females. It's all about individuality.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/19 23:30

There's a few grey parrots that do lay eggs when stimulated with certain things but they're in the huge minority. When breeder grey hens actually do get ready to breed ,it takes a lot of foreplay and stimulation from the male before egg laying will start. When over productive hens do that they're usually much older (13, 14 yrs and up. The basic reason that it can happen is over production of calcium. Some overly productive grey hens ( very few)don't need stimulation from a male and will siimply use the bottom of a cage to lay eggs. Most of the time when that happens, a grey will not really show great interest in the eggs and most of the time the amount of eggs is 1 or 2. It can be chalked of as a mistake in nature. If nestboxes or other items are around that a over productive hen can get into, that stimulation may occur and eggs may come. If that happens, the best thing to do is to let the hen sit on the eggs through the whole incubation time which is approx 28 to 32 days depending on whether it's CAG or a TAG. Usually, parrots will abandon the eggs and then it's safe to remove them. Removing them while the hen is still very interested in them will only cause the hen to lay more eggs. Some parrots are very well known to lay eggs without any stimulation at all--cockatiels being one. Most of the time when an over productive grey hen does lay an egg, it's no big deal and they have strong internal organs that can handle that. Usually, they rarely get egg bound. If a person does own a bird that has a propensity for doing this, any item of stimulation should be removed permanently. If you're seeing your bird nesting on toys in enclosed areas, it's best to remove that enclosed area and replace it with something more open to a person's view.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/18 00:42

Christina I'm not in the habit of trashing any people's posts and I never said anything about swatting any bird with anything. Safe and positive ideas? Yes but there's also a down side to things that people need to know about which aren't talked about very often. My advice comes not just from me but from many other people I know that have used many different things in order to deal with many different situations with birds that have a large variety of personalities and they and I have done it for many years on many species of parrots. This is just part of the information I give out here and many people have benefitted from knowing the whole picture and if you read the post above mine done by the person who started the thread, you'll see that many of the things I spoke about were tried with bad results which doesn't surprise me because most older birds will react the same way. People here know that what I say has nothing to do with trashing anyone.. Owning an older bird is totally different than a very young bird. Keeping children safe isn't something I take lightly and I never said anything about not doing that. Reread my post and you'll see I never referred to you by name.

"""how do you socialize a parrot when he's 7 without risking injury """ That's a very difficult to do if the bird hasn't been in that type of relationship with others in the past. He's a pre owned bird that came with a certain personality and attitude, likes and dislikes and that has habits that he or she will not let go of. That's especially true when it comes to training that biird to like others and it doesn't really matter if that other person is male or female. As far as children, a large majority of greys don't care for children. Your grey may have had a previous bad attitude towards kids be they very young or teenagers. You may have to live with the fact that your bird may not like others in your house. He's an adult bird. Socializing an adult bird is quite different than with a very young bird. Another reason for not clipping is their ability to go from one place to another. Greys are very clumbsy and need lots of coordination and power to go from one place to another. If not, they'll drop to the floor and won't be able to go back up. In the wild, a grey flies best when they need to go a long distance. Basically they're the type of bird that perches most of the time when in the wild. Clipping also affects a bird's personality. Pdrsonally, I don't think that using towels will do much good because if a bird has that tendency to bite, they'll eventually go through the towel and or become frightened. If that happens any type of relationship you're trying to achieve will go out the window. Dan and I believe that simply providing an alternate place to land ( arm) is a good technique to use. I've done that many times and it eventually works. That techique is also used on very young birds who have decides to bite areas around a shoulder such as face, clothing, jewelry, ear lobes, hair. Once a bird gets behind your shoulders while on top, he's won the battle. Remember that it will take at least 5x the amount of time to change a pre owned bird's habits. The reason that making the bird unsteady doesn't work is because after all of the time that's passed the bird has learned to cope with that. Clicker training is used on birds that are mentally well rounded, obedient birds. Trying to stop biting behavior with a clicker won't work because if the bird actually responds or approaches a clicker, it most likely will bite it. It's simply an add on item on the area that the bird likes to bite. I don't believe that putting a bird in another cage is a good idea because cages shouldn't be used for disapline. Birds should always look at any cage as a nice place to go into. That's especially true when that small cage is gonna be used for other things that have nothing to do with behavior. Bombarding a pre owned bird with millions of things to curb behavior doesn't work because baby steps need to be used when a bird goes from environment to environment, owner to a different owner, house habits to different house habits and that also applies to very young birds. Why am I saying these things? Well, it's to avoid disappointment if it turns out to be not perfect way you want it. You've also looked on the internet and seen many methods which have tried and have failed for you but what's not on the internet is the other side of owning a pre owned bird and that has to do with existing habits and personalities. Constantly substitute that other cage with a playstand which has toys on it. Over and over and over. A pre owned bird who is biting people is not being a bad bird. It's simply showing a disposition that he or she has. It's the owner that thinks that the bird is being bad. The proof of that is that the bird won't bite you but will bite others. The reasons could be very minor or major. """ i have built up a fantastic relationship with him in the several months we have had him ,"""" In no way is that enough time to make judgements as far as behavior concerning a pre owned bird. Baby steps, baby steps, baby steps.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/16 19:16

SPEAKERS ON AND ENJOY.