Dave007

LET US ALL BAND TOGETHER FOR OUR CAUSE

Ok, I was about to say that you should copy and paste in browzer. It was my fault. That's why you see my 4 edit lists. I was having trouble posting. Glad you got it

Method to send free food to 4 legged creatures. This is pretty simple... The Animal Rescue Site is having trouble getting enough people to click on their web site each day so they can meet their quota of getting FREE FOOD donated every day to abused and neglected animals. It takes less than a minute (about 15 seconds) to go to their site and click on the purple box 'fund food for animals for free'. This doesn't cost you a thing, just a click of the finger. Their corporate sponsors/advertiser s use the number of daily visits to donate food to abandoned/neglected animals in exchange for advertising. Go there, check site. Here's the web site! I visit and click frequently. Please pass it along to people you know. Thanks --Dave http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com<br><br>Post edited by: Talon, at: 2009/12/15 00:48

I'm really sorry that I can't help you here but there's others here that have handicapped birds and maybe some can give you a few suggestions and names of items that can be used.

"""""Initially I was looking for a bird that I can spend time with and interact with. I have a huge cage and all the time in the world. I have done tons of reading and research on greys, but I am open to learning more, so send the information my way!!""""" That's most of the problem solved because loads and loads of greys are pluckers simply because no one is there to give attention but you're all ready to do that. Get the bird, get used to him for a few weeks and keep in contact here and many will steer you in the right direction with a human library full of suggestions, information, opinions, tricks and ideas. Keep in touch even if you haven't reached your pick up day.

If this condition is recognized very early in a bird's age, the fibrous band can be removed surgically which will restore circulation. It's a problem with the stretching ligaments that are too tight around the base of the toe. You never mentioned how many toes were involved but if many toes are involved a vet is necessary and that has to be an avian vet. Many birds with different types of foot deformities eventually learn how to maneuver around as they get older. Your bird is only 5 mts old and the problem can be dealt with very easily at that early age.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/14 04:04

When your bird started losing all of those white downy feathers, molting was what was happening. How long can it last. Birds can molt up to 2 mts or as little as 3 to 5 weeks or anything in between. Some birds will molt for a longer period of time because of the surrounding room temperatures--humidity and high temperatures. Some birds molt for a long time because of the length of time from the last molt. Others will molt 2 to 3 times a year. The bald stop above the nares comes from scratching and the best way to deal with that is to get aloe vera gel and put some dabs on that area. The same thing should be done on the neck.

A vet may be necessary for basic work that's done on a bird but as far as you doing the nail clipping, it isn't unusual for a bird not to like it and most external work that's done by the owner normally takes 2 people to accomplish the task. Judy said a very important thing concerning the biting. Many birds won't do that when they're extremely young but will start that as they slightly mature and they do that type of thing when the owner is involved with other activities besides holding the bird. A common area is a bird who is standing on a shoulder. The bird has to not be allowed on the shoulder if the biting becomes very uncomfortable and starts to hurt.. Other birds can stay on a shoulder with no problems. It's just a individual personality thing. Judy's suggestion about the biting is a good one. A bird can't be stopped from nibbling, especially the pressure of the nibbling. Many birds get disturbed by many new things and as Judy said, it's a good idea to let the bird see them first. But even if you do find that certain perch, it doesn't mean that it will keep the nails blunt. It's all about gripping and length of time on the perch.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/13 17:35

There's really nothing you can do at this point. They do bend and crack different feathers at times and the only way you'll see strong new feathers is when the shafts of those broken feathers dry up and fall out. He's probably very active and when they do that they feel awkward which sometimes stimulates them to pull those shafts out. Anyway, the tail in that picture really doesn't look bad at all. I've seen a lot worse that that.

66 to 71 degrees in a non drafty area. Your bird should be kept away from floor vents that are sending up heat. That type of heat eats up the humidity in the room and causes dry, itchy skin.

""""""Out of curiosity how can you be sure of this? For example: Even if wild CAGs and TAGs never interbreed now, they must have at one time. Perhaps some of the genes for a bright red tail were then introduced into the Timneh population from such a pairing.""""""" ====================================================== The easiest place for different but related birds to interbreed is in the wild. It's their choice. Nature will dictate if it can be done. TAGs are a sub species of CAGs. That classification doesn't mean that one came from the other. They're 2 types of greys. Size is totally different. Personality is different. Agility is different. They don't cohabitate with each other in the wild. They're not even close by to each other. The hardest place for those same 2 types of birds to breed is in captivity. That can only be done artifically and 99% of the time it's a failure. If at one time they interbred that would still be possible for that to happen today. After all, they were were TAGS back then and there were CAGs back then. In the world of the CAG, there's variations of color because of genes. It also has to do with color. The color that's affected is the red color. An excess of color can be seen on greys because of an over abundance of red genes which is passed to another generation of relatives of that particular CAG. That excess of color has nothing to do with TAGs. Different variations of color in CAGs comes from CAGS. Different variations of color in TAGs comes from TAGs, specifically in the tail area. By the way, if TAGs actually got that different color trait from CAGs in the past, How come there's no different color trait in CAGs who you say supposedly interbred at one time?

So basically, you're worrying about the fact that he's not pooping on his stand even though he's nipping at you? But he is pooping in other areas. Right? You're worried that he's eating more than usual? Count your blessings. A bird who is ill will stop eating. He's growing up and is more active and using up more energy. There isn't anything that you mention that suggests edginess of any type. Being a bit willful? Yes. More obstinate? Yes. Most of the time, people don't wait until a bird nips at them to tell the person that they have to poop. You can go to a vet but I guarantee you that he'll tell you the same thing UNLESS that vet is the type of person who sees a chance to do unneccesay tests in order to make money and believe me, there's loads of those types of vets out there but I'm not saying that he is that type of person.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/11 17:51

There's constant color variations in TAG tail color. Feathers will molt out and sometimes they're replaced with marroon feathers that favor the red side. When these newer tail feathers die out the next set could be darker (or not). The red feather above is laced with ash gray coloring throughout. The major area where it can be seen is on the tip of the feather. More than likely, before those tail feathers die out, they'll get more ashen looking. This happens to many TAGs. There's TAGs that also have dark gray tail feathers( same color as the breast). More than likely, there were other TAGs in her past that had the same thing but none of that red/marroon/ash color has anything to do with a CAG. It all has to do with pigmentation.

Some birds take a very long time to wean off of formula. It's not abnormal and actually, the formula is very good for the bird. """""She is eating other food but not enough as I tried ignoring her and cutting at least on of the feedings, """""" Very bad idea. She will lose weight and possibly become weak and ill. You should never decide when to stop giving formiula. The bird is the one that tells you when to stop. He'll eventually refuse a feeding which means that you will give 1 less feeding plus he other food. Sometimes, they actually spit up that feeding that they don't want. I've known birds that are 6 mts old and still enjoying formula. It's good for the bird and creates a calmer bird in the future.

You need to start off with basic steps 1---bathing or misting your bird frequently. The actual skin must be also saturated. Greys have waterproof feathers. You shouldn't towel dry the bird. He needs to stay as wet as possible so that the skin softens and the itchiness and dryness lessens. 2---you should purchase an item called ALOE VERA JUICE from a pharmacy or Walmart or health store. It should be used by misting your bird with it. Also saturate skin. You should check the humidity in the area he's in. A low humidity level will cause dry skin which causes itchiness which prompts the bird to start pulling at feathers.

When someone sets up a bird room it becomes an area that they stay in most of the time. The more birds a person has, the longer they can stay there. They entertain and interact with each other. As far as them calling you, if you constantly react to the calling by coming over the more they'll do that cause they know what to expect. One thing that should be avoided is getting into habits and steady routines with parrots. Think of your bird room as a huge playroom where just about everything is available including places to rest and sleep and eat. Playrooms are often created in order to keep birds away from all household situations such as cooking, cleaning. Bird rooms also allow a person to rest up a bit during the day without worrying about a bird that's about to fly down on his/her head. They also allow a person to do many things outdoors while the birds are inclosed in a room. Basically, you can take out the birds as often as you like to be with you but I personally don't think it's a good idea to decorate another area that could possibly look like a bird area to hang out in. Doing that will guarantee that you'll lose a semi "normal" living room. Their room should be for them and whatever time they're with you should be your choice.

No, they don't get motion sickness but you're putting a bit of stress on the bird if what you're doing is being done on a regular basis. take it slow. Enjoy life in the slow lane. You can take in the sights much better that way.

The biggest yet most common problem that many people have is their bird bleeding from claws that have been cut too short or broken flight/tail feathers. This usually happens at home. It's a good idea to have blood clotters instantly available Quick Blood Stopper----flour---talcom powder plus Q-Tips. All of these items will eventually clot the areas where blood is coming from. Quick Blood Stopper is none toxic and is used for all types of animals--2 legged and 4 legged including reptiles. The way to use these items is to dampen a Q-Tip and then stick it in any of the items above until it's totally covered.The items that are used should be a little gloppy and muddy. Pressure should be used against the cut for abot 3 minutes. Then wound is checked and if bleeding hasn't stopped, the process should be done agin until no blood is leaking out. Concerning flight or tail feathers----even though the flow of blood can be temporarily stopped, many times most of those types of feathers start bleeding again and will have to be removed. Only someone skilled at removing these feathers should do it. Special techiques are used. Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/07 22:09<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/10 00:56

Gee, that whole process sounds like the French Underground that existed in WW2. It's better to stick with tried and true methods which is a boarding shelter or at the Vet's office or at a relative's house. To use friends, everything must be planned out ahead of time and those plans could unexpectedly change at the last moment. All people who own parrots usually find out that they'll eventually have to lose or change lifestyles and normal plans.

Alex was a plucker from the time he was 3 yrs old until he died. She had him from that age. She's now working with 2 other greys Griffin, Wart. One of the greys ( Griffin) is also a light plucker. Alex died of hardening of the arteries (arterial sclerosis.)It's not an exam that Vets can diagnose nor is it ever looked for. The necropsy results were made public 3 weeks after he died. He was in training 4x a day--5 days a week. Each session was approx 1 hr long. He was in the constant company of labratory assistants 7 days a week.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/06 22:51

You first need to tell us what the age of the bird is. It also seems like you may have to contact the seller and inquire about the bird's past status. He may be a bird that has many ingrained habits which many pre owned birds have. """""He was supposedly a fantastic talker, gentle.""""" That may not be true.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/05 20:05

First of all, you're digging too deep as to what the cause of a dime sized area of baldness is. Keep it up and you'll wind up having a heart attack and we need all the firefighters we can get. What your vet may have not told you was that the aloe spray must be used everyday on that area to soothe the itching. As a matter of fact you should use it on the rest of the bird's body. In situations like this increasing the amount of baths is a wise thing to do. No bird ever got hurt by frequent baths.That skin area may have gotten more dry recently and it happens frequently. The other thing here is mixture---usually a vet will give a diluted solution to a customer because of a possible bad reaction but aloe doesn't cause bad reactions. What you should do is go and purchase your own bottle of aloe from a pharmacy or walmart or health and herbal stores and use it full strength AND FREQUENTLY. Just like people, birds can get irritations and start scratching and pulling and picking at the area and that area needs some skin soother. I would also advise you to purchase another item called ALOE VERA GEL and put some dabs on that irritated area. It can be purchased at the same places and both products are inexpensive. Thanks for risking your life as a firefighter. My brother in law does the same thing and it's a tough but rewarding job. Be safe.

Well, you have short covert feathers, long covert feathers and tail feathers in the pictures and when they fall out, it has nothing to do with molting. The ends of the shafts are obviously dried up and were all ready to fall out. Basically, all of those feathers are dead and will be replaced by new ones but not at the exact same time. As far as amount of feathers, it was simply a coincedence that they all fell out at the same time. The next time it happens, it may only be a few feathers or more feathers or anything in between. If your bird was pulling on them, the only reason was because they were dead and he was simply speeding the process of getting rid of them. What happened to your bird happens frequently with other birds and can happen at any time of the year.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/12/04 18:56

Oh.

What's *untidy* about it? Looks like a feather to me.