Dave007

All african greys have that line down the middle of the body. The breast feathers are folding inward and covering the keel bone. Looks loike something Elvis Presley had in his younger days. More than likely that bare stop was just yourbird overpreening a certain area and thinning the feathers. As soon as areas like that get wet, they looklike bald spots but disappear when the bird is dry.

exactly--don't remove anymore eggs and if it happens in the future don't remove them. Normally, a stimulus is nesting material which normally gets taken out but right now, you have to provide here with a very small shallow bowl, hred some paper in it, put the eggs in it and let her take care of the rest, Your hen is over productive and can sometimes happen during a hormonal season. Let her eventually discard or lose interest in the infertile eggs. It will also slow down her desire to create more eggs--she only has a limited calcium suopply. PS--make sure she sees what you're doing with the eggs (putting them)<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/19 03:49

are you removing each egg when you see it??

That's a real nice family affair. Hope all of you enjoy making it.

Very very rarely and if by some very slim chance it does happen, it would be with a bird that's over 11 to 13 yrs old. Plus more than likely, it won't happen to that bird again.

Well actually, lets explain it more clearly and simply for Abula. It's called Rubba Dub Dub Get Cialis and jump in the tub Special rubbies and special tubbies are needed for nestboxes. Get small size. Petsmart may carry them.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/17 22:17

Greys and other species of parrots can be very used to a dog that lives in a house as long as the bird accepts the dog. A new service dog or any other new dog is a totally different creature to a parrot than the dog it's used to even though the new animal looks like a dog. Parrots don't look at a certain species of animal and decide to accept that new animal just because they're the same species. One dog is totally different than another dog. As a matter of fact, hypothetically, you could have a shepherd in the house which the bird is used to and decide to add the sister or brother of that shepherd into the house. Same sizer, same color, same general personality but the bird will know it's a new animal no matter how identical they are. Many parrots don't accept 4 legged animals. Many parrots will freak out in their cage and break flight feathers and scream while trying to get away. I've seen this many many times. This is a special situation and we're not knowledgable enough to give suggestions where service dogs are involed. Their training is totally different than other dogs no matter what duties they're trained for, In your situation, because this is a special case bordering on medical issue, you need to have a serious conversation with the place that the service dog will come from. That's the safe way to do it. They can tell you what must be avoided concerning a special service dog and they can tell you what will be accepted by the dog plus, you can't train an established parrot to accept any new animal.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/17 20:20

I don't quite agree with the mesh idea because no matter how well the mesh is put on, it will always be slightly loose and will become looser because mesh has no weld to it. I can see that you paid money and are unhappy and that happens to many people. But a good thing you might do is go to EBAY, type in BIRD CAGES and a huge amount of cages plus their pictures and all the information about them will appear. I've purchased cages through EBAY for years ans so have my friends. Most are quality made and there's loads of styles. PLUS, there's a button you can press which say BUY IT NOW which means that no bidding is necessary. The price you see is what you pay and they're at least 65% cheaper than pet store cages. The big difference is that the EBAY cages have no manufactures name on them. Appearance wise, they look just like the cages sold in pet stores.

As far as weight--it really depends upon what size catagory your bird is in, sm, med,lg boned. If you haven't had any problems with the bird so far, then what you're doing is fine but you can offer a bit more at each feeding and if she accepts it, that's fine too. Don't cut down on the amounts of feedings you give because of a time schedule. Some birds will eat formula for longer periods and there's nothing wrong with that. Abundance feeding methods should be used. When a bird constantly refuses a certain feeding during the day, it's time to reduce the amounts of feedings. That's a safe way to go. As far as shampooing with any commercial product--commercial products have chemicals in them. The guy there was simply told to try and sell the item. Stick with water and aloe. That's the safest way to go. Birds aren't shampooed with anything. The only time something similar like that happens, it's being done by a vet for a particular reason.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/16 04:37

Well, I can only say that the PVC piping I'm familar with that's sold at large hardware stores and large home improvement stores such as Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware and other plumbing businesses don't use any type of toxic PCV piping because it is used mostly for use in water both in the house and for drainage. That type of piping is also used in all types of bird stands that are extremely popular and have been extremely popular for years and are sold in major pet stores and there's never been any recalls on those products. I've never heard of a bird dying from PCV piping. As far as baby toys being made from it, I haven't got a clue about that but I can tell you that any items you get for your birds such as those stands won't cause any problems for the birds. There's nothing in that article that has anything to do with bird items and most baby toys are made from a very hard material in which the baby can suck on and try to chew for hours and hours. Toys r Us hasn't reported any toxic after effects from the toys they sell that are unbreakable but chewable. Those same toys are also given to birds to chew on and so far, there's been no deaths from those toys. So I think you can make or buy your PCV piping for a stand without any worry.

jamalbirdbiz I really can't understand why you make statements without checking all things out first. Someone here already posted a link concerning a big conversation we had here a while back about Dr Pepperburg and Alex yet you simply ignore what people say. You look on You Tube, find material concerning the woman and then insult her here. You know absolutely nothing about the scientific work that was done with her and her bird. If you go back to the link you originally posted today, you'll see huge amounts of videos concerning the good things she's doing including some new birds that she has. She has never stressed out any bird she's owned and you have absolutely no proof that she ever did but you still say things like this. She treated her birds much better than most of us could treat our birds. There were many people there that deeply cared for Alex including her. They're still there and giving the same care to her new birds. Please, stop making statements that are only making you look foolish and ignorant. If you don't want to have people think of you as being foolish and ignorant, stop acting that way. You're not doing yourself any good here by saying things you know nothing about. PS--Just to increase your very limited knowledge of Alex--Dr Pepperburg got the bird when he was 2 1/2 yrs old. He plucked some of his feathers before she got him and Alex continued to pluck some of his feathers throughout his life. It's called chronic plucking and nothing can stop it. Alex lived until he was 31 yrs old and died from a common condition called hardening of the arteries which many people also can die from. One day he was fine, the next day he was dead. See, you actually learned something scientific right now.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/16 02:31

If you don't mind telling me, what were you reading that said that PVC piping was toxic?

Talon I take all of my old wood from my back yard which has loads of dead wood all around. I have loads in the basement which I've never used. As far as your question--no I would never give a bird a branch that hasn't been peeled simply because when the branch is outside, rabbits, squirrels, wild birds, and other critters get to the wood and shit and piss all over the wood. It all sinks in and I would never wanna expose my birds to all of that. Plus, the wood, when peeled is extremely hard because it's dead. It's extremely hard for a bird to destroy that wood although they will try. I put branches in the cage and make stands from the same wood. You can see the forest behind the stand--it's winter thouggh Toni--I never said you couldn't put them in the oven. I just said that air drying is quick, safe and it winds up being easier to put together , at least for me but if you prefer using the oven, go ahead. Sometimes different types of wood can get burn't in an oven and will smell. It's up to you. Both methods can be used but I prefer the other one. PS---also understand that periodically there's skunks and raccoons out there so I really can't take a chance. Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/15 21:45 Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/15 21:46<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/15 22:07

You should line that aquarium with a towel. At night, put a towel on tank but only cover 1/2 of the top. Put a fluffy toy in there so that he can cuddle and sleep with it during the day and night. Keep the temp of food between 95 to 98 deg. It when they are much younger than 7 weeks is when you need to worry about crop burn. He won't eat the cedar chips but honestly, at that age your bird should be in an aquarium that has a soft towel on the bottom even though it's gonna get messy. You need to remember that your bird will start to tip forward after his crop is filled and it's better that his face hit a soft towel. Actually, you would have to have a couple of towels handy for the bottom after each gets dirty. Towels radiate heat. Cedar doesn't. Towels let you see the accurate color of the feces .At his age put some cheerios ( multicolored is best) in the bottom of the tank and let him play and test them out. No seed. Could you possibly tell me the name of this special formula you were told about? 6 Weeks 7 weeks 8 weeks 9 weeks 11 weeks

All flight feathers and tail feathers don't molt out the way all of the other feathers do. There is no set time during the year that it'll happen and most of the time those feathers won't fall out at the same time--examples, flight and tail feathers. They fall out when they're ready to fall out. They die whenever they die. usually, a new feather is growing in just behind it. That way of losing flight and tail feathers will continue for the bird's whole life. If one flight or tail feather falls out it will be replaced by another but that doesn't mean that the flight or tail feathers next to it are ready to fall out. It's a very uneven process and the people who have the most trouble with that process are those that own birds who've been clipped. I really know nothing about the molting of racing pigeons. What I'm say only applies to parrots so you need to be patient because old dead feather will fall out and eventually get replaced. There's times when 2 or 3 feathers will fall out and other times only one feather will fall out but most taiil anf flight feathers rarely fall out at the same time. Those feathers don't come under the classification of the regular *yearly molt*. Those feathers will fall out all year long.

Are they still teachable? Well, that depends upon what you mean by teachable. Many birds that age have been taught to do basic things from others and if you try to teach certain things that a bird will not accept than you need to stop and simply accept the bird the way it is. A pre owned bird has habits which can't be changed or altered. A quick example----talking. If that bird has never been a talker, more than likely, it will never be a talker no matter what you do. Can they still have babies? Only special parrots have babies and they're usually not pets. They only care for each other and really don't want to get close to people. Those greys are called breeder greys. Your bird was brought up to be a pet bird. Can they still play? As was said before, older greys don''t play as much as very young greys. They become quieter and less active but they do need things around that they can chew on and knock around. Can she get along with my 3 year old male Congo? That's an impossible question to answer. Maybe they will or maybe not. Has to do with personalities. All have their own personalities. The only thing that's similar is the color of their feathers. The one thing you do need to know is that they both have to be kept in separate cages. Will she like me as the owner when she has been with another owner (which was a women) for so long? Again, an impossible question to answer. Maybe yes, maybe no. Only when you have the bird for a while will you be able to find that out. No matter how the bird feels, you'll need to accept the bird because of the permanent personality that it has. Being owned by a woman doesn't mean it won't like you though. As far as other people here that have birds of different species not liking each other, that's not a big deal. Loads of people here have different species of birds that don't get along with each other. Many people here have greys that also don't get along with each other. So, adjustments have to be made to deal with each bird individually. Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/14 22:07<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/14 22:31

Using freshly cut wood is no good because the wood under any bark is still soft and pliable. Dead wood should be used. The bark has hardened and is easy to remove. Any dead branches should be soaked in water until the bark is easy to peal or pull away. How long the soaking takes depends on how thick the bark is. After all of the bark is taken off, you'll be left with an extremely hard piece of wood. The next step is to scrub the piece with some soap and water, rinse and let dry. Some people put the piece in the oven but letting the branch dry naturally is the better way to go. No burns, no extra dryness, no crinkles. Drying the bark naurally won't take a long time because the branch under the bark is not porous at all. Also,any type of dry wood will accept nails and screws much better than soft wood and they'll stay put much longer.

Sounds like there's been lot of exciting adventures going on lately.

Your bird is still very young. Although I don't feel that what you're doing is a good idea because it involves a lot of movement and chasing, you should realize that the first time you get bitten because of a quick or sudden movement which will more than likely be you doing it, you'll have to realize that the little game you have going on needs to stop for good. Lips are so very easy to get injured.

Go to the TRASINING ROOM section and you'll see quite a lot of different possts that all have to do with the aviator harness. Many of the posts are recent.

ricoarmenta The cage is very acceptable. Usually a cage is a little larger than that but since you give your bird all that out of cage time, the cage will be fine. If the cage is only 36 inches high without a base, then put the cage on a small square table approx 26x26--28x28 inches. You should do fine. Money is tight nowadays for everyone.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/13 06:16

If you want him to discover the world outside the cage, just take him out of the cage and put him on the cage then simply close the cage door so he can't get back in. Open it when you're ready to let him back in. After a while he'll check out things out of the cage or he may just sit on the cage. Keep small things out of the cage that he shows interest in when in the cage. Put a couple of honey sticks out of the cage. He may decide to eat them, maybe not. Using trickery doesn't make a bird come out of a cage if he wants to stay in it. You're the one who feels uncomfortable for the bird but understand that he also wants to feel comfortable during the day and that cage is his comfort zone. Think about all the people who have huge troubles putting their birds back in the cage. Toweling him shouldn't be done except as an emergency or when serious things need to be done such as clipping claws or visits to a vet. Most birds don't like towels especially older ones.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/12 18:00

There's a member here named Judygram who has the same birds as you will have so she can fill you in on many things you wanna know about. You can go through the standard 30 day quarantine process after bringing the bird home but other than that, diseases shouldn't be a problem because all birds have immune systems to ordinary situations. Serious contagious diseases can effect all birds small or large, young or old, any species.Special immunities to certain things only develop in birds when they are actually living in the wild in their native land. Certain diseases that birds develop only develop when serious situations exist while in captivity. Go to the HEALTH ROOM here and you'll see everything about every disease. The only major thing you're gonna have to worry about here is personality--will they get along or not.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/07/11 04:17

""""vasoline or even neosporin""""---------NO. Any type of very thick creams will only clog any area that they're used on. If your bird has been doing this consistantly for 7 yrs, sadly I really don't think he's gonna stop. There's loads of bords that exist that pick one stop and work on it until it's a natural thing to do. Very much like a person who's a nail biter. Your best bet is to periodically soothe the area with light aloe gel which immediately is absorbed and causes no clogs. That collar you spoke about isn't used for birds who pluck their tail feathers. It's used for birds that pluck breast, neck and upper back areas. If you have that collar on and he tries to get to his tail, he's gonna hurt himself, possibly causing cuts in the neck. Foam collars will be bitten and destroyed very quickly. If you see a scab or irritation, that spot need to be treated with a soothing gel. Most chronic pluckers will stay that way especially after doing it for years. Take that collar off because if it's left on long enough and removed, your bird will mutilate that tail area much more so than just plucking at the area. That collar doesn't cure plucking, it only temporqrily prevents plucking. Some birds will only pluck their necks. Some birds will only pluck their breast. Some birds will only pluck under their flight feathers but if it's chronic, it's simply a habit in which a bird is releasing pent up nervousness or just relieving itself.

Greys don't get eczema. No parrots have that problem. With certain parrots, they have extremely dry skin which must be taken care of by the owner. In the wild, all dry skinned birds take care of that dryness type problem by frequently preening themselves and by also taking freguent baths. As far as your bird's legs, what's happening is tha the scales are drying up and it's time that birds will start picking at the scales so that new ones develop. As time goes on, the process starts again. With some greys, they will do a cleaning job all the time so that the dry scaly legs aren't really noticable. That usually happens as the bird gets much older. As has been suggested, aloe gel can be used but wetting the area, lettiong the area dry and then putting the gel on makes the gel most effective. There's also a product called aloe vera juice that can be used for other parts of the body but the best way to use that product is to first mist the bird with water and then mist the bird with the juice. Click on my avatar and a complete description is there.