Dave007

For one thing, water doesn't kill any germs that accompany feces. It's like washing your hands with water as opposed to soap. After the water, your hands look clean but what's better,hands washed with water or washed with soap? A common item that's used is a vinegar/water solution that does a complete job. Grapefruit extract is also a good product except that it costs much more than vinegar.

Many parrots will become quieter when molting. But any noticable breathing problems or unusual sounds plus any nasal discharge warrants a visit to the vet.

He won't eat or swallow the soap. Too gooy and chalky. If you can't hold the bird yourself, have someone hold him while you look under the upper mandible and check for anything sticky, gummy, or solid that might be stuck in there. Have a couple of Q-tips nearby. If there is, just wipe it out towards the tip of the beak. After you do that just leave him alone. Water? you mean force water in him or just let him drink? As usual, have water around and let him drink when he feels like it. If he doesn't wanna drink, don't worry about it. Don't make a big deal of it when you're checking him. Try to do things gently and calmly and then put him where he normally should be.

Tyco and Judygramma are right. If you're giving the basic same diet it's not the color that would be a sign of problems but it would be the consistency of the droppings. If they became extremely thin it would be a small problem. Another reason color change happens is because there's an item in the diet that's being digested much more so than before which will cause a color change. Another reason is the age of the bird. As the bird ages, the digestive system works better and droppings will look different. Not to upset your dinner but droppings especially in the morning will be very fluid, thick and with no particular shape. Muddy looking. Actually, it sounds like your bird's digestive system is working better because droppings that are only green are signs that a bird needs more varieties of things in the diet.

:blush: :side: :whistle: :lol: :silly: :unsure: :ohmy: :laugh: :pinch: :dry: I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Why are you being so abusive to ME?????????? :ohmy: :sick: :dry: :woohoo: :laugh: :angry: :whistle: :silly: :cheer: :kiss: :woohoo: :blush: HAPPY NOW!!!!!!!!:woohoo: :woohoo: :blush: :woohoo: :sick:

Really shouldn't worry about this. All boards get people like that. Been going on for years. Remember that no one has the equipment to ship viable eggs anywhere overseas. Also watch out for people who are asking for free birds. They usually have no funds to care for a bird and their only motive is to get birds and try to breed them for quantity profit. Just don't feel sorry for people like that cause there's places to get birds that are inexpensive and if they even afford those prices, they can't afford to keep any birds. There's some slick people around with lots of tricks up their sleeves and some are very inventive.

Yeah yeah Tom You seem like the type of person that would take advantage of an innocent creature. Just remember something buddy, I've seen people like you before. You can run but you can't hide, especially in a bowl. Sooner or later, your actions will catch up to you and it'll be your time to repent and ask for mercy. Just keep looking over your shoulder cause you'll never see it bite you.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/04/27 04:32

That's a good idea. Out of cage time makes for a happier more relaxed bird who will eventually have the ability to be receptive to new things. It does take time with an adult bird though. Have patience and good luck will come your way.

It has to do with complete bonding of one bird with another bird. People aren't part of that process. A bird who is a pet bird gives allegiance to the owner. Put that pet bird in with a breeder who isn't a pet and 1--he/she pet bird won't know what to do and how to do it. 2--will be extremely confused as to where to aim that allegiance that was previously built up with the owner. 3--the breeder bird will sense that the other isn't a breeder and may try to maim or kill him/her. Successful breeding means two bonded parrots, left pretty much alone as far as human interaction goes. It allows them to concentrate on their Mate and breeding. Parrots bond very tightly with their mates, especially when they have raised young together. Breeder birds are very aggressive to people who try to interfere with them. One will go out of it's way to protect the other. The best breeders are birds who have never been pets.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/04/27 02:08

Hi all, my name is Pepper and I am an extremely abused African Grey Parrot. I am looking for a new home where I can live my life the way I was meant to. In an attempt to convey to you the level of abuse, let me give you some examples: My day does not start off well. I wake up with the sun around 6:00am. I then start whistling for dad. Often, dad ignores me and does not come right away. Sometime it is not until 7:30am before dad comes to get me out of my cage. Every other day or so, I get a shower. Dad gets me all wet and then I am patted by an evil towel. I am not sure what type of torture this is supposed to be, but he pats me all over and then he lets me sit and drip. When dad is shaving, he does not let me play with the shaving cream. What is with that? He's such an SOB!!!! After playing with me for a measly hour, dad makes my breakfast. I like to take things out of my bowl and throw them while dad is preparing things, but he doesn't let me do that anymore. Now he makes me WATCH while is getting things ready. I feel like I am going to have a breakdown at these times. I hate his cruelty. BREAKFAST SUCKS!!! Dad puts all this crap in my bowl. Pellets, Dried fruit, nuts, seeds, and other things. I think he is trying to starve me to death. All I need are peanuts. And French fries. Just fill my bowl with peanuts and French fries and I'll be fine. I've tried to tell him this but he won't listen. He just doesn't care how I feel. When dad leaves for work he puts me in my huge cage. or should I say the torture chamber. There are things hanging all over the place. Bells, ropes, plastic things, wood things, all sorts of things. I tried attacking these things and ripping them to shreds, but new ones keep showing up. It'a a never ending uphill battle. Once a week, dad takes me to work. This is not fun. He puts me in a plastic box and then puts me in the car. I can't see where I am going!! I dig and dig and finally he lets me out so I can see, but it takes him FOREVER!! Just think about it--1/2 hr IS FOREVER!! At work, there are a whole bunch of evil people. They all try to touch Me, and play with me. I just bite them all. Except for one guy. I like him. Dinner time is teasing time. Dad eats his dinner and does not give it all to me. Sometimes, he gives me a piece of his dinner, but I just throw it on the floor to point out my displeasure. There are times I prefer take out, plain and simple but he just shrugs. Finally, I can't even start to tell you about all the things that I can't do. I can't chew on the paper towels that dad used to clean up my poop. I can't chew on dad's mail. I can't chew on dad's notebook computer. I can't chew on the remote control. I can't chew on the telephone cable. Anyway, you get the point. I'm a parrot and simply wanna try the unknown. You think he cares?? So, please, please, If you know of a home that can satisfy my needs, let me know immediately. :( Thank you all, for your help and understanding. Bless you Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/04/27 00:55<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/04/27 01:06

Unless there's obvious sickness, periodically a grey and other species will eat fecal matter because small perrticles of food go right through their digestive systems and mix in with the droppings and many times a birds eats through it to get to those particles. Could be seeds, pellets, nuts. Anything that can stay firm.

Thank you for the link. I read it. But, the person is referring to all that stuff as medicines. Your bird isn't sick, just wired right now plus the person says that it's only her opinion concerning the subject here. Better safe than sorry. This is the first time oils have been suggested for birds. Vets don't recommend it and they're the first ones to speak to people and tell them about the extreme sensitivity that a bird's nasal systems have, and when it comes time for a vet to treat a bird with nasal problems be ready to spend the big bucks. PS--i know how you feel. There's fantastic scented oils I would love to light up. We even have some put away. Some of these smells would bring me right back to 1977. My wife would love to do the same thing but we realize that it's a no no.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/04/26 23:14

"So, would therapeutic grade oil diffuser be safe or not? I can't tell from your answer..." Therapeutic grade essential oils are good for people to aid in breathing problems. Birds don't need any perfumed oils or other scented oils to relieve stress. If they breathe it in, a problem can occur.

If your bird is young, it usually gets used to it after putting it on often but you also have to become adept at putting it on correctly and somewhat quickly and with as little effort as possible which is gonna take sometime. He's sensing that you're uncomfortable and he's reacting. Some people have to take a few bites while they're learning to put it on. Adult birds are even worse. many won't accept any type of harness or restraint no matter what you do.

Any oil product that has a perfume smell should be considered dangerous to birds. Diffusers are used for one reason-- therapeutic grade essential oils properly nebulized have medical and soothing benefits. It's the inhaling of pure essential oils, gently diffused into the air that give the healing effect For people,nebulizing diffusers is far better to heat diffusers, fan diffusers, reed diffusers and candles. Now if you want to get the humidifier and use it without any oils, there should be no problems. In general, they're used for people who have breathing problems whichmeans that a bird will also inhale it.

Well, many greys aren't fond of young children in general. Greys don't care for the erractic quick activity that kids do. They don't like kids poking their hands in their cages and they will quickly bite if that happens. The bird would have no trouble with other animals unless you have any that will go after a bird. Lots of people have cats and dogs and don't have a problem. Each cat as well as each bird have individual personalities. Only you know your cat's personality.If your kids are old enough to understand a serious talk about what and what not to do concerning the bird, possibly, it can be done. Basically, the kids have to restrain themselves from scaring the bird. Also understand that the bird is an adult.

Go to Walmart. Buy 100% Aloe Vera Juice. 1 gallon jug--approx $9 Use full strength. Use a mister.Soak that area plus surrounding areas including the upper breast. The skin will be less irritated and become softer. Repeat every day for at least a week.. It's not toxic. If swallowed there's no problem. Also pick up 100% Aloe Vera Gel--$5. Use the gel for extremely irritated raw areas. It also isn't toxic and the skin will quickly absorb it. From the photo, your bird's problem looks very minor and putting any type of covering on it such as a collar will only irritate and scratch the bare areas. PS--pharmacies also carry these items but they're more expensive.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/04/26 01:44

Jon94 Near the top of this or any other page, there's an area called SEARCH FORUM Type in Birdtricks.com and you find everything concerning that DVD. Interesting and important material there.

The US has strict export and import laws. Animals can't be shipped out of the US unless special licenses are issued quarantine standards are followed. Transporting eggs and or animals is only allowed with special permits and is only done by official conservation groups for endangered species. The general public can't be involved.

It's good that you posted pictures. It helps. Your bird is plucking. It's not down to the skin yet and lets hope it doesn't go any farther. i doubt that it has anything to do with molting. Your bird may be having some problems with any type of changes going on such as moving a cage, new items that are now near him, new toys etc. It also happens when the skin of a grey dries out and becomes itchy. The first thing greys will do is pluck feathers because of the itchiness.There really isn't a specific reason why greys do that but greys are well known for plucking. Right now, the best thing you can do is to get a skin soother which is called Aloe vera Juice. It's sold in 1 gallon jugs at Walmart and also in pharmacies. Spray your bird thoroughly with it. Do it 3 to 4 times a week. It will soothe and soften the skin. The most important areas to spray are all the areas that you see white feathers and also under the wings and under the tail. Treatment will last for awhile because there's no quick fix. Even after the grey grows back feathers, it's a good idea to continue using the juice for the skin because greys constantly have dry skin. If you're gonna get the Aloe juice, it'aalso wise to get a small bottle of Aloe vera Gel which can be used for spot areas that seen more inflamed or very irritated. It's also good for removing old scales on the feet and legs. Neither item is toxic and both are absorbed in a short time.

There is no grey with that classification. Jaco is the name of a grey that was featured somewhere in a magazine a while back. It also applies to some red factor greys which can be seen by typing in RED FACTOR GREY where it says SEARCH FORUM above<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/04/25 05:59

Everything helps.

Much of what he's doing is normal considering that he's been confined for a long time. Right now, that cage is his home/castle which he''l protect when he wants to. You didn't say whether you let him out of his cage but when you have a bird that has complete control of everything in that cage including the ability to bite you then many things can be done with a bird when they're away from the cage. You didn't say whether you use a playstand but that item lets a bird become more relaxed and more open to people and to toys. You didn't say what kind of toys he has but he should have toys that he can get extremely aggressive with such as a heavy duty bell plus other items that he can destroy such as wood. Some birds simply can't be dealt with when they're in their cages and that also applies to much younger birds too. Dealing with him in a more relaxed way will help with human interaction. It will also give you the ability to simply walk away when he's thinking about biting yopu. greys give off warning signs when they're about to do that and the only thing you need to check out is our BODY LANGUAGE posts to get an idea of what I'm talking about. I have older birds including a TAG that's 14 yrs old. I got him when he was 8 1/2 yrs old and he was pure aggression all the time. It took quite a while but he's made a big change.

It's hard to answer to what his routine is but if he's starting to hurt you with that mouthing, you shouldn't let him do it anymore. Biting starts with mouthing. Some birds stay at the mouthing stage but many more to to the next step--biting If you're absolutely sure he's doing it so that you'll scratch him--fine. PS--if you're bird is mouthing you too hard and you say no bite, you're referring to the mouthing and not the biting so you gotta make up your mind when you wanna use that phrase. The bird doesn't know the difference between mouthing and biting hard. Some birds bite to get petted and some others mouthe to get petted. Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/04/25 03:19<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/04/25 03:28

Jason I'm gonna paste something here that I posted somewhere else about 5 hrs ago. No need for me to retype it since it's exacting about something you're doing---- ***Over the years, I've told countless people who are buying young birds to NEVER start whistling around or to an CAG on a steady basis because in the parrot world they're probably the most natural whistlers around with a big variety of whistles, some being very melodic. That's one reason why so many people start to hear a grey do a wolf whistle with no lessons. They need no stimulation and as they get older, the whistling will be heard more and more. They will start whistling when they hear it on a TV or radio or from other people etc. Important---Use words instead of whistles*** PS--they will even whistle at things that sound like whistles even though what they're hearing isn't a whistle. Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/04/25 02:13<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/04/25 02:20