Dave007

Morning First of all, I apologise for using the wrong wording the other day. That area may just be extremely crusty at this time. The other day, the picture looked like an infection but it wasn't. Flaking can occur in different areas on the beak. The other day I thought you were talking about sheddind, not flaking. If your bird is eating well, the area may just be crusty and the dryness is causing slight cracking or visible lines in the beak. If you don't see any constant ooze in that area then more than likely the area is crusty and there's really no way to get rid of it. The bird is the one that does that. basically, he's filing it down and it takes a while. In the meantime get ome of that aloe gel and dab it on the area if you're a little worried. It didn't look bad to me. What did look bad was that color which I thought was infection but you said it wasn't. The slight cracking could be the way he holds hard food. Some will eat a hard nut with front of the beak. Others will use the side of the beak. Understand that their beak is basically their teeth. Chipping can occur but if the bird continues eating, there should be no problems.

1/4 teaspoon 2x a week is fine

chimaysmommy If you actually mislead people here, your punishment is that you must get 2 greys so that people won't think you actually mislead them. I know you'll feel better by showing them that you would never mislead them.

Well, I'm very sorry that my answer didn't measure up to your expectations. I was only trying to help. You never said anything about blueberries causing discoloration. You only said the bird ate them. I gave you a safe opinion and what to do to make it better. Photos are hard to deciphter. I'll make sure that I watch what I'm saying next time. And by the way, lower beaks don't shed, only the top beaks do.

The lower beak has a infection which needs to be treated. That's why itloks raw. A vet visit is in order. Some of the exterior may have to be scraped away. That's where the infection is. It's usually not serious because it's on the exterior of the beak. In the meantime, if you can't get to a vet soon, put some aloe vera gel on it. Slight dabs and try to spread around to cover that area. If you can't get the gel, buy a small bottle of Vit E gel caps. Take one cap, puncture it and do the same thing until you get to the vet. keep area moist with gel or vitamin.

Absolutely not. All that type of food is greasy. Most mexican food is fried and like other fried food, it's no good.

I'm very familiar with birdbreeders.com. It's simply an advertizing list of breeders by state. Not all breeders advertise there. There's a bigger chance of the breeders getting contacted by customers if they advertise there. The site can simply be looked at and compared to a telephone book. Nothing more, nothing less. The site doesn't require any information concerning what type of breeder you are. In other words, them being bad breeders, good breeders. The site doesn't require the breeder to list the methods of raising birds. The site doesn't require a breeder to list what types of birds that are bred. The site doesn't tell breeders to put in a description of their business such as *small family business*--*privately run business* etc. That's totatlly up to the breeder and it could be true or false. The site doesn't require breeders to list any types of contracts they use. Again, basically a phone book type of site. If you wish to purchase or check into breeders, only use the sites that have phone numbers attached. Back and forth Emails can be misleading. Buying a bird or other animal should always be a personal thing. It's alive and it should be examined very well. Different breeders will offer different contracts. I also don't feel that shipping is good because that means the bird was purchased sight unseen. I'm totally against it. Getting a bad bird by that method makes it hard to get your money back. Many people find it very difficult to find a breeder where they live and I can only say that if you have to travel 300 miles, then so be it. It's difficult but because of what's being done, both the purchase of a bird and the amount of driving will be a first. I'm not a believer in the * let the bird come to you* philosphy. There's many times that no bird will come to a person and that doesn't mean it'll be a bad choice. If a person goes to a kennel to purchase a pure bred dog and there's 5 to 7 puppies to look at, all the puppies will charge you and wanna be petted, tickled and they'll wanna jump over a potential customer. So tell me, how does a person pick out one of those pure breds that are all racing over and playing and nipping and wagging their tails and picking at your shoelaces and slobbering all over you?<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/03/14 18:18

You're a shopoholic? Purchase anything you want at any Dollar store. You'll be able to spend the day shopping, come home with lots of things and the best of all, you'll still have money in your pocket, Then you'll have the title of SmartSaver of the year. Let's see-- how will we put it on the awards plate? I got it!! Addicted Shopoholic SmartSaver of 2009. Ladies and Gentleman, and the winner is.. the one and only Msvoluptous

You shouldn't try to pull out a cracked flight feather. The feather has to be taken out at the very base of the feather and after that's done some slight bleeding will occur. It doesn't matter if it's done by a vet or experienced people. All know that some blood will show up and that area also has to be clotted. Some people who breed birds and have many around also know how to do that process because it constantly happens to their birds. One of the main reasons that proper sized cages are always recommended is because a bird needsthat inside space to flap without the feathers getting caught in the side bars. I really don't know what books that you're referring to but like everything else that's idiotic out there, your vet is probably right on the money.

Broken blood feathers usually occur in the flight feathers about 98% of the time. The flight is usually broken in an area which is pretty far away from where the feather is coming out of. Those feathers have a constant blood supply in them. The only other feathers that are the same are the tail feathers but blood is rarely seen there. Birds chew tail feathers and blood doesn't come out. The wing feather is basically crack and blood will come out until the area is clotted. The clotting is usually temporary. It give a person time to go to a vet who will remove the whole feather down to the skin. Other people who are experienced with that problem can do it at home. it usually takes two people to do it. One to hol;d the bird, the other to pull the feather, Any person who owns a parrot should have some type of clotting agent in the house to use in that emergency--Quik Stop--talcom powder--corn starch or any other similar powder type items plus there should be 5 or 6 Q-tips available. The powder is put on the bleeding area with a Qitip that's been dampened and is covered by whatever is being used. It's applied to the area and pressed in and held there for about a minute. If the bleeding starts again, the procedure is done again until the bleeding has stopped. The feather is put back in line with all the other feathers and it's off to the vet to have it pulled. PS--the only other times that the flight feathers will fall out is when the blood supply into the feather has stopped because the feather is old and ready to come out. Either the bird pulls it out, flaps it's wings and it will come out or it simply falls off the body.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/03/13 22:48

Rumors--there's so much false information that floats around that come from so called legitimate people. I'm not trying to change your mind about you possibly getting another bird but you should know about basic things concerning a parrot/parrots. A new parrot ( even an older parrot) that's brought into a house that also comes with habits and situations from the past can't be picked up by another parrot. Your present bird will not become a plucker because another one is a plucker. A present bird will not become a biter unless both are put in one cage but that biting will start with each bird before it ventures out to the owner. The reason for that biting of the owner is because the present bird has been put into an uncomfortable situation by the owner. Now, I realize that your post has nothing to do with biting but just like your post about your subject, others have come to the board with other situations that resemble yours. I have adult birds that were passsed on to me and both had totally different problems and the resident grey had no desire to change and that would apply to all other greys. I find that having more than one bird allows all of them to communicate with each other all day long in a way that I could never do but that makes me happy. Parrots are group/flock birds and their lives in the wild has to do with being with others. If you have a bird that is a very good talker and another bird doesn't say a word, that will not stop the talker from talking. There's very little problems when putting birds together as long as each bird is allowed to set up their personal home which is a cage. Would you feel comfortable in another person's house if you were made to live in their surroundings or would you feel comfortable going home to your own abode that you built? Remember, I'm not trying to change your mind but you should know that if each bird is allowed to be an individual, they will remain as two separate birds with two different personalities.

Yes it is but it's actually a mating ritual thing not a mating season thing. They slightly spread their wings aiming the long feathers slightly downward which is the mating position of a male. Greys will do that from the time they're adolescents into maturity. They will also make a slight huffing sound sometimes. Just don't pet the bird near the vent, lower breast and under the wings because that will further excite them sexually and sometimes they will bite if a person stops doing that prematurely. It eventually subsides but a grey will periodically do that throughout the year.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/03/13 01:07

At first, after a grey loses it's initial fear of an object such as a stand, it will go onto a stand and explore just about everything that's there and after checking things out and playing with things for a while, nature takes over and they find the highest spot on an object and the amount of constant contact with all the other things lessens greatly. They're extremely comfortable on top and they'll relax and stay more still on the top. The time for toy playing comes once in a while but not constantly. it's the nature greys and a few other species.

The Ring of Fire

In the bus ------------ A man is standing inside a crowded bus. Behind him a woman starts spraying perfume on herself. The man is overwhelmed with the smell and the fumes of her perfume and can't stop coughing. He turns back and looks at her. The woman says, "Perfume de Paris $100 dollars a bottle". A few minutes go by and the woman starts gagging and starting to throw up. The man turns around again and says to her, "Pinto beans .29 cents a pound.

A man enters his favorite ritzy restaurant, and while sitting at his regular table, he notices a gorgeous woman sitting at a table nearby all alone. He calls the waiter over and asks for their most expensive bottle of Merlot to be sent over to her, knowing that if she accepts it, she is his for the night. The waiter gets the bottle and quickly sends it over to the girl, saying it is from the gentleman at a nearby table. She looks at the the man, then at the wine and decides to send a note over to the man. The note read: "For me to accept this bottle, you need to have a Mercedes in your garage, a million dollars in the bank, and 7 inches in your pants." The man, after reading this note, sends another note to her. It read: "Just so you will know, I happen to have a Ferrari Testarosa, a BMW 850iL, and a Mercedes 560SEL in my garage, plus I have over twenty-million dollars in the bank. But, not even for a woman beautiful as you, would I cut three inches off my di*k. So just forget the whole thing and just send the wine back."

A pay raise There was a Rabbi whose wife was expecting a baby. The Rabbi went to the congregation and asked for a raise. After much consideration and discussion, they passed a rule that when the Rabbi's family expanded, so would his paycheck. After five or six children, this started to get expensive. The congregation decided to hold a meeting again to discuss the Rabbi's pay situation. As you can imagine there was much yelling and bickering. Finally, the Rabbi got up and spoke to the crowd. "Having children is an act of God!" In the back of the room, a little old man with a full beard stood up and in his frail voice said, "Point of information - snow and rain are also 'acts of God', but we wear rubbers!"

A guy goes to the U.S. Post Office to apply for a job. The interviewer asks him, "have you been in the service"? "Yes" he says. "I was in Viet Nam for three years" The interviewer says, "That will give you extra points toward employment". The interviewer then asks, "Are you disabled in any way"? The guy says, "Yes 100%... a mortar round exploded near me and blew my testicles off". The interviewer tells the guy, "OK I can hire you right now. The hours are from 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. You can start tomorrow. Come in at 10:00 A.M." The guy is puzzled and says, "If the hours are from 8:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. then why do you want me to come in at 10:00 A.M." "This is a government job" the interviewer says. "For the first two hours we sit around scratching our balls....... no point in you coming in for that"

A man staggers into an emergency room with a concussion, multiple bruises, two black eyes and a five iron wrapped tightly around his throat. Naturally, the doctor asks him what happened. "Well, it was like this," said the man, "I was having a quiet round of golf with my wife, when at a difficult hole we both sliced our balls into a pasture of cows. We went to look for them. While I was rooting around I noticed one of the cows had something white sticking out of the cow's rear end. I walked over and lifted up the tail, and sure enough there was a golf ball with my wife's monogram on it -- stuck right in the middle of the cow's butt. That's when I made my BIG mistake." "What did you do?" asks the doctor. "Well, I lifted the cow's tail and yelled to my wife, "Hey, this looks like yours!" "I don't remember much after that..... "

The New Priest A new priest at his first mass was so nervous he could hardly speak. After mass he asked the monsignor how he had done. The monsignor replied, ' When I am worried about getting nervous on the pulpit, I put a glass of vodka next to the water glass. If I start to get nervous, I take a sip.' So next Sunday he took the monsignor's advice. At the beginning of the sermon, he got nervous and took a drink. He proceeded to talk up a storm. Upon his return to his office after the mass, he found the following note on the door: 1) Sip the vodka, don't gulp. 2) There are 10 commandments, not 12. 3) There are 12 disciples, not 10. 4) Jesus was consecrated, not constipated. 5) Jacob wagered his donkey, he did not bet his ass. 6) We do not refer to Jesus Christ as the late J.C. 7) The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not referred to as Daddy, Junior and the spook. 8) David slew Goliath, he did not kick the shit out of him. 9) When David was hit by a rock and was knocked off his donkey, don't say he was stoned off his ass. 10)We do not refer to the cross as the 'Big T.' 11)When Jesus broke the bread at the last supper he said, 'take this and eat it for it is my body.' He did not say 'Eat me' 12)The Virgin Mary is not called 'Mary with the Cherry.' 13)The recommended grace before a meal is not: Rub-A-Dub-Dub thanks for the grub, Yeah God. 14)Next Sunday there will be a taffy pulling contest at St.Peter's, not a peter pulling contest at St. Taffy's.

medium--built to allow bird to fit in even if bird gets bigger. small is very tight

You're a stranger to the bird. They'll shiver when a bit frightened or leery or nervous. Most greys will immediately stop talking when approached by anyone. It doesn't happen in the home but if strangers come to the home, it will immediately stop talking and will juat stare. They won't perform. Biting--nothing unusual to happen to a stranger where picking up from the floor is concerned. That type of habit slowly disappears after a bird is home with the person it trusts and also knows the person's everyday habits . basically, it comes under the catagory of familiarity. It sounds like a decent bird but it probably hassome habits fronm the past that he'll take home with him. That applies to all parrots who've linved in other homes where people have done things differently. If it was me, I would take the bird but you should ask when the bird was taken to a vet and for what reason. It would be a good idea to take the bird to a vet for a basic physical anyway. Everyone does that with a new bird--good luck in whatever decision you make.

Concerning foods---your bird needs fillers. The bird needs bulk. Buy some decent quality parrot mix and check out dark green veggies. Fruit isn't important and they don't have a high nutritional value. In conjunction with all other types of food, fruit is fine but shouldn't be # 1 on your list. A bird that's on a stand all day has no where to go and that's when a cage is necessary. The bird will decorate the cage to it's own liking and it'll become it's home when not on a stand.

Formula and grapes isn't a proper diet for a grey that age. Not to insult you but did you learn a lot about african greys before you purchased the bird? I ask for a reason because if you haven't, there's plenty of material you should be investigating immediately.