Dave007

Judy is right. 17 yrs of being a plucker is hard to stop. More than likely, there's also areas that feathers will never grow from because the bird will have already pulled out follicles. Concerning those collars, they may stay on for awhile but when the bird finally figures out how to get it off, the frustration of having it on for a while contributes to the following intense plucking. IO have a feeling that you will have to resign yourself to him being a plucker but things can change over a year's worth of time. 6 mts of you owning the bird isn't enough time for a bird to get rid of that habit. So, there may be hope in the future that the plucking will ease up.

It's extremely rare that a male will lay eggs unless there's a fault in his genes. So obviously, the bird is a female. Femles that have an over abundance of hormonal genes will lay an egg or two but that also is uncommon with greys. A female may do that when they're very mature--9 to 12 yrs old but it can happen with a very young bird too. It usually doesn't happen more than once. How many eggs will she lay can't be answered. Most lay one egg. If no male is around with her, fine. If there's another bird with her, the bird must be removed. The egg will be infertile especially at that age. Leave the egg with her for about 2 weeks. More than likely, that'll stop her from laying more. If the bird continually does this at that age, the bird needs to be examined by a vet who will examine internal organs.

Your post is in the correct place. What Judy is saying is that there's specific posts and pictures in other areas that can help you. Look above all the posts here. See the moving cube? Above the cube it says search forum Type Playstands in that area and press enter on your keyboard.

That happens now and then when a larger piece of whatever he's eating gets swallowed. It comes up, may be rechewed, is repositioned and down it goes. Often, it happens when a bird is eating different nuts.

Birds mimic everything from coughs, farts, squeaky doors, the coffee pot brewing, water going down the drain, a cigarette lighter, different animals other than birds etc. My best guess would be that your bird is just doing the same. If it were some sort of problem then she would do it often and repeatedly. More than likely, she picked that up and you may not have even heard it. Birds can pick up the sound of 2 dishes being scraped together as they're being put into a closet and it may take an owner months and months to figure out what sound the bird is actually making. Usually a person finds out by accident. Your bird may not be hiccuping at all but is doing another sound but if yoou're worried go to a vet.

Like Dan said, there's no problem with digital signals. The culprit were the old analog signals. Matter of fact, if a person sat very close to an analog signal, there was a very good chance that a person could develop eye problems. I remember some kids that I knew that did that and they wound up having to wear eyeglasses.

One place in US www.robharvey.com/palm-nuts.html

You can have a very good chance of having a good relationship with the bird because technically, it isn't wild caught. It may have been bred by wild caught parents though. Let's see, in 1992 importation went into effect. If the parents were brought in the country in that year and bred that same year, the parents would have to been at least 4 yrs old which is a mature breeding age. Imported wild birds didn't breed as quickly in a captive situation right away. So now its 2009. That would make the parents at least 24 yrs old if they bred in 1992. but only immature and adult birds were captured Older birds were taken if breeding was the reason for capture. It was very easy to separate babby birds from adult birds during capture. A possible agression problem may have to do with multiple owners. The bird goes from one place to another and isn't given the chance to become a part of any family. So, the maximum age your bird can be is 17 yrs old. You were told it's approx 4 yrs old. A 4 yr old bird is a very young bird who should be allowed to settle into a permanent environment but unfortunately that doesn't always happen. Many breeders who don't deal with wild birds of any kind may not band their birds. Others do but many times the info on it is very technical. Clasped bands( open are put on birds for many reasons but they fall into the same catagory as the others who are unclear. If you've just obtained the bird it will take lots of time for the bird to come around to totally trusting you. He also may never do things that baby birds learn to do. Parts of his past history will always stay with him but you should have excellent results by using patience. PS--the iris completely changes to it's permanent color by the age of 2 yrs old Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/02/10 21:08 Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/02/10 21:10<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/02/10 21:11

I don't feel that taking your own bird out will do any good. Any kind of good reaction from that bird will normally start when you're not around. If the bird flies away from you all the time, having your bird with you won't make any difference. Check foods in the cage. See if anything is messed up. See if the water has been soiled. Some will jump in the water accidently and dirt from the feet may remain. Hang a small bell in the cage close to a corner. If you're around and the bird is around or in the cage, the bell may ring giving you some sort of signal. But you should also set yourself up for possible disappointment. Some birds can't be retrieved once they're flying all over the place going where they please. One major thing you have going for you is that the bird constantly returns to an area where you can easily see him. Try out different things and see what happens. If you're not bothered by other wild animals such as squirrels, take a plastic platter and set that up in front of the cage and also put all sorts of foods in it but understand that other birds may also enjoy your meal. Open platters of food imitate what a grey does in the wild which is to come down to scavenge what's on the ground.

Sometimes, the local fire department will help especially if they think there might be an electric problem with exposed wires. That's what happened in Florida with many quakers. No matter what you do, you should insist that you're the owner of the bird until you get it. Then you can start your search for the actual owners. Also, Animal Control has the equipment to rescue animals in trees. Coaxing it down--an open doored cage in the general vicinity with all sorts of junk food ( Not Macs) in it sometimes attracts birds. Nuts, sugared berries etc. If you do put a cage out, make sure the bird is around watching you and also make sure he can see you putting all those goodies in the cage. If you have some sort of bird CD that has parrots making all sorts of squawking noises on it, you can try using that to get the bird's attention. Wish I could help more.

There's a need to say a few things here to give people a full history concerning *10 reasons not to buy a parrot* which I believe is too much of a blanket statement and it can't be fully understood by people who periodically hear or read this kind of material who have little experience with parrot ownership. Many people may take things as being set in stone.. """"""3. Although the importation of wild parrots to the US and Europe is outlawed (a good thing), domestic breeding of parrots is widespread and millions of parrots are raised for sale as pets. Breeders profit from producing and distributing parrots even though they know the birds will inevitably end up in inadequate—if not horrific and abusive—conditions.""""" You can't possibly be aware of what all breeders do. There's loads of breeders that don't fit that description--- * Breeders profit from producing and distributing parrots even though they know the birds will inevitably end up in inadequate—if not horrific and abusive—conditions.*. ---Most are very careful in what they do or sell. If you wanna be more specific, use the words *some breeders*, not just breeders. I take it extremely and personally insulting when a person makes blanket statements concerning what breeders do in order to provide other people with pets, in this case birds. If it wasn't for people like myself and many other exotic bird breeders that I know, there would be loads and loads of other people who wouldn't have birds as pets. And that may also include you. If you wanna pick out people who breed birds, then pick out the ones that breed birds haphazardly without giving a second thought about the future chicks. Many of these people keep these birds until they're in over their heads and don't know what to do. They have no ideas or desires concerning selling them. They just want loads of them of birds. I breed African greys for one purpose only. Money. I sell quality birds who make people extremely happy and many times those birds fill in the person something that's missing. I screen potential customers as do all of the other breeders I know. But equally important is that loads and loads of other breeders do the same thing all over the country including Europe. I know this because I deal with these people constantly on Skype visually or by audio. """""In its fifty-year lifespan, your parrot is almost certain to pass through several human hands. Your best-laid plans for his/her welfare are nonenforceable by law and likely to be blithely violated by future “owners” of your parrot. Your parrot has no rights, no legal protection and will have to be extremely lucky to avoid abuse and abandonment."""" Why did you get one? You didn't know all of what you now say are reasons not to get one? Do you think that you've had your baby TAG long enough to be able to tell people not to get a young bird the same way you did? Your bird was taken away before his eyes were open? That's your responsibity to find out if that's proper and there's hundreds of guides telling you not to accept a bird that young. Basically, it's also called *not doing your homework* """"Any parrot you buy in the US or Europe will have been stolen at birth from its parents, who are devastated by the loss."""" Well, in Europe, it's against the law to sell unweaned birds. A vet is required to report any cases of unweaned birds that he or she comes across. """""Your captive parrot will never do what S/he was designed to do: find a lover, mate and raise babies. S/he will be celibate and alone from birth to death, which might be fifty years or more. No love, no sex, no parenting, no descendants. """""" A captive bird can be brought into a household and have a decent life with people because those people go out of their way to provide very good things for that bird even to the point of being excessive. Many people can actually be accused of spoiling their birds and the birds don't complain. I see that all day, every day including weekends People and well as other birds can be accepted as flock members by birds with no problems. That's simply because most parrot species have that ability going back to the Roman era. It's been proven thousands of times that parrots can also be man's great friend and it's also be shown by parrot's reactions to many different types of people including invalids. In Europe, wing clipping is not accepted as well as it is here but those birds out there are given full freedom in the outdoors in all seasons to fly and fly and those birds always come back to their *home* which was created by their owners. """6. Any parrot you buy from a breeder will have been deprived of even minimal parental care and nurturing. Mine was taken from his parents before he opened his eyes. This practice is promoted to the public as “hand-feeding,” a technique that is supposed to produce happier, better-adjusted, less aggressive parrots. """""" Well, there's another side to birds being taken away from parents that hasn't been mentioned--- Most breeding birds are not pets nor have they ever been pets. They're bonded together, care for each other, want to mate because nature tells them to do this. They have little tolerance for people. Breeders keep these birds in areas that are specifically made for the birds so that their natural instincts can occur and it does occur like it does in the outdoors because it's controlled by seasons. So, you have 1 pair of breeders who are bonded, care for each other, copulate and eventually have eggs. There's one problem though---when the full clutch is laid, the female constantly eats all the eggs within 3 to 5 days after laying. This female is known to do this on a steady basis. So, the owner of the pair takes the eggs away immediately so that won't happen. The breeder then uses an incubator on those eggs until the eggs can be examined to see if they're fertile and if they are incubation continues. The eggs hatch and are raised by the owners. Should they have not been taken away. Now you have another pair of breedrs who are exactly the same way as the first pair in that they're bonded, in love, copulate and lay eggs. There's one problem though----it seems that after the clutch has been laid, the female refuses to incubate the eggs so the owner takes over the eggs and the incubator is used for the same reasons. Should those eggs have been left alone? """""If you must get a parrot, take the high and hard road. Adopt one that already been abused, abandoned or rescued. """"" Many birds are in shelters for a multitude of reasons besides being abused or abandoned. Too many reasons to list all of them. I know because I have to deal with two shelters 2x a month. Most are older birds. So, instead of me telling you about the extreme birds, I'll refer to one of my pet greys who is a TAG. His name is Tee. Tee is now 14. He was given to me when he was 8. He was owned by a very nice married couple who I personally but they couldn't cope with his personality. Tee was what you would commonly refer to as an *attack bird* All he desired to do was to attack the husband and seriously hurt him, attack the wife and seriously hurt her but they tried and tried with no success. Finally, this couple had a baby and as soon as this baby was visible to Tee, he went after her with a vengence. Luckily, he missed. That's when I received a phone call at midnight with the woman crying and asking me if I would take the bird because she was very fearful of this bird. Since this person never knew who else to call the next home for Tee would have been in a bird shelter. I took the bird. His personality didn't change just because he was going to a new home. He continued just like before. He went after me, my wife, my other birds and even my dog. I and my wife were seriously bitten and bloody with small scars through that whole time that still can be seen. So, for the next 1 1/2 years I had to work with him in order for him to totally change into a family bird that to this day is very loving to all other members of my house except for the dog which never pays attention to him anyhow.. So tell me, are you ready to a Tee type bird home with you from a shelter or even from another home? Are you ready for the abuse, pain, bleeding, biting that he and many others in shelters are ready to give out.? Where would you put the bird if he was like Tee and did these things to you? Do you think that it's right to tell people to do the high and hard thing by taking Tee home if they have little experience in dealing with a bird that has certain types of baggage attached? """"If you’re like me and found out the truth too late, or knew it and went ahead anyway, love and cherish your parrot forever. " """" The people here love and cherish their birds. Some even love and cherish their birds more than they do their husbands and wives.

I only think at the *disease * issue would be physical damage to the bird. When going to a pet shop to have wing clipping done, there's usually one main method of wing clipping that's done and that applies to all species of birds. Different species require different styles of clipping. Some pet shops do know the difference in clipping styles but so many others don't and when it's all done, it's the bird that might suffer the most by either an incorrect clipping or an extreme clipping and it can't be undone. After incorrect wing clipping, the bird takes a very long time in growing back feathers that were incorrectly done simply because those certain feathers won't molt out and regrow at the same time. It may take as long as a year. An avian vet knows which clip is proper for each species and slight variations to that clip can be done by simply talking to the vet. I believe a vet is the better way to go. Many, many people have had their birds done at pet shops and walked away very dissatisfied. Also, when many people have gone to purchase the bird, that bird has already be done incorrectly but it's very hard to spot because the bird is caged to be on display. Nails are a different thing---you can go to a vet to have them done but most of the time, the vet will show you what to do so you can do the nail clipping. Clipping nails is no big deal. Beaks getting done should be by a vet because beaks can have malfiormations in them and it's best that a vet handle something so sensitive.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/02/09 19:45

Nothing to worry about. Greys do that for many reasons. Some even do it when they hear music or watching movements around them. Healthwise, there's nothing wrong. It's a habit that they'll retain.

The only difference in neediness between a cockatoo and grey is that a TOO wants to be all over you all day long and will not develop if that's denied. It also exentuates their screeching. It doesn't mean that a grey isn't as needy. They're just as needy if not more because of all the things they require even though it isn't necessary for them to be all over you. 2 different species--both very needy but in totally different ways.

I have to give an opinion which may be different from others and it's not what you wanna hear.. Lots of this wouldn't apply if you had another person living in your home during the times that you're not there. many people say that they have birds plus similar hours and there's no problems but more problems can possibly arise in your situation simply because of your time schedules. Greys need lots of time out of a cage daily and the ideal time to do that is when there's daylight.Your schedule keeps a bird in the cage for the majority of time during the day. Many greys do develop problems when they're alone all day and caged. It may have to do with behavior, socializing and self mutilation. There are just so many things you can give your bird to keep him occupied. They need constant long term interaction with a person/people in order for their personalities to develop. You're a young man who's concentrating on jobs that are considered full time. Those jobs will keep you away from your bird. You have one day off and yes, you may devote the whole day to the bird and feel that it's enough. I don't know whether college in in your future but that takes up lots of time. In your near future, you have to think about girlfriends and socializing with present and new friends. A day off is the ideal time to do that. You may bring these friends to your house and because a bird doesn't know these new faces, it's very common for a grey to get spooked or fearful and very quiet until people leave. They normally stay in their cage, become very quiet and just watch what's going on. Greys don't take to strangers quickly if at all. Many people have the same desire to get a grey who are in similar situation to yours but many times it doesn't work out for the bird. Future problems--what happens if your grey does develop problems? What would you do? The problems could be behavior or medical. If you haven't spent loads of time with a new bird, that would mean that you'd have a harder time trying to decide what to do with your bird in case things happen. I've seen greys who are by themselves all day and so many times problems have occured and those problems stay with a bird for good if those problems aren't corrected and this has nothing to do with any medical conditions. What would you do if your bird became a plucker? Many greys will pluck from frustration and many don't get over the habit of plucking once it's started. What would you do if your bird developed a medical problem being in a cage all day while you're not there? example. The bird starts flapping vigorsly especially since it doesn't get excersise and the wing gets stuck in the bars of the cage. If you're there, the problem can be addressed but if you're not? Many people have good luck when getting a bird when those people are in the same situation as you. But it's just that, luck. What if you have bad luck? There are so many other things I can mention that might happen or develop while you're gone but I'll stop here and just let you think about what I mentioned. I believe that if you really desire a parrot then the best thing for you to do in your situation is to get 2 parrots that can live together all day and keep each other amused and active all day. You can't put 2 greys together in one cage and not expect problems. Even people who have 2 greys and those people are home all day find it necessary to keep each grey in it's own cage all the time. So, think heavily about what you wanna do. PS--If it was an Amazon parrot you were thinking of getting and you put that type of bird in the same situation, the amazon would become slightly obese from the lack of activity.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/02/09 05:51

I know you're concerned. So many here have seen poor quality birds in pet stores and it's heart breaking. This subject has been brought up at different times and I'll have to say it again--if you're a generally new parrot owner, it's best to turn your back on poor quality birds and find a decent, healthy bird because you'll have your hands full in dealing with a brand new baby bird and the last thing you wanna start off with is a sick bird which will distract you from all the proper methods of dealing with a new bird.

A much older bird eventually loses the left to right crack that's located about 1/4 inch above the tip of the upper beak. That happens after a lot of wear and tear and lots of scratching and filing on rough surfaces. The shiny black beak eventually turns dark gray with a million scratches in it. But because that happens with much older birds checking a beak can't give any age of the bird.

I'm really not sure whether you've gotten another parrot since the loss of both of the others but I would uggest you staying away from pet stores. There's loads of breeders out there but and many may be difficult to get to, but it's worth the trip. It's better that you get a fully weaned bird so that the vet can check for dark spots and feather abnormalties. A fully weaned bird is easier to examine than an unweaned bird.

""" Is he just pouting because he is rotten and knows he can???"""" He's not being rotten. He's had a shitty experience in an area that can affect birds for a while. many birds come home from a vet visit and they don't act the same for a while. Thursday was just yesterday. Your vwet may have thandled the situation a little too rough for the bird. Doesn't make him a bad vet though. he'll definitely come around as soon as he knows the vet visit won't happen soon afgain. Their cage is their home and they come around and back to normal behavior best when they can do it fom the safety of the cage. Don't get overly pushy with him. What's going on is an everyday occurance with some birds after a vet visit. remember that your bird had to be put upside down and grabbed while the vet did his job. Most birds who have their flight feathers pulled out don't need antibiotics though but if your vet said to give them, then give them. Many people know how to remove flight feathers at home and no drugs are used afterward. The only thing needed is an item( powder to stop any extra blood from comin out--Similar to what a dog goes through when he gets his claw cut to short and blood comes out.

You should have left it outside of the cage until the time that she shows very obvious interest in the toy by coming out and spending lots of time playing with it herself with no interference from you. Getting used to a toy may take weeks. Put it back where it was and let her fully accept it. Next step would be to put it closer to the door but still outside the cage. Next step would be to put it in the cage but still near the door. Next step would be to move it in closer. Greys are very leery about new things including other items that aren't toys. It may look like a toy to you but she may have a different attitude towards it right now and she needs to convince herself that it's something she will enjoy on a constant basis.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/02/06 22:59

Simply put, it's true that teach bird may not like each other or will like each other or will simply ignore each other. Question can't be answered. The greys have individual personalities. More than likely they'll be less bored. If you're thinking about a budgie, forget that thought. In general, budgies don't like bigger birds. Finches have to be caged and won't make any contact one way or another with parrots plus a happy finch is one that has at least one other one in a cage.

A nice name would now be shatzy or shotzy

If you intend to make an outdoor aviary and it's gonna stand on the ground or a porch, make sure that the whole thing stands on bricks that are at least 6 to 8 inches high. Ants and other bugs crawl in there and the bottom opening should be big enough so that you can get under and get rid of them. I have one outside and I constantly check for crawlies and I usually find lots of them all the time. Also, try to make the avairy collapsible so that it doesn't suffer from the elements when not used for a long time<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/02/06 19:24

I totally agree with Dan. If it continues, have the bird checked for clostridium. It can cause some serious problems if not treated.

My opinion is that the great majority of people who have 2 greys or more really shouldn't worry about *bonding* if the bonding you're talking about is eventually picking another bird as a replacement to you. As lokng as each bird has their own home(cage) the only *bonding that will happen is a mutual friendship between each other and that usually happens when both are out of their cages. The owner is still #1. Many people have more than one grey and it winds up that they simply tolerate each other, not become extremely close friends. If greys get closer to being close friends, it still means that they're playmates. I don't think you have anything to worry about if each bird has their own home. Matter of fact, each bird's personality develops better if they each have their own home.