Dave007

If the vitamins you're talking about have to be put in the water, you need to realize that the water will need to be changed frequently because those types of things mess up the water.

Parrots don't have accidents because they're wild. Domestic pets such as dogs can have accidents especially if they're trained to go outside. A dog will let you know it wants to go outside and if it's ignored that dog will get very annoying until it's taken out. There's a big difference between wild animals and domestic animals and it has nothing to do with setting one's self up for failure. It's setting ones self up to know that a wild animal is being dealt with as opposed to a domestic animal.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/02/05 18:57

"""Excellent post , Dave. But I'm curious, are you saying that a Grey cannot be trained to defecate solely in its cage ALL of the time? """ A bird can be trained to go on a stand ( or what ever a person uses. It can be trained to go in a cage but neither of these thing will constantly occur all day long if a bird is out of the cage. A bird may land on a piece of furniture and may have to go shortly afterward. It doesn't say "listen, excuse me for a minute,I need to take a dump over in my bathroom butdon't worry because I'll be right back."" A bird who may be in an area not near the place it takes a dump and that bird won't fly over, land on your shoulder and hound you to take it to his bathroom. Your shoulder is much easier to let go of one. That's the reason so many people wear chewed up, worn out clothing when their birds are on their shoulders. A bird who is potty trained but who is clipped cannot get to the batheroom in time to let one go. That's also why people put newspaper down around a cage because if the bird has to go, it won't walk back into the cage, go and come back out and roost again. It's simply shakes the tail and lets go of one.

Even though I'm not a vet, I totally agree with you concerning medication. Hearing that your vet is suggesting seditives bothers me simply because your bird is coming around when he's alone. He's getting the feel of the land again. In my eyes, I can only see good things happening if enough time is allowed for that to happen. Concerning the vitamins--those aren't as bad as seditives but you say that he's beginning to eat all the nutritious things you used to feed him. If those things were good, then vitamins are what he's taking in but you can make up your own mind concerning vitamins. Greys are naturally very curious animals and they don't like being kept out of the mix. I believe that his curiousity will redevelop as soon as he's much more comfortable in the home again. He's at a fragile age. Things that you may not give a second thought to may be affecting the bird. I also believe that boarding had a straining effect on your bird and when I say that, I don't mean that someone physically abused him. I have no idea if that happened. I would hope not. I'm sorry if I'm coming across as crass but I feel that your bird is making progress. I've seen this happen many times. I'm not saying that you should have no contact with him. I'm only saying that that contact should be the type that won't hurt him. A bird can be happy even if he's not on your finger/wrist/arm. Cuddling, letting the bird relax on you, having a treat in your hand such as an almond will allow him to nibble on it. I'm not saying that it won't be messy. You'll have crumbs on you. He likes some bread? Give it to him. let him start t associate good things with you again. I believe love is in the air but you should also understand that CAGs are very leery of things and take to things very slowly. If a woman has be physically or mentally abused by someone in her past and meets up with you who is ready to onl;y give good things, she'll still have to learn to trust you and watch the things you offer before she accepts you. It won't happen overnight.

[b]""""1. If we do decide to rehome him, how long should we leave it before we decide this? I mean will the bird not adjust after a certain number of months around one family?"""" This is your bird's age in which he gets used to things such as envirnment, people, daily habits, likes and dislikes. This is the age in which most people are told to work the bird into family life. It's official name is socialization. You've had your bird for one month. The bird hasn't been given a time to do that. It takes much, much longer for that to happen. Again, it's your choice. You need to sit down and think about your main focus. """"2. If Mika is toilet trained to poop in his cage, will he then never poop outside? """" A bird trained to defecate be it in a cage or outside of the cage will defecate a very large amount in the morning. Afterward, a bird will do the same thing no matter where he is. That's because nature dictates that. If your bird is in your lap, it will defecate right there if nature tells it to. If he happens to be on furniture, he will do the same thing because nature tells him to. A few official facts about parrots----Parrots are wild animals even though many are kept as pets. Those pet parrots will always remain wild. Nature dictates this. This is also the reason that many people alter their bird's natural abilities such as wing clipping because if the bird accidently gets out of the house, it's first natural instinct is to fly away and a huge amount of birds that do fly away are never retrieved. many times a clipped bird will excape and the bird will fly away but the clipping limits it's ability to continue on it's journey and bad things happen and the bird dies. Right now, this doesn't apply to your bird but I say these things so that you understand the difference between domestic and wild animals. Back to defecating--A parrot will defecate every 35 to 50 minutes no matter where it is in a house, or in a cage. The only time it doesn't defecate is when it's flying. Nature dictates this because they're wild animals. Most of the poop for the rest of the day is partially liquid and partially solid and both are mixed together and it's messy as most people will tell you. I say it again---Nature has decreed that the bird can't fly and fefecate at the same time. That would interupt each bodily function, A human being cannot sneeze and urinate at the same time. When one function happens the other function automatically stops. If that were to happen to a bird in flight, there would be serious trouble. What flight does do is incourage the bird to defecate shortly after landing. It doesn't happen all the time but many people don't realize that flying can encoueage defecation. In your situation, being a clean freak won't matter to the bird at all. A domestic animal can be changed but it doesn't apply to all domestic animals. A cat can't be walked in the street with a leash until it defecates or urinates but it can be trained to go tio a certain place in a house but that to will be messy and need to be cleaned up especially because of the odor. If people have snakes, rodents, reptiles in a house, none of those animals can be trained to hold it in. Nature tells them that it's time to go. You'll need to put up with a parrot's bodily function when it goes no matter when or where it goes.

you need to take it slow. If you need to, have him step up and you should immediately sit down and let him sit in your lap. Put yourhand in your lap and let him nibble on it. et him touch you. Watch some TV while doing all of this. Relax when you're with him. They can feel and sense nervousness and apprehension in a person. Maybe what I say irritates you but I'm only trying to tell you not to get into depression. Your bird has be through a lot and it takes time for a grey to get the regular picture back in focus

Put yourself in his place. You've been seriously injured and required a servious course of treatment which then landed you in a hospital. Finally, you're home but that doesn't mean you'll be the same person for quite a while. """"if I raise a hand slowly to pet him, he tries to fly away, resulting in falling off my hands and banging his chest, I know he lands hard because he squeaks slightly when he falls to the ground."""" Why are you doing that? He lands on the floor and the damaged area immediately hurts and sets him back a few days. That'll also cause him to fear you the next time you approach him. In his eyes maybe pain and you mean the same thing. He needs lots of time to get back to normal. He should do that in the comfort of his cage which is actually his home. You're th one that originally made that cage comfortable, attractive and appealing to him. If he's acting well when you're out of the room, that should make you feel better. Having a physical relationship with him while he's on the mend isn't a good idea at this time. You need to let him come around to you in his own time. You can't set up that schedule and sometimes, it takes a while for that to happen. You've got your little grey back. Now is the time to let him feel and understand that he's back with you, girlfriend, house, surroundings etc. Was he abused at that place? No one can answer that.

Just wash your hands with some soap and water before you handle him. You'd do that anyway for other things you handle,right. Some people say that the nicotine under the skin is bad. Other people say there's no problem. I guess we can only speak for ourselves. I've been a smoker for years and never had any problems so listen to the opinions and make up your own mind. Furniture cleaned? Again, it's up to you. I don't allow my birds on my furniture but it has nothing to do with any smoking residue. I simply don't want them on the furniture cause they shit on it.

He's doing a lot of mumbling. That means he's practicing sounds he's heard that will eventually turn into words Now for the other part of Photobucket--picturs. Go there and do the same thing Your private file will pop up and you simply click on the picture you like. When you wanna add it to a post, put mouse on picture--4 linkls will be underneath--go to bottom link which strats with. If you're in the IM section to the left and wanna show something to a person, go to the picture, look for the link that says IM , copy paste where you're typing your converstion. Well, that's it.

<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/02/08 21:22

<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/02/05 02:31

CONGRATULASTIONS!!!!

Go to Photo bucket--find your video--put mouse on it-- links should appear under it.--copy the one that says EMAIL AND IM. Come back here and paste it on a post

<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/02/05 02:30

<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/02/05 00:11

The major item that causes problems is from teflon and I don't know if silicone has teflon in it. Many someone knows. If I remember correctly, silicone is sometimes put on cast iron pots. Check to see if the silicone has teflon in it. I have cast iron pots and pans and I swear by them. I also have stainless steel pots and pans and swear by them too.

One way of doing that is to first put that video in a place called Photobucket which is an online storage area. It's free. Most posters use it. It accepts both videos and photos. Most boards don't accept any photo or video directly from a person's personal file. When a picture or video is put in Photobucket, it's assigned a number of links. The links tell you where to post the picture or video. The board here has one link that's used to post pictures on this main section. If you wanted to post something in the IM to the left, you would use another link. Understand that you're only copying a link from Photobucket to here . When you put something in Photobucket, it still remains in your personal file so you never lose it. So basically, what you're doing is posting a link from Photobucket to here. If in the future, you go back to Photobucket and delete that picture or video, it alsio disappears from this board at the same time sso as long as you keep it in Photobucket, the link you posted here will remain here. Type in PHOTOBUCKET.COM. Open an account. It's free. Follow directions and add things there and then post the proper link here. If I'm not mistaken, Photobucket will only take a video that is no bigger than 5 minutes long.

Just look above where it says Search Forum and type in Feathers. They'll be loads of information that will help you concerning your problem.

Oh gee,that's great Judy. 8 mts down to 7 mts. Thanks for the correction. I really wasn't thinking with a clear head. Considering that you made that clear, it makes the whole situation totally different. No, I don't need help in my math. Thank you for your concern though.

Hmmm, wait for hormones to return to normal. That's more than 8 mts away. Think that you can put up with this situation for 8 more mts especially since it's seriously bothering you now? Your husband will still be away working and your bird will still not get the care it needs. It still needs freedom, personalized attention and still needs cleaning up afterward. Ready to handle that? Think that the poop will look better? Think the bird will take to being ignored in an area where he'll be out of the way? Think you'll feel less ill around the bird and it's poop? I wonder if this is really a rash decision when a baby is concerned. I don't think so. It may be a rash decision after your child is alreay 6 mts old, not 8 weeks in the womb.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/02/04 20:56

There is no way to stop her from chewing on your clothing just like there is no way to stop a bird from picking at ear lobes or jewelry or hair or other visible skin. As opposed to other birds, your bird is a chewer when she's up there and the onl;y way to stop it is by keeping her off your shoulder. Many birds do as yours does and many don't.

Honestly, I can't tell if it will ever change. I'm a man and won't be so bld as to what your feeling will be in the future. But what I'm trying to suggest is only for wellbeing of 1--you 2--your future addition to the family. t may be true that your husband will be upset but any husband will normally be caring about a new baby that will arrive. You say that you have family that will take the bird and that's great. Your bird is very young and will definitely get used to new owners. I can guarantee you that. In a way, your situation is very similar to people who have asythema, breathing problems, COPD. They accidently didn't check out things before purchasing and many times, they too had to re home their bird/birds. Greys have dander which is a protective coating on the body and that dander will make a room dusty. It too has to be cleaned up. Normally, people would get angry with you concerning your problem but I feel that your situation is different than others. No one has the right to change your natural feelings concerning the well being of a new bay, the feelings of having a messy bird around, the feelings of future motherhood. Motherhood is a very time consuming thing. Cleaning up after animals is also the same. In no way am I saying that your feelings for your bird are bad. I just feel that you should concentrate on something that's gonna happen which is a marvelous event. I'm not your husband but like all of us men, we sometimes take a childish attitude towards things that will upset us. Hopefully, we all grow up and stop thinking of ourselves. I can remember many,many years ago when my wife was pregnant. She was a duifferent person who was very involved with pregnancy. Yes, I had other types of birds back then but they were the types of birds that didn't need as much care as larger, more individual care BUT I still had to clean up after them. I wish I could tell you about the future. I can't nor will I make up something that may happen in the future. What I said in my post before was basically for your mental stability. In your situation, your bird will easily adjust to change. I personally believe you won't which isn't abnormal. We men can't believe how women manage to clean up all the defecating and urinating of a baby. It's a feat that many of us don't have and being forced to do it doesn't make us change our minds. Do what you feel is best and if necessary, send your husband here to ask questions. many here have gone through parenthood and it isn't easy.

"""""Wonderful, thank you. It's strange that information n molting isn't as available as the info on diet, housing, behavior, since it's such a big part of their lives. I appreciate the help.""""" Well, all the types of things you mention here can be gotten fromk this board because many, many people have gone through the same thing and as long as they post in order to seek answers,it will eventually be given to you by many people. Your situation isn't an uncommon situation.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2009/02/04 18:58

It's very good that you were straightforward and explained the situation com[pletely. More than likely, you'll get complete answers. Since I'm a male, I can't say anything about being pregnant or the problems that arise with pregnancy. First, to put things aside--a baby won't contract illness from a parrot. If anything, people can make a parrot ill --example--- coughing and sneezing and mouthing a bird close up. Poop--it upsets you a lot. All parrots do that both in the cage and out of the cage and it upsets you. Fine. Many people get an animal not knowing about all the downsides of keeping that animal--a comparison here--people will buy a baby puppy. The puppy will immediately start pooping and urinating in many places in a house and it'll have to be cleaned up and the next step will be to paper train the puppy but even that has to becleaned up until the puppy is eventually trained to go outside. Parrots cant go outside. Mant people would suggest potty training for a bird but obviously, even that has to be cleaned up which would bother you. In order to be successful in raing a parrot, there needs to be interaction with that bird. Putting the bird in an area where the bird won't get interaction with a person does the bird no good and often leads to a problem bird. It too needs to be done. You're focusing on a new baby which is obviously thenatural thing to do. Normally, the 2 things ( having a baby--interacting with an animal ) isn't a problem but for some people it will be. Your husband is the one that deals with the bird but of course he works all day. So the bird needs to wait for him to come home. Greys do need time out of their cage everyday. Pooping while out will bother and scare you. It's your feelings on things and it can't be blamed on you. That's the way things are. I feel that much more investigation should have been done before the purchase. If that had been done, you would have found out that one of the most important things that go on is for thw bird to be socialized in a house will all members of the family. That's not going on. Being a clean freak isn't unusual whether a woman is pregnant or not. I commend you for being a clean freak. Nothing is gonna change as far as the pooping in and out of the cage. It's part of being a parrot owner. There's a possibility that as the bird gets older, there will be slight aggression towards you for not socializing with him. The fears that people have concerning things can't be gotten rid of by others that don't live with you. We here can only go by what the complete picture is which you've supplied. Your bird is very young right now and my opinion is that you should sell the bird to someone that can provide for the needs and life style it desperately needs. We here can't change your feelings about things because the things that are bothering will continue to bother you no matter what suggestions are given Example--poop, urination. We here don't look upon you as a complainer. Just a person who needs to know what the right thing is to do in your situation. The most important thing that you should do in the future is to look at all aspects before purchasing any animal so those aspects won't bother you.

That's molting. The white feathers always fall off with no urging from the bird. The grey feathers on the breast will also fall out but there are some that will need a little help from the bird in order to fall out. The bird pulls at them because of very slight discomfort. During any molting season, the skin is always dry, the feathers are brittle and dying. You should see new feathers within a week. As far as how often it happens, that has to do with the temperature and humidity of the area that the bird lives in. Hiher temperatures combined with dry air will cause frequent molting which you should avoid. A normal molt for a gey will be once or twice a year.