Dave007

A CAG that weighs about 424 to 427 gms is considered a small CAG. More than likely, it will remain at that weight because you're starting to exercise the bird. Parrots don't gain weight when they constantly exercise. Greys aren't known for gaining weight. Here's aapprox weight list for the size harness you can look into Small Aviator =================== Birds weighing between 190-425 grams: Small to medium-sized Amazon parrots (blue fronted, lilac crowns, orange winged), small african grey parrots (timneh, small congo greys), yellow collared macaws, small cockatoos (goffins, lesser sulfur, major mitchell, galah), large parakeets (alexandrines, pionus) Medium Aviator ================= Birds weighing between 425-600 grams: Eclectus, medium macaws (severe, red fronted), large amazon parrots (double yellow, yellow nape), umbrella cockatoos and larger african greys Aviator harnesses and regular 7 ft harnesses are 2 different items which are sized differently Aviator harnesses are adjustable

This is a situation in which an act caused by nature has turned into a attention getter. You're worried about your bird's white patch area which is now pinkish from irritation that the bird did volunteerily. No bird intentionally inflicts pain on it self. As bad as an area might look, a bird will eventually stop something as soon as it feels discomfort. Many times it takes a long time to do this but if this act was being done because nature was the only thing making the bird do this, it would stop quicker then if the act was being done to get attention. He definitely has your attention when you look at him and he stops and watches to see what your reaction is. If you walk away, he starts again to get a reaction. Everything you've done to distract him hasn't distracted him. He's succeeded in getting your attention and that's why he temporarily stops because he can't do 2 things at one time. """"I came home from running around and not 2 seconds he started his screaming, I ignored it, he stopped, I praised him, told him mommy will get you out after I let the dogs out, I turned to do just that, and he went to his normal chicken scratching,"""" Well, he saw you and did exactly what was needed to get your attention and he succeeded and the more he does this and succeeds, the longer it will take for him to stop. Basically, you have to leave him alone until he realizes that all the scratching, screeching won't get him anywhere and this process will take a long time but will be longer for you because you're seeing what you think are painful injuries and it's hard on you. You have to be patient. Everything he does stops when he has your attention. Some birds want to be out of their cages much more than others. Whether you're going to allow this is up to you but if anything that you won't allow to happen that he loves he will do whatever it takes to get his way. Injuries-------It's recommended that greys should be given heavy duty cowbells to play with and vent their frustrations out on the bell. Almost all greys get extremely violent with the bells to the point where the bell slams into their face causes pinkish tones and temporary discomfort. This doesn't stop the grey. It simply gets the grey to be more aggressive with the bell. Many people get scared and write in about it. Some take the bell away until being told that it's natural. They give the bell and the extreme smasking occurs again. A true Rocky Balboa face is seen. I wouldn't say anything about the cage but because you said that the cage being the size it is now is the best. This has to do with bars of the cages. It's a rough diagram. Each dot represents a bar. Each horozontal line represents a space. You say it has 1/2in opening this is 1/2in ._____. this is 3/4in .________. 1/2in with more vertical bars ._____._____._____._____._____._____. 3/4 in with more vertical bars .________.________.________.________. Any bird rubbing itself on bars that are 1/2in apart will mark up it's face more so than one that's rubbing itself on bars that are 3/4in apart because there's less bars and more empty space.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/10/30 21:45

If you have a disability, you shouldn't risk getting hurt in the shower with your bird. They can get spooked easily. It's not unusual for greys to not like showers, bathing, misting, sinks of water but thereare methods to use in order to accomplish successful partial or total bathing. First off, it's not necessary to bathe your bird alot unless he has a special problem. There are some methods but you should understand that all will take time to achieve. People get discouraged and think they've failed because it doesn't happen quickly. Probably, the best way to get a grey used to the fact that he/she is gonna get watered down is to use a mister. Your bird will probably run to the other side of the cage. take the mister and put it above him and mist downward so that water acts like a very light shower. Again, he might run away but you need to be persistent with whatever method you wind up using. Eventualy, if your bird gets used to the mister, put it closer and only use 1/2 squirts on the breast. Don't squirt him in the face. When your bird finally accepts that turn nozzle so that water comes out like a water pistol. Use 1/2 sqirts and aim at the crease between the wing and body. It's not waterproof in that area so the water will get in and wet feathers. Constantly do this for a while until you eventually see that your bird will tolerate it ( he still won't like it.) It might take time. Then use the mister and spray breast and top of body. That's it. If you hit the top of the body, that will take some dander away. Of course, it's not like standing in a sink of water but it does work. Don't worry about your bird squawking or growling and having a pissed off facial expression. They all do that. The more he gets used to the misting, the more water you can use. Basically, the breast and between body and inner wing is very important area. A bird will push that water around to other parts of the body. One other thing---experiment with cold and room temp water. Some like it cold, others like room temp water and make sureyou don'thurt yourself. If he gets you into a pretzel, forget about and try again at a later time.

I sure hope that the higher ups will take Carolyn's post and put it up somewhere here so that people will have easy access and be able to see it immediately. It's an important list and it needs to be easily seen. She's a doll for posting it.

There are some common reasons for feather chewing. ====================================================== More than likely, the chewed feather looks like a V at the end. There's a few different reasons that this happens. What's very important is that many times, a young grey will outgrow this problem. It could be stress and agitation or low humidity combined with not enough bathing. It could be boredom even though there's lots of toys in a cage. It could be curiousity in the sense that a grey discovers that it can be done and decides to do it. Sometimes, that habit lasts for a while. It could be dry skin which can develop by being near heating vents. Try to make sure that your bird is in a calm environment and doesn't have lots of loud noises around her all the time. Make sure that she isn't being housed in a round cage (round cages can actually make a bird feel disoriented because they don't have any corners to retreat to if needed). Make sure she is getting at least 10 hours (preferably 11 or 12 hours) of sleep each and every night. If she is not getting this- you can cover her cage at 8 at night (give or take an hour) and then uncover her cage at 7 or 8 in the morning. This will help keep her cage dark (if you use a dark towel to cover her cage with) and will help her get more sleep each night. Just basically use common sense and make sure that she is comfortable in her surroundings. Probably you'll say that most of these things don't apply and if so, concentrate on the bathing/ misting. Soak the bird down. Don't use hair dryers or towels to dry him off. Let the water sink in. Thiswill also help any bald spots that you can't even see if they're there. If there are bald spots that you can see, they should be treated with aloe vera gel which is applied directly to the bald spot. If you feel that a medical problem exists, a visit to the vet will ease your mind. PS--you can't do anything concerning the chewed feather. It'll just have to fall out and it will when any type of molting starts. Everytime you see him doing that, gently mist the area with some water.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/10/29 20:17

Powder coating is done professionally. It involves having the cage stripped down and the powder coated finish is then baked in. Go to EBAY. Type in Bird cages. Look at all the cages and their descriptions. You'll see hundreds of powder coated cages. There's not too many colors that manufacturers use--black, grey/silver, green, red, gold. It might be less expensive to get another cage as opposed to having the old cage done. Check it out and see what you come up with.

pat36 They do chew on their cages..the door latches, bowl latches, the inside walls, insides of the roof, the grating. Greys are well known as chewers and more importantly, it's takes quite a long time before they give up chewing on a certain area, a very very long time. They're persistant to a fault. So, if there's even the slightest chance that he/she can scrape a little paint off, I guarantee you that he'll never stop. Some greys won't do this but it's impossible to know which will and which won't. It's not good to put paint in a cage that will be occupied by a well known chewing parrot. if you feel that your cage is in bad shape, you can look into getting it powder coated. My opinion is no paint. Better safe than sorry.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/10/29 05:57

Ever see what happens to a kid after playing action packed video games just before going to bed? Do you think the kid will argue about going to sleep.The situation can be even worse if the kid had a slice and a soda. What happened to your bird is the same thing that happens to most greys once in a while until they get it out of their system. Expect that to happen frequently. They're young and rambunctious and ornery.

Normally, if you have a cold and a cough, your bird won't get it unless you go over to your bird and sneeze or cough in the bird's face. The reason is that both the sneeze or the cough will have minute amounts of your saliva mixed in and then the bird can get sick. So, stay away from the bird when sneezing or coughing and make sure you have a kleenex or hankerchief if you do sneeze or cough in it's face.

If he had a rough landing, being quiet for a while would be natural. If there were any injuries, he wouldn't eat and more than likely would stay on thebottom of the cage so he does not have to exert any energy by holding onto a perch. He'll be fine in a few hrs or by tommorow.

Actually, steam cleaning is probably one of the most common ways of killing birds and the questions/information and facts about it have been on different bird boards for years. The question that comes up all the time is what to do with the bird/birds when steam cleaning will be done. The chemicals that are used in steam cleaning are some of the deadliest as far as birds are concerned. The most common solution that's told is to remove the birds for at least 2 days or more depending upon how much area is gonna be covered and how fast the home can be ventilated in order to get the chemicals out. The two biggest problems that are asked about is steam cleaning and painting.

Oh man, that's such a horrible thing to hear. I'm at a loss for words. If you couldn't handle the smell, I'm sure no other creature, human or animal, could have handled it. I'm really sorry about what happened. If there's anything we can do, feel free to talk about it or yell or just cry. We're here and as far as we're concerned, you're part of the family bird or no bird.

Long term boarding is expensive and more importantly, possible sickness can occur there. Maybe try a good friend or another relative. Most of the time, apartments that don't allow pets usually refers to 4 legged animals. You can try asking your avian vet if he knows of good boarding facilities that he feels are safe. PS--maybe you can ask some of the people here who live near you if they would board your bird. More than likely, everyone who owns a bird here has healthy birds which are in healthy environments.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/10/27 21:45

"""but heres the problem, i have moved from my moms because the situation i was in. But where i'm at now I can't bring my bird.""" Where are you now which makes you say you can't keep him?

Get 10 ft. 3/4 inch pieces of piping plus elbows of different types. They have a huge variety of extension pieces for all size PVC. The rope that's used is Jute. The roll is 190 ft. You'll also need caps ( size--for 3/4 in piping). Get extra caps and extra different elbow designs. If you want any of the piping cut down, go to lumber dept and tell them what lengths you want. Any extra unused elbows and fitting can be returned for refund or exchange. Piping can be returned as long as no cuts are made in it. Jute rope doesn't get disinfected. The jute rope is soaked in water and then wrapped very tightly on each piece of piping. When you wrap the piping and reach the end of a piece of piping, leave 1 1/2 inches extra. Take cap and twist it on with end of jute in it. That provides the tight fit of the jute on the piping. It's not necessary to do any of the legs of a stand with the rope. When jute is dry, it swells up adding an extra tightness around piping. Glue isn't necessary but if you need to do spot gluing, use Carpenter's glue. Wipe down each piece of piping after cutting to remove shards that may be on piping. Each piece of piping and elbow has a UPC label attached which is the tag that the cash register scanner identifies. This is what thye package of Jute looks like in the roll and on the pipe. The ID # on the Jute is 530 <br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/10/27 20:42

Hanging upside down? Most parrots do that quite often. They sometimes love playing in that position. It doesn't sound like he's terrified of the new toys you give him either so just keep doing things the same way. Understand that at times greys are very clumsy and fall off perches when they're napping or get startled. Glad the vet gave him a good bill of health. Enjoy your grey that sometimes acts like a playful little monkey.:cheer:

That cage would be a good size. It's also good for the larger Congo grey although bigger ones are also used. Another reason that you should think about that new cage is that he won't have the advantage of knowing every nook and cranny of that new cage like he does now. You'll both start off fresh. If he's got his old toys, periodically, take one out and replace with some other type. With a new cage, make sure that perches aren't positioned in the same place as the others presently. Also about the cage, try to get one with wheels and a removable seed skirt.

Some parrots have that habit. Sometimes they'll stop cause it's temporary and others just like doing it but either way, food gets wasted because it falls in droppings so you think about getting a different type of feeding bowl. They're hooked and can't be scraped out. They come in different sizes, different colors and are extremely heavy duty. basically, they're made from the same material that crock pots are made of. Some people have switched over and have had success.

Well, we're all happy and glad that you're glad and happy. While you're at it, why not drop into our Welcome Room and tell about you and your feathered friend...unless you've already done that before:)

Certain foods can affect the color. Pelleted diets, whether they're mixed with seed or not can cause a brownish fecal color. It depends on the brand,and the different colors that it contains. Some droppings will be other colors depending on the color of pellets and which color pellet/pellets the bird favors. If everything is fine it's probably the new brand of food you're feeding. A medical reason for a parrot's brown droppings.. Most of the time, it's liver disease. If you feel that there's a problem call your vet, tell him of change to a new brand/diet, consistancy of droppings and any unusually large amount of water that your bird is drinking. PS--I should also say that liver disease has a host of other symptoms that are usually visible so I doubt that your bird has that problem Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/10/26 03:46<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/10/26 03:52

He might not take to the perch for a while. That applies to newtoys, new bowls, complete moving around of the cage interior etc. Congos are well known of being extremely leery of new things no matter what it is. Once they do take to it, it's their property and don't appreciate people messing around with *his/her* belongings that are located in his/her *home* (cage).

Since there is a big change concerning the cage, his attitude about many things might have also changed. You might have to start the stepping up process all over again using an 8in to 10in hand perch and do it in the daytime and sometimes in the night time so he gets used to seeing it in the evening as well as day. It might take a while but just as he'll probably get used to his new cage, he'll also get used to your hand again because he was hand friendly in the past. This problem periodically happens for different reasons other than cages. Moving to new room, to new house, new people etc.

If the color of the feathers returns to it's usual gray color, there should be no problem. Sometimes, the darker coloring of the feather is simply a color that belongs in that gray family--feather has tinge of blue, tinge of light purple. many times, it has to do with the thickness and density of the feather/feathers. I have a white beard (no more pigment). When I finish shaving and my face is soaked, some of that white beard hair is darkish gray mixed in with white. It all returns to white as soon as it's totally dry. I really miss those dark gray beard days of years ago.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/10/25 04:59

That's not unusual at all. Many greys won't step up on a hand when a person offers the hand while they're in a cage. Instead, they bite. Some greys will react the same way if a person tries to removes or adds something to the cage. Other greys will be just the opposite. Each bird has it's own mind set. If she's been doing this for a while, let it be. She doesn't want your hand near her or anything of hers in that cage. They're also possessive. If you aren't the first owner, she probably developed this habit before you got her. Just handle her when she comes out. You don't sound like you're having a problem there?? Do you physically handle her while she's out of the cage??<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/10/25 04:24

As a grey gets older, the aggressiveness towards toys gets more intense. the reason being that he/she is more talented at fighting with the toys and coming out on top. Never discourage this. It actually lets them vent. Most of the time, it has nothing to do with aggressiveness towards a person but it's a good idea not to mess with the bird while he/she is doing this. That's a distraction and they don't wanna lose their focus on their so called temporary enemy. A grey will also go through a phase of biting people simply because it's in the *stay away from me* mode. It's not a good idea to bribe the bird when he/she is in this mood. Greys are well known for wanting time out from people. Maybe not all people but some in general. When the mood goes away, they usually return to their more affectionate ways.