Dave007

You asked about training DVDs. Quite a few people have very little luck with them and most of them are aimed at smaller birds anyway. It doesn't surprise me that your bird isn't interested. There are also DVDs that teach a bird to talk. Also a big waste of time. The person on the DVD is a computerized voice who repeats one thing over and over for a certain amount of time ( approx 2 minutes per track). The voice sounds nothing like the owner's voice. Hi there--hi there--hi there---hi there--hi there ..for 2 straight minutes. Then the next track comes on and does the same thing with other words. After 30 seconds, the bird is totally oblivious to the disk. Also a huge waste of time and money. Training takes quite a while and should only be done between the bird and the owner on a personal basis. Older birds will take longer to train and just know that everything you try to teach an older might not be successful.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/09/17 20:39

Actually, it looks like a special rare strain of polished granite. Years ago, it was highly sought after in the Andes. Many geologists were funded by famous museums to find the rare stone. There was also a rumor that pieces of it were in the tomb of King Tut. I remember that it was supposedly worth 5 x more than gold. Are you sure that you're not just trying to fool us with your glowing nugget??

""he gave me two types of medicines that i should put in his water for 10 days each..."""""" What was the medicine for. Does the bird have another medical condition? Internal medication isn't given to lessen bleeding in any flight feathers. If he does have a medical problem , that's the problem that should be taken care of first. """how long will it take for his feathers to fully grow back?.."""" More than likely they'll grow back but not at the same time. Flight feathers never molt out at the same time nor do they grow back at the same time. The same thing applies to tail feathers. If he keeps falling and breaking feathers you'll need to put some throw rugs around the area that he usually lands on. More than likely, the clipping was too severe if your bird keeps falling. The shorter the clip, the longer it takes them to grow back. It might take a year or more or less until all of the feathers are grown out and perfectly even. It all depends on the bird's present feather situation. A proper clip will allow a bird to fly a little distance and glide to the floor. """does your bird eat at night? like after hes been put to bed and covered and everything... because kaskoo has a midnight snack at around 4 in the morning""" Birds eat whenever they're hungry. It could be anytime of the day or night, covered or uncovered. There's nothing harmful when a bird does that. The only way to prevent that is to remove anything that can be eaten but since there's no harm, it really isn't neccesary. The same thing applies to toys. With some birds, they'll decide to bang around some toys in the middle of the night. Again, no harm done.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/09/15 20:45

Any color change coming from any particular illness will remain there. Can you post a picture of the yellow face?

<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/09/14 23:43

Thre's loads of greys out there that don't like a person messing around in their cage for whatever reason especially when they've finally designed it to their own specs. Some don't want a person sticking their hand in to take the bird out of the cage. They like to come out on their own when they're ready to come out. Yes, greys give out warning signals about biting and they're very easy to spot. Most other species of birds do the same thing but it can't be easily noticed. This doesn't apply to every single grey that exists but it's not an uncommon behavior.

It's normal. Could be from scratching, banging around toys that banged him back. Happens from time to time.

Since your grey now has feathers ( even set of flight feathers)more than likely, she'll eventually start to fly after the covert feathers grow in completely. First, very short sloppy, unsuccessful flights than a wee bit better when landing but still going downward. When you start seeing that happen, put down a cheap throw rug in the general area where she starts to land with regularity. As her distance gets farther move the rug to that area etc. It's gonna take a while and don't expect perfect results even when the flying process has been achieved. It'll eventually happen though. Just don't put any time limits on when you think it should happen. It might take a couple of years of stable feathering and lots of muscle buildup which only your bird can accomplish in her own good time. PS, I should also say something about the reason for the rug----besides you not wanting her to get hurt, landing on a rug doesn't shock the bird and make it a traumatic painful experience. It'll let her eventually think about doing it again cause there's no pain involved--just a soft *thump*.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/09/14 00:40

Medical Emergency-Bird Health care ------------------------------------ There are five important elements to consider in supportive care of a sick (or injured) bird, listed in order of importance: 1. Heat 2. Humidity 3. Fluids 4. Nutrition 5. Quiet/Level of Activity 1) Birds use a considerable amount of their energy and metabolic resources in keeping their body temperature up (at around 104 degrees.). Therefore, the single most important thing you can do for a sick bird is to artificially support its temperature, thus freeing as much of its energy as possible for dealing with the illness. The correct temperature is at least 85 degrees, and 90 degrees is preferable. Turn up the heat past 85 until the bird begins to pant, then slowly back it off just until the panting stops. When the bird begins to recover, remember to lower the temp gradually, no more than 5 degrees per day, until back to room temp. 2) Humidity is extremely important in cases of respiratory involvement in the illness, as it eases the breathing and helps the bird keep the air passages clear and moist. A vaporizer is best, a humidifier will work, and in a pinch placing the bird in the bathroom and periodically running hot water in the shower is better than nothing. If there is NO respiratory involvement, or the bird is physically injured and not ill, humidity is not so important. Respiratory involvement is indicated by any of the following: wheezy, raspy, bubbly, or clicking noises in the breathing; discharge from nostrils; breathing heavily or with difficulty (if the tail moves noticeably as the bird breathes, it is breathing heavily); beak held open to breathe but not panting. 3) A sick bird is easily dehydrated, especially since it may not drink as much on its own, its temperature is elevated, and its digestion may be disrupted. In extreme cases a veterinarian may administer fluids under the skin, but oral fluids are also very helpful. If your bird isn't drinking a lot on its own, give fluids from your finger, a spoon, or by syringe. Some suggestions for fluids to give: Pedialyte brand infant electrolyte solution, apple or grape juice, D5W (medical glucose/saline solution), bottled water with a little sugar or honey. Don't use Gatorade, it's too high in salt! 4) As you are maximizing the amount of energy the bird can use in fighting the illness by elevating the ambient temperature, you should also ensure that food energy continues to be available. The best things to give a sick bird are high in carbohydrates and easy to digest. Examples: hand-feeding formula, infant rice cereal, baby food, ground-up pellets mixed with fruit juice, molasses, honey, Instant Ounces brand emergency food for birds, cream of wheat, papaya juice or nectar, fruit juice (except orange). If your bird doesn't eat on its own while ill, you need to hand feed it, or force feed it if necessary. Birds can starve to death in 48 - 72 hours when healthy, and can go even faster when ill. Inadequate nutrition will severely impact the bird's ability to recover from the illness. 5) Keep an ill or injured bird quiet and inactive. Keep it in semidarkness with no toys and nothing to climb or play on, much as you would keep a sick child in bed and encourage it to sleep. Limit noisy activities or move the bird to a quiet part of the house. Additional notes: If the bird regurgitates food or fluids, you may be giving too much. Try smaller amounts more frequently. If your bird is on antibiotic therapy, remember that these drugs also kill the "friendly" bacteria that help it to digest its food. Give yogurt, bene-bac, lactobacillus supplement, or acidophilus to help digestion and to prevent backlash Candida (yeast) infections. If you see any sign of yeast (white spots in mouth or on tongue), call the vet and get an antifungal preparation to give with the antibiotic.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/10/29 22:19

A thought--there's many birds out there in your price range that are looking for that special someone who will love them. Cockatiels, lovebirds, quakers, parrotlets. They've got as much to give back to you as a grey does.

Really sorry about your problem. First, get your deposit back. Add it to the $200 you already have. In order to safely buy a bird in the future, you need to either buy the bird from a private breeder or a pet shop. A bird in a pet shop will cost much more than from a private breeder. Some pet shop parrots aren't as good as from private breeders. There's many perks when buying from a private breeder. There are many in FL. From a private breeder, expect the bird to cost $800 to $900. Buying from a breeder is the best way to go. From a pet shop, expect the bird to cost $1100 to $1200, sometimes more. If you find a rescue/adoption center that has greys, expect the bird to cost about $350 to $400. Also know that most of the birds in adoption centers are adults and have been owned by others. You would have a really hard time trying to locate anyone who would be willing to sell their bird for $200.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/09/13 05:29

They do that after something out of the ordinary happens like bathing or a person getting very close and other things.Nothing to worry about. All greys do that.

That first and last picture says it all. There is a major difference. Obviously, he's on his way. Good luck.

Sorry Dan, you beat me to it.

Suzzique gave the best place to buy palm oil. I've been doing business with them for approx 6 yrs. The price of the oil is about $6 for a 16 oz jar. If you have only 1 grey, that jar should last you about 1 year. I also buy various generic vitamins for myself because of their great price. This is one way to use it. The palm oil will be thick and somewhat gooey. It will also be orange colored. Get an small empty seasoning bottle that's been thoroughly cleaned. Fill it with the oil. When the time comes to use it, put the bottle in a microwave for 25 to 30 secs. Let bottle cool to room to slightly warm temperature. The color of the oil will be a dark cherry red color. Most importantly, it will be an extremely thin consistancy. It's now ready to easily use on whatever you decide. People use it on and in dfferent ways. put bottle away until next use. Store original jar away until it's time to fill little bottle. PS--I buy about 5 to 6 jars at a time New jar of their oil Color of oil before microwave Color of oil after microwave <br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/09/09 18:53

Just have you and your boyfriend around and get him involved with the training. Some birds will like both people evenly. Others will like one more than the other but that's nothing to worry about. Just expect that things won't be even. Most of the time a bird will like one person for certain things and reasons and also like the other person for different things and reasons. All greys have different personalities so it's best to find out what his personality is but I must say that he's already come a long way in the area of starting to trust you and the boyfriend.

If you've only had him for 2 1/2 weeks and you've made that much progress already, I doubt that you're gonna have much trouble in the near future. Older birds sometimes don't take to new owners that quickly. You'll have setbacks but what happened to you and him this time is really minor compared to some other things that people have gone through.

Hi Btdaycare Guess you're excited about your new family member. You'll have good times ahead

Basically yes, the name is sales gimmick. They're people out who are just waiting for the novice/uninformed person who is thinking about buying a grey. A good salesman can easily convince a person that what he/she has is a special bird. Luckily, that type of thing rarely goes on. If that kind of practice heavily existed, there would loads of * for sale* ads talking about the so called *mix*. Many people are gullible. I've seen TAGs sold at a higher price simply because that particular bird had a slight amount of extra red in the tail but they're still a pure strain. The bird is not more or less valuable but a person can be convinced otherwise. I've seen overweight TAGs sold as a *mixture of the two. How can someone do that? Well, first off there's a overweight TAG that's bigger than a normal sized TAG. People are told that it is actually a mix because of it's heavier size and people believe it. Another instance of unscrupulous salesmen are the ones that say that they have *cammaroon greys* for sale. That name applies to a certain area where greys habituate. There's no difference between those greys and other greys that live in nearby areas other than they might be slightly longer and their gray coloring is ever so slightly lighter. As a matter of fact, that's the same area that caused the importation of greys to become illegal. All of my greys, be they pets or breeders are over 530 grams. The largest being 606 grams. Their colors slightly differ from each other but none ever came from Cammaroon. They're no more valuable than smaller greys. The only bird I own that doesn't fit into that catagory is my TAG. He's 320 grams and as a side note to my TAG--he has absolutely no marroon/red coloring in his tail. From the base to the tips his tail, it's is almost totally ash gray to black.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/09/08 18:27

if it's colder water in the bowl or it's fresh colder water in the bowl, they'll do that. Sometimes your bathing and nature telling the bird to bathe crosses paths PS--most greys do that.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/09/08 04:07

Suzzique You just make sure that you keep that to yourself when you're around them. I don't wanna let them know about the material evils that exist...at least, not until I get em first;)

I can't get any Xmas gifts for them. They're all african jews

CAGs and TAGs won't naturally breed together. Breeders of either or both TAGs and CAGs can artifically cause this to happen and they're unscrupulous . First of all, the natural incubation time is different. An incubator is an absolute necessity. Any mixing of the two will produce a weak strain. The size of the internal organs are different. The body size of each bird is different causing any type of sexual copulation ( rubbing against each other) to be unsuccessful. In the wild they're not attracted to each other at all. Each type lives in a flock environment and those 2 different flocks don't mingle with each other and they purposely avoid each other. Their personalities are totally different. They don't cohabitate in the wild. If a TAG/CAG mixed bird actually DID exist in the wild, neither flock would accept it. Saying that the two can mix because they're the same species is wrong because one is a sub species of the other. They're not brothers or sisters, they're cousins. There are about 15 known species of amazons. Even though the yellow naped, yellow crowned, double yellow headed amazons are all green and all look alike except for where the yellow is located on the head/neck, none will naturally breed with each other. It takes a trained eye to see the difference between an orange wing and green wing amazon. They also look alike but they too won't breed with each other. To the person who mentioned tigers and lions breeding together, that offspring can't be released into the wild. That Liger is a mule and can't reproduce. In the wild, it won't be accepted by a pride of lions. A tiger on the other hand is a lone animal. Eventually it must leave the family group and go out on it's own. A lion is just the opposite. They remain together as a pride/family and one lion can't survive on it's own because hunting is done as a group. A lone lion can't be successful when hunting. They also have a heavy maternal bonding with each other which causes them to stay together.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/09/08 01:28

This is Jazz. He was given to me at 3 1/2 yrs old. Owners worked hard 10 hrs a day. They were nice people. He was alone every day in a TAG sized cage that was full of toys. He had no room to maneuver and started to seriously pluck. He was a high strung bird. He quickly got tired of toys. This Is Jazz, 6 yrs old, after almost 2 yrs of treating with aloe gel, aloe juice, palm oil, plenty of almonds and lots of wood to chew and most importantly, out of the cage every day, all day with lots of physical handling. During this time, he had 2 relapses. It took quite a while. He's now stopped plucking (since 07)and he is now fully feathered, has a tail ,wing feathers and remains fully flighted. He's not nervous but he does fight with my TAG periodically but my TAG fights with all the birds. So, my point is--things can change over a long period of time even if you get depressed and lose patience. Hang in there. Good things can happen. PS--I should also add that the previous owners never abused him. The owners worked everyday so he was simply alone. They knew he was in a bad way. <br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/09/07 23:49

Squawkers-Macaw --a toy that can have words and sounds added to it. Made by Hasbro. People don't use things like that around live birds because they can cause the bird to get spooked and screaming. The item is made for people (mostly kids).