Dave007

You could get your girlfriend involved with the bird in other things besides just talking. Try to let the bird see that he will get the same things from her as well as you. It takes time though. Your girlfriend's age or makeup or the possibility that she wears glasses sometimes leads to biting--unusual but this does happen. You never said how long you've had the bird. This particular bird may have never been socialized into a family setting. It's a very important thing to do with any type of parrot. If not, there's a chance that the bird will only be friendly with the person that it's most familar with--It's called *one person bird* which should never be allowed to develop. Another thing you can do is for both of you to be close to the cage and have conversations with each other. A grey is always interested in listening. Another thing you can do concerns feeding treats or favorite food. Go to the store and buy some human grade roasted peanuts. Make sure they're unsalted. Have her take the shells off and let him see what she's doing. Then let her go to the cage, open the bowl area and let her put some in the bowl. Not hand feed them to him, just in the bowl. have her do it often. The bird will see that good things also come from her. After a couple of weeks let her offer them through the bars of the cage. Switch nuts. Get some almonds that are unshelled. Let her give the bird one at a time. A grey love to break the shell to get at the almond. But there is another possible side to your problem. You never said whether you and her live together. If she does, she should deal with the bird on a constant basis. If she's just a frequent visiter, there's the possibility that your bird is simply reacting to her the way it would react to another visitor. You have a job to do and there's not quick solution to a bird that bites. It takes patience and some imagination. If he likes to bite her obviously, she's putting her hand in an close area where she can be bitten and she should lessen up on that and concentrate on getting the bird very familiar with her. Concerning those peanuts---let her do the process, not you. Let her be the one that gives him something very enjoyable. PS---in your situation, those peanuts shouldn't be looked upon as treats. They should be classified as tools even though the bird enjoys them. You know it's tool, he doesn't. Another PS--if tensions should ease up, but some packets of instant oatmeal, the flavored kind and have her offer the bird some in a coffee scoop. Most birds won't bypass something like that just to make sure that he/she can bite. Substitute the closeness of her finger with a scoop of warm sweet flavored oatmeal. Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/06/01 19:52<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/06/01 19:57

PVC or wood You can use any carpenter's glue. Elmer's makes a strong glue. On PCV make sure glue is deep in the elbows and joints For wood, make sure glue doesn't extend outside 2 pieces of wood. For wood, also add screws and nails besides glue Glue should be left to set for 15 minutes before putting the 2 pieces together.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/06/01 00:10

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Human talking that parrots do is most of the time, just mimicing. The greatest achievement is when you learn what the parrot is saying all day long in it's language. My parrots don't have to talk to me in the human language cause I know everything they're saying to me all day long and it takes a certain amount of a parrot to person verbal relationship to develop but one day it does happen and human talking isn't important. Each of my birds say a different thing but apply it to the exact same thing such as going to sleep. 1 bangs his bell around. 1 starts to try and lift his water bowl up. 1 gives out a partial wolf whistle. My 2 quakers walk on the bottom of the cage squawking a special squawk that they don't do during the day. To me, thats the best communication but I can understand that human talking would be important to others.

Everyone here that said to put the bird in the cage to sleep is giving you sound advice. Also put your bird in the cage when people come over. Greys are nervous around new things, especially people. After a while, a parrot usually wants to go into his/her cage to eat and sleep every night. It's a habit that the owner starts and the bird continues. Some birds will even express themselves in the evening when they want the light dimmed or out. If you hear squawking during the evening after the bird is in the cage, don't mistake that thinking the bird wants to come out. Most greys have their final hurrah about 1 to 2 hrs before they nod off. That is usually the grey's way of saying ***oh boy, glad this day is over. I think i'll sound off about this day and then I'll get me a beer and finally call it a day*** That's a pretty cage. But watch out, that cage is gonna be a prime target for serious chewing. So much wood. A parrot can't resist that temptation. To a parrot it's gonna seem like true homemade lasagna and it's gonna be served everyday. Plus, you won't be able to put any polish on it because of slight oil and residue from the polish.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/05/31 03:04

For greys, pieces of softer wood when they're young and as they get older get harder wood, Greys love to destroy wood as well as other things. Go to a dollar store and buy some old baby toys made out of unbreakable plasic. Get some small white knotted rawhide bones that are usually sold for small. Soak it until it cuttable with a sciissor. Put a hole in it and put a piece of shoe lace type of string and hang it. Go the pet store and buy a 1 to 2 inch cowbell.hang it up. Greys love to smash those things around. Get some hard plastic balls that are too big for the bird to hold. They'll knock that around. Go the pet store and you'll see ropes that are shredded at each end. Get one. They love to work on those things for hours. These are just some ideas.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/05/31 01:54

I don't know what kind they are but believe me, they shouldn't be in the dropping. The droppings should be a solid green color surrounded by a white or clear thick fluid which is the urine. The biggest load gets dropped in the morning. During the day, the droppings are small. The green droppings could be reddish or orangish once in a while but that sometimes happens because of the color in the food pellets or from some fruits such as grapes or other types of fruit. Like I said, I don't know what kind of nut it is. Ask Lovemygreys ( Tracy) . She's a real nut most of the time

It really doesn't matter what the name of the nuts are. The fact is that your birds dropping shouldn't look like that. Any dropping that come out of a bird are at first very soft bordering on liquidy to mushy. As some time passes during the day, the droppings get harder and the green color becomes more pronounced. The whole dropping hardens but there's never any type of solid material in those droppings. During the day, the amount of the bird's droppings lessens. Basically, during the day, the bird is taking some leaks. So, if you're sure that the items in that picture are coming from the food you give, you better stop giving that food. With that food above, if your bird gets constipated, it might be a long time before you can get to a vet and your bird might quickly get sick and die. PS--if the only advice your vet told you was to keep an eye on it, get another vet. He should know that what's in the picture is abnormal.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/05/30 19:09

A question of sex - did you take the test? I was never sexed. My thingy said it all. I didn't have a DNA test nor did I have to molt. Johnson saved us lots of money.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/05/29 23:57

You can't make them talk but you can constantly have one way conversations with your bird on a regular basis. They're very good at listening to all types of sounds and if he hears a human voice constantly, he;ll remember later on. he'll do the same things with other sounds too. Gotta do alot of talking to him and you've gotta have a lot of patience. Always prepare yourself that your bird might never talk in the human language.

Tracy, just for you.--enjoy -----------------------------

Ringnecks are available in shades ranging from bright yellows, greens, and blues, to albinos. Like a few other bird species, they are known as dimorphic, meaning that a bird's sex can be determined by its colors and markings. Males sport deep red beaks, black facial markings, and three bands or color around their necks. Females, while still beautiful, lack collar bands, although some do display a barely slight darkening of color around their necks. In other words, the ring around the male's neck is quite obvious. The ring around the female lacks that obvious ring although the outline of the ring can be seen. This applies to most ringnecks except fot whites and lutinos ( solid yellow body). So, if you have any of the other color ringnecks, look at your bird's neck and that should tell you the sex. PS--I forgot the creaminos. You can't sex them cause there's no visible ring on them. I havn't seen them in a while though.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/05/29 18:30

I totally agree with BMustee. Any age markings on a bird can only be classified as a variation. Nothing is exact. A bird can start to show the final color markings ( ex--iris color) at a young but mature age and the final markings won't be permanent and unchangeable for a couple of years. That age catagory can be 6 to 8, 7 to 9, 8 to 10, etc etc. What one bird looks like at a certain age can't be used when discussing the masses of a particular species. A grey's gray eye color can stay with a bird for a shorter or longer amount of time. That applies to the very light gray and the cream white and the solid white color. Bird sexuality is also something that's not set in stone. Although it's generally accepted that a grey is sexually mature at the age of 5, that doesn't mean that the 5 yr old bird is always physically able to mate successfully yet.

Most of the things you mention are myths that have been spread from people who have heard it from other people who have heard it from other people. Sometimes, a new thing is thrown into the mix which is also usually a myth. Most people buy a grey without ever knowing the sex until they decide to find out in the future. """I went to visit my future baby and of the 2 she has available the smaller one was the cuddliest.""" If 2 people were to buy 2 greys there's the situation where 1 bird will have a different personality from the other but that only happens because those personalities were meant to be from the day the bird was born. If these 2 people were to raise those birds in different ways, the sex wouldn't matter. It's a matter of how those birds were raised from the beginning. A person might be warmer to the bird than the other person. ""'I went to visit my future baby and of the 2 she has available the smaller one was the cuddliest. """ What about the next day? Can you be sure that the cuddly bird was still cuddly the next day? That also applies to the other bird. Size means nothing. A clutch of birds might be smaller boned than another clutch. """They were both so sweet the larger one chewed on me much harder then the smaller one. Could this be a sign of a biter?""" Many baby parrots do a lot more exploring with their beaks than others. The bird's beak is it's hand. It's not a sign of a biter. """""I have also heard that there is really no difference in personality of the two."""" Every single grey male or female has it's own individual personality. That's what allows people to tell others about the different antics of their bird. As far as aggression, there may be a slight difference from male and female but that occurs when a female is an adult bird and that has to do with hormones that come to the surface. That temporary hormonal change lasts longer than a male and that female stays crankier for a longer period of time. The other type of aggression that surfaces applies to both males and females and that time is when they're molting. In general, they're agitated and will bite if imprtoper petting occurs. """""When I go back closer to the come home date and my baby is hand shy of body touching. Is this a sign that they did not get handled enough while weaning? "" Maybe, maybe not but it's the future owner's job to develop a close bond with the bird. The breeder has the bird for about 3 mts. The future owner has the bird for the rest of it's life. """"She had a set of 3 baby TAGs that were a little older who seemed to be a little hand shy of body touches. They would immediately start nibbling away on fingers when you reached for them."""""" Again, personality. A person can't go by what's temporarily going on. Another overplayed subject that's been handed down for years is that people who are buying a bird should wait until a bird comes running over and shows attention to that buyer. Well, what happens when none of the birds come running over? Should a person just pack it up and go to another breeder just to find a bird that will. If you have a family, your biggest, most important job is to make sure that your new bird gets to know everyone. It's called socialization. If you don't do that the bird will start favoring only one person which isn't very good for the whole family.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/05/28 18:27

When a grey's iris turns from the pure white color early adult color to a yellow white color that bird is at least 7 to 8 yrs old. Other than that, there's no other way to determine actual age.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m44z-223UYE

PIn feathers are like our follicles just below our skin. Our hair grows out from them. One of the members here named Dan lost all of his hair and went to Bosley for a complete follicle procedure. His facial wrinkles and bad attitude increased while he was bald. The people here on the board consoled and helped him through his crisis. In a bird, their pin feathers are the same thing except they're above the bird's skin. Hopefully, your bird won't pull those pin feathers out. Sometimes a new pin feather doesn't regrow there. So, use the water frequently and since it's that time of the year when many birds naturally molt get him wet in the neck area, lower and upper breast area,base of the tail area, underneath the wings close to the body. Try to soak the bird's skin as much as you can. No towel drying--no hair dryer should be used. Let the bird dry out naturally. Do it frequently. Keep the bird away from drafts. If this process succeeds, we can tell you about a liquid that's cheap and can be purchased in drug stores, supermarkets, Walmart. This liquid can be mixed with water and sprayed on the bird's feathers and skin and it usually produces good results but try the water for now. PS----Use lower case letters cause people will think you're yelling at them Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/05/27 00:56<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/05/27 01:07

Tracy, stop repeating yourself. We get the message loud and clear. You're starting to act like a dominatrix.

Spray that area with cold water. Do it often. Watch and see if anything lessens. Could have dry feathers or dry skin there. There's more you can do but start with the misting. Include upper breast area. Make sure you get the skin wet.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/05/26 22:35

If your bird's flight feathers were fully grown out then there's no difference in strength from what a 5,6,7 yr old bird would have. That applies to fully grown tail feathes Once a flight feather or tail feather is in, it's in. They don't get stronger with age. The only time they get harder is when they start to dry internally and are just about ready to fall out. You should be very happy that you have a very outward bird that enjoys having extremely aggressive mock fights with his toys. All greys that are that way will injure feathers, get bruises on the face. But notice that he's not a feather plucker/chewer. The cage is a fine size for greys, amazons, small cockatoos, mini macaws. Just recently, there was a person here that had the exact opposite problem. Not enough toys to release pent up aggressive energy. I told her to get hard items that the bird could go after instead of itself. Get your bird out onto a playstand ALOT for long periods of time. Hang all of the toys that are banging him and causing broken feathers. Leave the softer toys in the cage. If he bangs them around, there won't be injury.Put those hard toys on the stand and let him bang them around out there. Any grey that has that type of temperment will soon learn the art of avoiding getting hurt when doing that. Your bird is still young and clumsy but enjoys having his toys hit him back. There's a lot of birds here that have nice plumage and there's a lot of that don't but the huge majority of those birds that have lousy plummage have gotten it from plucking/ chewing/ health problems/inside the cage frustration/being ignored..not from having toys injure them constantly. Example---think about a boxer that's just starting out. Kinda raw still. gets punched alot. Starts to get better but eventually, as time goes on, he learns to slightly avoid the right cross, the sneaky jab,learns how to throw a quick body shot and is able to back away and watch the opponent's surprise when he misses that return shot.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/05/26 19:54

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Both of those medications are frequently used for parrots that have different ailments. The type of ailent you describe is one that doesn't improve immediately. The recovery period varies depending upon how sick the bird is. Compare it to a person who has a cold as opposed to someone who has the flu. The flu takes longer to get rid of. In your situation, the best thing you can do is stay in close contact with your vet ( preferably daily) and give him an up to date report on the bird's progress or non progress. On these boards, we never recommend other drugs that might be used. Your vet is the one that did the exam and he knows what treatment to give even though there are other drugs available. Don't purchase any over the counter drugs. Most meds that are prescribed for parrots are difficult to give. It's not uncommon. Try to keep your bird in a warm area that has no drafts. Make sure there's fresh water that's easy to get to in case of dehydration. Right now, water is more important than food but the foo d should also be easy to get to. If your bird is falling off his perch, provide a towel at the bottom to prevent injuries. You should also ask your vet what you should look for as far as any changes be they good or bad. Another thing about how long it takes to heal..you never said what the ailment was diagnosed as.

Also tell her that you belong to a african grey board that has many experienced people here. tell her that you found out that what she's doing is gonna be harmful to the bird later on. Tell her to visit here and many here will nicely point out the disadvantages of doing that. Sometimes, what's going on in your situation is a form of socializing but it's too early to tell. Just one week with the bird. It's good when a bird likes the other members of a family. Just remeember that she thinks it's fun to have a bird like her too so maybe she's just acting a liitle giddy.

Well, you would have to contact the area in the UK that officially deals with shipping animals and giving out permits. I don't know the names of places out there but there's many other members on this board that live in the UK that might. Also, have your mum contact the avian vet by her and he/she will steer her to the proper places to check information concerning exporting parrots. That process might take a bit of time but again, that positive information would come from the UK animal organization. After that has cleared, you would have to get a certified airline company that specializes in shipping animals overseas. I don't know what the charge would be but I do know it's pretty expensive. Shipping a bird from one state to another state here in the US is also expensive. Once your bird arrives in the US, it will be kept in a animal medical center and will get quarantined for approx 30 days. Again, I don't know the price. After all of that, you can get your bird. Most of the above applies to most animals of different types but it's more stringent with parrots because all parrots are considered wild animals which they are. As far as distress, probably yes but that would apply to most animals. But in order to find that out you'll need to get more official information from the proper sources. These rules apply to all countries that export animals to the US. For Profit Commercial export of birds into the US has been against the law here since 1992 but that doesn't apply to you as long as you go through the official proper channels. Also, have your mum contact the avian vet by her and he/she will steer her to the proper places to check concerning exporting parrots.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/05/23 03:23

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