Dave007

Dan That was the last clutch from last fall from one of my hens. That hen really surprised me. It's the first time she ever had 4 in a clutch.

<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/07/31 07:57

It'll clean everything that's dirty. Any bacterior that's in the dirt will be killed until the next time the cage needs to be cleaned. Same as everything else in a house that needs to be cleaned. Buying all of those so called bird safe cleaners is insane--just a rip off. People are being taken advantage of. Vinegar and water has been around for ages and as a person owns a bird longer and longer, that person realizes that those products are a waste of money. Like Mark said, a little vinegar and water and some elbow grease goes the trick . same with toys although toys rarely get hardened with diirt.

Cage, in and out-----3 pts water--1 pt vinegar non porous toys---simply wash with soap and water and rinse well.

There is no such item made to protect birds. You'll have to buy sheets of mesh and make your own. Even in Africa and other countries in which the most common disease is Malaria, the only thing that protects the people out there are mesh netting protect against the disease carrying mosquitos.

Unfertile eggs in a clutch is very common and has absolutely nothing to do with any others that are fertile. There's no health problems or any weaknesses in the fertile egg. The father simply aimed incorrectly.

You'll be much better off when you realize that mistakes can happen and so will your bird. Everyone makes mistakes. You didn't know everything. No one does. Another important thing is that you can understand that most advice comes to a person is actually for the welfare of the bird. Some people don't like to accept the fact that mistakes happened. Others do realize it and making corrections is the next thing order of business. No one is scolding you. All of us are strictly thinking about your bird and all the other birds especially ones that are temporarily disabled. You've got a lot of happy days ahead of you. More importantly, I'm glad that you understand that strict training doesn't have to be done. """"""but I have stuck my hand in there to try and get him to step up, which I now believe was a mistake on my part.""""""""' As far as the hand in the cage, there's loads of people here that will tell you that they learned the hard way that some greys simply don't want a hand in their home. Once the bird is out, all sorts of chores can be done. """"""""""As for the stepping up, thanks for telling me it's okay to just let him be until he's comfortable with us. I was told that I must be in control and make my birds step up so they know who is dominant but that just feels wrong and I'm glad you gave the advice you did.""""""""""" Because you realize that now, you're gonna have a much more secure bird who's gonna try and make friends with you. It was important that you know that it doesn't have to be done---Good luck PS--Please send the person who butchered the bird's wings to us. We have a special dundgeon in our basement here. Let's just say that it's the place where a few of us *talk* to the person. =================================================== POSSIBLE NAMES ( MALE & FEMALE ) Sunny--- Vergil ---Paco---- Floyd--- Skye ---- Poncho--- Taz --- Sparky --- Ozzie--- Buffy --- Roxy---Joey --Maxi ----Dusty ----Sammy---- Gumby ---- Cisco ----Paddy -----Romeo--- Buster---- Sunshine---- Scooter---- Moonshine ----Sugar---- Sweetie ---- Tazzy------ Petey---- Juan ----- Tiger -----Tweets ----Keiko---Cody---- Okie -----Rexxy----- Chipper -----Minnie ----- Bart----- Ricki ----Kiwi ----- Sunny -----Reba ----Tino----- Buddy---- Angel ------Yuska -------Zelda ----Tookie -----Harley ------ Buster -----Zoey -----Jax----- Ricky------ Princie ---- Mokie-----Coco -----Penny----- Molly ------ Peaches -----Candy -----Ozzy------ Bandit -- Oscar ------Tango------ Sweet Pea ------ Hogan ------Harry------ Sophie----- Rosa ----Robbie ----- Casper ----- Elvis ------ Chipper--- Sweet Pea -----Nibbles----- Sparky------Mickey----Suger ----- Dusty------ Rocky------ Belle<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/04/22 18:17

<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/05/16 03:39

<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/05/16 03:38

Many people don't have termites and it's difficult to compare different pest and bug control items. Termite control is one that's hard to give out facts about so in this case, I think you should call your vet, explain what's about to happen, tell him location of birds and ask him/her if the chemical you're referring to is safe.

""""""Is there anyway of removing it safely?? """"" Only vets or professional bird handlers should be the ones removing bands. If he's biting and chewing the band then he's most likely also scrapping the band against the leg which can cause some feathers to fall out. If the band is metal and has a color on it, expect that color to be eventually scraped away. Many times, it's the bird's natural nervousness to everyday things that causes a reaction to the band. Some birds are very high wired and some are just the opposite. Many people here and on other boards have had the bands removed for various reasons. If the band has specific info on it, simply ask the vet to give it to you. In the meantime, it's a good idea to periodically coat those raw leg areas with some aloe gel. The gel will be absorbed by the skin within a few minutes and it's not toxic, just slightly gooey will disappears quickly.

You should first start off by stopping the under the wing activity. Whether you realize it or not, you're bordering on raising sexual excitement. If she's 4 yrs old, sexual excitement is very easy to attain on her part and even get more intense as she gets older. The more you do that, the harder it's gonna be to stop. You'll need to wean her away from the behavior that you untentionally created although I doubt you can be totally successful if you desire no physical contact whatsoever. You're lucky to have such a cuddly bird. Keep the petting to the head and neck. If your bird persists in pushing your hand to another area such as under the wings or lower breast, just continue to go back to the head and neck. At one point continually returning to the head will cause a frustrated attitude on her part and she might try to nip because she's not getting her way. That's the time to stop and just sit there with her but not touching her. She'll probably start again and you'll have to restart what you were doing. Eventually, she'll be grateful that she's still getting the head and neck petted. It's a habit that can be lessened but it's totally up to the person to do that. All of this also pertains to males too but females can be much more obstinent at it. Neither males or females should be petted around areas that can get them sexually aroused. To give another example that's related, although not sexually to what you're going through........ Many people decide to pet their bird's beaks when they're very young. The bird sticks it's tongue out so that it can be touched. Young birds love to have their tongues petted. A person thinks it's cute. The person continues and after a month or two, the bird starts holding the finger with more firmness to keep the finger on the beak and tongue. Eventually, the person feels a little discomfort from the pressure of the beak on the finger. After all, the bird is getting stronger and is learning how to keep that finger there. One day the person who's doing that, decides to stop, the bird continues holding on to the finger, the person pulls the finger and WHAM!, the bird bites into the finger cause he/she is really pissed off that you won't obey his rules which the person originally started.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/04/21 03:48

I apprenticed and broke into the business by working for E Harmony.com and as soon as I was vested, I ventured out on my own. I opened and now run an high end escort service for clients that have very strange likes, dislikes and have a need for satisfying their unique wants, needs and desires. Foreign dignateries and foreign ambassadors from different countries visit frequently.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/04/21 03:09

Dan i really don't think that being a *greenhorn* has much to do with anything. Many new bird owners can lessen their problems not so much by realizing that greys have a broad band of personalities and temperments but more importantly realizing that a certain species of parrot ( grey) has certain traits of which they're not many but do pertain to that specific species. These certain traits can intertwine with so many sub things that a person can get lost by not realizing where it all starts from. To give an example---If this whole thread had to do with cockatoos then all the questions, opinions and such would be in reverse *why doesn't my Too show any interest in what I'm doing when he's in his cage while i'm feeding him?* *why doesn't my Too have very little interest when I give him a new toy?* *why doesn't he amuse himself when he's in his cage by himself?* *why is he the calmest and happiest bird only when I let him on my shoulder all day?* *why does he squawk everytime I walk away and leave him alone?* *why does he start plucking if I don't give him constant attention all day?* and the most common question.... *WHY IS HE/SHE SO DAMN CINGY?* So if you wanna consider yourself a *greenhorn*, that's up to you but in my eyes, any person who immediately realizes that there's lots more to learn after the purchase of a certain species and then procedes to do it, isn't a *greenhorn*. You've been doing that. Here we have 2 species that are totally opposite each other.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/04/20 22:28

Dan Yeah, that thread was meant to be a bit comical and I'm glad it did but on a more serious note........A very large amount of greys get to an age where certain traits take over. Two main things happen. They're independence, and possessiveness which leads to aggressive behavior. Many people mistake those traits as being aggressive but it's not. The traits that nature has instilled can't be changed. I've never thought it was any big deal and with my greys, the problem just as you described can be dealt with by simply putting a bird on your arm, shoulder and letting the bird watch the whole process. The bird won't do anything other than stare at what you're doing. With some other greys, the problem can be solved by just doing things when the bird is out of a cage. With today's cages, most have swing out doors so the feeding/watering process is pretty quick and not very messy. I believe the secret to many things concerning greys is to let people understand what kind of bird a grey is and not to be surprised when that grey starts acting like a grey. Many people just don't wanna accept that information or just haven't been filled in about greys.

You can expect many changes in general when a grey is 8 mts on up. Personalities and self assuredness and attitudes develop. The bird slowly changes from that cuddly little animal to an animal who want's to assert himself. Biting a person when that person touches a food bowl or a toy or changing the interior around can set the bird off.He's simply saying that what's his is his, especially food. The best thing you can do from now on is to simply feed and water him when he's out of the cage. It's difficult to change a bird's personality when it want's to be possessive.

Yes,they do have slightly different methods but more important is that they have different amounts of foreplay. It's an individual thing. Sometimes, a new cage and new location can affect breeding greys much more so than pet greys. As others have said, privacy is important as well as quietness. If they've successfully mated before, it's likely that they will again but sometimes, a new place and a new cage is distracting. It's possible that the some or all of the eggs might be infertile this time around but if that happens, more than likely the next time should be successful. As far as what you actually see right now with their mating method, I can only say that it's what you don't see that's important. Privacy and quiet lets each bird totally focus on the other.

Babbette Another add on concerning the outside ultrasonic zappers...the only so called effect that the zappers have on the birds is that when the machine is on, the ground feeding birds gather under the zapper and wait for the dead bugs to fall so they can eat them. Out here, the frogs and toads do the same thing.

I doubt that it has to do with any ultrasonic device. Greys have their times of being clumbsy. Out here, people also use larger ultrasonic devices to repel moles, voles, small rats and field mice. Those waves have no effect on the wild birds either. If a person goes to a large Home Depot, all types of large and small repellers are sold and none affect birds. The only thing that birds would be frightened of are the exact same things that would frighten a person such as gunfire, chain saws and other loud electric devices, thunder that we hear etc. The electronic zapper devices that's used for flying insects in backyards also gives out an ultra sonic noise but birds can't hear that too. The sound plus a special type of low flourscent lite is what draws the insects to the zappers. I also have 2 of those outside, 1 near 3 hummingbird feeders and 1 near a pole that has 4 bird feeders hanging from it. The avian vets out here would definitely know about any devices that would be harmful to birds, both pet birds and wild birds.

Mark I use 3 in the bird area, 2 in the basement area, 2 in a certain part of my garage,1 in the laundry room. The ones in the bird area are approx 18 feet apart. The ones I purchased specifically name off the animals that aren't affected. There might be different types that're being spoken about right now. Many people up in this mountainous region have birds and also use them...in order to protect their dogs and cats from various run ins with insects and mice. This is from the link that was provided here *******Rats, mice, and other small mammals can hear sounds that are ultrasonic for man, so acoustical s t i m u l i for them could be inaudible to man. Bi rd s, however, generally have ultrasonic l i m i t s lower than that of man, and for them audible sounds must be in man's sonic range.""""" Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/04/19 21:01<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/04/19 21:06

I've used them for years. Birds can't hear them. Neither can dogs or cats.

Have the bird on your fingers. Go to the play stand and put your hand with the bird on it behind the perch ( 8/10/12/14 inches) with the bird looking at you and the perch. Move your hand towards yourself. Your hand should be level with perch. As you do that the perch will interfere with him staying on you and he'll simply stand on the perch. Do that when he's feeling clingy but you're not in the mood.

I started this thread and I now realize that I was being selfish by not including Tracy aka LMG. I could is that when I read that simple sentence that she wrote which was Sorry Dave is it a US programme ? I could see how left out she felt, somewhat like a person on the outside looking in Sadly, that was the last thing she wrote in the thread. She couldn't comment. She was bewildered. She couldn't see how happy we were when we talked about our great TV show. She could only stand there feeling lonely and left out and could only look in as a stranger would look in. So, to include Tracy, I'll mention one other show that originates in the UK. This should make her feel like she's a part of things. The show is a very high tech spy show. It's the UK version of our CIA and NSC. The show comes off as being very accurate, cold hearted, warmhearted and deadly in what goes on in the covert underworld regions of different countries. When a spy belongs to this organization, that person then belongs to the COMPANY, body and soul The show covers everything we're familar with right now..terrorists, bombings, double agents, weapons of mass destruction, nuclear power etc, etc. The actors are fantastic. One of them has gone on to be the main star of Pride and Prejudice. To me, it's something I make sure I watch every week. It can only be seen on the BBCA station here in the US. The genuine quick, snapping heavy accents of the brits is sometimes hard to follow. They talk so damn fast. It's so real that I need to activate closed captioning on the TV to make sure I know what they're saying. As a matter of fact,the announcer tells you to put the CC on because of the different accent. It's the only show that has 2 different names In the UK, it's known as Spooks In the US, it's known as MI 5 The show will starting it's 6th season in the UK. There's a 2 year delay as far as broadcasting here in the US. We're watching the 3rd season here while in the UK, they're viewing the 5th season So Tracy, welcome to the conversation. Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/04/19 06:38<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/04/19 06:45

Law and Order next week, actor Jesse Martin leaves the show permanently. My opinion..Best police actor in the show was Jerry Orbach--died 4 yrs ago. best prosecutor is Sam Waterson. Been watching that show for years. Also, Law and Order SVU is also very good. Best ADA was hard nosed Abby. In her eyes it was the needle in the arm all the time. Have no mercy Monk--It's impossible to say which episode is the best. It's one of those shows that's the best each time you watch it. Just when you think they can't go any farther, out comes a more insane episode. Can never get tired of that show. It's gonna be hard to replace the shrink. Remember the episode where he visits another shrink who has a missing hand??<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/04/19 01:43

Yeah--It's a fantastic comedy show about a retired detective who has EXTREME OCD but can solve the most difficult crimes. So far it's in the 6th season and going strong. He's also totally paranoid about everything imaginable. In the show he visits his shrink 2 times a week and he wishes it could be 5 days a week. The star, Tony Shaloub, has already won 4 emmys in a row for his portrayal of the character who's name is Adrian Monk Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/04/19 00:44<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/04/19 00:48