Dave007

Jeez, when I was dating my wife and bringing her into my lair, she started finding the parrots more interesting than me. That ruined many an evening. No hugging, no fooling around, just lots of noises when she was in the bird room. That's why I hated parrots but being the nice guy that I am, I forgave the parrots. PS--good luck in finding your man but please be careful. There's lots of scumbags out there.

I also think you're on a different board here. This place is for African grey parrots You need to find a reptile board

About the only thing that will happen concerning TV is that your grey will pick up on different sounds of greys in any of those videos. A grey may become quiet as he's listening and then may make some *natural sounds of greys in the wild* Videos won't help him learn about new foods or diets. Greys and other parrots aren't able to see things on the TV or videos. Their eyes don't have the ability to see actual images on TVs or video players. They may stare at the TV but it's only the sounds that are causing it to stare in the direction of where the sounds are coming from.

The first photo shows that she's definitely plucking her breast feathers. Since you can't get aloe juice, you should spray her frequently with cool water especially on the breast area. She may have dry skin. She may also be molting a bit. Many birds pluck the dead feathers off of the body. During molting some birds be pulling out too many feathers and that's usually from dry skin. Dry skin causes the skin to get irritated and very itchy which causes the bird to pluck more than is necessary. Spraying with water may help but you need to make sure that the skin gets soaked. In your other post you talk about a chronic wing problem, especially the left side. That's hard to explain but it's not rare. As far as regrowth, it may not happen properly. When feathers aren't laying in their proper place, new feathers may irritate a bird and the bird may pull them out. You really can't say that they just fall out by themselves. You're not watching her 24 hrs a day. She may be pulling them out in the evening or when you're not watching her. Wing feathers fall out in all parts of the year. When they lose those wing feathers, that's not called molting. The present feather simply dries up and another pushes it's way outward. 1 or 2 wings feathers on Monday, a couple of more on Thursday etc etc. That feather is definitely a dead feather. There's no more blood in the bottom shaft area. It was the time for that feather to fall or get pushed out. As far as the left side, you'll need a vet to closely examine that area. We don't give out medical information when a vet is needed. BUT, I will say that it's a very bad idea to be practicing flying from one person to another! You'll hurt her by doing that. She has little balance when one wing is shorter than the other. She'll fall down and serious things may happen. If she hasn't flown throughout her life, that's the way it may stay or maybe not. That doesn't mean she's unhappy. I have a grey who at one time had no feathers at all except for the feathers on her head. It took a few years of hard work to finally stop him from plucking. He now has a beautiful complete set of feathers--wings, breast, tail BUT he will never fly if though his feathers are now perfect. He never knew how to fly because of his long term feather problem. I never make a big deal about him not flying. My biggest problem was stopping the bad serious plucking. It took 4 yrs to straighten that out. He's quite happy and even bosses the other greys once in a while. So, you may wanna make some sort of special trip to an avian vet or if not, continue to mist those breast frequently until they start growing back. If you can possibly find that aloe juice, get it. If you can get some cheap aloe plants, do it because she may overpluck certain areas and cause cuts or irritated spots. Most plant/ garden stores sell them. It's a very common plant. Using aloe plant----Take a leaf from the aloe plant, break off about 1 inch from the leaf and rub some of the gel on any itchy areas. Because your bird has a feather problem, it's good to have that aloe plant around. They're very hardy and very easy to keep alive. He in the US, they're very inexpensive. Also try giving her the darkest green veggies that you can find. That second picture above really doesn't show any serious damage but that may because of the photo angle.

Hi. Welcome to our board. I also have 2 congos and 1 Timneh. All are adults---9, 14, 18 yrs old. One of my congo greys is also named Smokey. He's the one in my avatar. Hope you enjoy yourself here.

Hey, I just signed the petition "Congress: Revoke the Tax-Exempt Status of the National Football League" and wanted to see if you could help by adding your name. Our goal is to reach 500,000 signatures and we need more support. You can read more and sign the petition here: https://www.change.org/petitions/congress-revoke-the-tax-exempt-status-of-the-national-football-league?share_id=DXdzKcxIrB

Every grey CAG or TAG gets what looks like a crack in the beak from left to right. The reason is because the outer layer is dead and is being replaced by a fresh layer of beak material. It's a constant occurance. It's probable that you're gonna see that left to right split for the rest of the bird's life.

Neither I nor my hubby watched any of the Super Bowl, just not interested in pro ball games anymore, rather watch college. Well, I'm not a football fan. Never have been. I've always been suspicious of a sport where a guy bends way over and there's a person behind him and has what looks like his hands grabbing and feeling at his ass cheeks. They must like it cause they're always repeating it. Hmmmmm, gotta wonder what's up?

is it really harmful if i got it? Yes, it can cause many types of illnesses because there's different strains of salmonella. Mostly internal. Cleanliness is a must. Lots of touching isn't good because the dander/dust on feathers can also carry the bacteria. And birds are constantly shaking the dander into the air. Dusting off things is a must. Keeping your bird away from human food is a must. Frequent hand washing is a must. Keep kids away from the bird. That also goes for other pets such as dogs and cats and other birds. do i need to wear gloves and that med mask thing? No, Gloves will frighten a bird causing constantly flapping of the wings and that spreads the dander around you should keep in constant contact with your vet concerning different things that're happening. Ask him about the specifics and the seriousness of the bacteria.

Corn has absolutely no nutrition in it that's good for a grey. It's not harmful to eat but as far as part of a main diet, it's useless. There's other species of parrots that eat corn and it's good for them. Not greys though. The huge majority of greys won't even eat the corn that's in a bowl. Your main diet shouldn't only be sunflower seeds. They thrive on different veggies which is what they normally eat. That's where they absorb healthy products. I never spoke about sunflower seeds being a main diet. WHAT I did say was that if sunflower seeds are in the different bags of parrot mix, then people shouldn't worry so much about them. I stated the ingredients in sunflower seeds so people wouldn't automatically start pulling them out and throwing them away. Concerning the value of corn for people, it also lacks anything great for people.

It's good that he's not afraid of it but he doesn't know it's a harness. So, you shouldn't be laying or partially laying it on the bird. The time to do that has passed. I'm not surprised that he's biting it. He would be biting anything that hanging off of him. NOW is the time to look at the disk and watch it and watch it over again. Now is the time to start putting it on him. Now is the time to prepare getting nipped and to be possibly bitten when doing it. Start this whole thing off knowing there's a good chance of getting bitten. Now is the time to expect to hear your bird to squawk and growl when doing it.. All people who have parrots have gotten bitten at one time or another. Now is the time to be brave. Now is the time to become a parrot owner.

Read all the posts/answers in this thread. Basically, you'll see that greys don't affect or transmit diseases to people but they can get sick from us. Kissing on the mouth is one example---if a person's saliva gets into the bird's system, they may get sick from the person who passed on the saliva. About the only illness that can happen is when a person in the house has asythma or different types on COPD which is another breathing disease. That happens from the dust/dander that comes from greys. I think you should ask your friend what kind of bird he was referring to. I've never heard of a grey who could cause any brain disease either to a person or another grey. Also show your wife these answers. She's worrying about nothing. Most people give or sell their greys only when breathing problems are present.

2 or 3/4 branches is okay. Different thickness, different lengths. Remove any straight wooden dowels that came with the cage. If those that are in the cage are branch like, leave them in. Get 2 or 3 branch type perches from any trees you have outside. Clean them well and put them in different angles in the cage, not straight across. Get old beat up, bent dead branches. Parrots like to go up and down. This is a sample of the branches and how to position them. All different positions and angles and different thicknesses. [/img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/DaveVP/playgym-style_zpsc64ce5ef.jpg[/img]

****She insisted that I get him on pellet's, give him 4 nutri balls in the morning and 4 at night and offer a few fresh veggies and fruit as treats.***** Personally, I think your vet has a big problem in his her way of thinking. She shouldn't be giving out info when he doesn't know what she's talking about.****offer a few fresh veggies and fruit as treats*** That's ridicous !! Veggies should be the main item that a person should aim for. Just about everyone here and other forums will say the same thing. Pellets -----pellets art artificial. Loads of birds don't like pellets which isn't unusual. There's no pellet trees in the wild that greys or other parrots go to are can find. Many greys and other parrots don't like all types of veggies. That too isn't unusual. Concerning veggies, a person has to find out which veggies the grey will accept. That takes a while but necessary. When you're fsinhed searching, don't be surprised if your bird has decided that he/she only likes a few different kinds. That too isnt unusual. Keeping a decent quality seed mix available all day long is important. Birds eat differently than humans. There's no breakfast, lunch or supper. What happens to those greys that will never accept any pellets permanently? Are they in poorer shape than those that eat pellets? I have breeders that won't touch pellets. That's not unusual. 2 of my 3 pet greys won't touch pellets. The breeder hens are large, healthy and don't have calcium problems and never get any bad health reports when the hens go to the vet once a year.

What I do agree with is the price and wattage of the bulb----$19.95. I have the same type of bulb that's about $17. What I don't agree with is the lighting fixture. A lighting fixture just like that can be gotten from Home Depot, Office Depot, large department stores, hardware stores that sell lighting fixtures, for between $15 to $20. The lighting fixtures even come in different colors. I even have a similar type that can hold an 8 in. long flourscent light which I have next to my laptop when I use it in the night. That bulb is 7 watts. In all, I have 4 lighting fixtures just like the one the company sells which is laying around the house. I use one over my workshop table in the basement because of the tiny intricate work I do when building ships which Luvparrots knows all about. PS----the height of these fixtures are all adjustable, can be clipped onto any cage top. -----adjustable===10 inches to 24 inches.

To ease your mind, remove your grey if you want to. But as far as glue toxicity, it's impossible to tell you whether it's toxic. The only thing to go on is what the company said. It's their glue and they know about it. If she's away from the bathroom for about 3 to 4 days, there should be no problem plus the bathroom door can always be kept shut. If the bathroom has a window, it can be left slightly open. You shouldn't have problems. because all the work that's being done is in an enclosed area.

I've used the harness for a few years. I had a hard time getting my greys used to them because both were adult birds---9 yrs and 14yrs . 2 of my greys finally accepted them. 1 CAG, 1 TAG. 2 different sized harnesses. The other grey can't fly. It's pretty easy to get a young bird used to them. Like Bailey said, watch the video a few times. Watch it when you run into small problems. Start slow and if needed, have one other person around to help out until you and your bird gets used to it.

Well, since your post is very short and doesn't contain more specific information on such a serious subject I'll ask ---do you mean knocking over glass ware or actually chewing it? Either way, it's obvious that you're giving your bird too much free play. If you're doing this, your bird is now the boss which isn't good. Parrots shouldn't have access to any type glassware or very thin sharp plastic items. Accidental breakage and possible injury could occur. If it's very easy for him to get to these different items, that has to be stopped.

I'm posting this just in case you feel like you're doing great harm to your bird because every now and then, he/she is getting an excess of sunflower seed. I hope this relieves peoples' minds. We often hear about people telling us to avoid feeding sunflower seeds to our parrots, because these are unhealthy and lacks in nutritional value. Are sunflower seeds really bad for parrots? I decided to find about the nutritional fact of sunflower seeds simply because they're put into just about every companys' parrot mix.. It was a long search but the facts below have been proven to be correct. If it wasn't true, I wouldn't post it. If there's a doubt in your mind, look it up yourself. Do you know sunflower seeds are excellent sources of various vitamins and minerals? Sunflower seeds are actually a good source of Vitamin B1, Vitamin B6, Magnesium, Potassium, Phosphorus, Copper, Manganese, Selenium, Iron and Zinc and a very good source of Vitamin E 1. Vitamin E (Alpha Tocopherol) Vitamin E (also known as Alpha Tocopherol) is actually a fat soluble antioxidant. Vitamin E is also an important element in reproductive hormones. Deficiency in Vitamin E can lead to health problems in parrots like poor fertility, appear lethargic, muscle disorders, poor skin and plumage conditions. 2. Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) Vitamin B6 (also known as Pyridoxine) is a water soluble vitamin helps in the break down of proteins. Deficiency in Vitamin B6 can lead to poor growth, loss of appetite and poor egg production. 3. Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) Vitamin B1 (also known as Thiamin) is also a water soluble vitamin in the vitamin B complex group. It helps to maintain a healthy nervous systems in parrots. Deficiency in Vitamin B1 can lead to loss of appetite, lethargy, seizures and even death. 4. Magnesium Magnesium serves several important functions in parrots. It helps in the relaxation and contraction of the muscle. An important element for the production of proteins, and converting carbohydrates, proteins and fats into energy. Deficiency in Magnesium can lead to poor growth, lethargy and even death. 5. Potassium Potassium is an important mineral for proper growth. It helps in the metabolism of carbohydrates. Deficiency in Potassium can result in poor growth rate and kidney disorders. 6. Phosphorus Phosphorous is an important mineral needed for proper growth and bone formation. Deficiency in Phosphorous can result in bone problems. 7. Copper Copper is an important mineral that helps in the formation of red blood cells and also keeping the blood vessels, nerves, immune system, and bones healthy. Deficiency in Copper can lead to anemia and bone deformities. 8. Manganese Manganese is an essential mineral that helps in the formation of strong healthy bones. Deficiency in Manganese can lead to bones problems. 9. Selenium Selenium helps create antioxidant enzymes that helps preventing and repairing damage cells. Deficiency in Selenium may impair the reproduction system. 10. Iron Iron is an important mineral needed to make the oxygen-carrying proteins hemoglobin and myoglobin. Deficiency in Iron can result in anemia. 11. Zinc Zinc is an essential mineral. It plays a vital role in wound healing, regulation of blood-sugar and strengthening the immune system. Deficiency in Zinc can lead to slow and poor growth, and poor feather conditions. Other than vitamins and minerals, sunflower seeds are also an excellent source of protein and dietary fibre. Traces of linoleic acid are also found in sunflower seeds. Linoleic acid is an essential fatty acid. It is an important element for proper growth, wound healing and reproduction. With these findings, I can testify that sunflower seeds aren’t really low in nutritional value as I thought. Sunflower seeds can be an ideal supplement to the parrots’ daily nutritional needs without affecting the health. Still keep the veggie diet. Still give fruit once in a while. Still give human food. PLUS---In the wild, many of the small softbill birds --chickadees, titmice, siskins, juncos, house sparrows, seek out black oil sunflower seed FIRST before eating anything else. For those birds, black oil sunflower seeds can help them exist in the worst of winters and allow them to stay in prime condition for the rest of the year. (oil sunflower seed isn't for parrots)

1--She may not like to talk when people are around that she can see. Many greys are like that. 2--She may be too young to talk yet. Many greys start talking when they're older and some younger. That can't change. 3--Lots of greys don't ever talk the human language permantly. They will imitate all types of sounds though. Again, it has to do with the grey. Nothing can change that. Many people who get greys don't really worry about whether the bird talks or not.

Hi Luvparrots. Welcome to the board. You know that you can get all info you need right on the board. If you go to Grey Lounge area, Janet the moderator will be able to help you out with anything. Just remember to post pics. We all like pics.

This concerns different ways to teach the step up process. It's a basic thing that you and your bird should know about so other things can be achieved. The step up command is the most important command to teach your bird as it gives you some control over him and helps you to interact with him. Many birds will have learned how to step up before you get them home, but if they havent this short guide should help you. 1. Choose the command you want to use and stick with it. It can be as simple as Step Up but it should not be a question and should be short and sharp. 2. Choose a time to train when you have the birds complete attention. Have a number of treats such as nuts to use.You may need to go into a neutral room such as a quiet, room that has a door that can be closed. The room should be away from the cage to begin training. Make sure there are no distractions for the bird's attentions such as other pets, or people. Put your bird on the floor. 3. Hold your hand at the bird's abdomen above the feet and give the Step Up command. The bird may not step up and the process needs to be repeated.. If he doesn't try pressing lightly on the birds abdomen. 4. When he steps up give him lots of praise and his favourite treat. As he gets better at stepping up you can decrease the treats, but keep praising. 5. You can have him step from hand to hand to practise. But when it seems he is getting tired or losing concentration, stop at the next successful step up, give lots of praise and end the session. 6. When it seems he has mastered the step up away from the cage you can begin practising it from inside and outside the cage. 7. Have different family members practise the step up with him. Wait until he totally trusts you and have them use the same method that you're using. Just do this once in a while. A couple of things to remember when you are teaching your bird to step up; 1. Never get cross with your bird, always be positive and ignore any unwanted behaviour 2. Keep the practise sessions short, but frequent. 3. If the bird appears to be going to bite your hand, relax, he may just be testing to make sure the perch (your hand) is stable. If he does bite, say firmly No biting! but keep your hand steady. Use a perch as a last resort. 4. If he doesn't seem to want to step up, or understand what you are expecting him to do a gentle push on his belly will help him to make the step. When he steps up, remember lots of praise and treats in the early stages! 5. And lastly remember if a step up always results in a negative outcome such as being returned to the cage, your bird may start refusing to step up. Keep stepping up fun!

How old is he and how long have you had him? Also, has he been taught the step up method in the past or are you waiting for him to step up without any past step up training?

It can be anywhere between 7/8 to 13/15 mts. No 2 birds are alike. It doesn't sound like you're doing too much but I will say not to put store bought special sprays on him. They won't do anything because molting is a natural process that happens when it happens. Keeping the skin soft eases itchness. The aloe will do that as well as water.