Dave007

This should put a sparkle in your eye http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-anodized-aluminum.htm

Want some piece of mind? Go with KFC. Say hi to the colonel.

Unfortunately once a parrot picks up squawking/screaming/screeching it can be a hard habit to break. You can compare that screech to a chirp, whistle, beep,a word. It's in their vocabulary. A bird doesn't know the difference between a sreech or chirp. It's one of many sounds that they can make. Think about this---if your bird chirped incessantly, do you think that there's things that you can do to stop it? They need a routine and a lot of stimulation throughout the day or they get stressed or bored. In either case they may start screaming or screeching for your attention. It could be one screech or many. In your situation, it's one. They usually find that it's very effective because it's nearly impossible for their human owners to ignore. Even if you respond by yelling at him you're giving him attention and they're getting what they want. Essentially your bird is training you. Whenever it yells at you you respond and entertain it with food, soft talking, giving treats, which encourages it to continue to scream more frequently and often louder. A very effective way to stop the screech or scream or squawk is to deny them the reward they're waiting for. Even though it's ear piercing at times you have to ignore them whenever they scream. In your situation it may not be easy to do. Only you know your situation. Wait for him to stop and start counting. If you can get to about a minute you can go and calmly talk to them. If they start screaming again walk out of the room and ignore them until they stop. Parrots, especially African Greys, are very smart. Eventually they will realize that being quite is a more effective way to get you to come talk to them than screaming. Again, because I don't know your situation, only you can decide if this can be accomplished. Concerning what I just said, none of it applies to birds who naturally make these sounds--cockatoos, macaws and some others. Another technique if you can't stand the noise is to use a blanket. This is far from a "stupid" idea and can be very effective if done correctly. Most birds hate blankets being placed over their cage. If your Grey starts screaming clearly say "No!" loudly one time. Wait about ten seconds and if he continues to scream place a blanket over they're cage. Walk away and ignore them for a two or three minutes and then return and remove the blanket. The ten seconds is important because your parrot can learn that if they stop screaming in the ten seconds after you've said "No" they can avoid the blanket. If you keep to this pattern a bird can actually learn very quickly that if you say "No" they need to be quiet. You can also apply it to excessive talking if it bothers you. It may also help to teach your parrot a routine. All parrots love routines. If they know what to expect they're much more relaxed and often quieter. Try to take them out around the same time each day, keep them out for about the same period of time and put them back around the same time. Also try to feed them at the same time each day since they sometimes start screaming thinking that you might bring them food. If they know when they get food and when they don't they probably won't try screaming for it. The same goes for being let out. Screaming/screeching/squawking has to be dealt with through different methods of routines. If you do decide to rehome him, you'll need to cut all ties with the bird and trust the new owner to institute a new way of living.

Well, the type you just showed in that pic was the type I was talking about so good luck.. I use it on my birds all the time.

It's a worth while indeaver plus if you have one of those detachable tube heads which is actually the shower, you can take that tube and just aim it under her. Doing this just a tiny bit will go a long way. The underneath feathers aren't waterproof so they get immediately wet/soaked. Usually, that tube is about 5 ft long

My birds do that all the time and the results aren't pretty. The birds don't care because they continue doing it. My opinion is to hold off the vet visit for a few days to see if the color returns to normal. That bruise will take a little longer to go away. Parrots with white faces show pink faces for many reasons. A vet can't do anything about the pink face anyway. He may give a small amount of ointment to put on the bruise but there's OTC products that are just as good.

A parrot shouldn't be in unnatural areas where feeding is concerned. That includes actual feeding or the motion of feeding. The ear is unnatural and contains bacteria, germs and wax which is there 24/7. Going through the act of feeding even though there's no food there means that the bird is inhaling and the bird could inhale bacteria. How long it will do this is a question that can't be answered but a bird could decide that it likes doing that and won't stop.

The breeder is the person who decides what proper food to pick. He/she is the person who sees what the chick prefers and then passes the info on to the customer. If you gave a brand name, it doesn't mean that the breeder will be successful with that brand It's up to the breeder to find the proper food, not the buyer.

***aggression, biting, screaming*** WRONG___WRONG____WRONG Greys are well known to be the quietest bird in the parrot world. As with any other parrot, greys will bite but there's always a reason. That's why a list of BODY LANGUAGE is posted here in a sticky. Many other parrots won't give any warnings about biting. READ THE LIST. Intentional aggression doesn't exist in the grey world unless the grey had gone through many unusual stages when living with many others. ****They are extremely intelligent and have excellent memories and are prone to holding grudges for weeks, months, or years. By "holding grudges" I mean you do one thing wrong and the bird remembers this one single misstep and mistrusts you for (potentially) an extremely long period of time.***** Grudges!!--------parrots don't hold grudges. A person saying that is giving a parrot too much ability and intelligence. Parrots may not like a certain person but there's always reasons. Plucking happens sometimes because a grey prefers to pull it's own feathers out as opposed to dealing with a person. That applies to greys. It's called nervousness. That applies to TOOs. It's up to a person to study a species ( any species). Greys are one of the most popular in the parrot world. As far as cockatoos, they're known as pluckers because that happens if the extreme interaction with people is very limited. They're clingy birds. Greys are somewhat aloof. Total opposites. Greys and TOOs are worlds apart as far as species go. Many TOOs wind up in shelters because many scream a lot and that's natural. That's their sound. They're not the only species that does this. A TOO isn't for the person who lives in an apartment or townhouse. Neighbors will complain about the yelling. I could say other facts but for now, tell the person who's saying this to ease up on whatever drug they're smoking. That kind of smoking affects the brain cells.

Ok, loads of information have been given concerning the structure of this Plexiglass enclosed 'cage'. The info that's been given has to do with the airflow, holes, design, perches. Some suggestions are better than others. Some aren't. The whole idea about making this item had to do with a person's dislike of messiness that comes with owning a parrot. No one thought about that messiness when the bird was purchased. An idea popped up concerning enclosing the bird to contain the messiness. The whole idea of doing this is cruel. No one thought about the bird. So, lets talk about the most important item here which is a live creature which needs very basic things to stay comfortable and happy with it's personality not effected. Those basic things also involve messiness Parrots, all parrots, need natural open space and natural open surroundings in which they can do basic things and ba properly. That includes climbing up the bars of a cage , climbing the inside roof of a cage, toys which can be placed in areas that a bird will feel most comfortable. Not all birds like hanging toys. Some like them on the roof, some like them on the sides. The natural ability to constantly interact with the owner which involves touching, petting, ease of ability to give the bird treats without having to move things around to give to the bird, the ability of the bird to climb in and out of the cage when it wants to is seriously hampered. A person looks at other people's ideas about the toys they give and most of those setups have to do with these items being out of the cage, on top of the cage, the sides of the cage. Look at the photos of hundreds of setups here that people have made for their birds. None include Plexiglass enclosures. Most people have playstands outside the cages for their birds to exercise on. These play stands aren't in cages but when they're on those stands and when the bird starts flapping, messiness happens and it's a natural thing to do. A bird needs areas where body strength needs to be built up. Being in a glass cage doesn't allow that because the bird doesn't have things to hold on to when he decides to do it. That includes the sides of a cage, the inner roof of a cage, the perch/perches of a cage and the outer parts of the cage--outer bars, outer roofs, outer sides of the cage. An animal needs to be allowed to do things which nature created for them. Many people start thinking that their bird isn't wild just because it now lives in a house and interacts with people. Does a person constantly keep a dog in an enclosed pen because it sheds to much? Does a person have their cat declawed because it scratches too many things in a house? Loads of people here will say that their bird is messy. They say their bird creates dander all over the place. They say that their bird flies around all the time. What do these people do when these situations happen? They realize that they need to do deal with these different things in a different way. They also laugh about the way they have to deal with things. None of these things are dealt with by putting their bird in enclosed Plexiglass containers.. Now for the perches-----parrots need all different sized thicknesses of wooden perches so their claws are constantly excersised, They need the ability to dig into things to hold on to.Pcv piping doesn't do it. They need those perches to be aimed in different directions so a bird can go up and down, left to right, diagonally. This also applies to outdoor birds who are wild. An African grey is a wild animal and will always remain wild even if lives with a person for years and years. Wild outdoor birds aren't perching on PVC piping. Now for another extremely important thing----breathing. No matter what devise is created for a totally enclosed area, the one thing those devices and inventions won't do is take the immediate dander out of a cage the minute a bird flaps it off. So what happens---the dander/dust goes up the bird's nostrils and causes breathing problems which parrots are very well known to get. The vets will constantly tell you that. And in your situation, your bird is gonna be stuck in the cage for long periods of time so all of the above and below will be even worse. And by the way, greys and cockatoos give off extreme amounts of dander. Nature has dictated that they do this. Read parrot books. Check out what they need. See what's sold in stores Remember, think twice before putting that creature in an unnatural and mental and physical setting. The bird's health and disposition are much more important than messiness.

Welcome home!! Hope you're feeling better these days:D

Yeah, they're also safe too plus parrots aren't particularly fond of them. The fruit is extremely sour. Other types are extremely tart.

The crab apple is safe and so is the tree.

Please put your posts and replies in the proper section. In this case it would be the NURSERY ROOM

Thanks Judy yeah, that's a good sized cage too. And the separation of the bars are fine

A cage for a Timneh should be approx this big 28L x 22W x 55 But bigger is better A cage for a CAG should be approx this big 36Lx26Wx65H This cage includes Amazons---Small Cockatoos---Eckletus--Rose Breasted Cockatoos and any other similar size All of this measurements can vary a bit. This is what a CAG looks like in the proper size http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/DaveVP/c.jpg

Maybe it's my PC but everytime I click on your link, no picture is there. PS_____the only thing there are the specs and the bar separation is ok

Pink Bichon!!! Now I understand why Talon is as weird as she looks. Must of taken a lot of effort to think that one up. Oh well, I guess it takes all kinds.

I don't worry because my 2 quakers are always policing the greys all year long. So if one of the greys gets horny, one of quakers puts him in his place. She/he simply bites him on his pecker. End of problems. Corporals Baby and Lola http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/DaveVP/P1010007-1.jpg

You sound shocked but the only difference is the name tag. Retail stores will cost a fortune. So many people here own cages from EBAY because they have multiple birds of difference sizes. my 3 greys each have an identicle cage, the only difference being color. I've had these cages for years. Back then, they were even cheaper on EBAY but inflation does exist. Check all the pages there. You'll see different design cages in the size you were looking at. Just make sure you click on BUY IT NOW. That means no bidding. The price yoou see is the price you'll pay.

Many times, it's suggested that people first check out EBAY. They have excellent quality new cages made from the exact same material as above. They have hundreds of sizes and styles. There's no bidding involved. A major difference is price. Of course, many people find out about EBAY when it's too late. An Example----- http://www.ebay.com/itm/40-x31-x70-Large-Ladder-Parrot-Bird-Cage-Playtop-Deluxe-Black-Vein-Cages-/230740329626?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b932049a

Most important here is habit. A bird can adjust to different time schedules for sleeping, waking, napping but the habit you're talking about can lead to screeching or general noise making. This is one of those times that you need to ignore what's happening but ******I ended up taking him out for 15 minutes, for some bedtime snuggles, and put him willingly back in his cage.***** if he's only gonna stay alert for only 1/2 hr and willingly goes back in, you won't have problems. He knows you're there before you whisper. Basically, you're saying good night and adding a few rubs for good measure. Don't worry about it.

I know the most important thing you can do right now is to not make any judgements be they major or minor after having the bird for 3 days. It takes much more than 3 days to learn about your bird and visa versa. I'm talking weeks, not days.

More than likely, she'll be much more nervous being put into an unfamilar area ( outside). It's one thing to check out everything with a glass in front, it's another to be out there. If your bird was gonna make a move to get outside, it would have happened already. Wanna get your bird used to the outside without worrying? Put a harness on,put him in a small cage and put it on the porch. Leave him out for a while with no sun beating down on him. Let him associate what a harness means. Do it over and over. Then one day, put the harness on and go out minus the cage. Have the cage nearby. He'll already be used to the outside, smells, sights, sounds. When you're finished, put him back in the cage that's outside.Leave harness on until you go back in. That's the method I used with 2 of my 3 greys. The third can't fly at all so he just perches in a cage outside. Your bird will feel a lot more secure with you around. ( you're the safety net)Think about it.

Well, it's really not a dilemma. Just take your kid and tell him/her to move out permanently and not think about coming back. Make sure that any furniture and other personal belongings are outside in a pile. Just tell the kid that he/she isn't wanted anymore. Tell the kid to never disturb your peacefulness again. Tell the kid to go and get a job like all other responsible kids do. If there's no living quarters available make sure the barn is temporarily available. Tell the kid that it's not worth spending more time or money with him/her. Make it clear that you've had enough. Tell the kid that you're bored with the past lifestyle and you're moving on to a very good parrot that'll understand what it's really like to be grateful for the small things. Tell the kid that you realize that it's time that you wanna think only of yourself. Tell your kid that 65 miles isn't a long distance to finally get happiness and contentment. After all, you are thinking like a politician, right?