Dave007

Now is the time to start using the different rooms for different subjects. Not everyone looks at the Welcome Room to find different subjects Examples Cages belong in Cage/Stand room. Food belongs in the Food Room Habits and differences belong in Training or Grey Lounge Rooms Etc Etc

Adopting a pre-owned parrot is a different thing and with it comes some difficulties and situations although the new and experienced person such as you is able to understand what they're actually seeing in that parrot. Usually, people like you have had experiences other older parrots and are able to ease the pressure that the pre-owned parrot is going through. These parrots have usually lived in either one or a few homes in the past. With each home, the parrot develops habits that pertain to what's going on there. Parrots don't forget things very easily and when that parrot moves on to that next home he/she takes those habits with him/her. It's frequently referred to as 'baggage' or 'history' which involves many aspects of the parrot's personality and habits and ways of thinking. The ideal adoption of a pre-owned parrot is getting one that has no 'baggage', but that's impossible. First of all, the parrot is older and very sure of itself. The 'baggage can't be gotten rid of. Usually, a person that adopts a pre-owned parrot forfeits the experience of that parrot living and acting like a baby. Many people who are experienced don't have a problem with that phase of ownership. The people who do have a problem are the ones that aren't familar that experience. They don't get that experience over night. What they do see is an obvious amount of previous 'baggage' and they become disillusioned and many times, the parrot will soon be off to it's next home. The amount of 'baggage' that the parrot stores away when living in that home depends on how long the parrot has lived in other homes. Part of that newly obtained 'baggage' are the personalities of all the different owners that existed and the methods used to make the parrot conform at each home. Again I say, parrots don't forget and they have the natural ability to store away more and more situations. Some of these owners should have never taken on the adoption of a pre-owned parrot and some of these same people should have never taken on the task of owning any parrot but we all make mistakes. No one's perfect. The only similar thing I can compare this situation to is the adoption of a child. The ideal adoption is when the child is very, very young and the new parents are being given the chance to easily intergrate that baby into their family life style. But what about those children that are 8, 9,10, 11, 12 yrs and older? They also come with 'baggage' which will remain with them. Some people can't handle that older child and then he/she will shortly be making that familar journey back to those different foster homes and all over again those children are just waiting for the right people to come along and who will accept them for what they presently are. Adopting an older child isn't for everyone and adopting an older parrot isn't for everyone. Luckily, there are those experienced people out there who can cope with either situation. Diet---Yes, that's their basic diet plus a decent seed mixture. A parrot won't eat everything that's offered but that's to be expected. Human food is good too. Chicken bones. No chocolate, no avocado, no caffeine. Any nuts should be unsalted. We have a food section---what kind of foods, recipes for food etc etc. You'll have to wait and find out on your own about what you said about disliking males. The bird is in a new house now. We have a Health Room that tells about aloe vera juice and aloe vera gel for bathing, treating small cuts, bruises. There's areas all over here that speak about plucking, pulling, chewing feathers To me, the bird sounds like she's already accepting her new environment. PS----Your post wasn't too long Check out the other rooms here and see if anything interests you.

You're right. Forgot them too. There's also a wild one that's in the North Pole but I don't remember the name.

""""""""Very revealing words spoken by someone who is rolling out excuses to avoid accountability - and who is part of the problem. Its an uncomfortable and inconvenient truth for the moderator and for many wild species owners that their actions support and actively promote the trade in wild species.""""""" Best to all, -Mary And you want me to bail you out? You gotta be kidding. What kind of stuff are you smoking?

OH, TO BE 19 YRS OLD AGAIN:rolleyes:. Those were the days. So many women, never knowing what exciting surprises was around the corner with those girls, no online dating, No HIV, the best weed, disco dancing, muscle cars, Woodstock. Yes, yes, those were the days my friend. Oh well, just memories will have to do now. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?200425-The-african-grey-have-i-done-my-homework

If all that happened within a week, it was definitely stress related. What was the stress? That can't be answered. It could be from any minor events that weren't intentionally caused by you. It could be from being put in the cage when he wasn't ready. He obviously like his out of the cage freedom. Also,maybe a temporary lack of communication. Again, not your fault. It could have happened after going thru a frightening experience.There's lots of greys, especially young ones that will do that once in a while. The bird usually has a full set of tail feathers when it occurs. I've seen perfectly feathered birds fall off their perch while asleep at night and the next day, pieces of tail feathers, flight feathers, breast feathers simply because of a bad experience. Sometimes it doesn't stop happening for a week or so. There's another reason why this can happen and many have done this----------A feather slightly bends or fractures near the base of the feather. The bird is aware of it and that area is irritated. The bird goes there and starts chewing that feather and all the feathers that surround it. When will he finally slow down? It depends on the bird and it's high energy level and amount of irritation and the amount of itchiness at the time he started chewing. Why did he instantly go after all of the other feathers? Again, it can't be really answered. There's lots of opinions and probably they're all right. Yes, you can go to a vet. That's up to you. Whatever makes you feel more at ease. BUT-----as far as regrowth.....As they come back, they may not grow back evenly so one or two come in and those new feathers touch tender skin area that have no feathers yet so the bird pulls out that new feather away from the more tender area. As all of these things are happening, new feathers are growing in and finally a new set of fewathers are back but it may take a while. The worst area for all of this to happen are on flight feathers. They take quite a long time to all come back because flight feathers new grow in evenly. So be patient. Act as if nothing happened. They will come back but it may take time. Some would say to get a new toy for him to react to. Personally, I don't agree with that especially when it has to do with a CAG. They're naturally leery of new things and that new toy may make him pull out other feathers. PS--My mistake. Bad typing day ********** The worst area for all of this to happen are on flight feathers. They take quite a long time to all come back because new flight feathers grow in evenly******** I meant to say UNEVENLY

The reason they don't say which birds are listed for a certain size stand is because any parrot will go on the stand unless he doesn't want to. It has nothing to do with size, shape The only stands you wanna stay from are the tiny parrots use. The bars are too thin. A medium sized parrot needs a stand which has thick standing bars. Many people even make their own out of scrap wood. The one there is fine for a TAG or CAG.

If I make a statement which has to do with different side effects of chronic disease, it's not just something I think up and say just because I think it's the truth. I do extensive research before saying something since I'm not the one with the final answers. I have no acronym before or after my name but I truly care about a person's health and want to give some official information about the problem. ESpecially this illness.I won't tell a person or people to beware of something just because I think it's true. COPD and Asthma are serious irreversible illnesses which can affect the heart. I don't consider this information to be --- *that's just silly!* There are a few other people here that know that I have COPD. I just don't talk about it. I under the care of a Pulmology Specialist . I have to go through spiromitry testing which is lung/air volume, every 6 mts. A CT Scan once a year for any heart problems because of the possible heart injury that may occur because of my COPD even though I've never had any heart problems. I have regular scans for possible pneumonia, and Bronchitis. I've had this illness for 25 yrs so I'm considered one of the lucky ones. So, for those people here with chronic lung/breathing problems, this website is just for people who wanna know the full scope of lung disease. Remember, I'm not the Pulmologist here. http://www.webmd.com/lung/copd/news/20100120/mild-copd-may-hurt-the-heart

******For training I meant like tricks and stuff ... I see all kinds of videos of "trained" birds and often wonder if I'm preventing Echo from having "more" fun ... things like putting a ball in a basket, mini putt, etc. I admit I tried a couple of them, but it was either Echo wasn't interested, or I wasn't doing it right LOL ... I had a little ball for her to put in the hoop and she destroyed three of them in about 15 seconds flat (I'm pretty sure she had more fun destroying the ball than me trying to figure out how to get her to put in the net LOL****** ******I guess on a parrot forum, you see more threads on people needing help for problems, rather than, hey I have a great bird and pretty much no problems LOL.********* Well, yes there'a many tricks that are taught to birds and they can be seen on YouTube but for approx. every 30 videos you see, theres approx. only one grey. That's because greys aren't the type that take to tricks very well. It doesn't surprise me at all that your grey is ripping that ball up. In his eyes, you're giving the ball and he procedes to destroy it. That's his idea of you playing with him. He'll enjoy that much more than putting it in the basket. Greys are well known chewers. It's always advised to give greys wood pieces so that they can destroy. That releases frustration. It's also a good idea to hang a cowbell in the cage so that your bird can have visious mock fights with it. They'll smash them around, they'll let the bell hit them back and the fight continues. Many times at night when it's bedtime, you'll find your bird snuggled up to that bell. The bell is his playmate who he do anything with. Sometimes a grey will swing a bell a bit and let the bell come back on the top of the head. What he's getting is tickles/rubs. As far as what you said, you'll find a room here that covers just about ever subject---problems, fun, habits, comparisons, tips and clues---------not just needing help. Your experience here should be a satisfying, enjoyable experience. At least we try to keep it that way.

I really can't answer all of your questions but here's my imput. 1----how many people have had their greys since they were little (i.e. you are the only "owner") I have that one since before it was hatched (Now 15 yrs old.) No plucking. No loud unusual sounds. The parents were one of my breeding pairs. I'm the only owner. I have 2 other adopted adult greys CAG and TAG with past problems. TAG is 17 yrs old. The other CAG is 10 yrs old. One (TAG) was an extremely aggressive grey that went after all the previous family members--It took approx. 1 1/2 yrs to change attitude into a loving parrot. I/m the 3rd owner The other grey( CAG ) was a badly plucked bird introverted personality. It took approx. 4 yrs to stop that habit. I/m the 2nd owner. I give normal attention to all three equally so that one doesn't feel like it's a second or third bird. That's part of training. My wife also interacts. 2---of you people, how many of you have zero problems with your grey? By this I mean - no plucking, no never ending screaming (not the normal loud parrot noises, but the kind you hear that make you wish you'd never got a parrot in the first place b/c it's been three hours and it just won't stop!) 3---Training? what do you mean by training? fly, step up. If so, that was done to 2 adopted birds. Other than that, no training. One couldn't fly because it was completely bald. The other was taught how not to be aggressive with me, wife, dog and the other birds. No unusual sounds from any of them. 4--She has lots of perches / boings / toys, etc. to play with and she does destroy them all at one time or another .... They have an average amount of toys, perches. Lots to chew and destroy. I think that's a question that can't be applied to all greys. Some like toys, some don't. It's their choice. 5--Flying They're all free flying in a bird room. They go to sleep when they feel like it. That includes day or night. They each know their own cage. My wife and I are at the age when we're both home 6---Vocabulary I'm not a big fan of teaching a bird how to mimic human language since it's only mimicking. Through the years, I've learned what they're saying and doing through their sounds. In other words, learning parrotese. Any human word mimicking is what they've voluntarily picked up. One says many human words. I never taught him. The other 2 don't speak any human mimicking at all, but they all communicate with me through their own language.

Basically, a cage for a grey should be approx. 55in( without stand) to 66 (with stand)in height. It should be 26 to 28 in depth. It should be approx. 33 in wide. I believe a flat roof is a pretty good one because greys love to walk upside down in the roof. A rounded cage is also perfectly fine. The bar spacing should be 3/4 in to 1 in wide. Powder coated cages are the standard today. They can be purchased online or from manufqcturers but getting one from Ebay or Amazon is much less expensive even though it's the same cage as pet shops offer. This pic should give you an idea how much space should be around a grey. PS---check out the other rooms here. There's lots of info on them and many of your questions will be seen by much more people who will respond.

Gassing is a thing of the past when it comes to minor procedures. Everything you're talking about are minor proceduires. A local ansesthic is only given when major proceduires Go with the man you trust. Just make sure he knows what he's doing. Stay away from vets that are still into gas. I've heard of lots of serious problems have occurred and some vets won't refund your money ( here in the US). Usually, they're just a bunch of shitheads.

That's funny because I actually heard about Miss Vickie. She's pretty cool. She always makes sure that people coming over are basically sane. She's one of the rescue/adoption centers I'm familiar with in Georgia. A breeder who I know in MO met her.

About the only think about is to find out if your vet has done birds before. There's a certain way of doing it and for the vet that has had experience, it's no big deal. The insertion takes about 1 minute and the bird feels little no pain. Then the vet checks it out with an external reader. They just squawk a lot because the vet is a stranger.

Well, at 7 weeks you've still got a long long way to go as far as formula feeding. Then, when that finally happens, people introduce veggies to a diet. Veggies are 100x better than introducing pellets at a very young age. Also, when solid food is finally offered, it should be a good parrot mix that has a wide variety of seeds in it. One type of pellet just doesn't cut it. Remember the veggies---in the wild greys don't eat pellets. There are no pellet trees. Ask the vet about pre weaning, weaning and post weaning. One of the biggest problems that people have is introducing solid food at such a young age. They have no muscle and jaw strength developed yet.

Welcome to our board. I know there's a grey out there just waiting for you. It's a bit difficult to recommend one particular person who has a bird up for adoption. But an alternative is to try to contact different adopton centers in your state. They have greys and other species. Your big advantage is that you're willing to get a rehomed grey. The only inconvinence may be the traveling to get to one. These are 2 in Georgia but I know that there's more in Ga. Also know that all reputable rescue centers do charge a fee when taking in a bird. That goes for dogs, cats and most other rescue centers. You may even run into some people here who live in Ga. http://www.parrotvillage.org/donate/ http://www.adoptapet.com/s/parrot-adoption

I'll say this nicely because you seem to have a problem in how I present things SO I'll try to be nice. I would appreciate it that you wouldn't tell people that prescription drugs that are used for people are fine for pets. The drug is an antipsychotic drug. I'm positive that you won't take any responsibity for a bird's bad reactions and that even includes an apology to a person who suffers a loss to their bird just by your advice. I've seen many drugs used on birds and some of those drugs are no longer on the market. I really don't care if you're a past or present nurse. I also have nurses in my family-----1 hospice and 1 pediatric and neigher would agree with a Md unless it was a proven fact. And, they deal with many mds that have different opinions This is why the people here are told to visit other vets to get opinions. ***A QUICK fix****.. Collars are not quick fixes. They're commonly known as preventative devices and there's no proof that they actually do the job all the time. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. I hope this is nice enough.

Well, you're the frst person that's ever said that aloe juice has perserative which can possibly harm bird's skin. I intentinally posted picture of both items. If you look carefully, you'll see that both items say 100%. I don't know where you bought it and I don't know what kind you got. Both can be purchased in large supermarkets that have large pharmacutilc departmants such as walmart. They can also be purchase at pharmacies. Let me also tell you something about these products-----The 100% aloe juice is given to people by MDs who have serious digestive problems. That happens commonly. The 100% gel is used by people who have dry skin, bruises. cuts. That's also common and some people can actually go to the plant/flower store and purchase aloe plants. They use those plants by breaking off a small piece of a leaf and rubbing it on the bad areas. The gel sinks into the skin and the bird isn't even aware of it other than the area stops being irritated. Now as far as the collar, I never said that it was a quick fix. The bird took it's time to damage himself by hanking out feathers and it's gonna take time for the feathers to grow back in. Both of these items are for external use only. Both are no toxic. Many people here have decided to actually bathe their birds in the watered down aloe juice. As far as the collar, you seem to have wanted a quick fix . It's only been a few days. Honestly, I never expected good results from that collar but I told you to make a choice. I told you that many times when a collar is removed, the bird will go after injured areas. People here will also tell you the same experiences about collars. This problem also occurs with dogs and cats. The big diffence is that collars are only used by vets because the dog has a serious injury and they don't want to let the dog pick on or lick it. It has to do with infections. Those collars are removed prickly as soon as the dog has healed.

You're right in a few areas 1---I don't wanna scare you. First , this medication is a sedative. Second, when used in human therapeutic doses, it applies to psychotic conditions. In your situation, it was given as a sedative which won't help a bird permanently pick it's feathers. Look up the word in Google or SK.COM. Third, Collars aren't used very often for birds because it causes problems for birds as far as eating. It also won't cause a bird to permanently stop pick/pluck/chew feathers. Actually there are times when these devices can actually cause a bird to get more intense and irritated with the plucking when the these devices are removed. Ichiness, dryness which are common causes of plucking, pulling/chewing feathers. Many birds look just like your bird does when mutilation occurs. It can also come in the mating season. Yes, moving may have been the fault. It's hard for us to say. There's many reasons for this condition. The one possible solution is to have 2 items in the house. One is a spray that satutates the feathers and ESPECIALLY the skin. That item is called ALOE VERA JUICE. It's used as a spray. The second it is a non toxic gel which is used for bald spots, over preened feathers, cuts, bruices. It's called ALOE VERA GEL. Both can be purchased at pharmacies and both are inexpencive. People use the gel as a skin conditioner. It should be used every 2 days. The spray should be used all the time in a mister. In this health room, we have stickies above concerning both items. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/DaveVP/CopyofBothtypesofaloevera-1.jpg

Well, we have loads of rooms here that cover just about everything. We even have a nursery room for people who wanna discuss things about their baby birds. That room covers all sorts of baby species. We also have Other Birds room if you wanna talk about other species. You'll see that loads of people here have loads of different of species besides greys. If you get a chance check out all the different roms and I'm positive that you'll see things that appeal to you. Good luck with your family member that's ready to arrive. Everyone is always happy when we see that people wait until a bird is weaned before buying. Safer that way

Hi Welcome to our expanded nest. There's always lots of spare perches here. Lots of people here that have different kinds of parrots. Looking forward to some nice chats. Lots of spoiled dogs and cats here too. Hope you enjoy yourself here.

Good suggesdtion. Luckily, I haven't had any problems but I''ll try it out. Thanks