Dave007

You already answered your own question ( 1st paragraph). Maybe your bird hasn't defecated on your head in a while but there's always many tomorrows. More than likely they won't change. They're wild birds and each has their own ways of doing things. If your one of your birds poop everywhere, why should it stop doing the same thing? They're not the ones that are having a problem with it. The same thing applies to the others. No, it won't stop as they mature. Their aim will get better though. By the way, you shouldn't be allowing birds on your head and yes, always have old used shirts and or clothing around to use. No, it's not a grey thing---it's a parrot thing.

So sorry to hear about what happened. If your bird was very young (7/8/9 weeks old) a wood splint would normally be used. Your bird is 1 yr old and knows how to pick, pull and chew things so the only other alternative would be very light weight steel splint. He can't chew through it but he'll pick at it like any other thing that might be around the leg. A bird can't bite through steel and because it's steel, there won't be any rust to worry about. Surgery to amputate the foot is a vet's decision. Only he can see the damage that's present. After fixing the foot, your bird may have a bent leg. Many birds are born like that and they live normal lives. ****What do you all think?**** It doesn't matter what we think. There are no vets here and we wouldn't give out any medical info on that problem. You need to discuss this with your vet. Only the vet will be conducting the exam. Only he would know how serious the damage is.

In case you don't know----everytime you put your bird in a carrier, the tail goes in first. A bird won't thrash arond when he can see out of the carrier. The bird will also come out easier when the bird is at a vet.

The 99% walmart jug is fine. That's what's always used.

I'll answer you through PM. This isn't the place to talk about it but I can aim you to good company, great products and great prices and lots of valuable information.

The vaper that comes from E-cigs is totally harmless to your bird. It's the same thing that's in all inhalers that people use for heavy breathing problems. The nicotine that's put into an E-cig is glycerin which is in many food products. The 2000 or so carcingens that tobacco has is what will cause your bird breathing problems. The nicotine has no caringens. By the way, all the people at ECIG Forums would like to congratulate your mom for doing the right thing. It'll make quitting much easier. I hope her kit wasn't too expensive. Stay away from malls that sell the item for crazy prices. I've been using them for about 2 years--use to be 2 pk a day---40 yrs. Your mom will be happy that she can get different miligrams of E- Juice. Again, tell her she did the right thing. Correction------ E-CIGFORUMS.Com

No baths. Just wipe off excess leaf gel. Let her get back to normal. A bath doesn't stop irritation. One thing at a time.

About 1 to 2 weeks. Continue with a very light coating of gel and use it only 2/3 times a week. Each application needs time to sink into the skin. You told me you were using aloe leaf gel and leaf gel takes a longer time to do it's job. It also gets cakey because it stays on the skin longer. That can attract dust particles. In the future, go to a pharmacy and get a small bottle of 100% aloe vera gel. It's thinner and penetrates the skin faster. I really don't know your government rules but I can tell you that the open band proves nothing as far as accuracy and your bird can possibly get hurt from it. PS--at your bird's age right now, it makes no difference whether it's metal or plactic. Either will irritate a bird.

If a bird is 10 days to 2 weeks or older with no band from the original breeder, that bird can't ever be banded with a permanent band again. All bands put on afterward are what's called open bands. An open band proves nothing. Any numbers or letters can be put on that open band. What I don't understand is why you put an open band on in the first place? It won't prove age, where it came from. In any case, the band has to be removed. What's good about an open band is that it can be removed easily. Any band doesn't have to be tight in order to irritate a bird but it may psychologically irritate an adult bird who's never had one before. Just the fact that it's now on can cause a bird to start picking at the surrounding feathers and skin. That can also spread to the other leg because of nervousness. Because you don't have an avian vet or avian tech near you, your best bet is to go back to the person who just put it on and have that person remove it. If the person knows how to put one on, he/she also knows how to remove it. Use aloe gel but stop with the corn powder. They don't work well together. One item minimizes the healing power of the other.

Understand that the other people here are very concerned about that 5 week old bird. That accounts for all the blunt replies. All are right in returning the bird to the breeder. It should have never been sold at that age. Now for your questions----- 1-----at that age such a young bird has no muscle control in the neck so odd positions will be seen. Most baby birds will fall forward just after being fed. The crop is heavy with food and pulls the bird forward so it lays on it's stomach. It's not abnormal but you should definitely get rid of the shavings and replace them with a few soft fluffy towels. You need to watch out where the beak and nares fall into. 2----this the same as above. No muscle control so odd positions happen. You should correct that position and put something very soft in the back of the neck/head to keep it from falling back. Do they get tired in those positions? Definitely. A bird that young doesn't stay awake for long periods of time. A bird that age gets very tired no matter what position it's in. 3---That's simply a sign that the baby bird is used to being kept warm and protected by the hen everytime that happens. Warmth and a very soft fluffy item should be kept by the bird in order to snuggle as it would do with a hen. 4----That answer is above. They will sleep 80% of the time at that age. 5--that chick has no biting power and simply is chewing anything it comes in contact with. A baby that age has no strength what so ever and no bad habits happen because of this.

It's not a big deal here as far as trying to find out what kind of person sells an unweaned bird. The reasons are always the same. We've seen it happen 100s of times. Either the breeder cajoles the person into buying an unweaned bird or the buyer demands an unweaned bird and the breeder goes along with that. Other breeders won't sell unweaned birds. It's always the same reasons.

I looked at his tail feathers and I really don't see anything unusual in that tail. Basically, it's not looking good because the feathers are dying and will eventually fall out and be placed by others. The reason they're dying is because the feathers' blood supply is drying up. Sometimes only 1 or 2 or 3 feathers fall out. Other times, it's only one at a time. Other times, it's all of them within a few days. All of this has to do with coinsidence. The same thing happens to flight feathers. I'm gonna assume that this is your first grey. At times you'll see things that may seem drastic but they aren't. No parrot stays fully feathered all the time. They fall out and the bird looks ragged. The only time you should really get worried is when you see a parrot attack brand new feathers that aren't fully grown out and pull them so they never grow. That's called plucking. When they bite at them, it's called chewing. An example of chewing is the couple of feathers on it's back. Those are the end of the feathers that have an upside down V shape. Many parrots do that and it's usually temporary. It's a different story when parrots do this constantly. You can soak down your bird with water and they'll preen themselves but the dying blood beathers probably won't come off until they're totally dead but if they do fall out when preening it's because the feathers happen to be dead at that time which is also a coinsecdence.

***I really really want to leave our new baby flighted.** So far, you're batting 1000 Separating different animals at first is always a good idea. Cairn terriers and black labs are usually mild mannered and calm dogs. Very slow introductions can be made and only you can see what'll happen. Most times as time goes on, greys and dogs get along and greys become very bossy with the dogs. They put them in their place. The beginnings of putting animals together is the longest process. Patience, patience, patience. **What are some of the more popular on-line vendors for CAG "stuff"?** There's a million places. I wouldn't know where to start but others here will read your questions about that and will give different names of companies and their experiences with them. The same holds true of reading material. Many here will tell you what they enjoyed and how the reading material helped or didn't help. PS--you didn't litter the site. We're here to help and not asking questions only hampers your bird

Having solid sandy or concrete perches in a cage is a good idea. Just make sure you don't get the type that's simply a piece of cardboard that has sand on it. A concrete perch made for medium sized parrots such as greys and amazons and ekkies should cost about $9. It should be about 1 inch diameter.

**Do you start with the "fine" size and work up to the "course" size or just start with "course"? How long does a 5lb bag typically last when feeding just one CAG? Do you dump what is leftover in their bowl each day or just add to it?** You start off using the size for that type of parrot. It's a wise idea to give fresh food everyday. Yeah, dump it. Never put new food on top of old food. The old food has lots of things in and on it like dust. It'll last as long as your bird eats it. They all have different appetites and all have different amounts that they like to eat. ***I have a dehydrator. Anybody dehydrate fruits for their CAG? Fruits and veggies contain moisture and that's the way it's fed. Machinery isn't used on bird food. ****Baby Food - now I like this idea. What are some of the best ways to feed it?**** I hope you're not getting an unweaned bird. You'll be making a big mistake. Weaning should be left to the breeder and a fully weaned bird is what's purchased and if it's weaned there's no need to give baby food. We have a section here about the perils and consequences of getting an unweaned bird. Water bottles--I don't like them. Others do. I personally believe a bird should have fresh water at all times. Water in bottles doesn't stay fresh and a slight amount of calcium builds up in a bottle.Some birds like to put food in the water. Others like to dunk their heads in the water and the birds should be allowed to do all the natural things that it does. Cuttlebone is fine. More than likely, he won't eat it but will use it as a sraping tool. I already told you about mineral blocks in your other post.

Claws will be sharp but also they're tender and pliable. The bird will learn how to grab things. They need pointy claws to do that. Nails shouldn't be clipped. You can put in any type of perch in that you like. The beak should never be a problem unless there's a deformity or overgrowth. Beaks aren't usually worked on except for special problems. Parrots usually do their own filing on different items in cages. having some wood in a cage is good. A thick mineral block is also good for a bird to use concerning the beak.

As any bird gets a little older, it may not want as much as before. As the baby gets a little older, the crop doesn't get as swollen because not only is there less intake, the bird's size is also getting bigger. Besides giving formula, have fresh solid veggies around so she can pick at them. *****She is on 3 feedings should I cut one of them?***** Never do such a thing. Bad things will happen and we won't be able to help you because we won't have an idea about how serious the bad thing is. As birds are being hand fed, the bird will tell you when to decrease an amount or decrease a feeding. That happens when a bird absolutely refuses a feeding. That's the time to decrease 1 and increase more solid foods such as the above. That should be the method used until the bird refuses to take any formula at all. For some birds, it takes a long time to reach that point, for others it doesn't so let the bird tell. Don't make any time limits on feedings.

THere's a few reasons or possibilies about what's going on and we can't see it. Some birds break their wings in cages or outside of cages, flying off playstands, landing on floors. If there's blood, it's a flight feather. Depending on where the break is located, for a short while it may be painfiul but a bird will eventually leave the feather area alone. The blood usually cakes up and the bird knows when and where to preen or pull it out. Others will eventually put it back in place. Others may have a feather stick out and it'll fall off. It really depends on the situation right now. The actual problem right now is how you're handling it. Obviosly this is the first time you've seen this happen. Others have seen it periodically and eventually learn how to deal with it. SO, this problem is seriously bothering you, maybe even more than it's bothering the bird. So, you need to take a more assertive action here in order to have a vet fix it. You'll need to put your bird on the floor, and quickly wrap the bird's body with the towel excluding his head and simply put him in that carrier whether he screams or not. Most parrots don't get used to being in that type of carrier. Carriers are used for specific purposes, one being a vet visit. The vet will remove the bird from the carrier. He usually has ana assistant that helps. After the whole thing is done and you bring your bird home, he'll sulk, be quiet, may not eat, may stay in the back of the cage, may get nippy if you try to handle him. For many people, this id what happens after a vet visit. With other people it doesn't. Either way, if the bird doesn't like the carrier, doesn't like a vet visit, doesn't like being handled by a vet, when the bird comes home, any attitude your bird will have will usually disappear within 2 days, 3 days at the most.

Using latex paint--about 1 week air drying is good Using oil paint---about 4 to 5 weeks( maybe more to totally get rid of odor) will be needed and the birds must be kept away from all residual odors. Having portable floor fans near windows blowing out the window will suck out some odor. Needs to be kept on all day. Simple cross ventilation won't get rid of the odor of oil based paints. *** Depending on many factors, I may not be able to get the painting done prior to us & flock moving over.** If so, latex paint should be the only type to be used.

This has been talked about many times concerning the attitudes of a parrot. First off, it has to do with age. Many people think their bird will stay the way it was when younger. They don't. In reality, greys change to their true personality from the ages of 2, 3 or 4 yrs of age. The *terrible twos* simply has to do with the bird developing a more permanent personality. The bird becomes aloof, doesn't need constant contact, wants to have more space between him and the owner over a longer period of time. It wants to be left alone for longer periods of time. The bird becomes quieter and shows less interest in many toys that it was playing with. In my opinion, kissing a grey or other parrot on the beak is only asking for big trouble especially as a grey gets older. People learn that the hard way even though they're told not to do that. A grey develops a more protective attitude concerning the area he/she built--the cage. Many don't like constant touching through bars and some will quickly bite when doing that. So basically, you'll have to deal with a bird who's much more complex. Some of the things you say are simply the personality of a grey showing through.

*Does this mean that when she is older she will lay eggs? * There's no straight answer to that. It may happen, it may not happen. Depends upon the bird. Your birds are pets and when any hormonal signs show themselves, they have to be kept separate. I have hens that won't lay any eggs until breeeding season is around and the males are showing interest. But, the hens don't lay eggs until the whole process of foreplay, proper atmosphere, proper temperature, privacy and finally, when nest building is completed. Then they get down to business. The rest of the year, they show no signs of wanting to breed, but again they are breeders, not pets. They do the same things that other outside wild birds do all year long.

**They were both pets before this,** Very important here. They were pets and they are and were very happy being pets and that type of relationship with people shouldn't be altered. Over the years, they've been happy with people. They've bonded with people. Successful pairs of breeders either don't bond with people from the beginning or they lose their bonding with people. Personalities of breeders and pet birds are very different. Luckily for you, the birds live in one cage and are still happy with people. Many greys( pets---TAGs or CAGs) can't live in one cage together. **Since they have never had a box put on, does this mean they are not bonded? ** Putting a nestbox in is simply trying to change their sexual feelings towards each other. There's different types of bonding 1--friendship bonding with people 2--friendship bonding with each other and their human owners 3--sexual bonding with each other and that may exclude the owners Then there's personality. A pet may enjoy the sexual freedom with another bird but on the other hand, they may get aggressive with each other when sexual actions are stimulated and they may get aggressive with the owners who put them into that situation. Your birds are very mature and have lived a happy settled life up to now. **Since they have never had a box put on, does this mean they are not bonded?** Changing that balance isn't a good idea. Leave well enough alone. You can't predict the future but you have a present guaranteed relationship right now. No predicting is needed. As far as breeding a pair of greys------They would need totally different living quarters, a totally different type of breeding area, much less contact with people. Then there's equipment. You'd need to spend lots of money when taking on a breeding adventure. It's not simply a nestbox. ***Since they have never had a box put on, does this mean they are not bonded? Right now they do not feed, preen each other, ect. Does that mean they wont start if we do put on a box? *** Look above at the list and I'm sure you'll see what's going on with your birds. Be smart, be wise, do lots of thinking before you decide to change birds' personalities Don't bite off more than you can chew and more importantly, don't break any existing bonds that already exist. It's best not to try and alter these rules and all of these rules also apply to other medium to large sized species. Greys aren't like lovebirds or budgies or parrotlets.

The last thing why people usually choose either a CAG or TAG has nothing to do with intelligence. Both are very smart and about the only difference between the two has to do with slight changes of personality and reactions to everyday situations. Each has a unique personality. Many people have only a TAG and other people only have a CAG and other people have both living in one house and the last thing they talk about is comparing intelligence. One is slightly smaller. The feather color is slightly different. They have a totally different personality than lovebirds. More than likely, the reason your breeder told you to get a CAG instead of a TAG is because he probably didn't have or doesn't breed TAGs but he does have CAGs

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,