Dave007

Looked at pics--again, no big deal. Forget the vet. the beak will be fine by tomorrow. Sometimes they get very involved in chewing hard things and that sometimes happens.

Only the tip? not to worry. That happens all the time. i had a feeling it was the beak but it's better that you said it. It's a good idea to get some aloe gel-very cheap and all drug stores and drug sections of stores have it. Instead of me typing it again, just go to 100% Aloe vera juice thread in Health Room and on the lower part of it you'll see all the benefits of having aloe gel around--it's a rough description of many things it can be used for.

It's not possible to make an accurate judgement as far as the extent of the damage without a pic but if the blood has stopped, chances are that it won't start again as long as you remove hard types of food such as parrot mix for 2 days. If it's a serious crack or a large piece has broken off and it's constantly bleeding it's best that you see a vet so that he can treat the broken area. It usually isn't serious and the vet can correct the problem quickly. If you have any aloe gel, dab a bit on the area that's broken. The gel will coagulate the area. It won't hurt your bird if he swallows some.

Try health food shops, herbal shops--pharmacies, large dept stores that also have drug depts. Also check online--just type in ALOE VERA JUICE and see what pops up. You may have to get it online. I'm really not sure about who sells it in the UK. In pharmacies and other drug sections in dept stores, it's usually located in the areas that have to do with all types of digestive stomach problems. There's usually a million items in that section. The reason is that people also drink it for stomach/ digestive situations. PS---it's not expensive.

Actually, the frequency of pooping has nothing to do with the activity of parrots. The easiest way to se this is when a bird is totally inactive when sleeping yet when it wakes up in the morning, the largest amount of pooping occurs. Muscles that are active during the day quiet down when sleeping. A parrot urinates frequently during the day--approx every 30 to 45 minutes. Most of those droppings are small because 90% of it is urine. The same holds true for defecating during the day. Very small amounts because the major buildup was released in the morning so very tiny amounts are released during the day. A parrot builds up that amount by constantly eating all day but the build up of feces is small because the parrot is releasing droppings all day long. Many people compare urinination dropping with fecal droppings. When a bird shits on a person during the day, it's mostly white colored and the amount is small. That's urine/urates. The urine has a quick bleaching effect on clothing and needs to be removed quickly. That bleaching effect isn't as quick acting when fecal matter is mixed in. A person may *train* a bird as far as droppings go but won't hold it in if a person's response isn't very quick. All of this happens on a regular basis because a parrot is a wild animal. Training a puppy is simple but the effort of training a dog is mostly put on the shoulders of the person. A dog needs to go out after eating and training a puppy to do that is simple because as time goes on, a puppy finally realizes that it doesn't like to shit in the house. As a puppy, that instinct hasn't yet developed. Lack of taking a dog out enough during the whole day will cause accidents. A parrot doesn't have accidents. It goes wherever it is because it nature that's telling the bird to defacate/urinate. I've had many dogs and all of them have done their business in the house when they were puppies. They don't have bladder or bowel control yet and it's up to the person to keep an eye out as far as when a puppy is ready to go. Also, a dog becomes house broken when a regular rountine is taught. A parrot has no routine, just an approx time schedule.

In big cities, water ( tap water) is treated so that it's drinkable by the general population including pets ( dogs, cats, birds, rodents, reptiles). The Ph is high and most bacteria is killed off in that water. NY has one of the purest supplies of tap water making bottled water less necessary for people and pets. In other areas water isn't treated as well so distilled or spring water is recommended. People need to contact their city water supply to find out if it's safe for people. As far as pets, the only water that has to have the ph levels constantly checked is water in fish aquariums. Too much or too little can kill the fish. Any drinking water that has a variation of ph levels yet can be safely consumed by people is alright for birds.

For a TAG, the age of 3 is one that's near the age of adulthood. Many birds that nearing that age become very hyper. Very beligerant, very aggressive. New toys immediately put in to a grey's cage isn't a good idea because they're either---- fearful of it look upon it as an invader feels like it's an unwanted item which shouldn't belong in that cage that he's designed. Most TAGs easily take to new things but some don't so the method that's used for CAGs has to be used for your TAG which is to have the item around where the bird can see it but not feel threatened by it. It may turn out that you will never be able to put it in the cage but it being around the bird won't cause problems. He even may investigate it in the future. Yes, the general consenus here is not to clip wings but for some people who have a flighted bird who can gain vertical flight, land on things where the bird can't be retrieved, is extremely destructive, a very conservative wing clipping may be in order. He's very coordinated and has good blance and stregth. That type of cut allows the bird to go forward horozontally but not vertically and allows the bird to easily glide down. You would have more control and your bird will depend upon you for certain basic things. The trick is to find a good place to get it down but if you have a description of what you'd like the bird to be able to do or not do. That type of cut keeps your bird off of high places where valuables are kept, where expensive wood is etc. I'm one of the people here that dislikes wing clipping with a passion but I won't say that how I feel is an absolute. There are some that need to be slightly clipped. If your bird is doing this constantly, something needs to be done and it's not your fault. I would be saying the same thing to a person coming here who's saying that their bird is constantly flying up to the ceiling in order to get to the ceiling fan which may or may not be on. There's nothing a person can do in that situation. there's no cure or set of directions to make the bird stop except to take the bird and move it to another area where there's no fan BUT in that new area, there may be a nice set of curtains which may attract that bird. There's never any set answer to a problem and hearing loads of people saying *don't clip* may not solve your problem.

"""""In today's world humans have two main problems: 1) medical advances have made it possible for the human body to last longer than it was ever designed to do and 2) coupled with poor lifestyle choices, there are a lot of poisons in our food, air and water so that even though we live a long time, we end up with numerous ailments that might not affect us were we to live otherwise. """""" Who actually stated or made a judgement about how long the human body should last and what it was designed to do? In 1865 the average life span was about 40 yrs old and with it came many terrible health problems that existed towards the end of that life span. In 1930 the average life span of people was about 50 yrs old and with it came many terrible health problems that existed towards the end of that life span. In 1945 the average life span of people was about 55 to 60 yrs old and with it came many terrible health problems that existed. In 1965 the average life span of people was about 60 to 70 yrs old and with it came many terrible health problems that existed. In 2000 the average life span was 70 to 75 yrs and with it came many terrible diseases I've heard that in the stone age, a life span was 25 yrs old but that's hearsay so I won't state that as a fact. I don't know if it's true but I definitely know it was younger than 40 yrs old. During all of these different life spans, there were poisons in our food, water and air. There was polution. There was untreated meat and poultry and vegetables and fruits. Medical technology helped in fighting and finding cures for many things which than constantly increased those life spans. Diseases were overcome. Children who had deadly diseases were now able to live a much longer normal life. Other diseases that were rampant have been eradicated. People in other lands have had their life spans increased through medical technology. Knowledge about deadly diseases have been implemented. A woman who had breast cancer and the only way of dealing with it was a mastectomy can now have a less drastic lumpectomy, will live longer even those that person doesn't change her life style which may not be ideal.. People with osteoparasis can now live less painful more lengthy lives. The same holds true for Lupus. Natural high or low blood pressure at one time would have killed a person. The % has drastically changed. Presently ( according to what you say about the latest life span _""""there are a lot of poisons in our food, air and water so that even though we live a long time, we end up with numerous ailments that might not affect us were we to live otherwise."""""" During all of these different life spans, there were poisons in our food, water and air. There was polution. There was untreated meat and poultry and vegetables and fruits. But then, modern technology stepped in and the scientists and medical world advanced and tackled these existing problems and loads of success happened. Life styles may not have changed but life spans did. So, my questions are this----- If this conversation was taking place in 1945, would the life span of the people of 1930 be considered the correct, normal life span as opposed to the 1945 life span? In between 1930 and 1945 did modern technology step into an area that it shouldn't have? After all, it was the medical and scientific world that increased that life span. Exactly, what is the correct life span? Who made that judgement and upon what criteria was that judgement made?

Your bird's sleep schedule is totally up to you. The schedule should be one that makes you comfortable. I only said that changing hours won't shorten the time that a bird remains hormonal. That applies to both males and females. A female bird has duties which extend way beyond what a male has to do. That's why they're more ornery, leery, more aggressive, more moody, may not wanna be petted and act like you're the last thing they wanna bother with. With both males and females, whatever relationship you had with your bird before will still remain the same afterward. The big mistake people make is intentionally getting a bird excited sexually and it doesn't matter how old the bird is as long as it's reached adolescence. Constant touching in the wrong areas. Doing that for prolonged amounts of time. Thinking that it's wonderful to watch how cuddly the bird reacts etc. That will lead to one thing though---at one point, a person is gonna get tired of doing this one evening and that bird will hold onto the finger that's exciting him/her sexually. So, the person continues. A few days later the person does it again and the finger holding repeats except that the bird is holding on more tightly but the person stops anyway. A few days later the persons starts all over again and wants to stop and instead of holding on to the finger, it delivers a very nasty bite. That can cause a relationship change with the owner and bird. The bird doesn't like having the stimulation stopped and the person becomes fearful of holding the bird because the person isn't sure about why the bird bit him/her. AFTER ALL, THE PERSON WAS ONLY BEING AFFECTIONATE TO THE BIRD!!. Well, I've told people not to do that but they don't like that response yet have no idea about learning what happened. So, the relationship becomes estranged. In your case, your bird is doing all the cuddly cuddly and you're not giving in so you should have no problems in the future. Males don't even have to be hormonal so the cuddling rubbing on you can happen once in a while. Even the simple act of stepping up can cause a male to lower the wings. It lasts for about 30 seconds or until you walk away with the bird on your finger. With us males, it's simple the nature of the beast. Be happy that we're interested.

"""""which is NOT ENOUGH!!"""" Enough of what? Something is scaring you? All parrots go through a natural process of increased hormones and that bodily function shouldn't be messed with. If it's a bird's behavior towards you that's bothering you, well, nothing you can do will stop that behavior towards you. It's part of nature's process. You can make the days shorter but that won't slow down or eliminate the hormonal change that's going on. Only time that passes curtails seasonal hormonal actions. For some reason or another, people get upset when hormonal changes kick in. A bird's general reactions to many things changes slightly. With some it's moodiness. With some it's being more aggressive. With some it's a lack of interest in everyday things like playing or talking. With some it's non interest in coming out of a cage. A person has to live with this. A person needs to know that they're dealing with a wild animal. As far as domestic animals, can a female dog have it's period of mating desires shortened or can that female's personality during this time be altered? It's a very simple thing to ignore all of the temporary things going on with a bird that's hormonal. As far as how long, a male can be hormonal from 3 weeks to 1 1/2 months. A female can be hormonal from 2 to 3 mts and it's the female that shows more overt negative reactions when in a hormonal state. It's not a good idea to interfere with a wild animal's survival instincts.

don't really know what kind of an answer you're looking for. """So my question for the Grey Matters Brain Trust is the best way to go about guessing what a bird's age might really be. """""" After a parrot is about 6 /7 yrs old, there's no way to tell how old that bird is other than to go back through the bird's past and ask previous owners how old the bird was when they had him/her.. There's nothing physical that happens that tells a bird's age other than when a young grey gets to a point where the iris starts to change to a lighter shade. At 5 yrs old, all greys have reached maturity as far as iris color goes. With some, it happens more quickly, others more slowly but at 5 yrs old the change is complete and the bird's eye color has reached it's final stage signifiying adulthood. The condition of feet as far as scales, color of scales means nothing because all birds tackle different things some rougher than others and the feet eventually develop harder, darker or lighter scales. Color of the feet and legs means nothing because greys as well as other parrots have different shadings in those areas. A very young child starts to grow up and uses the hands for many other things and that causes wear and tear on the hands making them not as pretty as when the child was a baby. Callouses develop. The same goes for adult humans. When that happens to a child or adult , it doesn't mean that the child or adult is about to be ill. """"Other pets go gray. Their teeth change. They get stiff. Their coat may change color or condition.""""" Parrots don't have teeth. They break up food with their beaks and the tongue pushes that food that's been broken forward towards the front of the beak in case the food is still to large to swallow. That baby black beak changes because the bird starts to eat different harder things requiring more complex usuage of the beak including scraping at things for many reasons and that too is a natural habit. Baby birds don't do that to an excessive extent. That baby black beak changes because as the bird gets older it's used not only as an eating tool but also as the bird's hand. As they get older, they start to tackle harder, more resilient toys that requires the beak to do other rougher things in order to deal with those types of toys. The most beautiful feathers on a grey can be seen when the bird is very young. As time passes with molting, bathing, sun bleaching, dryness, itchiness, increased production of protective dander, the feathers get more resilient and that baby feather color fades away. It's a natural process which has nothing to do with age and it happens to all greys in different degrees both before and after adulthood. The most beautiful hair can be found on a baby child. As the child gets older, the hair can change color, become wavier, get thicker yet when this happens it's not possible to tell how old the kid is because the above can happen at any time. A parent would have to be asked about the age just like a parrot owner would have to ask previous owners about the bird's age. Even avian vets can only guessimate how old an adult bird is. The conditions you mention don't necessarily have to do with disease because most parrot diseases are either intestional or parasistic in nature and either of these diseases cause drastic changes in appearance and behavior of a bird. An adult grey doesn't play as much as a baby grey and that has to do with the way nature has designed the bird to be. They play but only very selectively and that can happen in early or late adulthood. At one point in every outdoor wild bird's life it becomes impossible to judge the age other than it's ability to breed. The sex can be known but the age remains a secret and all parrots are wild animals and will remain so even if they're pets. Maybe some of this helps.

I'll play it safe and say that you shouldn't be giving a furry, shreddible item like a teddy bear to a parrot who's quite well known for chewing and ripping things apart. The shredded hairs can go anywhere. The material can easily get into food and can also get stuck in the bird's throat or when wet, can stick to the claws. Items that are made of fine material ( artificial fur) such as what you're looking for basically not made for parrots.They also have artificial colors which aren't the same as the colored toys that are actually made for parrots. Most parrot toys are made so that a parrot has no problem breaking them up and letting them drop to the floor. I've seen parrrots have bad problems with those types of items.

For those who haven't seen it, There's a movie called Paulie and the star of the show is Paulie the conure and Tony Shaloub ( MONK). His role is that of a russian immigrant who has a job as a janitor. It's about a conure and all of the things it has to go through in about 12 yrs in order to get back to the original owner who was a little girl of 5 yrs old when the bird was taken away from her. The little girl is also a stutterer. That's one of the reasons the bird was taken away. Parents thought that the love she had for the bird was interfering with her ability to correct her problem. The bird was 3 yrs old when taken away and finally got back to her when he was about 17 yrs old. By that time, the young girl had become a very young woman and she still missed him. This bird talks but when I say talk--it talks like a human being and has long drawn out conversations with hundreds of people. The bird understands everything that's said and talks back just as if it's human. In the movie, the bird travels to many countries and is owned by many people. People are absolutely amazed in many countries. The movie is partially a comedy but it's very touching and entertaining. I think the movie was made in 1997.It's a great movie and it'll make your day.

***So what I need talking out of is adopting ANOTHER grey or medium to large parrot. I can't bring myself to get a new baby, but I for some reason just feel the need to get another bird. **** That's not hard to do. You should devote all of your time to the remaining bird in order to get a better relationship and to pay attention to any small or large problems your grey might have including medical and lack of a close relationship. Getting another bird doesn't help anything. It just puts you into that mode of having to take care of 2 birds again and you really don't know how the relationship of the new bird and present bird will be. You can't go by what the previous relationship of your bird that went away and your bird that didn't. It may have been nice. Get another bird, problems may occur and you'll be stuck trying to cope with another prolem bird. Another bird won't fill the void as far as not having a boyfriend or getting a divorce. Right now, you can focus on the remaining bird. ****I also think that if I get another one I'll become the crazy parrot lady and no man would come anywhere near me.*** That's possible. Wanna take a chance?

Birds wag their tails left and right when they're about to defecate or when they're fluffing out all of their feathers in order to put them back in place. Tail pumping? Be more specific. You've seen it on our Health Board? If so, what was the name of the topic? If it has to do with some type of illness , it won't be on YouTube.

Those are baby tail feathers according to th color of the tips. . There's no more blood supply left. Either the feathers will naturally fall out or the bird will help them along as far as getting rid of them. The same thing happens with flight feathers and those things can happen at any time of the year.. There's no chew marks on those feathers.

When the time comes, you may have to expand your search in order to find a grey from a breeder. Many, many people here and all over the place have to do that. I don't know where you live but more populated areas usually have breeders that are in business. Travel may be uncomfortable but considering what you're buying, the trips are well worth the time. You can purchase a bird online but you'll never know what you're getting. Also, a grey comes with guarantees and warrantees and it would be very difficult for you to follow through with those features in case your new bird is underthe weather or sick.

What's happening is called molting. The grey is losing all of it's down feathers and they're being replaced by new ones. The new feathers can't actually be seen growing in but they are. This happens once or twice a year. Molting usually happens around this time of year. There's nothing to worry about. It'll last a few weeks. Spraying or misting the bird with water more often during this time is advisable.

Read the 2 stickys in the Health Room concerning different methods of bathing.

Wing Clipping Well, wing clipping is very controversal on most bird boards. Some think that it'll solve problems, others don't. In your situation, you should know that you have an older adult bird that has always had it's wings and my opinion is not to clip the wings if you think that doing it will help in any way. It really won't and it'll possibly anger the bird and you won't get positive results but that's just my opinion but I base it on many other people that have done it with little or no good results. ""Is it better to let her travel in an open cage so she sees what is happening or do I cover her so she is not frightend ."" That's up to you. I say uncovered but only you knows how he reacts when you're doing that. Usually, a bird will eventually calm down if what you're doing is done often. ""Living cage"" I assume you mean the cage she normally lives in at home. Well, that's hard to do but I feel that if you get a smaller cage such as one that's 20 inches x 20 inches and 3 ft tall will be just fine. Of course, you have to decide whether you even want that open cage. No one can answer that question. It's up to you. That size cage will be fine in an office during the day. A few toys, a couple of small bowls for food/water, perch that resembles a branch in an area where people won't be able to stick their fingers in and annoy him. A lot of the questions that you ask have to do with an older bird who may stay just as he is. It's not unusual. Loads of people have pre owned adult parrots and simply accept the bird and it's habits and personality. What satisfies these people is the the knowledge that they're providing a home for a creature who deserves a home. Many people learn to enjoy their parrots even if the parrot is distant, not cooperative and a little unfriendly when it's close up with the owner. I know you don't like hearing it but you may have to accept and realize that your bird has a personality that can't be changed very much. He's an older bird. Believe it or not, he's very happy right now. You just don't know it. It doesn't take much to make a parrot happy. A safe home, decent food and water, friendly people around, chatting with the bird makes a bird happy. """"But since the second is gone I will have to make her living conditions different because I think, to sit alone in an aviary is not healthy ."""" As far as an aviary is concerned, I never said it would make a bird unhappy. An aviary is a more natural place for a bird. Many birds that are given to reserves are usually put in aviaries. """"Do I put her inside again in the house in a smaller cage ?""""No If you do, the cage must be relatively big ,set up with natural items a bird likes, items that let a bird get very nasty with such as heavy duty hanging bells, wood that can be destroyed. As far as the size you have, unfortunately I don't know what 100 by 160 means in American measurements. Sorry. But the cage should be big.. The things you say you're doing with him all sound good in my opinion. You're giving attention but that doesn't mean that a bird is gonna change it's behavior when the time comes that the owner wants to change it. """I think I read almost every page I found on the Internet about greys , I informed myself as much I could in books"" Lots of people do and they come away very unhappy because of all the different answers that are given concerning one subject such as biting--(just an example I'm mentioning). There were setbacks such as having another bird in the same cage. It's not your fault. You just didn't know so don't hit yourself on the head. Another Bird That's up to you but you need to know that they need to be separated. Each needs it's own cage. That's very important. Will a second bird make your bird happier? Yes. AS LONG AS THEY"RE SEPARATED. By doing this, you'll be accepting the fact that your bird is gonna stay the same way as it is right now. Many people get a second bird. Some even get more. Some people say it's good, some say it's bad. I say it's an individual choice. People who have second and third birds will tell you that the birds all communicate with each other in parrotese ( bird language). That's true. Maybe you won't understand what they're saying but they do. Think about what you wanna do. Now you have a list of possible directions you may wanna try out. Under it all, just remember that you're dealing with an adult pre owned bird that is set in it's ways. It's not impossible to make that bird happy but you may have to give up some of the things you would like to happen. A home cage An Office cage

As I see it, your main desire is to have a friendlier, closer relationship with your bird and the bird is already an adult who has lots of previous habits. Actually, what you're doing is making it very easy for your bird to distance himself from you. 1-- So I build a big aviary in the garden . A parrot will find a large aviary very appealing. Much more so than a cage. 2--They seemed O.k and I even saw them mating but never gave them a box. Whether you gave them a box or not, the act of possible mating can cause 2 things--deeper affection for each bird or a very aggressive attitude between the 2 birds. Both of your birds liked it. 3--I cannot get her in her travelling cage with out catching her with gloves - major stress for her . Yes, and that should stop when dealing with a bird that has a semi--wild personality. Actually, gloves shouldn't be used on any bird. Parrots are very afraid of gloves. They never get used to them. 4---I know my circumstances at the moment don't help at all but are not changeable for the next 2 years . If things remain as they are in an aviary for a longer period of time, the situation will be that much harder to deal with. 5--They bonded !. That creates a farther distance between the owner and the bird/birds. Breeder birds are in a similar situation because owners don't want to interfere with the bonding process. Breeder birds aren't pets. 6---After about 3 weeks they chose to live in one cage . -- all pet greys need their own cage in order to have any type of relationship with the owner. Putting 2 birds together allows them to bond together and distance themselves away from the owner. Soon enough, your bird wild have the desire to stay out there all the time and that's what you'll have to deal with. Their personalities and habits can't be changed. Food, toys, trees won't change them. Having access to all of those things in an aviary makes it even less appealing for the bird to wanna become a house pet.

I doubt it. As long as you washed off the excess. More than likely, the stain will fde away after a few more rinses. The stain shouldn't penetrate anything because of your bird's natural dander which acts like a blocker.

Someone just PMed me about the above new thread. Yes, it's true. That totally red mutated grey that's been argued about for about 2 years or so, was on sale for $150,000. Other greys that were used to create it are also on sale for extremely high prices. There's even more for sale and many of those red factor birds can be purchased as pairs. When all of the arguing here was going on a while back concerning that breeder and his so called advancement in the world of parrots, I intentionally didn't mention anything about money. That red bird was created for sale and there's a couple of places that a person can go to in order to see the prices. The creation of that bird was strictly monotary.

***. I am so darn lucky to have this bird who really does not have any baggage and was trained so well."""" Trained so well has absolutely nothing to do with biting. Concerning that first sentence above, I doubt that very very much. I've never seen an adult bird who has lived with others that didn't have any have any baggage or history. That's just not possible. The only bird you'll see that doesn't have these things is a dead one. You ask about mistakes you may have been involved in---well, first off, a lot of people shouldn't have been involved with that bird during thes last 2 weeks which is actually no time to make judgements concerning an adult bird in a new home and environment. People shouldn't be sticking their fingers in a bird's mouth and that also applies to very young birds. Many birds get sick when people do that. The first order of business is to accept the fact that your bird is gonna bite you. That goes on in the world of parrots. He may not bite others but remember that you're the one who constantly shows obvious fear. On the other hand, a bird may come into a new house and is only friendly with you but not any one else. Keep doing that and your bird will be unsure about your movements with him and birds don't like dealing with someone who's showing nervousness with him. It's much easier to bite a person quickly and keep that nervousness away. Honestly, there's not much any trainer can do for you if you're gonna act nervous around him because the trainer is gonna be doing things, even getting bitten in order to show you things. You're not sure of him so why should he be sure of you. So first and foremost, you need to understand how parrots can act in many situations. That putting it's head down can mean a few things and you need to stuidy body language carefully. If you haven't a clue as to what that is, there's a post on this board that deals with that subject. Nothing good can happen when you deal with a parrot if you're afraid of different things that a parrot can do. Plus, a parrot will bite for many other reasons other than being picked up and you'll see that in the future.

Nice videos -----a little advice though. Never wear any long sleeved shirt when handling your bird on your arm. A bird is very unsteady on a loose sleeved shirt. Accidents can easily happen. I could see that your bird was very off balance and could have slipped at any time.