Dave007

You say that you put them in a bowl and eventually she takes them. So, she doesn't immediately rush over to the bowl to get it, just goes and gets it when she's ready? If so, you may wanna try a different type of treat such as almond nuts. That's not only a treat but has vitamins in it and most birds can't resist them. First, put a couple in the bowl to let her know what it is then if she's accepted them as a favorite, try hand feeding one to her. A bird is more likely to take something from the hand when the item is something she can't resist.

Judy's right. Let the pet shop owner finish the hand feeding and then get your bird. You have no experience handfeeding them and now is not the time to try and learn how to do it. At 4 mts, those 2 birds are almost ready to leave with new owners. Different birds have different ways of doing things including the eating of food. When you get your bird home, the main thing you should be concentrating on is feeding a well rounded diet. All parrots love sunflower seeds but feeding different things is important. The pet shop owner should be telling you all about these things. I don't understand something you're saying here. Maybe you can be more clear?----""he plunges to the hand feed mix more than the other, theo other one (on the left) has to be fed."""Where is this food located and how does he plunge into it and what does the food look like and how is it being given to those birds? As far as pinching, I assume that you mean that the claws are pinching you when the bird is holding onto you. All baby parrots have claws that can feel like needles. They become more blunt as soon as the bird is surrounded by different kinds of toys and perches.

Well, just so you understand something--Dry scaly feet have nothing to do with a bird's age. That can happen for many reasons to all birds no matter what the age is, even a baby bird. As far as ridges go, very young greys have a very shiny black beak and that beak has what looks like a crack going from left to right. A quick look and it may seem that a new beak is growing under that crack. You can see the exact same thing on many species of birds. That too eventually disappears. Unless you're referring to that left to right crack when saying *ridge* then I can tell you greys have no ridges on their beaks. The major change in a grey's beak usually happens as the bird gets a little older and starts to scrape the beak from left to right on rough things. That happens to get things off the beak or just clean the beak. The shiny black smooth beak is scraped away and the beak looks extremely scratched, weather worn and the color is usually very dark grey. The exact same thing happens to Timnehs but is less noticable because of their corn colored beak.

Humidity and cleanliness are 2 different things. A parrot's skin (especially greys) dries quickly. Heavy duty baths 2x a week is great as long as you can constantly soak the bird down to the skin and then, let the bird drip dry which should hopefully take 1 hr or possibly more. Leaving your bird soaked after a bath guarantees skin that's gonna be supple. If you feel that you'd like a little humidity around your bird, you can compromise and take the inexpensive route---$ 35 to $59. This is a humidifier that slightly moistens the air covering about 12 x 12 ft. It's used with plain water or if it's gonna be used in a place where a sick person is that's having problems with chest cold or congestion or sore throat etc, then, Vicks liquid ( like vicks vapo rub) can be added to the water for that person. That's what the humid air will smell like. They come in 1 gal, 3 gal, 5 gal sizes. Each has a speed dial. There's different companies that make them This one is 1 gal, can supply humid air for about 10 hrs on a full container of water. It can be purchased at all large drug stores or dept stores--this one was $35. Approx 18 inches round x 18 inches high.

Oh, ok. I thought it was you that started the thread and was interested in getting one. Sorry bout that. PS--if you don't use it in a bird room right next to the birds, then don't worry about. I was referring to having that machine very near them.

Birdhouse, I still think that unless you live in areas such as Denver, Saltlake City, Albuquerque, El Paso, Tucson or Fresno or other similar areas, a a swamp cooler isn't necessary. There's plenty of humidifiers ( all different brands) that are available, don't cost alot and work pretty well. Also, on the humidifiers, there's no replacement parts that have to be put in. They're pretty simple machines that come in all sizes and work with all size areas.

Birdhouse There's a difference between plain clean humid air and humid fresh smelling clean air. Ionizers produce a very small amount of ozone which can contribute to a fresh spring like smell. The electrically charged air produced from an ionizer can smell very fresh. Humid air isn't supposed to smell fresh. It should have no smell. The problem is that it is only a temporary fix and eventually, that's a part that will break down. It's always safe to disable the ionizer.

It's a device that cools air through the evaporation of water that's constantly added to the machine. The air then becomes extremely humid. It's good for areas that have an extreme amount of dryness. It applies to a few states in in the US where the weather is a killer. Sometime they're used in greenhouses to provide heavy humidity. That's why when you walk into a greenhouse, it feels extremely moist. Most of the plants in greenhouses need that wet air. Cacti and other succulents can't survive in that wet climate. I used to have that problem with my succulents. A long time ago, there was controversy as to what was better--AC or swamp cooler. It seems that for the general areas in the US, the AC won the battle. In other areas in the US plus other countries such as Australia and other countries with similar arid and dry climates, the coolers won the battle. People who are interested really have to do some individual investigation as to if it's good for them. The only other thing I can add is that my wife told me that many people who purchased them in Depot had lots of problems and returns happened simply because many components blew out. This is just my personal opinion but I don't think birds who live in a generally and slightly dry climate and also a slightly humid climate need such an extreme device running just to provide humidity. There's other simpler ways to achieve that. On the other hand, other states really do need that heavy humidity.

As long as you can disable the ionizer in the machine, they're fine. Some have built in ionizers that can't be disabled and others give the option of shutting it off. Any area that contains air which has been run through an ionizer is unsafe for birds.

No Defaming a person's Political Views! No Defaming a Person's Sexual Preferances! Everyone needs to be happy in whatever direction they choose No Defaming or accusations concerning why people's politics are different. No Defaming of a Person's nationality! No Defaming a person's Ethnicity! No Defaming a Person's Lifestyle! No Defaming a Person's Educational Levels! No Defaming a person's thoughts on Marriage, Divorce No Defaming a person's inability to speak the most used language in the western Civilization. Were proud of other countries here. Using the PM Feature here is recommended if the above needs to be further discussed or disagreed with. People----keep it private!! AND, if using the PM service still doesn't solve things between individual people, please keep the admin and mods out of the PM conversations. We're not referees nor do we wanna take sides. Stop crying on our shoulders and YES, that's exactly what's been going on!!

The TOO holds the record for heavy dander. The CAG comes in second. Have you ever owned or had lengthy experience with any type of large macaw? There's a world of difference between the two species. Most people who have both would keep them in the same room but an exhaust fan is used to pull out floating dander. But that's the least of your problems if you haven't been an owner of medium to large sized parrots. Many parrots don't get along with each other. Parrots need individual attention all the time. If you're intention is to get a parrot, I would suggest a medium sized parrot such as a grey, amazon or eckletus and you should only have one bird, one species, until you're very experienced with the ups and downs of parrot ownership. It's difficult but very rewarding and there's loads of people that can help.

All regulated fireworks shows are required to have that show many miles from any residential areas. The area of the show is usually wide and totally open. After effects and air wave shocks are always minimal. Any large audible explosions are not reverberating. 20 miles is extremely far away. The only thing you'll see is the light show and hear low, minor explosions. Your birds shouldn't be affected by that especially when it's 20 miles away. What you do need to worry about is kids nearby who are setting off M80s, Ash Cans and Cherry Bombs. Those will cause problems because the birds will be very startled and they may jump off of thiings if out of the cage . The best place to be is near a cage when those things go off and stay there until you think the birds aren't as shocked and fearful anymore. That allows a person to keep an eye on them and for them to keep an eye on a person. There really is no way to prevent a bird from being extremely startled. You can move the cage, cover the cage but none of those things are gonna mask explosions. Actually, a very good way to control these situations is to have a very strong BB gun and shoot these kids in the ass when they're around.

***I read that and that's why I was wondering if Dave would object.*** Girl, there's really no reason about worrying about whether *Dave would object*. Type what you please. Say what you please. Don't worry about what I or others think. Opinions and answers will come your way. If you wanna talk, others will talk back. If you ask about things, people give opinions or answers. The only exception to what I said above concerns the subjects of quantum majoricle rooping. Glacial commentical energy powers the rontitors which will in turn create the spacial roundness of a planet closest to the orbits. The directional direction must be exact and the time travel will be minimized. On the other hand, distance is needed with remote viewing. The speed should be very concentrated so that a complete avastmin of the surrounding time warps allows remote viewing with the weight of existence. Seeking the exterior planet posteriors will be interesting if the distance is rated on the basic time lapse. Incurring any spacial vehicles will allow for smooth exchanges of the northly distance. The complex return will be monitored by the quantum seed seekers therefore making the the conversation altered. Therefore, because of the above, it has been ruled that yogurt is designed and processed in many color shades, have different tastes, can be entered and formed into many different styles, used by different areas in the earthly existence and can be consumed by the general population. This is now a fact according to the Manifesto Of Lar.

Since you're not sure of the type of bug it is, you'll need to go to an avian vet. He may need a special chemical bath and a vet is the only one that carries that product. We don't give out information or diagnose problems like that and we know nothing about the area he lives in or the area that surrounds him. As far as pesticides, the only ones available are items that are put aroung or near bird cages and surronding areas so that the bugs don't come near the bird/cage. None of the pesticdes are put on birds. This post has to do with bugs on or in your bird's feathers/skin.

I'm talking about when a person is away and is constantly worrying about whether the bird is suffering from not being out.

"""""If not I'd want to get home as soon as possible. There's not been one day that George hasn't been out."""""" That's a bad habit to get into. That's why it's always suggested that people buy large cages. That cage is the bird's home. He designs it, sleeps in it, eats in it, plays in it and puts his own particular touch to it. A bird will be definitely be comfortable in his/her regular cage for a few days as long as there's food and water. Worrying that a routine that exists everyday but isn't being followed only makes things inconvenient for the owner. Basically, a person is letting the bird dictate what it wants. After a while it gets annoying for the owner. A person needs to show dissapline and let the bird know who's the boss.

Giltron, that link seems to cover just about everything I said. I just didn't need that much space but it's a decent link to refer to concerning lactose intolerant birds.

"""""Does the live bacteria maybe help with the digestion of the milk proteins, """"" No. Greys are lactose intolerant and other white dairy products such as yogurt don't help to digest other dairy products. The live bacteria in yogurt won't hurt a bird but giving yogurt everyday isn't a good idea simply because it is a dairy product and it shouldn't be given more than 2 or 3 times a week. Your bird isn't getting any calcium benefits from white dairy products. Any illness from dairy products won't necessarily show up in droppings. Basically, look at yogurt as a treat.

The only thing that's going on is what they were doing when they lived with the breeder. Many birds constantly fight with each other and aren't affectionate. Others will be just the opposite. That kind of behavior will ease up with time when one bites the other because of that action. """""sexual behaviors started until at least 2, and usually not until 3 or 4.""""" These aren't sexual behaviors. They're going through the motions of feeding each other just like they did before you purchased them. If they were sexual in nature, nothing can possibly happen. They're still extremely young and there's other surprises in store as they get older. """"""Could his sexual behavior toward his sister be an "acting out" of jealousy issues because of the cat? """"" Again, this isn't sexual activity and the cat has nothing to do with anything that's going on. If jealousy is in play right now, a bird won't take it's jealousy issues out on another bird. Maybe he'll take it out on you, but not another bird.

The only thing that happens if all is good and he's accepting of you is a nice relaxed relationship which everybody wants. Dependent? In what way? You can spoil a bird and the bird can be a pain in the ass sometimes ( on your shoulder too much) but too dependent? I doubt it, especially with a 14 yr old adult pre owned bird who already has a set personality.There's other things that happen such as you not ignoring yelling which is bad. You need to show a little disapline because the bird needs to be independent but normally, greys are. SO, good luck and lets hope that your new but pre owned bird accepts all the affection and attention you give. We've got our fingers crossed.

Those are very old videos. That practice was stopped in 1992. It's against the law to do that and anyone doing or trying to do that can be arrested by local people who are hired to catch the poachers. That trapping was done so the birds could be exported.

****where a person can 'be trained' for their grey?**** Trained for what?

Whenever you get a chance, go to a pet store and buy a food bowl. They have many types. I have a few that come with a ring which is attached to the inner wall of the cage. The bowl is then dropped into the ring. Stainless steel is a good one. There's never any rust and lasts for years. The cost is between $4 to $6 depending upon where it's purchased. It can be used for anything. It's easily removable and if you're worried, extra food can be put in. As far as how long a parrot can go without food, they can go for long periods of time like 2 days or more depending on the eating habits of your bird. Some birds flip their food and others don't. The more important thing that should be in the cage is water all the times. Extra water can also be put in that bowl.

Those dots appear periodically and some are more noticable depending on the depth of color of the feather. Sometimes it surface dust, sometimes it's permanent until the feathers fall out. Those types of spots can appear when a bird is dried with a hair dryer or not allowed to drip dry after a bath. It can happen when there's extreme dryness in a bird area. It can happen when the outer feathers aren't sprayed well with water. I would tend to think it's temporary. The medical reason for it happening is a lack of VIT A but all of the feathers would have those spots if it was a vitamin defiency. Your birds feathers don't have that appearance. I would watch and see if the white spots spread all over the rest of the feathers and also watch the diameter of the spots. Many birds have this and there's usually no medical problem but if you need reassurance, see a vet. Wash off or spray those areas with coldish water frequently and keep your bird out of the direct sun if he's in that sun long long periods of time. This usually happens to birds that are adolescent ( 3 to 5 yrs old). Just keep an eye on the situation. PS--if it is a medical problem, the white spots will be all over the tail feathers too.

This problem could be a bacterial infection. It could be a sinus problem. It could be symtoms of a cold. It also could be a clogging of the nostrils that's caused by dust/dander. It could be scratching of the nostrils by the claws. The one thing here is that in every other way, your bird is acting fine going about what it normally does. The above medical symtoms are usually minor. The symtoms above aren't life threatening like the way internal illnesses of birds are. If any of the above symtoms are actually medical in nature, a vet usually gives an antibiotic for a very short time. This is only my personal opinion but I think the problem will pass without a vet visit but if the problem persists, a vet visit is necessary. It isn't good for us here to diagnose these types of problems which is why I say that it's only my opinion. You'll need to watch the progression of the runny nose and make a decision about the vet or you can immediately go to a vet to relieve your mind.