HeatherStrella

She's good. Her lung infection cleared up. She's still chewing her back feathers, tho. The vet said she's perfectly healthy. Looking back a pictures of her, I realized she's been chewing longer than I knew. When we first got her, we had her wings clipped by a vet. They did a horrible job and when she'd fold her wings in, the feathers poked her sides. She started chewing shortly after that. I really think she just never stopped and kinda moved to her back. We haven't clipped her wings since that first time. She loves to fly and because there are so few things she really enjoys doing, I don't want to take that from her. She absolutely loves to chew paper...rub her beak on it...etc...I have rolls of paper everywhere for her....I've purchased all kinds of toys but she wants nothing to do with them. Someone here posted a link to a site for foraging toys...they showed how to teach your bird to forage...I'm going to start that because I really think she doesn't know how to forage or play with toys. This is a long answer to your question..ha. sorry about that. :-) AnnaBella is my priority everyday...I love her so much...she's just everything to me. I rush home after work everyday to let her out of her cage. Luckily I'm home by 330 everyday so we get to spend a lot of time together. I'm glad you liked the video :-)

Thanks for all the replies. I've tried the fine mist sprays..but I've only seen the kind that hairspray (not aerosol) comes in and it's really hard to spray. I'll have to look for a different kind. We have the pump kind where a long continuous spray comes out...I can't remember why we stopped using it. I have a problem with my foot so I've been soaking it...she seemed really interested in the pan my foot was in so I cleaned it and got some fresh water and set it out. She was really curious...standing on the edges....putting her beak in the water...but no bath. Maybe if I keep putting it out, she'll take a dip. Thanks so much for all the replies!

Thank you...she's got a very large vocabulary...she learns very quickly. Thanks for the comment.

I hope this works...my birdy saying "ho ho ho merry Christmas. https://fbcdn-video-a.akamaihd.net/cfs-ak-ash4/349500/409/331720383524064_59735.mp4?oh=a3bfa8bffc1a2bb591ec8fa8c21803ff&oe=4EF7DF00&__gda__=1324867328_3f61981611740be9def47e04ea908cea

Hello...I've had AnnaBella for a little less than 6 years and she'll be 6 years old on December 31. She's never really liked bath time but lately she screams and cowars (sp?) down as if I'm spraying her with acid or something. I've tried bathing her in the sink but I can't even get her in the sink. I use a spray bottle that has a nossel that spins so it can go down, up, left or right. Perfect for bathing. I always give her her favorite treat afterwards but she absolutely hates it. If I fill her water bowl to the brim, she will sometimes take a bath herself. Maybe 3-4 times a year. I thought about buying one of those newborn baths where it hooks up to the sink and you can spray them in a little bath made for babies (human). I've also tried other spray bottle...but she hates it! I've tried the shower...even worse. I've tried filling up a big pot and just letting her do it herself but she won't. She chews her back feathers and I can hear that she's dry. She has A LOT of dander. I give her red palm oil everyday. I'm really surprised she's not mad at me after each bath. I think she thinks the spray bottle is doing it to her...not me. And after the bath, she acts like she feels soooo good. She sings, talks, and is more active than before her bath. I know it feels good once it's over...but is there a better way of delivering the bath? Any ideas?

Don't give up. A friend of mine found a lost grey and I helped her find its' home. He was only a block or less away from home. He'd been clipped so I knew he hadn't come from far away. There were a group of apartment complexes close to where she found him. The very first complex I went to had a flyer in their mail room. I called the number on the flyer and the woman came and got him. He'd been missing for about 4 days if I remember right. She couldn't believe he was so close to home. I'm sure you know this, but look in bushes...anywhere your baby might be able to hide. Good luck, I will keep you guys in my thoughts...

Talon, AnnaBella does the same thing. I'll be giving her scritches and she'll be happy as a clam...then WHAMMO, I get bit for no apparent reason. Some days she wants to cuddle, other days she just wants to be left alone and watch us. I never know what her mood is going to be...

Are you sure he isn't just copying coughing sounds you guys make in your household? My bird does that. She copies what my husband and I sound like when we cough. I don't think birds cough like you and I. But they do copy human coughs.

Thanks so much. I'm glad.

Hello everyone...I just have a quick question. AnnaBella's throat is wet. I thought it was dry before, when I looked in her mouth, but I'm not sure. The inside of her mouth, her tongue...that's all dry. But at the back of her mouth...I guess that's her throat, it's wet. I thought I remembered hearing something about a wet throat is not a good thing. Do any of you guys know? She's fine otherwise. Thanks!

My gosh...it's been three years!!?? Wow...it seems like it was just yesterday...LOL. Thanks for the replies. :-)

I usually wear jeans....one day when AnnaBella was very young, I put some PJs on...bright pink with lighter pink breast cancer symbols all over them. I walked into her room to get her out of her cage and she flipped out. I was afraid she'd hurt herself flapping her wings so I went and changed. Once she was out in the open, I put them back on. It just took a little while for her to get used to them...in the beginning I only wore them once she was out in the open...now I can wear whatever I want and she's cool with it.

Hello...I used to be on this forum a lot, but life got a little hectic and I stopped coming. I just noticed that AnnaBella's photo was removed from the front page collage. I'm just curious if there's a reason why..?? AnnaBella was the one hanging from a multi-colored cirlce swing. Like I said, I'm just curious.... Thanks... Heather

We just had AnnaBella re-tested to see if the infection was gone. I'm happy to say that her test results all came back with good news..no more infection. She's doing really well...very active...she seems happy...just one problem, she's still chewing her feathers. This all started because she was chewing her feathers...the vet thinks she started chewing because she was sick...and now it's habit. We've been giving her red palm oil for months...I've changed things around in her cage, hoping to stimulate her mind. I'm not really sure what else I can do...I try to ignore her when she's chewing...and when she chews paper or her wooden toys, I give her positive reinforcement. I mist her daily...sometimes twice daily. I think she's molting now...which isn't helping the chewing thing. Anyway, she's doing good overall...it's just the chewing that's bugging me.

I was just sitting with AnnaBella thinking how I wish I knew how to train her. Not because I want to show her off...in fact, I hate having people over to visit...but I want to learn how to train her for her mental stimulation. She rips up paper/toys, climbs around on her cage/swing/stand...she plays catch with me with wiffle balls....she talks a lot...but that's about it. My most favorite thing to do is sit with her on my knee...or she sits on my stomach...leg...whatever. We chat...sing...I give her scritches...but she seems bored. I agree that the human/parrot relationship is very important but so is challenging ourselves and our birds. Recently I've been sitting at the computer with her while I play birds singing (regular bird sounds) on youtube...she likes to hear them sing and whistle. I would love to teach her all the colors...how to open a puzzle box...whatever...but she really wants nothing to do with that stuff. I'm always looking for things to stimulate her senses...it's really hard to find stuff she likes. She seems to always go back to ripping paper as her favorite (independent) pastime. She enjoys sitting with me...which I try to do a couple hours a day...if she could, she'd sit on my knee all day with some breaks for eating. Thanks for starting this thread...I agree that their relationships with us are the most important component to their happiness.

Very happy ending! We went to the school where Afie (the Grey) was hanging out. He is such a lover! Anyway, I got him into the carrier. We went to the apartment complex that was close by. In the mail room was a flyer advertising a lost Grey. We called the number and the lady came and got him. It couldn't have gone smoother. He did seem to have an injury to his wing...possibly one of his feet. The lady was so happy to get him back. She gave us a reward...we're going to give it to the school. He had been missing for 3 days...she thought he may not have survived the cold weather...but he's ok. Anyway, just thought I'd share. I'm so glad we found the owner.

Me too...I can't imagine losing AnnaBella...I really hope the owners are looking for him. Do you know what they should do with him if nobody claims him?

My friend just called saying her daughter, who works at a school near Florin Road, found a Grey. He was being chased by a hawk and is exausted...he's in the principal's office sleeping on her chair. I'm still waiting for more info...not sure if he has a leg band...please email me if you have lost a grey... @ greybirdredtail@yahoo.com

Morana, I called the authorities on a bird shop a while ago. The cages were dirty, the water dishes were gross, the birds didn't look right. An officer went in and told the people to clean it up...that was the end of the investigation. They said they have so many cruelty to animal cases that they can't keep up. With that particular case, the birds weren't THAT bad...according to them. I have a feeling the same thing will happen if I call them on my friend. We're still not speaking...which is fine with me....for now. Obviouly we weren't that close afterall.

Well, AnnaBella had her first injection of antibiotics last Tuesday. If it's Chlamydia, she'll have weekly shots for 45 days. If it's not Chlamydia then it'll be for two weeks. My vet said she used to use a simple test to test for Chlamydia but she NEVER got a positive test. She thought that was strange and started DNA testing instead. The only place that does it is in Miami...or maybe that's just where she sends it. She said it takes about a week to get the results...so we're waiting. It might be my imagination, but AnnaBella already seems to be feeling better. She's chewing her feathers less...it seems...and she's flying more. Thanks so much for the well wishes...OH! The most important part...I asked my vet, flat out, if she could die...my vet said "oh no no...she'll be fine, we're doing all the right things...she'll be fine"....I keep hearing that in my head...what a relief!! Thanks so much!! Heather

Well, I went back to my friend's house last week. The bird's water was back to looking like watered down skim milk. It was very low, slimy, disgusting. I tried to be on the sly and cleaned it out...gave him fresh water...but I was caught by my friend...she just laughed it off. The little guy was soooooo thirsty!! His food bowl had a few little seeds in it...that was it. It's obvious they don't feed fresh fruits and veggies...I know some people don't...but just seeds? He looked sickly. When talking to her about AnnaBella's condition (she's been sick) she asked me if her bird could have caught something from me when I visited. I didn't bring my bird, of course, but she thought I maybe carried it over. I told her I would ask my vet...vet said "no". Anyway, I told her again that he looked sick...she acted like I had never told her that before. Then I said that he should have fresh water and that was it. We're no longer speaking...7 years of friendship gone. It's fine with me...everytime I see her or think of her, I think of that bird. She just doesn't get it. Sad!!

Well, AnnaBella is pretty sick. Please forgive me if I spell things wrong or use the words in the wrong way...The test that came back bad is the CK test. She said normal is 300 to maybe 400. AnnaBella is at 23,000. She may have a lung infection...or Chlamydia...I'm taking her back to the vet tomorrow for more tests and a shot of antibiotics. I was trying to write all this stuff down as I talked to the vet but nothing I wrote down makes any sense. I'm scared for her...I feel bad that she's sick. I thought I was doing everything right...she sees the vet every six months. We had her tested for Chlamydia when she was a baby...by our old vet. The vet I go to now says it doesn't always show up in babies and they have to be retested when they're older. My old vet didn't tell me that. AnnaBella is never around other birds so the only way she could've gotten this is from the breeder who sold her to us. Has anyone's bird ever had Chlamydia? Can someone tell me everything will be ok?

Chezron, Yes, they did blood test...I'm waiting for the vet to call with the results...she said she'd call today. She gets full spectrum lighting... Thank you all for the replies...I hate waiting for stuff like this...I'm hoping since she didn't call first thing this morning that all is good...I hope.

Well, she had her x-rays done last Thursday. She was knocked out enough on the valium so she didn't need the anesthesia. The x-rays showed some irregularities around her heart and lungs. The vet said it could be her air sacs. There was also something around her stomach but she thought it may have been the skins from grapes she had earlier in the day...I guess the skins take longer to digest. I will find out her blood test results tomorrow...which will answer some of the questions the x-rays showed. The vet said she might have allergies which could be why there were funny areas around her lungs. We will know more tomorrow...I hope. If the blood test comes up good, she'll be xrayed again in a couple months to see if anything has changed. I'll let you all know what I hear about the blood test.

Thank you for the kind words. I know AB will be in good hands...my vet is the best. Kelly, I'll write what happens after the appt. Her appt is Thursday, January 13.