Mcgyver

I am aware of chemicals and perfumes and the like, I am referring to Lanolin and vitamin E, there is no perfume or scents and if it conditions human nails then beaks are a form of nail as well and I'm not talking about great amounts ....when you condition your hands you always have some residue if nothing more than a smear so you rub the beak between your fingers...it stops food sticking to the beak and helps the bird maintain the beak more easily ..you do the same for their feet. I have done this for years with different parrots conurs, budgies, eclectus and now greys with no ill effects. Then small amount of cream on their feet also acts as a barrier to germs and whatever they might step in. This is just a time to time thing not part of a set care program.

I only allow my birds to sit on my should when they have been good, otherwise they are instantly set down. Sitting on your shoulder should be a privlege not a bus stop for birds ...this way you don't have to worry or be alert as they are on their best behaviour. They should not fly directly to your shoulder but to your hand and so, if they have been good you then put them on your shoulder. Post edited by: Mcgyver, at: 2007/11/14 16:14<br><br>Post edited by: Mcgyver, at: 2007/11/14 16:15

This is housekeeping ...a natural instinct, when they are nesting in the wild, this is what they do to clean out their nest to remove droppings and other undesireable material.

You can rub some moisturiser into your hands and before it fully penetrates into your skin rub the residue into your birds beak it also conditions the beak. You will find that a regular wipe with a damp cloth will keep the beak looking glossy black with no scratch marks

http://www.birdtricks.com ..try this site they guarantee results and they teach everything, the whole package comes with CD's and Videos. I have come across a few people who have a lot of success.

Hi Rachel ...regarding the reply by 'stick-n-stones' Going to America will cost you more, what you are missing is that you have to freight the bird over, it will nearly cost the same as your air-fare. Just to give you and idea, ...to ship a bird one way from Africa is between $6000-$8000, so the air-fare from America will be more. ...now add to that the quarantine stay of about 30 Days at about $15+ a day and finally add the cost of the Bird which will be about (AUS)$1100 if the the bird is worth (US)$800. Now you have to consider what the bird is going to go through ...it will be shipped from where ever your going to buy it ....put on a plane and knocked around for 17-18 hrs it will then spend 30 Days in quarantine next to who knows what animal, could even be a cat and then finally after 30 days you get your absolutely stressed and terrified bird?? I would almost bet you will end up with a bird that feather plucks, after going through that kind of hell. One last thing to consider ...if after a while there is something wrong with your bird, are you going back to America to exchange or get your money back?? ...if you buy a bird in Australia the breeder is rearing birds in Australia with food and problems assosciated within Australia, so you get advice relevant to your bird. Greys might be more abundant in America but the American breeder can only advise you with American stuff which is most likely not available in Australia. My last point ...because greys are more popular in America they are bred like budgies so the care and quality would be less important because they are plentiful. ...on the other hand the Grey being fairly rare in Australia sees more care in the breeding, hand rearing and the overall appreciation of the species. I say this from experience, as my bird Nandi, now 6 months old would have to be the most well natured bird I have ever had. The Vet, who is also a specialist on Birds and has written many books, praised Nandi on her structure, color, health and nature. To me I got what I paid for and more.<br><br>Post edited by: Mcgyver, at: 2007/04/07 14:56

I have found this to work ...sit the bird on a large dowel or perch which is about 2" in diameter. Have the perch setup so the bird is in the dominant high position, (ie so that the bird is sitting higher than you are). With the bird perched higher it feels less threatened further more, their feet are spread open across this large dowel. Its like working under a car, you reach up lift one of the toes and clip the nail, the bird is not bothered as it still has its balance, grip and feels secure ...you only need to clip the sharp tips (about 1mm). This also allows for using an emmery board (for shaping nails) ...do exactly the same thing lift up a toes and file it. The bird is still holding on with the other 3 toes so it is not bothered if you play around with one??

I know how to clip birds nails, I use ordinary nail clippers. I have condition Nandi to allow me to handle her feet and toes ...I show her the clippers so she can check them out ...I then pick up one of her toes check to see her reaction and if unphased I clip it ..she does not even blink and eye. I do one or two nails a day as a kind of routine and when not clipping I am using a nail file just to go through the motions of handling her feet and toes, so it becomes an accepted rountine. ...I am curious to hear what other ideas people have and more so, ..how do you keep them trim?? ...those sand impregnated perch covers are hopeless and so are those cement type perches ...birds don't seem to grip much with the front toes, its the back ones which do most of the work. I have tried many ways with not too much success, to keep their nails timmed back without having to clip them. Those back nails are deadly they always seem to remain very sharp???

I had a male Eclectus and if you wanted him to take a bath ...you would prepare the bath, whether a dish of just a puddle on the benchtop ...start the vacuume and away it all goes bird comes down all fluffed and determined and whether there is enough water or not you will be treated to the most spectacular bath performance. I just thought that was perculiar to my parrot. I have not idea as to what prompts that action?? Cheers ...Rick

You will find that greys are quite expensive ...a pair will cost you about (AUS)$14,000. The split up is like $4,000 for a male and $10,000 for a female. Where I bought my hen it was the other way round $4,500 for the Hen and $10,000 for the male??? There are not many breeders in Australia as far as all my searches reveal. I purchase my bird recently after searching for the last 2 months. BEWARE ...there are people selling Greys out of Africa for about (US)$400-$700, if you are not careful, you could end up paying $6000-$8000 in air fares plus the 2-3wk Quarantine time in customs at about $10-$15 a day ... in addition to the cost of the bird??? I can help you with the names of two breeders in NSW and they are very professional and if you are in Queensland they would ship the bird to you. The birds are expensive for this very reason ...they are rare?? Cheers...Rick<br><br>Post edited by: Mcgyver, at: 2007/03/27 16:52

Thanks for the info ...I agree with you on the Vet. When I went to buy my grey there were both males and females and this hen chose me ...she was out of the cage and onto my hand before I had a real chance to look at any of the others. It just hit me the other day about this eggbound situation and I nearly freaked, having realised that my grey was a hen and I could be faced with this threat. I have a really good Vet so that's the way to go but I just thought there might be a more hands on approach to dealing with the problem, especially regarding my bird Nandi, she will let me handle her anyway I want, so that would make things easier than racing off to the Vet Thanks again. Cheers ...Rick

I am aware of the importance of calcium etc., even to the point of an article I read about not giving the calcium on a daily basis, as somtimes the body does not take in the calcium and is excreted. Giving the calcium a few days apart insures the calcium is fully absorbed and should an emergency arise, and the calcium needs to be administered quickly then the body will absorb it otherwise, in the other situation, the body may choose not to absorb the calcium and excrete the calcium the bird may need and it could die?? This is not precise but as close as I can remember. I am really after any factual or proven method of avoiding this situation, I could not handle the loss my grey. Cheers ...Rick