Caspersmum

Hey sheila, I thought you might like a bit of consolation - when I first adopted Casper about 6 months ago he drew blood on a regular basis, but using training such as the laddering you were talking about, he now steps up like a star. Remember that he's probably biting because he was mistreated before you got him, not because of anything you've been doing wrong. If you're anything like me you'll probably find this hard to believe, but from experience, keep the faith, and keep at it - it'll pay off! Julia

I'd go along with what estream and monique say. It's really great that you've not just leapt in and bought a parrot without considering it, which I think is probably a good indication that you're well suited for the job of parrot parenthood! Like monique, I'm out of the house for much of the day, but I make sure that when I am at home Casper gets lots of attention, and he's a very well adjusted parrot. You say that you're available for parroty play from 5 til 12, but one thing you really need to think about is if you can sustain that sort of time around your bird in the long term. I'm sure I read somewhere that birds need about 3 hours of company per day. But if you believe you can sustain that then definitely go for it. Having a parrot as a flat-mate is incredibly rewarding - not least because you can pretend you're talking to your bird when you're talking to yourself! Let us know how you get on, Julia

Thanks for the advice - I've been more than a bit paranoid! I hadn't realised just how hot the pan had to get. I'm sure casper will be very happy, as he'll now be benefitting from even more of my home cooking! Julia

Thanks for all the advice - I know I'm a bit impetuous buying the rope before I know what to do with it, but as they say, nothing ventured nothing gained! And I like all the toy ideas - think I'm going to have a busy weekend! I'll deffinitely take the advice about rope toys on board - and I won't let him use it when I'm not in the room - it's just that at the moment he's only got a T-perch in the lounge, and although I fill it with small things for him to play with, I feel he needs a more three dimensional experience! I think I might combine it with some PVC piping, Julia.

Hey Jimmy, I was just wondering how you're getting on with Kiwi - is she still the love of your life?! Are you getting used to her personal foibles? Julia

Congratulations on your new-found parenthood! It's a real toughy isn't it - I was lucky as Casper was already named when I got him. It's such a personal choice it's really difficult, but have you tried googling 'parrot names'? There's alot of websites covering just this problem, with lots of suggestions. If you're anything like me, your poor bird will end up with a dozen pet names anyway! Julia

Hey Guys, I've just ordered a load of rope to make a cargo net for Casper to clamber about on. I ordered it from the manufacturers who assured me it's totally free of any chemicals. I've seen these cargo nets on line for parrots to play on, but they're really expensive, so thought I'd do a DIY job. The only problem is I haven't got a clue how to make it! I was just wondering if anyone has any stunning rope-knotting skills they can share with me. I'd also like to know if anyone has any other suggestions for cheap toys. By the way, if any of the rest of you want to buy cheap rope try mariners chandelries - the ones I phoned were really helpful. Apparently they'd had lots of people wanting rope for parrots! And it's about half the price of the stuff sold on line for parrot usage, Anyway, hope you all passed your girl-guide or scouts badges for knot tying! Julia

Hi Nancy, From experience I'd also go along with estream's advice - I did the same thing myself when I got a new big cage. I just let my bird play ON the new cage for a while, but kept his old one so that he'd feel secure. And after a bit of exploring for afew days he got used to the idea of a new home, and settled in fine. I just hope you haven't got rid of the old one yet! Julia

Thanks Monique - that really puts my mind at rest

I'm sure you've all read the same stuff as me about teflon fumes, and I'm really careful to close doors when I'm cooking with teflon pans to avoid killing my bird. But I recently read something about cooking - I usually feed Casper plenty of my healthy home cooking - lots ov veggies and pasta. Does anyone know if i'm harming him by feeding him food cooked in a teflon pan? Is there any real evidence to say that it's bad for them, or is it just people being overly cautious? My understanding was that it was the fumes that were toxic, and that this was an acute problem, rather than a problem of toxic build-up. I'd be really grateful to know what the rest of you have heard, Julia

Hey Jimmy, It's good to hear of someone who's put so much thought into getting a bird before actually comitting - sounds like you're a really proud father! My grey bit quite a lot when I first got him, regularly drwaing blood and taking chunks out of my fingers - I'd adopted him from a family who didn't really know what they were letting themselves in for when they got him. I'd go along with all the advice the others have given you, but I'd add that the thing that's worked best with casper is ignoring bad behaviour and praising the good. So if Kiwi bites you, say 'no' or 'naughty' or whatever the swedish is for these, then just ignore her for a bit - put her in her cage or on her perch immediately after the biting, and give her no attention for a while - alot of the time they'll bite because they know they'll get attention. The other thing I'd say is that part of it is about you learning about her. You may have noticed already that she'll have her own very individual personality. Think about when she's biting you - you may not think you're doing anything wrong, but she may not be seeing it like that. Also check out her body language - how is she holding herself just before a bite. Casper exhibits really subtle differences between 'give me a neck scratch' and 'I'm going to savage your thumb'. It just takes a while for you to work out what these subtle signs are with your bird. But most of all, enjoy her (it sounds like you're besotted!), and be confident. Hope this helps. I'm no expert, but having been through this quite recently I thought my experiences might help you. Stick on in there! Julia

For those of you who are interested, here's how I got as far as I did - but then given my current predicament, maybe I'd have been better to put up with the poo! With casper it seemed quite straightforward to train him - it's really obvious when he's about to 'go' so whenever he hunkered down like that I'd say 'poooo!' and then once he'd gone say 'good boy'. I did this whenever he went either on his perch, in his cage or other designated safe spots. If I thought he was about to go on me, I'd just say 'hold on', pick him up and put him on his perch. There were a few accidents, but he picked it up really quickly. I very deliberately praised him when he pooed in his cage, as I was aware that this could become a problem. I'll give you an update if we get our current problem sorted out! By the way, I tried this with a previous bird I owned, and he never cottoned on! Julia

Thanks both of you. I'll check out the other forum, but I think your advice to stop the potty training for a while is a good idea. I think part of the problem is that he's a remarkably bright boy - and I'm not just being a proud mum! I'll let you know how we get on, Julia

Dunno if anyone's interested, but Casper is also a star of YouTube - My cousin videoed him when he was staying (check out Funkship). Admittedly he's not at his most exciting, but then as his mum i still think he's utterly adorable!

Hi, Again, this is only from what I've read, but I understand that if you have a sandy or concrete perch Corky will be able to rub his own beak into shape - as well as his nails. I'm in the UK, but wherever you are I'm sure you'll be able to get these online. I don't know if this will help, but I hope it will, Julia

Hi, From my experience I'd also add just be really really patient, and don't give up. As I'm sure anyone else would say, you'll have some moments when you think you're a dreadful mum, but stick with it cos the good times really outweigh the bad! Julia

I've not had this problem (yet), and really commiserate with you - it must be really tough. So this piece of advice is not tried and tested, just something I read somewhere - someone suggested getting pea sticks - lots and lots of them - and shoving them through the bars of the birds cage so that they have to climd round and through them to get around the cage. Apparently its really effective with the hard case feather pluckers, but as I said I don't know if this works for real, Good luck, julia

The other big advantage I've found of covering the cage at night is sleep! My parrot always wakes up (loudly) when it gets light, so covering him up means that he'll get his full 10 hours of beauty sleep. This is particularly useful if you live in very northern climes - we only have about 3 hours of full darkness in the summer. Just remember that far side cartoon - no scary pictures on the inside!

Hey guys, sorry to be so direct, but some topics are just like that. I've got a bit of a problem - or at least Casper has. We've been working on potty training for a while, and Casper's now really good when he's out of his cage, only pooing when he's on his T-stand or on a cover I have for him. He doesn't seem to mind which, and learnt this really quickly. However, just in the last few days he's stopped pooing in his cage. When he's out of his cage he'll poo on command, but won't when he's in his cage, even when I try to bribe him with treats. I'm really concerned that this is going to affect his health. As soon as he comes out of his cage he'll poo - and to be even more frank, it's huge. Does anyone have any ideas of how I can break this habit, as I'm really worried about his health. Thanks, Julia

I think I'm getting all broody!

Hi there, I'd go along with Monique's comments - I had an African Grey and a ring necked parakeet, and they HATED eachother. Both were flighted, and not only could I not let them out at the same time, I couldn't even let them out individually if the other was still in the room - they'd fly onto eachothers cages and start fighting. I don't think it's so much of a problem if there's more than one of you to keep an eye on them though. Good Luck! Julia

I live in Scotland - not too handy for the US! I've been trying afew places over here - there's an organisation called birdline-uk that have given me a contact, although I've still not managed to sort anything definite yet! There don't seem to be many people with birds in my part of scotland - there isn't even an avian vet nearby - maybe I should start a campaign to raise awareness! Thanks for the interest Julia

Hi, One of my friend said to try dogs' rawhide chews - they're alot cheaper than the ones for parrots. My CAG loves the little ones that look like bones - they're great foot toys, and you can tie them to the inside of the cage with bits of cotton string - and if he doesn't like them, it'll only cost you about £1! Julia

Hi, If you're in London Engerland, then try 24parrot.com. I've started getting food and toys from them. My grey took to the Hagen tropican pellets as soon as I gave them to him, and you can get 3 bags for the price of 2 from the website. They also have a really good selection of toys - better than any of my local pet shops. The orders arrived pretty quickly, although they charge postage unless you order over £75 of goods - I tend to save up my orders! Hope this helps, Julia

Thanks FairY! I've got more than just my fingers crossed. Julia