Talon

Hi everyone, I just wanted to write about My cag Rikki. Rikki is almost 7 years old. Some of you may remember, I adopted her from a member here on the forum. I had tag Talon, and never had any intentions or desire to get another bird....(I am at 6 now). How she came to me in a nutshell: a new member joined asking for help in trying to quiet their newly acquired Grey. They complained it made too much noise, whistled too much, and they wanted to quiet it down. They were asking for advice as they didn't like the noise. Well I was furious after reading their first post and laid into them about not researching BEFORE they got this bird. If they had, they would know they make noise! In my fury, I felt they didn't deserve the bird and that I would take it as they had no clue and you couldn't quiet a grey. ( knowing this is a worldwide forum, I knew there was no chance of them taking me up on my half hearted comment. Well, next thing I knew, they sent me a pm, asking me if I would take her......as it turned out, they lived about 2 hours away and would drive her and her cage to me.....so that is how I ended up with Rikki. (she was 2 1/2 years old and I was her 4th and FINAL home) Looking back over the first 2 years I had her, I was at my wits end with her, there were times I didn't want her due to her behavior. She was VERY moody, you could never trust her, she would bite you hard and split you open when you least expected it. She was always flying to the top of my woodwork and tearing it off in huge chunks. I almost considered rehoming her elsewhere......she was very difficult. There wasn't a lot of love between us as she wouldn't allow it. Jump ahead to the last 3 plus years, she is the sweetest bird. She is so very happy all the time, she never bites, she adores my daughter and I, no favorites with her. She will kiss you anytime you ask, or make a kissy sound. She justs wants to be with you and be cuddled. She no longer is moody, no longer bites, no longer chews the wood work. She is a typical cag as new things frighten her and she is a nervous cag if everything in the house isn't in it's place. She will do anything I ask ofmher, she is the most loving grey ever. In hindsight, I see it took her as long as she was old to realize that she was in her forever home and to adapt to us. I suppose she never really trusted that she would be here and not sent off to another home as she was before. Her history, she was bought in a pet store very young, bonded to a very nice couple, especially the husband, but he died of a terminal illness when she was 2 years old. The wife couldn't keep her, she had no time for her, so she passed her onto another couple who had her for 5 weeks then gave her to me. I think she was angry as she missed her bonded owner very much and her home. It took her so long to relax, but I wish I had known then what i know now ....maybe her transition would have been easier for her and us. I feel very bad about that, I wish I was more understanding and patient with her back then. The lessons I learned, it takes a long time for a rehome to really settle in to their new envirement and feel relaxed enough to be themselves. And that know matter how many parrots you have, no matter how old you are, you ALWAYS have something to learn about them.

I don't have nicknames for my birds,but my kids nicknamed one of my dogs Bubba.....his real name is Rocky, now when ever the birds see him, they say,Bubba....

Those are too funny! Love the comments you guys came up with.

I would never use any ointment on my birds that they would most likely ingest by preening at it.

I will add my 2 cents in. I feel what you are going thru. I had a very unusual work schedule for many many years. It allowed my birds to be out most of the day every day. They are free flighted, I live in a big house, have many tree stands, boings, perches hanging every where. It looks like I live in a ginat bird cage. Well, this past summer, finacially, I had to take on 2 more jobs. I now work 3 part time jobs and have my own dance studio that is open 6 days a week. I get up most days at 4am, head off to the gym or go running. After getting home, showering & my kids off to school. I am able to let them out for about an hour for breakfast and time with me. They are then in their cages again until 5 or 6 ish, and then many nights off to teach classes and home late. I was so worried about the effects of this schedule change, but tried not to show it to them. It has been about 3 months, and they seem to do just fine, in fact they expect it. I do leave the tv on or a bird sitter dvd, and they do like their afternoon quiet time. Sometimes my daughter will let them out right before I come home, and when that happens and I walk in the door, all 3 come flying over to me and spend the last bit of time with me as much a spossible. Those nights, I feel so loved by them.... I think you will be suprised at how adaptable they will become.

Mine came with a perch, and my birds are very good about it if I continue to talk with them while they are on it.

I love ringnecks, they are so beautiful! Can't wait for pics!!

That is too funny! i have heard they can outpoop all birds!

THat's funny! Sometime's Nilah will be the last to start breakfast, but dinner is her's. She can outeat my greys times 3!

Here here!! Thank you Ray!!

hee hee!! Talon can out poop my 3...she's the smallest of the flock!

Awww. pics please...

Welcome to the world of being a parront. There really is no way to stop, you can try, but they will continue to do it no matter what. Many of my shirts have holes in the shoulders. I can't buy anything with sparkles or glitter or beads, they will go nuts trying to pick it off. The good clothes go on when they are in their cages and I am headed out.

I am waiting for my birds to finish making their mess all over my kitchen table while eating their toast and English muffin... They seem starved today! I have noticed, if I am at work and don't get home for dinner with the birds, on those nights, my daughter covers them for bed. The next morning they are starved!!! God forbid they eat their own food in their cage at night. If they eat with me, they pick the next morning.

It is te mange for sure. They will die from the mange as they will get weaker. The mange will eventually shut down tir organs.....

I guess I wasnt clear in my post. I have been taking my birds to the same vet just to clip the needle point off when us humans can no longer take it when they are on our shoulder, or arm. Only seems to be an issue in the hot summer weather when we are all in shorts and tank tops. This is something I have done for as long as I have owned all my birds. They dont mind, it is not traumatic. My vet is very careful and very kind. It WAS his assistant that was new and held Rikki too tightly. Rikki was not really upset, never is. None of the birds were traumatized by a routine visit they are used to. There was no dremel used. Only a small pair of scissor/clippers. The problem was she was being held too tightly. It was ME that was the most traumatized. I have tried the emery board, doesn't really work for us, and I do not towel my birds unless absolutely necessary for giving meds.

Thanks, sent email to the tech dept. to fix asap!

My birds do a good job of wearing their nails down on all the different perches and play trees. On average, their nails seem to get pointy after 12-14 months. When they are like needles and leaving scratch marks on me from perching on my bare skin, do I have just the tips clipped. They do very well at the vets, and having to take them once a year helps in them in getti g used to the car ride,vet, office etc. they really don't seem to mind, but this time, I believe it was inexperience help that did it. I was the one most traumatized. They very much LOVE car rides. I tend to take Talon out for rides mostly as she enjoys it the most.

Same in my house, I cut my first one in half and hung it in my living room, Nilah liked it, but didn't use it much after a while, do I took it down and it sits in my basement...boings are everywhere here too!

Tried the emery board...think I will stick with the vet only when needed....

Thanks Judy and everyone. It still hurts and breaks my heart everytime I think of it. Poor Rikki was blinking away the tears so fast, and they were red falling from her face.....her eyes got so watery...I am going to buy a dremel and see if I can use it for a second or 2 on them as they are perched. I never want her to have to go thru that again. Although I have many types of perches that are supposed to help file their nails. After about a year, they all have needle like talons...

I took my 3 to the vets a couple of weeks ago for their yearly nail clipping. I won't do it myself. Their talons were like needles. Rikki of course was nervous as they all were, their was a new vet tech there. She held them in a towel around the neck like usual, Rikki kept blinking over and over cause she had blood tears! It was awful for me to see this happening to me sweet Rikki! I had just read about them in the last Bird Talk magazine so I knew what they were, but I was so upset....this never happened before. The vet knew I was distraught over it and kept trying to reassure me it happens, and this was nothing compared to a few he has coming in. He was quick to tell the vet vet tech to lighten up and not hold her so tightly cause it raises their blood pressure and this will happen. I was a bit angry that it happened, as it never has before, and felt horrible for Rikki. She was fine when she was done, but as usual, the excitement made them all very tired and quiet for the rest of the day.

Lol! That would be my reaction too! My amazon loves peppers, my cag, won't even go into the same room, they make her eyes water......

Nice Judy, I like how it folds up so nicely.

Judy, you are right, Piper hisses at me alot! The last 2 weeks he starts whistling, talking and sounds like a car trying to start repeatedly for about 1/2 hour at night. I put my birds to bed around 8-8:30pm but he wants to stay up late. He starts around 9:15ish and carries on being so vocal, I cant put him to bed until after that. I think he was owned by a male teenager, cause he is up late, starts getting very vocal late, and whistles the Zelda video game them song. He also HATES to be covered at night, I have a lite blue sheet that I only partially cover, and he hates it and hisses at me, but I want him to have quiet time for bed.