judygram

That lilac crowned amazon is a very pretty one, probably my favorite of the zons.

My fids are locked into their cages at night and when we are not at home, I know too many things are out there that they could get into and get hurt by, thankfully I don't have any escape artists that have figured out how to unlatch their cages but I feel better that they are locked up.

Thanks so much Dave for putting this list together for us, if and when accidents happen we should have all this stuff together in one place so we can do what is needed to save our bird's life, a very comprehensive avian first aid kit.

I know and these last two weeks will be hard for you but it will be here soon, Elegua is going to love her new playstand, be sure to share a pic or two of her on it.

Val has given you some sound advice as many older birds do not take to something new in their environment especially something with bars but the day will come when he is more comfortable around it and goes into it, once that happens take him out somewhere where he will enjoy himself, in other words don't use the travel cage only to take him to the vet, use it to take him on short trips where he enjoys himself so he associates good times in that cage.

Well congrats on Cody saying his first word and now that he has maybe he will be a chicken less and less but they do pick what they want to copy so be sure to give him plenty of other options.

Hello Bobby and welcome to our family, you have come to the right place to read and learn all you can to help you in your quest to have a bird and I am guessing you might be leaning toward getting a grey, they are awesome creatures. Yes sadly too many people buy a bird on a whim, they see a pretty one or it talks a little and they think what a neat pet but they have no idea of what is involved in taking proper care of that bird, what it needs and many people view animals as disposable so if it doesn't work out then they just give it away or rehome it. If they had done their research to find out beforehand then that bird may have been spared the trauma of having to go to yet another new home with new parronts and so on. Since you know so many birds in rescues maybe you can give one of them a chance for a new forever home for there are many who would make excellent companions and they just need the right person to make them feel comfortable and settle into a loving family so please consider that an option if possible.

Hello Sue and welcome to our family, so glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing lots more about you and your baby grey. Now you need to tell us all about this new baby, how old, what is his/her name, do you have other birds and so forth and pictures would be most welcome.

Well don't keep us waiting too long now Ray.

I don't have an amazon but what you have done with Cricket is amazing, sometimes it just takes the right person to bring out the best in an otherwise impossible situation, whoever said she would be nasty and remain a caged bird had never met Ray for now she is a real sweetheart, I look forward to hearing lots more about her and her antics with pictures of course.

Welcome to the team Ray, I know you will be a welcome addition to the amazon room as your relationship with Cricket will be of great help to those who have amazons in their life or are contemplating getting one, Penny made a wise choice.

It sounds like you named her correctly, Gabby is living up to her name.

Molly is a cutie pie and looks like a real sweetheart, you are gonna have so much fun with her, thanks for sharing some pictures of her with us.

I am so glad they refunded the money for the bird and the amazon is doing fine in his new home.

Josey's talons are pointed but not too sharp as she wears them down some on the rough perches I have in her cage, they need these to keep them in check and her talons have not been dremeled down now for quite a while. It is necessary for them to be fairly sharp to help in climbing and playing and you don't want them too rounded on the tips or they can lose their grip and fall.

I think Louie is in good hands and the day will come that you will be able to handle him or at least give him neck scritches, just keep up the good work for good things come to those who wait, gosh has it been a year already.

Such lovely shots of Cocoa and who drew the sketch of the one picture of her, it is very good with lots of detail work, thanks for sharing them with us.

I totally feel for you as my grey does the same thing, they pick up what they like hearing and now my Josey does that from time to time, the thing to do when she does that is not to pay her any mind for if you laugh at it or give her any response that she likes she will keep doing it for her amusement. I have heard Josey do burps, sneezes, coughs and of course the dreaded fart but we all do it from time to time. My famous line is "it feels better out than in" :rolleyes: Heh heh

Just keep offering the veggies as it takes some time for them to come to eat them. It is not unusual for the two of them to not get along, even though they are flock animals they tend to not like others like them or even other types of birds, you will just have to supervise when they are both out and about. Would love to see some pictures of Quiana.

At 3 1/2 years old he is not sexually mature but that doesn't mean he isn't feeling some hormones raging and your preening sessions are sexual in nature as that is what mates would do for each other, certain areas of his body needs to be off limits now, down the back, under the wings and anywhere around the tail area, basically just the head and neck should be touched by you now or it will sexually excite him and you don't want that. If you keep getting him stimulated only to not satisfy him then he will bite you for he doesn't want it to stop. When he gets into these moods just tell him "no thanks" and try distracting him to something else, get his mind going into another direction, give him a new toy but you don't want to continue to get him aroused only to get disappointed, you know how that is don't you.

Your friend needs to find a vet somewhere, I don't know what country you are in but he may have to travel a distance to find one, no one here is a vet and we do not like to make guesses, sorry we cannot be of help to your friend but I hope he finds help ASAP.

Egan does look great and congrats on having him home with you, now the real fun begins and looking forward to more updates and pictures, what a handsome little fella.

My bird's cages have a grate in the bottom of the cage above the tray and I put newspaper on the tray, they cannot reach the newspaper to tear it up and I can easily change out the paper as it gets dirty. My cages also have the seed guards on the sides but we all know they can fling stuff further than they stick out so I have vinyl carpet runner underneath my grey's cage as she is the one who needs it most, I can just wipe it up or easily remove it to clean it.

I would advise you to stay clear of pet store birds as you never know what they may have been exposed to but here are two sites that may be of help to find breeders in your area: www.avianbiotech.com www.birdbreeders.com

Most people would probably say you should start out with a smaller bird before getting a larger one but if you do your research I don't see why it would be a problem as long as you know what you are getting into and I realize you only want one bird though most of us who have more than one bird probably thought that one was enough but one only whets the appetite for more hence we are afflicted with MBS. I did start out with a smaller bird, a sun conure that is a delight to have and then I wanted something else, something larger and I thought about it and decided that I wanted an african grey so I did research to find all I could about them so I could give her what she needs hence I did not buy her on a whim. Later I considered getting another bird but hadn't decided on what I wanted and one just showed up in my backyard one day last summer, a cockatiel that I couldn't find her owners so I kept her so now I have 3 fids and that is enough. Greys like other birds can be messy, some throw food and chew things up, they have a dander that requires frequent baths and household dusting, they can mimic sounds that are perfect copies of the real thing to confuse you while they have you going around in circles. Greys in general are usually quiet compared to some other species such as the toos and macaws that can have ear splitting screams but they have their moments when they are very vocal. Some people liken a grey's coloring to a pigeon, in fact some people think a grey is a pigeon but their color is not dull, in fact I think they are one of the most beautiful of the parrots, what they lack in bright colors they make up in the luster of their feathers, that feathery layering of the grey colors, some light and some dark against that bright red tail, that face with the white around the eye makes for a striking pose when they stand, very regal almost like royalty. Please do read thru the many threads as you will find lots of firsthand experience and information that will help you get to know what its like to have a grey in your life, I have no doubt that you will find it will be the best thing you have ever done.