dblhelix

CONGRATULATiOINS Melissa!!! B) Very well deserved. We all enjoy the photos you take/share and of course look forward to learning and sharing more with you as the Moderator of the room!!

A few basic things come to mind in defining a healthy grey...healthy greys are generally in good feather, with stable weight, energetic, chatty and have good appetites. AND they have normal droppings with clear vents and nares. B)<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/11/08 04:19

Greetings kcOcxe, Both birds sound like fine candidates. I would visit with both if you can and let your interactions with the bird drive your decision. They both sound relatively young and healthy so I would go with the animal that you seem to connect with best. We look forward to hearing more and are glad you joined! Feel free to post more questions...there are a lot of knowledgable people here willing to share. I am sure others will weigh in on this question as well.

Should have daily access to various woods for chewing and natural beak exercise. There are many toys designed specifically for this. Just like people, some birds also have natural misalignments etc but it could be an overgrowth thing and may require a vet visit. In general though, if provided enough chew toys, they will keep their beaks in good shape between chewing and beak grinding.

I think you have it right Laurie. There are many dishes that call for mostaccioli pasta: http://www.barillaus.com/Home/Pages/Mostaccioli.aspx

WOW!! Congrats Judy. You are such a valued member here! I enjoy your posts, your opinions, your contributions and your fun loving attitude!! Though I like to play the "keep your name on top game"...clearly you are untouchable at the TOP! Keep em coming!! :P :P :P

Yeah, patience is key. Also recognizing that you seem to have a flight determined bird so you may need to adjust your home/routine slightly with that knowledge. If you let her wings grow out and actually learn to properly fly she will never run into anything. Once they are flight proficient they are very graceful as intended in nature. How old is your bird? I encourage you to read about wing clipping in general and there are some really good posts on this forum about the topic. If you have a very flight determined bird all the more reason to embrace that and let her learn to fly in my opinion. If you take that away from her who knows what kind of emotional trauma she will suffer. However, since the wings are already clipped you need to be careful since she will not have the control full feathers give and probably has not developed flight skills either, unless she was fully fledged. If you clip, there are good ways to do it, better ways to do it and WRONG ways to do it. Clips should to be custom to each birds size, strength and determination.

Greetings Nicky, Feather fluffing and biting are ways the bird communicates. Take it slow, learn to read the birds body language and build trust. A 12 WK old bird is quite young and only having him for 2 days everything is VERY NEW to the bird. He is scared. He just came from whatever it was he knew as home and is now in a new place with a new owner. He must learn to trust you. It is not clear how much research you may have done as a new grey owner, but we hope to be able to help you along the way in any case. Much like human children they will go through development satges over many years of their lives and present different challenges along the way. You must prepare yourself for a patient approach to things and do not expect instant change/gratification. Never react out of anger or punishment. Reward good behavior and ignore/discourage bad. Greys are amazing animals that are long lived. You need to have a stable, consistent and loving approach. Do this and you will both be rewarded with a successful and amazing relationship for life. B) We look forward to hearing more from you.

I agree that patience is key here. She is still adjusting to the new environent. Personally I would avoid clipping to deal with the issue. I would rather invest the time in the relationship, even if it takes months or a year. In the long run I think that will be better. Clipping could be a set back if the bird associates you with the action. On the other hand, some would say that when the bird is more dependent on you that strengthens the bond...in either case there is no simple solution to this or many other things you will face. I think she will settle down soon enough. If you relax she will relax and you can both enjoy the challenges, fun and fulfillment ahead. B)

We chose the name "Kipusa". Its Swahili for "pretty girl". We thought it would be fun to give her a name from one of the languages spoken in her homeland. We call her "Kip" for short, and "Ruby" is her nickname for the ruby red tail. She likes to say "Kip Kip Kip Kip Kip...Kipusa!"

Even if its not a "milestone" to you, CONGRATULATIONS anyhow! :P

Welcome Rikki! We look forward to hearing more from you! B)

Welcome! :P I think Judy pretty well summed it up on the inquiries...remove birds and air the place out really well with any painting. Moths are from foods. Discard mothy food and keep stock frozen or in fridge to reduce hatching (works really well). Poor baby on the keel injury. Glad that has healed well. There are some good threads on this forum about wing clipping, advantages/disadvantages etc. We look forward to your participation here! <br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/10/23 04:01

Good advice. Many homes near the fires do not burn but still have significant smoke damage. It can be really bad. My father lives in Malibu. Its been a scary 24 hrs, but his place is OK for now. I live near the beach but not near fires so we are OK with our birds.

Kiko, I am sorry to hear of this issue. Please see the vet ASAP as you indicate are your intentions. It is very important you see an avian vet for the best evaluation and potential treatment. It is hard to provide specific advice from your description other than it warrants expert evaluation. Do you have any weight data on your Grey? Loss of weight is a sign of illness they cannot hide. Also, have you noted any changed in his droppings? From your description something is going on that needs attention. Until you can get to the vet do everything you can to ensure a good environment, not too cold, no drafts etc and ensure plenty of water is available (I am sure you are doing that). It is good that he is eating/drinking and talking. I certainly wish you all the best and hope that the vet can provide guidance for good improvement. Please keep us posted. Perhaps other members can provide additional advice.

Very good info here. Really check the nail length as if they are too short falls are inevitable since they cannot properly grip. In addition, what is the diameter and material of the perches? The perches should be natural wood with normal variation in thickness and grain to give them grip. Machined wood perfectly round and smooth is not really so good for them. Also, most greys should not have a perch larger than 1 inch in diameter and depending on the actual size of your grey you may want to go smaller or bigger...Good luck! Sounds like you are off to the right start and after you work out some of the challenges you likely wlll have a special friend for life! Don't expect change overnite, it will take patience and persistence but it sounds like you are up to the task!

Welcome Ade, Dave and Zeke! We look forward to your participation here. This is a great forum with knowledable members willing to share and learn from each other!

So sad to hear of your loss. Please keep up posted on the findings from the necropsy. Hopefully details on Obi's death can serve as an opportunity for everyone to learn. My condolences. Somtimes things happen in life beyond our control and w/o much apparent justification.

Congrats (again) Makena! :P

Interesting topic on the foot/nail coloration. Below is a good link about the geographical territory of the greys in the wild and size variations based on geography. http://www.africanature.com/Project%20Africa/wildgreys.htm

Below is another good article on the polyoma virus. Its a bit of a long read, but worth it. Adult birds are rarely affected and healthy adults exposed will clear the virus and thereafter be immune through the normal immune response. The concern is with chicks and the vaccine is only effective for chicks in the 9-15 week window. In addition, severity differs from species to species and African Greys rarely present with severe disease. I am not suggesting people should not be concerned and aware of this disease. You should always consult your vet with questions. However, it is important to understand the biology of this virus and the age/species of concern so owners can adequately gauge the need for action. http://www.blackstone-aviaries.com/polyom.html<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/10/18 08:02

I have seen the Parrots of Telegraph hill movie. Its a cute independent film about the wild parrot flock in San Francisco. Good flick to watch on a rainy weekend with winter coming. Worth watching. California does have several flocks. Mainly along the coast. I see them regularly moving from Santa Barbara down to San Diego...My father lives in Malibu and sees some daily that see to make the area home. Very cute.

Way to go....Joe!

There should be several other things under FAQs, scroll to the bottom of the page and look for other links under the "more" section. Unless something is wrong with your browser they should be there. I just checked and they are for me...

We feed them to Kip all the time. Make sure you get "unsalted" (as you indicate). I love them myself and Kip really likes too!