dblhelix

Read this http://www.africanature.com/Project%20Africa/wildgreys.htm They all vary in size and 440 is well w/in the normal range for a CAG. Provided Alphie is not underweight (keel bone is one way to check), with low energy etc I would not worry a bit. Kip was right around 350 grams when we got her at 6 mo's and then increased to a very stable ~410 grams...she is on the smaller side, but totally normal and healthy! You can see her weight bounces around a bit based on several variables that can affect this (time of day, full crop, recently pooped or not...etc!) <br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2009/01/09 18:10

Sounds like (and hope) all will be fine. Keep us posted. I am curious if your bird is clipped. A proper clip should allow the bird to safely glide from perch to floor w/o crashing or injury. That being said, accidents can and do happen even to fully flighted birds. However, a severe clip that does not allow proper gliding control can lead to additional injuries and other problems. Just something to think about.

Well, I dont like the Holidays for all the chaos in general...crazy rat race of shopping, gatherings, ho ho ho, ha ha ha...Bah Humbug! :angry: It is insteresting how many non bird folks just dont seem to get these animals. I am not sure if its that they dont want to take the time to relate to them, or simply just dont understand them...Oh well... Happy Holidays to all anyways!! <br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2008/12/24 02:42

Sorry to hear of this. How far is it from the stand to the floor (eg how far did Indy "fall")? How is Indy acting? Eating/drinking normal? Any signs of pain or distress? Chances are pretty good Indy is fine, they are pretty tough. If you want to be sure a vet visit would be the best action.

I lean towards leaving ChaCha at home. Boozle will be there and since ChaCha has only been in your home and with you etc as for 3 weeks I think leavin him would be the least stressful approach. 3 weeks is barely enough time for most birds to begin feeling secure in their surroundings, not to mention a new owner. I think the stress of having him travel to a new place at this point might be greater than leaving him at your place for a few days w/o you, where he is just becoming comfortable. He probably would be fine with either approach, but I would leave him B)<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2008/12/17 07:32

Rule # 1, there are no silly questions! Birds have 2 different main types of molt. There is the "downy" feather molt, and the tail/flight feather molt. Keep in mind some moting of various feathers all throughout the year is normal. However, during the downy feather molt you will see quite a lot of the small, light, soft downy feathers coming out. The volume can actually be alarming to new owners the first time you experience this. Feathers are replaced with new ones that are wrapped in a fairly tough sheath. These initial feathers may look like pins, hence the term "pin feather". The birds must strip the sheath off the feather shaft to allow the feather to unfurl. Duing any molt some birds may be a bit more irritable and/or uncomfortable due to the feather coming in. Some birds are rather affected with discomfort, some not at all and most somewhere in between. The tail/flight feather molt takes place over several months and follows a pattern. You will note that when flight #7 comes out on one wing, the same feather will soon come out on the other wing. This has evolved this way to help ensure the bird maintains proper flight balance during the process. In addition, the reason it happens rather slowly, over several months is so the bird can continue with full flight capabilities during this time. You can imagine that in the wild a bird that cannot fly is a dead bird. Bottom line, both major molts take months to complete, but you can definitely tell when they are having 1 or the other happen. In a normal molt the bird never gets bare, just could look a bit ratty if lots of pin feathers are coming in at same time. B) Good, though a bit long read: http://www.parrotpassionsuk.com/Advice/Moulting.htm<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2008/12/15 19:48

Kip, 2.5 yrs old. No signs of any plucking. Slight damage to outermost flights edges due to banging them on stuff! Fully flighted since about 18 mo's (after 1st molt completed). Very good flier now. There absolutely is data that supports clipped birds have a higher plucking tendancy than flighted birds. At minimum one should try and ensure their birds are fully fledged and allowed to learn complete flight skills before clipping. This can reduce tendencies. By no means am I saying all clipped birds pluck, but it has been strongly linked to this behavior. Read the many posts on the forum debating clipping vs flighted to see of the of pro's/con's and logic supporting the different approaches... <br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2008/12/15 16:37

Welcome Welcome WELCOME!! Glad ya joined the flock!

Good stuff! though I dont know bout that Dave guy! Seriously, great info that bears repeating often.

Hi Tony, Welcome, good to see you making some inquiries. It sounds like you CAN provide an adequate home/attention etc to the bird. A couple of reality checks I will throw out there, particularly since I dont know much about you, experience with birds/pets etc... Parrots are long lived animals, average over 50 yrs. Parrots can be noisey, parrots ARE messy. Parrots require LOTS of attention when you can give it. Parrots are manipulative. Parrots can test you (screaming, beeping, squawking, chewing, wrecking furniture etc). Parrots can form habits that may take YEARS for you to condition them the way you want...loads of other stuff! All that being said, parrots are one of the most rewarding animals you can add to your family and will reward you 1000 times over if you are commited and up to it! I am not trying to discourage you, but want to provide some real things to think about. It sounds like you are very recently married (conrats BTW!!) and therefore entering a very new stage in your life. What about the future? Living conditions? Children perhaps? Changing jobs? None of us have a crystal ball, but you do need to be pretty confident that whatever happens you will be committed to your bird...it certainly will be committed and dependent on you for its entire (many decades long) life! B)<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2008/12/04 01:49

I would definitely keep the separate for quite a while. Not the least reason being you really do not know how the 2 birds will take to each other for long durations unsupervised. It is a good sign that they seem OK together, but as I understand the eclectus is a very new addition for you. In addition, there is the bonding issue to consider. Personally, even if the birds seem to like each other, I would probably plan to keep them caged separate permanetly and keep out time separate for some time. This will help you establish the bond with the bird and reduce the bird to bird bond. Over time you can re-assess, but again for safety reasons alone be very careful for the first few months or longer until you really know the new additions personality. BTW - congrats on the new addition! B)

As you probably are aware, flying is a learned skill. If Ice was never fledged and has not really had opportunity to fly for sure the muscles and motor skills have not been properly developed. I have read people have successfully fledged adult birds that never flew at over 20 yrs of age. Some will still go on to become very proficient fliers and some not so much. For sure you can influence them with a lot of encouragemet, reward etc if you work with them to fly. As BaxtersMom has indicated, start small. Get them to "hop" to your hand and gradually increase the distance so they have to flap and then fly. Kip was not fully fledged as a baby. We got her around 6 months and was clipped. As her first molt took place and flights grew in we worked with her each day. She is still learning but is now a rather proficient flier at around 30 months old (2.5 years). She can hover, bank, fly up, fly down and land exactly where she wants to. Each bird is different and some will naturally be more determined fliers than others. If you work with them it will come along but could easily take 2 or more years. I have definitely noticed Kip is more balanced, confident and I think happier as a flier. Now she says "C'mon Kip, fly!" Before taking off and often yells out "Fly, Fly!" in the air. Keep working on it. B)<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2008/12/03 07:27

If you need/want an entire post deleted for some reason you can PM a room Moderator or Admin and the entire post/thread can be deleted.

Sounds very normal. The first downy molt is often around 6 mo's. Flights/tail feathers between 9-18 mo's. They all vary a bit regarding timing. The smallery down feathers will come out here and there all the time, but there is a marked increase during the downy molts and you will see light downy feathers all over the place! Totally normal so long as you do not see bare spots on the skin. Also you can generally tell if a feather came out normally if the shaft is intact.

Gave Kip a pomegranate this evening...she was a bit skeptical for about 5 seconds but then absolutely loved it! Made a mess for sure. Sorry if some of the pics are a bit blurry...

Congrats Dan!!

Wow, this is one sappy thread! I think this qualifies...I have always been moved by Billy Joel's "She's always a woman": She can kill with a smile She can wound with her eyes She can ruin your faith with her casual lies And she only reveals what she wants you to see She hides like a child, But she's always a woman to me She can lead you to love She can take you or leave you She can ask for the truth But she'll never believe And she'll take what you give her, as long as it's free Yeah, she steals like a thief But she's always a woman to me CHORUS: Oh--she takes care of herself She can wait if she wants She's ahead of her time Oh--and she never gives out And she never gives in She just changes her mind And she'll promise you more Than the Garden of Eden Then she'll carelessly cut you And laugh while you're bleedin' But she'll bring out the best And the worst you can be Blame it all on yourself Cause she's always a woman to me --Mhmm-- Bridge CHORUS: Oh--she takes care of herself She can wait if she wants She's ahead of her time Oh--and she never gives out And she never gives in She just changes her mind She is frequently kind And she's suddenly cruel She can do as she pleases She's nobody's fool And she can't be convicted She's earned her degree And the most she will do Is throw shadows at you But she's always a woman to me

Welcome Kimberly! Lots of great info here, and the best part is our members!! Owning a grey (or any parrot for that matter) is one of the most rewarding experiences, they never cease to amaze and bring enjoyment. Make no mistake, they are a lot of work, there will be challenges and it is a life long commitment, but if you are ready and willing the relationship you build will reward you 1000 times over. I hope the best for MacKezie and you. As you said, if its a match then it could be great for you both and if not then lets hope she finds a forever home in any case. Keep us posted and please dont hesitate to poke around and ask questions!

There are a lot of really good entry level Digital SLRs available now. Canon and Nikon arguably make the best units, though Olympus, Sony, Panasonic, Pentax and others are really quite good now. However, if you truly are looking at this as an investment, its pretty fair to say stiking with Canon or Nikon is the best choice due to the lens selections available. The more you get into photography the more you realize that having different lenses for different photographic opportunities really adds to the flexibility and fun. In fact, if you are not interested in making use of this option (and lenses are expensive) then I would say dont get an SLR...there are many really good options other than SLR if that is the route to go. I recommend doing lots of homework and this is a fabulous site for researching: www.dpreview.com I have the Canon 12 MP Digital Rebel Xsi and love it. Also have a couple of different zoom and macro lenses. Like I said, there are lots of good options! You should physically inspect the units, hold them in your hands, look through the viewfinder etc. They are all shaped differently, different weight and other ergonomics that can make a big difference from user to user. Do your homework and have fun!

Please refresh some info. How long have you had your grey and what is her age? Many go through phases and these can be trying times regarding noises you find unbearable. Kip picked up the super high pitched "chirp" of a smoke alarm with low batteries and for several weeks emulated that ear splitting noise at 10x the volume non stop! My wife and I did our best to ignore it and as soon as she would stop for a bit, or start babbling something "nice" we would give her attention. She still makes the noise sometimes as I think she truly LIKES making it, but it is much less often. We have dedicated ourselves to ignore ignore ignore and reward "good" noises/behavior. Unfortunately there is no one thing you can do to make this stop and birds are, well, birds. They make noise for many reasons. Try to observe when she does it and determine why. Maybe there is something you can provide her that will reduce her desire to make the noise. You need to study the situation. I always remind myself that this is a life long journey as these animals may well live 50+ years. You have to see it for what it is and understand that affecting some behaviours may be a long process. Sorry I cant provide more immediate advice...you may need to buy some earplugs for a bit but if you are committed you can affect her behavior and probably more or less get it to stop over time.<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2008/11/07 05:41

Hope the move goes well. The birds will be fine as long as you are fine and minimize the obvious no no's like excessive heat, drafts and household dangers. Other than that, they key so strongly off you that if you are at peace with the whole thing they will be too. Dont worry, be happy...seriously, and all will be fine! Keep us posted.

Congrats to ALL!!

Very nice pics of you, hubba hubba, and the pumkins are great too! Here are mine from this year...I also like Halloween and my wife and I carve each year and roast the yummy seeds! <br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2008/11/01 20:23

What everyone else said! The common human rhino virus (causes human colds) and the standard influenza virs are not communicable from human to bird. There are a few zoonotic diseases but in general you do not need to worry about giving them anything or vice versa. However, the viruses that cause us "colds" are different than bacteria we all have in our mouths and digestive tract. Whether you have a cold or not you should avoid transmitting your saliva to your bird as the bacteria in your mouth could make the bird sick. However even that is fairly low probability unless you are really swapping spit! Dont worry about giving your bird some kisses etc but dont slobber on them either!

Usually just a brush and dust pan daily while changing papers. Once per week a wipe down with warm water and some elbow grease does the job just fine. If more cleaning is needed I use the 1 to 4 vinegar dilution. I do not understand why anyone would spend significant $$ on cleaning solutions etc as I find its not much trouble to clean with simple water...just wipe down areas to moisten, let sit a few mins and most but the hardest turds wipe off easily. For the real turd cement just let a bit of water sit on it a few mins and it will wipe right off... B)