dblhelix

Greetings TinyTimneh, If I understand the history correctly, it sounds like you have now had your bird for 2 years. Do I have that correct? I am going to go with Talon here and vote for keeping the name as is. I have heard that when re-homing a bird it has been suggested there may some cases where name changing can be benefitial. However, you have now had your bird for quite some time. I think there are other more valuable things to focus on addressing some of the challenges your beloved bird has. B) However, I think you certainly could change the name if you wanted to. I imagine it would be a relatively slow process where you would begin using the new name and phase out the old. But it certainly would not happen overnite! Can you tell us more about your bird and about what you know of its history? You mention some feather plucking and other challenges. Tell us more and we can probably work on some plan to help address the issues. We are happy you have joined our community and look forward to your participation.

I have not had to trim Kip's nails yet. If she walks on a flat surface the nails do not lift the front of her foot pads so I know they are not too long. They are sharp, but they are supposed to be sharp to help them hold onto things when climbing etc. She does have a cement type perch in her cage that is supposed to help keep the nails in check. Interestingly, we have never had to trim the nails of our Amazon that we have had now for 37 years. Through playing and maintenance the bird does on his own they are always fine. Kip does do some maintenance on her nails a few times/week, but I would not call it "chewing" on them at all. I know some people have real challenges with the nails, but I have not yet.<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/09/01 04:02

Yeah, all the girls go wild for me!! What can I say... {Love-00020116} I will keep everyone posted for sure. No sign yet of the former owner. The more time that passes the better chances we will keep her! Yaay!! I am pretty confident I will get her to be comfortable with handling as I was able to handle my other budgie Lucky very well. He would fly to me on command etc...as with anything, patience and consistency are key!

She is doing fine. Still a bit wary of her new home, but that is to be expected. She is eating well, so that is good. She does seem to be hand shy. Not sure if she was just not handled much (or at all) previously or if she is just not comfortable with us yet. I will work on that though. She is tiny at only 22 grams even for a budgie!!! But the vet said she had decent muscle, fat etc for her size. She small, but darn cute!! :P<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/08/31 03:30

Zooky, You are an inspiration to us all and even more than that, to Mende not doubt. Please do not be depressed, you cannot change what occurred, it was beyond your control. However, you have, can and will influence Mende in many positive ways. I am sure Mende is grateful for all you have done. You should be proud of your efforts. My bet is that Mende is proud of you and thankful too for every positive contribution you have made to Mende's life! B)

Frank who??? hahahahaha {Feel-good-0002006E} Actually, Frank and I have had some correspondences via email over the past few days, so I guess that would sort of mean we miss each other? Mobile devices are amazing these days!

I think he would be fine for 10 hrs. Even 24 hrs in an emergency with enough food and water would be OK, though clearly not desirable. He will be happy to see you when you get back! But once in a blue moon this kind of thing should not hurt them at all. In fact, some would say its good for them to have some experiences like this since inevitably throughout their long lives things will come up out of the normal routine from time to time.

Glad to hear that Kenworth is progressing well! Interaction with him and being part of the family is key. You do need to be careful to balance the time he's out with you at a level you can keep pretty consistent. If you set a routine now that he likes but cannot keep up he could regress. Its a constant balance and moving target! I am sure you will work out what works best for your situation! The key is inclusion while you are home etc. Some 1 on 1 time just about every day is a good goal. It truly is a relationship and if you all continue working at it you will be rewarded 1000 times over!! B) Keep us posted and let us know if we can help.

I agree, there is no right or wrong. There are some pros and cons to covering or not. Covering may offer birds that like it better sleep and this may be healthier for them. Not covering has some advantages in that the bird can always see its surroundings and it less likely to get spooked by something happening around it that it may not be able to see. Also, if you cover, the bird gets used to that and demands it. That can make it a little more challenging and stressful if you ever go away in that whomever cares for the bird will have to cover it, or else it will be even more stressed than from just your abence alone. I used to cover my budgies cage (for 13 years). My grandmother covers our Amazon and has for 37 years! I chose not to cover Kip and this seems to be working fine...If Klaus does not like the cover, I say don't do it! B)<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/08/29 09:43

Hi Makena, Great info in this thread. To answer your question (and its hard to do), if I had to only pick 1 city to go back to it would be Paris, and I already have been there more than once!. There is so much to do and see there...Louvre museum, Notre Dame, Pompidou museum, Eiffel Tower, Napolean's grave, Arc du Triumph....other plazas, castles, Italian distric, boat rides on the Siene river, walking walking, eating, lounging, people watching, Outdoor art, street music, shopping...ah, Paris has surprises around every corner. I will say that I have traveled a lot. Certainly not everywhere, but compared to the average American I have seen a lot: France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, England, Austria, Scottland, Wales, Spain, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Denmark, Australia, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Mexico, Canada, many states in the US (including Hawaii many times!)...I have done a lot of camping as well and been to many of the major US national parks...One of the great things to me about travelling is to see new sites, hear new sounds, eat new foods, meet new people and cultures. I do like to go back to some places, but there are many more that I have yet to see! So, you need to start somewhere...My vote is still to do Paris France and Venice Italy as a ~2 week trip. I agree with Joe, try to find hotels w/in walking distance of soe of the main sites. Walking gives you a feel of a place better than anything else, and European cities are very different than US cities. Be prepared to walk a lot, its fun!! There are sooo many wonderful options....B) I still want to get to Asia, Africa...oh boy so much. But back to your honeymoon! If you are considering Europe, I say go for Paris and Venice!!! What time of year are you targeting?<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/08/29 17:04

Greetings Laurie and Welcome! You will find this site great....much information available if you search past posts and feel free to ask questions. We love to help, hear about others Greys, learn and share! FairY - the wolf-whislte is generally the typical two tone sound associated when men whistle at pretty girls! B) weeee-woooo (or something like that)....:laugh:

Joe, Wishing your daughter and you all the best for a speedy recovery. We all send our positive thoughts and best wishes! Thanks for sharing with us and caring enough to keep us posted!

Talon is an outstanding Admin and huge asset to this site! B)

Yes, we are lucky. We will continue to search for the owner. Found bird info is provided in a fashion so only someone who truly lost the bird would be inclinded to reply. We would make them describe it before assuming they are the owner! I would want that done if Kip got lost and someone found her...however, if no one replies, we will be VERY HAPPY to keep this little one... <br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/08/29 02:56

well, the lock option obviously does not work at this time!!! {Characters-00020059}

Almonds are also decent sources of calcium. I offer 2 almonds every day in addition to broccoli, leafy greens, carrots and all kinds of other fresh stuff. I like the almonds in the shell and I start them open with a nutcracker. This also lets me inspect it for any rot, mold etc (though I have not had any problem with this)...

Greetings Oliver and welcome! As Dan indicated, they will take some time to adjust to new home, owner etc. With young birds this usually takes about 4 weeks for them to feel reasonably comfortable. With an older more established bird this could even take longer. Again, its just a guideline of time could be shorter or longer. Realize that they are in a totally new place, new sounds, smells, sights, people etc. That can be scary at first. I am sure you will do great and get Oliver to show his personality through patience and love. They are great animals! Also wonderful that you are rehoming a bird in need. Please search through this site for information and ask any questions you have. We have a good group of members that like to help. B)<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/08/28 16:31

Hi Razza and welcome. Is the bird showing any signs of illness? You mention that you recently changed the cage around so it may be unsure of its home, but any sings of illness? It sounds to me like you have been sick yourself and are now worrying about transferring that illness to the bird. From what you have written it does not seem like the bird is showing signs of being sick, so I get the sense you are concerned over a non-issue. Not to say that we cannot transfer some harmful bacteria to the birds through kissing/sharing saliva, but there really are not documented cases of spreading virus from parrot to personn or vice versa. A human cold/flu etc is caused by a virus, so I think the chances of you passing that specifically to your bird a close to zero. This is a good topic to discuss and not a silly question. I suggest youk keep watching the bird but I do not think any immediate action is warranted here. Having a scale and knowing the average weight is a great way to keep tabs on the health. Generally a weight change of 10% or more is considered a sign of ill health requiring action. The weight will vary however from day to day and based on the time of day you weight. If you start, pick a time window and do it regularly at that time. Usually in the morning after the big morning poop is a good slot.

Ducked out of work early today and got her to an avian vet. No mites (normal female cere), no lice, no obvious parasites! A little underweight (only 22 grams!!), but she is a small budgie and in general healthy! Good breast muscle on keel bone etc. Vet definitely recommended (as we know) the quarantine, but thinks all is going to be fine. Also did a fecal exam, negative! So, unless the owner is found etc I may just have a new, but small, addition here...

How old is Nikko? Is Nikko female? Could this be mating/egg laying behavior? I know the females will seek dark places, boxes etc for "nesting". To discourage egg production I have heard it is best not to provide them dark places etc to hide in. Maybe in absence of a box or something like that she is trying to borrow into her food bowl? Just some thoughts. B)

Thanks everyone! She is doing fine, though clearly not yet totally comfy in the new surroundings. I have her in her cage in the bathroom currently. That may be her "quarantine" area. Is the idea here with 45 days that an illness would likely show itself w/in that time frame? I understand not introducing a new bird until you are sure it is healthy. But short of the bird dropping dead or showing physical signs of illness, the quarantine alone would not do much unless you use that time wisely to observe and test the birds health. Do I have that right? I just want to be sure that people understand that the number of 45 days quarantine is not magic and does not guarantee something would not be introdued...but it surely must help flush out the chances... B) It think the odds are low that she is a carrier of anything, but better safe than sorry. That is for sure! :blink: :unsure: <br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/08/27 09:20

Welcome Saraj. Good info in this post. I am still not clear how long he's been doing the clicking of concern. I would ignore it as it sounds like you are trying and give lots of attention/praise to other behaviors/sounds made that you like. It may just be a phase. Sometimes they pick something up that they like for a while and then eventually it sort of phases out as other new things come up. Do be careful about reinforcing the unwanted behavior. Try to identify other more desired behaviors and reward those with attention so this becomes less frequent.

So far still looking! Been spoken to several neighbors, no one missing anybody! Bought a small cage today. Not too expensive (nothing really is for budgies!) so at least she is in a cage, on perches with food etc. Looked around the area, no signs up or anyting bout missing budgie. So far it looks like we might have a new addition, but still time to go before that is certain. If I keep her I will have to get her to a vet for a basic checkup. Still not sure about the cere looking kind of crusty/wrinkley...dont want mites as I know budgies can get em. Her beak itself and feet do not show signs of mites. So that is good. I understand the females may get a cere looking like this during breeding time, but I have not really been able to find any good pics on the web showing what it should look like :ohmy: <br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/08/27 03:07

Hi Tari, thanks for the info. My previous budgie was a male. I know this one is a female of course from the light/brown cere. I have not had a female. Just from the pic, your experience definitely would lean you towards it being normal eh? Do you have female budgies? If I took another few pics would that help any more in "looking her over", on the web?!? I do plan to go to a vet for at least a quick eval. Sounds like for a budgie that will be around $30, assuming its really general. Is the consensus here that brining her into the house but kept in a totally separate room from Kip is pretty safe? :ohmy:

Well, here are 2 pics. Not the greatest as taken through the "screen" I have on top of her box! You can see on the cere that it looks abnormal to me. My guess is mites or some other irritations? Also the nares look really wide to me for a budgie. So, I am still ot sure what to do here regarding whether or not I can at least bring this little one into the house, quarantined in another room of course... Otherwise she "looks" good though and is cute...