dblhelix

Very cute! I hope the little one gets a clean bill of health. Budgies are absolutely great. I had one (Lucky) for 13 yrs...amazing personality packed into those tiny bodies and able to learn to mimick/speak very well...Lucky had over 100 word vocab! B)<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/08/15 22:05

Welcome! I think you will find this site useful, the members friendly and willing to help. Good looking TAG! B)

Glad to hear all is well! I would comment that the green text you wrote in is very hard to see/read on the forum. BTW, Kip is a female CAG, totally healthy at a steady 365 grams. She is also on the small side, but you can be assured that for some this weight range is normal! B)

Greetings and welcome! Please read through the forum, use search options and post any questions you have. We truly are a great group of caring members here willing to share and learn from one another. My guess is that the stress of losing their primary care giver must have been difficult for all (humans and animals alike). I think it is great that you are willing to take on the responsibility of caring for your sister's pets. This is a true commitment, but one that can be infinitely rewarding. African Greys (and parrots in general) are complex, special, intelligent and amazing creatures that live a very long time. We look forward to your participation. B) Let us know how we can help.

I posted the majority of this text previously in the "Wing Clipping??" thread but still feel it is valuable to add to this one: Wing clipping is a subject I have some thoughts about, as it is a constant source of debate. If you are going to handicap the bird (eg clip) do it responsibly to minimize the negatives of the clip. There is much more information available today regarding clipping and its impact on the birds, pros/cons for owners etc than ever before. Bobby Brinker has some really good information on wing clipping in general, the best ways to do it and the advantages of allowing a bird to fully fledge. Personally I will keep my bird flighted although Kip was clipped when I bought her. The breeder only allowed her 1, One, thats right ONE flight before clipping...So I plan to refledge her and then keep her flighted after the first molt. This is absolutely a personal choice that must be made by each owner in consideration of living situations etc. There are pros and cons to both. However, it stands to reason that birds have evolved over thousands of years to fly. Taking away this natural instinct and amazing ability must have some negative effects on the animal. There is more and more scientific data that supports the value of at least allowing birds to fully fledge. It affects their balance and mental development on a neurological level that impacts them for their entire life. Their urge to fledge as youngsters is so strong they instinctively reduce eating and drop weight in preparation for learning to fly. There is a lot of data now showing that birds who never master "controlled flight" are clumsy, more likely to be insecure and feather pickers. In nature Greys are not clumsy at all, on the contrary they are beautiful, graceful animals. It makes sense that the unnatural clipping could make the bird distrust their very own feathers and pick at them since they cannot trust their own bodies to do what they are meant to do. This can lead to all kinds of emotional problems for the animal. In addition the affects on their cardiovascular system is noteworthy. Their entire heart/lung system is evolved to provide the extraordinary circulation and oxygen necessary for all the energy flying uses. Birds that do not fly have a higher incidence of health problems in life just like people who do not exercise have heart problems, high cholesterol etc. My grandmothers red lored amazon, in the family now for over 37 years, is fully flighted. My cockatiel and budgie both were fully flighted and lived relatively long healthy lives (None of the 3 aforementioned birds went the vet even ONCE!!!) No doubt living with a flighted bird can be very challenging and requires careful assessment to take on that risk. My budgie never got out (if he would he would have probably been unrecoverable). Our Amazon has accidentally gotten out no more than 5 times in 36 years and fortunately each time we were able to recover him, but it is really scary. However, to think that a clipped bird is "safer" really is a false sense of security. Clipped birds can and do fly when spooked and under stressful situations. There are many stories of owners taking fully clipped birds outside only to watch in amazement as their clipped bird flies off in a spook and is unrecoverable. Moreoever, a fully flight proficient bird is more likely to return to you if it does escape as they know how to "fly downwards". Unskilled fliers usually only fly up in fear and then do not have the skills or confidence to return. In addition, it is rare at best that a flight proficient bird flies into windows, hot pots etc when indoors. Not to say it cannot happen. Surely an owner with a flighted bird must be aware of certain dangers, but so must an owner with a clipped bird. All that being said, for me the decision is simple when considering all the factors...keep them flighted. Its an amazing thing to see them fly, hover, maneuver. You can tell they were born to do it and love doing it. To me, part of owning a bird is living with and appreciating the amazing gift and beauty of flight. **Update: Kip is going through her first major molt and has replaced 4 primary flights of the 7 that were clipped. She now absolutely can "fly", though clearly she is not skilled yet. She has bonked into the walls a few times, though we limit indoor flight training to a few rooms where the windows are covered etc. She now clearly is gaining control, can change directions elegantly in mid air and is beginning to control her landings with precision. She also does mini flight-hops at longer and longer training distances from my hand to her cage or on our couch. She is clearly mastering control of her body and becoming more confident! No doubt this has its challenges and risks, but so far I am pleased with the progress!<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/08/15 04:20

Mine was similar to lovemygreys...My Mother passed away suddenly in 1996 of a heart related issue. Its like a light switch being flicked off...one moment the person is there in your life, the next they are just gone. No warning, no prediction, just gone. Its one of those events that you look back on as a defining moment, a turning point after which everything is changed. It certainly made me look at every day in a different light. Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift and thats why we call it the present. Dont take today for granted, you never know whats in the cards for tomorrow...B) B)<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/08/15 02:02

So long as they are not super hot. A lot seem to like "warm" soft foods...If its too hot for you to eat then its too hot for them! Be careful if heating in the micro wave as it can heat unevenly leaving some areas super heated and others rather deciptively cool. Otherswise its largely going to be dependent on the individual birds preferences...

Good news all around! B) Goes to show that sometimes its easy to make erroneous assumptions w/o additional information. Most importantly, glad Mirek is responding well and that you are confident with the vetrinary services you are receiving (and not doubt paying for!!)...

Very sad. Hopefully we can all learn something from this tragedy. My thoughts are with those grieving.

I agree with Lidia's post regarding our Greys in general. Time and time again I see reference to how "sensitive" or "delicate" Greys are. I think this sensitivity is also over stated. Don't get me wrong, Greys have some special care needs for sure and owners must be educated (along with common sense), but any animal with avg life expectancy of 50+ years is not delicate, on the contrary they are quite robust.

I have the same problems as Fairy and have noted it before as well with other photos/links. Not sure what is going on, but there must be some bug/explanation...hmmm. BTW - I see Makena is enjoying what appears to be a Pyramid IPA....mmmmmmm, thats good stuff!

This link has some good info (I think) about the "peanut debate", with the aflatoxin concern etc. Have a look at the peanut link and see what you think... http://www.parrothouse.com/nutrition.html<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/08/13 08:09

Interesting. Kip tolerates the vacuum, but overall does not really seem to like it. No bathing cue for her with that! I agree regarding some posters. I see this a lot working on old posts in this room, cleaning them out...users post a few and then vanish. Like Judy said, could be several reasons, but this place is SO great I hope members continue to contribute, share for all of our benefit and have fun here!

Congratulations Heather! That is a great photo!! And of course, congrats and thanks also to all the other participants and great photo entries submitted. They are all great and part of what makes this so much fun!! YAAY Heather!!! :P

I would agree with the info posted. Another question, how old is Alfie? Since the birds go through develpment and different stages (much like human children) this may be another variable coming into play here that perhaps would explain some behavioral changes you are seeing? Also, your daughter's behavior is changing as well as she gets older. A 2 yr old is much different from a 1 yr old as they really start moving about! The bird can percieve this and this also can affect their interactions. Chances are they can ultimately still be really good friends, but it may require a few years...:ohmy: <br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/08/11 18:50

but you bonked cuz you're too dehydrated!! I'd like a Mazeratti Granturismo!

Hello Celina and welcome. Good advice here. I know of cases where adult birds have been introduced to "new" birds that have become great friends and complete opposite cases where the birds attack each other. You need to be careful, introduce them to each other in controlled environments and do not leave them alone together. Many people will begin an introduction with both birds caged and in the same room. Sounds like you went right into a hands on intro...just be careful and do not leave them unattended. A fight could be really nasty.

Much better! Looks like a total cutey B) However, a vet check will give you a better idea of what you are getting into. No doubt there will almost certainly be some "baggage" and challenges, but she sure looks cute!!

I completely agree that the birds are individuals and we need to respect their likes/dislikes etc. The intent of my statements was to look for ways provide an environment that endorses socialization through positive interactions and provide some suggestions on how to deal with "bad behaviors" like biting. I do feel that while respecting the birds expression of its like/dislikes etc, sometimes we need to take them out of their comfort zone and set some expectations. Working on reduction in biting is an area I feel cannot be ignored. However, there is no perfect solution and if the approach goes overboard in one direction (like forcing the bird to be held when it does not want to) that can have the opposite effect of what you are trying to attain! B) So there is a balance to be struck for sure, but I would not accept biting as OK. We must study when the bites happen and try to understand why etc to help identify the best course of action. I think we are basically saying the same things!

Hi Joe, Looks like good advice here. It sounds to me like the bird is beginning to pick a "favorite" person (eg you), since you do in fact spend the most time with him/her (is your bird sexed?) that looks to be you at this point. They will jockey for attention and can exhibit soe aggression if they feel competition. I would make it a point to proactively try and have your bird continue to interact with all the family that he is currently "biting". You should pass him to family member and show that its OK. If he bites tell him no, just once and if he bites again set him down (on his cage or somewhere) for just a short while (few mins) and try again. You need to show that being handled by others is not only OK, its expected and it he must conduct himself properly. You should NOT "punish" biting behavior per se, but you do things that discourage the undesirable behavior and encourage/reward the good behavior. If he wants to be with you and you do some of these things he will learn to behave accordingly or else he will not particpate. Do be careful and educate others that want to esablish a relationship with the bird. If/when the undesirable behavior is exhibited (in this case biting) everyone needs to know how to react so that the bird does not percieve the reaction as a reward. Many peoples natural response to a bite is to yell, scream, act all excited etc (and it CAN HURT!), but this response is often seen as attention to the bird and may encourage it. Again, if he bites set him down and/or change the focus to something else then try again. Hope this helps. With some patience and conditioning you can almost certainly address this behavior, but some biting from time to time usually goes hand in hand with owning a parrot...B)<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/08/10 17:31

The drain on your pool is wide open and everything you put in goes straight to MY POOL!! I would like to hit the Mega Lotto!!

374 is fine Boomer (though 174 obviously was concerning!). Kip is ~365, female, CAG, perfectly healthly and happy. Do you know if you have a male or female? Just curious as females are "generally" smaller than males. But so long as the birds weight is stable you are in the normal range (though at the lower end)...

Yes, we sure would like and update and hope there is a positive report! CD makes an excellent point. When the birds see us eating things they tend to instinctively be much more interested and often follow suit. We are their "flock" and they are greatly influenced by us.

Greetings Fran and WELCOME! B) We look forward to your valuable participation in the growing family we have here!!

In general African Greys do not have the same seasonal aggression that is seen in their South American counter parts (like Amazons for example). That is not to say that once sexually mature they do not exhibit some behavioral changes and aggression, but they are known to be less significant than in other birds. Regarding the differences between male and female behavior I will defer to some of our members that have (or have had) sexually mature birds of each sex to comment and/or experience with this issue.