dblhelix

I hope Gina is getting better. Chances are all will be OK. Broken/bleeding blood feather should ONLY BE PULLED as a LAST RESORT. Pulling out a feather can cause the birds major trauma, pain and can make them distrust you. Most broken bloods will heal on their own, no need to pull them out unless bleeding is rather profuse and cannot be stopped. In the wild they sustain injuries and are able to take care of it on their own. People who have owned birds for many years will encounter a broken/bleeding blood feather and will confirm that there generally is no need to pull out a feather unless the bleeding is quite bad and cannot be stopped. Another important note, styptic powder/pencil should only be used on bleeding toe nails, never to stop a bleeding feather. This is important as the styptic powder chemical can permanently damage feather follicles so that they may not ever grow back properly. The recommended blood feather remedy is corn starch and/or flour to promote clotting. If that does not work, then pulling may be the only option.<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/07/02 08:17

OK, try not to worry, it wont help (easier said than done though) First, this may not be plucking or a problem at all. If this only shows when she is wet it may just be a normal growth pattern. They of course can look quite different when wet! Do you see any concerning signs when she is dry? Second, as you mention this could be related to molting. Have you seen other signs of a molt? How about the skin in the area you are concerned about? Any redness or other issues noted? Third, if this were to be plucking, you worrying about it will only make this worse. I realize that is way easier said than done, but you really need to try! Make a concerted effort not to make more of this than is necessary. B) At this point I think you need to watch carefully and if there truly emerges signs of plucking you need to see a vet. Again, try not to pay super attention to the issue. You dont want to reinforce any negative behavior by giving extra attenction etc. Remember they feed off of our state of mind...if you dont make a big deal about something chances are they wont either. I hope it is not plucking related, but at this point it really seems you are going to have to wait and gather more information...

I have been considering one for a while, but have not pulled the trigger yet. I want a custom one that would show a human heart coiled by a DNA strand with a snake's head and tail. I need a real artist to draw it up. Maybe tough to imagine, but I sketched it out a few times and think it would look cool. I have personal reasons for this design and my interest in science...in short, our DNA can be an unknown (kind of like its tough to tell some poisonous snakes from non) but it is what makes us tick and we need to play the cards we are dealt...

OK, dont know where the first thread went, but I'll take a swing at starting the 2nd....DBLHelix tosses this out then runs and hides.... Back in the day, a newly wed couple take their horse buggy on the way to their honeymoon destination. About an hour into the trek the horse randomly stops to eat some grass. Eager to get on with the honeymoon the new husband calmly notes out loud “That’s 1”. The wife looks at him kind of strangely but does not make much of it. They are on their way again and about ½ hour later the horse stops, this time to smell something on the side of the road. With some frustration the husband notes “That’s 2”. Once more the wife is a bit perplexed but they resume the trek. A short while later the horse again stops, this time to relieve itself. The husband says “That’s 3” and in a huff jumps up out of the buggy, takes out a gun and shoots the horse dead on the spot. The new wife cannot believe what she just witnessed. She is besides herself and starts screaming at her husband “Oh my God, what have you done? Are you insane?? This is crazy! You just shot our horse you fool!!” The husband calmly looks at his wife and says “That’s 1”…. Ha!

They should be able to learn all sort of tricks if we work with them enough...but that can be tough and you may need some real discipline and patience...Besides saying all kinds of stuff, if you ask Kip "Whats a duck say?" we have her trained to say "Quack Quack Quack!" 95% of the time in response...

As can budgies!

Yeah, Eclectus are sexually dimorphic (meaning you can visually tell the sexes apart). In most parrot species sexing is not possible w/o DNA testing, or if they plop out an egg! B)

hmm, I got the head scratching thing wrong. That is true for Eclectus species! They can only be stroked with the grain of the feather. Sorry for the confusion! :ohmy: <br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/06/28 04:23

Yeah, I think its good to clean out the cage every so often with a high pressure hose. I am constantly changing around Kips toys to keep her busy and used to change, so no problem there. Must be challenging if you bird does not take to change well, but I say keep trying. The more you work with them on that the more accepting they will become (in theory)

Super cute. I hear they are currently illegal to keep in California...I was looking at Quakers before we got Kip. Seem like great little birds. What is the deal with the head feathers and scratching? Is it true that based on how the feathers grow you cannot scratch against the grain like many of us do with greys (and most other parrots)?

Agreed CD, it is the next best thing. There certainly is data out there showing the benefits of full spectrum lighting on animal's hormone levels and other health benefits, in the absence of sufficient exposure to real sunlight. I still do not think its "necessary" provided you get regular exposure to the real thing. But it certainly should not hurt!

Some people swear by them. I dont think its necessary provided you get your bird sufficient exposure to real, unfiltered sunlight a few times per week. Getting some window light every day is also good, but some direct sunlight is a must. Bottom line is that full spectrum lighting does not truly replicate sunlight anyways, there is no UV. It is UV-B that is specifically necessary in the production of Vitamin D. No substitute for the real thing.<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/06/28 02:06

One thing that stands out to me here as an important lesson to us all "To my surprise Elmo flew today"..."He has 7 feathers taken off each side". I agree this is surprising, as 7 flights is a significant trim. We all need to take heed...a clipped bird IS NOT FLIGHTLESS and acting as if they are is a set up for disastrous loss...B) To clip or not to clip, that is the question each owner has to answer based upon their living situations. But the truth is that clipped or not, most of the same principles regarding the potential for escape/loss must be applied. You need to condition yourselves, children, guests etc to be mindful of the bird, know where it is and adopt good window door practices whether your bird is clipped or not. There is a wealth of information on the subject already posted, and as others have said, if you want our opinions we will be happy to provide.

Ack! Now I'm really confused!! Anyone else have experience/suggestions on the sizing? Kip is on the small side for a femal CAG at ~ 365 grams. So would I be advised to get a "small" or "medium" size aviator harness? Just going by weight it would seem the small is recommended...thoughts? Thanks

Still sounds like a mating dance. I think redirecting this behavior as best you can is advisable. Otherwise once she's at reproductive age she may be more inclined to produce eggs...of course that may not be avoidable in any case! Many people think they have males only to later be proven wrong when their little boy lays an egg!! There's proof for ya!!! Well, I am sure Harrison is a GOOD GIRL!! Yaay <br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/06/27 05:02

I agree, search around to do a sanity check. There is something to be said for paying a little extra for certain things, provided you are assured to get a new product from a repuptable dealer with a good warranty. I am not sure a scale like this is worth spending extra on though. Bottom line, these scales can be had for pretty cheap these days! :laugh: and it is definitely good to have one. I got one for around $20.00 a few years ago. It has no snazzy "weighing" perch but Kip is perfectly happy stepping up on a glass or bowl or whatever we place on the scale.

I dont see why not. Looks good in a quick review. Has an upper limit above what you need for a grey, but that should not be a problem provided the range of say 350-650 grams is accurate. B)

I use good ol'fashioned WATER and a rag. No biggie. Change the cage papers daily, wipe the cage down weekly. Any fossilized poo will come off easily enough if you just wet with water and let it sit a few mins...B)

I know of several other people that had to make similar adjustments for this very reason! It takes some getting used to, but with a little time will be natural. I agree that Harrison is an fine name for a female. I also think you could change her name if you were compelled to do so w/o any negative impact to "harrison"! You would do it slowly over time, using a new name more and more and Harrison less and less. Many birds do in fact get new names throughout their lives if/when they are re-homed for various reasons. Again, I would probably stick with Harrison, but if you wanted to change it up dont really see a problem. We debated over choosing Kip's name between Kipusa and Ruby. We ultimately went more or less with Kip, but her nickname is Ruby...so she hears both!

thanks Number6. I was checking out the Parrotsupercenter.com site and it looks good, reputable. The only oustanding thing for me now is the size. If I go by the grams, then Kip would be small (since she is a smaller female CAG at 365 grams), but when they just list the species they say medium for CAGs. I have a tendency to over analyze stuff..Ill probably just order the small and call it a day. But then CAGs are thicker bodied birds so maybe the medium is right? ha...se my problem?!? :unsure: I do generally like to check things out hands on.

yogurt should be fine in small quantities as is hard dry cheese. Milk can be a problem (though mine gets into some every now and then and loves it), but the process of making yogurt and cheese more or less kills off the bacteria and enzymes present in milk that can cause problems. Not sure if there is an official list anywhere, but lots of books speak to the topic.<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/06/26 18:31

Still hoping for more feedback on where to purchase these from. Judenmink - It would not be recommended to leave your bird outside unsupervised while you work, unless you are working out there with him. Outside w/o supervision could be fatal as a cat, dog, predatory bird (raptor) or any other number of things could happen. They can even get into trouble with bees and other insects if not supervised... B)

Not that exactly, but Kip definitely has some specific body language and sounds she makes when she wants some of your food...plus she'll boldly come over and try to help herself if she is anywhere w/in striking distance!! They all can develop their unique ways of communicating! Amazing little beings.

Where have people in the US purchased their Aviator harness from? Good experiences with certain online stores? Is anyone aware of places one can go and purchase in a a store rather than on line? I would like to check it out hands on. I have not seen them at big stores like PetSmart, Petco etc though. Kip is a relatively small femal CAG at 365 grams so I am thinking the "small" size is the one for her (they say small is for 190-425 grams)... Thanks

Our Amazon loves riding on bicycle handlebars so I bet some greys would like it. When I was a kid I rode around everywhere with the bird on my bike during the summer...of course it is a bit dangerous...