dblhelix

Absolutely and completely different. Kiwi's are rather large, flightless birds from New Zealand, not Australia. B) You can google "kiwi bird" and read all about them. They are quite interesting and endangered, I saw them when in NZ. Here is a good link with some pics: http://www.chemistry.co.nz/kiwibird.htm<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/06/25 18:47

WHAT THE HECK DID I MISS HERE??!!?? :angry: :woohoo: :silly: :ohmy:

I love hummingbirds! This is a photo I took of one coming to a feeder in our backyard last year. Pic taken at dusk with flash from about 6 feet away. I stood there waiting and watching a few come and go for quite some time, then captured a few pictures! :laugh:

well ok, here is one of me and my wife from last year! B)

They will try to fly even if clipped. If they get injured due to severe clips (falling to the floor etc) they dont understand why and this can lead to phobia, feather picking and other emotional trouble. They are smart, but its just completely unnatural for them not to be able to fly, to trust their bodies to do what their instincts tell them to do, to do what they are designed to do. There is a lot of information now about wing clipping in general and its affects on the birds we keep. The topic often drums up pretty strong feelings from different people. Suffice it to say that if you keep your bird clipped there are right and wrong ways to do it. I urge all to really read up on the topic, educate yourselfes to make informed decisions in the best interest for you and your pet based on your living circumstances.

Different tastes, likes, dislikes...and its all a moving target! Like others have said, one day something is good to eat, another its good to play with and yet other times that same thing is flat out rejected!!

From what I can find so far mushrooms are not recommended to feed our birds and can be dangerous. Reasons include: toxic acids certain mushrooms create, spores they produce, allergic reactions injestion can cause. Looks like its best to keep our birds away from shrooms in general. Personally I like em though so I'm gonna keep eating them, just away from Kip!

It could be that fungi produce spores and the spores could be inhaled by our birds. Since they are subject to respiratory infections/issues this could be the concern. I will try and do some more research to confirm if mushrooms/fungi are in fact bad for them.

Ouch.. and welcome to the forum. Charlie should be fine in a little time as the shock wears off and the beak re-grows. Is his eating still pretty normal? I agree with CD, if you are going to trim the beak have another do it unless you are really experienced. I guess it depends on the bird and their activity, but we have never trimmed our Amazon's beak in over 36 years and have not trimmed Kips beak at all since having her. I find they generally will keep the beak in good condition through their own grinding and assuming you offer plenty of wood etc for them to "work" on. We do trim the nails from time to time. I have found generally beak/nail trimming is done simply for us humans to have an "easier" time handling the birds. Put it this way, in the wild no one trims either, they take care of it themselves. Granted having them as pets in captivity is not the same as out in the wild, but I think the need to trim is overrated and often results in the birds being unstable on perches and not able to crack nuts/shells etc as well as they should. So if trimming do it minimally wth caution. Good luck, I am sure this will turn out fine with a little time. Keep us posted on the status. B)

Grapefruit (and all citris) are fine. Mushrooms are not recommended.<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/06/21 03:04

Frank, So sorry for your loss. You have told me the story before. It must be very difficult and painful, but dont beat yourself up about it too much. It was an accident, a horrible one for sure, but you certainly did not allow this to happen on purpose. Hopefully we can all learn from Sammy and provide those that remain a better shot at being safe, but accidents can, will and do happen. It must be painful, but I bet Sammy does not hold it against you. He sure was a beaufiful bird and I am sure one of a kind. Its nice to remember him here, he deserves it. Mark

Look for alertness, energy level, feather health. Observe the droppings to ensure they look in the normal range based on the diet being fed. Check the vent area for any signs of uncleanliness and the nares for any signs of crust (these can indicate inllness). Of course observe the personality..If there are no unusual signs and if Kiwi seems comfortable with you (a new person) right off the bat then you may have a winner! BTW - why is the current owner parting with such a young bird?

I know this is not exactly what you are asking, but if have you the choice, the most current scientific information is DO NOT CLIP UNTIL FULLY FLEDGED. Fully fledged means complete and total flight proficiency: hovering, banking, turning, gliding...so they have complete control to go and land exactly where they intend to. Becoming a proficient flier at the natural fledge time in the birds development has been strongly linked to increased coordination, reduction in feather picking, reduction in phobias and other emotional advantages even if you subsequently choose to clip. Birds have been hard wired to fly, evoloving over thousands of years. If they do not get that exposure it affects their neurological and emotional development profoundly. Kip was clipped when I got her and the breeder allowed her some limited flying. I am currently letting all the flights grow out and intend to keep her fully flighted. She has a pretty well rounded personality (so far, she just turned 1). Of course a lot of that has to do with your attitude and interactions with them. So my personal experience on the topic is a bit limited. But based on doing a lot of reading, talking to other parrot owners, breeders etc it seems pretty clear that current data support full fledging if you have the choice, hands down.<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/06/16 04:29

That is horrible. People that steal animals (really anything for that matter) have no place in this world. The poor birds, stripped from their homes, caretakers and maybe even their mates. Its bad enough we used to pluck them out of the wild (and this is still going on of course) but the theft is just unconscionable to me. :sick:

Thanks all for the kind words, Lucky had a good life! He truly was Lucky...we found him in our backyard one Saturday afternoon in '94. His bands showed he was hatched in '93. We actually went outside when one of our 2 Boxers at the time let out a strange yelp to find both of them with their heads/muzzles down on the grass. Low and behold they were sniffing the little budgie! He was dehydrated and totally lethargic. We took him in, gave food water etc and tried to find the owner that may have lost him...no one ever claimed him so he became mine! I had a broken arm that summer so needless to say I spent hours with that birdy sitting on my cast talking to him. I then went back to college and will never forgot my roommate saying "Dude thats a parakeet...it'll never talk."...well I had read otherwise and firmly believed he would...several months passed with me saying over and over and over and over "I'm Lucky!". Then one day the little guy busts out with a loud "I'm Lucky" clear as a bell. My roommate was in disbelief and then the talking just came easily and REALLY clear. He was great! B) Given that he lived with me for several years in a college setting needless to say he was exposed to all kinds of shinanigans, some of you know what I mean! It would be hard for me to recreate that environment again, but it sure made him a "well rounded" little guy! He was fully flighted his whole life with me and ate a wide variety of fresh stuff. He was out of his cage every day for hours. I believe that contributed to his ripe old age. However, many budgies will live 10-15 yrs if properly cared for and assuming they dont have a predisposition to certain ailments. I read some statistic that 1 in 5 budgies escape since they are so little and most people dont clip them. Well, I was very careful and have grown up with a fully flighted red lored Amazon so I had some experience keeping a flighted bird. Its so sad to lose them, but its part of life and we know that is the course going in... After about 6 months of research etc we decided to get Kip. I had always wanted a grey and am loving it. But of course, one bird is never a replacement for the loss of another...its just different and moving on as we have to do in life! Well enough blabbing for now...but do not underestimate the mighty little Budgie, they are GREAT!<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/06/15 23:15

Clipping is a personal choice that must be individually made by each bird owner in consideration of their unique living situation. This is often a topic people feel passionately about one way or the other and the discussions/debates have a history of getting rather "heated". Personally I do not clip for many reasons, but there are absolutely pros and cons to both. If you clip, its important to do it properly. I suggest you read as much as you can on the topic to make an informed decision in the best interest of you and your bird based upon your circumstances. B) There is a good, albeit long, discussion on this topic in this thread: http://www.greyforums.net/forums/african-grey/8152-wing-clipping.html Also get or at least read Bobbi Brinkers information on wing clipping in her book "For the Love of Greys". Good luck in your decision(s)~<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/06/15 21:00

Agreed, read up as much as possible. Search this site, post questions and read read read The book "For the Love of Greys" by Bobbi Brinker is actually a compilation of short articles covering many topics. In my opinion its a must have for any grey owner...very good resource.<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/06/15 10:48

I have heard some people towel dry and even blow dry their birds in the winter. Some have indicated that their birds enjoy the blow drier (once used to it) and the only thing to watch out for it getting them too hot/close to the heating elements and of course chewing on the power cord! We are still working on getting Kip to take showers with us. I am pretty confident she will like it, eventually. Currently she will dunk herself about once/week in her water bowl and she will accept misting. If she's into "dunking" mode then she seems to like the mist. She's still not sure bout the shower, but I think she'll come to like it with time.

Hopefully this is just an adjustment phase. When we first got Kip she seemed to eat the first few days and then her appetite really dropped off and we were worried. After 3-4 weeks she settled down and started eating much more. How is the bird's energy level? Is he/she drinking? Do you have access to a scale? Though you may not have any baseline data currently, the sooner you can determine her weight you can then see if the bird is stable, losing weight or gaining. Taking weight measurements can provide some good information. I hope the appetite picks up. If you truly think weight is being lost you may need to consult a vet, but I think there is a good chance this is just some stress associated with being brought into a new home. Keep us posted and I really hope things start looking better. <br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/06/15 08:02

Here's one of Kip's house and her ceiling rope toy thing...

You certainly can have multiple things "in training" at once. Try to have each training session focus on one item to avoid confusion. If you switch to a 2nd session I would give them a bit of a break in between so they do not get mixed signals. But really, they are pretty smart and the more you interact the better!!

Good advice here. Since she is still so new to you (you indicate only about 2 weeks) feed her what you know she eats for now, if you can. In your first post you indicated she mowed down some seed mix. Go with that for now until she settles in. Do you know if she was even on pellets before you got her? If not you cannot make the switch abruptly and there is no need to try and force it. First get her comfortable in her new surroundings and let her eat what she will. Once that hurdle is cleared you can work on a diet change if needed. Also, easier said than done, by try not to harbor too much anxiety. Your bird will sense that and it will only make her stress level go up as well. Chances are she'll settle in just fine, but it is understandable that you are concerned. Good luck, be patient and keep us posted! B)<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/06/15 04:56

Most ovens (particularly self cleaning) are coated with some non-stick material. When you use the self clean option the oven heats up VERY hot (much hotter than normal cooking temps) and this causes the nonstick surfaces to release toxins in the air. Teflon is Duponts brand name for PTFE (Polytetrafluoroethylene). Almost all "non-stick" cookware contains PTFE. It is a fact that at high temps the PTFE releases toxic gas. The verdict is still out about whether or not toxins are released at normal cooking temps (say under 500 degrees F). Some studies show it is toxic (at least to birds) even at the low operating temps. Birds are very sensitive to air toxins given their small size and advanced/efficient respiratory system. PTFE may actually be used in many things: pots/pans, toaster ovens, space heaters, electric woks to name a few. I have Hard anodized aluminum cookware. That, stainless steel or old fashioned iron are completely safe. I will NEVER use the self clean option on my oven with the bird anywhere in the house...Its kinda scary if you do a search on PTFE and read up on all kinds of horror stories. You cant (or at least should not) make yourself crazy about this, but I would strongly recommend you DO NOT USE nonstick cookware and be conscious about other things that heat up and may contain PTFE. :ohmy: You certainly do not want to overheat the stuff since that is clearly dangerous, even to humans. I do my best to stay away from it, period. Not intended to scare people, just educate: http://www.peteducation.com/article.cfm?cls=15&cat=18&articleid=2874<br><br>Post edited by: dblhelix, at: 2007/06/15 04:48

Good luck Julia. Hey, jump on the forum now and then for a quick break...your mind will appreciate the relief! :silly: We will all be pulling for your success and look forward to hearing from you soon!! B)

Imran, Hello and welcome! A wild caught bird is a handful and challenge even to an experienced bird handler. That being said, I agree if you stick it out you will have a great friend for life and certainly be doing the bird a great favor to provide it a home after what was and continues to be a frightening/stressful situation. Imagine going from the independence in the wild and being with other birds to a cage where you have lost everything you knew and are completely dependent on unfamiliar humans. My Grandmother's Red Lored Amazon was definitely wild caught a long time ago. We have had him now for over 36 years and really dont know how old he is...he is a great bird but their personalities are markedly different than a hand raised bird. In any event, if you are patient and earn his trust you will indeed have a very special friend for life. Patience is key, particularly with a wild caught bird. I wish you all the best and hope you stick with him/her. There is a lot of info on this site so please ask questions, buy books, read up etc. All the best.