spookyhurst

That's sad that you may have to rehome Lulu . I'm sure the decision is quite heartbreaking, but it sounds like you've been hit hard financially. It would be great if you could work something out with someone on the board, like Ronda. Sweetheart and Lulu may enjoy each others company and make good sisters

Here's a brightspot for you: now you have one less toenail to trim .

Someone on another board bought a baby grey who was missing a toenail. I don't remember how long he had him (it was a short while I think), but the grey then proceeded to gnaw the rest of the toe off :ohmy:! It healed fine though, and the bird didn't have any problems with the lack of one toe. Why do you think he would bite his own toe off?

Talon wrote: I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I think Talon and Nikko are long lost sisters. They are so much alike . Nikko has a thing for pooping off the back of kitchen chairs too. The only problem is when her butt is over the seat side :sick:. My Xbox and I have become best friends, so I thought he better be in my sig. He writes a blog about me too . He really rails against me when I don't play, but we have a 20 day streak going, so he's quite pleased: http://www.360voice.com/tag/spookyhurst

Here are links to a couple threads that show Nikko's playgym: http://www.greyforums.net/forums/african-grey/38204-perch-cozies.html#38204 http://www.greyforums.net/forums/african-grey/43204-pvc-and-my-bird.html#43248

Not only will Nikko not poop in her cage (she sometimes goes to bed as early as 7 PM and gets up at 8 AM), she won't even poop in the room her cage is in (our bedroom). If I'm the bedroom doing something, and Nikko is on her playtop, I have to take her to another room for poop breaks. She has no problem pooping all over the rest of the house though .

Another rescue in Florida is www.floridasoar.org .

Petfinder is a good place to look as well. The rescue I adopted Nikko from finally got themselves listed. I wish I had room for another bird, because they have a Senegal and 3 cute little Plumheads. If anyone reading this is in Arizona, check out http://search.petfinder.com/shelterSearch/shelterSearch.cgi?shelterid=AZ297 . EDIT: There's one grey listed in Florida, but she needs to go to an all male home: http://search.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=8984017<br><br>Post edited by: spookyhurst, at: 2008/02/21 04:22

Nikko doesn't touch a single toy in her cage. I guess she thinks they are for decoration purposes only :huh:. However, move the toys out of the cage and to her gym, and she destroys them. I guess she considers her cage as only a sleeping quarters (she doesn't poop in it either).

Just save the aloe gel for yourself. If one of your birds gives you a good bite, aloe gel will ease the pain and make the wound heal a lot faster .

Me too . Just add 3 or 4 drops per gallon of water.

lovemyGreys wrote: My Nikko fits that description pretty well. She is definitely a family bird. The more people that are around, the better she likes it. She also loves it when I take her places, because she gets made over a lot. There's a lady at the dog park that whistles at her. Whenever we go to the park now, Nikko starts whistling like that lady does. Also, when the dogs go nuts and all start barking at once, Nikko barks along with them . Nikko doesn't really have any behavioral problems either, with the exception that she likes to give me a good nip when she doesn't get her way. I'm the only one she bites though, and we haven't quite figured out why. She'll either reach down and nip my thumb, or reach over and pinch the skin on the back of my hand. Thankfully, it's nothing she does regularly, but I'd still like to figure out why she does it and put a stop to it.

I've always wanted either a Meyer's or a Senegal. They seem like they would be great little birds. I wouldn't buy from Petco though. It only encourages them to keep selling birds. I'd look for a reputable bird store, breeder, or rescue.

Febreeze doesn't necessarily harm pets, it's just one of those rumors that go around. Here's a link to snopes (they have the inside scoop on the truth of just about everything): http://www.snopes.com/critters/crusader/febreze.asp I use GSE for cleaning. Since hospitals use it, I figured it must be a pretty good germ killer .<br><br>Post edited by: spookyhurst, at: 2008/02/17 04:31

What a pretty little girl :kiss:. You know, she's probably going to want a little Timmy friend....

I adopted Nikko at the age of 4, and 2 years later she is very bonded with my family. She now allows us to touch her on most of her body, and loves it when the whole family sits on the couch with her. I think you can bond with a bird at any age. It just takes longer with older birds.

I tried to "ease" Nikko into getting used to her carrier, but after a few months of no progress, I decided to stuff her in. Sounds cruel, but it all worked out. As soon as she was in, we took her to the park. The second time I had to stuff her in as well, but after that she started associating her carrier with fun times. Whenever she sees it now, she stretches, poops, and puts her foot out to be picked up . I never have a problem getting her in it anymore. Perhaps you should get Sweetheart a different carrier. I highly recommend the Adventure Pack, which many online pet stores carry. Talon has one too.

My vet suggests having a well-bird checkup once a year, and bloodwork once every other year. I'm going to follow his advice. Since birds don't generally show illness until they're very sick, you can't really rely on them to let you know when they don't feel well. The vet could discover a problem while it was in it's early stages and still easily treatable. Also, if you have some baseline bloodwork done, it's a good way to detect a problem down the line if any of the numbers drastically change. When I adopted Nikko, the rescue did a full work up on her. It turned out she had a bacterial infection, although she looked and acted perfectly healthy. I treated her with antibiotics for a couple of weeks, the vet retested her, and the infection was gone. It's hard to say if the infection would have eventually made her real sick, or if it would have cleared up on its own. The costs aren't as bad as people think. My dog's vet bills are much higher than Nikko's. I think the checkup was $50, and the bloodwork was maybe $80 or $90. Also, in case you ever have a bird health emergency, it's good for you and your bird to already have an established relationship with a vet

I've read that Grapefruit Seed Extract works great for stubborn cases of giardia. Here's a link where you can read about it: http://www.landofvos.com/articles/wingtips/gse.html I use GSE for cleaning Nikko's cage, gym, etc., as well as use it on my dog. He has skin problems, and a diluted solution works great on clearing up the bacteria and fungus that gets to growing on him :sick:.

I have Rock Band for Xbox . I'm not very good though. My singing sucks and my drumming sucks, but I can play bass okay. My gamertag is spookyhurst in case anybody wants to add me as their friend.

I think you did a great job! Taking Cookie to a neutral room to practice step ups was a good idea. It was also good that you didn't push him once he got bored. Training is small chunks of time and ending on a positive note is your best bet. Nikko is terrified of "step up" sticks/perches as well. If she's gotten herself inside a drawer or something and won't come out, I tell her, "I'm going to get the step up perch." As soon as she sees it, she decides it would be a better idea to just get on my hand.

LisaM wrote: Do you have a Solomon Island or Vosmaeri Eclectus?

MazyAK wrote: Even though you could be saving a bird that's in a bad pet shop, you should resist the urge. Patronizing the store will only allow it to stay open longer and treat more animals poorly. Quoting again from the Avian Protector's website: Some pet stores even keep birds in these miserable conditions to take advantage of the "Pity Buy." They rely on those of us who want to "rescue" those poor birds. It pulls on your heartstrings to see these birds kept in miserable conditions. However, by purchasing birds from bad pet shops, we are helping them to purchase another bird to put in its place. We are helping that store stay in business. Since I posted a list of how to spot a bad bird store, here's a list on how to spot a good one: http://avianprotectors.homestead.com/Guidelines.html

To hear how loud Too's are, visit this site: http://www.mytoos.com/ I went to a bird fair once, and there was an umbrella hopping up and down and screaming as loud as he could. I had to leave the building after awhile, because it was truly an ear splitting sound :ohmy:. Beautiful birds, but I'm not sure I'd have what it takes to be a good mom to one. However, someday I would like to foster one just to experience a Too's personailty. I'm still working on my parents though. There are always birds at the local rescue that need foster parents, but my parents aren't sure they want another parrot in the house, even if it is short term . We lucked out in adopting a bird that didn't have any problems, and I guess they don't want her picking up any. Personally, I think Nikko would make a great mentor to some lucky birdie .<br><br>Post edited by: spookyhurst, at: 2008/01/31 23:45

The best fruits and veggies to feed are orange (carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, mangos, papaya, etc.). Green leafies are great too, but limit spinach because it can inhibit calcium absorption. Nikko will eat the orange, but I have yet to have success with green leafies . Nikko also eats Pretty Bird pellets. I really wanted her to eat Goldenobles (they are organic and have no artificial colors or additives), but she only likes pellets if they are colored and fruit flavored . Nikko has just a little bit of seed. She loves a few sunflower seeds as a midmorning snack. Nuts are good too. An almond in the shell provides her good entertainment while extracting the nut, and has good calcium in it. She also loves pine nuts. As far as amounts, opinion varies widely, and you can find many an article with a google search. Here are a few websites where experts weigh in with their opinions: http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww14eiv.htm http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww47eii.htm http://www.africangreys.com/articles/nutrition/mashdiet.htm http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/6463/food.html