spookyhurst

The Avian Welfare Resource Center (http://www.avianwelfare.org/issues/marketing.htm) takes the following position on birds at large pet chains: Over the past decade, "exotic pets" like parrots have become the rage even though they are challenging to keep in captivity. Large-scale "parrot mill" breeding operations, which supply popular warehouse pet store chains, are now producing thousands of potentially very long-lived parrot chicks each year to keep up with the demand for babies. It is next to impossible to properly socialize baby parrots under such "assembly line," high-production breeding conditions. To make matters worse, when these birds are sold through warehouse pet stores, buyers rarely receive quality products or solid advice from an inexperienced staff. In addition, the display of gentle, adorable, juvenile birds in these stores leads to many being purchased on impulse — and a parrot purchased on impulse without serious preparation and education rarely finds a lifelong home. Unfortunately, the public is still largely uneducated about the real challenges of keeping parrots in captivity. Many adolescent and adult parrots lose their homes when their "true colors" as wild animals start to shine. Thousands of mass-marketed birds are now displaced each year because neither these birds nor their buyers are properly prepared for success. The least fortunate birds are passed from home to home before dying from neglect or abuse, or they are euthanized. The lucky ones end up in adoption shelters or sanctuaries, which are now filling up fast! Never buy a mass-marketed bird from a pet store! These companies will not stop mass-producing and selling birds until it is no longer profitable to do so. Encourage PETCO, PETsMART, and other pet stores to provide the same adoption services for parrots that they do for dogs and cats instead of selling birds in their stores. Your consumer dollars are a powerful vote against parrot homelessness!

I wouldn't buy a bird from a pet store for a lot of reasons, the first being uneducated staff. A Petsmart by me used to carry large birds, and the employees were clueless about caring for them (they thought it was funny to feed them things like Mountain Dew). Here is a site that lists all the things to look out for if you shop for a bird at a pet store: http://avianprotectors.homestead.com/badpetstores.html Something very important to find out is if the bird is "abundant weaned" (read all about it at http://www.itsagreysworld.com/articles/abundant.htm). You're more likely to end up with a happy well adjusted bird. As for good family birds, the Pionus, Meyer's, and Senegal are good choices (from all that I've read). If I ever get a second bird, it will probably be one of these species. However, I prefer to adopt, and these 3 species don't commonly come in at my local rescue (they mostly get cockatoos, macaws, and amazons).

I bet that's the cockatoo I read about on their website way back when! One story said that his main caretaker had to leave for a couple weeks, and when she came back, the bird gave her the cold shoulder. When she asked what was wrong, he angrily replied, "You forgot me!" Another story had the bird asking one of them, "What are you doing?" They said they were giving a bird a bath because he was being bad and they thought it would calm him down. The cockatoo got really close and said, "I'm being good." What a character that bird must be :laugh:!

Nychsa, I was going to say that there was also a Buddhist temple here in Arizona that has a bird sanctuary. However, when I looked it up, I discovered it was the same one you mentioned :ohmy:. I wonder why they moved to Maryland? Good luck Bailey! It's great that you stepped up to the plate to take on these two sweethearts . Poor things, it's awful to hear how some birds end up in such dire straits.

What a pretty girl! I read in another post of yours that you were unsure of Greyce's age. My bet would be closer to 3, based on her eye color.

I live in Phoenix, Arizona and get concerned about Nikko getting too cold in my own bedroom :ohmy:. That's where she sleeps at night, and even though the thermostat is set at 72, my bedroom gets as low as 66 (it's exposed to the outside on 3 walls and is on the north side of the house). I added an extra blanket over the top of her cage because I thought her feet felt too cold when I got her out in the morning. However, I know that there are people with outdoor aviaries around here. They have misters to keep the birds cool in the hot hot summers, and heaters for the winter. The Perch Store carries a nice outdoor aviary heater, but it's quite pricey: http://www.theperchstore.net/allwerahefor.html

Out of curiosity, do any of you buy bird toys at pet stores that carry birds? Someone on another board has a grey that got mites from a toy she bought at a pet store. Poor guy became a feather plucker. I've taken Nikko shopping a lot in her Adventure Pack. Most places welcome her (or at least they don't say anything about it.) I used to take her to Walmart, but not anymore. I was in the sewing department getting some fabric and a cranky employee asked if Nikko was a helper bird. I hadn't a clue what she was talking about, but then she said there was a law that said only helper animals can come in stores. She didn't actually tell me to leave though, and still cut the fabric I wanted, so I just finished shopping and left :blink:. First time anyone said anything to me (employees usually make over her), so out of curiosity, I looked up the law on the internet. It stated that non-service animals are not allowed in places where food is being prepared or served. It made me feel kind of guilty about picking up a pizza last summer. They didn't have it ready, and it was really hot, so Nikko and I stood over in the carry out area waiting. The employees all made a big deal out of how cool she was though, and no one told us to leave. I also had her at a McDonald's in Walmart. My mom sat close to the exit with her while I ordered, and she was kind of in the cart with the rest of the bags, so maybe no one noticed. I've also had her in the mall, and there's food places there. But there are also pet shops :blink:. When we took Nikko to the vet once, we stopped at a nearby mall to have lunch. We put her in a chair in the food court, and I figured since she was contained in her carrier, it wasn't a big deal. Guess I was wrong. The Walmart lady was the only one that's ever said it was illegal though, so most store people must not not know or just don't care. A drugstore I go to even told me I should bring my little dog in too, and just put him in the cart with a towel/blanket. She says people do it all the time, and that they like to see the pets. Anyway, I'll just keep taking Nikko to non-food stores unless someone tells me to get out.

I'm probably going to get a bunch of backlash here, but here it goes anyway. I think certain dogs can be trusted to be in the same room as an uncaged bird. Spencer, my Shih Tzu, is almost 10. The Shih Tzu is strictly a companion animal, and always has been. Over the 2 years we've had Nikko, we've found that there is no problem with the bird and dog being free at the same time. For starters, Spencer doesn't particularly like Nikko (he's afraid of her), and generally avoids the room she is in. He does, however, get excited when she flies (the only time he seems to like her). He will get kind of close, but not close enough for her to reach out and bite him, which I have no doubt she would do. She only has to give him "the look" and he backs away. One day I was out of the room when I heard Nikko fly (she doesn't fly very often). Spencer came around the corner the same time as I did to see where she went. I told him to help me find her, and we both searched all over. The little poop finally chirped to let me know she was in the window sill (which has since become her first choice in landing spots). She's fully flighted right now (until ceiling fan weather returns), and generally good about landing somewhere other than the floor. The only time we've found we have to be extra careful is if one family member is holding Spencer and one is holding Nikko while sitting on the couch. This usually doesn't happen, since Spencer doesn't like being in such close proximity of the bird. But when it does, I have to take care in keeping Nikko in a position that she can not run over and attack Spencer. In the past, she ran over and bit him on the back (just got a beak full of fur, so the dog was fine) because she was jealous of my mom holding him. He was scared to death, and that's probably when he decided not to sit on the couch with her anymore. There have been times when I have brought Yorkshire Terriers and Dachsunds into our house, and Nikko has to go to her cage then. Both breeds have an ancestry of hunting small animals, so I'd never take a chance with them. Also, I take Nikko to the dog park in her travel cage. Some dogs, like every Schnauzer I've come across, look at her like she would make a nice appetizer. But others look at her with sweet fascination. There's one little guy that dances whenever he sees me, because he hopes I have "the budgie." He's the most gentle little soul, and could probably look at Nikko for hours. I think she senses his sweetness, because her body language seems to mimic his. But back to the OP, wiganmarg. What kind of dog do you have? How old is it?

You can buy little bags of them at the Perch Store. GoldenFeast packages them. Here is a link to the page: http://www.theperchstore.net/bird-treats-goldenfeast-goldenfeast-single-ingredient-pouches.html

Jengo also means "One with Reddish Complexion" and "Building Strength." Glad your baby has a name now .

HilaryQ wrote: That's funny, because Jengo is a Swahili name that I like. It took me at least 6 months to name my conure. Poor guy was known as Bird all that time.

I agree. If someone has missed the person's first thread, they won't have all the background information when they try to offer some help. Plus, it keeps the board tidier (I'm anal retentive like that ). Your suggestion to click on your own profile sounds like the easiest way for people to find old posts .

Like the other thread says, definitely invest in a carbon monoxide detector. Our old house had a gas fireplace, and one time we forgot to open the flue. It wasn't lit for very long before the detectors started shrieking. Who knows how long it would have taken us to notice otherwise. We may have all keeled over first :ohmy:.

Did your grey eat anything different tonight? A change in poop color can be related to eating a different colored food.

Sally Blanchard draws some really cool bird pictures. Check out these Grey's: http://www.companionparrot.com/sally-sale%20A.htm

You've inspired me! I took some art classes in college, as well as spent some time at an animation school. I got sick and had to quit, and haven't touched a sketchpad in several years. I should try to sketch Nikko, although I haven't a clue as to how I would handle feathers .

I had to rehome a bird once too. I had a dusky-headed conure for about 10 years when I moved several states away to go to college. My parents took care of Jesse for about a month before they "suggested" he needed to be rehomed. My dad didn't like Jesse, and Jesse didn't like him (he pretty much hated all men). They told me how unhappy Jesse was without me, and said that a neighbor wanted him, so I caved. Unfortunately, it turned out that the neighbor (who would have been a great mom to Jesse) didn't want the bird for herself but for a relative (someone I didn't trust with Jesse at all). The worst part? I got sick and had to come home about 2 months after my parents got rid of Jesse. So rehoming him turned out to be totally unnecessary. We've since moved, and our neighbor has moved too. We were in contact for awhile, but then they suddenly quit answering my emails. My wild imagination assumes they don't want to tell me that something bad happened to Jesse .

That's too bad Tee . How far away is the next closest avian vet? Nikko's vet is not a certified avian vet, but he's studying for the exam. He's also not the closest available avian vet. However, I chose him because another grey owner highly recommended him to me, and because he is the vet for the Oasis (a reputable bird sanctuary). He was so good with Nikko . When he picked her up, he kissed her on her back, and then held her against his chest while he checked her heart, lungs, etc. Even when he took blood, she didn't flinch, scream, or anything. She was, however, a bit quiet and withdrawn for the remainder of the day. Between the long drive (about 2 hours each way) and stress, it was a long hard day for her. She bounced back by the next day though, and I was glad to have the peace of mind of knowing she was healthy.

Hannah_Rae wrote: And ducks. My mom grew up on a farm, and said they had horny ducks. After they were through with the hen, they would run away with their heads lowered, and their little penis dangling behind them. My mom said it looked like rigatoni pasta :lol:.

I was a psychology major in college, and took a semester of human sexuality. The first day all we did was watch every animal in the freaking world have sex :ohmy:. I totally don't remember what they said about the bird though. The only ones that will forever stick in mind are the wasp (the male uses his little penis to swab out the female's va-gi-gi to remove any previous male's sperm before depositing his own :huh:), a little rodent that has sex continually and then dies because of lack of food and sleep, and the very well-endowed elephant. There was also a nun who sat in front of me for about 2 weeks before she couldn't take it anymore and never returned. I also remember a guy who fell asleep and someone put a female condom on his chest (the teacher was having us pass it around). When he woke up and saw it, he completely freaked out :lol:.

That's such a cute picture of Soldier and Coco :kiss:. Maybe they were comparing war stories. It's great that he is coming along so well!

I have a warm mist humidifier. It's true, they're a pain to have to clean if you have hard water, but I like the benefits enough to deal with it. We're going to be getting a water softener soon, so that will help with lowering the maintenance. I put 4 drops of Grapefruit Seed Extract per gallon of water too. This keeps any uckies from growing in the water and humidifier.

Nikko goes out in her Adventure Pack. She really likes it, except for when we go to the dogpark. She gets jealous of the dogs running free, I think, and starts to chew on the bars after awhile. I wish she would wear a harness, because I know she would have a great time being "free". She is 6 or 7 though, so it would be quite a challenge to get her into one. Here is a picture of Nikko and me at a Blessing of the Animals. She was the only bird there. Go figure .

No, it's not always the same person being impersonated. The person (or persons) who steal handles just seem to randomly choose the name of someone else whose chatting. I don't personally use the chat box, and probably won't.

Nikko didn't have one when I adopted her, but if she had, I think I would have had it cut off.