spookyhurst

Good idea! I have a few shots of Nikko bathing, but nothing spectacular. Time to get the ol' camera out .

LOL Nikko sometimes says "Bad bird" or "You're baaaaadddddd." I wonder what she did to have her old owner say that? I'm guessing the terrible 2's is a good guess as to when she learned them :unsure:.

Voted! Also, I sing Nikko the "I'm too sexy" song too, and just change up the words to fit her :blush:.

New update. Some of the birds are now available for adoption. I thought there was a second grey, but either it was one of the ones that died or it's not ready to be adopted. Here's the email I got: Here is a list of the HS birds that will be available for adoption shortly. You can call Justin at 327-6088 Ext.108 for more info, pricing (will probably be comparable to TARA prices or Higher to help with their vet bills). Most of them do need some work, some may never become really friendly, but they do deserve a home, especially after the last home! So if you can open your hearts & wallets for them, they would really appreciate it.. Sun conure - friendly Lilac crowned (mexican red head) amazon - female, friendly. Lilac crowned - fearful, needs alot of work. Severe macaw - lunges at many, needs work, scissor beak. Severe macaws, pair - need work. Timneh grey - import, very scared, deformed beak. Mid. sulfurcrested cockatoo - female, friendly. Sun conure paired with citron cockatoo (female, with special needs - one leg, deformed beak. - sun is probably friendly, citron needs work. White faced male cockatiel - quite friendly, but needs to be taught step up, has sores on wings. Normal grey female cockatiel - very friendly. Black capped caique - friendly, need experience. Lilac crowned amazon - needs work. Blue crowned conure - needs work. Blue front amazon - probably male, needs work. Yellow collared mini macaw - one eye, needs work. Goffin cockatoo - male, import, fearful, need Goffin experience. Goffin cockatoo - male, friendly, plucker, has tumor, need Goffin experience.<br><br>Post edited by: spookyhurst, at: 2008/05/02 01:36

Yes, I spend quite a bit more on Nikko than I had really intended. Granted, there's some "luxury" items she didn't really need (like her Adventure Pack), but they enrich her life, so I bought them anyway. A lot of times, I spend more money on stuff for her than on stuff for myself :whistle:. I'm pretty lucky though, as Nikko isn't very difficult to take care of. She's pretty low key, doesn't scream, doesn't fly much, doesn't pluck, likes to bathe, and eats fairly decently. But MESSY!!! Feathers, dust, food, and chewed up cardboard and pinatas everywhere! But then again, I've never met a bird that wasn't incredibly messy. It must be the one thing that they all have in common :side:.

You can adopt a grey for a lot less. I adopted Nikko when she was 4 years old from Tucson Avian Rescue & Adoption. The cost was $300, which included her cage and vet check. There was also a $45 fee for the mandatory parrot care class. It was a great deal, although I about fell asleep in the ALL DAY parrot care class. I'd been researching greys for months, so it was pretty much stuff I already knew. However, I'd sit through it again, because Nikko is a wonderful little birdie .

No, it's just that by eating palm oil, a bird's feathers get prettier.

Nikko doesn't seem bothered when I pet over her pins. What does annoy her though is when I pick at them. It's a sick compulsion I have. When I see a pin on her head/neck that's ready to open (no blood visible), I start messing with it to open it up. Sometimes she tolerates it, and other times she gets mad at me. She says I should join a 12 step program. It's true that egg is a good food during molting because they need the extra protein. Beans are also good.

Yes, toweling is just wrapping your bird in a towel. It sounds like that's not something that stresses Chloe out, which is good. I want to be able to desensitize Nikko to the towel, as she gets very upset about it, and makes awful sounds like she's being tortured . I wish I still had that article about the birds dying from being stressed. It was from a magazine called "Good Bird." If I remember correctly, it was the bird's temperature increase that ultimately killed it. I looked around on the internet, and found what issue, but they make you pay for it. Here's the link, and the article is called "Science for the Bird Brain (A Synopsis of Scientific Papers Related to Avian Medicine) Physiologic Responses of Amazon Parrots (Amazona species) to Manual Restraint - By Diane Starnes": http://www.goodbirdinc.com/toc1-2.html

That's really scary! Glad to hear Chloe has since come around. It sounds like stress could have had something to do with it. When Nikko gets mildly upset, she makes a little squeak. I imagine it could get really ugly sounding if it was a major upset. Maybe the toenail clipping, bath, and shampoo was too much to do in one day. I read an article about the stress of toweling on amazons. The body temperature went up, the blood pressure went up, etc. During their study, one of the amazons even perished because he became so stressed (they hadn't expected such a thing to happen). I believe he had been toweled for 15 minutes. Our babies can be so fragile sometimes . I know someone who used a bird shampoo (don't know which kind) and the bird started plucking afterwards. It kind of made me suspicious about putting anything other than water and aloe juice on Nikko. She would never tolerate me rubbing shampoo on her body anyway. She's a "touch me only when I say you can" birdie . Keep trying with the baths though. I use a mister with Nikko. She tolerates it much better than a spray bottle. She hated showers initially, and then learned to tolerate them. It's been 2 years now, and she actually asks for them :cheer:: "wanna shower," "birdie needs a shower." She has even gotten good at flapping her wings so that I can get the water sprayed underneath them. This is only a recent development, as her wingpits were mostly unwashed for 2 years :sick:. When I spray her with aloe juice after the water misting, I feed her pine nuts. This seems to ease the indignity of it all for her, and she's learned to associate being washed with yummy treats.

Glad you found a vet you're happy with !

kllorio wrote: When Nikko's vet listened to her heart, he sat down, held Nikko against his chest with one hand, and put the stethoscope against her with the other hand. I guess some vets are just more confident in handling birds. However, you would think they all would be that way after handling so many birds in their lifetime :dry:.

Nikko's vet didn't give her an anesthetic. He didn't even towel her. When he took a blood sample from her neck, he rubbed the skin with something that numbed it, and she didn't even flinch when the needle pricked her. Like the others, I'd be a bit concerned with a vet that automatically anesthetizes every bird. Also, Nikko's vet is an Avian and Exotics vet. He isn't board certified though, although I believe he is studying for the test. I know some people only want a certified avian vet, but it's worth looking at those who aren't. My vet came highly recommended from another grey owner, plus he's the vet for the Oasis bird sanctuary. That was enough for me to give him a try, and I was glad I did. There is a certified vet that it much closer, but I heard negative things about her. I talked to one of her vet techs at a bird fair, and was really turned off (they were naggy and negative and didn't listen).

casper wrote: Nikko chews holes in her cage cover just big enough to look out of. She peeks out of them in the morning so that she knows when I wake up (and promptly demands to be gotten up). My mom has fixed the cover several times, but said no more. Looks like I'll have to relearn how to sew :unsure:.

Nikko loves to peak through things at people :

Voted! And not for myself either . I love cute birdie contests. There are always so many neat pictures B).

Okay, here's Nikko's entry. Her favorite toys are boxes.

Update from The Oasis: Dear Friends of The Oasis.... As expected, everywhere I go I am asked whether The Oasis has received any of the Tucson rescue birds. The short answer is no... The longer answer is: (1) there still are on-going legal issues surrounding "ownership" of the birds. The Pima County Sheriff's Department is still actively involved in the case, and so the birds remain in quarantine at the Humane Society of Southern AZ (HSSA.) This situation will take a while to get to court and be adjudicated. (2) There are some serious, unresolved health issues at play in this case as well. A Vet is working on the birds on a daily basis, along with bird-savy volunteers from TARA (Tucson Avian Rescue and Adoption.) Most if not all of the birds remain on antibiotics. At least three that I know of have died and a few remain hospitalized. Necropsies are being done by the University of Arizona in order to find out why these birds are so ill. (3) No decisions have been made as to which birds might be adopted and which might come here. Obviously, until the health and legal issues are sorted out, these poor souls are not going anywhere. But they are getting good care.... Hopefully the remaining birds will regain their health and find wonderful homes. The Oasis remains available to any handicapped or retired breeding pairs who might need our help. Regarding the Chihauhaus.... I have heard that although all the currently adoptable dogs were placed, a small number have been returned due to health and social/behavioural issues. (Hey, folks, the dogs were rescued because there were problems!!! ) However, on a positive note, I have run into two people to date in my dealings in Tucson who have adopted these dogs successfully. One lady was at one of our Veterinarians getting a final check-up and is thrilled with her little girl. There are a few Momma dogs and babies which will be avaialble in another 4-6 weeks....but there are many more people who filled out applications than available remaining dogs. A dog-lottery perhaps?? In fact so many people have recently gone to the HSSA to adopt dogs that they were able to take in otherwise potentially homeless dogs from other local pounds and shelters and found them homes as well !!! What a great thing! Thank you Tucson! And thank you all for your concern about the 35 remaining parrots. Syb -- Sybil Erden, Executive Director The Oasis Sanctuary www.the-oasis.org

It does kind of look like a fatty tumor. What does your bird eat? Also, here is a link to an article about various bumps you may find on your bird. If it's something like a fatty tumor, it's benign, but of course some bumps can be more ominous. Let us know what the vet tells you! http://www.birdchannel.com/bird-diet-and-health/bird-diseases/bird-diseases-tumor.aspx

Cooked for Nikko. I also mix in a little flax seed and soy milk with Nikko's oatmeal. With the pasta, I add a little tomato sauce or...butter :blush:.

What a sweetie :kiss:! Such a perfect shiny little black beak too.

Clicker training is really cool. I have tried it with Nikko, and it works well (I just need to teach her more things than to wave ). I use a shelled sunflower seed broke in half, or a pine nuts broke in half as my treats. Here's a great 7 minute video about clicker training on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkI9PvOsjS0&feature=related Since your McKinzie tends to be cagebound, a great first lesson would be "targeting." Once you condition the clicker, and get the bird to target something (like a straw), you start moving the straw closer to the door, and the eventually outside of the cage. The following article explains it a bit better: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art13441.asp

Nikko's groomer took the blood sample and sent it in for me. It cost $30, and I got the results in a week or so. Unfortunately, I don't know where she sent the test. I think it was in the Phoenix area though. EDIT: I don't know if this is the place, but it's another option for you. I'll check Nikko's certificate tomorrow (she's asleep right now, and I'd be in trouble if I dug around in the bedroom for it ). http://www.petdnaservicesaz.com/Avian.html<br><br>Post edited by: spookyhurst, at: 2008/03/26 04:26

Clicker training is supposed to work wonders . I'll look through my books, and find which one talks about clicker training neglected birds. In the mean time, I thought I'd re-share a poem originally posted by danmcq: "The Meaning of Rescue" Now that I'm home, bathed, settled and fed, All nicely tucked in my warm new bed, I'd like to open my baggage, Lest I forget, There is so much to carry - So much to regret. Hmmm...Yes, there it is, right on top, Let's unpack Lonliness, Heartache and Loss, and there by my perch hides my Fear and Shame. As I look on these things I tried so hard to leave - I still have to unpack my baggage called Pain. I loved them, the others, the ones who left me, But I wasn't good enough - for they didn't want me. Will you add to my baggage? Will you help me unpack? Or will you just look at my things - And take me right back? Do you have the time to help me unpack? To put away my baggage, to never repack? I pray that you do - I'm so tired you see, But I do come with baggage - Will you still want me?

Occasionally, Nikko seems to have a little allergy attack. She'll sneeze, and her nares will run. It's typically a short lived event though. Her nares will dry up within an hour. Knight just posted about his grey getting something in her eye. Once it was swabbed out, she was fine.