Habbeshaw

Wow Dave, I didn't realize you had a degree in Avian DVM and as a Bio-Chemist also! Glad to see you treat your loved birds as guinea pigs!. So intelligent!. I will also have to ask my friends next time they go to a gynecologist to take their birds along to get a pap smear too!. I will not debate with a biased person, whom thinks he is the Know it All of Birds. A member posted a threat and I responded with my opinion and past experiences and others also, but then if you are so biased to not allow the fifth amendment to voice my side of the story and let the poster hear both sides of the story and then let them make a intelligent self decision, it proves how intelligent you really are! So sad to hear you are so judgemental in you feelings Dr. Dave! Just do not take your breeders to a Gyno to have a "C" section if the eggs don't come out naturally! Oh!, by the way, I do know that in the wild, parrots do not fly to the nearest CVS and by aloe and mix it in their natural rain water!

Glad it works and gets the birds happy, also glad that yours does not have anthraquinone in it like the others does! Best of happiness for you both!

There are other commercial applications for anthraquinone in addition to producing dyes. For example, it is used as a catalyst in the production of wood pulp and paper. A derivative called 2-ethylanthraquinone is used to manufacture hydrogen peroxide. Anthraquinone has a long history of use as a bird repellent and is used to deter the presence of geese in particular. This action may be due to the laxative properties that the compound possesses when introduced as treated birdseed or grass. In fact, its presence is what lends laxative qualities to several well-known herbs used to treat constipation, such as senna pods, aloe, rhubarb, buckthorn and cascara sagrada. When I looked at the ingredients of the aloe juice you some use, it states that it is only 5% Anthraquinone, Interesting that is what is used as a BIRD repellent!(see above extract from article)

"There are other commercial applications for anthraquinone in addition to producing dyes. For example, it is used as a catalyst in the production of wood pulp and paper. A derivative called 2-ethylanthraquinone is used to manufacture hydrogen peroxide. Anthraquinone has a long history of use as a bird repellent and is used to deter the presence of geese in particular. This action may be due to the laxative properties that the compound possesses when introduced as treated birdseed or grass. In fact, its presence is what lends laxative qualities to several well-known herbs used to treat constipation, such as senna pods, aloe, rhubarb, buckthorn and cascara sagrada". Since you sent me what type aloe juice you use,I copied info on the ingredient they say is less than 5% Anthraquinone. used to repel bIRDS, even at small doses, I would not what to spray repellant onto my bird! "What goes onto the skin,enters the body"

To get to the skin, one must go through feathers,correct? A juice for human consumption sprayed onto a birds body? Plants(aloe) it,s the plants oil that us humans lubricate our dry skin with!. I am not trying to have a debate with you as to the pro's and con's of aloe spray on our feathered loved ones,just my feelings on the subject as my sister is the one who's Eclectus almost died from her spraying the poor bird with aloe spray and letting people know both sides of the coin! Feel free to do as you wish and I pray your birds have a long and happy life!

The best spray for our birds is WATER, just plain water. Why? FIRST:Because the special sprays advertised that will make your bird's feathers "shiny, bright" and so on, have chemicals in them and/or oils. Now, our birds do not need manufactured oils or even natural plant oils (aloe vera) on their feathers. These kinds of additives can cause feather chewing and feather pulling as the birds try to get rid of that unnatural coating. SECOND: Because IF you manage to use the spray in such a way that the bird BREATHES IN some of that spray, the oils (including the oils in aloe vera sprays) will COAT the lungs and put the bird into respiratory distress, possibly even causing its death. One of my clients was following advice on one of the well known eclectus yahoo lists, advice recommending the use of aloe vera sprays, and she sprayed her beautiful healthy vosmaeri eclectus male. He went into respiratory distress when he breathed in so much of the spray, which contains tiny aloe vera oil droplets. The aloe vera oil droplets coated his lungs and air sacs. He became immobile, lethargic, started chewing on his feathers. He almost died. It took weeks to bring him back to almost normal. There is no way to remove that oil from the lungs! A healthy bird now had his health forever compromised from the aloe vera spray. Bottom line: Stick with plain water to spray your bird! Anyone who recommends anything else is NOT knowledgeable and is simply following some nonsense advice on some internet group or website. Stay with natural stuff and your bird will be safer. You may cross post this message. Dr.Clinton Weiss, DVM

Do what you feel is right,he's your Loved One!

In the wild, do parrots spray themselves with Aloe? I think not, it gums up the feather follicles and makes the dander stick more to their feathers. (my avian vet is a naturalist/holistic vet) and he agrees. The key is to just shower and /or mist 3-4 times a week or get a humidifier if you live in a arid environment. I try to treat my parrots and their environment as close to nature as possible since they are in captivity as our loved ones does not mean when should spray them down with all kinds of concoctions and pack them full of processed foods(pellets,vitamins coated seeds and all) . It is just my opinion and I know alot of people can disagree. I am just a nature freak! And try to make them as comfortable as possible!

Perry my 15 month old male Cag started molting a lot and getting new blood and pin feathers growing in about three weeks ago, when I showered him yesterday I noticed when he was soaked his chest along his keel bone was getting thin,could this be the molt or pluck? I dont see any reason why he would start to pluck as he is very content and does many trick and I am even now home all day with him for last three months laid off my job. He said his first clear works three days ago! so I am so jazzed. Anyone experience this or advice, Brent

Perry my 15 month old male Cag started molting a lot and getting new blood and pin feathers growing in about three weeks ago, when I showered him yesterday I noticed when he was soaked his chest along his keel bone was getting thin,could this be the molt or pluck? I dont see any reason why he would start to pluck as he is very content and does many trick and I am even now home all day with him for last three months laid off my job. He said his first clear works three days ago! so I am so jazzed. Anyone experience this or advice, Brent

Perry my 15 month old male Cag started molting a lot and getting new blood and pin feathers growing in about three weeks ago, when I showered him yesterday I noticed when he was soaked his chest along his keel bone was getting thin,could this be the molt or pluck? I dont see any reason why he would start to pluck as he is very content and does many trick and I am even now home all day with him for last three months laid off my job. He said his first clear works three days ago! so I am so jazzed. Anyone experience this or advice, Brent :mad::confused:

i do not know if perry is starting to pluck,he is molting for the first time in his life(15 mos old) and I see a few new feathers coming in on tail/wing and body, he has no bald spots, but his chest/keel area when I showered him yesterday looked very thin in a line down his keel bone, He is well treated and behaved and does tricks and said his first work clear as hell "Hello" 3 days ago. I see know tempermental or physical reason for him to pluck and hope I am over paranoid with this thinning, does anyone know if a heavy molt causes this thinning?

I do not know if my Perry(CAG) is starting to pluck,he has no bald spots,but when I shower him well,his chest at his keel bone is very thin now, where it never was. He is 15 months old and has just started a pretty intense molt, feathers of all sizes everywhere on his body, and new blood feathers coming out in tail and wings and body. Could this thinning be part of his molt. He is a very content bird, not frigidity or paranoid and does many tricks each day. In fact i was laid off my job 3 months ago and I am home with him all day and he is out of his cage way more each day(maybe he likes me gone at work all Day) although he is very attached to me!. Hope it is just his molt, any thoughts?, Brent

Thanks Nancy, I have just noticed if I talk back at him instead of whistle back all the time ,he is now starting to talk more just the last two day,clearly saying "Hello" and "Bye-Bye" when I come or go out of his sight! WoW! amazing turn around. Once he talks consistently, I will continue to whistle still to him. How could I not hear his beautiful songs, He can whistle the whole main verse of Guns-n-Roses "Patience" he sounds exactly like him! Amazing creature God has created! Thanks Nancy

Thanks for the response!, I do agree and see Perry's body language as you mentioned and I have been taking advantage of that moment. Since I posted he has stopped mumbling more and whistling less, but I decided to talk back to him when he whistled, instead of whistling back at him and I think it has help. His "Hello" has gotten a little clearer and even has said it clearer that I thought it was my son saying it. I do think hello is a little boring maybe to him as I have been saying it to him for months, where as when I say stop it to my son when he is messing around he pick it up in two days, although quite robotically!. Thanks for your interest and I will post you when he improves!, Brent

Thanks you Inara for the reply, I do reward for trick training,don't use a clicker,just praises and a safflower seed, But I do not do speech training and rewards. Just since I posted my thread he has started robot talking more and less whistling! He goes on and on like he is speaking a whole conversation(which he probably is!) but I have no clue what he is rambling about!. Yes , Perry talks a lot in the mornings and especially before sunset, I have tried to be more "conversational with him the last week and less repetitive, it may be helping as he has chosen to stop whistling as much, but then I stopped whistling back at him and talk back instead. Thanks for you interest and information, I do appreciate it!, Brent

Perry,my CAG. Has just started making vocalizations, he says stop it and hello, but he is sounding like a robot or demon. Is this normal when they first start to talk? He is 14 months old and very smart and I have trained him to do dozens of tricks,he truly is amazing!. Any thoughts on the robot voice?

I would be glad to take in your Grey and give my male Grey a friend for life, I live in Los Angeles,Ca(Eagle Rock) and am always home with Perry my smart ,wonderful Grey. Feel free to call me @ (909)915-9771-email is brent1956@gmail.com, please let me know if available still and I can assure you she will be in a spoiled/loving home with a great friens Perry!, Brent

Hello All!, I am new to this post. I have a male CAG named Perry,14 months old, very smart has learned 20 advanced tricks-basketball,skateboarding,colored rings on pegs etc-etc.... He whistles anything he hears in a day and I have been trying for a year to get him to talk, I know they normally don't start till around one years. He says Hello and Stop it! occasionally, but in a gravelly-robotic voice,sometimes aliitle clear. Is he starting to learn to talk,will he get clearer,any tips. Thanks, Brent and Perry