Pam Pam

I just attempted to post something along the lines of 'I've done everything wrong' and I don't know what forum I posted it in. Does anyone know how I can find my post so I can read replies?

Hi, I want to start by confessing I inadvertently have done almost everything you guys have advised people NOT to do. Then after all those mistakes, I found your forum. That being said, here is a synopsis of my stupidity. I hand raised my 16 year old hen. When paramedics arrived at our house late one night for a human emergency, she pulled all her beautiful red tail feathers out. I knew it was from stress, but when things settled down, a couple of weeks later, one whole wing was missing the flight feathers. She actually didn't pull, she chewed them off. I thought maybe two things were happening simultaneously. Maybe she was stressed AND since she was 16 maybe she was wanting a mate. I knew an elderly man who knew a lot about parrots from a breeding standpoint. He told me he had seen parrots burst their chests open from hitting the floor (dead). And he confirmed she would probably do better if she had a mate. I cried, but made the decision to sell her to a breeder so she could do what nature was calling her to do. I pulled two feathers upon the advice of my breeder friend to get her sexed. I was going to have criteria which had to be met by whomever to be sure Asia would be in the best possible place. I had a list of breeders from my elderly friend. I talked to all of them. But before I got the results of the sexing, Asia finished chewing off the rest of her wing feathers. Now she was so ugly no one would want her. One of the breeders said they were afraid of birds that chewed or plucked their feathers. I was back at square one worrying about Asia dying. After feeling I had no other recourse, and because I loved her and wanted her to survive, I made a decision to get a mate for her, put them together, and then once she was feathered out, I'd re-contact one person I had settled on as the best of the lot. We spent about $400 on supplies to build a flight cage, complete with metal nest, knowing they might never mate. I knew a lot about breeding from my elderly friend and knew it could take years or maybe never. I didn't care if they mated or not. I just wanted Asia to get with a male so she'd grow those feathers back before she fell and hurt herself or died from being cold. Then once feathered, I'd find a home for her with the breeder I liked and hopefully one for the male, too. I bought a male who I figured was older because he'd been passed around at least 3 times that the seller knew about. She repeatedly told me he was NOT a pet, but a breeder (which I figured he wasn't too good at either or the breeders wouldn't have been passing him around. lol) I was desperate for Asia to be happy. As I said, I didn't care if they bred or not. I'd borrowed a cage from the seller to keep him in and placed him across from Asia for a couple of weeks in the house. Then, the flight cage-building project came to a screeching halt and it remains unfinished to this day. I don't think it will ever be used by us. Why? Asia had begun getting new pin feathers in after the male arrived. I was right that she needed a friend. But when I took her out to play, she lost her balance and fell 3 inches to the floor, bursting a pin feather. Blood went everywhere and I had to restrain her while I pulled it out. I knew I couldn't put her outside in a strange place, unfamiliar cage, etc. or she'd surely fall, break a pin feather, and bleed to death! Maybe if they just could reside in the same cage, I thought, she would leave her feathers alone long enough for them to grow back? That became my new plan. I caught the male by throwing a towel over him and moved him to her cage. I waited and watched to be sure he didn't hurt Asia or vice versa. She was very curious about him and approached him in what I thought was a very nice way, but he responded by raising his feathers and she retreated to her side of the cage. To be sure each had access to food and water, I gave each their own. They never interact, but take turns going for treats I put in what I hoped would be a shared space. We went on vacation for a month and upon returning, Asia had a new set of bright red tail feathers coming in and 4 wing feathers! The male, who the breeder called John Wayne, was still keeping the same distance from Asia and Asia from him. I found your forum before we went on vacation but by then I'd already made a ton of mistakes. Now I have two birds and have scrapped the breeding idea. I believe they can just be companions and Asia will be happy. Even with all the mistakes and wasted money on that 'breeding' cage, it seems everything worked out well. Except for one thing, and that's where I could really use some expert advice. I want to make friends with the older male. I don't know exactly how to go about it, and even though we've 'broken the ice' we aren't buddies yet. I don't believe John Wayne was always 'a wild bird, just a breeder'. He talks in an older man's voice, so I think his owner died and he got disposed of along with the dead man's other stuff. I'm not saying John Wayne's super sweet. I wouldn't be either if I'd been passed around and treated like an financial asset. But once upon a time he might have been sweet. I'm moving ahead like deep down he wants to be someone's pet again. He acts like he WANTS me to scratch him and he snakes his neck around while I'm playing with Asia. He stays calm when I get up close to where he is perched inside the cage. And at first I was able to stroke his beak or toes while having the safety of the cage bars between us. One day he just happened to be close enough and I actually was able to scratch his neck through the cage. I was able to scratch for 4 or 5 glorious seconds before I got nervous and pulled my finger out. He just loved it! The next day, when I tried to scratch again, I got bitten (hard/blood). Not deterred, I continued to go farther and farther until we have reached a point where I need expert advice from people who love and understand birds rather than those who use long nets to catch them. I am now able to open the door of their cage. Asia climbs right up top or I'll tell her to step up and place her up top. He watches but remains glued to his spot. He is fully feathered and could fly if he wanted to. I am now able to reach inside offering him different treats. Treats he used to throw down are accepted most of the time. Sometimes he gently mouths my fingers before taking a treat. I don't know for sure, but I think that's great progress and I love that he's wanting to trust me. If I have a treat in hand, I don't get struck at. I know he would enjoy being out of the cage and I tried using a perch, but he freaked out. Today I tried my arm and I got bitten hard again (blood). I had moved my arm in toward him slowly as not to frighten him. He bit a couple of times and the last time drew blood. I stopped to take care of the cut and decided to try a glove. Asia went right up on my hand with the glove, but he again spazzed out. I know he has had a slew of horrible experiences in his life. From his reactions I know he was chased with nets on the end of sticks and I know people caught him using gloves. My heart breaks for him and I want to let him know I will be kind to him like I believe his first, original owner was. How do I get him to step up on my arm when he strikes at me? Also, if I just let him climb to the top of the cage by backing off, I'm afraid he'd fly around and hurt himself when I attempt to catch him to return him inside the cage. (I guess I could wait for him to go inside to eat and trap him that way). I want him to step up on my arm. I will do whatever I have to do to win John Wayne over. Any advice is appreciated. Just like John Wayne, I'm a little sensitive myself so please don't fuss at me for all my mistakes. I know from the things I've read that I have done lots of wrong things. I'm afraid someone will tell me to separate them into two cages. They get along in the same cage and Asia is not chewing feathers. So even though I shouldn't have put them together initially, I did and now I am not going to separate them. I know from my breeder friend they won't breed unless they have a nest box, so that solves that problem. Plus they aren't 'going there' anyway. So, if we can agree to disagree on that one point about them remaining in the same cage, I am open to any other ideas any of you may have. Thank you for reading this mini book. I would be grateful for any suggestions you may have for me to get him to step up on my arm. And one day I want to scratch him without being eaten up. He's taking treats from my hand and not charging me. So he's a good bird. I just want him to be able to enjoy being scratched again and feel safe enough to be moved from place to place on my arm. I'm willing to go slllloooowww, but not sure what steps to take next. ???? Thank you.

PS: The surgical tool I mentioned for closing off bleeders is for humans, not bird feathers which are also called bleeders. I'm sorry for the confusion.

Hi, I'm new to this forum. My name is Pam Pam. I just had to go through feather sexing my bird because she/he? had just destroyed all the long feathers on his/her body. Tail feathers went first, but I knew what caused THAT incident. We had a 911 crew with ambulance, lights, yelling, hysteria so no wonder. A month later, though, one wing was naked of flight feathers. Before all the other long feathers were gone, I read online at DNA Solutions and realized they needed two LONG feathers to do their test. If you have a tool that locks in place once you clamp onto the feather, it isn't a big deal. Just support the wing securely with your left hand and quickly and firmly pull the feather out with the locked, clamped tool. I have a surgical tool for closing off bleeders. That's what I used. In the instructions they will tell you to put the two feathers in your own zip lock bag, mail to them with the bird's name and your return address. It cost around $20 and if you have them email back your results, you don't have to pay an extra $5 for the certificate to be mailed to you. I didn't need a certificate mailed to me so I went the cheaper route. It took them about 7 days to send my email. I was pleased with their low cost and simple process. I hope this helps you! Happy Easter! Pam Pam