danmcq

When your vet says your grey respiratory system is a mess, what specifically did they mean by that? Did they see something using a scope, hear sounds as your grey was breathing or what? Air quality is very subjective in terms what what your measuring. Some areas in the country have tons of smog for example especially during certain times of the year. Some people smoke in their house, some have mold issues etc. I guess the question is, what specifically did he say to do about it? Use an air purifying system? Normally air purifiers are for the human that is trying to reduce dander they may be allergic to, not the bird.

Oh no, I am so sorry to hear of this heart wrenching loss of Mar. You gave my deepest condolences and are in my thoughts and prayers.

Inara is certainly enjoying the music and getting her groove on. I hope to see many more videos of her. Thanks for sharing this.

Great post of Inara's cognitive abilities. I love the "cookie" conversation. The dreaming and waking to ask "where did xxx go" is very interesting. Thanks for sharing this. It brought a huge smile to my face.

Welcome to the forum CAG. I look forward to hearing more about the baby grey you have chosen and seeing photos when you have the opportunity. Compared to a puppy dog mentality macaw, your going to find a grey is much more complex and challenging. As Judy said, I would really recommend having a cage for your grey. They need a safe place they can be in when time outs are needed or when you are away or have company that might not enjoy getting bitten.

Awww, come on Ray. He just been mistreated and misunderstood. A good loving home with people that can read his body language and knows that a regurge is an act of affection would be the perfect life long home for this young human. You know he's young due to those dark eyes.

LOL! Thanks for sharing this.

Buuuuaaaaawwww ah ah... http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2014/01/15/devil-baby-scares-new-yorkers-newday.cnn.html

Joey is sure enjoying himself there. Way to go!

You really need to get to view the carrier as a positive experience by enticing him in when your not stressed. Entice him in and then just go for a ride in the car talking hapily and pointing the sights. Take him someplace like a relative, friends, out for a walk etc. The when you ask wanna go with me to xxx? Most the time that foot will go up because they want to be with you and understand that carrier is how it works. A trip to the vet unexpectedly will then just play in to the mix other than getting man handled once there. But, the positive side is your grey will not be stressed out already just from the stressful experience of being placed in the carrier.

Dayo likes to "Tap" on glass, ceramic, windows etc. He will as talon described walk over and tap on a cup for example and look up to see if it's ok to take a drink. I believe he pretty much knows if I don't move the cup or glass he can go ahead and enjoy. He taps on the windows when we are outside to get our attention. They do seem to like tapping on many things that make a distinct sound from glass, to tin, aluminum, steel, plastic etc. Well, at least dayo does anyway. Dave is right though in regards glass items etc. that they can pull over, break and harm themselves with. Dayo one time pull over a very large vase and thank god it did not land on a toe or him. It probably weighed 5 pounds and would have certainly hurt him severely.

It sounds like Joey is really feeling at home now and a part of the flock. Congrats and I hope to hear frequent updates and see video's.

As others have said, don't worry about the talking. Just enjoy your grey and it's unique personality. I did a poll on this forum about 3 or 4 years ago. The average age a grey began talking was around 14 months old.

Thanks for this informative post Dave. I have never fretted over the sun flower seeds either in my birds diet.

LOL - Loved the head swagging and banging that toy against the wall. very entertaining. Hopefully this will be the first of many more to come.

What an interesting topic. It is very complex and brings a flood of thoughts, soul searching and emotions. One thing I have always believed, is we as the most intelligent being on this planet (As far as we know). We are ultimately responsible for our actions when it comes to all the other creatures on this planet. The underlying and ultimate issue here, is we even enslave, murder and have hate for other humans. With this thought in mind, how can we all ever agree on this. It will never happen until we as a whole become much more enlightened or destroy ourselves. This does not mean that this noble and just argument should not be made. But it is very unlikely a world wide agreement with it will probably never happen in our life time. I am going to follow this wholeheartedly, hoping and praying for a positive outcome.

Wow, I have really missed some wonderful updates on Gilda, while being too busy with work to check this thread! She is certainly kicking fear to the curb and starting to enjoy the freedom from it. I can only imagine the look on our and hubbies faces and emotional joy and awe you are both experiencing the new dynamics at play. I love the story of Gilda putting out the 911 calls as she fled to your husbands safety from the intrusion by Java. Gilda is a joy to read about with her new leaps and bounds in to the ever expanding freedom and wonders outside her cage to be had.

Happy Anniversary Bongo! It looks like your have a special treat there you are lavishing. Enjoy!

I am uncertain of your source that stated avian lighting is not necessary, but they are completely wrong. The only exception to that, would be you live in a climate that you can take your birds outdoors all year long for at least 4 hours of full sunlight each day. It is crucial to vitamin D3 production in their body. Without this, calcium is not absorbed at all. Avian light simply near the cage area is not correct and would be non effective. It must be place over them and the correct distance to ensure they are receiving UVB which falls off exponentially as the distance from the lighting increases. Most avian bulbs only produces levels of UVB that are only are useful at about 12 inches away from the birds head over their favorite perching spot. So it requires a proper lamp stand and bulb to have the beneficial effects. This is the stand and bulb I recommend: http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+5690+24615&pcatid=24615 Also so, please view this forum thread in our health room by Dave007, one of our most respected and experienced grey breeder on this forum: http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?157511-UVB-LIGHTING-IT-S-IMPORTANCE

It's good to hear the underlying cause of Mar's illness was found. Fungal infections can come from many things. Since it is a complex task to track down, I am pasting an article on this from the avian web. I suspect you may be correct about the humidifier. I use a fungicide in my humidifier. The Below Article is Courtesy of Dr. Rob Marshall, Avian Vet - http://www.birdhealth.com.au What is a fungal infection? There are several types of fungi that affect humans and animals (including birds), but the most common is the Aspergillus fungus. This fungus is usually associated with seed, corn cobs, old food, humid areas, air conditioners, blow heaters and wet cages. It also occurs in individuals that have a poor level of natural resistance or a damaged immune system. Your bird may show dropping changes, because the ingested fungus irritates the bowel. This fungus may also produce a toxin which causes liver disease. You may notice a dark green dropping when this occurs. When the fungus is inhaled it produces a squeaky voice, sneezing, coughing or breathing difficulties. Both the inhaled and ingested form are potentially life threatening. The culture test identifies the exact type of fungus, so we can identify where it has come from, how best to treat it and how to prevent it from recurring. Loss of or changes in voice are possible. How is it treated? (Any treatment should be discussed with medical professional!) An anti-fungal treatment must commence immediately, because this is a potentially life threatening disease. Fungilin is the medicine used to treat fungal infections. This should be given directly by mouth, or may sometimes be added to the drinking water. As well, remove all seed, grit, seed bells and fruit, from the cage. Disinfect the cage with a Water Cleanser and start your bird on sterile seed. Dry heat may be advised in the form of a bar heater. The above recommendations protect your bird from reinfection by killing or removing any fungal spores from the environment. Are there any other special instructions? Birds with fungal infections are often vitamin, mineral and protein deficient. To accelerate the healing process it is recommended that birds with fungal infections be given Turbobooster, Energy supplement and Fvite on the sterile seed daily for three weeks and then three times a week after this time. Following the fungicide treatment, Water Cleanser is given for 2 days, followed by Dufoplus and Ioford twice weekly in the drinking water. Ensure your bird is actually eating and drinking. If not, it will need special force feeding in hospital. (Avianweb Note: or by someone experienced / trained in proper force feeding procedures). Are there any long term problems? Fungal infections can damage the immune system and leave the individual susceptible to illness in the future. To protect your bird from repeat infections follow the health programme in the accompanying brochure and use a Water Cleanser as part of the weekly health programme - See more at: http://www.avianweb.com/fungalinfections.html#sthash.UsYyiwCU.dpuf

Very entertaining video. Thanks for sharing it.

Nice photo. Thanks for sharing it. Now if you can just teach her to squeeze it into your iced tea...

Welcome Miranda. I am looking forward to hearing more about this when your grey comes home.

Thanks for sharing the photos. He is beautiful.

You can get scented beeswax candles. The main thing bird owners worry about is the lead in the wick. If you ensure there is no lead, the candle whether beeswax or not is fine. We used to use natural scented candles. The switched to the scensie warmers and get natural scents. However, we only use them for a short time like 30 minutes, then turn it off. If we do think the smell is a little strong, we simply open a few windows to dilute it a bit.