danmcq

If your going to purchase a screw in compact bulb, I would recommend the zoo med you can find at this link: http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Avian-Compact-Florescent/dp/B000KH9S88. Please note the distance recommend for uva/uvb absorption.

I suspect the compact fluorescent you purchased may have been defective in some way. They do have electronic ballasts which should result in no flicker at 10 to 20khz. It could also have to do with the temperature/type i.e daylight, sunlight, warm etc.

This is one of the best documentaries I have seen so far on the rescue operation. Thanks for posting this.

It is completely possible that the flicker rate (60 Hertz) which is due to most home fluorescence's use magnetic ballasts. I built my own avian lights and used electronic ballasts which run at high frequencies and the keen avian eye does not perceive any flickering. It is the light flickering that can agitate them, not the emf. You may not perceive flicker, but birds will. They can see at a much faster frame rate than humans. You know how irritating it is to us when we see lights flicker, multiply that by 10 in a bird. You could replace the kitchen light ballasts with electronic, but since you are renting, you probbaly will not want to spend the money on it. Just leaving them off as you have been would suffice.

I always enjoying seeing a video of Misty. Thanks for sharing this.

LOL, thanks for the morning smile. I enjoyed reading this.

Way to go! He is beautiful. Thanks for sharing this video.

That's the tough part of owning a flighted parrot. They can and will go anywhere they wish. I know this may not work for you, but the only way we can keep our birds away from area's such as you describe is to put a stuff animal with eyes. It will normally keep the birds at bay for a month or so until they realize it is not going to harm them. Then we get another different looking stuffed toy. It works great. I will say, even a clipped parrot will go any where it can reach and chew as well on baseboards, furniture and if it can climb to a window ledge via curtains, it certainly will.

A question on the air purifier and humidifier. How long have they been there? Do you think he could be afraid of those? Anything that can cause fear and anxiety can exacerbate the issue of plucking.

Very cute grey. In not to long, you will have Roxie home and will will start seeing those pictures flow in, can't wait!

Oh poor Jax. It is good to hear you have an appointment with an Avian Vet. They will know the right questions to ask you and also what to test for. Plucking as severe as seen in your photos is a very extreme case. It could be from nervousness, to food allergies or underlying health issues. Your vet may recommend things such as getting off the Harrison's, which contain peanuts and sunflower seeds mainly due to a possible peanut allergy for example. Do you mist with 100% Aloe Juice until he is soaking wet at least 3 x a week? Also, 100% Aloe Gel will help on those exposed raw areas to sooth and heal. I have no doubt you are very upset and concerned about this, as any of us would be. Hopefully the Vet will be bale to determine the underlying cause which is sometimes very hard to do at times. Please post an update when you get back from the Vet.

You hit the nail on the head Jeff. There are no "Leaders" in a flock. It is a communal living arrangement and each takes on a task or role as the need arises. You cannot dominate a bird. They will simply respond with fear, uncertainty and of a good bite or flight. They will learn as you take the time in being patient, that it is a give take. Sometimes you ask if they wish to step up while offering your forearm or hand, other times when it is not an option you persist until they do. It takes a while, but they will learn the difference in the dynamics of your tone and posturing. Don't get discouraged, Gracie is an infant at this point and has no social habits yet. She is just learning to understand and like things in a human world, with her strong instinct driven parrot reactions to the her environment. After a few years, she will have learned to control those wild instincts as she understands humans for the most part are "ok" once they learn our body language. One thing I am certain you know, they are very intuitive and empathic. You cannot disguise your true inner emotions when you are upset or anxious, they feel it, regardless of the happy face and voice. It is best if one has the time, to just take a deep breath, chill and calm down, then try again at a request you wish them to comply with.

Rosa sounds like a real sweetheart and highly responsive to verbal speech in human. I use "whisper" with Dayo as well. I don't know what it is about whispering, but it intrigues him an the uses it many times throughout the day. LOL @ bird excrement! It is most certainly a GreYt glue.

Great update, thanks for sharing it. One thing I learned long ago with Dayo when he was young and I would play with toys, just as you do. Soon you find that your hand becomes a part of the game as well, even though it is not the ball for example. I learned after a while to toss or roll the ball or other object to him, rather than offering it from my hand. If I offered it in my hand, it was 50/50 whether he would just take it or if he would nail me. All of this is trial and error both with you and Gracie as you go. As they age, they will mellow a little and he has learned to play "Nice" maybe 90 percent of the time, but while they are young, just as a human child, they go nuts and act physco, BIG FUN for them! I personally do not believe in the Height Dominance theory, it is not true in the wild at all. The only thing a bird gains from height is an easier way to avoid you, not dominate you.

LOL GreYt Story! Thanks for sharing it.

I always enjoy these amazing cognitive stories of Marcus. They always bring a smile to my face. Thanks for sharing the,.

DNA is the only way to sex a grey, other than surgically sexing them. There are a ton of wives tales out there about visually sexing a grey, but none are true.

Parrot biting and aggressive behavior can be rooted in many different causes. Biting is always a tough one to deal with. First of all, I don’t think there is any such thing as unprovoked biting. There is always a reason and there is always a warning. We just don’t always pick up on it. Some parrots bite as a way to let you know they don’t like what you are doing. Some parrots learn to bite to get a desired response. Other parrots may become highly aroused and suddenly bite without warning. Baby parrots may start mouthing gently and then gradually increase the pressure. Some parrots bite defending their territories like cage, play stand, favorite toy, favorite chilling and preening area etc. and some bite in response to someone coming to close to their preferred human. Sometimes we can’t always determine why a parrot bites or shows aggressive behavior. But even when we don’t know the cause there are solutions to parrot biting behaviors. We humans aren’t always as attentive to what our birds are telling us as other birds are. For instance, before I try to take my bird out of his cage, scratch him on the head, or interact with him at all, I assess his body language. Use Positive reinforcement! Reinforce your bird for sitting nicely on your hand. Again this is with a scratch on the head, a sunflower seed, whatever works for your bird. At the first sign that your bird may bite, set him down or put him back in his cage. Again, avoiding the negative situation is easier than dealing with it afterward. What you are training the bird here is to sit calmly on your hand without biting. Any attempt to bite or even nibble lightly will be met immediately with him losing his precious time with you. What if your bird has just bitten you? React, of course - immediately and appropriately. Don’t hit the bird, don’t throw the bird, and don’t scream bloody murder. If the bird is flighted, then simply shush them away, roll your hand and drop it, put the bird in his cage for a time out, on a perching area or down on the floor immediately with no great fanfare. Basically when The bird bites, it loses its perch and the ability to be with its person(s). Never drop a bird with clipped wings on the ground. You do want it to experience the consequences of its actions, not to injure it. These are just a few comments on a huge topic and every bird responds to various methodologies. I have not been 100% successful in stopping a good bite every once in a while when I am either not paying CLOSE attention while giving scratches, playing with or working in close proximity to my grey. I feel observing all that body language and avoiding a bite when it is clearly being displayed (most the time, they are well known for sucker bites) you can avoid 95 percent of bites.

What a horrible incident. It is great to hear Oboe is home and back in comfortable surroundings.

Tell me birds are not intelligent and actually enjoy playing and inventing new games. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=YP9RnDp_tms

That's the million dollar question and it could not be answered positively. It is not normal for any bird to swallow items like that. They will shred them, chew them in to little balls or pieces and then you'll find small pieces laying around, as you have described.

Hi Nancy - They are possessive of their favored ones. You are doing the right thing in trying to get Sophie and Kayleigh on more friendly grounds. I do uinderstabd though, when your son is gone away and comes home, Sophie wants him all to herself. Sophie is just so happy to see him and has obviously missed him much.

Wow, in that video it does indeed look as if he is swallowing the paper. If he is, it could certainly impact his crop. You were correct in not giving him paper any longer if that is true.

I truly doubt that he is eating it. It does appear that way at times, but they really are letting it drop out of therir beak at some point in time after they have rolled it into a ball and chewed on it for a while.

It did (One side let go and swung down) and I put it back up the same day with special anchor bolts so that can never happen again.