danmcq

My Birds are the same as Jane's, neither starts preening until all feathers are completely dry and fluffy.

I understand the the "Other Harness". You will need to go through a weeks long process in baby steps getting your grey used to the harness, it's feel against the body and also your necessary handling of the wings etc. Yes, Dayo did a few 3 stooges "Curly" sessions on the floor with the harness on as well. It took some caution and trying to stay calm to get it off of him without receiving sever bites. I found the most successful way of accomplishing the removal, was using a favorite treat to keep his beak busy while I removed the harness. I also used a treat as a "Lure" to get him to put his head through the harness which worked out very well and kept his attention more focused on chomping that peanut rather than paying attention to what I was doing to his body as I placed the harness on or removed it in reverse order. Your doing good. I know of a few owners that became so stressed of their birds fighting the harness after it was on, that they actually cut it off with scissors quickly! They became more freaked out than their birds and just added stress to the situation. So go slow, gentle and only leave it on for a brief minute or until your see your grey is getting very uncomfortable and remove it. The goal is to make it an enjoyable experience as possible. A member (LuvParrots - Janet) had an Anklet made by a falconeer of leather. It was custom made by them locally and specifically for her bird. It will only work on a small bird like a tag and it does not have the elasticity such as a flying harness to absorb the shock if they decide to try and fly off. Janet would be more than happy to tell you morre about that I'm sure.

Hi Barbara - Yes, the video does make it look very easy, but you need to understand that there was a lot of time lapse in between the steps of familiarizing his Macaw with all the actions involved to get the bird used to the necessary body parts that must be touched and moved to successfully get the harness on. You are on the right path. I had to introduce the harness to Dayo VERY SLOWLY as you describe. First, just showing it to him, rubbing it gentle on his neck, back, and wings. Then a few times each day just practicing getting it over his head and back off in a few seconds with no stress to him. As I was doing this, I was also doing as the video showed of trying to gentle raise a wing etc. He was more uncomfortable with that than anything and it took a few weeks to get the harness completely on the first time. One thing to note on Macaws, they are for the most part a very laid back bird compared to a grey. Even though you may think the opposite due to their size, they are known in many circles as the "Puppy Dog" of the parrot world due to their personality traits. Thus the macaw in the video not showing all the freaked out responses you will see in a grey. They are very cautious, nervous and do not like change much. So just take your time, try to stay very calm and use a happy voice in a soft tone and a favorite treat helps tons in getting a harness portion off when they are freaking out to keep their beak and mind busy while you quickly remove it.

The thought of watching a bird fly away is always in all our minds. With all but one set of primaries in, your grey as already flying about and "Getting his Wings" as those skills grow stronger each day. You have done everything right from the description of precautions. Just always remember, the chance of a clipped bird flying off is just as probable as a flighted bird. The advantage you have of retrieving a flighted bird is greater than that of a clipped one. A clipped bird cannot fly down and will not, I know from experience, as I sat and watched a clipped bird fly off! It took a few days and grueling working to get the bird out of a 75 foot tree. I was more worried about him being on the ground or low in a tree and the neighbor hood cats making a snack out of him, due to not having any true flight capabilities in evasion of a fast creature such as a cat. So just keep doing what your doing, enjoy watching your flighted birds blossom and become more healthful from the benefits of the aerobic workouts they get from flying that they will never get just walking around your home.

It should be just about time that your getting ready to leave and get your new baby. Looking forward to an update.

Jay here are you rexact words : "I strongly feel she should stick to Parrot treats only. Sorry, I stand by my post....If a person feels it's ok to use a product sold for a dog, they might also feel it's ok to feed there bird a cat product etc.." This is the end our our discussion on your statements regarding dog food.

Jay - You did edit your "Dog Food" comment out and replaced it with the analysis as I stated. I do not know why you are denying it. Here is the proof...note the "Edited" at the bottom of that post: This is a big "NO-NO", It's processed and loaded with Sugar... Sugars Fructose 1.0 g Sugars Fructose 1.0 g Glucose 1.7 g Sucrose 4.4 g Maltose 6.5 g Last edited by Jayd; 10-06-2010 at 01:14 PM.

My question was in response to the post you made, then edited later with just the analysis data of a dehydrated Yam. It previously stated NOT to feed a Parrot anything labeled as Dog treats etc. It's easy to cover tracks by editing your previous posts....

Jay - What are the "Right Products"? You say they must be labeled for Parrots. I say hogwash. Any foods besides seeds, treats and pellet mixes labeled by the manufacturers as "Parrot Food". Your saying stay a way from it? You use peanut butter, which is for humans entirely, yet it's ok for parrots? I do not understand your logic or reasoning. All our vegetables and fruits are not labeled for Parrots, yet we all know most are very nutritious for them as well as most Legumes. If a Yam is healthy raw, it is also healthy cooked or dehydrated......

I am in agreement with >^..^< Just because a company labels a dehydrated product is for a dog treat, does not limit it to being safe for humans and other critters, even our parrots. There is absolutely nothing wrong with giving a parrot something like this to chew on and even consume some if the bird likes it. The whole point of my comments in this thread, has been in regards moderation. In moderate quantities, many things are fine for human and birdie. Take anyone of these to extremes and they become health issue possibilities for bird and human a like. Unless something is a known poison for a parrot,but ok for humans like garlic or onion, the parrot should not get any. I give my grey small quantities of many things that are fine, a bite off a chip, some of my spaghetti, some of my morning hot or cold cereal etc, but in large quantities would be harmful. The key, as I already said, is moderation. In regards this dehydrated Yam, a huge quantity, even if you could consume it, would have no adverse affects whatsoever. It would be a fun "Chew" item.

Dave, well said and very important information regarding Aloe Plant usage. I have always used the gel and juice purchased from the store, as you recommend.

Wow! Nice setup. Your new baby will have a nice home once arriving. One thing you may want to watch when you get your baby home, is how well it perches and coordination. If he or she seems a little unstable (Normal) you may want to place a towel or two in the bottom should your baby take a fall when climbing around. Thanks for posting the photos.

LOL! Well my male Doberman "Bentley" was laying at my feet out of camera view and he does snore, but that is actually the LOUD coffee pot in the background percolating.

Awww, your baby i slowly changing in subtle ways. At approximately 6 months of age is when their eye color starts to lighten. By the time they reach a year, their eyes become a pale grey color. At about 1.5 to 2 yrs their eyes will turn a pale straw color. And lastly at about 3 years of age (as an adult bird), they will have a light yellow iris.

GreYt advice from Dave and JDS!!!

All things in moderation and no one has any worries.... If your baby grey still wants some up close and personal feeding two or three times a day, do so. These baby ways will pass, so I would recommend enjoying them while they exist. We continue to feed our grey formula until he quit asking at about 6 months old. Some greys love a handing feeding even when fully mature. Each grey is different, so there are no Iron clad rules. Your baby will not stop feeding herself, she is eating what you provide and as an infant simply enjoys the "Parental" feeding they would get in the wild at times as well at this age. Relax and enjoy your parrot. I know it's easy to say and hard to do though, we all fret over our feathered children as if they were birthed by us. A note on iron disease, this is a very rare thing to occur. All living creatures must in fact have iron to live a healthy life. So as I said previously... moderation.

Jay - I WAS talking about the Einstein that performs on animal planet and the one most are referencing when using that name in relation to well known parrots: The Einstein you reference is a grey owner by an individual and not universally known. Thus my reference to Zoo's and Einstein in the same sentence. I am still confused why you have taken this personally. I was referring to professional trainers and their techniques, not home bodies offering their pets a treat for doing a good job. I am not sure how you got off on to this other Einstein..... Lets get back on track.

Who said anything about you Jay? I thought I was pretty clear in the "Trainers" I was commenting on and their starvation techniques. If somehow you thought I had included you in that "Group", I want to make clear I wasn't. We who do train our birds, do so with tons of positive feedback and most times after you have received the behavior you are looking for, they will repeat it over and over at different times just to get the praise and good boys.

A note on iron. Birds in nature are exposed to iron oxide through contact with soil containing the compound. In some cases, it can affect their coloration, turning them reddish. Also, some birds have iron oxide particles in their beaks, which is thought to aid in navigation using the earth's magnetic field. I have fed Dayo baby food warmed up since he was just a baby. It all comes down to common sense and moderation. Too much Vitamin A will kill any creature as well...

Great update! Can't wait to see those photos. Thanks for posting this.

Welcome wadeshuzzie and Trixie!!! I expect Trixie is on the way home now and it will be a while before you post an update.

It's good to see that food covered beak. Kopi is obviously a fighter and strong willed. Good thoughts and prayers your way!

One thing to note on birds shown doing tricks like Einstein or what you see at zoo shows etc. Unfortunately, they limit their food intake and those birds are hungry, never mnd the fact that they offer treats that are their favorite on top of being hungry. I don't and hopefully no other parrot or other critter owner would practice limiting food to get a "Pet" to do what they want it to and when they want it to. As you have noted in Sully, they love a true excited and heartfelt "Good Boy/girl" with a huge smile. It gives them the best reward of all, namely the sense of accomplishment. The others have all given great comments as well.

Shoot!!! Sorry, all fixed now.

I don't need to say anything, the video does it the best: