danmcq

I glad it is well received. :-) If it just saves one Parrot of any type from a heat stroke. It will be wonderful. Tracy - Whats up with that England weather? Is it normal to have cold stormy conditions like that in the Summer?

Thats GreYt news Sameera!!! Looks like the change in vet did the job. :-) Along with your determination and loving care to get to the bottom of the plucking issue.

I let Dayo eat off my plate also. I just keep a small portion of it off to the side and he eats. It not 1/2 though as you describe. More 1/20th. I like my food and I am going to eat the majority of it. ;-) Plus, you don't want them to "pig out" on something that is not really that healthy for them. Unless your a vegetarian. :-) of which I certainly am not.

I thought I would share this with all during this Summer season. In many regions extreme heat is a common occurrence with temperatures running from the mid 90's to 100's (105 here today). I had Dayo and Jake outside yesterday from 9am to 11:30am. Both their Cages were strategically placed half in the Sun and half out, so they could chose if they needed to cool down. By 11 it was around 88. I went in the house for about 5 minutes. Came back out and sat down. Watching Dayo, I noticed he was sitting with beak a 1/4 inch open, slightly panting and wings were slightly held out from his body. This is a direct indication he was starting to overheat. I moved both the Parrots and Cages back in the house. Please ensure when you have your Greys or other Parrots outside in the Summer. That you pay special attention to Cage placement, have cool fresh water in their Cage and more importantly pay careful to their body language for indications of over-heating. If they do happen to become overheated. Move them inside and mist with cool water to help the cool-down process. If your Home is 85 or higher inside, please ensure you have a safe cage type fan running in the room to ensure good air circulation. It does not need to be pointed directly at your bird. If you’re taking your bird to the veterinarian’s during the summer, don’t do any other errands before or after your trip to the veterinarian’s, unless you’re going to the drive-through! Because heat stroke most often occurs in car-bound birds, an obvious step you need to take is to not leave your bird in a car, with the windows shut or even down a bit, on a hot afternoon. The temperatures inside a car rise rapidly and on return you will find you Parrot collapsed from a stroke or worse....Dead!! Enjoy your summer and your Grey, but safely. :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2008/07/07 16:48

Congratulations Penny!! One more wake-up and it's "Rikki" time!!!:laugh:

LOL - This sounds like some old wives tales on the food "Puffing Up" that kids could eat and kill them. Look Mom!! Our Grey can't stand up on his feet. He has puffed up like a basketball and his feet are inside his belly. And he is rolling away downhill!!!! :laugh: :silly: <br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2008/07/07 15:35

I second M2MM's advice on waiting for the nail trim. At that age they are building coordination and more importantly confidence in all the equipment they have available like their Talons, Wings, Beak etc. for climbing, grabbing, jumping, hopping, flying and landing. If you want a well rounded Grey with tons of confidence. You must let them grow up experiencing all the physical skill sets they were born to use. :-) I think most of us have walked around with pin holes all over our bodies from those needle point baby nails. We do normally round them off a little after they are fully fledged and perching like a pro.

siobha9 wrote: LOL - It sounds like Liath is certainly back to normal already. Thats GreYt to hear!! :-)

Nice photos of Smokey. Thanks for sharing them with us. :-)

OMG!!! Well, the good thing is you took immediate action and opened the house up to air out all that smoke. There is really nothing you can do in regards the smoke they inhaled. The good news is they did not succumb to lack of oxygen or any bad chemicals released when home furnishings burn. Those are the items that mean almost instant death to Parrots. Thank God you got home before the oxygen level was too low!!

Welcome Irie!!! M2MM has given good advice. Karma to her :-) As she stated, quarantine is a must. One thing to keep in mind regarding your Grey. He is #1 and nothing should change in the amount of time and quality of it, that you spend with him. He will most likely be jealous of any time spent with the new Senegal, but he will get over it. Just keep it fair. :-) Looking forward to hearing more from you.

Welcome smartDancer and Winslow!!! That was a nice introduction. It sounds like Winslow is welcoming the attention, good environment and companionship being longed for, for a long time. Looking forward to hearing more about Winslow's progress and antics...... Oh yes, you can expect more out of him than you have ever seen, due to his new found freedom. :-)

Welcome Mel!!! That is quite a task in feeding and weaning a baby Grey. They are so cute when young and become an even more interesting adult. :-) Looking forward to hearing more and seeing some photos when you get a chance.

Welcome Envie!!! It's always nice to see someone do their research before going out and buying a Parrot, especially and African Grey. Looking forward to hearing more from you. :-)

Well, good luck in your new venture as a breeder Toni. :-) What species of Amazon are you going to breed?

Wow those are beautiful pictures Milissa. You are becoming a great photographer!! :-)

LOL Siobha - Great video of Liath dancing. :-)

The reason so many Amazons end up in rescues, is due to inexperienced Parrot owners not knowing how to deal with there personalities or their hormonal surges at around 5 years old. They become "nippy" and inflict enough pain and fear into their inexperienced owners that they either abuse them by leaving them in their cage and forgetting about them, moving them to rear rooms, basements, outside etc. The they end up in a rescue. Here is a clip of a description of Amazons in general: "Amazons are not dependent on their human companions. They're independent and capable of entertaining themselves. Both sexes of these species are talented talkers, because they are naturally verbal birds. In fact, these are large birds with large voices. Keep that in mind in case you're considering an Amazon. Amazon parrots have gained a reputation as nippy birds that bite without warning. Those who know them best learn to read their body language, and also learn not to try to handle an excited Amazon. Some warning signals are flashing eyes or a wide-spread tail and stiff movements. Setting strict limits for your Amazon is also helpful. These birds are intelligent and need guidance. Since our companion birds cannot be neutered, most do exhibit some sexual behavior. Amazon parrots are famous for being "hormonal" in the spring, and it is at that time they are particularly difficult to handle. They are also vocal in these seasonal periods. These episodes are most severe when the bird is five to twelve years old. Hang in there, and you'll have many calmer years with a bird who will live to be fifty or more years old. Because of the discipline required to work with an Amazon parrot, and the subtlety involved in reading their "I'm gonna bite" behavior, this is not a good species to choose for families with children. " Amazons are WONDEFUL companions and I have considered rescuing one many times. But, the key factor here, is it is NOT a first time Parrot owner bird. There are just too many things a person must know to properly interact with and care for a Parrot to take on an Amazon, Grey, Macaw etc. as a first Parrot. :-)

I've never seen that happen to a baby being hand-fed. But, I guess it could be possible. Others that hand-feed regularly will be able to shed more light on this. Your vet will know for certain.

I thank you two for bringing Roudybush to our attention here!! :-) I really want Dayo to consume a higher percentage of pellets than seeds and nuts. He just will not eat enough of the Harrisons. Hopefully he will like the Roudybush. That way I will be secure in knowing he is getting all the vitamins and minerals he needs. He eats plenty or veggies and fruits, but the doubt is always in the back of my mind regarding the possibility that he is not getting enough of the vitamins and mineral in the correct percentages.

Hi Toni, It's good that you have been doing a lot of research. I am not so sure that an Amazon is a good "First" Parrot. Normally a budgie, love bird or Conure is a good first parrot. I don't know if you are aware of this, but Amazons are the most kept bird in rescues. many people do get them as a first bird and the next thing you know, they are in a rescue for years. I noticed the huge numbers of Amazons in rescues when I was looking for my first Parrot. I decided not to get one due to the experience level they required to successfully adopt and have a good flock member for life. Thus, I chose Jake, my wild conure that gets a little closer each day. :-)

I agree with Dave and Nychsa also. It seems as though Demonio71 thought this out. I would also have to assume that it was not an easy decision. Perhaps, since he states that he wants to find a good home for him. That can give him the amount of attention necessary to keep him healthy and happy. Is a good reason to do so before the Grey becomes a plucker or a vicious angry Grey from Hell. At least he did come to a forum that loves Greys and members here or those guests frequenting here would provide a good and loving home. :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2008/07/05 23:33

Thats great news!! :-) 85 is fine for drying out. No worries there. I keep my home at 78 to 80 in the summer (now) when it's 100 to 110 outside.

Just ordered a bag of maintenance and of high potency breeder to mix as they prescribe for African Greys. Interesting fact on ingredients of their foods: "An example of this is the inclusion of yeast cell wall extract. Yeast cell wall extract binds aflatoxin, an extremely toxic product of a mold. This mold is common and often grows on wet feed or foods. When a bird ingests aflatoxin from any source along with Roudybush Pellets, the aflatoxin is bound by the yeast cell wall extract and its toxicity to your bird is reduced or eliminated. Your bird remains happy, healthy and normal. You may have no idea that it was exposed to a potent toxin."

I am going to check on samples. Thats a GreYt Idea. Maybe they will send me a few different size bites etc. I may even try some tasting since you did and your still alive to tell about it.