danmcq

I just had an epiphany today when walking out of the room Dayo was in. I noticed (FINALLY) that every time I or Kim leaves the room, Dayo makes the Phone ringing sound....... Then it hit me, he is making it, because every time it rings, we go in that room and answer it!! He's "Calling" us LOL...can't believe it took me this long to connect the two...Geeeezzzzz. B)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2008/02/07 00:15

What a nice job you have done in helping him mend back to health and happiness Ladybug. :-) The slide show was great with the captions you placed in it. I had to copy and paste the link into my browser though, it would not work from the link itself that you posted. Maybe if you edit your post, delete that link and copy/paste it back in it will work properly for everyone. :-)

Thats great news Frank!! The job is waiting for you too, it just can't start until you get settled in. :-) Thanks for the update. Weve all been missing you!!

Heather - I always love your photography! :-) Thanks for posting these.

That's a great example of stamina and determination Laurie!! The quitnet sounds like a great support group that offers no slippage option, which is vital to success. One second, minute, hour, day at a time...you go girl!! I hope the unisom gives you a good nights sleep. :-) Thanks for keeping us updated on your journey of quitting.

That all sounds ok gbdb. The most important thing is a consistency in the daily schedule for her. Just keep offering the breakfast and veggies, fruits nuts etc. and she will eventually start eating them. She is still fairly young and getting adjusted to new foods and experiences. I would recommend taking the seed out at night and then only placing the breakfast you make and veggies in the mornings when she will be the hungriest. This would help in enticing her to try new things faster. :-)

Oh, that is such a wonderful update Hannah!! It sounds like your whole flock is having a great time. I'm so happy for you guys!!! :-)

UGH - I feel Ya Marlene. Dayo is 9 months old and thinks he must follow one of us wherever we go!! We take him back, he sits for a couple of minutes and flap, flap, flap he's back! :-) Take him back, he sits for a few and flap, flap, flap he's back again saying "Wuz Up?". So, the circle continues. I think we walk 4` miles a day putting him back, but the good side is were getting plenty of exercise. B) Just keep on keepin on as Judy said......(((SIGH))) :-)

I took Dayo in for a wellness check-up the same week I brought him home. this was even though I knew he was fine at the breeders and still was after I had got him home. I just did it for peace of mind in knowing that he had a clean bill of health. One thing to note on behaviour issues. The first thing anyone will tell you, is to take them in for a wellness check. The underlying cause could be a health problem. That is a long haul for a visit when you think all is well. But, since sweetheart has never been, she could well have an underlying issue causing her to be irritable and not wanting to be handled. I would do it just for peace of mind. I figure your asking because you aren't at peace with NOT taking sweetheart, just to make sure. :-) So your probably asking us, hoping we'll all probably say "Na, she's fine", but we won't B) I say this with the utmost respect for you and love for you and Sweetheart as beloved friends. :-)<br><br>Post edited by: danmcq, at: 2008/02/05 22:23

Your welcome Kathy!! I will fill-in the prayer for Lulu between Jesus and Amen :-) I am confident that you and Lulu will be together for a long, long time!!

Your doing great Laurie!! I hate how addictive Nicotine is. It is as hard to quit as being addicted to Heroine or Crack!! The only difference is you don't start hallucinating or throwing up with chills etc. The withdrawals are just as hard and driving you to go to whatever lengths for a nicotine fix...grab a cig out of someones mouth walking by :evil: , bum a cig off of them etc.....it's BAD :huh: I am so proud of you, I may just quit too....er.....well any day now :-) It has been on my mind pretty strongly for the last 3 months and is really eating at me. Your setting a great example!! I can't be out done by a Woman ;-)B)

Thanks for posting this Jane08. The terrible acts of capturing those wonderful Greys in the wild continue and in huge quantities as the article you provided the link to graphically shows. It is great to see these culprits captured and hopefully severely disciplined and imprisoned. The work these people are doing in health screening, treating and releasing back into the wild is a great and needed work to ensure these Greys do not become extinct in the wild, as they would if the capturing and illegal exporting continues. One other thing to be aware of also in regards Cameroon and surrounding areas. Is the Internet ad's you find find from supposed "Breeders" or "Good Samaritans" in those areas claiming to just want to find a good home for their precious baby. All you need to do is wire the money for them to ship them by "Air" to you no matter where you live in the world. We all know that it is illegal to export Greys to the States and other places in the world and normally not fall for such an obvious scam. But, persons looking for their first Parrot do not and fall victims to these thieves constantly. Again, thanks for posting this Jane! :-)

Here is some good information on Giardia, from a vet: Giardia Giardia is a one-celled protozoal organism that is commonly found in pet and aviary birds. It lives in the small intestines (usually the duodenum) and is shed sporadically in the droppings. It may cause diarrhea, malnutrition and malabsorption in affected animals. In some birds, especially cockatiels, it may induce pruritis (itching), causing a bird to scream and pull feathers or dig at the skin with the beak. The skin of birds infested with giardia may appear dry and flaky. Most often, the underside of the wings, the insides of the thighs and perhaps the chest are plucked. Giardia is quite common in cockatiels, lovebirds and budgies, however, it can be found in most species of birds, including Amazons, macaws, pionus, Eclectus, lories, parrotlets, parakeets, African grey parrots, Poicephalus and cockatoos. It is also found in canaries, finches, doves and pigeons. Groundbirds are commonly infested. In addition to causing diarrhea, malnutrition, itching, feather picking and weight loss, it may also cause mortality of baby birds in the nest. Often, the babies will be very thin, have poor feathering and will cry excessively to be fed. Many will die before fledging. The droppings may be malodorous. Adults and babies may show staining of fecal material around the vent. The organism is difficult to diagnose for several reasons. Giardia is not shed in every dropping. It is a very fragile organism in one form, and may disintegrate before it can be diagnosed. Regular fecal parasite exams, performed in a vet's clinic or by a professional lab, may miss this organism because of its fragility. A new procedure has greatly increased the chance of diagnosing giardia in birds. This involves preserving the feces (and giardia cysts) in 5% formalin (NOT the usual 10% used to preserve normal tissues). The preserved feces are then sent to a special lab that only studies parasites, and a different type of microscope, called a phase contrast scope, is used to diagnose giardia. By your veterinarian going the extra distance, this elusive parasite has been diagnosed in your bird. You may be surprised that your bird is being diagnosed now with giardia, as it may have been examined by a veterinarian previously, and it may even have had fecal parasite exams performed in the past. A solitary pet bird may harbor giardia for long periods of time before showing signs of illness. New methods of testing have greatly improved the chance of a positive diagnosis. In the past, treatment was usually administered by using a drug called Flagyl (metronidazole.) This drug only comes in an injectable form, which is not good for birds, and in a tablet that is so bitter that no matter what it is mixed with, it is very unpalatable. Flagyl only is effective in about 40% of giardia-positive birds. Another drug, fenbendazole (Panacur) may work well to clear many birds, however, it can cause feather deformities and it may cause liver problems in some birds. Other drugs have been tried, with varying success. Another drug that may be somewhat effective is Humatin (paromomycin). This drug must be administered orally by syringe. Dr. Wissman usually chooses to use a drug that she imports from Germany, that is not available in the U.S. to treat giardia. It is called dimetridazole. It is a drug that can be easily administered in the drinking water. Properly administered, it is safe and effective in clearing a high percentage of birds harboring giardia. It is probably a good idea to treat all birds directly exposed to an infested bird or its droppings. Testing prior to treatment will identify the degree of infestation of those birds. Retreatment may be necessary periodically. Retesting is an important part of managing giardia, and follow-up examinations are necessary. Be sure to follow your avian veterinarian's advice. It must be noted that some birds will never be completely cured of giardia, and it may occasionally flare up. Providing your bird with a secure environment, feeding a balanced, nutritious diet and using a water bottle will help prevent reoccurrence of problems. Excellent sanitation and husbandry practices must be employed, as well. Exposure to droppings should be minimized. A grate at the bottom of the cage should be used. Spraying the grate with non-stick cooking spray (PAM) will allow droppings to slide off the grate and into the bottom of the cage. Water bottles may be purchased at most pet stores and feed stores, and are useful in preventing contamination of drinking water with fecal material. Water bottles also prevent high levels of bacteria from growing in water bowls. One of the best preventative medical things that you can do for you bird is to buy it a water bottle today and begin using it. Birds are so smart that almost all birds will discover how to use a water bottle immediately after it is placed in the cage. Plastic bottles may be used for the smaller birds, but for large birds, a glass bottle with a stainless steel drinking tube, which is almost indestructible, should be purchased. The tube should be checked daily to ensure that the system is not plugged up and is delivering water. Some birds will stuff a seed, piece of toy or shell into the tube, effectively plugging it up. Other birds may learn how to stick a toenail into the tube to take a shower under it, thus emptying the whole bottle in short order. If your bird loves to take a bath, provide a large bowl of water several times per week for this activity, or try taking it in the shower with you. Your bird's giardia should not be contagious to humans or other types of pets in the home. It is contagious between birds, however. It is not thought to be transmitted through tap water (unless it is contaminated with bird droppings!) The giardia that infests humans is a separate organism, according to latest research, and is not contagious to birds. Protozoal parasites can form cysts, which are shed in the feces of infected birds. These cysts are infectious and are easily spread to other birds if ingested. Cysts can survive in the environment for several weeks. All cages should have grates to prevent access to droppings, and cage papers should be changed daily. In addition, a thorough disinfection of your bird’s cage, toys, and play areas is an integral part of eliminating a protozoal infection. Medication alone will not prevent your bird from getting reinfected from his environment’. While treating your bird with the medication prescribed by your veterinarian, clean and disinfect non-porous cage, toy, and dish surfaces at least once a week. Effective disinfection can be performed as follows: first, thoroughly wash surfaces with a mild dish soap, and rinse well. Then, apply a dilute bleach solution (1 part bleach to 32 parts water) and allow 10-20 minutes of contact time. finally, rinse thoroughly with water to remove all traces of bleach. Remember that while bleach is an effective disinfectant, it is also a respiratory irritant and should never be used around your bird. Porous surfaces, such as wood toys or perches, cannot be effectively disinfected, and should be replaced. Protozoal cysts can also survive on your bird’s feathers, and be reingested during grooming. Follow your veterinarians recommendations concerning bathing or showering your bird while he’s on medication. The sensitivity of protozoa to antiparasitic medications is variable and difficult to predict. It is therefore imperative that your bird be retested after treatment to determine if the treatment was successful. Because reinfection can mimic resistance, appropriate cleaning and isinfecting must be instituted in conjunction with treatment. If the environment is not adequately cleaned, relapses are common.

Sorry to hear your having this problem Tiffany. :-( One thing I do know, is if you have now started screaming back and reacting, that's what he wants is any type of attention and he will continue even more so. If you take him out of his cage and let him on your arm or shoulder, does he stop screaming? Also, if the other children in the house are loud and perhaps screaming at him or each other, he could have learned this behaviour as "normal" calling techniques for his flock there. They are highly and intelligent and put two and two together based on what they see and hear. Lastly, did anything change six weeks ago at the time you say he started this behaviour?

Nice looking baby you have there. Thanks for sharing these photos Hanna!! :-)

Thats wonderful Motomazzo. It's good to hear from you again too. Well, since he's a brat, I vote for "Spanky", as in the little rascals. :-)

It's great to hear you are making progress in such short time. She sounds very intelligent and sensitive to your voice and words. Just sitting on your Arm and being with you is good bonding time. :-)

Awwww, nice photos Hanna!! Thanks for posting them. :-)

Welcome gbdb_kcb !!! They love Peppers!! You hit a hot button on your new baby Grey there. :-) Offer veggies first thing in the morning when they are the hungriest. Take out the seed and pellet mix. Try different veggies in different ways. Some like them raw, others like them cooked. The key is to just keep offering them and they will start eating over time. Looking forward to hearing more and seeing some photos when you get a chance.

Welcome codiandme!!! Looking forward to hearing more about you and the flock. :-)

Well Jimmy - Based on the ingredients, it looks like it may not be bad for them in moderation. The sugar is a little high, but it does have good componenets too: Ingredients: Water, sucrose syrup, citric acid, natural flavors, sodium citrate, potassium citrate, sucralose, vitamin C, vitamin E acetate, niacinamide, calcium disodium EDTA, calcium pantothenate, pyridoxine hydrochloride, acesulfame potassium, vitamin B12. Nutrition Facts: Serving size: 8 fl oz (240 ml); Servings per container: About 3; Amount per serving: Calories: 10; Total fat: 0g; Total carbohydrates: 3g; Sugars: 2g; Protein: 0g; Vitamin C: 10%; Vitamin E: 10%; Niacin: 25%; Vitamin B6: 25%; Vitamin B12: 4%; Pantothenic acid: 25%

Hi Teluhlasmom - When they are that young, they play a little and cuddle a lot. Enjoy it while you can, it will end in a few months and you will miss that little panting baby. :-)

Hahahahahah Mazy - Good One!!! I love this photo!! Karma to you.

LOL Siobha - I TRY not to view it that way...Poop on command is coming along, but not perfected yet Mazy - I'm glad it gave you an idea. That's why I always ask for photos from everyone. It gives us great ideas we hadn't thought of. I am jealous of Tracy's really cool aviary room though. God. it's like Disneyland for a Grey!! :-)

That good news on the vet visit Sheila. Perhaps you should start trying to see if he will willingly step up onto your hand or arm when it is in the cage. If he does, then you can just calmly talk to him in a gentle loving voice and continue to let him know you are going to touch him or give him scratches etc. That way he will tell you what he wants and when he wants it. :-) You could even start saying something like "out of Cage" when you are going to take him out. Then he will let you know he wants out to be with you. :-) It sure is a wonderful thing you are doing in helping and caring for this highly intelligent and wonderful Grey!!