danmcq

LOL! They can type and rip keys off faster than any of us can type or stop.

I always enjoy the videos of emma.

Dave is right, a dvd comes with the aviator that shows you how to introduce it to your parrot. My best advice is go slow and only at the speed your grey will take it, so as to avoid a fright/hate of it. They need to be slowly conditioned to it as the video points out. It took a couple of months to get dayo to the point of fully harnessing him and taking him outside. After that, when I wished to take him with me and he did not want the harness put on, I respected that and left him in the house. Sometimes he was ready to go with total acceptance of being harness. It's a two way street in my opinion.

Thanks for your detailed post Janet. I am sorry to hear it did not work out well for you and Ana Grey. I've been busy restoring files, at work (home) and have just been taking it slow in introducing this device to Dayo. I followed a very SLOW process in introducing him to the aviator as well over weeks and once I got it fully on him he started freaking out and biting at the aviator as well the first several times, which I swiftly took off him so he did not have a bad association with it after weeks. I am taking the same methodology with this tether device and fully expect the first time I leave it fully on him, that he will start fighting with it. The weight of this does not concern me, because it is intended to slow down the bird so they cannot fly off. It is intended only for the safe ability of taking your bird outside with you. It is not intended for any type of flight like the aviator's light weight extensions so they can truly fly 10 to 30 feet with the correct setup. It will be weeks before I can give an honest report on this new tether. Dayo of course will not have a weight problem with this as severe as ana grey did because he is fully 200 grams heavier and much bigger than ana grey. I am just letting im beak it, snap on one leg clip, leave for 10 to 30 seconds while he beaks and explores it and then take it back off. With most new items and greys, they need to be introduced slowly until a level of trust and comfort is developed. So, just wait folks and in several weeks I will posts our experience and findings with this.

Been offline for 3 days due to a Trojan called "ZeroAccess". It was introduced to my PC through a trusted friend that sent a word document attached that they had created themselves. However, the were unaware that they were infect with this Trojan when they created and sent the email. The affects did not show up immediately until I started noticing after 2 days that doing anything came to a slow crawl and I noticed my router was busy sending and receiving even with no applications open. McAfee and PCtools did not pick it up until it was too late and it is a very power trojan that actually shuts them down and disables your firewall. It took three days of windows registry editing, launching a linux boot disk and manually deleting files it had created, then doing a manual repair install of windows system files that were changed by this monster. Anyway, it's getting to where you cannot trust anything anybody body sends you, even friends that honestly have no indication they have an infection.... Glad to be back online.....

She is doing GreYt and saying a ton of words and sentences she is still calibrating. Some I can clearly hear and others I am not certain what it is yet. What I heard: 1) Step Up 2) Hi Baby and also what sounds like Here Baby 3) Happy 4) Ice Tea 5) Pretty Doggie 6) Woof Woof Woof 7) What sounds like Whisper 8) What sounds like "Lets See" then intelligible other words at this time 9) Maybe hearing "Beak" 10) Many various whistles 11) Clicking sounds 12) Kissing sounds She is dong really picking things up and starting to calibrate very rapidly, congrats!!!

It is an issue getting flighted grey's many times in their cage at bedtime. They can just fly off when they know you are coming to get and put them to bed. I know how exasperating it can become and sometimes having to towel them. This where where we need to use the night time scratching or just kicking back ritual many greys do at night when just kicking back perhaps watching tv with the family. What works for us, is while our grey is in that kick back mode, we have him step up on our hand or arm while still sitting which is something we do at various times of the day to just lift him up and talk to him or move him to our shoulder for example. So it is a practice he has come to just do. However, when it's bedtime as he steps on to our hand or arm, we pull him in towards our body while at the same time bring our other hand around from behind and gently cup the hand over his wings so he cannot fly off. Then we just softly talk to him as we get up and walk to his cage, place him in it and do our night-night ritual with kisses and good nights etc. I will say, every once in a while he realizes we are about to go to bed and will fly from whomever he is sitting on to the tee stand we have in our living room. Then start eating some pellets or seeds. As he does so, we just walk to him and sometimes coax / force a step up on to our arm and cup his back/wings as already described above. It takes some practice at first, but you'll get the hang of it quickly. Then it is no longer drama time for you or your bird.

Dave and Janet have given good food for thought. As Dave explained so well, it is meant to enable you to easily take your bird with you outside, not to enable flight like the aviator. They are intended for completely different purposes. I have the aviator and it serves it's purpose well, except when Dayo chews the cord in two... or just won't lt us put it on most the time. I have purchased and have this Tether on it's way. Will get photos and comment once it has been tried out a few times.

I am purchasing one for Dayo. This method has been used for eons with hawks. It's just leather does not work for parrots as they chew through it in a heart beat. Thus the metal clips. The reason I like it, is it will be on in 10 seconds versus that aviator harness is a chore with Dayo many times. He loves to go outside with us, but many times fights the harness and we don't push it when he does to ensure he gets to where he never wants to have the aviator on again. He has been like this with the harness since we started using it when he was 18 weeks old. The tethers will be easy because he lets us play with his feet and legs all the time and file his nails etc.

Wow, I love this leash! I am ordering one. What a quick way to pop on the leash and zip outside with your bird. Thanks for finding and sharing it.

A new interesting study that even though it compares to a human childs age 3 of reasoning, I thought I would share it. You cannot fool a Grey. Once again, the grey proves it has reasoning abilities all of it's own..... What did the researchers expect to find?? Enjoy: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-205_162-57489084/parrots-can-reason-like-3-year-old-kids/

My Grey gets Harrisons and eats it through out the day. I mix it in with his seed mix. Harrisons Coarse High Potency was developed specifically for African Grey dietary needs which is different than other parrot types. Greys need more protein, calcium, vitamin A and fats than other parrots.

Yes!!! A moment of extreme fricks and fracks on the lips = forever in your greys vocabulary! Well, I have successfully replaced a few zingers with similar sounding words.

Dayo listens, then just comes out with them. Brutus and all other greys for the most part, I believe after having built up a large vocabulary. Really do not need to calibrate/mumble as they did when very young. They already know all the sounds associated with every letter of the alphabet. Its just a matter of putting the sounds and words together.

I agree with Judy. I would suggest leaving Rita in the cage. The most important thing is that both are in their comfort level-zones. Both can enjoy each others company without any incidents. I have left Dayo and Jake in their cages for a week with family members watchig after them her ein our home. That way all were safe and happy without any incidents. We all know a flighted bird can sometimes be obstinate about being put back in their cages. You would not want your non-parrot friend put in that circumstance that could end up harming the both of them. In my opinion, a bird left at home in their cage is always better than boarding where they do not know the people, place, other birds or activities and are truly in an alien land that may even be frightening to them.

Happy B-Day Ana Grey!

As long as you know the pecans have no cracks in them before giving to your birds, they should be fine as no mold could have entered in and started to grow. I will say though, unless you have a large Macaw, smaller parrots will not be able to crack them.

The point of this thread is two fold. 1) Most people don't even know the hazard's of our Avian friends being put under. Thus everyone should go through the checklist of questions BEFORE an emergency happens. I know for example in my area, that there is no Avian vet equipped for an emergency that requires putting a bird under. The closest is an hour away and thus I know if or when a 911 occurs, I am hitting the road and doing 120 all the way there. 2) If anyone takes a bird to the vet for routine clipping, nail trimming or tests and the bird is upset as many are. I have heard many a vet state they must sedate. My advice... Run don't walk to an avian vet that knows you can handle an upset bird using a towel. No one should ever consider sedation for routine visits. All - Please ask the questions before a 911 so you know where you must go for an avian vet capable of handling it..

Ok - Lets use actual data rather than opinions. Tons of research has been done on this very topic. Direct from CDC: Protozoa - Cryptosporidium Potential health effects from ingestion of water contaminated with Cryptosporidium are: Gastrointestinal illness (for example, diarrhea, vomiting, cramps). [*]Sources of Cryptosporidium in drinking water are: Human and animal fecal waste. [*]Methods that may remove some or all of Cryptosporidium from drinking water are: Boiling (Rolling boil for 1 minute) has a very high effectiveness in killing Cryptosporidium; Filtration has a high effectiveness in removing Cryptosporidium when using an absolute less than or equal to 1 micron filter (NSF Standard 53 or 58 rated "cyst reduction / removal" filter); Disinfection with iodine or chlorine is not effective in killing Cryptosporidium; Disinfection with chlorine dioxide has a low to moderate effectiveness in killing Cryptosporidium; Combination filtration and disinfection has a very high effectiveness in removing and killing Cryptosporidium when used with chlorine dioxide and an absolute less than or equal to 1 micron filter (NSF Standard 53 or 58 rated "cyst reduction / removal" filter). [*]Protozoa - Giardia intestinalis (also known as Giardia lamblia) Potential health effects from ingestion of water contaminated with Giardia are: Gastrointestinal illness (for example, diarrhea, vomiting, cramps). [*]Sources of Giardia in drinking water are: Human and animal fecal waste. [*]Methods that may remove some or all of Giardia from drinking water are: Boiling (Rolling boil for 1 minute) has a very high effectiveness in killing Giardia; Filtration has a high effectiveness in removing Giardia when using an absolute less than or equal to 1 micron filter (NSF Standard 53 or 58 rated "cyst reduction / removal" filter); Disinfection with iodine or chlorine has a low to moderate effectiveness in killing Giardia; Disinfection with chlorine dioxide has a high effectiveness in killing Giardia; Combination filtration and disinfection has a very high effectiveness in removing and killing Giardia when used with chlorine dioxide and an absolute less than or equal to 1 micron filter (NSF Standard 53 or 58 rated "cyst reduction / removal" filter). [*]Bacteria - (for example, Campylobacter, Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli) Potential health effects from ingestion of water contaminated with bacteria are: Gastrointestinal illness (for example, diarrhea, vomiting, cramps). [*]Sources of bacteria in drinking water are: Human and animal fecal waste. [*]Methods that may remove some or all of bacteria from drinking water are: Boiling (Rolling boil for 1 minute) has a very high effectiveness in killing bacteria; Filtration has a moderate effectiveness in removing bacteria when using an absolute less than or equal to 0.3 micron filter; Disinfection with iodine or chlorine has a high effectiveness in killing bacteria; Disinfection with chlorine dioxide has a high effectiveness in killing bacteria; Combination filtration and disinfection has a very high effectiveness in removing and killing bacteria when used with iodine, chlorine, or chlorine dioxide and an absolute less than or equal to 0.3 micron filter (NSF Standard 53 or 58 rated "cyst reduction / removal" filter). [*]Viruses - (for example, enterovirus, hepatitis A, norovirus, rotavirus) Potential health effects from ingestion of water contaminated with viruses are: Gastrointestinal illness (for example, diarrhea, vomiting, cramps), hepatitis, meningitis. [*]Sources of viruses in drinking water are: Human and animal fecal waste. [*]Methods that may remove some or all of viruses from drinking water are: Boiling (Rolling boil for 1 minute minimum) has a very high effectiveness in killing viruses; Filtration is not effective in removing viruses; Disinfection with iodine or chlorine has a high effectiveness in killing viruses; Disinfection with chlorine dioxide has a high effectiveness in killing viruses; Disinfection has a high effectiveness in killing viruses when used with iodine, chlorine, or chlorine dioxide. I personally boil eggs in water for 10 minutes. Then I chop up the shell and all. I guarantee you, the shells were sterile.

Cag - ~ 490 Peach Front Conure ~ 100, but thinks he is the biggest and baddest dude in the house.....

Avian Anesthesia is always risky and should not be used in my opinion unless absolutely necessary. Birds do not have diaphrams like we humans, they have up to 9 air sacks. Gas Anesthesia is the preferred and most predominant method over a vein drip for many reasons as you can read about in links I will provide later. Some important questions you should consider if your bird may require Anesthesia: If your avian veterinarian has recommended surgery for your bird, it is your duty to become an advocate for your bird prior to signing the consent forms. Of course, if it is an emergency that has brought you to the vet, there may be no time to research the situation, and you should allow the avian vet to proceed posthaste! You have every right to question your avian vet prior to the surgical event. Some of the questions that you should ask are these: What type of anesthetic agents do you routinely use to anesthetize birds? Do you routinely intubate birds for surgery? What do you use to keep a bird warm during surgery? What type of monitoring equipment do you employ during surgery? Will my bird receive fluids during the procedure? Should I fast my bird prior to surgery? If so, for how long? How many times have you performed this procedure? What type of surgical equipment do you have for birds? Do you routinely use pain medication after performing painful procedures? Do you have an avian intensive care unit for surgical recovery? Who monitors the birds after surgery? Can my bird receive a blood transfusion, if necessary? When might my bird go home after surgery? Will there be sutures or surgical apparatus that needs to be removed after surgery? Would it be in my bird's best interest to be referred? Your avian vet should not feel threatened by your questions, and in most cases, should be proud to detail any advanced training he or she has had, and he or she should take the time to show you the avian surgical suite and equipment If your avian vet has limited experience, but is willing to try the procedure, and you are comfortable with this, using a local avian vet may be the best way to go. However, if there is a chance that the surgical procedure may be very complicated, it might be best to be referred to a university or Board Certified Avian Specialist. You and your avian vet will be best able to make this decision together. If you feel that your bird would benefit from a second opinion, it is courteous to ask your current vet for a referral to a vet he or she respects, for a second opinion. In most cases, your vet will be happy to send along all of the pertinent information, radiographs, ultrasound results and lab work for the second opinion vet to review. If the second vet concurs with the first, you should return to the first vet for the procedure. A few good links on Avian Anesthesia you may find educational: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CFoQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.harrisonsbirdfoods.com%2Favmed%2Fampa%2F39.pdf&ei=EHYeUMPwG6btiQLDzIDQDQ&usg=AFQjCNGC3MXWAcKmJ-j-2iYwmaWWVO741w http://ocw.tufts.edu/Content/60/lecturenotes/796181 http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=380879

Zandische - Excellent comments and thoughts! I always enjoy reading your posts. I agree with all you have said. I have always found it profound that T-Bird named himself. That is very rare and creative! Thank you for contributing to this topic.

I loved this pictorial adventure. They are truly enjoying this breakfast. Thanks or sharing it.

Congrats! Baby Vai is beautiful. LOL, I cannot count the times I have gone out somewhere only to find poop was on my back after returning. I would love to see more photos and videos when you get a chance. Watching them in flight is a beautiful thing to see indeed.

Welcome! If you would provide us with what area your in, we may have members here that can give you local breeders they are familiar with. You can of course do a web search for your area on breeders as well.