lovemybird!

Guess no one has the sense of humor my daughters and I have, since everyone had to tell us they would not put them on their wall! Oh well, we love them!

Lovemygreys, that painting is amazing! They grow up so fast, it will be such a nice reminder! Thanks BMUSTEE for posting the pix I could not download.. I am still quite computer illiterate I guess.

My 10 year old twins begged me to get them... I think Zuri enjoys having some art work she can look at HA!

Hello, I could not figure it out... However, if you are interested search ebay african grey prints. The sellers name is schmetzpetz- who is also the artist. They are really cute. I got the Grey reading a book, the 3 greys at a coffee shop, and single grey drinking coffee, and framed them next to my bird cage. I am certain my grey will say " mommy needs her coffee" any day now, as that is what she hears every morning before I let her out for breakfast! I will have to figure out how to change my jpegs over to convert so I can post pix! I hope they make you laugh how they made me!

Alright , this posted without the pix- I have no idea what to do so they will be accepted. If I happen to figure it out I will try again... It's too bad they are really funny! Sorry...

Found these on ebay- they tickle me! Thought you would get a kick out of them! I hope I can download them properly!

Thanks for the comfort- karma to you! Zuris downy feather loss has pretty much stopped now, so I am feeling much better. I will watch the weight, thank you for the weighing tips dblhelix!

Thank you! I had twin girls 10 years ago, and I tended to stress about them also. You know, every little cough etc: As long as Zuri is acting normal in all other aspects I will let it go. However, the hypochondriac in me did order a avian scale as my vet suggested to keep track of her weight. She said usually that will be the first indication that something is wrong, even prior to symptoms. So when it arrives I will try to only weigh her every couple weeks- HA! Thank you Judygram for your caring post!(and to everyone that gave me such informative feedback) It is wonderful to have a community of caring bird owners to turn to!

I cannot wait for Zuri to be able to fly! She has gotten pretty comfortable wearing her aviator harness, so when those feathers grow back in we can still go outside. I will need to buy the extension for it then. I like to hear stories about birds being proud of their flying accomplishments. It makes me feel like I have made the right choice for us!

Thanks for everything! My vet also said that greys usually molt in August/ September. And then sort of a mini molt in Jan/ Feb. I am going to stop worrying now, and just keep a close eye on her. I just worry about my baby!

Yes an avian vet did a full blood workup less than a month ago.I googled some other unfo. that suggests that temp changes can cause some downy shedding. I am not saying this absolutely is it, but certainly might be, we dropped about 17 degrees in temp within the course of two weeks.My vet said she has had this occur in other patients due to temp changes... (changes in humidity etc:) The vet said that for her age it is totally normal also to just have some downy feather loss as new feathers grow i,n. She said having just had the workup, and no other symptoms of any kind that I should just watch for any changes in any other areas, and keep watch on her weight, eating habits etc: I called today to speak with her, as being a relatively new mom to Zuri- I worry... Its like having an infant all over again! Thank you for your input!

She just had a check up, she loves fresh fruit and veggies, she also gets beak appetite once a day. Maybe the temperature change in our area?

Hello everyone! My Zuri is 6+ months old now. I have noticed quite a bit more downy feathers at the bottom of her cage and she loses some during wing flapping. I have done a search of this matter, and come up with very little. Does anyone know what could be causing such a difference in her losing them lately? She showers every couple days... Any ideas would be appreciated! BTW- I got an I love you yesterday- My heart melted.... Oh, and I feed her Harrisons, if food could be a factor..

Hello Toni, I really crank the AC in the summer, and freeze my family out in the winter so I purchased a thermal perch. It stays a consistant warm, but not hot temp- it is made to always be left on. I have only had my grey acouple months, so I think I worry a lot about temp.etc; but I have to say she took to it right away. She does not use it all the time, she seems to rotate perches. After her showers etc; she always goes straight to it! It is shaped with varying widths so that their feet use different muscles to grasp it also which is good. I have only had it a week, but so far I think I would give it good recommendations. As someone else stated- I do keep checking to make sure it does not get too hot- and it seems to be staying a consistant temp. It states it is made for years of use. I guess if Zuri(my bird) likes it- then I like it also! Hope this helps- and nice to meet you!

Hello everyone, I live in Northern Jersey and we had a day last week when the high temp was only 58 degrees. I am wondering can I take my grey with me on her aviator leash when it's cooler,or do I need to stop doing this in the Fall and winter? I have seen bird sweaters, and as crazy as I thought that was- is it really? Looks like we are going to have a heat wave tomorrow, so I won't have to worry for awhile longer... I thought it might be nice for Zuri to attend my daughters fall soccer games.... Hope she can! Let me know before it gets too cold... Thank you! lovemybird!

Hello! I hope you don't mind me asking you a photography question... I am new here and would like to purchase a new camera to take baby bird pix.. I have an old canon powershot that I have been having troubles with. It also does not take good zoom pix. Could you by any chance recommend a good digital camera for me.Your pix on the forum are great by the way.! Thank you so much! lovemybird!<br><br>Post edited by: CeasarsDad, at: 2007/08/24 02:23

Ok after all the comments and much consideration I believe that you are right and that I should be enforcing that the toilet is a no no! So my potty training from now on will be in much safer places. We do keep the seats down in our house- but if we were visiting someplace, I guess I could not take that for granted. Thanks everyone for bringing me to my senses! I guess being a new bird owner the obvious is not always so obvious to me... I appreciate it!

Thank you for having me think about that. I guess it would be smarter to tell her to poopie in her cage prior to taking her out, or go in the potty when that is convienant, or go into a wastecan, or wherever it might be, at the time, so that she does not feel like it has to be always in one certain place. Makes sense... I don't want her to plug herself up when an option is not available....

Thanks for the reply, I searched the forum on potty training prior to posting and came up with nothing. Then once it posted I got a bunch of related posts attached with potty training tips ( and many ones with people bickering over the matter.) Anyway, does anyone know why my searches do not seem to be pulling up old posts? This is not the first time I have searched and come up with nothing and then I post and then up pops many old posts on exactly what I searched for prior. Just like I did not mind cleaning up after my twins poop- I really don't mind cleaning up hers. But if potty training is an option that will work- then I am all for it!

OK My little lady Zuri is more than I ever could have imagined as far as a pet bird goes. Truly, after having her for only about 2 months, I could not imagine life without her. Harness training is going well, she has become very comfortable with me, loves to shower, is saying a few words. Everything is progressing well... HOWEVER, I cannot believe how frequently the little thing poops (pardon the expression) Has anyone truly potty trained their bird, and how? I have found that within 30 seconds of taking her from her cage she will go. This may seem silly but I have been running her into the bathroom and telling her "poopie on the potty" and 9 times out of 10 she will in fact go into the toilet. I know there can be issues of drowning birds in toilets so everyone in the family has been instucted to keep the seat down. She seems to go every 20 minutes or so though, so I cannot be running her to the toilet every 20 minutes. Any ideas, suggestions? My family thinks I am just plain nuts! Maybe I am...

Thank you to everyone who posted! I am really enjoying all the info. everyone has to offer! My relationship with my new baby has really surprised me. I feel like she has adopted me!

Hello everyone- it is the insomniac asking more questions... I heard that you could feed your grey a whole egg, shell and all. Is this a good idea? Can they break up and digest the shell properly? I know that Greys can become calcium deficient easily and I thought this sounded like it would be a good source of calcium if it could be digested properly. I searched the forum but could not find anything. Has anyone been doing this or heard of it? I wouldn't do it everyday or anything (don't want to give her high cholesteral or anything) I have fed her just egg and she adores it. Something about feeding a bird an egg that is a little odd- but she certainly does not seem to mind HA! Let me know... Thank you!

Thank you for your post, that article was helpful.. I think I have decided to allow her to fly. Definately not judging those who choose to clip. Because I was on the fence on both options.. Just for me I think I would feel like I was taking away somethingand I would feel bad about it. It is a tough choice for sure.I guess I will buy the extension for my aviator leash when she's ready. Anyway, thank you- I searched clipping and did not come across that article. Very helpful.

Hello, it has been awhile. My new baby Zuri has been keeping me quite busy! I found out she is a girl! She has been with me about a month and a half now. I love her so much! She is 6 months (and some change) old and saying quite a few things. She adores snuggling in the evening. She wants to be right up close to my neck. I was worried about it at first, but I trust her now, and I think she trusts me. She lies down, and clucks in protest when I stop scratching her neck. She is getting used to her aviator leash fairly well. My question is what do people think about about the pro's and con's of wing clipping? Other than the obvious( I would be heartbroken if she flew away.) If I train her with the aviator leash? I want to hear it all. I am really sitting on the fence on this one, and I need some input to make a decision. I really have respected all that I have read on posts from this forum and I value anything that you might have to say regarding this subject. Right now her flight wings have grown out about an inch past the coverts. She is starting to fly down from her playtop on her cage to the floor on occasion. I am willing to train her to stay on a perch etc; Idon't want to make a decision out of laziness on my part. I want to make a decision on the well being of her. Please help! Thank you! Oh, and I wanted to tell people that I found this great travel cage meant for dogs or cats that clips into a base that buckles into your car seat that a perch can screw into the side. It has a opening in the top for viewing, and a built in water/ food cup. Pet smart carries it if anyone needs to purchase such a thing. Zuri has been on a few roadtrips in it already, and I have found it to be really handy! Anyway, let me know your thoughts about the flight feathers maybe you will have some view I have not thought of- thank you!

Thank you for the replies. Guess I will have to give up the candles! Zuri means beautiful in African. Don't know if it's a girl or boy yet, waiting on the results... Thought it could be a beautiful boy or girl name ! I will post pix as soon as I find my cord to my camera to download. Again thank you!