kiwibarb12

Beckette has been wanting my vegemite sandwich. Have any of the "aliens" among us ever given it to their birds? I know its great stuff for humans, so is probably ok, but I would rather have some anecdotal evidence.

Is your bird a TAG or a CAG? It will make a difference in how fast she adapts to your home. I have had both, and the TAG is way more adaptive IMO. Even so, when I first got Beck as an eleven year old, she had a panic attack when we first bought her into the house. I thought she was having a seizure! Scared me to death. Leaving her physically alone is a great idea, and bribing her with favourite foods is a great idea. I have a new couple of greencheek conure that are the same way as your girl, and this was the advice I was given, and so far it seems to be working. A lot less skittish , even in a couple of days. Beckette was ten when I got her, a year and a half ago, and she is now a sweet loving bird, and I really didn't realise how much she had progressed until I actually sat down and thought about it. Progress tends to be really subtle, so don't get discouraged if you think there is none. It may be in her head, adn just hasn't reached the outside yet.

I recently bought two green cheek conures into my house - and their noise is not really loud. I think they might do well in an apartment.:unsure:

I would think apartment friendly would be quiet. Don't put me in an apartment next to a screaming bird. As much as I love them, i would have to complain.

one thing you might try are the cotton rope perches. My TAG loves them - once she got used to them! There are a couple of different diameters, and Beckette has both.

hehehehehe

The other thing about the red factor greys, is from what I have read it that when they molt, the new feathers may or maynot grow in red. So I wouldn't pay extra for a red factor bird. You may end up with a plain grey bird after the first molt. :sick:

I would have to say that if you are going to pay that much for the amazon, and you had already decided on the grey, I would go with the grey. It may never talk - mine doesn't - but it is the bird that you originally wanted, and I would hate for you to resent the amazon for not being the grey. on the other hand, you could get the amazon now, and the grey in a few years! ....... oh, it is hell being a libra - you can never make a decision easily!:blink: Go with your heart and don't look back!

Karma for taking this bird. sounds like Zeke is bonding well with you. I have a TAG that came from a neglectful,not abusive home, and it has been a gradual process between the two of us to learn each other. I am proud to say I am scab free for two months now ie no serious bites for two months. So , hang in there, and you will have a great friend!

the only beak I file is Mickie, the budgie, and that is only because the little bugger files it into a point - the better to get me with!:laugh: I wouldn't worry about it - sounds natural to me.

Tell us more, tell us more!!:lol:

Regarding the birds loosing their cuddliness - I haven't ever had a baby AG, but my 11 year old tag loves to sit on my knee and have me scritch her head. She and I will sit together for over an hour some nights and just visit. She has got to the point where she will lay her head on my leg and just let me scritch. Mind you , I have a year and a half of scars to attest to the fact that you have to learn eachother, adn bites are inevitable.:lol: anyway, you have to love your bird for the personality that it has, not the one you want it to have. and a lot of the fun is finding out what their personalities are. :lol: :lol:

oh you poor thing! That is just terrible. I am so sorry.

sorry - can't figure out how to delete the second post.:blush:

Not a dumb question at all. In an ideal world it would be safe. In this world, keep your bird in his carrier, wash your hands before taking him out , wash your hands putting him back, wash your hands taking your keys out of your bag, wash your hands when.... do you see a pattern here?:laugh: AS for quarantine at home - as a nurse, home quarantine is only effective if you change clothes and wash hands after being with the new bird - and even then, if they have an airborne disease, your flock could still catch it. In hospitals we have positive pressure rooms and halls so air flow goes only one way, and bugs don't get out. Obviously, in homes it doesn't work that way, so we do the best we can and hope for the best! I think it says a lot for the health of the general bird population that more birds don't get sick from birds bought into the home. and on a personal note, I have a TAG, who doesn't like other birds. He has been known to lean over her cage and growl at the budgie if she makes too much noise. Get additional birds for you, not your AG. And make sure you greet the first bird first ,and let him out first, and pet him first . All other birds should be second birds - that way, your first bird will retain his position as top bird. I have heard of birds starting to misbehave, and pluck because of pecking order confusion.

yep - vet time. If he swallowed it they may be able to remove it with a scope. But perforating the gut is really bad news.

Look in your local organic store. It is relatively expensive, but you only use about half a teaspoon a day. I put it in birdie bread, or add it to scrambled eggs, or on muffins or just about anywhere where you would use some sort of fat.

Soo ... how did he enjoy being able to fly outside? Was he freaked out, or did he love it?

hehe - wouldn't that be cute in the back window of your car - instead of those goofy looking dogs, we could have a goofy looking bird!!:lol:

Kudos on your birds!! Sounds like you are doing an excellent job with them. and double ouch with your vet bill!:sick: Good luck with the pellets - I'm still working on my guys with the pellet conversion. You might try looking at the diet section of this site - there are great ideas for birdie bread and mash there, that my guys like way better than the pellets - not that I have given up, but as an adjunct. :laugh:

Shoot - I never have been able to not react - I have had to shake Beckette loose before, but then I put her in her cage and go tend to the blood letting. and she has bitten me hard enoug that I still have scars. if your baby is growling then she is probably afraid. I think the fact that I would leave Beck alone was part of the reason that she has for the most part quit biting. She hates to be ignored. If she bites you when you are trying to get her to step up, maybe you could try using a stick instead. When Beckette has been most fiesty, using a stick pretty much ensures that I won't get bitten. I haven't had to do that for a while, but for a period of about six months, that is how I got her into her cage. You use a stick with a diameter to suit her grip size, and familiarize her with it, so she isn't scared of it.I left mine right next to her cage, then on top of her cage for a week or two before I tried to use it. Then use it instead of your hand to step up. Just put it to the base of her belly and gently push her off balance so she has to step up on it instead of falling over. Piles of praise, and even treats are good too. Have you tried sitting next to the cage and reading to her? Its a great way of socializing with your bird with out freaking them out. I read one of the Harry Potter books to one of my birds. My kids thought I was dotty, but I enjoyed the story, and the quaker eventually learned that I wasn't there to hurt him. I also ate things that I knew she liked, so if she wanted some, she had to come over to me to get them. there are lots of sneaky ways to make your bird associate with you, but those are my two favourites.

I have had this problem before, and usually it shows up as cobwebby looking strands in the food - and if you have seen moths in your house, you need to check your pantry and cupboards. They get into every thing and lay eggs and breed like crazy. They appear to like carbohyrates, and can make holes in packages to get inside. I started keeping rice and pasta in the fridge because of them. Since I don't like using insect sprays in the house, I bought an electric swatter on line - has a battery and I spent the best part of one year zapping bugs. They make a very satisfying pop when you get them.:evil: Anyway, do that enough, and suck them uup in the vaccum and clean out everything in yoour own food supply that they can breed in and you should eventually get rid of them. I took me the best part of a year, but I haven't seen any this year. Actually, i kind of miss chasing moths:laugh:

something that I didn't think about before is birdie playdates. Since my vet has had adult birds die of this virus, should birds for playdates be vaccinated? Something to think about.

Today I took Goblin and Gremlin, my green cheek conures to the vet to get their wings clipped. The vet said that there have been cases of polyoma in Arkansas, and she has had birds die in her clinic from this virus. I had the guys vaccinated for about $40 each , and think every bird owner, needs to consider having their bird vaccinated. The vet told me that the virus is 100%fatal. Every bird that gets it will die a nasty death. The virus is hard to kill on surfaces, so you can pick it up , bring it into your house and regular hygiene won't kill it. She also told me a really good place to pick up the virus is at bird shows, and any where where there are a lot of birds. If there are cases of polyoma in Arkansas, where there isn't a high ratio of birds, then in other states there almost has to be more cases, even if you don't hear about them. If it comes down to a matter of economics , then you buy a grey for $1000, then a little matter of $40 shouldn't break the piggy bank :lol: , and you can feel safe about your baby. Anyway - just a word to the wise! :blink:

OK- NOW I can truly say she is cute. Newly hatched birds are kind of like newly born human babies - only beautiful to their parents. Now that she has some feathers she is too cute!:laugh: Congratulations on your beautiful baby!!