lovemyGreys

Great news Heather

Well my take on drafts is,a draft is like a stream of cold air that cuts through warmer air thereby making your pet bird's body temperature fluctuate ? i personally dont like sitting in a draft

{Love-000200BF}bless just toooooooo cute

Hi Javier, Welcome to the forum.As Judy said there is a wealth of information on the forum, please take the time to have a good read the various topics.We look forward to hearing more from you

lovely pictures siobhan, Liath's flower arranging is better than mine :laugh:

Hi Jennifer, i have attached a link about socializing your baby, please have a read through http://www.greyforums.net/forums/the-nursery/73094-socializing-your-baby-grey.html

:laugh: Re -size them next time,we will forgive you Great pictures, but i get to see them in the flesh

Siobhan you are a star I love Liath in her pink harness it suits her so well

:laugh: How did you know that Judy ? Hi Lesley, Welcome to the site, Im so pleased you joined us. Your vast knowledge & experience of Greys would be a huge asset to our forum, we hope you can find some spare time in that busy life of yours, with your own flock & the countless hours you spend dedicated to your rescue work to participate here with us PS see you in the morning

A normal one is fine Fal, just bend the sides up,it's easy do it yourself with some pliers

Thanks for your input everyone... now some pictures would be nice to add to this topic

Fal act on your vets advice, if you are apperhensive about tube feeding maybe try spoonfeeding your baby http://www.parrottalk.com/spoons.htm

One of our members had a very close call today with a feeding tube coming off & getting caught in his baby's greys crop .Therefore i feel it's necessary that you are aware of the potential risks / dangers that may occur when hand feeding your grey. Crop Punctures... Crop punctures are normally caused by either carelessness or inexperience in tube feeding. Tube feeding is a method of feeding, in which, the food is pumped into the crop through a tube that has been put down the esophagus and into the crop. If the tube is pushed too far, or if the baby jumps, the tube may be pushed through through the crop membrane and the outer skin to cause a puncture. If this happens, food put into the crop will leak out of the puncture. The only way to correct this problem is to suture the inner and outer layers of the crop and skin. Antibiotics must be administered to prevent infection. If left uncorrected, infection will set in, and the baby will starve to death because the crop will no longer hold food. Crop Burn... Crop burn is one of the most preventable of all of the maladies. It is caused by feeding food that is so hot it literally burns the inside to the crop. Crop burn is most easily recognized in babies that do not yet have their crops covered with feathers. A day or so after the incident, you will see a white patch through the skin of the crop. This is a blister that has been caused by the burn. If the food was hot enough, it can actually burn a hole through the crop and the outer layer of skin. Depending on the severity of the burn, digestion of food will become slow and infection can set in. A hole, burned through the crop, will have to be sutured. Most often crop burn occurs when food has been warmed in a microwave oven, and was not checked for hot spots. Here again, using common sense will prevent this tragic accident from ever happening.If it is too hot for your finger, it is certainly too hot for the baby. This is another condition that it is necessary to empty the crop of any undigested food, at least once every 24 hour, to prevent souring and bacterial infection, until the crop is able to function properly.If you suspect that your baby's crop has been burned, he should have immediate medical attention. Unattended, crop burn can, and usually will, be fatal. Sour Crop and Slow Crop... These conditions will be observed only in a parrot baby that is still handfeeding. Each may be the cause of the other. A baby's crop must empty completely at least once in a 24 hour period. If the crop is slow to empty, the soft food in the crop will begin to grow bacteria, and sour. A sour crop will cause digestion to be slow, and, therefore, cause a slow crop. Although, a slow crop may be caused by a number of different problems, which will be described in the following topics, in every case, the condition will elevate bacterial growth, and possibly sour crop. If a baby's crop does not empty in a 24 hour period, it must be emptied in order to prevent further complications. This may be done with a piece of plastic tubing used for aquarium air line, or the baby may be held with his head lower than his body and the soured food massaged from the crop, through the esophagus, and out of the mouth. The latter method has a higher risk of aspirating the baby if he breathes food into his lungs in his panic while being turned upside down. The first method may be risky if the tubing is forced though the walls of the esophagus. If you have never emptied a baby's crop, it is best to contact an avian vet or an experienced breeder to do the task. Stretched Crop... A stretched crop is a condition seen in handfeeding baby parrots. It is caused by trying to give a baby too much food in one feed, and, thereby, overfilling and stretching the muscles of the crop. The crop skin and muscles have a natural elasticity that assist in the digestion of food and retain their shape as the food is digested. When empty, the crop should be flat. If the crop is overfilled to the point of stretching the skin and muscles, it will hang onto the breastbone, and a portion of the food will remain in the part of the crop that is overlapping onto the breastbone. It will appear very much like a deflated balloon. If left uncorrected, the food remaining in the crop will develop bacteria, which will slow the digestive process even more, causing weight loss and possibly eventual death.

Fal, im so relieved this story had a happy outcome,it so easily could have gone the other way.Regardless of the feeding methods people choose there is always the risk that something may go wrong.You story will serve as a warning for others. I must say my preferred method for feeding a a baby grey would be the spoon as it doesn't carry the associated risk of the tube coming off in the babies crop.Thank you for posting this warning for others.Please keep us updated on Friday

Thanks for sharing that Dan, A great link. We don't have a petco here but it looks very similar to the beak bucket products available here in the UK http://www.24parrot.com/The-Beak-Bucket--6-Assorted-P57232/

{Feel-good-0002006E} nor me Dan

Hi loveylew, Getting your bird to accept being petted / touched is not training so much, as being in tune to their behavior and clues and working with the personality of the bird.Each bird is an individual & therefore will accept human touch accordingly.some birds like physical contact while others like their personal space, but most are more likely to accept contact from people they know & trust. When approaching training your bird to accept petting, the first step is to read the cues your bird is giving you. You can do a little bit of training to get your bird more comfortable with the idea of being petted. As with other forms of training, practice in short frequent sessions and stick to small steps at first. Choose a quiet time when your bird is relaxed. Keep your hand in full view of the bird. Speak to your bird before petting him or her. Try just lightly touching and petting the beak at first. If your bird lets you touch his/her beak, try gradually moving your fingers to the skin on the face just behind the beak. Use a very gentle touch. Work your way around the side of the head. Work with the natural orientation of the feathers -- petting the "wrong way" can be irritating. Pet either in the direction the feathers naturally lay down, or gently scratch side to side between the feathers. Eventually, as the bird relaxes (a bird that is enjoying being petted will often ruffle its feathers and bow its head) you can work your way around to the back of the head and neck. Don't try to force your bird to like petting. Don't expect your bird to accept petting from strangers.

Thank you all, your support & thoughts,They are very much appreciated {Love-000200BF}

congratulations, A little girl Dan no comment :whistle:

Thats sad, but they will grow back.Casper had awful problems with Charlie after we had an earthquake here, Aries may well not suffer at all, but be prepared just in case there is a change in behaviour

Yes give them a night light it will comfort them as they may be feeling a little apprehensive

{Feel-good-0002006E}

Well fingers crossed they all recover & it has no lasting effect on them

:laugh: sounds funny , poor guy

:blink: Sorry Dave is it a US programme ?