TinyTimneh

Well, all ready had two sleep carriers lying around so it's just a matter of introducing my two smaller birds to them and picking one out for my smallest bird. Lol and oh, I'm sooo vertically challenged that no amount of huffing, puffing, pulling and heaving will get that cover on lol... gotta love being under five feet tall (also explains TinyTimneh)

That's really unfortunate but I'd agree that maybe trying again in the very far future might be something to try, after Harvey's gotten used to outdoor sounds etc. when you're ready to try again (say in a year or so)... I'd recommend starting from the very beginning and just hanging it outside his cage. Also buy a different colour. My grey (he's almost 10 and i'm his third guardian) has an Aviator (he was introduced to it when he was about 9 years old and it took about two months) and wears it like a champ... but absolutely hates putting it on. I tried the over the head exercises and my grey hated them, so now I know I just have to take his head and guide it through the collar. He tries to run away if it gets to close to his head but once it's over his head it settles down and doesn't usually fuss unless i take too long. Again, I'm sorry your fid didn't take to the harness and that you both had a terrible experience (reminds me of the time I used the feather tether..ugh) But in a little while if your ready i think in the long run you might have success !

all right thanks guys, it'll be nice to be able to cover them again too... the grey's cage is too tall for me to find a blanket that fits (plus i'm too short to reach over it ) i'll be setting them up tonight, will keep you posted on how things go

Hey all, First off, haven't been here for a while, nice to be back ! Anyhoo, as I've said before one of Jacko's major problems is his territoriality towards other birds and animals around his cage. Indeed, I believe it to be a large component of his plucking in that he is so frustrated (he also is in sexual overdrive most of the time as well---despite the fact I don't envourage the behaviour in any way). Browsing through the Macaw Dreams website they mentioned sleep crates and I'm thinking of setting three up for my birds. Seems logical that the only time a bird would spend almost all his time in one place is if that place was his nest. So then I thought... HEY wait a minute, if Jacko is territorial because he feels like his cage is his nest because he spends most of his time there and doesn't get to go to roost, then adding a sleep cage should solve some of my problems with him. Does this seem like a logical solution to any of you? Anyone here use sleep crates/cages.. if so any tips to introduce the flock to them?

Okay, have to admit, searched the site, liked the concept... they look like they would be a lot of fun for a parrot... but do they actually work? Anyone here actually own one of Wayne's bottlebrush gyms? I'd love to order one for Jacko and the lil birds (along with the boing trays and homemade mopani wood gyms i'll be making) and when it's actually an option in the far future try letting my birds live cage free, again, the idea definetly appeals to the naturalist in me. So, what do you guys think? And, as an after thought... is mopani (alternatively spelled mopane) wood safe for parrots? It is used in aquarium decor and is fish safe (and fish are probably the only critters more sensitive than birds). Plus I believe that it's the kind of wood featured in the bird video 'bird exercise' on bird channel.com.

As someone with three birds, two lil guys and the TAG who hates them both I see both sides of the coin. Regardless of whether or not the parrot is clipped they must of fledged properly and learned to control themselves. I also firmly believe that clipped parrots should be clipped as lightly as possible so that they do not crash to the floor. My smaller birds are clipped right now because the TAG would kill them (or at least maim them) if they flew by him. I need to do it to keep them safe. When I can provide them with a screened-in seperate room I will definetly allow them to fly, but right now space is too cramped to do so. That said, in terms of clipping I am a naturalist and prefer to allow parrots to be fully flighted. I believe that they should be allowed to fly if the parrot's guardian can provide the right environment of course. I believe that there is just some essential 'birdness' that all parrots have that they can only express through flight and being independent of me. I enjoy living with these creatures and seeing my grey learn to use his wings and gain a sense of confidence by gradually learning that he can go wherever he wants. It takes extra work and training to keep a flighted bird, and a certain amount of security (in terms of the house set-up, keeping dangerous items out of reach) that some folks cannot or are not willing to provide. Some birds are very aggressive and when given that extra boost by flight can become terrors. Some folks have guests or kids constantly running in and out of doors or live with less than considerate roommates or have lots of breakables etc. I respect that they need to clip their birds, heck, in those situations I'd support it. So, although flighted is my preference, if a person cannot provide the right environment to do so etc. then I advocate a gentle clip after the bird fledges and has learned to control their bodies.

Hmm... all of my three are different. I would have to say for my old world parrots its anything that's cardboard or paper/tissue oriented... My lone new world bird loooves plants lol, which (in theory ), are not shreddables. All three seem to like any kind of fabric in strips tho (like my curtains grrr).

Sully is almost three years old. She does strut along perches for me too, come to think of it. She doesn't talk though, but only my grey does and he only does so a little bit. I'll try the pic again

Lol, but I have to say do be careful with that language though! Jacko came from a place where the lady swore a lot in french and will often sit and grumble angrily in what I swear is french. He also has a nasty habit of saying 'shut up!' (wasn't me... I swear) and my grandmother came over once and began gushing to him and he looked at her offhandedly and said without hesitation 'SHUT UP!' I nearly died laughing on the floor (after she'd left of course ) I heard him but luckily he mumbles a little bit. He also picked up on 'No' early on. Me: Jacko, are you going be a good boy and c'mere? Jacko: No Me: Jacko, c'mere please it's time for bed Jacko: *sighs* *mumble mumble* No, shut up Now I know it sounds unbelievable but I swear I heard him say it. But I think the funniest things he's ever said happened about two years ago and the other just yesterday. Me: Sully (the cockatiel) Up! *tiel steps up* Jacko: Good boy! Me: All right well if you're not going to be a good boy and step up you can't come out *Five minutes later* Jacko: Wanna come out, be a good boy And to think, he doesn't speak much! But there's obviously a lot more going on in that little grey head then you'd think.

(fourth picture)http://www.cockatielcottage.net/october05.html (first and fourth picture) http://www.cockatielcottage.net/septemberbirds.html i'll also figure out a way to edit my pic of her to be able to post it

darn... can't the pic to upload... i'll find a similar picture of a tiel that looks like her.

This is just a curiousity thing... plus if I ever get another tiel in the far away future I'd like to avoid breeding. I thought when I brought her home that Sully was a boy (she has bright orange cheeks). But the vet said that she had barring patterns on the underside of her wingfeathers and on her tailfeathers like only female tiels do. Here's the thing: She acts a lot like a boy cockatiel She will: -whistle for her reflection -struts around with her wings out in a heart-shape while whistling -she will rub her butt on my hand and tread her feet, while I've been told that female birds will back into corners and lift their tails when exhibiting breeding behaviours However she is also: -Very quiet unless she's trying to display for me -And does have the barring pattern like the vet said What do you guys think? Here's a pic (ain't she a cutie-pie? don't mind the dusty TV, it was cleaning day...)

Jacko was pretty friendly with everyone in the house from day one actually (and continues to put his head down for skritches for strangers to this very day). At first he had a strong preference for my dad and liked but did not love me. Now, about four years later, he still likes my dad a lot, but is definetly my best buddy and has chosen me as his mate. I can do just about anything to him including kissing his face or scooping him up and blowing a big raspberry on his birdie belly or rolling him over (although others could do this if they tried I think, just they don't have the same level of trust and respect I do with him). However, because I am kinda an old hat to him so to speak he gets very excited when someone who doesn't usually come to see him comes in, like say my brothers. He has a particular thunderbolt attraction to my stepmother (she's a redhead and I swear this has something to do with it, parrots at the petstore have thunderbolt attractions to her as well). Actually, when I think about it, all three of my birds aren't one person birds at all, but they do have a closer bond with me despite that they'll accept skritches and step up (usually without fuss) for anyone.

Hey guys, just wondering if anyone had some tips for me, I need some help with the linnie. I would think he is tame (he'll stretch a wing greeting when he sees me and takes food from my hand without hesitation) and he likes to hang out on my shoulder and whistle up a storm. He'll fall asleep on my chest if I'm lying on the couch watching tv (what a sweetie). He'll also occaisionally respond to my whistles etc, mostly if he's out of his cage though and with me. He loves when I give him a bath and if he ends up on the floor he'll scurry over to me to get help to get up to where he was, he also steps up from inside his cage very well (although if I approach too quickly he'll run away). But for all this he is hand-shy. If I try to reach for him to step up when he's on his cage he usually will run and if I try to pet him he'll run away too. If I hold him in my hand and pet him he'll close his eyes and seems to enjoy it but he moves away from me unless he's cupped in my hand or something. I was just wondering if anyone had any tips for me to help him stop being so hand-shy so I can pet him (because he seems to like it, plus he's full of itchy pinfeathers)?

I would work on trust before anything because if she wants nothing to do with you it will be hard to get her to learn to play from you modelling it. Getting her off of her sunflower seed diet and onto a better diet may help you as well. Once she can't get them in her bowl anymore it will give you an effective training tool because she'll have to get them from you. An African Grey's complete trust is hard to gain and may take a while. But if she will eat from your hand it's a big milestone. Just let her do her own thing right now and don't bother with trying to pet her or handle her much, feeding her from your hand and getting her to whistle back and forth to you are good ways to build a bond with a parrot. Share some of your parrot-friendly food items with her or give her a bath. Transforming the sunflowers into treats will also help you teach her to play. Often the first toys birds learn to play with are either shreddables or foraging toys. She might not play with anything now, but if you put her sunflower seeds in a cardboard tube I'm sure she'll chew them out and discover how much fun chewing is in the process. My two small birds don't play with many toys but if you hide food in their cages it keeps them busy. I'm not suprised she doesn't do much if she lived in a small cage previously. Right now, just get her moving. Put her dishes on opposite sides of the cage so she has to climb around back and forth to get to them. Sprinkle some of her daily diet on the paper on the bottom of the cage (clean paper only of course) so she'll have to go down them and walk around. Good luck and welcome to greyforums!

Try (if you can handle the mess) giving your grey a bath inside or on his cage, they often feel more relaxed there (Jacko, for example will just sit and let the water be sprayed onto him when I put him in the shower, but will go crazy and flap around jumping into his water dish if I give him a bath in his cage). Also, don't splash them, I tried what you did early on and Jacko absolutely hated it too (oh, and as everyone said, don't use the soap, not only might it be drying out his skin and feathers but is probably toxic too). I would use a spray bottle and hold it down and away from the grey and spray it up into the air so the water droplets fall on him for now (eventually he might like it closer or at a higher intensity) The thing you need to focus on is for now is to get him to at least tolerate it, then you can worry about actually helping him keep his feathers clean. Try the method I described above and go slowly (get a stand or something too, often they'll feel threatened if down low like in the bathtub). Praise him a lot while you mist him and he tolerates it, maybe give some treats. As soon as he looks really fed up and is trying to get away a lot, call it quits for that day and try again tomorrow. I also find it may help if you wait for one of two things (I find they trigger bathing in my flock and my tiel is the toughest one to bath) 1) Wait for a storm system to come through your area, often the birds pick up on it and the increased humidity etc. will often put them into the mood for a bath. So if it's raining outside I might try a bath. 2) Let the grey go without a bath for a couple of weeks. Often (particularly if it's hot or dry out) they will be very relieved to get a bath because they'll get dusty etc. This often works with my tiel who won't tolerate daily baths very well but luvs a big shower every week or two. Good luck!

Raposa, do keep at it if you're willing, because even though Jacko's at a point where he doesn't mind it being on, he hates putting it on and will try to get away if he can until it's fully on so even I have work to do with him. As for taking Jacko (I've taken to calling him Jay for short) outside in his harness around in public I was willing to take the security risks because I feel it is a quality of life issue for him and, of lesser importance, for me. I can't give him back the African forests or the flock of hundreds he would had lived with had the parrot trade not began, but I can give him this at least. Just like with people, he could spend his life strictly indoors with clipped wings, moving from day cage to playstand to sleep cage (or, to compare with humans, 'living in a bubble') and be (well actually not even then) 100% safe... but think of how boring that might become. Parrots must have some sort of instinctual need to travel far and wide with the flock on a daily basis, always experiencing new things. With the harness I can do this, he can travel with the flock (me) and go different places and see new things. I also, can experience less guilt when I leave the house (because I do completely understand the parrot need to be with the flock as much as possible and I respect it, so often being seperated from them when I don't have to be makes me feel bad) because now I can include him in many things, enriching both our lives. So, I totally agree there are security risks but I've chosen to let Jacko live the fullest life I can give him even if that might present certain risks on occaision. I believe it is worth it. I would never want him to be in any sort of harmful situation but I don't want him to be bored out of his mind just to be as safe as possible.

To tell you the truth lovethatgrey, that crossed my mind as well. I to wondered if maybe taking Jacko out like that was wise and decided to try it. Although I am always cautious I don't feel overtly worried because nothing I wear nor the home in whih I live gives the impression that I am wealthy, and I make sure to emphasize that when out with the bird. I also make sure that I don't leave the house alone when taking my grey out and I only go out in the daytime. Where I live is a rather quiet suburban neighbourhood and we know our neighbours well. If all else fails, well, and I say this in jest although having your parrot stolen is no laughing matter, I also happen to have a very large, imposing dog. And, actually, several of my neighbours have stated repeatedly that, they would not, even if their lives depended on it, risk running into that dog. (He's actually very friendly provided you don't pose a threat, as say a robber might).

Okay, just want to do some gushing about Jacko's first big day out in his Aviator. I had actually previously decided to put away all the aviators and start the training process all over again next summer but today was just so nice out I couldn't help myself... So, I harnessed him up in a second (he wasn't overly thrilled about putting it on, as usual) and waltzed out the front door, where we preceeded to spend about three hours on the front porch relaxing. At first, he was nervous but after about twenty minutes he settled down, did some whistling, fluffed up his feathers and relaxed in the sunshine, helping himself to some sunflower seeds in the process. He wasn't keen on walking on the lawn so I gave up and he stayed on my arm/knee. Then, we went for a walk around the block, and in this whole outing, he only tried to fly away twice (once to get away from the lawn, once to try and get to the patch of trees). He was actually doing a lot of puff ups, full body shakes and tail wags, which from what I know means he at least tolerated it, if not enjoyed it. I'm very happy... although I'm torn. Part of me now wants to continue taking him out because he seemed to like it and part of me wants to stop and begin the harness training process over again in a year or so so he kinda forgets about it. But then, he seemed so happy and alive that part of me says eventually he'll associate the Aviator with his outside adventures anyway so he'll come to love it. Okay, gushing's done, I'm just so happy and I wanted to share the news!

Okay guys, so it's been a while... here's a update (I went grateless) First off, I luv it! Here's the set-up, I left the grates in but placed the paper on top. I change the paper at least once a day, twice if I need to. I really honestly haven't noticed my birds toys getting any dirtier than they normally would in terms of poop, if anything they're cleaner. It takes me about 20 minutes or so in the morning to do this (for an able-bodied person who isn't sleep deprived cut the time in half, so 10 minutes) The tray in the bottom catches anything that falls while i'm picking up the paper (usually seed hulls and shreds of wood etc.) which I dump and disinfect weekly. Does the grey shred the paper? Yep! But enough remains intact to do its job and the shredded bits and possible poop just falls past the grate into the tray. Plus, he enjoys it and is starting to pick his feathers less. I can also scatter a few treats on the bottom on clean newspaper for some foraging. A through cleaning of all nooks and crannies and sweeping etc. takes me about an hour and a half on a weekend day (so about 45 minutes for a able-bodied person), and I have three birds. Previously I did a big weekly scrubdown of the grates, trays and the room which took me about four hours total. So, in summary, if you have the daily time I would seriously recommend giving this a shot. My birds seem happier because they can forage, I don't worry about falls and the cages are cleaner and quicker to clean!

Gonna play devil's advocate here for a minute... It's recommended that parrots be exposed to UV light, and it is also almost always stated that it's useless to put the bird cage near a sunny window etc. because the window pane glass filters out UV. But then, I for one and many members of my family have tanned while driving in the car with the windows rolled up (one side of my family is of Celtic etc. colouring and the other is not, I do not take after the Celtic side...) which theoretically then shouldn't happen because the UV is supposedly filtered out through the car window. Anybody else have any thoughts on this?

He's not too picky about fruits and veggies, loves most fruits and some veggies, I try to get them for him as much as possible (I'm not working right now and basically I eat what is bought and the others in the house DO NOT eat a lot of veggies and things... hopefully I'll be employed soon) As soon as I put the seed mix in he dived into it and has been chowing down since. Gave him his daily dose of PRIME as well on a piece of banana. I know exactly what you mean, I know very well the toxicities of alcohol and caffeine... basically he came to me in a beer box so I'm not suprised he went though that... also lived in a house with a chronic smoker too. These are suprisingly tough little critters

I caved and bought him the seed mix for now (the African parakeet mix... less sunflower and at least there's pellets mixed in)... hopefully he'll start eating again. I will try to wean him off it ASAP but for the main concern is to get him eating and put weight back on. I guess I'll have to teach him good eating habits just like a little baby grey (considering he liked beer and steak and coffee and whatnot when he first came to me I'd say he never learned good habits).

That's the thing though BaxtersMom, I really don't give them much at all, the grey might get a teaspoon a day, if that. So I don't get as to why he's doing this... then again he's done it before. The ONLY way I got him to resume the pellets was to COMPLETELY remove any seed, even treats. Otherwise he'll hold out for them, even if it's only five sunflower seeds a day. Obviously THAT isn't healthy either. When he eats pellets he usually only eats enough to keep him alive (he tends to drop weight dramatically and then eat only enough to maintain this weight... even though he feels skinny). This is because he ate grocery-brand bird seed before he came to me. So I feel as if I can't maintain him on these pellets (I know it might be these pellets because when offered cooked food like Beak Appetit or even the fruity Zupreem he increases the amount he's eating DRAMATICALLY). For right now I forgot I had some Prime supplement lying around so I will start adding it to his diet at least to help him get the missing things (he likes most fruit and some veggies). I agree exactly with that you both have said and I know that long term seed-based (unless he also eats many fruits and veggies and grains) is too fatty and will harm him. But at this point I don't want him to starve himself to this point either so I'm willing to accomodate him for now. Just thought of this but would it be possible to soak his pellets in healthy fruit juice and then dry/cook them to absorb the moisture so that they'll keep (otherwise I know they spoil in about an hour and I'm away all day) but still retain the flavour? This way I'd be able to give him the fruity taste he likes without all the colours and artifical things found in Zupreem.

Going out to pick up some food for the fids this morning and I just wanted to know what you guys thought of this brand because it's the only other one I have access to aside for Hagen (Jacko now flat out refuses to eat... don't blame him). I know that it's a seed mix with a few pellets sprinkled in but I'm realizing that pellets just isn't going to cut it anymore with them. Every time my parrots get to eat some other kind of food that isn't the Tropican pellets they usually get they start refusing to eat the pellets. I know it's because the pellets are pretty bland and that's all they usually get. I have started to provide them with small amounts of budgie seed (no sunflower or safflower) as a regular part of their diet, because I figure it's natural for them and probably a lot more enriching in ther lives. It causes them all to go off their pellets to a certain extent... (the grey is the worst... he refuses to eat anything but the budgie mix and is dropping weight) Also helps with boost fat content for the tiel and grey. I think the only type available is the prestige mix (i'll be getting the one with the lowest sunflower etc. ratio) just wanted to know how I could make this mix into a balanced diet for my birds.