TinyTimneh

Well, took about two months to get Jacko in the Aviator harness. It actually went really well. But now he's... I wouldn't say afraid exactly but as soon as he sees it he's gone like a shot. Once he has it on he's good as gold as however. And it's not like he growls or squawks angrily or chews on it once it's on, unless he forgets it's there and trips on the leash bit or something.. He'll grumble when I go to put it on and as I'm putting it on (during this time he'll tend to lash out and eat it) but doesn't bother it once it's on, unless he notices the buckle... but even then it's not a scared chewing... just like a 'oh, what's this?'. If he starts to chew it I'll take it out of his beak, tell him 'no' firmly and keep going. It's like he knows what it is, knows it won't hurt but just DOES NOT want to put it on. It hangs outside his cage permanently too... so he's familiar with it, he sees it everyday. How can I get him to want to put it on? Do I have to start all over again from the beginning or what? Any help would greatly be appreciated. Also, anyone have any idea of where I might've went wrong? I'm training the linnie and tiel to wear theirs too so if I can prevent mistakes beforehand I'd like to.

As long as your stepson places Bo on his shoulder instead of simply allowing him to scramble up onto it, as well as Bo being very well trained in terms of stepping up onto a hand or finger all should be well. Although... lol, if Bo is gonna be a shoulder buddy, I'd highly recommend trying to potty train him!

Can be either cleaning or affectionate, my TAG rubs his beak on my hand if he's feeling very snuggly. Sometimes I also get the impression it's a release for excitement or something to that effect.

Hey all, Unfortunately for whatever particular reason I cannot yet get a hold of the TOPS pellets I've been waiting for for the last two months or so, so I'm going to put it on the back burner for now. I'll get some when I have easy access to it. I can actually find Harrison's available but my gosh is it expensive... That said, I'd really like to boost the quality of what my parrots are consuming. Currently they're eating Hagen Tropican, which tastes bland (my birds consume waaaayy more when given either seeds, fresh food or zupreem fruit blend pellets) and although better than a seed diet, isn't all that nutritious... mostly ground this with powdered that with some oils and synthetic vitamins. I don't want to switch to zupreem because of all the artificial colours and whatnot (rainbow coloured poop gave me a startle when I had them on that). I've found various mashes and fresh food recipes online but they're all really complex and probably expensive (I'm on a student budget) and I'd really like a simple, easy to make mix that would give them all the basics that they need. Anyone have any ideas?

Ah the familiar pangings from MBS... Parrots, unfortunately once you're a bird person (which of course is like no other animal person) do become like potato chips, albeit very demanding, intelligent and crafty potato chips. I'd always wanted a parrot, lo and behold my dad rescued a grey for the family, who quickly became my bird. After that, I thought well he must be lonely so I'll get another to keep him company... so my christmas gift was a just-weaned cockatiel. About six monts ago, I got that itch again. I quite literally walked into the local pet store (in my defence I needed bird food, plus I did do some research into species beforehand) saw this poor little linnie all by his lonesome who was for all purposes wild and not the slightest bit tame... it literally took about fifteen minutes for me to put down the deposit and I was back to pick him up in about a week. Do I regret having multiple birds?... on occaision yes but everyone has days where it just seems the world is trying to make you crazy. Do I foresee another bird in my future... yes but not for a while yet.

Wish I could pressure wash the cages weekly... darn Canadian weather. The way things are going I won't be able to take the cages out for a good hosing for at least another month or so. If I were to change the papers daily, maybe twice daily... would I be able to get away with no grate? Or do you all think there'd be too much contamination risk. I'm not much of a clean freak so them getting poop on me etc. doesn't bother me I just don't want them to get sick. I can't wash the grates daily (I'd like to, but can't) and at least one of my birds is a notorious poop-on-the-grate pecker.

Was thinking about this yesterday actually... I remember the first cage that Jacko came to me in, it was old and pretty gross and it didn't have a grate at all on the bottom. But it was actually really quick and easy to clean, simply change the papers and wipe/disinfect the tray. The new cages I have have grates in them, except for the Linnie's because it was too old and damaged (got the cage secondhand from my grandmother). Anyway, I noticed that in terms of aggravation and effort it takes a heck of a lot longer to clean out the new cages because I have to clean the bars in the grate, whereas the old cage the Linnie is in is fairly simply to clean up. Now I've always heard that it is better to have a grate because it keeps the birds from walking in their poop (lol, most of the time), eating old or soiled food etc. Also keeps the foot toys etc. from rolling in any sort of mess. But it takes suuuch a long time to clean the grate. But here's the flip side, first like I said major maintanance hassle for me. Secondly, it's really hard to give them foraging toys because all the food they manage to dig out usually falls past the grate (I feel bad for them) and lastly there's worrying about falls. Besides, isn't it recommended to change the papers every day anyway, thereby removing any old food or excess poop? I mean, I'd rather spend five minutes a day changing papers than 30 minutes per grate scrubbing them clean. What do you guys think? I'm thinking I might just ditch the grates as soon as I can (can't on this cage because grate is part of a locking mechanism for the bottom tray)

Gee, I've been a member of this club now for years and never even joined lol! Here's my bite report card so to speak: TAG: 10 times over 4-5 years, all on my hands Horse: once, I was very young Fish: twice Cat: three times Dog: can't even remember--- multiple Guinea pig: once Hamster: maybe twice Cockatiel: at least twenty times, mostly on the hands, couple on my face, she has a lot of mood swings Squirrel: once Lineolated parakeet: about twenty times mostly on the hands Budgies: lol, I've lost count Lovebird: maybe twice Hahn's macaw: once.. oww Parrotlet: five times And I think that's the end of it. So whaddya say guys? Do I qualify for the bite me club ?

I'd also say ignoring it is the best course of action. However, have you been teaching her any acceptable ways to get your attention? If not then mas is pretty much caught between a rock and a hard place and may be well plucking out of frustration. She probably knows that plucking doesn't work but she doesn't know what will so she keeps trying/gets frustrated and plucks because of that.

How much trouble your bird gets into depends on both the bird and how much bird-proofing has been done around your home. If your bird had never fledged, it may not be an automatic thing for him to fly and you'll have to teach the grey to fly well, he also might prefer to walk than fly. I have a 10 year old TAG that was clipped for at least the first six years before he came to me and has been clipped on and off since he came to me (I have finally decided to let him have his wings intact) and he needs alot of encouragement to voluntarily fly somewhere, preferring to wait for me or walk/climb to get there. It's a lot of trouble (especially if you have other pets or kids or lots of guests over frequently) but there will be a positive change in personality. It also requires you to take a whole new look at the way you relate to your bird and how you train the parrot. With full wings it is no longer a question of the bird having to depend on you or having to interact. IF the bird does not want to, he won't hang around. In short, it's tricky, with a lot of training (potty-training, recall etc) and bird-proofing on your part, but if you can manage it the rewards are worth it. Good luck

I've used both and recommend the aviator hands down. The feather tether is heavy, has irritating/frightening buckles that will bother your bird and tempt him ro chew the harness off. Also the material is much thicker and rougher with lots of stitches (also really annoying to birds). There's no dvd to give you some guidance and it is a BIG pain in the butt to put on. Also, if your bird startles... he's going to come to an really abrupt and posssibly painful stop on that leash. The aviator has my vote because it's light, very smooth and no buckles or stitches (there is one buckle thing on the belt to tighten it but that's it and it's not rubbing up against feathers or anything). It's really quick and simple to put on too, which is less annoying to you and the bird. But I think my biggest reason is the training dvd that comes with it and the elastic leash which eliminates jerky stops, also it's much easier for your bird to move in it and fly/walk as the harness attachment swivels.

I'm going to second the Aviator recommendation. I've used the feather tether and it was a terrible experience, not only is it awkward to put on but is heavy with a lot of irritating buckles and things (for both you and your parrot). You should absolutely get your bird used to wearing it indoors before you go out. It takes a while to get them used to it but it's definetly worth it. There are exercises that aren't on the aviator dvd that I'd suggest from personal experience. Firstly, get your bird used to sticking his head through the head loop (I did this by first getting jacko to simply stick his head through the wing loop and gradually reduced the size until he would put his head through the same sized hole as the collar). Secondly, if your bird is target trained getting him to touch the harness material would be useful (just a touch, no chewing!) Lastly, get the bird used to the harness just laying on his back so that when you actually put it on he's not going to panic or try to chew it off. Good luck!

Hey all, Found this article while browsing. Thought it might be interesting for some of you to look at. http://www.featheredfamily.com/foodaditives.htm I've also included three of the bigger brands of parrot food people use in my area. Zupreem (this specific page is for the avian maintenance fruitblend) http://www.zupreem.com/pdf/bird/AvianMaintFruit.pdf Hagen (usually sold under Tropican, Tropimix or Premium) http://www.hagen.com/canada/english/birds/addinfo/tropican.cfm http://www.hagen.com/canada/english/birds/addinfo/tropimix.cfm http://www.hagen.com/canada/english/birds/addinfo/livingworld.cfm Harrisons http://www.harrisonsbirdfoods.com/products/hpc.html Now I've no experience with Harrisons... so I can't judge but I distinctly remember the ingredients not being so fancy on the actual packaging with the Hagen foods and possibly the Zupreem. I'll finally be getting some of that Totally Organics pellets I posted about a while ago so I'll be sure to tell you all how the fids took to them.

Okay, okay, I admit the mental image of being attacked by a 50 gram bird is kinda funny, but still. Altair has started to attack me. It's not completely unpredictable. I know not to back down but I'd rather take a bite from the grey than this guy, he's got that little tiny beak that grinds and pinches the most miniscule pieces of flesh. I can usually predict the bites, because he'll start beeping and squeaking angrily, open his beak and then either attempt to bite or charge me. I'd say that most of the time I'm reaching for/touching his food bowls or in particular his favorite toy when he attacks. Outside of those scenarios he'll move away from me usually although he will sometimes charge or threaten me if I touch the cage bars in a particular spot or reach inside. I know this is probably territorial aggression and resource guarding (or the parrot equivalent). Anybody have experience with this? Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Ugh... I can't believe Sully has had yet another injury... the poor tiel's been through enough... two leg wounds, a bitten off toenail and now this... I feel terrible. I was clipping her feathers and when I released her she dove off the counter and ended up crashing onto the bathroom floor. When I picked her up, there was blood in and on her beak. I'm actually pretty impressed that I didn't panic but my first thought was she had some internal bleeding and this wasn't good. Wiping away the blood, I saw that she had only chipped a part of her upper beak, like a milimetre or so off the tip, really a tiny wound thankfully. She was acting fairly normal and actually tried to climb around and forage when I returned her to her cage. I covered up her cage and when I checked on her about two minutes later (went looking for quikstop) the wound had stopped bleeding. She actually wanted to snuggle... what a sweetie. This morning aside for some dried blood here and there, she's back to normal, and actually dove into her food this morning. Disaster averted. Does anyone know if the injured tip will regrow/heal/fall off? She seems fine but I want to know if there's anything I should look out for while it gets better.

Well first off to answer your question Baxtersmom I dunno if the amazon is actively mean towards other birds or just territorial, but I do know that he and Jacko didn't get along before. Secondly, wow, Tycos_mom, you're pretty brave to let all the birdies out at once and everybody's full-flighted to boot. Aren't you worried anout the tiels? And for that matter the conure? I mean, squabbles between similar sized parrots are not really worrisome but your bigger birds could crush the little ones quite literally. But you sound so matter of fact when you talk about letting everyone out to play at the same time despite the big size differences. How do you do it? Don't you get worried sometimes that the little ones won't get away in time or something like that?

Despite some reoccuring cases of MBS, I have come to a point in my life where I'm totally bird satisfied. Okay, yes, I still gush at lil baby greys and wonder but in reality, a flock of three is my limit. Heck, somedays I wish I didn't have to birdie schedule juggle and that I only had my grey. Yet, here I am facing this dilemma. For those of you familiar with my grey Jacko's story you'll know he lived in a house with an amazon parrot. Flash forward three years and that bird has suddenly made an appearance again. His beloved female owner has died and now her ex-husband wants me to take him. Now, normally, I would have said no, despite my boundless love and patience, money and space are at a premium right now. But my big bleeding heart goes out to this bird, who spends his days alone with some random people feeding him every couple days. Here's the catch, he is not able to be handled whatsoever. The only person he tolerated was the woman who passed on a couple months ago. He bites with a vengeance and actually likes to sucker people into getting bit. As far as I know he's never been a parrot so to speak, alot like Jacko was when he came to me except he's not a plucker. All his aggression is not what frightens me, that in itself is no deterrent, it's the fact I don't know how he would integrate into my flock. I have two small birds, and I have figured out that Jacko is territorial so if they stay away and don't approach he ignores them. But this bird I don't know about. He's big enough to threaten the grey. He's also probably flighted (which would change in a hurry if he came to me). I need some advice on this, can I make this work or should I maybe try to find somewhere who would take him in and help him? Without rehabilitation his future isn't bright. But I want to keep my flock safe. They are my priority. Also, any tips on keeping small and big birds in the same house while giving all the same amount of out of cage time is greatly appreciated!

hey all, I know i haven't updated this topic in a while so here goes: about two days ago, in desperation, I tried contact calls again, whistling back to her as I was leaving. Guess what? Silence. After a minute or two she stopped completely and was quiet. needless to say I was thrilled. Kept repeating the process and the noise has greatly decreased, once in a while she'll take a couple steps backward in terms of progress but she's much quieter. HOWEVER, my normally quiet linnie Altair is now threatening to sabotage everything. Normally, he was quiet ever when I was leaving. He would respond to the tiels screams but not to me. Now, he has begun screaming when I whistle back to the tiel, which gets her going again. Anyone have any ideas? I'd hate to come so far only to have Altair ruin the golden silence.

Nice work saving the little guy from a petshop, it's a rough life in there sometimes, kids and not-so-considerate adults poking at you all the time and whatnot. Anyhoo, like others have said try leaving a little treat or complex foraging toy in there before you leave, it'll help keep his mind off of you going. Try to establish two different cues for him when you leave 'i'll be right back' (for short periods) and 'see ya later' etc (for long periods). Keep calm when you leave, don't make a big fuss. But do answer when he calls for you otherwise it'll get louder and louder because he'll panic, just softly whistle as you leave and in response when he calls and he'll calm down in a bit. Also, by modeling a soft sound you find acceptable he'll tone down after a while (if he makes the noise when you're with him, ignore it and when he's quiet make a more acceptable noise and praise him if he copies it, also respond to noises you like). In order to decrease his possible mate like attachment to you (it can make the contact calls louder and worse), don't snuggle with him for long periods of time, instead, play games. Also, encoutage him to play alone when he's out of his cage. Good luck

Thanks for the suggestions everyone (gee lol, I totally forgot to write to the company in the first place, i feel silly). Happy holidays to you all as well!

Well, I'm now in the process of waiting for the two Aviator harnesss to get here, 1 for Jacko, the other for Sully the tiel. Hopefully they'll both be harness trained by the time summer rolls around again so I can take them out and about. That said, I feel bad for leaving Altair (the creamino linnie) inaide all by his lonesome while the other two can venture outside. I didn't get one for him because he falls below the minimum weight of 75 grams for the smallest aviator harness, he weighs in at 55-60 grams. I'd like to test out the petite harness I'm getting for the tiel on him to see if he fits in it, if he does I'll buy one for him. Does anyone have any experience putting an aviator on a large lovebird-sized bird? Will he fit okay? Should I disregard the weight requirement if he fits? He's definetly not as tall as the tiel is but he's definetly as wide (he's a stocky little guy)and it's not as if the aviator has bulky snaps and clips on it.

harsh words from the vet lol but oh well. I hope you enjoy your new Quaker and that both birds at least tolerate each other for everyone's sake. as others have said, do post pics!

hmmm... some sort of color variant of a call duck maybe???

Oh my, wait lemme clarify, I never meant to suggest you or anyone else on here were bad birdy parents, however, I was referring to the situation of some people buying a grey simpyl because it's cool or something like that.

Well seeing as old man winter has stormed in here in Canada and the holidays are here again, I've decided that I'd like to bring Jacko with me when I go to visit relatives for a couple of weeks. Since he's the most attached to me (and most temperamental to handle for others) I figure it'll be easier for everyone if he just comes with me. It'll be nice not to have to juggle bird schedules (ever have to bird wrangle three scared birds who don't like each other after the power goes out so you can get them back into their cages lol?). So weather permitting, he'll be coming with me in a week or so. Now, here's my question, I can transport him in and out of the car to get there A-OK (already got his carrier) but it's where to put him when I get there. I can't bring his cage, it's huge and it's attached to the tiel's cage. He'll be out alot while i'm there but he still might have to spend a couple hours a day locked up, so I don't want to use his carrier. What can I use? The only constraint is it has to be relatively cheap. I've tried looking at some big tiel cages but these are borderline sufficient for him. Could I use a dog crate or something like that, provided it's clean, with the right bar spacing and not rusted?