BMustee

You know it! It's going to be like a model shoot! I LOVE my job...I never thought I would be able to do this for a living. Even if I end up getting another job I'm still going to work for the pet store part time. It doesn't feel like work!

I just got a call from Joann, one of the ladies that works with me at the pet store. I almost didn't want to call back cause I thought she was calling to get me to come in early. Well, I called up and she told me that I was going to go and pick up some new babies for the store from a breeder! A Moluccan Cockatoo, a Scarlet Macaw, and a Yellow Nape! I am so excited!!! Plus I'm probably going to be the one to take them home too. I'll be sure to get pictures to post when i get back.

Getting out and flying away is not the issue. If they were to see a hawk flying overhead it is instinct to fly away. If they were to try to fly and land in the pool they would be dead in a matter of minutes. Parrots are not like ducks and will not float and once the oil and dust is saturated (which takes only seconds in a pool) they sink like rocks. I too live on the west coast of FL and I can't even tell you how many people I have met that have lost parrots to their pools. I also have a large back porch, pool, and pool cage so I do take Elmo out their to get some sun without a harness, but I do not take my eyes off him for a second...not one second. He did get spooked once by a hawk and went in the pool...but as soon as he took off I was already jumping into the pool and hit the water before he did. You have to treat parrots like a 2 year old when it comes to pool safty, so if you need to run into the house to get something, even if it's only for a second, the parrot needs to come in with you. Another BIG issue is the fall. I'm 99% sure I'm picturing your setup right in my head so you would have your birds on a second floor level with the pool cage going down to the ground. If your birds were to get scared and tried to fly if their wings are clipped too short they might not glide right. This is a big issue even from a few feet from the ground. If a bird crash lands from just the top of their cages they can break their keel bones...just imagine what could happen from a two story drop. I would say if you want unsupervised time on the porch you should put them in cages.

I'm very sorry for your loss. Like Judy said he is on the other side of the Rainbow Bridge and you will see him again one day. My thoughts are with you.

I notice the red on Elmo's tail will get dull when she is overdue for a bath. She is the same way with keeping her beak black though.

Ohhhhh sweet! I gotta get a few of those for Elmo and the finches...those would be perfect for my Zebra with the crippled leg! I guess the revolution paid off! :laugh: :woohoo: :silly: Just kidding!

I was watching a show on the neo-nazi, white power groups in America on the National Geographic channel today and I saw something that really cracked me up. They were interviewing this young guy that was spreading the "Aryan Word" on the internet. It looked like it was shot in his bedroom and I noticed on his wall he had a few posters. One of them was a poster for the movie "American History X". To anyone that hasn't seen the movie it about 2 brothers, the older brother is deep in the Neo-Naze group in Cali and is sent to prison for killing a couple black guys that were breaking into his car. While in jail he relizes how wrong the views of the "white supremacy" was and wanted out of the gang, and trys to get his little brother out as well. Great film, one of my favs. Well, back to the skin head. He had this poster on his wall and I couldn't help but think he must not have watched the second half of this movie because it's message it the opposite of what this guy "believes" in. What a chump. When I noticed the poster I was just like..."What??? You liked that movie?!? Did you WATCH the END"! Hahaha, I know I'm such a geek for that but I thought it was funny that this guy that is so into the white power thing liked that movie.<br><br>Post edited by: BMustee, at: 2008/09/18 09:29

Remember, it will get worse before it gets better so once you start doing this do not stop. If he barks for, lets say 15min, he will start to bark for 20-25 to try to get the attention it normally gets him. If you go and tell him to be quiet when he has done it for 25 minutes you have just taught him that barking for 25 minutes strait will get him what he wants. Then it will progress to 30-40 minutes at a time. So basicly you need to leave the room and ignore it and not re-enter the room till he stops the noise. If he starts right back up when you come back you need to turn right back around and leave again. When I have used this method for screaming it seems to take about a week or two to get it to start to work, so don't give up after just a day or two. Good luck

I think the "fading" may be due to the dust. Do you bath your grey regularly, and are you getting him wet to the skin. A quick misting doesn't work on greys because the dust acts as a water repelant and you need to get the feathers good and wet to rinse the dust off.

I got the trick training DVD from www.Birdtricks.com by Chet and Dave Womach. I really liked it and I was able to train my Sun and Grey the tricks with no problem. I;m actually going to get the other DVD's for more advanced tricks one of these days. I used shelled Sunflower seeds for training...and only for training. I don't feed them to Elmo in his normal diet so he will do ANYTHING for them. I get the ones that you can get in the produce department that are unsalted.

I feel for you. My step mom is going through some ortho problems herself so I know how hard it can be for someone that has to use a walker or wheelchair. I'm sure in the next 6 months you'll be good as new...if not darn close. I'm with everyone else...a video of the cartwheel is a MUST!

Whenever I add something new I let Elmo see it from across the room and watch as it gets set up. Last X-mas was Elmo's first but we didn't put up a tree or anything.

Thats good to know that she like to come out and you are handling her. Amazons are different from some of the other parrots because they are like bi-polar or something. One minute they are happy and having a good time, the next they seem to be mad at the world. They are also known to be big "displacement biters". If there is something on the other side of the room they don't like they bite you because they can't bite what is really bothering them. Because of this you don't want to shoulder them...don't want a bite to the face.

Aloe is safe for birds to eat and as long as you use the 99.7%+ pure aloe juice then there is nothing to worry about if it is injested (and it will be when they preen) and will not hurt the ear canal. Just don't try to water down the aloe gels because there are chemicals in it.

Yes, the firm "NO" and the stink eye work great! Parrots understand facial expressions so give the look your mother would give you when you were getting into trouble. I also use the "earthquake" method with the birds at my work. When they reach out with the beak and you know it's going to bite through them off balance a little bit. They have to regain their balance and they don't like it.

{Feel-good-0002006E} I bet with the birds at my store...mainly the Blue throated Macaws...if you looked through their poop you really would find gems and dimonds. People walk up and pick them up and the birds go right for the jewelry. Oscar the buffons I bet has buttons in his poop.:laugh:<br><br>Post edited by: BMustee, at: 2008/09/17 07:06

Oh, and you can bath him in Aloe Juice...it a bird safe moisturizer.

What you discrib could be two things...dust or pin feather shedding. It sounds like it is the later. When the pin feathers open the keratin sheath will begin to flake off. Totally normal. If the dust is getting to you can bump up the number of baths you give him. Greys get wet pretty often in the wild, so the more baths the better.

Elmo will hold his poop sometimes, esp if she has been in the cage. The poop you posted looks just like a "held" poop so there is nothing to worry about.B)

To really know why he bit you we would need to know what was going on when he bit you. If you were in the middle of scratching him and he just all of a sudden bit you then you might have wondered into a spot he didn't like of maybe you hit a pin feather. Act like it never happened, because if you have it in your head you will get bit you will.

I agree with Tiny, as long as he is afraid of you (which he is by your discription) he is going to keep biting you. What you need to start doing is building his trust in you before you and start working on steping up. All that is happening right now is damaging to the future of your relationship. As Tiny pointed out, you need to start just sitting by him and don't stare...that is hunting behavior. Look at him with your head turned a bit to the side and blink a lot. When he looks back at you and blinks back then he is relaxing and knows you are not a danger to him. When he starts displaying a fear responce you need to back off.

That is horrible. I am very glad the the USA banned import birds.

Yeah, Casper is just fine for a girl. Elmo was DNA'd a female and because she already knew her name and said she was a "good boy" I keep telling her that's what she is.:laugh: The way I see it...it's not like she is going to grow boobs or something:woohoo: :pinch:

That is Wonderful that Sweetheart is finally living living up to her name! I know how hard it was on you when you first got her.

I bet you and Radar will be the best of friends. I don't have a lot of experience with Quakers but I've heard a lot of good things about them. We all expect pictures VERY soon!:laugh: