BMustee

All birds molt...molting is the sheading of old feathers to make room for new ones. Some birds won't go through one BIG molt, but molt all year round. That is normally due to the constant temp of our houses. Greys normally molt around a year of age. You can tell their age because a bird won't molt all the feathers in a cycle. If a grey has a few black tipped tail feathers and a few that are all red then you know it's between 1 and 2 years old. With your Sun...is he Yellow down him back or all green? If he is yellow then he has molted. When they are babies they look like Jenday Conures...a yellow head with a all green body. My Sun never went through a big molt, but molted all year very slowly.

Is he clipped? I ask because some birds can become aggresive when fully flighted.

Yeah, I bet Female. I referred to Elmo as a boy sense I got her. When the DNA came in female she was already saying she was a "good Boy". Elmo is a boys name too, so the running joke at work is that I need to rename her Elma. So, in some posts I say she, others he...force of habbit.:laugh:

Elmo doesn't spend much time in her cage ether. If I am home she is out 90% of the time. At night she sleeps on the cage door or the nightstand...she likes my alarm clock. Although my room is very much bird proofed, she still is locked in when I leave for work. I couldn't stand the thought the though of not knowing what she is or isn't getting into. One day I want to setup a room like Tracy has and have a whole room JUST for the birds so she can be out even when I'm not home.

Oh Geesh! I was thinking he was a baby! LOL!!!

eBay is a great place to get a cage. I got Elmo's cage on ebay...it was around $200 on ebay, but the same size cage at the store sells for $700.

You never did reply about the bungee cords on the nest box...and you will never get birds to breed in 3 days. I don't know what you were looking for, but you can find yourself the door

Such a cute baby! I don't think there is a baby grey that isn't spoiled rotten!

How old is Refund now? Elmo is a year and a half and has gone through two molts now. It does sound like it's just molting he's going through. Many birds that pluck also will damage feathers, so if all his feathers are in good condition there is nothing to worry about.

Yes, rubbing a bird under the wings and by the tail is a sexual thing for parrots. I don't know if you have ever seen birds being "romantic" with eachother, but when they do they rub under the wings and by the tails...the Hyacinths at my work are always doing it! LOL!

Offer him weaning pellets, seeds, veggies...anything you want it to eat as an adult. A baby bird won't wean unless it is eating on it's own. At 7 weeks he should start picking at food. I like to have baby birds on a towel and spread the food out on the towel. Little birds don't seem to know how to eat out of a bowl. Just be sure that anything that can do bad is removed within an hour or so. Don't bath him yet, just use a damp cloth to clean his face, feet, and butt if needed.

I know of some paints that are somewhat safe around birds, but not stains. The advise that Kaedyn posted is what I would say.

Yeah...you need to. I love Severe Macaws, you don't see them too often. Never came across one I didn't like.B)

That is good to know...Any pictures???:cheer:

In just the past three months I have raised Congos, Timnehs, Blue Crown Conures, Sun Conures, Yellow Nape Amazons, Vosmaeri Eclectus, and White Bellied Caiques…all of them are sweet as pie and sell for top dollar. I can’t even begin to tell you about some of the birds that have come in from breeders (which are now black-balled) that were timid, nippy, with little to no feeding response because the breeder did not know how to REALLY care for them. One example is a little grey that came to us. He did not like to be handled, didn’t have a feeding response, and didn’t play…he just sat there. After we had him a week you would never have guessed he was the same bird. He loves to cuddle, eats really well, and attacks his toys with such gusto that you would only see in a bird that is truly happy. I may seem harsh when people talk about breeding, but it is because I have seen what happens to baby birds that did not get the treatment a good breeder gives them and if you cared about birds a fraction of the amount I do you would see that what I say isn't to just slam people, but for the welfare of the birds. Penny - I could not agree with your post more. What you said hit the nail on the head.<br><br>Post edited by: BMustee, at: 2008/09/10 20:17

Yes, he can love you that much this soon! Greys are known to be one person birds, but many do love more then one person, like my CAG, she loves me and my B/F. You asked about the crop...basicly the crop is a muscular pouch that is a used to temporarily store food, so yes, food will be in there all the time.

It depends on the vet. I pay about $120 for a well bird check with bloodwork, so it may be in that ballpark. If he is thin and now seizes he needs to be seen...I would take him as soon as the vet can see him.

It sounds like something is wrong with Baka, you need to take him to an Avain Vet. Dog and cat vets don't know what they are doing so you need a vet that is experiencd with parrots. You will want to get a blood test done, a gram stain, and a crop swab. What area are you from...maybe there is a member here that lives close and can recomend a good vet. How long have you had Baka?

Thats so good to hear that Milly has a clean bill of health. I know you were worried about Zinc poisoning, so I'm sure you are relieved that the vet was happy with him. I only have the one parrot and I don't think I would ever want more then 2 or 3. As of now I only have time and space for Elmo so no more for me for now.

You bring up having a baby...although I do not have nor plan to have any human children they are NOTHING like breeding and raising a clutch of parrot chicks. Plus, billions of people have babies that are productive members of society, so it's not something to brag about. When a human baby crys there is a level of human instinct that tells you what to do. We are not parrots and can not read from instinct what one cry means and a certain behavior is telling you with baby parrots...it is learned and I'm telling you from experience you can not learn these things from a book or Google. A baby human knows how to suckle from a breast...there isn't really much you can do to screw that up because evolution has made it that way. A parrot chick does not know how to eat from a syringe, and it's not human instinct that tells someone how to do it. Feeding a baby bird is a learned skill and if not done to a T it WILL KILL A BABY BIRD!!! You could kill a whole seasons worth of chicks if you just "do some reading" and don't learn how to do it from a breeder with years of experience. I don't think I have ever heard of a new mom aspirating a baby with breast milk or a bottle...but it is SOOOOOO common with people that buy an unweaned baby birds. If you only knew how many baby birds die every year due to an owner that didn't know what they were doing you wouldn't think it was going to be such a walk in the park. As Toni put it, she has done years of research into ownership and breeding, she has watched and learned how to feed and feels it is the right time to start herself. From your original post it sounds like you got a breeder pair on impulse when you were looking into getting your first bird. Breeding is not something you say "oh gee, I'll get tons of babies...I'll just jump on the wagon!" I myself do breed birds...exotic finches. Finches and parrots are NOTHING alike, in a nutshell I just make sure the conditions and health are perfect for the parents...they do the rest. Although, I did not just walk into a pet store and buy 2 grand worth of finches and hope for the best. I started with a pair of Zebra as pets and went from there, now with multiple pairs of Stars, Owls, and Gouldians I breed for the pet store I work at. It took over 5 years to get to the point I am at now with them. From your response to what I said I know exactly what your all about. All you wanted to hear was "good for you and go for it". The truth is you can't just light a few scented candles, play some Barry Manilow and POW you got babies. You say how about I pick your brain to find out what you know...You let everyone know you have time, money, and kids but you did not say if you knew how to hand feed or what your experience with birds is, which tells me your not really looking to learn anything...or should I say your not looking to learn something from someone that isn't going to say one bad thing to you.<br><br>Post edited by: BMustee, at: 2008/09/10 03:52

It's a good thing when a parrot isn't into sunflower seeds and nuts. They are high in fat and greys are junk food junkies and get hooked pretty quick. Elmo likes pistachios, almonds, and sunflower seeds. I give him a couple nuts a day with his food and only give sunflower seeds when trick training. He is the same way with peanuts though...just likes to break them open and then drops them. When it comes to treats, anything given in moderation is fine. My Sun was WILD for yellow squash and ice tea. I used the tea sometimes when trick training him...boy did he like tea!

If there is a good pet store in your area with parrots, a bird club, or a reputable breeder you should ask them who they use. I tell everyone about Dr. McKelvie, who is the vet for the birds at the store and the vet I take Elmo too. I have seen another vet when I had my Sun that said she treated birds, but yet didn't know by looking at him what kind of bird he was. I'm sorry but if you can't recognize a Sun Conure then you are not an avian vet!

First off, do you know how to hand feed? Do you have the time to hand feed 4 to 5 times a day? If the answer is no to ether one you should think twice before breeding. Lets say that your greys do breed and you get babies...if you do not know how to handfeed or are not able to feed every day at 6am, 11am, 4pm, and 10pm which is the usual time table for feeding 2 week old baby greys, then your babies will be worthless in the pet trade. I do not breed greys, but I do raise the baby birds at the pet store I work at. We get the baby birds in at 2 to 6 weeks old and it is a round the clock job. I might leave work at 8pm, but I have to take the baby birds home and feed them at 10pm and then wake up at 5:30am to get them fed first thing. Also, not every baby is going to make it. I lost a 2 week old CAG not long ago from a mix of bacterial infection and a type of Parvo virus. Will you be able to deal with the loss? While on the topic, will you be able to afford the vet bills for the baby birds, the adults, and necropsies for birds that die? I read through your post in the welcome room and it sounds like you are new to parrots, so I'm guessing you have never hand fed. You should NEVER just "wing it" because a baby just pulled from the nest does not know how to "help" with the feeding and if you don't know exactly what you are doing you can asperate it VERY easily and it will be dead in a matter of minutes. Even if you only get a little bit of formula in the lungs and it doesn't die right then and there it will die from pneumonia within a week. If you feed the formula too hot you will burn a hole in the crop, and they can burn to the point that there is a hole all the way through and anything that goes in will spill out the hole into the body cavity or out of the body. Fed too cold will cause sour crop (crop stasis, which is food rotting in the crop) and will cause all kinds of problems...and more than likely death with someone not experianced. If the formula is not mixed right it will damage the bird as well. If it is made too thin then the babies will suffer from malnutrition and will ether be a sickly bird for life or die, if it is made too thick the babies can suffer from dehydration, crop impaction, and slow crop (leading to sour crop). Even experianced hand feeders will come across health issues with baby birds, and can easily treat them, but to someone that does not know what to watch for very simple and common issues can and will be deadly. Now, if you just don't have the time to feed you really don't have many options. You may be able to sell them to a breeder that has the time, but your not going to get very much for them...maybe $100, if that. Even with that option you may not be able to get someone to take them, and then you would end up having to let the parents feed the baby. No one will buy a baby parrot that was not hand fed so would you be able to keep ALL those birds? Also, you said you had a box held on the cage with bungee cords...are you sure it's secure? I ask because boxes are normally secured with wire and hooks. The bungee's just don't sound secure to me. I may sound negative in this post but breeding parrots is not just fun and games and should only be done by someone experienced in all aspects of avian care.<br><br>Post edited by: BMustee, at: 2008/09/09 07:53

They would breed them the same way you would breed any animal for color. A genetic flaw can cause a pigment change and selective breeding reproduces the flaw. Their are a lot of color bred birds popping up now that captive breeding is becoming easier because of better knowledge and more birds availible. Here is a website with some cool pics... http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.limaexoticbirds.com/images/photos/Blue%2520Yellow-Nape1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.limaexoticbirds.com/photos.html&h=388&w=273&sz=26&hl=en&start=1&um=1&usg=__qB5dJybd3iWbLGtBEoI8YEGYLUM=&tbnid=8qpJbqxjCgUcoM:&tbnh=123&tbnw=87&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dblue%2Byellow%2Bnape%2Bamazon%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN IMO, I would rather see temperment breeding to get sweeter birds than more colorful birds, but there is more money in color and that's what drives the industry. Plus, most sweet birds are kept as pets and not put into breeding programs.

LOL! One of my friends at the pet store used to work at vet office and she cut herself really bad on the job and needed stiches, so the vet went ahead and didthem for her!