MakenasDad

Yes, I have to stay here and take care of a little grey chick. You all may be seeing more of me over the holidays as I may get a little bored. Aloha and happy holidays!!! I'll be missing out one some good food for sure!!

We hope you and Talon the best on your move! Keep us updated, as we will be interested to know how she reacts. When we move back to the mainland, we're going to buy Makena a new cage, have it waiting, and sell this one. The move itself is going to consist of a 5.5 hour plane ride in a travel carrier only to end up in a new environment with a new climate. I hope he does ok, because we get sick just thinking about it!:sick: :ohmy: I suppose it's all relative though? G'luck Penny! :-)

Yes, birds definitely do have a distinct smell on there breath. I've had macaws before Makena, and they too had the smell. I can't really put it into words, as it's a smell of its own, but I think I know what you're talking about. I wouldn't call it offensive though.. It does change throughout the day, i.e. from when they wake up to when they get sleepy at night. Just like us I suppose... I would say it's normal as every bird I've had has this "birdy breath." As the others have also said - Congrats on stopping smoking!! You and Tui will be much happier without them! {Characters-0002007C}<br><br>Post edited by: MakenasDad, at: 2007/12/12 04:43

I know that wine corks are actually soaked in a peroxide solution to kill off bacteria so the wine does not get spoiled. I'm not sure of the effect this would have on a bird, or to the amounts used. I know this is done in the US, but not sure about other countries, anyone else know?

If you're traveling with your bird, you can use ATA airlines. They allow birds into the cabin, but there is a fee! Last time I checked I believe it's $75.USD. We were also going to look into purchasing another seat, but we'll have more info on that actually we call the airlines and do it. When we got Makena from the breeder, we brought him back to Maui in the cabin and took Aloha airlines, but they only allow animals on interisland flights. Hope this helps?! Once again, we'll be more educated on this once we do it and let you know how it goes.. ATA's pet policy: http://www.ata.com/traveler_resources/before_you_fly/pets_guide_animals.html

Ok. We took him to the vet today! The more we talked about it, the more scared we got. The vet said that he is OK! The uropygial gland is actually to the sides of where that feather is. It is a blood feather that is poking out of the gland, but he said just to keep an eye on it. If it were to break, it could be trouble but basically it should fall out on it's own. So we did the right thing by bringing him in to put our minds at ease. As an additional note: for those of you who don't know.. If a blood feather breaks, do NOT use quick stop (styptic powder) on the feather, it needs to be plucked. If you use the powder, you are prolonging the bleeding but not completely stopping it. I say this because if you think you can just use the powder at night before bringing your baby in the next morning, it could bleed overnight.. (this is advice our vet told us today)

As you can see, it looks like a pin feather? It's "covered" in the material that feathers grow out of. At first I actually thought it was a new tail feather coming in, but it's too high for that, and right in the area the preen gland is located. He was a sweetheart for letting us get this picture, although he didn't like it, he relaxed and let us snap it. What do you think? Thanks.

I've noticed this all the time at pet stores!!! :angry: If you think about it, most people who work there are selling and handling dogs, cats, and fish. As all of us here know, birds are nothing like any other "pet." And with the inflated prices you stated, the owner obviously IS in it only for the money! They see "exotic" birds as items they can sell for huge profit. Still makes you sick to see it thought, huh?

Good thread! "Pet names" are weird, but we definitely have our fair share for Makena. Here we go: Mak, Mac Nut, grey bird with a red tail, chicky, half pint, braticus finch, small fry, monkey, turkey, & bowling bowl after he eats; I honestly think this poor bird may have identity issues...:dry:

We started bathing Makena as a baby. At first we didn't even put water on him when he was a chick, we would only bring him into the shower and let him perch to get used to it. As time went on, we would start to mist him, and increased it until he felt comfortable in the water. If he even looked like he was uncomfortable or didn't like it, we would take him away from the water, and put him back on his perch. I think that doing this allowed him to be comfortable both with the shower and water. Time was definitely key here, don't rush it - as it could have the obvious negative effect of fright. Every couple of days, we'll now add in a mist of aloe vera juice after he has his fun time. Thought this info may be useful for those new grey owners who are interested in bathing there bird. This can also work with older birds, but once again time is key and it may take even longer.

I subscribe to playboy, and didn't see the article, or the picture... :)

Mcgyver, It would actually have the reverse effect. Adding oils will actually pick up germs, as it will act like glue to everything they're walking on. I can kind of understand your thinking on this, but I'm with MrSpock on this one, I don't believe that you should be adding moisturizers to a birds beak or especially feet. Most of us here use Aloe juice or gel. It's completely natural and doesn't leave an oily residue. It seems to me that what you're doing is more for cosmetic reasons, making the beak look better, but you really have to consider how they cope with this in the wild. We use aloe because many of the climates we bring our birds into do need a form of moisturizer for their skin, we just need to make sure that it is healthy for our birds, and has no ill effects.

Once again, thanks for your responses, but I take it no one has seen this particular cage? I like the idea of a travel cage that separates the paper from the cage so he doesn't step in his own poop. And this one has a place for him to perch. The adventure pack does also look like a viable option, but pricewise is even more expensive than the avian adventures hotel...

Interesting, looks like all are talking after one year. At least as of today and 21 votes.

Joe/Val, So sorry to hear this terrible news. We are really hoping the best and hope you find your little guy. I'm sure you'll keep us updated. {Feel-bad-00020063}