birdmom

JNKIR7 wrote: 12-15 Years young, right?B) Nutriberries its new to me. Let him adjust then introduce some new foods. In time he'll try em. He'll even get tired of nutriberries, they always get bored eating the same thing all the time. My birds munch on their rowdy bush pellets early in the morning b4 I get up, I don't see them but the evidence is gone so it must be going somewhere! lol They usually realllly like oatmeal and also sweet potatoes (cooked, of course) and both are really good for them. You can crush up some pellets, and hide it in the oatmeal. How about some sugar snap peas, apple slice (no seeds-toxic). Mine also llllove salmon. Have fun with your new fid! joanne

hello, congrats! you did a good thing. just pld don't expect the birds to play and get along always. the important thing is your relationship with the birds. Both my CAGs, I am their second owner. Charlie was in a crazy household, he didn't get much sleep, no respect. I am sure your Echo appreciates you even along with that pesky QUaker

About ur playstandd, I have one similar to it, got it for $99 at a bird show at the fairgrounds, sometimes you can get better prices at the shows. but thats only once a year... those are great. Is yours all welded in one piece? If you ever need to move it I hope so, mine has a million nuts and screws. I had to put them all in a ziplock baggie and tape the bars together so I would nt lose any pieces....When I first got it, Buddi was hesitant so I only put her on it for a few minutes and she just sat in one spot looked nervous. I had to play music and stand there with her, and I put it in front of the window, so she eventually turned her back, and was interested in the activities outside. Pretty soon my neighbors would walk by and wave at her, and she would pick up her right hand, and wave back. So, eventually she got used to it, it took a month or two. I had to put her favorite snack in the little bowls. She didn't know what to do on there until I got Charlie, and he was like a monkey on the thing, uninhibited that he is. So, now she knows what to do, she does what he does. be patient, and just keep trying you know, like put him there while ur cleaning his cage and stuff. He will watch u carefully. You could set the crate on top of his cage, and let him walk out on his own, open the cage door and lethim watch you fill up the food crocks in his cage Hope it helps and be patient tell him you love him. joanne joanne

Such great pic! Thanks. Looks like you all had fun. Look at the teeth on that eel! Yikes, I'd rather get bit by a Grey! Good to get to know u better. joanne

Sounds like they mutually tolerate sharing you. My only concern may be that the grey is on your shoulder, they can get dominant when they reach maturity (4-5 years) So, if he is the only one who gets to go there, he may view it as his territory. Or not you'll find out. :J) So, the little guy under your chin, thats really cute, got a picture of that? I guess the jugular isn't too far from either of them, and with those dogs on your legs....well, you'd be hard pressed to get up in a hurry if a fight did break out. BUt I think their behavior is normal dont you guys? joanne :huh:

Well, I like to look at the online stores and may order a travel cage from birdcages4less. I prefer to give my business to the local exotic bird merchant, since I want to support their business. Otherwise, they will go out of business. Here in Sacramento there is the Bird Shop on Auburn Blvd. I like them for supplies, grooming and boarding. I can call them on the phone and they tolerate silly questions from time to time. When I lived in Orange county I went to Omars for supplies, grooming and boarding. And when I lived in Denver, I went to the African Grey Pet Shop for supplies grooming and boarding. I encourage all my bird friends to support your local exotic bird shop, vs. the big box pet stores. They need your support. But sometimes, we have to go elsewhere, I know. Keep it real, keep it light. Keep it real light! Joanne

Cage cleaning: I use Poop-Off, I have a sprayer and a scrubber bottle and I refill them with a large gallon bottle. I prefer not to use a pressure sprayer, since I live in an apartment but it also is water, and I had a cage that was cleaned that way and it had developed tiny little pinhead rust holes all over the paint. It was a Cal Cage and has been sandblasted and re powdercoated. Paper Towels: does anyone have a better idea? they're so expensive I go thru alot. Toys: I find the best way to clean toys is run them thru the dishwasher with No Detergent I spray with Poop Off first, and I use the heated drying cycle. I don't know how wooden toys would fare, it seems to make my cutting boards split. The wood toys and wood ladder I set in my bathtub, spray with Poop Off and then let the hot shower steam it off, then I scrub them with a scrub brush. Not too often. I put the acrylic and plastic toys in there and its a great way to clean the rope toys and swings off. But you gotta make sure those dry out completely,I hang em outside on my patio. Any other ideas? B) birdmom Post edited by: birdmom, at: 2007/12/20 00:14<br><br>Post edited by: birdmom, at: 2007/12/20 00:16

Does your bird participate or comment while you clean their cage? Please post your stories here. Any inforamation you can share about how you clean your bird's cage will be viewed as a great contribution to the topic! Thanks birdmom. When I clean Buddi's cage, (I do the thorough cleanup one time per week for her since she's not too messy and her white powder coated California Cage is easy to clean off. I had it sandblasted and re powder coated earlier this year.) She always comments when I come out with the Poop Off sprayer and start squirting and scrubbing with paper towels. I should own stock in paper towels Buddi always says: Mmm Hmm. I thought that was funny until I got Charlie! I have had him since April and I noticed he liked to watch and would call me a Poop. "Joanne you Poop" "You want some?" "You Poop". If I laugh, he laughs. Makes cleaning his cage fun, which is saying alot. Here is today's story, Breaking Headline News: **Large Male African Grey Parrot attempts to Commandeer Cage-Cleanup Efforts during massive Poop-Off project** At about 2PM this afternoon in the living room of a Sacramento area apartment, an African Grey Parrot named Charlie (he-who insists its properly pronounced with a British accent- Chahlee) was seen removing all his toys from inside his cage while his steward Joanne Anonymous, diligently worked to clean all the poo and food residue he has accumulated over a record one-day period. The birds owner claimed that "Chah-lee" calls her a Poop and asks her if she wants some Poo? when his cage is dirty and said he seems to go out of his way to make it so on an occasion just like this. We couldn't get much more out of her in the way of a statement. What we do know is today, to add to the messy chaos, the 4-year old inhabitant of this monstrous black beauty of an engineering nightmare who resides in the living room of the apartment, attempted to contribute to the clean-up activities by insisting his steward remove all toys from the area and then tried to take over the project snatching a spray bottle of Poop-Off! No record of an attempted burglary charge has been found. The bird's owner, a Joanne Anonymous, is a mid-career (whatever that is) graduate student studying Library Science part time at San Jose State University and works part-time as a testing evaluator for a national publishing company. (She claims she cannot work full-time bcuz the bird takes up so much time...right) Her attention to detail is obvious so we will not challenge the accuracy of the details that follow: According to the report, the Joanne claimed that while finishing up an entire roll of paper towels she was scrubbing with her head down, and that Chah-lee nipped at her hair, laughing and mocking her. He then proceeded to climb to the top of his cage above her and removed all the toys hanging from the top of his cage, which then fell in a pile on the bottom of the just-cleaned cage floor, narrowly missing her head. The accident was timed perfectly when she reached back inside of the cage to clean it, projecting the entire top half of her body and head inside the huge monstrous cage that could sink a battleship. (It is the opinion of This Reporter that Somebody was only trying to help her) however; according to witness reports at the scene some real trouble started when Chah-lee became more diligent, attempting to commando the spray bottle, apparently sensing that he could do a better job himself. The witness stated that after Joanne thanked Chah-lee for trying to help and assured him she would make sure that his toys were also clean. At that point an argument ensued, when Joanne attempted to remove the spray bottle of cleaner from the clutches of the big-bad-boy and scold him appropriately. According to our witness, Chah-lee took offense and protested, boinging his steward with the tippy tip of his very sharp beak into the side of her forearm, perhaps trying to make her give him back the bottle. He appeared to feel that he could do a better job. It was not clear to on-lookers whether Chah-lee intended to do irreparable harm to her or if he was just fooling around so we attempted to get a statement from her however she refuses to comment on the ugly matter. A source on the inside told an informant that when the attack occurred, Joanne was observed snatching Chah-lee up (while he strugged to get away from her, running all around the top of the monstrous cage bringing much attention to his plight) and then removed him from the area. Fortunately for her, we noted that she is a statuesque figure, towering over the five-foot tall cage at an astounding 70.5 inches in height. (The informant said Chah-lee was last seen quietly perched in a small travel cage on top of an extra washing machine in the corner of the bedroom of Miss Anonymous, and overheard her saying in a loud firm voice: "Timeout Charlie". It seems poor Charlie didn't stand a chance in hell of cleaning his own cage. Reported today, 19 December 2007.

Hello and nice to meet you! well many of us have done it, but not with the expected results. I have a female that is plucking now bcuz she is jealous of my second grey. So of course they won't play together, you should definitely only do it if you absolutely love the greys. There is one other benefit, they'll eat a very similar diet, whereas if you go with a different species, you may wind up preparing very different diets. Like, the eclectus which eat alot more fruits in their diets, or the cockatiels, which eat a very different food than greys; or lories, they have to have that sugary stuff. So theres alot to consider, but you'll get to know the species quickly with two at home. Medical problems tend to run the same within a species of bird. Having said all that I would not get a second grey, if I was gonna do it again. I'd go with a smaller bird that didn't make my grey feel like she lost some status. Like a Pionus, or maybe a Senegal. I wouldnt get a really noisy bird around a grey. Good luck to you! Let us know what you decide? joanne

Well thanks Zigs! It's great that you are stepping out so others can get to know who you are. Its clear when one reads all of the different posts you make on here, that you are an advocate for the birds first and foremost and I respect that about you Zigs. We are all such different people, you just can't judge a person from one or two posts they make and these written words cannot express a person's tone of voice --or body language which is estimated to make up over 80% of human communication. Anybody who thinks they can assess someone from a few posts needs to rethink and give a person a better chance than that. There's always more than meets the eye at first glance. We all have our quirks but most people are on here bcuz they love the birdies! I am. While we have our big differences we all have one very important thing in common and I hope it outweighs any silly misunderstandings. The stuff life is made of, take the good with the bad. Sometimes I get on a bandwagon and post ten blogs on some poor persons topic and then you poor people have to read it all. I need to get more sleep... So hats off to you Ziggy! Karma coming your way! Its a pleasure getting to know you and your family. Keep it real, keep it light. Keep it real light! joanne xo ps oops I forgot to thank the academy my mother and everybody who ever taught me anything. Like, Dave007, your wit gets us thru alot keep it up. Also, Danmcq, always made me feel welcome when i first joined I was new to blog spots, and it took me a while. Thanks for the encouragement, Judy you too. Ziggy, u make me laugh and I do miss Joe. Most of all I thank Buddi and Charlie for letting me in their life. birdmom<br><br>Post edited by: birdmom, at: 2007/12/19 10:35

nice to meet you melissa! joanne

Hi there: Welcome! You said: where are the breeders - 2007/12/10 17:32 thanks for the reply, craigslist.com? the idea of rescueing a bird seems like a good idea, as long as there arent any bad behavioral problems, i will have to look into that. ? Well it's Craigslist.org not .com, but please do be careful about buying a bird on there. You will have no way to know if the bird is healthy unless you insist upon a vet exam including a CBC, b4 you agree to buy the bird from someone on CL. Often a bird looks beautiful, but the owner may have just learned birdie is sick and wants to unload it to avoid big vet bills. Now it becomes your very expensive problem. Not to be negative, but a vet visit will run you over 200-300$ and it is cheap insurance. I did that b4 I rehomed charlie and he was worth it I'm glad I insisted. And I went to visit him four times to make sure he liked me. He was biting everyone else, but he just chewed on my scarf. It was over a month from the time I first em them, to the day I brought him home, and they delivered him to me. They wanted to see how I live. So if you find a bird on CL, go visit it several times You will want to see how they handle their own bird...Is it biting them and why? Is it flighted? Does it have alot of toys? If they are in a hurry to get rid of their bird forget it something is wrong. But if they really love their bird, they will care to find the right new owner and check you out. They will also agree to a vet visit. You can offer to split it $ 50/50 provided the bird is healthy but they should pay for it all if he is sick, and you then won't buy it. (you should require at least a CBC and fecal gram stain for negative gram bacteria from a certified Avian vet. (aav dot org) I do believe that a rescued bird is sometimes a lucky bird but be smart about it; assess the situation. Walk away if you don't get your questions answered. For eg: there is one on there now it is a female, posted 12/16 In Brooklyn- Owner seems reticent and conscientious. Another dated 12/12 a male 5 yrs old, $800 with Kings cage. Owner seems motivated; But why? 1718 628 0499 ask for patty. $800 for a grey that talks, with a Kings cage is a great deal. Why is she going to let her bird and cage go for that price? I would find out. Just go to Craigslist dot org, Search by State, then city, then select Pets on the left under Community, then type Parrot into the search field. See what hits you get. Good luck, birdmom!

Name Dixies lost birdie in the UK!..unless there are other ideas please go ahead and post your vote here by Wednesday 12AM midnite Pacific Time. 24 hours to go! Jengo - reddish complexion (spookyhurst) Dafina - valuable, precious (briansmum) Trooper (Spookyhurst) Hope - (Joanne Alile - She weeps (DanMcq) Gilligan (Tari) Winter (birdmom Joanne) Jabali - Strong as a Rock (briansmum) Please cast your votes here in this topic. Thanks!

Hello Joe, I haven't had a chance to get to know anyone too well yet, but I always enjoy reading your posts you're a bright spot here. Whatever you need to do for awhile, best wishes and I hope you decide to post again whenever you're ready. I hope if there is a problem you need to deal with it will disappear. See you again maybe. Take care. joanne xo

holy toledo Dan..r u commuting from visalia to SJ? My cousin lives in Springville near Tulare, he used to work in SJ but rented a house in Scotts Valley....too far to commute!!!:ohmy:

What a good idea. I think I may need to try it, thanks Deb. Maybe I can find one of two African Greys sharing a human being amicably between them ! LOL uthink?

Aren't the birds in charge of us? wiseguy..

Charlie does something very cute. He has these ceramic hooded crocks like with a dome top? they look like a big beehive. He likes to stick his whole head and shoulders in there and talk and laughits so funny bcuz it echoes in there. At first I didn't know where it was coming from and it makes him laugh at himself becuz it sounds funny. He goes in there and starts laughting and saying peekaboo, hellooo (laughter) then, he just starts mumbling stuff and laughing more. Theres a little 1/4 inch hole in the back where you can mount it with a screw, but it's empty bcuz it fits right in the cup holder, so he tries to peek thru the hole and talk to me if I'm on that side. I see him putting his eyeball up to it and if I put my finger over the hole, he tries to bite it. :laugh:

Okay, well you came to the right place! It will be ok now. The stress of a change can make them do that, its nothing you did to her. (There are several of us on here with female pluckers....my Buddi is one of them, DebT is another, there are others too. YOu are not alone, and can ask us anything. Dave007 is great for advice on this also! ) Maybe her previous owner was a man? Well it's not unusual for them to choose a gender they prefer-- but you can work it out, just be patient with her. You may need to be the one to feed her and give her treats, and clean her cage; and always talk to her anyway even if she rejects you.. they can change their minds often. Buddi my female is very bonded to me, altho' she realllllly likes men, she has tried to flirt and attach herself to any man who comes in here, even the moving men!! She is badly in need of a mate so I do my best. LOL I have to go gagga over her and tell her how much I love her daily. Also, once they start plucking the new pin feathers coming in may itch badly all at once, perpetuating the plucking. If you can, please buy Red Palm Oil at once it is sold at health food stores and Whole foods types of stores. It is a food they eat in their natural environment and makes their skin moist and not itchy. (You can order it over the Internet too.) That and misting or showers has made a difference lately with Buddi but it will be a continual thing once they start. Just have faith and love her! If you persevere you will win her heart! Hang in there, (and ps, a vet visit won't hurt) joanne<br><br>Post edited by: birdmom, at: 2007/12/17 00:47

Teri, Welcome! I just read your post on 12/15 about your partner feeling like he's not in the 'flock'. It sounds like your birdies love you soo much! This one may just take some patience since the little birdies are probably feeling a bit jealous of him if he's not there consistently; he may swoop in and get all your attention and they've had you to themselves, they may feel like, what did we do wrong, it was going so well until he showed up!!? Of course(chuckling) your partner is just a nuisance to them at this point, they don't have any reason to trust him yet, he just comes and goes... Do u think they are both jealous of him? Do you by any chance, display affection to your man, in front of your birds? Well maybe... next time he arrives you could have him prepared to say hi to the birds first, b4 he greets you-- and be really happy to see them, like over the top happy? Why not try that? Maybe they won't react negatively if they perceive that he has come to see them this time. Of course, the two of you will need to refrain from affection in front of the birds, or the gig is up:blink: (There are some people who handle it that way.) I have learned that birds have a special heirarchy that is very strong...as do dogs, but I think due to the survival threats to wild birds it must be a bigger deal in the bird world (pecking order?) not too sure....anyway they surely love you and are bonding so well with you! They do it to survive in the wild ...so you are doing the right things. This is a natural learning curve with your birds I think. They will go thru phases, too! ps: I think maybe our Ziggy is just very passionate about the birdies he rescues alot, he may have initially reacted that way becuz, you will notice after a couple years with birds, an amazing number of people that get them, dump them within a year or two due to the very problems you describe, rejection of a partner. So, it is a sensitive issue in the bird rescue community. Not that we think you would do that, but we hope not and I think Ziggy's passion was temporarily misdirected at you becuz he has alot of birds right now, that were dumped by some people that were for lack of a better word, ignorant about birds in particular. For example, I have a second grey, Charlie. I got Charlie from a family, he was in love with the wife, but hated the husband who Charlie viewed as his main rival for Karen. The husband just didn't want to take the time it needed to work it out, and things can settle down a bit after they go thru puberty at around four years. And, they had two dogs, and then got a third, and Charlie the CAG was odd man out at that point, nobody wanted to deal with him, and he had become a biter, attacking anyone who came near his cage, bcuz it was the only area he could control, and he was angry. He got no respect and was approaching the age of four. I hope that may help you to understand Zig's reaction. You will come to understand he is very passionate about the birdies. xo, joanne ps Welcome! Post edited by: birdmom, at: 2007/12/17 00:08 Post edited by: birdmom, at: 2007/12/17 00:11 Post edited by: birdmom, at: 2007/12/17 00:27<br><br>Post edited by: birdmom, at: 2007/12/17 01:18

Welcome Mike and Mumbles and ? didn't get your wife's name. Don't be dismayed about the behavior with your wife, greys often pick a favorite, its a package deal good with the bad. Many of us have a similar situation, as you will soon see.

Okay Sandy, well no harm no foul (no pun intended) LOL. I didn't mean to overwhelm you but it prob'ly sounded that way sorry, :blush: it's just that I would be so sad if something happens to her so soon, you've only just gotten her and she's just a tiny tot! There's too much to learn when you first bring home a grey, stuff that I would never have dreamed of and if I didn't have some really good people to call when I first got Buddi, well I was lucky and I want you to be lucky, too! The smartest animals are capable of getting into the biggest trouble! :ohmy: Anyway you have lots of good resources here. Good luck to you and I'm crossing my fingers for you. joanne<br><br>Post edited by: birdmom, at: 2007/12/16 23:38

So far: Winter Gilligan Alile Dafina Hope Trooper

Wow well this is just a suggestion for ya, (btw this is the funniest video of a parrot i've seen); I found that if I put them in their cage as punishment for biting, then whenever they want to go back in there, you have trained them to bite you. (fyi I'm not a perfecct birdmom, nor a wild animal trainer. But to correct biting I always use timeout in a different room (the neutral room) in a small travel cage that I use for timeouts. By travel cage I don't mean a crate, I mean a cage about 20 X 18 X 30" high. This way their own cage is never used as a reward or punishment. I learned about the neutral room in Sally Blanchards book.) If we correct behaviour by putting them into the very environment they feel safest in, it may confuse them and not serve as a punishment, if they like their cage and feel safe there. EG: so now when Makena wants back in his cage, he may bite you ---since he now knows that is what will result. I just keep a small travel cage in another room, away from the room they are in. That is the room I use for toweling or correcting. Any room away from the room they live in is a neutral room, becuz it isn't in their perceived territory. They do take correction better in neutral places. eg, the bathroom could be a neutral place, or the laundry room, a spare bedroom. See? hope this helps, joanne PSSS GREAT VIDEO!!!!<br><br>Post edited by: birdmom, at: 2007/12/16 05:56

Welcome, and nice to meet you. YOu will like this forum, lots of great info and great people. joanne buddi and charlie