mas

LOL! Dave you won't believe it - but I was just saying today that I want to make an apple cake! Its full of cream and apples and all that yummy fattening stuff ;-)

Ok guys - the flour seemed to work...unfortunately I'm useless and dont have Vit E oil or aloe gel here so the flour was only option! The bleeding has totally stopped, but when I feel the tip of her beak there is a rough edge - kinda like a chipped tooth - she's playing and preening and carrying on as usual. I called a vet and he said if the bleeding doesn't cease with the flour to bring her in and he will use a type of soldering iron to stop the bleeding (I can't get hold of her usual vet which is a bugger). Anyway, will call the 'usual' vet tomorrow and see what he says, I do think her beak is going to need a file down because its a bit sharp now. Thank you so much for your help guys! -Sameera

Hey Peter, The pic didn't upload ;-)

Hi guys, Since Zahzu has had her feathers removed, she can't fly... Now, I was carrying her and she got a fright and flew - she bumped her beak on our tv cabinet and now the tip of it is bleeding - it doesn't seem to be bothering her - she's busy chowing into a plate of seeds (I was feeling bad for her injury so let her have some).... What should I do? The blood is not flowing, and seems to have stopped bleeding, but I'm worried. Should I call the emergency number for the vet? It's 8pm here in Sth Africa btw. Thanks, Hope to hear from someone soon soon with advice. -Sameera

Ignore what I said! Heheh... Dave is much more knowledgeable than I ;-) Thanks Dave - I didn't see your post before I started typing mine:blink: I just wrote what I'd try out if I was in that situation. -Sameera

It sounds like coco is a bit scared of his new surroundings. How about taking him out and petting him in your lap for a while? Did Coco get time to investigate his new cage and surroundings before being put into the new cage? Do you still have his old cage? If you do, how about you put him back in there, and give him a week or so to get used to the new cage - put the new cage in an area he can see and let him go to it in his own time. I know this will probably make your new apartment an eyesore! But if it helps coco settle in i'm sure it's worth it. -Sameera

Lol! That's hilarious! They come up with the funniest things - this weekend Zahzu was calling my husband 'cuckoo' - little does she know she's the cuckoo! She tells him "give me a kiss cuckoo". -sameera

This is about the looking at a Grey sideways... Greys are a prey animal (as opposed to a predator); Now think Africa - PREDATORS such as snakes, lions, leopards, hyenas, owls, hawks etc... PREY animals such as african grey parrots, zebras, buffalo, impala etc... Ok, now think of the position of their eyes - the predators have eyes like us - on a flat face with binocular vision (eyes focusing together) - this gives predators a visual edge when hunting - they can home in onto their prey and have brilliant focus ability... Now, on the other hand, prey animals such as greys, zebras etc - have their eyes on the SIDE of their faces - they don't have bioncular vision. Why? Because having eyes on the side of their heads gives them greater peripheral vision - they have a wider angle view - this is a form of protection as it aids them to see predators approaching etc. So, when we look sideways at a grey (this is my little theory!!), maybe they don't see us as such a threat - i guess they are genetically wired to feel that if someone or something is staring you down, it's likely they are a predator... just my theory, feel free to critique! -Sameera -Sameera

We do give Zahzu kisses, but don't let her near the inside of our mouths. Having worked in physical rehab - human bites are the most nasty bites I've seen - the infections are always so much more severe than any cat or dog bite; we humans are pretty ughy when it comes to bacteria ;-)

That's so cute! Hehe... Zahzu does this when she's attacking this plastic guitar she has, it tickles everyone who sees - as though she's rocking! ;-) Enjoy! -Sameera

So cute! How's your monopoly set after the game Talon? Hope it's still useable (you do get sets of money you can buy separately!!!). Too fun! -Sameera

Awww... that's adorable!

Marlene, We were in the same situation a couple of weeks ago - we went away for a week, and decided to leave Zahzu at home rather than at the bird sitter. Our reasoning was that last time she went to the sitter it was more stressful for her, and since we had the option of her staying home, it would be more comfortable for her to be in a familiar environment. We had one of our domestic workers help out by cleaning her cage and checking her food, and our nephew came to check on her daily - she was really happy when we came back! She greeted me by my name so clearly, and she'd never said my name before! I was really worried about leaving her, but it turned out ok, and less stressful than having to go to the bird sitter Good luck, and enjoy your holiday! -Sameera

Pchela, our baby girl was 4 months when she said her first word "hello". Now she's 10 months old and says about 20 words - I'm home with her most of the day, and sometimes I forget she's a bird! I just talk to her like I'd talk to a child and I guess that's how she's picked up words. She talks in my hubby's voice though - not mine! I always say she talks in his voice because he's her rival for my attention!! ;-) but she loves him to bits too. It's the most exciting thing when your bird starts talking -so enjoy teaching her. -Sameera

I like Floyd and Rowan :)I actually realllly like Rowan - if I ever get another CAG I might just steal that name ;-) It's so tricky to choose a name - and hard to please everyone! Enjoy!! -Sameera

Hey guys, Here is an update from the World Parrot Trust about the some rescued African Greys - wonderful news! Update from Felix Lankester, Limbe May 18, 2008 African Grey Release The final release phase with the remaining Greys Back in December 2007 we rescued 1220 African grey parrots of which approximately 700 birds were released within a few weeks of their arrival at the LWC. The remainder of the parrots had damaged feathers, from the glue that was used to catch them or from being purposefully cut by the hunters. Each of these injured parrots had their plumage treated back in January 2008, with the help of a veterinary team from the World Parrot Trust, and have been recuperating ever since. Now, four months later, some of these parrots have shown through their ability to fly strongly in the flight cage that their plumage has recovered and so it is time to begin the final release phase. However the program will be different from the previous releases, as, rather than taking the selected birds to a nearby forest to be set free, we have decided to simply open up their flight cage here at the LWC and allow them to fly off in their own time. The decision to opt for this LWC-based ‘soft-release’ strategy was taken after we saw how well a few parrots who had escaped from the flight cage were doing living free amongst the trees of the wildlife centre. So the plan is to simply start adding birds to this ‘escaped’ flock and to continue to provision them with food and water so that they can regain their strength and fitness steadily. The forests surrounding the town of Limbe are only a short distance away so when the birds are ready we hope that they will simply fly off together. Flocks of up to 40 African grey parrots are regularly seen flying around the capital city of Yaoundé so living in the small town of Limbe should not be a problem for the greys. Today, Sunday 18th May, the roof of one of the flight cages was peeled back and the first batch of 12 recovered parrots were freed. So far they are doing well and have joined the ‘escaped’ flock that is resident at the LWC. The sight of a flock of parrots flying strongly through the trees of the LWC is a truly wonderful sight, all the more so when one considers the absolutely appalling conditions in which they arrived in 6 months ago. Felix Lankester, BVSc MSc MRCVS Limbe Wildlife Centre http://www.parrots.org/index.php/ourwork/african_grey_blog_8

Thanks so much Tyco's mom and judygram

I really feel (and I am no expert), that it does not really matter which baby you choose - Jack could be short for Jacky if you end up with a female! I feel you make your bird - its up to how you raise it, nurture it and train it, it's all about hard work, dedication and lots of love You can make your bird used to touching with lots of patience - if you read about older rescued birds on here you will see that almost all obstacles can be overcome with lots of patience. Before you get your Grey the main thing is to do heaps of reading and this forum is a brilliant place to start - we have lots of people with high levels of expertice to guide us. Good luck, and enjoy! -sameera

Hello all! I want to put natural perches in to Zahzu's cage, and I've got a dried up Eucalyptus branch; however her cage is quite wide and if I want to keep the branch in one piece I can't fit it in my oven to sterilize.... Is it ok if I wash it with hot water and special 'birdy' disinfectant or does it really need to be roasted? Eucalyptus is safe isn't it?? Just thought I'd double check! -Sameera

She is beautiful! :)How old is she?

Hi Kaedyn, My 10 month old also broke some of her tail feathers playing rough - this didn't turn into an issue, however broken wing feathers did (result of a bad wing clip) and she started barbering her feathers herself because they were irritating her - ended up she had to go under anesthetic last week to get the feathers removed - not nice! My advice would be to take her to an AVIAN VET, someone who knows what they are doing - and get them to trim the wing feathers that are damaged - otherwise they may start to irritate her, and damage her skin if they have rough edges. To stop Zahzu damaging her tail feathers I put a bit more space between her toys, to prevent her bumping her tail into things - that stopped the tail feather breakage. Also, to help with lovely plumage in the future, give your baby 1/4tsp of red palm oil daily - in soft food, or dip a treat into it - its great for dry skin too.:cheer: Enjoy! -Sameera

If you decide to get wings clipped, make sure it is by someone who is fully qualified - an avian vet. If you read my past posts, you'll see what can happen if you get someone who does not know what they are doing to clip you bird's wings. Our CAG had her wings initially clipped by the bird sitter -and it was an awful clip which resulted in her chewing at her wings due to discomfort - this week she had to go for some surgery to get the damaged feathers removed, and that was just heartbreaking for us, and pretty traumatic for her too. She's doing fine now, but it just goes to show the magnitude of damage that can be caused by a bad wing clip. If you decide not to clip, you could maybe put some sheers over your windows so Cheerio realises that the windows are not something she can fly through. We will probably get Zahzu's wings clipped again once the feathers grow back, because we have people coming in and out of our house all day, and I'm not skilled enough to be able to train her for free flight, so it's much too greater a risk. Good luck in making your decision -Sameera

Andrew I am so sorry to hear of what I hope is a temporary loss of Tui. My husband and I watched Tui's videos when we first got our Zahzu, and we were very inspired and learned heaps. Thank you. I just want to say, I really understand your bond with Tui - I am in much the same situation with Zahzu having moved countries. Zahzu has been one of my best mates here! Also, thank you for the tip - Australia also does not let you import birds (except from NZ!!), and I will not write a letter to anyone complaining because I really could do without the strip searching! Be positive and know that you and Tui are in our prayers. Anyway look, there is still a huge possibility she will return -and you have an advantage most of us would never have - tv and media support! The odds are in favour of Tui being found - so keep looking and don't give up hope! I'm sure Kiwis say this as well as Aussies "she'll be right mate!" so stay positive, and know we are praying for Tui's happiness and safety - and yours too! -Sameera

Thats so sweet You gotta be proud of yourself for that achievement! Stories like this will hopefully inspire others to take in rescued birds.

Heaps of pictures - but I've tried to upload on here with no success - grr! Will get my husband to try and upload a few later