LisaM

Hi Joe - what a coincidence. I had just come back to greyforums from the landofvos website when I saw your note! :-) I love that site and have been there often (I have two eclectus parrots as well as my grey). I hadn't read that article prior to today and she also has another longer one on aloe as well that I found. Thanks! Lisa

Thank you both. I just read MrSpock's article and will do some more research on it and will contact him if I have additional questions. We have a Walmart so I'll start there first. If nothing else I'm sure it's available online. Thanks again! Lisa

That's great! (not for you maybe, but for me...i thought I was losing my mind!). Thanks for letting me know. I'll try again tomorrow or so. :-)

Dan/Judy - Where do you get your aloe spray? Is there a particular brand better than another? I would have thought it would impact their preening (like it would taste different or something) but apparently not. I may try that.

Thanks. I was hoping you might have some miracle product I hadn't heard of. :-) I had tried that "Cage Shield" stuff but didn't find it made much of a difference for me. Anyone else with downsides to stainless steel (aside from initial cost)?

I would be concerned about them possibly getting down there and trying to eat it. Mine go down and try to shred the newspaper or whatever I'm using at the time sometimes. Best thing I've found is getting a big roll of the package wrapping paper (they have the brown paper bag color and also have a wax-type coated white). I have a cutter that is attached to the roll so once a week I cut out 7 sheets to the right length (and they come in different widths) and put them on the bottom after I scrub the cage. Every day then I just take the top piece off. The white waxy paper doesn't let anything soak through so I like that best. (it's very similar to the liner that goes with my parrot tower playstand). I looked and didn't find anything that would say either of them are any worse than newspaper (which I also use in a pinch) for birds. One of my birds always poops in the same two spots on the cage skirt also and it's a cage where I can put a folded paper towel on those spots so that cage is a breeze to keep clean. The other cage...well that bird will not stand for a paper towel to cover his chosen "release spots" so he will immediately go down and throw it on the floor. At least it works for one! Good luck in your search and I'm sure others will chime in on the sand. I'm always on the look-out for helpful hints on cleaning also! Regards, Lisa

He he...I guess this thread really goes to show you that much is dependant upon the individual bird as well as the overall species. For instance, my male SI Eclectus, unlike in the message before me from Scrohan...is by far the loudest bird in our house. His squawk drives my other two crazy and always brings about a "SHUT UP" from my grey (which of course just reinforces him!). Then again, he doesn't speak even one word and he's 9 years old. My female SI Eclectus is the quietest bird I think I have ever met...but then again she's only been in the house for about a month. Her speaking and other vocalizations are very soft. I have heard great things about the white belly caique...not only enormously fun and acrobatic, but relatively quiet "in relation to" other parrots. Good luck! :-) Lisa

I get a message that "resizing thumbnail image failed" whenever I try to upload a picture. This is whether it's into a post or in my profile. Somehow I got some on my profile last night but today nothing will work. Any ideas on what I'm doing wrong? I have all the pictures resized to below the max size. Thanks for your help. I'd love the chance to earn more "karma" points! :-) Lisa

Do your greys ever get "soaked" in the shower/bath? It seems like no matter how long Kenya is under the water spray (and we use a handheld also to get her tummy and under her wings), she still looks barely "misted". Our eclectus gets absolutely drenched within about a minute. Kenya (she looks like she hates it but will walk down our arms to get to the water when given a choice):

They are not chipping or worn all the way down, but there are spots that look like they're fading or thinning a bit. The bars are in great shape. The only maintenance I do is the regular cleaning. I use Oxyfresh (purchased at my local parrot supply stores and is what they use...i clean my whole house with it), or Enviroclens from The Birdcare Company online. Neither of them are supposed to be corrosive and are bird-safe. Should I be doing something in addition to this to keep the coating in optimal condition? Lisa

I have been reading up on different cages (my latest parrot came with a cage that is probably okay but I think she should have a bigger one...but leaving her in her current one while she gets used to her new home). One of the benefits listed for stainless steel cages is that you never have to replace them. I guess the other cages seem pretty robust and I hadn't thought out when/how often they will need to be replaced. How do you know? One of them does seem to have the powdercoating (or whatever it is) wearing off a bit in the areas requiring daily poop scrubbing. I love the aspect that stainless steel is easy to clean, etc., but they are significantly more expensive. I would love to hear from people who have one, or have had one, and hear the benefits as well as any "watch outs". Thank you for your time and input. Lisa

Thanks for your note! We (hubby and I) researched parrorts since my son was about 1 and were going to wait until my son was 8 before bringing one into the home...but it didn't happen that way. We had the first two join our family last summer and then our most recent little girl (female eclectus) just about a month ago. My son is 6 now (daughter is 9) and both kids are very responsible and respectful of the birds, know how to interact with them, etc. My daughter is even asking me to help explain my online course homework to her in terms a 9 year old can understand so she can be a better parrot guardian also. We have been very, very lucky in that they all have fantastic temperaments. I'm taking the course in the hopes of keeping it that way...things have gotten even better already. I knew it would be interesting, fun and a lot of work to have a parrot in the house, but I never expected (despite reading a ton) the depth of the relationship that would develop with each and every one. I went to a one-day seminar here in MN two weeks ago and it was great. It was Dr. Friedman and then another doctor who talked about feather destructive behaviors and then a woman who "free flies" her cockatoos (to each his own, but I would NEVER get comfortable with that). She had an interesting story though. I'll stop rambling on and on now...gotta go post a question to the board! :-) Warmest regards, Lisa

I give up. Pics can be viewed on my profile. I'll figure it out someday.

Geez - you'd think I'd never been on a computer before...I'll try again...

Here's Kenya.

I'll try to post pics her, but if it doesn't work they're on my profile anyway. Oops - wrong bird...i'll try again.<br><br>Post edited by: LisaM, at: 2007/10/20 06:29

So I was just sitting online and happened upon this site tonight. I've been reading through the forum (as well as noticing the IM's...both are equally interesting ) and thought I'd actually join and visit more in the future. Quick intro: My name is Lisa. I am married and have two kids and 3 "fids"...12 y/o CAG - Kenya, 9 y/o male Eclectus - Max, and 3 y/o female Eclectus - Katie. I am halfway through a fantastic online course about behavior (Dr. Susan Friedman's Living and Learning with Parrots) which has been fantastic. Many, many "palm strike to the forehead" moments. Live in Minnesota. All three parrots are from previous homes and are absolutely fantastic. Very few issues. Great with every member of the family including the kids and the dog...they enjoy each other but only from a minimum distance of about 5 feet. I look forward to reading more (I'll probably be up 1/2 the night now...thanks to you guys! :-)) TTFN, Lisa