krutsingd

I have a CAG, 2 Quakers and 2 parrotlets. I adopted a parrotlet about 6 months ago that had a disabled foot. He passed away yesterday and I'm not entirely sure why. I had been watching him because his activity level was decreasing but he was never what I would call normal due to his disability. I don't have the $200 for the necropsy so I have ordered an antibiotic from Dr's Foster and Smith. It's dyoxocline or something like that. I will give it to the rest of my flock for a 10 day period hopefully to ward off any diseases that may be present. Is there anything else that I can and/or should be doing at this point? I did keep the parrotlet in quarantine for over 90 days before I introduced him to the rest of the flock. I would be sick if he had a contagious disease and it spread to my other babies!!

Hey guys, thanks for all the great ideas. I can tell they have been multiplying. We purchased roach bait/houses but that seems to have had very little impact thus far. Tomorrow I'm heading to the store for Boric Acid. That has been the number one recommendation other than the professional exterminator, that I've seen on other web sites as well. I'm going to give the Boric Acid a try and then if that doesn't solve my problem, I'm calling the exterminator. These little guys are truly nasty pests!!! Thanks again, and if there are more suggestions out there, I'll take them.

Greetings all! Well, this is a first experience for me. A beloved family member came to stay with us for awhile and apparently brought roaches in his luggage or laundry or something. I'm quite sure that they came from him as I learned (after the fact) that he lives in a roach infested apt. complex. Regardless, I now have a issue with roaches. I'm looking for a completely safe way to get rid of them. I want to get ride of them asap but am afraid of chemicals/insecticides and their affects on the Grey's. Please, if anyone has dealth with this before, I really need help. I know those little nasties are multiplying in my home probably faster than I can type this message. It really creeps me out. I'm also afraid they might migrate toward the cages and the food that gets dropped by the Grey's.

Great, thank you!

I want to run my dishwasher with at leaset 1 cup of vinegar in it to clean it out. I'm wondering if the smell/fumes from the vinegar are harmful to our greys? One cage is about 15 feet from the dishwasher and the other about 20 ft.

Oh wow, what a beautiful bird!! There is something so special about the look on his face in your pics. I'd be super anxious to bring him home too. Hang in there, the time will come sooner than you know it. What's with the pink toenails? Are they natural, pink coversets, or were they painted? Just a bit confused.

bailor, you really need to get some pics of that and post it on the site. I'd love to see it!

When I first adopted my TAG last spring, Peanut HATED to be misted. He came to me as a plucker (around his neck and the very top of his chest) and so I knew he could potentially pluck for the rest of his life. I misted Peanut daily regardless of the rukos he made and within a few short weeks, he learned from our CAG that being misted was fun. Now when I come with the spray bottle, he bobs his head and begins shaking his feathers in anticipation. I agree that the birds need to be bathed weather they like it or not. I've never been able to get my Greys to the shower or the sink, but at least a couple of times a week when I'm misting, I drench them. The daily misting has drastically reduced Peanut's plucking. He hasn't stopped completely but I certainly think it's worth a try. I've done it with Aloe and without Aloe and I haven't noticed a significant difference between the Aloe and the plain water. But when Peanut's skin looks really raw, I do rub in a water and Aloe mixture. I haven't had to do that for several months now though. Regardless of which bathing method you want Fawkes to learn, be prepared that it may take weeks to accomplish. But patience and consistency will pay off. Good luck!

Hi Jamie, My Grey's have the same cage day and night and live in an area of the house that they can see (and be part of) the daily activity, but we can also shut off their lights in the evening and they sleep while we do other things. We generally keep our house at 65 degrees in the winter. I've worried in the past that it may be too cold for our birds but I've spoken with some avian professionals in the Mpls area and they indicated that many birds often do better in homes they are kept in the upper 60's. I've had Grey's for 5+ years and never had any trouble with sickness, any indication the house was too cold, etc. I would however, welcome feedback from others on their opinions about room temperatures. My sister also keeps her home cooler, but each of her parrots has a heated perch on their cage. Once your Grey outgrows his plastic bin, you may want to invest in a sleeping cage with a heated perch, it may be a bit more economical than turning up the heat in your room. Just some thoughts. We're looking forward to hearing all about Romeo when you get him home!! Don't forget to include some pictures.

Thanks for sharing! She's adorable.

My personal opinion is always better safe than sorry. I know it gets expensive, but with tomorrow being a holiday, I'd take Sammy to the vet. You dont' want a holiday tragedy and/or to have to pay the emergency care costs vs. a regular office visit. Most of us have a solid gut instinct about our birds, pets, kids etc. and if you don't have a real strong gut instinct one way or the other, then I'd go to the vet. Sending positive thoughts and prayers Sammy's way!!

Has anyone ever heard of or used Mazuri pellets? A friend of mine is using them and she says it's what most of the zoo's use with their exotic birds. She gave me a small sample of them and they smelled really good, much like cooked veggies. My TAG went for them right away and loves them but my CAG could care less. Anyway, I just wanted to know if anyone has experience with them. They also seem to be a pretty good buy. My friend got a 25 lb bag for $25. Let me know if you've heard of Mazuri or used it and how your results have been. Thanks!

Thanks! It's good to know that I'm getting accurate information. I don't mind cooking the turkey withtout the bag.

Great Poll and I'm anxious to see the results!

HI everyone! I'm getting ready for Thanksgiving and was wondering if anyone else had heard that cooking your Turkey, in one of those bags, in the oven would set off toxic fumes. Apparently there is a chemical within the bag. ??? Anyway, I wanted to get my facts straight and prevent a Holiday tragedy. Let me know what you know. Thanks!!