Tycos_mom

your poor bird all due to a bad wing clip least ow her wings will grow out normally When I first got Tyco she was so off ballance because she was chewing all her flight feathers on her right hand wing it was awful she would fall so hard on her keel I thought it would break. I took her to the vet and had her wings clipped so that they both matched but she had a very bad wing clp also and thats why she was barbering once the vet fix her wings and both where the same Tyco stopped barbering she is fully flighted now and no more falling on her keel bone. I clip my smaller birds wings myself but I only cut the first 5 flight feathers and I only cut them in half if you know what your doing there should never be a problem I take my large birds in to be done only because I cannot do them by myself and I haven't got anyone who can help me I only clip my birds once every year at the begining of their molt and they useually start molting at the end of May then I take them in for their annual well bird check up and wing clip that way they are clipped for the summer so we can go outside a bit with a harness or some sort of restraint and by winter they are flighted again so they can get the excersize they need. Thats just the way I do it I don't think they need to be clipped all the time. Pat

I can't imagine what thats like my birds have never bit me not enough to draw blood ever I sorry I can't even beginn to relate to that. Mine are all rescues but I would never give my birds an opertunity to bite me that hard.

I think once your parrot is in the us as long as you can provide a proper place for quarintine which is a place where only the bird and care giver will be allowed you can quarintine your own bird for 30 days it must be a place approved by a avian vet I think I'm not possitive but a friend of mine brought her pet bird over and that was the case with her, mind you I live in Canada so the laws may be different in the States. Pat

Yes it is sweet but I'm a little worried he may get aggresive over it so when I put him to bed tonight I took away his ball he will soon forget about it and go on with being his sweet cuddly self. if it was just me in the house it would be okay but I have to worry about my daughter I don;t want her getting attacked by a over protective bird that could do a enormous amount of damage Pat

This is a wonderful thread and I think you have to know your limits I am totaly at my limits even though I stay home most of the time I still work 3nights a week 6 hours a shift from 5pm til 11pm so for most of that time my birds are sleeping. I have 6 birds 3 of which are small I have 2 small conures 1 Green cheek and 1 Fiery shoulder they are great friends and keep each other company they are both still very bonded to me so I make a point of spending at least a half an hour a day with them my cockateil I didn't ask for Some one left him on my doorstep in a box with a note He wasn't even weaned yet so I took him in. He sits beside my bed so he's with me allot The others are big birds and need alot of intervention I love my birds and I spend a lot of time with each of them my Grey and my Amazon share my bedroom with me along with my cockateil I spend allot of time there due to my disablity I have very bad legs and must keep them up for allot of the time I can walk but if I am on my feet to much my legs break out into alsers that take forever to heal so its two hours up and two hours down all day long on the days I have to work I have to keep my feet up most of the day so I can do my job and not have problems. My cockatoo is in the living room so every couple hours I go and spend a half hour with him playing with his toys and cuddling him my Amazon just flys over to the bed when she want to be with me and Tyco i talk at all day. and play different games with her teach her things and just try to earn her trust which is working great but because I only have three big bird I have lots of time to spend with all of them I am at my limit though I couldn't imagine trying to give any more than I have the quality time they deserve and need Pat

Try the sound of the garbage truck backing up you know the one that goes beep beep beep very loudly I listened to that for 6 months straight. now he just says MOM MOM MOM MOM in my daughters voice and I always think its her so I always answer what do you want and the responce i get is MOM MOM then I get mad and go to where my daughter is and say can't you hear me what do you want she looks at me like I'm crazy or something and thats when it dawns on me that its that silly bird drive me nuts you betcha Pat

As you all now Tyco is a rescue and is just stating to trust again. I have always just let her be to do what she want I don't push her much. This morning I decided I was going to try something so I went over to her cage and stepped her up onto a perch and left the room with her. We went into the spare bedroom and I sat down on the bed and put her on the bed beside me. We sat there for about 5 minutes with me talking to her and asking her if she was a happy girl and if she liked being out and about. then I asked her to stwp up without a perch and she stepped up right onto my arm. she was looking everywhere checking everything out she didn't seem scared or nervous or anything so I said to her lets go for a little adventure so we left the room and I walked over to the liveing room window and looked out side I asked her what she could see and said look at all the flowers and trees aren't they pretty then we walked around a little more and I took her bake to her cage and offered her to step up off my arm. She refused she didn't want to go back, So I grabbed a portable stand and put it beside me at the computer and put her there instead. she sat with me for about an hour watching me and looking around. She could see her cage from there and fly back at anytime but she choose not too It made my feel all gushy inside to know that she was happier sitting with me than on her cage I still have a permanent smile on my face. She is so comeing around and it makes me very happy Pat

I voted again hope it stays this time thanks for letting us know that something went wrong I can't wait to see who wins all the pictures are great. Pat

My Cockatoo has a little white plastic ball and he's very protective over it He keeps it in his card board boxes that I put in his cage to chew up I think he tinks that ball is an egg he turns it and sits on it. I laugh at him it so funny. He's not aggresive or anything he just love that ball Its the only toy he has that he hasn't chewed to peices I have to put new thing in his cage on a daily basis because like most Cockatoos the love chewing up every thing their beak comes incontact with his favorite thing is heavy cardboard I try to find the thickest card board boxes I can for him and he still goes through one every other day I fill a garbage bag on a daily basis just with little peices of chewed up card board what a mess he makes. the joys of haveing birds. Gotta love em hehe Pat

I just love your margarine tub Idea can I use it your right it so much fun to make toys and like I said Tyco isn't afraid of the toys I make for her because I can get her involved from the begining and by the time the final product is ready she so excited she can't wait to get her beak on that toy to see how fast she can destroy it. some times a the dollar store they have a few bird toys and I'll get a few because their only a buck or two and Tyco is always a little leary of them at first but I find those toys even though there wood my Amazon and Cockatoo have them turned into toothpicks in 5 minutes flat the toys I make actually last a week or two they can chomp through the wood they use in seconds I swear it must be balsa wood it so soft. I use untreated spruce or pine for the toys I make and the blocks are bigger also. I guess they make them so birds can destroy them Quickly so their owners have to buy more but there is no way I'mm going to spend 20.00 on a toy that my birds can turn into tooth picks in 5 minutes flat to me thats a total waste of hard earned money I can make quite a few toys for 20.00 I'm sure you can also. Pat

what a great thing to teach your bird just in case you just never know. I think I'll get a recording of my adress and phone number and start playing it when I'm not home to all my fids they could all learn to quote at least their phone number

Good one Dave thanks Pat (TYCO'S MOM)

I use diluted bleach and vinagar and water on tings for the birs like their cages and toys. On the Kitchen floor I use bleach and dish soap and on the hard wood I use vinagar and water because vinagar won;t harm the wood. in the bathroom I use regular bathroom cleaners because my birds don't use the bathroom excpt for their bi weekly soak to the skin shower and I usualy try to get that done before I clean the bathroom then I just turn on the fan and open the windows. in the Kitchen I use bleach to clean most things I dilute it to 1 part bleach to 10 parts water that will kill any germ that might be there. I also have 2 air cleaners so There are never any odors to worry about the air cleaners take care of that Pat

That so nice for you. I make everything new my birds get its either baby toys from the dollar store or things that I make myself they have a large play area that I made with branches from my lilac tree and pvc pipe. and I go to the lumber yard and get all the scrap untreated safe wood and sisal rope I have a drill and a saw and I make all their toys myself I also buy some things at the craft store to add to the toys I make There is just no way that I could afford to buy the bird toys that they sell but my birds love the things I make for them I add poka dots to the wood with food coloring so that they look appealing. I don't think my birds know the difference and they have a wonderful time destroying them and Tyco my Grey some how is never afraid of the new toys she gets I think its because allot of the time I'll use parts from old toys that are still good or mabie its because allot of the time she watches me make them and if I;m making a new toy for her I tell her that this toy is going to be hers and I talk to her about how much fum she is going to have playing with it after I'm finished putting it together. She gets so excited she puffs her feathers and watches me so closley its really quite cute. I guess we all spoil our birds in our own way my birds have tons of toys foot toys hanging toys swings and pLaygyms all that I make myself If I had the money I might buy their toys instead but I;m not so sure about that I really enjoy putting my imagination to work thinking up new ways to put wood and plastic On a peice of sisyel rope Pat

It has never happened to me but then again I don't wear an jewlery when I'm home with the birds I don't know what would happen if they swallowed it Icould be quite dangerous I would say mabie puncher their crop or mabie even worse.Scary to even think about I'm glad It didn't happen. Pat

Tyco my Grey is a rescue I've had her for 9 months I open her cage door. I talk to her while she on her cage I don't try to move her I teach her thing like colors play game sing to her she just this last week finally let me scratch her head 3 times thats a huge breack through for a rescue she stepped up on to my hand for the first time last week. she is finally trusting me. when I first met Tyco when she saw me she got so excited she liked me she never let her previous owner come anywhere near her when i came in she wanted so much for me to be near her that I could kiss her beak and rub her beak. Before I actually brought her home I visited 3 times and each time the same thing happened I have always been able to give her a kiss on her beak good night and rub her beak with my fingers but thats all. This last week everything changed she let me touch her feathers. She has never biten me thank goodness but then again I don't give her a reason too. I let her do what she feels comfortable with. I had trouble getting her to go back in her cage when I first got her Until I started putting her in backwards if she was going in facing the inside of her cage she would spread her wing and grab the bars with her beak and one of her feet but if she was on the perch facing me I just backed her in until we got to a perch inside the cage and she stepped up on it. To this day thats how I put her in her cage. If it works why change it It takes allot of time and patiants don't rush her let her think that coming to youand being with you is her idea not your eventually she will want too. If you let her do it on her own Pat

Your Grey is still very young so you have that on your side it shouldn't take to long for her to tame up for you she you will have to earn her trust however and to do that you will have to have pariants talk to her sit with her read to her play games with herand it won't take to long before she trust you enough to let you touch her start slow don't put your hands above her head that what preditor do they come from above slowley try giving scritches on her cheek so she can see your hand the whole time let her now that your hands are for love not hurting teach her new things like get a few cloured blocks and teach her some colors anything to interact with her so she gets to know you and what your all about and have fun Pat

Well she let my give her scritches again this morning i just wish she'd let me scritch her when she's out of her cage. i hope it doesn't take another 8 months for her to do that. I also noticed that she calls for me constantly now when I leave the room this is new in the last 2 weeks every time I leave all I hear is MOM MOM MOM and I answer back what what what. Every time she calls I feel glad I think it means she's feeling allot more bonded to me lately Pat

Tycos very big but definatly not over weight she has a very large frame I would say she is at least 14in long she about the same length as my Yellow crown hybrid which I had no Idea when I rescued her that she was a hybrid until this year when she started geting blue feathers on the front of her brow very strange after four years of thinling she was a yellow crowned I have no Idea what she is crossed with mabie a mealy or a blu front Pat

I Was out shopping for bird stuff yesterday and I went to about 6 pet stores to see what each one had to offer. 4 of them had African Grey Congos for sale. all of these birds where small comared to my Tyco she weighs in at 580gr so I'm just curios about what yours weigh in at to see if she is normal or extra large Pat

all my birds love Zupreem pellets When i got my Cockatoo he came with 2 huge bags of exact pellets so I'm trying to give my birds them instead they don't look much different then the zupreem but they must tast different because my birds hardly touch them I'm going out today to pick up a bag of their favorite pellets and I'll try mixing the exact in with them mabie then I can get them used up Pat E

Yep thats the first thing I do when the birds have an accident or show any kind of illness is put a heating pad under their news papers and partialy cover their cage to keep the heat inside their cage it really works well for shock or anything like that Pat

This morning she back to her normal self but I did notice that after I walked away to sit down and have my tea that when I looked at her and talked to her she puffed up and put her head down like she did last night I didn't go over to her to try. but I will a little later Pat

I've had Tyco for 8 months now and she is a rescue bird and I'm her fourth and last owner hopfully I out live her. She has never let me touch her anywhere except her beak. She has always let me give her a kiss on the beak and rub her beak thats it. Tonight when I put her to bed she reached out like normal so I could give her a kiss good night she was acting differntly and moved from her usual sleep perch closer to me and puffed up her feathers and put her head down so I thought ok mabie I'll try a little scritch and see if she trys to bite me like she usually does well she didn't so I reached over and rubbed her toes she just stood there still all puffed up. So I thought ok I'll try another little head scritch and she let me again I was so excited inside but I didn't want to scare her so I spoke very softly to her telling her she was such a sweet heart and what a good girl she was and how much I love her. and then I covered her up and put her to bed I still can hardley beleive that she let me touch her feathers. last week she actualy stepped up onto my hand instead of a perch and I thought that was a big deal but to actualy let me touch her feathers I feel so privliged Pat

If you don't want a pluker get a Timnah they are not as high strung as a congo and less likely to pluck the intelegence is the same. as for cages get the largest rectangle cage you have room for this is my cage it is very simalar to the other cage that Heather showed you except mine has a play top I also have a cockatoo they are very needy and scream alot more than a Grey does my Grey doesn't scream at all they are quite quiet they just talk your ear off once they learn how be very careful what you say they only have to hear something once. my bird has a huge vocabulery and she's only 5yrs old i could not imagine life without her she is a wonderful companoin she ask for the thing she wants can recognise numbers up to 4 and knows 3 different colors they really are quite amazing Pat