chapala

One thing to remember about grapes is that while the birds like them, they are not the most nutritious fruit and are high in sugar. They are fine to feed one or two several times a week, but I personally wouldn't feed more than that.

If you can get a recommendation to an excellent breeder who socializes the babies well, the bird can be shipped to you. Not in very cold weather though, and you are in a cold state. Oh well. Good luck on finding one locally. Ask for references to good breeders wherever you can - is there a local bird club? Are there any avian vets in your area? They would be good referral sources. Reta

Are you hand-feeding formula to this baby? It is too young to be weaned already. Please look up articles on "abundance weaning", and you will find a lot of information about introducing new foods while the baby is still being hand-fed. Fresh, clean water of course should be available at all times. Don't expect that the bird will eat something the very first time he sees it. You need to offer a selection of healthy foods (including the very important high Vit. A vegetables and some fruit) every single day, in various ways, chopped finely, in small pieces, etc. Continue offering healthy food choices whether or not he is eating them right now. He has to learn what food is, give him time, and keep offering. Reta

I started out with a 36x24 dometop because that was the size I heard most recommended for Greys. Well, Kali is a very active bird, and he's now in a 48"x34" playtop. He does use the whole cage, inside and out. Go with the biggest you can - height is not important. There are many narrow, tall cages that seem to treat birds as helicopters! They need the width and depth to be bigger, not so much the height of the cage. I prefer the playtop.

Have you had your bird examined by an avian vet? That is what I would suggest. It does not sound normal. Reta

Here are some good ones: http://www.greyfeathertoys.com/ http://www.windycityparrot.com/ I've also used Drs. Foster Smith and been happy, though their shipping rates are higher. Reta

I have never heard that grape skins are toxic for birds. Most birds as someone mentioned above don't eat the skins anyway, but just the flesh and seeds if any. Reta

At this stage of what will be a very long relationship with a wonderful Grey bird, please take your time, do not be in a hurry, and do NOT force the bird. I am very much against any advice to grab the bird. That will prove to him that you cannot be trusted. Keep hand-treating him, let him realize that hands are good, and gradually lead him across one hand held still on a perch to reach the other hand with the treat. Keep doing that until he is comfortable, always aiming for tiny steps in the right direction. If he gets scared, back off and start a little more slowly. He will be stepping up before you know it. No need to be in a hurry at all. Reta A quick addendum - forcing the bird to be held, forcing the bird to accept something he is afraid of, is a negative training technique called "flooding". It is not considered appropriate today by any of the prominent animal behaviorists and parrot behaviorists. Positive reinforcement training techniques work very well and increase the trust.<br><br>Post edited by: chapala, at: 2007/12/10 15:23

She's just showing you how smart these Greys are! Yes, and they are good at training us Reta

lovemyGreys wrote: Fresh food is a very important part of a varied diet. I would not reduce the vegetables (especially if they are healthy Vit A vegetables such as raw kale, collard, broccoli, mustard greens, dandelion, cooked sweet potato, etc.). One note of caution on feeding pellets soaked in fruit juice or anything else - they should not be left in the cage for more than a couple of hours because bacterial growth can start growing in the moistened pellets. Feeding Feathers, the Yahoo forum, has excellent advice on nutritious diets for parrots, and a lot of information in their files section. They advise, and I follow this advice, feeding no more than 20% of the diet as pellets, as long as the rest of the diet is varied and nutritious. It does require more thought and a bit more work than just putting pellets and/or seed in front of the bird. Both are fine as part of a good diet, but there also needs to be a lot of fresh food. Just my opinion Reta

There are general guidelines about when young Greys' eyes change colors (as lovemygreys says above), but I have read information from experienced breeders that there can be a lot of individual differences in when the color changes. So, in other words, it's hard to know exactly how old a young Grey is (before the eyes turn to the mture adult color) based on eye color. Reta

69 degrees is not too cold for the bird at night. Ours are outdoors (covered area and protected from wind), and the temps are now around 50 at night. I don't think a heated perch is at all necessary, but do whatever makes you comfortable. For your situation, a sleep cage sounds ideal. I would suggest a smaller cage, and I did use one for my Grey when we were in a different house and it was hard to have a quiet, dark place at night. The sleep cage I used (doubled as a travel cage) was 24 x 20 x 18 high. They get used to whatever routine you establish, so should be no problem. The tubs are fine for unweaned baby birds, but to me it doesn't sound good for a sleep cage. Reta

Good points MazyAK, it's very important to keep the birds out of drafts, so not near an outside opening door or any other area with a draft. In the wild, the temperature does not remain at a constant level, like 72 degrees. The warmest we get here is in the low 90's for about a month and a half before the rainy season starts. The birds are absolutely fine with that. Nights would be around 60 then, so 30 degrees variation between night and day. Now, we're getting about 20 to 25 degrees difference between night and day. The extreme will be 30 degrees difference for winter also. Two of our parrots are Mexican native species and we are quite close to the habitat range (same state) but higher elevation. So the species of these two are adapted to a wet and dry season, higher humidity, lower humidity, hotter and cooler, etc. I don't know enough about the rain forest environment where Greys come from to say anything about temperature range, humidity variation, etc., in the wild. But, my Kali does just fine with our conditions. Reta

I ordered Scenic pellets once. In my birds' dry mix, I like to include two or three different kinds of pellets, believing that one pellet alone will not necessarily provide the best nutrition. Of course, pellets are just a small part of the diet around here - they get lots of fresh vegetables, sprouted grains and legumes, and some fruit, seeds and nuts. Reta

Sounds like he's doing fine! Quarantine will be over before you know it, and since he's getting plenty of out time and company upstairs, I think he will be adjusting well. Reta

"I get my birds beaks filed at the vet 3 times a year so have not noticed the peeling that you speak of. As soon as they start to look ragged I take them in. I thought this was what you were supposed to do? My greys are 5 and 4 yrs old. My amazons are 27. all of their beaks seem to grow at the same time and like clockwork need their trim one after the other. My conures don't seem to need the filing quite as often, maybe twice a year. " Parrots' beaks grow at different rates, but most birds if they have enough to chew on maintain their own beaks at a good length. Wild birds do not get their beaks trimmed, instead they chew on wood in nest making and other activities. If a parrot's beak is not overgrown, there is no reason to take the bird in for trimming. Reta

We live in a temperate climate and our birds are kept outside on a covered terrace, as most people keep parrots here. That means they live with the normal temperature fluctuations, which in the winter get down to the 40's at night, though we're still in the 50's now. Normal winter daytime temps are in the 70's. Our birds are very healthy, never sick. They are protected from wind and rain. It is important that they are used to the temperature fluctuation, and nothing sudden is done like taking a house bird and putting him outside one night. But they do wear down vests and can stay warm at night if it doesn't get too cold. Reta

Many parrot owners have this problem Our Military Macaw is bonded to my husband - she was a mature, un-tame rescue when we got her, never handled. When she chose him, she started trying to bite me. I ahve worked with her slowly, over time. We've had her almost 6 years. Except for one ambush, she has not bitten me, and I do pay attention to her body language. I can handle her on a stick (stick-training your Grey is strongly advised!), and move her from place to place, even picking her up on my hand or arm if she's on the floor. I also am the nut person (in more ways than one, I'm sure!), and give these very special treats by hand every day. She has gotten SO much better with me. Now, Kali the Grey bird is my bird, and doesn't especially like my husband. I do not recommend your wife forcing herself on the bird, or "taking bites" - just teaches the bird to bite. The more they bite, the more they will bite as a means of communication since the human acts like he or she doesn't understand anything more subtle. If the bird is territorial around the cage (my Grey is, and if I'm gone and my husband needs to clean the cage, Kali has to be put on a stand), the bird should be removed and placed on a stand so that no biting occurs. Watch the body language and avoid the bite. When you take your bird in for clipping, I suggest your wife be the "rescuer" and go in alone to get him. He will be happy to see her. Little by little (patience is important), I think he will learn to act civil with her though he will be bonded to you. Reta

You say that he seems nervous around you, and that you want to regain his trust. Forcing him to do anything will not lead to trust. He doesn't sound to me like he's being bratty or "testing his limits", but that for some reason he seems to be unsure around you. I would recommend hand-feeding him treats leading to the step up for a reward of a treat. Making everything positive will calm and reassure him. Forcing the step-up at this point seems counter-productive to me. Reta I'm editing to add that most times I give Kali, my Grey, the option of stepping up or not, except of course when he must step up for example to go back in the cage when I'm leaving. Please take a look at this article by Steve Martin, very well known parrot behaviorist and trainer, on positive training for parrots. http://www.naturalencounters.com/trainingEducationParrots.html<br><br>Post edited by: chapala, at: 2007/12/04 22:34

A good type of heater is the electric oil-filled radiator type. That is safe to use, but still it's recommended to "burn it off" for a few hours outside or in a garage when it's brand new They provide an even heat, and don't get so very hot to the touch as many of the element type do. Reta

I agree that it's hard for a bird to spend 30 days in a travel cage. Does he get a lot of out time? He sounds social and probably enjoys company while getting to know you better. Do you have a playstand for him? Does he have shredding and other toys that he uses? One entire feather plus some downies sounds perfectly normal, just general molting of feathers, so it's doubtful that you have plucking going on. Not to worry right now. Hope that 30 days flies by and he can have his regular cage and more activity and company. The fact that he had a good relationship with his former owners means that it will be easier to create a bond with him, in my opinion. He knows how to relate to humans, and likes them. What works in our favor when we take a bird into our homes is that they really want to have a friend. Yes, it does take some time to get to know each other, but the fact that he lets you scratch his head is an excellent sign. Reta

Re aloe vera as a skin spray, I just wanted to mention that there are people who believe it is not good to use except for a short term condition such as a wound or burn, and that it actually can end up dehydrating the skin. A spray made from chamomile and coltsfoot is considered by some to be much more soothing for plucked parrots. There are many parrot experts that recommend nothing but plain water (preferably with no chlorine) to spray on birds, and that is what I always have followed. My birds have wonderful feather condition and have never had even a spritz of aloe. This post is just to let people know that if they ask questions, they will find out there are differing opinions and not everyone is convinced that aloe is either helpful or benign. This site seems to be 100% in favor of using aloe regularly as a spray on parrots' skin, so I thought an alternate view might be helpful in encouraging people to look into it further before using aloe all the time. Reta<br><br>Post edited by: chapala, at: 2007/12/03 02:26

Sorry if I wasn't clear - I would never recommend that anyone attempt to take the casing off pins or feathers that still have a blood supply! A sure way to get bitten However, now I'm wondering - don't most of you help your bird by preening the head feathers as they do with each other? Kali my Grey appreciates it very much if I help him with those feathers he can't reach, when the casing is dry. So do all other tame birds I've been around. Reta

450 grams is in the average range for a Grey, but the vet shuold have examined him to see if he felt fat or thin. Greys vary a lot in weight and build. I'm surprised the vet gave him an antibiotic when he thought he might have a virus (?), since antibiotics do nothing for viruses. Is this vet experienced with birds? Reta

"Can I sex it by just looking at it?" No, you can't, though you'll have about a 50% chance of being right. Reta