birdhouse

That is a greyt picture. Doobie does have a very sweet face. Hope to see much more of it from now on. Congratulations & best of luck w/your new little cutie pie.

Congratulations!!! Sounds like you've got some good instincts & it sure seems like Capt Jack(ie) is making the transition extremely well. Have to wait until the honeymoon's over to know, but it sounds like this could be the start of something extra special. I don't really think it's too soon to **ask** for a step up. I think the trick is in taking "no" for an answer. Since (s)he's doing so well, maybe you could see how it goes today. But even if the answer is "yes" maybe quit while you're ahead. So not more than a minute or two then off so as not to risk a panic. Ideally you'd like every interaction to end well. But especially now while you're hoping to build a trusting relationship. If you don't already know from your other fids, parrots & dogs can have a fabulous relationship. *But* the hardest thing for some dogs to get over is the wing flapping. That triggers somewhere primal & can be very tricky sometimes. They will get over it w/patient persistence & time, though.

Wow. For whatever it's worth, a lot of us know what you're going thru & send our best. Hang in.

Aaww Poor baby. Poor you guys. Watching & waiting is so, so hard. Has the vet given you a diagnosis or what's going on there?

Of course, we'd all feel guilty. Whenever it's our fid it's our fault. But you didn't miss it. Ollie hid it. We all know how good birds are at hiding symptoms. If this was anyone else posting about their fid wouldn't you know this wasn't their fault? If it helps any, the old school hospital set up is an aquarium w/a blanket over it & a heating pad under it. It keeps them out of any drafts & in a constant temp of 85 or above very nicely. Also keeps sick fids from falling off a perch or wasting energy moving around. Everything can be put w/in easy reach so they don't have to go anywhere for their food or water. Ehugs & good thoughts. I really hope you'll hear better news today.

We called Phenix a girl for a lot longer than Marley. We didn't take too long correct it. But Phenix had an identity crisis for almost a year. He was still by golly a "good girl!"! Then it was "good b'irl". Felt kind of bad for him, but it was cute.

lol You do realize this is a little preview of what it will be like to have David underfoot permanently or rather after his retirement, right? This might not actually bode too well for the next couple of decades. jus sayin

You gotta calm down, hon. That's always the single biggest step in the right direction. Don't take it personally. Don't insist on much of anything for the time being. Don't create confrontational situations. Especially episodes that escalate fear* (for either one of you). Always better to take a step back & regroup because once they relize you're well & truly rattled, things will always get worse. Always. I think everyone's got excellent points. I would especially agree that you might try shutting down the lights, reading "The Parrot Problem Solver" asap & maybe give Brutus a light trim if it sounds better to you. The idea is not to deny him flight. Just make him second guess his bad*$$ kamikasi attitude by slowing him down a bit. Before I get into some other possibilities, I really would like to hear how Brutus is w/the boyfriend. How is he w/you whenever the boyfriend's around? And is the drama anynmore or less likely to happen if he's there at Brutus' bedtime? * “I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain.” - Frank Herbert, Dune

Dave007 is a breeder & usually pretty knowledgeable about this stuff. He's said they don't cross. Wondering if either that breeder's confused about who's actually the Daddy. Or, if the hen got confused into laying sterile eggs. Love to hear how this goes. Please let us know, okay.

Just catching up here. How's it going? Has David had his surgery yet?

Happy Hatchday Greyciemae! Apologies for taking this long to see this thread. But it's never too late to tell you that he doesn't even know what he's sayin right there. You are one of the most put together fids around. Hope you don't change a thing & keep on swinging & for the next 40-50 yrs or so!!

Oh did that just cause a huge flashback! Long time ago now, I had a teil with the exact story. She was 20'ish when her problems started. We started going to the vet & just kept on going. Basically, anytime anyone else was at the vet, she came with to get a quickie look see. Of course in those days, the vet would do it for next to nothing. Like I said, a long time ago. sigh Anyway one time she had a little something going on w/her foot. He said it was just a little wound that should be fine if we kept it clean. In a while it did go away & it was forgotten. In hindsight, it was the only telltale symptom she displayed. Finally after idk how many trips & or even how long, a blood panel finally came back w/a sugar count that was thru the roof. She would eventually be diagnosed w/geriatric onset diabetes. No other blood draw happen when her sugar was whacked. So there was no way for them to find out unless maybe they'd recognized that foot sore. At the time, things looked kind of bad. We talked about putting someone that old & that small thru insulin shots & it just seemed wrong She lived in a humongous cage, got plenty of exercise (always had) & was otherwise in excellent shape. So we decided to try her on a special diet & basically let things run their course. When she died about 5 yrs later, it was probably as much old age as anything. Maybe this is something to pursue w/Gabby?

You can't really predict trauma or how anyone will react to it. But it's encouraging that she was normal when things got quiet. Always easier said than done, but try not to stress because it's contagious. Like luvparrots said, Ana Grey trusts that when Janet's calm, she can be at ease with a situation. Of course she seems to have a good temperament & she's had years of proof that Janet is a good barometer. But that's exactly what you're going for w/Poppy, here. However, I really wouldn't leave her home alone Thursday. I would really suggest you find a knowledgeable sitter or see if you can move her to someone's house during that time. A little extreme I realize, but if you can't I think I would actually cancel whatever you've planned if it is at all possible. I would shamelessly tell them one of the kids yatta yatta... jmho

I don't know if you should be so quick to question your parronting skills. Sometimes gut instinct counts for much more than blood panel results. If you still think there's a problem after ____insert_time_frame_here___, maybe they should have another look under the hood. Just because something's not right doesn't necessarily have to do w/some big, scary, awful thing. Maybe a a little something unusual got overlooked while they were checking that big 'ol list of usual suspects.

Anytime things get that dramatic for longer periods around here, I've found it's better to put the fids in their travel cages. One, confined space can feel cozier & minimized the amount of damage if they spook. Two, it's the place where new & exciting things are bound to happen. So why not...? Also, if there's a bang up storm, you're ready to move out at a moment's notice. Suggest covering part of the cage w/a towel & putting some music w/o much base beat on. Fill the food dish w/Nutriberries or some other big time treat. Then act as normal as possible while still being supportive. If all else fails & she just can't settle, can she stay somewhere for the day or two until they're finished? Friend, relative, neighbor?

What's to figure...? She is a Grey.

This lady's probably seen more hummingbirds in one afternoon than all of us put together have ever seen. Wonder if she'd let someone borrow that dress...?

Last year this crashed & burned rather spectacularly. lol So no contest or fanfare or anything. Just putting it out there as a suggestion to the newbies who don't know that their fids might enjoy a pumpkin experience.

") Soon as I get a chance, I'm going to PM you about this swamp land for sale in Austin. You're gonna love it!!!

That & a $500 scratch ticket to make up for the vet bill would be really nice. Hope she was w/in 6 mo of her annual check up at least.

It still makes me laugh the same as the first time I watched it. Those cats just so deserved it. ")

Shouldn't comfort & sisal rope perches do as well as wrapping for easier perching? Might try experimenting w/over & under sized, too. Also could help her to have a ton of branches on natural wood for stability. That w/ladders & platforms can work well for the unstable birds. Heated perches just feel good to them sometimes, too. Her going after blood feathers like that must be a horror. Hope you can find some way to avoid a cone, though. Always feel bad when anyone's wearing one. But worse somehow for a bird.

Don't we all just know what those cats were thinking? Isn't this perfect instant karma...? <font size="3"><span style="font-family:arial black;">[video=youtube;Frh-y118akA]

Yessss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D Ohmygoodness ohmygoodness ohmygoodness ohmygoodness :D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D:D yessss!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I thought of you the other day. I re-read one of your posts & it made me wonder. I knew you wouldn't give up, though! :D:DI am so happy for you guys!!!!!!!:D:D

><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< The petition is now closed. It makes me very sad to say it only got 73,645 of the targeted 75,000 signatures. Thanks to everyone who stepped up. ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>< ><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><