birdhouse

There's a breeding pair of large hawks in a tree right in front of the house. Even though I'm relatively adjusted to their presence during the season, they still manage to unnerve me at times by materializing suddenly. They're fearless & so fast, silent & deadly that I can't say I've ever really gotten used to them. I have to admit that I'm looking forward to the day they finally leave that nest for another breeding ground. They spent about 5 yrs in their last nest which was a couple of acres away, then abandoned it voluntarily. I'm hopeful it's a cycle they'll repeat w/in the next year or two. Cycle of life or no, it makes me sad to see the fly ridden gobs of meat that used to be my songbirds.

She wouldn't have screwed up all that courage if she wasn't ready for a little excitement. But if you don't give Miss G what she's looking for, you know she'll find it on her own & we all know how that goes. Just it might help some if all that excitement came in slightly more manageable increments. The Grey Control Thing, always. It might be good if the boxes turned into pavilions or arches for the moment. Miss G shouldn't need much to hide behind or crawl up on given her current state of mind. This being hormone season & all, cave-like places might generate a lit-tle more excitement than you'd like, though.

Phenix still tends to get from place to place by hiding under the furniture along the way rather than directly across bigger open spaces. Many birds are instinctively uncomfortable being flat footed. A little harder for a timid bird to be grounded out in "wide open" space like that. Double bonus points for Miss G because under the circumstances, it really does take even more courage for her to be willing to explore from the floor like this. Phenix' man cave is under the couch. I'm always finding things he's dragged under there when I clean. Wondering what would happen if you tried adding to that birdie decor by overturning some boxes or finding something to create hidey holes that Miss G might seek some illusion of refuge in & on? If they didn't scare her they could help & also be another place for her to explore. Also something else besides "funiture" for her to chew on.

Wondering how things are going. Hope you're both doing better.

Hahahaha! It's certainly astounding how colorful these little gray critters can be. Thinking maybe her whole "Maaa!!" routine might not really be that bad after all...??

This should get interesting. The game is on now for sure! Don't be surprised if Java wins, though. For starters, & make no mistake, she knows she's protected to some degree. She is also flighted. But the little birds are feisty. They always end up dominating in this flock. It's ridiculously comical to see Sundance when he decides to remind anyone that he's the beneficent dictator of this realm. Whenever it's his turn, my tiel likes to land on Phenix' cage & set a spell. He certainly knows it's completely forbidden & that Phenix will instantly chase everyone off if they're foolish enough to even get w/in his no-fly zone. But w/Sundance, he'll go to the far side of the cage, cuss & fuss until he's gone. I have no idea why, but Phenix tolerates it, albeit gracelessly. Sundance never stays more than a minute or two. Just apparently long enough to make his point. It makes me more than a little crazy. I also have a horrible time keeping a straight face. So I'm really grateful that Sundance rarely gets the urge to prove that it's good to be king.

That is such great news, Penny! So glad for you both.

Sorry, not really. But DNA sexing has become safe, reliable & affordable. Many ask their avian vet while their fid is in for a check up or whatever. But there are also companies like this one. http://www.dnasexing.com/ I had mine done at the vet. But I believe other members have sent for a kit & may be able to refer you (or not) from their own actual experience.

Ok, good. I was a little worried for a second. Changes in diet also take time. Some of them will fling everything offered across the room for months. So Joey's making fine progress there, too. He'll get more adventurous eventually if you keep offering him different things. There's also a bunch of threads on GF about introducing fids to a better diet to help give you ideas. Also, while nuts are good for them, they're filling & fattening, too. So normally you'd want to limit how many you feed him. You're likely to find that much of your past experience w/birds was very different from how things work w/a parrot. Joey has to make his own decisions in his own time. Sometimes, that's going to take a long time. It's always going to take longer if he feels like he's being pushed. A month or two is no time in Grey Time. Joey's barely been home for a couple of weeks. So just fly casual! lol Relax & enjoy your new fid & all the amazing things he's going to do. ...whenever he decides to do ...no matter how long it may take.

That introduction was just the right length for someone who is deeply in love & crazy for their fid. Nothing to apologize for around here. We all think that's exactly how it should be!! I think you're going to fit in just fine! ") Glad you decided to really join us.

Ask the people at the pharmacy because the aloe juice should be w/the pharmaceuticals. If they're anything like they are down here, they won't know where it is either & you'll have to ask them to check their inventory list. They should be willing to order it in for you if they don't have it. Middle of the page in the above link says Mississauga has it in stock, but I don't know if that's anywhere near you. Walmart Item # 4008135 (bottom of the page). You made ref to a vet visit somewhere. So I'm guessing Joey's gotten a clean bill of health. In which case, the feather thing is likely stress from the move &/or dry air issues. Either way, bathing him w/the aloe juice will give him some relief. Humidifying the air around him could help too. You might also give him a little more space. He may have had that antisocial episode because things are moving a little faster than he's comfortable with at this point. It is very early days & he's come very far very fast. It might be catching up to him. Maybe you can get some ideas if you read thru this thread. Dee chronicled a couple of years of her fid's progress. Although Gil was apparently a whole lot more messed up than Joey, you should really get a sense of how greys think & find some ideas about how to help Joey settle more comfortably. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?192443-Gilbert-is-home When you said he'll only eat cantaloupe & nuts, did you mean that literally, or is that in addition to Joey's staple diet? And are you feeding him the same staple diet as the other people?

Most of us would say you should probably get used to that. Even if they've got their camera ready, lots of people have said their birds are photo shy. I've taken so many shots of where Phenix was. He's phenomenal about disappearing a split second before the shutter snaps that I was practically beside myself when I got the Avatar pics of him. So here's hoping your camera's always w/in reach & Breezy lets you get those greyt pics from now on!

Talk about having the world by the tail. Think you've pretty much got it all. Happy Hatchday Louie!!

I'm sorry I misunderstood about the scratching. I think I got in the (wrong) zone from your other posts & w/everyone who has been talking about their fids' seasonal feather issues. But well, at least you may have accidentally gotten some useful bathing info, anyway. So nice that Joey didn't hate the misting because sooo many greys seem to be water phobic. It will be greyt for you both if he can get a bath a couple of times a week & even enjoy it! This should help w/his feathers lots more than that other scary stuff you were asking about, I think. I don't know what else you guys have in CN. But I get my juice at Walmart (in the US) because it's the cheapest I've found here. So this is their Canadian link http://www.walmart.ca/en/ip/aloe-vera-juice-946ml/6000091056560 Also good that Joey got over his antisocial spell pretty quickly. Greys in general aren't known to be all that cuddly to short hand it. They don't all want to be handled just any old time we feel like. If we can accept that most greys pretty much need things to be on their terms & time schedule, it's much easier to build a happier relationship. And that's even more true w/a rehomed fid who just got whisked away from everything they knew. It's traumatic & they need time to adjust. Also, many came from less than great homes where they developed trust issues long even before that. So they really usually need to be given even more time. Actually, in the scheme of things, Joey is doing fabulously! Don't worry if his version of fabulous turns out to be very different from your Quakers'. Quaker's are party animals. lol Greys are a breed apart in more ways than one. Given some time, I think you'll be in for a few surprises as Joey opens up & settles into your flock.

Precious!!!

So, a little more drama. Wow, just what you didn't need. So sorry to hear this! But glad at least you came thru it so well, all things considered.

Awww! That is so sweet. Misty really has thrived w/all your TLC! Bird keepers have learned so much in the past 10 yrs. So of course, have all of us as individual parronts. Those pics are such a greyt example. Doesn't hurt any that Misty happens to be a particularly beautiful grey to begin with.

Some days we all just want some space. Joey's still a youngster, but he's also a rehomed fid who you haven't had for very long. On the surface, at least, this isn't anything alarming. They do sometimes get a little too rowdy & fall during flight exercises. You'd obviously want to watch to make sure he doesn't hurt himself & adapt his cage if you can think of a better arrangement. Make sure he has perches w/a secure grip & set some up w/enough space to accommodate his wing span. Other than that, make sure that he doesn't show any signs of illness. Check his droppings. Make sure he's eating & drinking. *Casually* peek at the area he's scratching to see if maybe there's any feathers out of place or any pin feathers itching him. Humidity is also a thing this time of year. The air gets dry from heating the house in all this cold weather. That could possibly get him scratching, too. So be sure he's bathing & if he'll let you, you could give him a bath w/some pure, organic aloe juice in the water. If everything else seems alright, just give him a bit of time to get back to normal. Offer him normal amounts of attention. But don't be surprised in the least if he's not interested. Whistle & talk to him. Basically be there w/o forcing anything. Letting him know he's got some say in his new flock will help him settle in. If you go w/the flow, this should probably pass w/in a day or two. It can be a normal part of the process & it may continue to happen occasionally. Especially while Joey continues to adjust to losing his last home. The more relaxed & accepting everyone is, the more it will help Joey transition.

Now I really have to challenge my own source because I'm uncomfortable w/the way that's written. Potatoes are in the Nightshade family & have alkaloids that parrots shouldn't eat. However, I have read that a limited amount of cooked white potato is ok. But not raw & not new shoots or eyes. I actually rather avoid white potatoes altogether because they aren't the best nutrition. I think sweet potatoes are are just a better overall choice. They're also not in the Nightshade family & cooked or raw haven't any natural toxins.

So those ingredients should be listed from greatest to least percent & basically read, ill advised repellent, something to add more volume, preservative (I think), scent, conditioner. Not so good. I recently found time to investigate a sweet little pet shop that I'd discovered accidentally. The first thing they did when we walked in was give my dog a rawhide strip w/o asking. They assured me that their brand was "special" & safe. Rather than start a fuss, I asked about the chips like any good would-be buyer & when I got home I looked them up. But I found nothing that made me think they were any different from any other brand that I wouldn't want my dogs eating. Good thing I only let Pixie keep hers until we got to the car where we traded it for a bit of leftover sandwich. The last conversation we had was about the galvanized wire cages that they had their birds in. And by their birds I'm including the store pets as well as those that were for sale. I was already unhappy about the rawhide as it was. When I saw that I freaked out a little. So I walked around the store until I could calmly & sweetly make a rational case & direct them to several internet sites that I really hoped would convince them to get rid of those cages. Although I certainly do know some excellent pet stores, many others aren't the best source of information. Your local store could have been more help when you approached them about tomatoes if they'd directed you to a reliable safe & toxic list. These are a couple of my favs, if you want to bookmark them. The first is a more comprehensive list & the other is specifically house plants. "...Tomato Leaves Tomatoes, like potatoes and other nightshades, have a tasty fruit that is fine when used as a treat for your bird. The stems, vines, and leaves, however, are highly toxic to your pet. Make sure that any time you offer your bird a tomato treat it has been properly cleaned and sliced, with the green parts removed, so that your bird will avoid exposure to any toxins." http://www.parrot-and-conure-world.com/non-toxic-for-birds.html HOUSE PLANT LIST http://www.ladybug.uconn.edu/hotissues/safeandpoisonoushouseplants.html

Hahahaha Not surprised to see Misty is at least as clever as he is handsome. What was in the so-obviously-NOT-challenging bundle?

I happened to bump into these while I was surfing the net this morning. I thought they were adorable, so I thought I'd share. These pics are w/the instructions which are almost half way down the page in this blog. vvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvv http://www.birdtricks.com/blog/author/patty/ It might also be worth checking out the sections about pine cones that come directly after, too.

You could take a shot at contacting the manufacturer But many are not the greatest at customer support. If this is what I think it is, you're probably better off dumping it. I'm guessing that this http://www.petmountain.com/show_product/11442-508751 might be re-branded that http://www.eightinonepet.com/products.php?searchkey=d243&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&cats=30&search= I found these http://www.amazon.co.uk/In-Pet-Products-Cease-Pick/dp/B0002ASYHE http://hotloverspets.blogspot.com/2013/10/eight-in-one-products-d243-cease-anti.html Back in the day, it was common to make or buy something called Bitter Apple for plucking birds. It's isopropyl alcohol & apple cider, basically. It discouraged *some* birds from plucking because they didn't like the taste or eye & sinus irritation of the alcohol. Once they associated these nasty results w/the apple scent, they might think twice about "eating" anything that smelled like it in future. It's still used as a training aid for dogs & cats w/hot spots. But the alcohol can dry out skin & fur (or feathers) as well as sting any areas where the skin is irritated. Generally adding to the original problem & driving the poor beast to want to "attend" to the area even more. Alcohol is not good to use for birds other than as an injection site sterilizer. If you spray whatever you've got on your hand & get that cool evaporation sensation or the scent of isopropyl alcohol, it's probably better off in the trash than on Joey.

:DHope you're having an awesome day & wishing you very many more!

Second all of that!! But you're forgiven because you also conjured up a very old & happy Xmas memory. When I was so small I remember reaching up for my Father's hand, we went to see her put on a Xmas show in Boston. Every window display delighted me because every storefront downtown was decorated w/wondrous animated scenes in those days. All the magic of Xmas any small child could ever wish for!!