birdhouse

Afraid they couldn't care less how much mess they make, only that they don't get any on themselves. Phenix was like that when he first started to eat real food. Would not touch anything that got on his face or feet. When I wanted him to try any type of messy food, I'd have to hold it. I didn't mind. I loved to watch him take those dainty little bites. I was also just psyched that he was finally willing to try things. Somewhere along the way he apparently figured out how to handle foods so that he rarely has anything stuck on his beak. Very neat eater from that perspective. But he still manages to get food all over every else.

It makes sense that the shower approach would be different because Missy was reacting to her fear. So, although you were forced to handle it differently anyway, it may have been the best thing to change your reaction. Just grin & bare it. :rolleyes: As you've said, there's no formulaic answer to biting issues because of the different situations, motivations, history & personalities. But it seems like you've worked thru all of that very nicely & done a super job! Very nice to hear things are going so well w/you & Missy, Paul.

From about December/January, my ekkie Kura starts to feather barber. Somewhere about March/April, she'll finally stop. Depending on how much damage she's done, by August/September she's gorgeous, again. This cycle has been repeated every year since she's been here. It's apparently hormonal & the only thing to do is try to treat the symptoms. I read everything I can & try everything that makes any sense. But no suggestions about light, food, toys, aloe, etc have really changed much for her. It's just gut wrenching to have to watch helplessly as she destroys her beautiful feathers every winter. This year has been the worst by far. I've even resorted to over feeding her in the hope that if she's busy eating, she'll stop w/the feathers. At least for a little while. I read that camomile can be beneficial for pluckers. Half strength tea is said to be calming for birds & isn't supposed to have any bad side effects. That just felt too much like drugging her. So I've avoided it until now. However this year's been so bad that I was finally driven to look into it as a serious option. While I was researching, I found people also used it as a spray. That idea didn't bother me so much. So this morning, I brewed a cup of chamomile tea to use instead of her aloe juice bath. Three things struck me, immediately. She beat on the sprayer when I showed it to her & started her usual objections. But after a few seconds, she quit avoiding the mist & stood still. Not unheard of, but noteworthy. She usually only does that on good days. This was not a good day. After a spray bath, Kura will normally sit & preen for a while then take a nap. Only natural of course, but it makes me a little crazy under the circumstances. After today's bath, she preened for maybe a minute or two, then went off to play. That was about 2 hrs ago. I've stayed in front of her the whole time to make sure that there wasn't any type of reaction, because Yes, I can be a little paranoid. There's no sign that she's unhappy or uncomfortable at all. Everything has been normal, normal, except she hasn't touched her feathers once!! I would be so happy to find anything to help Kura be comfortable in her own skin again. Although it's way too soon to tell much, I'm cautiously optimistic. I'd like to see if anyone else has used chamomile for their fids? How often? How long? Was it a pill, tea or spray? I would really appreciate any information or references anyone has about using chamomile in any form for parrots. Thanks.

Hi Eilidh & Welcome to the flock! You are definitely in for an adventure; adopting a two year old who hasn't apparently had much socializing w/humans. It's encouraging to hear that he seems to be coming along so well in this short time. Greys take a long time to trust as it is. So it may be many months before Chippy is actually convinced that he's safe & truly part of your flock. But all the effort now will be very well worth it in the long run. Always good to hear that new parronts have done their homework before they bring their babies home. I'm particularly interested in your reference to your research into grey behavior in their natural environment. Many of us have complained that we can't ever find enough information about wild greys. So it might be very interesting & informative if you'd like to share any good source material on the subject. Congratulations on your new fid! Love your avatar btw.

So sorry this fell through, but hopefully you & your fid will find each other soon.

A lot of fids enjoy eating w/the flock. A little dry breakfast cereal is okay. But not too much because many brands have a high sugar content or even fat. Another yummy breakfast treat that Coco might enjoy is whole grain toast w/w/o some red palm oil on it. Most fids really like oatmeal, hot or cold, too. Or, if you get to where you might want to do a little cooking for him, breakfast might be a good time to give him some birdie bread. If Coco's grumpy in the morning, he may not be getting as much sleep as he's used to. Odds are, he was going to bed early since his Mum wasn't well. Also, he & Mum may have had a morning ritual that he misses. It doesn't sound like you guys are having any major issues overall. And what you said about breakfast is encouraging. Coco sounds like he's got a very decent temperament & will likely adjust to his new life in a little while. Greys are usually really slow movers when it comes to change. But Coco sounds like he's coming along very nicely, actually.

You may be very surprised to see how much a cage shrinks when you set it up w/AG sized toys & perches. I also think that bigger cages are actually less work to clean rather than more. More choices for setting things up to avoid them getting pooped on. And they usually come w/bigger cups, too. Birds are horribly messy eaters. So when they drop or toss things, the bigger the cup, the more chance the food will go back into the big bowls. Of course that's kind of like saying "You have good breath for a dog." But every little bit helps.

Thanks! Always good to save a little money on bird food. More money to spend on toys!! lol If you go to the ZuPreem website, they usually have a $2 printable coupon, too.

I really think parronts & fids have to work out their own relationships based on their own unique combination of personalities. Trial & error is the only way to find out how you work together. I just think the trick is to stay out of the deep end of the pool until you get some idea of how well you can swim. It seems like the communication & bond between you is miles beyond where they were at Xmas. You haven't mentioned anything about reorienting Gracie to her travel cage. But if you think she's ready, how about just taking her outside after school tomorrow? She may be a little overwhelmed at first. I remember Kura being afraid of the wind. lol But if you just keep part of the cage covered & stay close, Gracie sounds like the type to get acclimated pretty well. Once she's comfy w/that maybe a few visits to a friend's house &/or a short couple of visits to school after hours? You could also take her to the park after school or whenever & see how she responds to all the activity. You'll probably attract some attention, too. So you'll both get a chance to get comfortable w/strangers coming up to her. That might also be good practice for when you start taking her w/you during the school day. Basically, I think it's a good idea to REstart slowly & see how you both handle the wide world together. Nothing formal & no stress. Pretty soon Gracie should be able to tell you when she's ready for her first day of school.

They can be tough like that. Roxie needed to get out of harm's way. So she took your offer of help. She may have thought your shoulder was the safest high point available. But she wasn't ready to come face to face w/you or be that close. So she panicked, then got really defensive when you tried to remove her from your shoulder. Greys are complicated, especially when they're scared. Be sure to move as slowly as possible next time you need to bail her out. Also, probably better you don't let her on your shoulder until you've got some more trust in each other. But especially whenever she's scared. Sorry Roxie bit you. She didn't really mean it.

Pretty sure we don't have any pics like this on the whole forum & I think they're kinda cool! Thanks

Never use an artist's work w/o permission It really does look perfect. Thanks

Oooo! What a way to start the day!! Not enough drama that there was a break in so close. But then to find out that they've got your hubby for it! Wow! Very glad this ended up only being "comic relief". Whew!!

Becoming more & more normal by the day! I'm actually kind of glad to hear that you're mad at him. From what I can tell, it's another part of the process. Seems like Gilbert has come far enough to make some reasonable demands. Asking him to try to learn other ways to communicate fear, anger & displeasure should be reasonable by now. By the time I'd gotten to this point w/Phenix I'd figured out that there's no real way to discipline a fid. I already knew anger was scary & completely counter productive. So I eventually took a page from Phenix' book & learned to sulk & pout from the Master. It works amazingly well w/him & I have a way to communicate how (emotionally) hurt I feel. More often than not, he'll start trying to get back into my good graces pretty quickly. After all these years of practice I have to admit, I've gotten pretty good at milking it for all it's worth. lol I wouldn't give him "his beloved almond" for a while after something like this, either. If you've already done, then it's too late until next time (yeah, pretty sure there'll be a next time ). But if not, then I wouldn't. It's like taking a toy away from a child who used it for something naughty. I do actually believe a grey responds to something this subtle. Unlike a dog, I believe the bird gets it. You also get to use almonds again later as something "new" & exciting when you need it. Very glad to hear that Gilbert went for a bit where he wasn't happy but wasn't plucking, either. That really does sound encouraging! How's his flying coming along btw?

Stay strong!!!!Step away from the computer!!! Do NOT listen to those who would help tempt you to the Dark Side!!! This too, shall pass (until next time). I had no idea I was infected until I went to look at a new, used cage last summer. I met a drop dead gorgeous BF at the lady's house. We just clicked instantly. Little bit scary to see you posting the conversion(s) I had w/myself after she told me she was rehoming the bird for someone in the family. So far, so good. But I now know I can relapse at any time.

Huge!! Congratulations!!

Too funny! "lucky" (w/this anyway), my fids are such hydrophobes I don't have to go to quite those extremes.

My friends have taught my fids because I can't whistle. It's also a fun way for them to socialize even w/the people who are too nervous around birds to have direct contact. And it is natural to them, so they'll pick it up from anywhere. I was blown away by Phenix one day when he heard say 30 seconds of a classical bit that someone in a movie was whistling. He only heard it once but he got every note!! :cool:

Hahaha! Same thing here. Add an 80 lb shephard & you have a whole new definition of togetherness. What's is that about anyway?? Funny thing, though... No one but the dog follows me in when I announce that I'm going to take a shower. lol

Gorgeous pot full of beautiful colored bits. Nice knowing the freezer's going to be full of the good stuff for a while. Thanks for sharing.

Right age, right time of the year for some harmless drama. But I don't think I'd let it continue for much longer because I'd be concerned about Isabelle's ear canal. If it doesn't stop pretty soon or if there are any wounds, I think would probably call the vet.

Lot's of times the bird just wants to warn you not actually hurt you. Once a grey trusts you & has a rapport w/you, they don't generally go out of their way to do damage. That doesn't apply when the bird is afraid, angry or hormonal though. So you're kind of going to have to learn to play it by ear. I was wondering if Coco may be starting to suspect something was different about this trip. I'd think you're acting differently towards him & greys pick up on the littlest things incredibly quickly. Coco's young but not a youngster. He's old enough to be past that manic energy that younger birds have. So he should still be active, just not all the time. Keep an eye out that he's eating & pooping normally. But it is normal to have a quiet day or two. At my house everyone's normally subdued on rainy days for instance.

The 3/4" bar spacing should be okay for a grey. The generic rule is that any bird's cage should be at least as wide as the bird's wingspan in at least one direction. I would say that would only be comfortable for a fid that isn't really going to be spending much time in the cage. Then space doesn't doesn't matter as much because it's basically a place to eat & sleep & keep a few toys. But if a fid's going to spend some time in it, then the cage needs room to let him move around even after you put in a few perches & several good sized toys. They'll need room to be able to do flight exercises too. So the bigger the better if you can afford the money & have the space.

Scary!! Very glad to hear it passed thru w/o becoming a problem.

Hope you don't mind if I borrow the 3rd from bottom pic for my desktop background...?