birdhouse

This is beyond horrible! Please contact someone official about this despicable excuse for a breeder, after you get things sorted out. But I'm very glad to hear that your baby is doing ok & that you've gotten some support. I really am hoping all the best for you both. Please don't hesitate to post any questions. There are probably members who can help you w/many things when they're around. Having the vet on speed dial may be a good idea though. Sounds like a good one btw. Extra points for taking you in immediately & offering to be so available to you. That's a very good thing to have, under any circumstances.

Most people tend to associate that w/aggression. But they can do it when they're excited or nervous, too. It really will be helpful if you find as much material as you can on body language. It can be subtle & confusing at first. But it's the most helpful thing to learn about communicating w/your fid. Another helpful thing is our mantra: TIME + PATIENCE = SUCCESS Also, easier said than done, of course. lol But it sounds like you're off to a greyt start by not pushing Oscar. Especially since he's still likely to be trying to settle in & make sense of all the changes that have happened to him. Yes, video could be helpful & you'd get to show off Oscar's cuteness, too

I agree w/Dave that a lot of things that are regarded as mental illness are physical abnormalities in brain function & chemistry. And I wonder just how much hormones contribute. But I think one form of mental instability that many types of pets can suffer from is depression. I am fairly convinced that I lost one of my budgies because he became severely depressed after my landlord accidentally let my other budgie fly away. They were very bonded & it certainly looked like he just sat in a corner, barely ate & shut down until he died a couple of weeks later. It was very, very sad. It could of course have been a coincidence & I had no way to find out otherwise. But it certainly looked as if he died of a broken heart. I also had a dog who pretty much did the same thing for about a year after one of my other dogs died. He barely interacted w/anything, moved & ate when he absolutely had to, but otherwise he'd just lay there. Fortunately, dogs are a lot less fragile than birds & eventually he rejoined the living. But it took an amazing long time for him to recover from that loss. Both animals had a history of abuse. Both had formed an obvious attachment to the other animal. Neither was mated. In fact the birds were both male. And the dog was definitely in perfect health otherwise. So I can at least be sure that he was suffering from full blown depression. That does make me wonder sometimes if there are other forms of mental illness that veterinary medicine doesn't recognize, yet. Which kind of makes sense since we're such a long way from fully understanding it in humans.

Hi 2cute. Sorry paronthood is starting out to be so scary & I wish I could be any specific help. But I know nothing about chicks. You can try contacting Dave007 who would be able to give you a lot of advise. BUT I would suggest that you don't wait for him to get back because your fid can't wait very long to be fed & there are pitfalls to feeding him. So, I'd also suggest that you contact your vet. I think the chances are good that you'll be able to work thru this with both of them helping you. Hope this helps. Please keep us posted.

Same question only different Are there any species of palm nuts that aren't safe?

The seemingly endless fascination birds have for dogs kind of amazes me. They do seem to love to feed, tease & order them around. Smart as they are, I've always thought it was positive proof that they have no concept of relative size! It is a shame you didn't get to capture Nilah in action! But it was still fun to read about it.

Hope you're right Ray.

I'm not sure what the funky cooing sound might be . That would probably helpful in determining what he's trying to tell you. Can you tell anything from his body language? Could he just be trying to mouth your hand? Birds explore things w/their beaks but many people confuse this w/trying to bite. When you pull away it often frustrates the bird & can become a problem because he knows you don't trust him. You said he generally avoids hands, but I'm wondering if he's getting comfortable enough to start acting more familiar. Also, neck scritches aren't for every grey. They aren't for every parront. either. Sometimes a fid will only let certain people scritch them. & only when they're in the mood.

I guess that depends on what you consider a large amount of time. I usually freeze 7-8 weeks of mash. Realistically mine usually take 4-5 hours over 2 days time. Soaking/washing & chopping are probably the biggest percentage of that time. I also soak wdried beans & peas then cook them w/other things & make sure it's totally cooled which is where the second day usually comes in. So, let's say it takes me 1/2 hr/wk to make mash. Other than that, I guess you could make a cooked portion of just dried beans, peas, grains,etc. Freeze it in 2-3 day portions then add fresh or frozen veggies/fruits as you go. Or buy prepared cookable bird foods & possibly add whatever you feel willing to spend the time on.

I love hearing about other people's menageries. And your latest addition looks like such a cutie! Look forward to hearing about your adventures in socializing the new puppy w/your flock.

I don't think it's the true motivation. But let's all admit that it can certainly be pretty persuasive!

I don't think I've ever seen a live Red Bellied Parrot. She really does look beautiful. I'm so glad to hear she found the life she needed to let her true personality shine. Very glad your family insisted that she deserved a safe & loving home. Great job, great story!

Congratulations on your big moment! I really enjoyed reading this. It sounds like your patience is beginning to pay off & I think this is just one of the many milestones you'll be posting about over the next few months.

Sounds like that could be the case. Tiels are most easily sexed by the brightness of the orange patches on the cheeks. But especially the birds who aren't normal grays can be deceiving sometimes. My tiels were very hard wired to the seasons in the southern hemisphere. Even though they definitely got frisky in our spring, their breeding season was during our fall. Sundance always seemed to be in a submissive posture. Most often the one who was begging for his wives' attention & to be preened. So Bunsen still sounds like he could be acting like a male teil to me. ...and yep, I do know there are likely to be a few posts about females having the upper hand here Also, this doesn't necessarily have to have anything to do w/mating. I'm convinced that birds need physical contact to be healthy, just like humans. He's been in isolation for a long time. But now he's in a place where he can finally get that contact. And it sounds like he's gotten adjusted enough to be asking for it. So, basically I guess I'm saying that you're going to have to sort this out before you'll know the best way to react.

I haven't ever seen jicama in a store around me. I get the impression it's only available in some parts of the US. So that may be why you haven't seen much about it. But I haven't seen it listed as toxic & I have seen it used as an ingredient in people's parrot mashes, occasionally. I believe it's ok to feed. Also, kiwi is not on any toxic seed list that I've seen. So I let my fids eat them.

I wish I had a nickel for every time I've told myself that. I truly do believe it so long as I'm relatively convinced of what that actually is. Thank you very much to every one who was kind enough to work thru my paranoia w/me. I really appreciate the support which helped me decide on a compromise. I just decided to put the old cage out for sale, at a fair but not bargain price & said if it doesn't sell by X date it belongs to Phenix. I posted the cage on Friday. Got a call yesterday. Sold it this afternoon & I believe a dyh is sleeping in it tonight. Sometimes when the universe speaks you just have to listen. lol Really everyone, thanks again for all the advice.

Very possible. Also possible that the bugs just took advantage because they liked something in the toy. I don't think you have to worry that Jon might have eaten any & gotten some added protein in his diet. There was a feed & grain store near me that used to have huge, uncovered bins of bulk bird seed. When I asked how they could leave it out in the wide open like that w/o it getting infested, the owner said they put a couple of bay leaves in w/the seed as bug repellent. I always used to take the leaves out because I just didn't have any way to check if they were ok in those days. But I just did a quick check on my fav toxic plant list & didn't see them listed as a no-no. So, if you don't find any reason not to, you might use some next time you hang one of those, just to be on the safe side. And if you do find that bay leaves are bad for fids, would you mind posting it so the rest of us know, too? Thanks a lot.

I know the immense hole Tumba would leave in your heart after all those yrs together. I'm really sorry he's gone.

I live in an old summer cottage & have 6-1/2 ft ceilings. There's no escape here But I just had to applaud you for the elegant way you've outsmarted your little problem child. Very clever!

What a fine looking group! As much as I liked Rocky's "money" shot, I like that hubby used the wet look for this. Nice job hubby!

First, I never have cared too much about flying w/the flock. I like the view from where I've been just fine. So I don't really think that's a bad thing. Second, I think that's one way to tell who my friends really are, or might be. They don't have to share my passion, exactly. But if they have some genuine interest in the animals that I love so much, they get to share some of my enjoyment as well. I also have to admit that I'm kind of stunned by how many people have never had any kind of exposure to any pet birds let alone parrots. Especially since I grew up around so many different kinds, it took a long time for it to sink in that they just can't relate. I can honestly say that I haven't met anyone who hasn't come around at least a little after spending some time w/my fids, though. Phenix generally tends to shock & intrigue them. Kura just melts their hearts. And Charm is an endless source of fun & amusement. So, it kind of gives me the warm fuzzies to be able to convert the eye rollers whenever possible. And the rest of them just don't know what they're missing & don't realize it's their own fault. So, I just don't listen to them either.

http://www.avianweb.com/toxicfoods.html seems to be a pretty good list & it list onions as toxic but says ok in small amounts. I just don't know how to put an actual quantity on "small". I will feed things cooked w/onion that I'll take out before I give it to them. But I just don't get paranoid about fishing every last piece out. So no, I don't usually give my fids onions because they are debatable & I'm always a "better safe than sorry" type where it comes to the fids.

It's so nice to see a post from you. Really nice to hear you smiling like that! It would be pretty terrific if something that wonderful came out of all of this. I don't want to wish any ill will on her owners. But I have to admit that I'm kind of hoping it's kismet & you have found another fid. Please keep us posted. Good luck.

I know, really! I could save a fortune in toys (...and maybe even go to a spa ) if I didn't jump out of my skin every time one of them crashed down & bounced around the cage.