birdhouse

This isn't likely an allergic reaction. It's more likely toxic chemical exposure. One is an immune system overload. The other is more damage to tissue &/or harmful chemicals in her system. Some chemical toxins actually suppress the immune system, which is why Greywings' suggestions are so important. If you go that route, make sure she doesn't get a chill after you've had her in the steamy bathroom. Also, do what you can to isolate her as far from the area that got sprayed as possible. It's probably still in the air, which means she's continuing to be exposed. So fresh clean, air is very important. Have you checked http://www.aav.org/search/ to see if you can find any other vets or talked to the local store where you got Betsy? I don't know if animal poison control can help, but it might be worth a try: http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/poison-control/ or 888-426-4435. And yes, it might help to say where you are. It might even help to make a short, separate thread asking the members if they would suggest a vet in your area. Include "emergency" in the title & maybe refer to this one for details. I really hope she starts to improve, soon. Please let us know what's going on.

You've made 200 posts before you ever got the bird. I'm not even going to try to guess how much you've read or how many people you've talked to. That might indicate that you've done some homework. You've thought it thru pretty thoroughly. You certainly appear qualified as parront material. You're also likely pre-disposed toward becoming a grey-aholic (& we think that's a good thing). When the unexpected happens, there are 7,289 (I looked it up!) Grey Forums members from around the world who have been there & done, well, something like that. Odds are you & your GF will have some help & support when you need it. You did check the camera batteries, right? You know we'll all want to see a whole lot of pics by the end of Ruby's first day. You've done everything you could to prepare yourself for the Grey't Adventure. So my suggestion is sit back & just take a deep breath. It's all good & it's about to get better than you even imagined!

LOL That's what I tell my guys before I get them ready to go, "Want to go for an adventure?" But not right at the start. They need to be introduced to the world slowly. Cover most of the cage while in transit & don't go too far for too long. It's important to minimize the drama for the first few outings so they can build enough confidence to eventually enjoy their adventures.

The potential exists that any scent will bother fids, no matter the delivery method. I do use Bath & Bodyworks Wallflowers sometimes. I have a ton of allergies & their products rarely bother me. I always make sure that no one is sneezing or looking at all distressed whenever I put one out. And I don't put it anywhere near their cages. So far, I haven't seen any problems. And yes, the forum search engine's been uncooperative for a while. Talon said she'd sic the tech guys on it last week. So, hopefully we'll be able to use it again, soon.

Only thing about the garden's potential is the bird fight you saw. Whether or not it was Murphy, there appears to be some very territorial types who've already staked a claim in the area.

I've long since resorted to bedtime bribery. Everyone goes to bed happy & w/a little something to hold them over til morning. But I do think it's worth seeing if Pancho has a change in attitude if you stop covering his cage. My guys don't like covers at all, so I only use them when it's really cold in the winter. And you both know you're afraid of getting bitten. Which means Pancho is apt to keep up the behavior just for that reason, alone. Best if you can defuse the situation, if you can.

Things don't necessarily need to have changed. There may be something in his environment that he's never been comfortable with, but now it's too much because he's also uncomfortable with your wife &/or your meds. These guys are super-hyper aware of their environment. Things that we don't see at all can really affect them. For example, could there be something outside the window that's visible during the day but isn't when you close the blinds at night? I think you need to really try to look thru Charlie's eyes to solve this.

... E-hugs here, too!

Do you change your appearance at night? LOL ...turn into a werewolf or something? Sorry! What I seriously meant was do you remove your hat, or take a shower or change out of a uniform? Your wife & your medication may account for Charlie becoming more reactive. But it doesn't add up with his drastic change in response to you at night. So I'm wondering if you're missing another possible element, here.

From your other posts, I think Mikko sounds like he could be pretty adaptable. He sounds like he has decent potential as a possible traveler. It certainly seems worth a try. Sitting in an empty, undersized cage alone is probably more detrimental than any of the alternatives you've proposed. Just be very sensitive to his reactions & tolerances. Make every effort to keep him as comfortable as possible & reassure him that he's safe. But the first thing to do is get Mikko some activity. Why haven't you hung anything on the outside of the cage where he can reach it? Assuming the bars are spaced for a parrot, he'll be able to reach thru & haul things in to play. He should be interested in things like unwaxed paper cups, coffee filters, pieces of telephone books or magazines (no staples), rolls of adding machine tape or maybe some clean, bird safe leafy branches hung out side or partially thru the cage bars. You can use plastic zip ties (no metal) to attach plastic straws or qtips to the bars. I actually use little plastic baby barrettes so the fids can find & unclip them & have them for foot toys as well. You can fill a spare food cup w/small foot toys & that won't take up any extra space. Plastic bottle caps & single serving fruit cups, Popsicle sticks or wood bits are free or inexpensive toys that you don't have to save up for. I don't know what shopping is like in Lebanon. But if you use just a little imagination, you can also go thru any baby department & find a lot of safe, things that are quite inexpensive fun for a fid. For example, my guys each probably go thru 3 plastic teething rings a month. They cost me a dollar a piece. I hope this will go a long way towards making Mikko's life better immediately. Then hopefully, you'll be able to work out the rest over time.

The same countryside that's hiding Murphy from you is also keeping him alive & fed. So, I guess sometimes you just have to take the good with the bad. Hopefully, he'll establish his territory & work out some kind of a comfortable routine. Then, maybe, he'll start being seen more than once in any given area so you can finally connect. From all reports, he hasn't gone too far in all this time & that's kind of encouraging. I'm sure he misses you, too.

Aww, Ray that's just so nice!

Glad you got these great pics so we could all appreciate him while we had the chance.

Thanks for all the great pics. These guys are just cuteness overload. I don't know how you can stand to part with them.

Whether or not Sully's getting his normal attention after the move, he's probably not completely at home yet & may be a little more reactive than usual. Your "YAAAAAY!" may have gone a long way towards ramping up the situation, coupled w/swift, excited movements to fetch him down before he got your earrings. This taking off thing is still new & exciting. Molting can make some birds act more temperamental, too. Not getting into the cage may have actually had less to do w/your getting bitten than it seemed. If Sully's not generally a biter, it may have been an adrenaline overload from a combination of things. So, you might have treated Sully like the bite was incidental. Told him clearly to be careful but not made too big a deal out of it. Then continued to put him in his cage & told him how good he was after he got in, which would have ended things on a positive note. My last serious bite was a 3 corner tear just under my eye. It really bled & hurt enough to actually turn my stomach. So I'm not saying this because I don't know how much it hurts to get bitten in the face. But that makes it even more important to down play. Sometimes it's a good thing & sometimes it's bad, but the more you react to something, the more a parrot is likely to pursue it.

Finally!! So encouraging to hear some news! I don't have any specifics, but from what I've read about wild Grey's they travel miles every day to forage. I've read that they prefer to keep to the edges of the forest & around clearings if they aren't in the rain forest. I don't think they sleep where they eat. I think they also prefer to roost near water. But in the wild, they'd have also had their parents to teach them the rules & a flock for support & company. I don't know how much of this is instinct & how much is practical living alone. Murphy's just winging it using whatever he learned the way he grew up. I wonder if he might be keeping closer to home, as the grey flies. I just wonder if his roost is somewhere near by. Unfortunately, he's probably easier to spot when he's on the move & foraging. It's great that you've got so many other people to look for him. Someone ought to be able to get you together soon. I hope very soon!!

I'm a big fan of microfiber towels for cage cleaning (among so-o-o many other things!). I know a number of other people are, too. So I thought I'd let everyone know about Harbor Freight Tools' sale (...also a fan). A 4 pack of 11-3/4" L x 11-3/4" W towels is currently $2, online & B&M. They're a nice size for cleaning & I thought it might be worth sharing.

This is so good to hear! It should make so many more people aware & make much more of an impact on strangers than a "Lost" poster. Great!!

Hi & welcome. Very glad you've decided to do your homework before you start sharing your life w/these amazing birds. I wish the answers were cut & dry, but the following are OMHO 1) Does the sex of the bird matter in relation to the sex of its primary caretaker? Not unless the parrot in question has an established preference. Rehomed fids may have bonded to one family member &/or had a particular dislike for one family member & have a gender bias in the future. This can change over time. 2) Rescue or buy a baby? I would encourage everyone to rescue their fids. There are so many out there who need it. But rescues come with all degrees of baggage. It is really very important to match the personalities involved for a successful adoption. That means both the fid & the parront(s). Prior experience with parrots is helpful, but not actually a must. Being realistic about what you are signing up for is a must! 3) If buying a baby, private breeder or pet store (having a very hard time finding breeders in my area) I've rescued mine, so I really don't think I can help you here. Good luck with your investigation. There's tons of material on these forums & bunches of people to answer your questions. So don't hesitate to ask.

Thought this might have been a fluke but it looks like it's still going on. Is there anyone official to ask?

... well then, I've got to admit to being the same kind of paranoid. It didn't really sound like a great thing for him to have is mouth on. Thanks for posting the answer. Glad they're not worried about it.

Aww, who's cuter than Scooter? Sorry. Couldn't help myself. It's great to see a new Zon in the group. I don't have one, so I like to "share" everyone else's on the forum. He looks like a pretty happy guy. Can't wait to hear the back story about his rescue & some highlights about his antics.

Too cute! Pretty soon he'll probably be spinning upside down, Whooing & laughing like crazy.

The forum search engine seems to be having issues. I posted this weekend, but don't know what's going on. I don't have any firsthand info about this. I think it might be a good idea to call your vet & ask. The sooner the better if it does turn out to be a problem. And if it's not, the sooner you'll have some piece of mind. I'd be very interested to hear what they say. If you don't mind posting it. TU

That's probably the schedule for most of us who work. But parrots in the wild tend to find their night roost a few hours before sunset. The flock socializes, takes head count & get settled in. After that, they tend to be more reactive to anything new. Because, let's face it, there's plenty of scary things that can eat you after dark. Our parrots still have those survival instincts. So, it's just maybe easier to give them the daylight to let them get used to anything new. Especially if there are extenuating circumstances like with your guy being handicapped & likely having undiscovered baggage. You'll get all kinds of answers as far as bed time & cage covering. I think it boils down to the individual fid & his parronts.