codiandme

Thanks again for all the advice. I can see your point with sprinkling the food on the towel. Makes alot of sense...I think I'll just stick with the towels and that way I can see what Codi is doing with weaning pellets and such when the time comes. Yes, Jay Jay was a special bird. Even though he wasn't what I would call a hand tame bird he was a riot. He said the darndest things at the right time. He told us all when it was time to go to bed. He complained and said "too much noise" when the kids were roudy. He loved to fight me, he would call me over to his cage "Come on, come on" and then he would puff up and pace up and down and lunge at me. This was a great game for him and he would do this whenever I came into the room. I have battle scars which show who the winner of these fights was. My macaw and yellow naped are both hand tame and very affectionate but they haven't left the lasting impression that crazy wild Grey left on our family.

I'm really trying, BMustee, Codi is my second grey. My first passed away two years ago. He was a wild caught bird I rescued from an Importers basement where he had him in a canary cage! I brought him home and he bonded with my mom. He lived with us for eighteen years. I had no way of knowing how old he was when he came to live with us. But anyway, you get the picture. I vowed never to get another grey but then I went to my supplier and I saw these five little things in a shoebox. I went back several times and they were still there. The Mrs. and the kids saw how I talked about them and they insisted that I get one. Who am I to argue Codi is about six weeks old right now. DO you think I should go to aspen at this point? Also at what point did you start giving Elmo weaning foods? I'm thinking another couple of weeks?

Yes, he has a little woodpecker(with a red head). He sleeps on top of it sometimes. He also has plastic balls which he rolls around constantly. Mom puts him in bed with her for awhile at night and they play with different toys.I'm the food guy! When he see's me he wants to be fed. I feel so used...:laugh:

Thanks for the reassurance judygram, I value the input I received from BMustee and I have opted not to go to pine shavings. I spent a great deal of time reading on and off line today and there does not seem to be a bedding everyone can agree on as being the best.Shavings can causeimpaction if ingested and towels can have loose treads which can tangle in the birds feet, they also don't offer the level of cleanliness the wood shavings offer.Newspaper pellets are another option but again they should not be ingested. As much as I would like to I can't watch Codi 24/7. I don't remember having had this problem with my macaw or yellow naped but it's been a couple of years... I will stick with the towels for now as it seems the safest if not most hygenic bedding and try my best not to pluck anymore tail feathers.

Thanks for all the added info BMustee, I did read somewhere about the pine not being recommended along with any shavings because of possible ingestion resulting in impaction. That writer was the one who recommended towels. As far as changing the bedding I do it with every feeding. (codi is at four right now)As you know they just keep going as fast as you feed them and have no problem sitting right where they poop.

Thanks Guys, I've been compiling information from all sources and it appears that I haven't done anything irreversible. The baby is going to go through two more molts within the next weeks from what I've read so I'm keeping my fingers crossed and going back to pine shavings instead of towels. I find that he was much cleaner and seemed more at ease with the pine. Matthew Vriends, the author of Hand Feeding and Raising Baby Birds,is against towels for the same reason.<br><br>Post edited by: codiandme, at: 2008/02/13 18:06

I was just cleaning Codi up and noticed some dry poop on his newly emerging tail feathers. I tried to soften with warm water as I removed it. I wasnt gentle enough as I plucked three or four tiny tail feathers still in the sheaths. There is no bleeding but I am concerned as to the long term effects. Will these feathers grow back or have I done permanent damage? Codi is just six weeks old and getting his first feathers in.

Thanks Laurie, that wittle bay-bee is always hungry. Good sign I guess.I have to feed him now

Thanks for the concern Talon, Based on the last phonecall there seems to be some improvement, We'll see come Saturday. My mom is incharge of the birds while I'm gone and my eldest daughter will feed Codi. I'm glad you like Codi as a name. Codi's mom taught of it by combining my girls names. Be sure and look at my new pics. Be talking to ya.

Thanks Talon, you guys are great. I'm trying to see where everyone is based as I receive responses. It's funny I will be traveling up to your state this weekend to visit family in Springfield. A bit of a haul but we have to do it.My wife's dad has been ill for a while. From what I've read you are very experienced with Grey's. I will keep that in mind with Codi. Thanks again for the welcome.

Thanks to all for the wonderful welcome. It's nice to see how you care about new additions to your family. I must apologize to all for not having responded sooner but I have been so busy with Codi and trying to set up my bird room, and refinishing a cage I had in storage for two years in my crawlspace. More on that later.. To answer judygram's question, I have a blue and gold macaw, a yellow naped amazon, four lovebirds, six canaries, society finches, zebra finches, two shih-tzu's and a wife and kids as I recall:P Please be patient with me and my slow responses I will try and do better. I'll take some pics and post them soon.

Just wanted to introduce Codi and me to the forum. Codi is a 5 week CAG and a new addition to our family. We are a huge diverse flock at our house. Australians, Africans, South Americans... I hope to learn more about our avian companions here and make new friends along the way. I am looking forward to chatting with YOU:laugh: