Raposa

Wow, Louie is lucky you came into his life!!!

Silly birdie! :laugh: Glad he was not harmed, but that must have been hilarious to see!!!

You are such a sweetie, Judy! You are one of the people on this forum I would REALLY like to meet some day :-) You are always so kind and encouraging to everybody here!

I knew my baby was a girl while she was still at the breeder's, and had several names in mind. Jenna was not anywhere near the top of the list, but I tried the names on her when I visited her at the breeder's house, and she clearly responded to Jenna. It means "little bird," so that works, and it does seem to fit my little goofy angel bird :-)

Update! :-) Jenna is beginning to have a few feathers that look like feathers rather than fuzz on her tummy. She really likes having a shower every day, and when I get home she starts asking "Shower? Shower? Want shower?" I have to tell her she already had one today Hehehehe Anyway, I am hopeful that her feathers will grow in and she'll be back to being her gorgeous little self again. How long does it take for bad feathers to molt out and be replaced?

Thanks :-) I may try covering just the front of her cage at night, I really hate to cover her completely since she's never had that done and I'm afraid it might frighten her. Her breeder is totally bewildered about this, she said she has heard of babies who were incubated alone barbering but not otherwise, and she doesn't know what else to suggest. I love Jenna no matter how funny she looks, but I worry that this behavior means there is something bothering her

I've seen some plastic wall "murals" that serve the dual purpose of sprucing up the area around your bird's cage and making it easy to clean up food that somehow gets splattered on your walls . . . I forget where I've come across them, though.

Baby looks like a wonderful bird! So glad you have him back

Oh, I hope Harley comes home!!!

I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your Liefie . . . I know what a heartbreak that has to be

Welcome back Toni!

Wow, there really is a lot to be learned about sleep in birds and how it works for them, isn't there? We can't assume they are just like us in their needs for sleep or how sleep affects them . . .

Thanks, Jane, I guess time will tell! Shannon, I've been wondering about a sleep cage in another room for Jenna. What holds me back is that she is very comfortable in her usual room and I worry that making a change like that could cause her to become MORE anxious rather than less . . . hard to know what to do. One thought would be to cover her cage when I put her in for the night. The area she is in gets some reflected light until about 10:00 although I usually have her in her cage for bed between 8:30 and 9:00. Maybe covering her would help.

Oh Jane, I'm sorry to hear that! Poor girl :-(

But of COURSE she is a genius!!! I hope you can sneak up and geet her on video, I'd LOVE to see that :-)

So how much Harrison's does it take to fill YOU up? ~grin~

Omar is FABULOUS!!!! Jenna and I will watch your video over and over, we love it! If Jenna could write she'd send Omar fan mail

You need to teach her to say GIRLS RULE!!! ~grins~ Congrats on your little girl, she will keep your heart full and happy for many, many years

Isn't it fun when they start to talk? Soon you'll be hearing chattering at various times in the day, some of it you won't be able to understand at all but it will still be delightful to listen to!

My grey does not talk or mumble in her sleep, but I had an eclectus who did ~smiles~ He would quietly talk himself to sleep, and then during the night I'd hear a little tiny voice mumbling or saying some of his words. I found it very endearing

Thanks, Char and Dan, a humidifier is an easy addition, I will get one! The air filter is because my 84 year old mother, who lives with me, smokes, and although she confines her smoking to a specific area and never smokes in the part of the house where Jenna is, I am worried that some residual smoke could find its way to her. I have not seen any broken or clipped feathers in her cage for the past few days, maybe this is something she did a couple of months ago and it is really resolved, and she just has not molted out the clipped off feathers yet. I can hope, anyway!

Cool, Dan, thank you!

Thank you, Jan and Acappella, for your kind replies. I appreciate you

Hi everybody Jenna's feathers have been looking bad for quite a while - at least a couple of months. I've never had a grey before, so I was not sure if it was normal or not. When I first noticed it, I contacted the breeder who said it was probably just a molt. But when it went on for more than 2 months, I started to get scared. I sent the breeder some photos and she said no, that is not a normal molt. Jenna is just past one year old, by the way. So Jenna and I went to the vet today. He says that she is "barbering" her feathers - a kind of excessive preening similar to feather plucking. I've been bathing her several times a week but not every day; so now I will start making sure it is every day. He gave me a supplement to give her that seems to be mostly red palm oil, which she already gets in her food. I added yet another full spectrum light near her cage to make sure she's getting enough light. I have a good, but broken, air filter that I can put in her room, but after $285 at the vet today with bloodwork etc, I can't afford the $185 to get the filter fixed for a couple more paydays. It is top of my priority list, though. Her diet is Harrisons pellets with some Zupreem mixed in for variety; and lots of fresh stuff (veggies, sprouts, fruits, rice, oatmeal, birdie bread, whatever we happen to be eating if it is bird safe). I swap out her toys once every week or two, and she had foraging opportunites when she is in her cage. She's in her cage during the day while I am at work, with music or TV on, and there are people in the house (my elderly mom is there, and she has a daytime caregiver that has been coming for years), and they go talk to Jenna during the day. In the evenings when I get home Jenna is allowed out of her cage until bedtime. The vet says it is possible she did the barbering a couple of months ago and just has not recovered. I do know that November was a tough month for Jenna; my mom spent 3 weeks in the hospital and I was hardly at home at all, and that could have stressed her out. I'm supposed to keep a journal of any clipped or broken feathers on the bottom of her cage, and I did see one today, but just one . . . What else can I do to help my girl with this frustrating problem? I'm worried about my little sweetheart . . . Thanks, it helps to talk to people who understand!

Dan and Kim, What a terrifying experience for you and for Dayo. Dan, I would not doubt that you are also showing trauma behaviors, whether or not you realize it! ~hugs~ I am so glad Dayo is ok, and have no doubt that with the loving care you both give him, he'll not suffer any long term negative effects. Quite the wake up call, and not only for you - the rest of us who have other animals in our homes will benefit from your and Dayo's scary experience. Sending hugs, support, and gratitude for Dayo's safety your way