Janfromboone

HA! You guys are too funny. Tobie thows his broccoli out too. More likely to eat it if it's steamed.

It was an experience I'll never forget. Like our parrots the sea lions like to mimic us. If you exhale bubbles from your regulator sometimes they will do the same. I have one video of the sea lion hanging upside down with his rear end above the water. We were only in 15 feet of water and he was just looking at me. Turning off the camera I decided I'd do the same thing, but before I could get situated he began to swim around me rolling over and over at the same time, so I did the same thing. We swam togeather twirling around (he was much better at it than I was) then I exhaled and he blew bubbles too before scooting away to do his own thing.

Back from my Sea of Cortez trip and here is a video of the sea lions. They joined us on several of the dives. Sometimes we expected their company and sometimes it was just a surprise.

oh my! It was easier diving with the whale sharks in 15' visability.

and again

I'm trying this again

I am back and every one was fine without me. Tobie apparently entertained the sitter to the best of his ability. I was so happy to be home. We had an amazing trip. We actually did get in the water with whale sharks. The young ones came right up to us, but I was so excited I only got one tiny bit of footage to prove that it really did happen. I got tons of video of the sea lions swimming with the divers. They were so playful and curious. The pacific waters in the sea of cortez have lots of creatures that we've never seen before diving the carribean. I'll try to put a still shot from photobucket, but I don't know if it will work. <a href="http://s462.photobucket.com/albums/qq349/pridemountain/?action=view&current=IMG_2734.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i462.photobucket.com/albums/qq349/pridemountain/IMG_2734.jpg" border="0" alt="sea of cortez"></a>

Thanks all for your good wishes and trying to put my mind at ease about leaving the animals. It is 1:00AM and I couldn't sleep. Thought I'd check to see if anyone read my posts. You guys always come through. Thanks.

I personally wish the aviator harness would come up with a poop pouch. I like Tobie to go with me places and for walks and car rides and it is too long for him not to poop. I usually just put a towell around my shoulders and pin it and keep some more in the car.

I was posting in this forum and saw this post. I quit smoking - largely due to Tobie - last february. Let's see - that's about 9 months now. I just didn't want to make him sick from the tobacco on my fingers lips etc. I also had a brother-in-law die of lung cancer, or the chemo he was going through about a year and a half ago. I wanted to share how I quit, because I've quit many times before with Hypnosis, patches, gum, chantex, group sessions, cold turkey with no program. Always before the desire to stop and buy a pack of cigarettes - especially on the way home from work - was with me. I had to make the decision over and over again to not smoke until eventually I would make the decision to smoke after all and there you go. This time I went to an acupuncturist. He has a doctorate in acupuncture and is very good. After the first treatment after my quit date I knew I was done with it. I've never had the slightest urge to smoke since that day and I just know that I'm truly a non-smoker now.

I'm going to the Sea of Cortex tomorrow. As usual I'm haveing abit of anxiety about leaving the animals. I have a sitter for Tobie and the dogs and the aquarium. We do this twice a year. We are going to be on a boat for a week and go scuba diving. Hope to see some manta rays and whale sharks. They are supposed to be spauning about now over there.

I've posted quite a bit about Tobie's feather problems but not recently. When Tobie was about 16 months he went into his first molt which was a very heavy molt. Seemed he lost alot of feathers at once. There were so many pin feathers that he began to pick and break off some of them. When the feathers stopped coming in the picking stopped. But when he shed his clipped flights one by one and they came back long he started biting them off - short. Now I don't see him chewing them but he may be chewing when I don't see it. Anyway, he has one wing fully feathered now - an improvement - and the other one is missing all flight feathers past the last joint - also an improvement. He still really can't fly though and the problem with that is that he crash lands and hurts himself doing so.

Tobie found the flight suits to be very uncomfortable. He does better with the aviator harness. I used to put a panty liner in the flight suit and it was hygenic enough. He was just uncomfortable so we don't do it now.

I had cockateils for a very long time - two generations worth. I was not as informed as I am now with the internet and the forums. I didn't know that female cockateils don't talk. I tried and tried to teach the poor bird ( my first cockateil) to say "I love you". I bribed her with fruits and goodies and beleive me or not she learned to say "I love you" but no one knew what she was trying to say but me. I wanted a parrot because I wanted a bird that would talk to me. When I bought Tobie, I hadn't yet seen the you tube videos and really didn't know what to expect. I thought if I repeated "hello" a hundred times or so Tobie might say "Hello" back to me. What a joy he has been and how he has exceeded all my expectations.

Thanks for the follow ups. Ugh! I'd have a hard time putting a collar on Tobie. I have found another avian vet using your site (on the health forum). A friend who has a macaw goes to her and recommends her. Lets hope when she looks at Tobie's wing she has some reasonable suggestions.

How lucky you are to have access to such a wonderful veterinarian. Hope all turns out well.

Yes! I think a trip to the vet is in the works. I just don't want to go back to the vet I saw before. It's not a bad idea though to have some information before going to the vet. Not all vets will have the same opinion or give you the same advice. If a vet wanted to pull Tobie's feathers, and I hadn't heard of that being done successfully before, then I doubt I would go along with it.

I like our beautiful grey-greys! There is something elegant about the red tail on an all grey bird.

rbpittman - hope you will keep me posted on the regrowth of those feathers. Tobie is in pretty much the same shape. He has hurt his beak twice and has had two cuts on his chest from awkward falls - usually jumping off my hand or his T-stand in the dining room. I've disassembled his play stand because there is too much furniture for him to crash into around it. Judygram-let me know what your vet sais.

Love his expression. The way he naturally holds his beak open made him look like he was just so amazed. He kept looking up at the sky - was he looking for hawks or was he just so amazed at how high the ceiling is?

I've got a question about a treatment I've been thinking about to help Tobie regrow his flight feathers. He has one wing that the flights have all broken or been chewed off short. They have regrown all year long - molting and then growing new ones - but they are so unsupported and awkward when they grow long they break or he may be chewing them and weakening them. You see they grow in one here and one there or maybe in pairs with gaps. Because his other wing grew a full set of flight feathers, he now crashes and has absolutely no control. I'm so afraid one of his falls is going to break something vital. My question is what about having all of the broken feathers pulled and then would they all grow in together so they would have support and be strong. I think if they would all grow in together he'd leave them alone. Any thoughts would be appreciated. I think I remember Dave007 saying that they don't grow back in just as soon as you pluck them. -

I want your vet, Poochbabe. I've been very reluctant to take Tobie back to the vet since he seemed so negative and totally terrifed Tobie, though he got over it quickly. Tobie still has one wing that hasn't grown in. There is another vet in another town that I may have to take him to.

You're all wet sounds like Einstein from Texas. Tobie has never learned to speak from watching you tube videos, but he does imitate some sound effects he hears other birds make in the videos. He does see the images of the birds though and I think he knows what he's seeing. Once, watching TV he watched a bird driving a Carabou (How do you spell that) away from his nest and Tobie started yelling "go away now, get away, go on now". Guess that's off topic though.

She's a beauty even missing a few tail feathers.

They teach you how to be silly.