Knight05

Hi guys. Been awhile since my last post. Last I posted chloe had a broken leg. Its all healed and no issues there for those who we're wondering.she's mostly back to her usual spiderman self. She doesn't move AS FAST as she use to but its to be expected as those muscles haven't been used for awhile and im sure much like a person self physical therapy is needed. But anyways she's fine. Anywho on to my question. Parrot/bird health insurance. Do you know of anyone? Any companies you gave used that you support or have heard good things about? I've done extensive searching into it but have only found one company voice.com for both birds my grey and umbrella cockatoo its like $50/month for coverage and honestly the coverage sounds crappy for the $$$ it roughly pays for half of surgery and illness and $0 for check ups visits testing xrays etc they sell THAT coverage separate for like $20 more a month but that's only covers like $200 a tear per bird toward all of the above listed visits tests xrays etc per bird which most of you know would be spent. Probably in ONE VISIT.. Im not sure if it because they are exotic or what but that's bot good at all in my opinion so im looking for additional options if they exist. Thx for any info and sorry for all the typos grammar punctuation etc im in my cell phone and my autofill sucks.

1) No she can't fly. They're both clipped. And the way my pet shop does it. They clip one side completely and leave the other fully grown. This makes it supposedly in theory so they can fly to the ground easier and safer should they fall and have some glide ability, but as they are flying the wing that is clipped causes them to sort of "tornado" spiral down to the ground softly so they dont fly forward into walls or other harmful things etc.. Any of you ever heard this being done? I would love to hear your thoughts and opinons on it versus the traditional way of clipping both wings. My birds are house birds and dont care much for the outdoors they get easily startled by everything and always end up running back to me in 5 seconds vs exploring or enjoying themselves. They are totally spoiled "metrosexuals" and prefer ice cread head rubs, personal space heaters and warm fuzzy blankers, and episodes of dexter 2) And thx for all the answers to my questions. "I get it now: I found it weird that only my grey does it. My umbrella cockatoo I can rub him up and down all day long and pet him anywhere I like and while I can tell it feels good, it's like a ahhh your petting me feel good, not a ooooo yeah baby right there right there! oooo....mmmm.gggggg....yes! Kinda feel good. I guess every species of bird is diff. Or so it seems. My grey has chilled out a bit since then. It just seems like the more i pay attention to her and pet her and get lovey with her the more hot and borthered she gets. So since then I have knocked it off and now i just casually pet her in little 30-60 second periods. Any as far as head scratches it seems I can do those all day long and they have no effect. But any belly rubbing, thigh rubbing, or back of the wings and shes all worked up in a matter of seconds so I've cut that out since then and just stuck with head scratches

Ya im with you guys on the petting, getting all hot and bothered things too. She does it quite frequently now, I wish i could take her to a bed shop and rent her a parrot hotel and give her a pack of condoms and let her get it out of her system so I could rape her face with kisses again and pet her all over I have found one strategy that usually works for me though. When I pet her and she gets all worked up again I will pause and go to walk out of the room like im taking off and it sort of snaps her out of it and back into reality and is like a cold shower that cools her off at least temporarily. I doubt this would work for anyone else but it works good for her He leg is fully healed now and she is walking on it fully again without limpin or pain. But she also has much slower movements and climbs slower etc. I imagine much like humans who hurt themselves she is going to have a few months of basically solo 'parrot physical therapy' and have to rebuild those leg muscles she hasnt used much lately and get them strong again and flexible. There was one question I had asked when i first made the thread nobody answered that I am very curious about. Are these little 'heat cycles' permanent or temporary? Do they go through a phase like cats then get normal again or will she exhibit these bahaviors for as long as she is in love with me (which is probably life since she cant go 5 sec without me). P.S. Sorry for reviving an old/dead thread just wanted to give everyone an update. I deleted my youtube account so the video no longer works for new posters who havent seen it yet but thats fine Happy thanksgiving everyone! Me chloe and harvey (my umbrella cockatoo) will be chowin down today like it's the last supper! Birdies are gonna be eatin good today! No turkey for them though Just say no to cannabalism Cheers all!

Well that's a relief. She broke her leg being on a 6 ft. Tall tree perch stand and falling and landing horrible wrong from what I seen and hitting the base of the perch stand sideways leg first. Now I cover the bases with hand towels just incase. 1400 dollars later and 2 operations it's finally getting better:( ill try to back off suggestive petting she gets all hot and bothered VERY easily these days. Is it a phase like cats in heat or longer?

I made a youtube video of the sounds and behavior my grey is doing. Im worried shes either in pain or uncomfortable or suffering right because she just got leg surgery a month ago for a broken femur. It's been 3 months since she broke it and the doc said she shouldnt be in much pain anymore if any at all. So my question is...... is this reaction in the video link Pain or is it Mating which is my second guess or love etc? Link to video: http://youtu.be/UZ9IF-jgseg

I'm an old member who hasn't been on in awhile but now I finally finished college and started my job and I have plenty of time to slack off at work now and chat on the forums!! SO I am glad to be back. A quick update for those who remember me and my bird since last time. Chloe my grey is awesome. We just bought a new bird Harvey an umbrella cockatoo and he is the last and latest addition to our bird family. And since then her (my grey) behavior has gone from unbearably bad to amazingly awesome since adding the 'too!! We think the problem for her was mass boredom since we both worked long hours and now having another bird to talk and sing with etc makes her super excited and keeps her happy and entertained. We keep them caged differently of course and while they are not interactive and best friends to each other up close and personal. They do tolerate each other well on the same perch etc and even give the occasional beak kisses. But my grey is still some what intimated because of his sheer size alone and gets easily scared or skiddish when he flaps or opens up at all. She does like the attention tho of a big hunky bird as do all women I kid, I kid.... Any who here's some info on Harvey my new bird and I have some questions as a new 'too owner that hopefully some experienced members can answer for me. And for those who don't remember me.... Gonna copy and past cause im lazy Hi all my name is Spencer I'm a 29 yr old male and a new member from San Diego, CA. I recently purchased a 7 month old umbrella cockatoo named "Harvey". He is in good health and seems to be normal for all intesive purposes for a cockatoo. I got him from a pet shop versus a breeder since they have a 1 year warranty that if it doesn't work out you can bring them back and get a diff bird, which made me feel good cause some birds just aren't meant to be with some people. I also have an african grey female named "Chloe" she's awesome and my #1 love, but I want to love harvey equally in time. That being said...... SO here's some quick background info as it may be relevant to my question. FIrst of all he was DNA sexed and is male. Secondly we took him to the vet after purchase and ran a full screen of tests on him to make sure he was tip top shape and everything checks out 100% great no problems. We even did a culture and blood screen etc. Having said that here is my problem/question. We are having tremendous problems controlling his "cockatoo shriek noise" and also getting him to stay on objects. First the shriek. I know they shriek, I know its just in their blood to do so and you can't prevent them from doing so you can only deter them from doing it at inappropriate times. WHen we first come home from work as soon as we close the door he screams bloody murder when he knows we are home which we DO NOT want. Also any time we set him on some thing a perch, a chair, the top of his cage etc etc he WILL NOT stay on it for more than a minute or too. He is such a loving snuggly bird that he wants to be on us 24-7. While it's super cute and I love it, he has to learn to stay put and not keep jumping off stuff to get to us. Our current method to deter this behavior is if he jumps off anything to come to us we say "no bad bird" and stick him in his cage and close the door hoping he would see that as "man i better stop jumping off or I get no love and attention". He is not learning his lesson though he continues to do it regardless of the punishment. And then when we put him in the room he squaks to show hes mad. We have been practicing this for a month now with no positive results. Any one else have suggestions? Also any suggestions to prevent the squaking or to deter it to more appropriate times? The only thing positive about harvey at the moment is we managed to get him potty trained all ready and hewill poop on command where ever, when ever. Which seems like a HUGE bonus off the start. He also randomly does this thing where he will walk to the floor of his cage and open his wings and head feathers and flap REALLY hard while simotaneously screaming at the top of his lungs. ANy one know what that represents or means?

What about an eclectic is that a viable option dave? And make or female and which breeding site?

I've been speaking to a bird behavior therapist in my local san diego area. She has been working with me and helping me to get my almost 3 yrs old now CAG "Chloe" to work on some behavior issues. Screeching, whining, light biting etc. We have basically stemmed it down to Chloe devloping most of these problems we believe from lack of attention. Toys are one way to handle this but Chloe is skiddish and un willing to attempt new toys even when I introduce them slowly so thats sort of a dead avenue. The other option she she suggested was a risky yet highly rewarding one shoud it suceed. That procedure is to purchase another bird. She said a CAG would be optimal but really any bird could work but the larger the bird the more intimidated she might be and the harder to bond. Basically since my GF and I work from 8 am- 5 pm daily and only play with her till 8-9 pm when we go to bed except weekends she suggested I get chloe a buddy. A bird that could sit in another cage maybe 3-4 feet away and they could see and interact with each other without stressing each other or fighting being in the same cage. If it works it could make her less active with me im aware of that as long as I could still pick her up and interact with her mildly. I could live without being her best buddy again if it meant she was happy having a lil buddy. But then theres the worst case scenario which is they hate each other and it doesnt help the problem then I'm stuck with 2 birds. Which would be fine with me but then it wouldnt fix anything. The other thing is: If I did get another bird I've always had my heart set on a umbrella cockatoo but the doctor said a grey would be highly preferred since theyre flock birds and comfortable more so with their own. So Can I get the cockatoo and get away with it or do I have to get a grey? And do I get another female or a male? Just need some general advice or insight into this subject if you guys could since ur the suject matter experts. P.S. Long time no see how ya'all doin Love ya *hugs*

Heh I will try to throw some photos up as soon as I can. We ended up going all out with a cathedral style cage big enough for like a Macaw I don't exact measurements but it is huge. And yup she knows many words now. I'd say her vocabulary is up to about 28 distinguishable words and like 15-20 sounds, whistles, jibber jabbers etc. A few examples of stuff she says is: Mogwhai (Mog-why?) From the gremlin movies the name of the little Gizmo guy Good bird/Bad bird! Who's your daddy?/You don't tell me no! Gimme some kiss/ I want to snack on your face Hello? (When I answer my cell phone)/ Booner-Dooner Hi love dragon/ You sexy fatty Just to name a few... She's pretty smart now and a big talker.

Sup guys, It's been a while since I've been on. Last you heard from me I was telling you how crazy chloe was driving me and I couldn't take it anymore (for those who remember). Well since then things have worked themselves out. I had a 2 week stretch there where I wanted to shoot her (not literally) and tear my hair out to boot but we moved past it and now she's been a really good girl. I'm hoping it was just the terrible two's. Anyways that a side, my girlfriend and I are going cage shopping tomorrow and I have some questions for the experts. Does size matter to a female CAG (all jokes a side for the dirty minded people). Is a bigger home better? Do they care? I have a mid size cage at the moment about 18 inches in width and 5 feet tall. What to look for or ask when cage shopping? How effective are those tray rims around th ebase of cages that are used for catching seeds/nuts etc. Regarding toys are there any toys greys are partial to or is it hit and miss? I seem to buy her toys all the time even ones with features she has liked in the past and she is always initimidated by it, or down right too scared to go near it. But I work a lot so I want her to be stimulated mentally. Honestly though she seems like she doesn't care about toys and she entertains herself swinging around the cage like spider man and singing or talking all day. Anyways I was on a work break I have to run. I'll cheeck back later. Hope every one has a good weekend thanks

Not sure if I spelled it correctly but, when you are feeling the Keel bone or breast bone etc? What are you looking for exactly to determine health and what not. Is it depth and sharpness? Also what is an ideal weight for a 2 yr old CAG female? I'm concerned my bird might be slightly underweight but not sure how I could weigh her and check without going to a vet and spending like 50 bucks which I'm sort of opposed to doing for financial reasons. And assuming she was under weight what food(s) would be optimal to fatten her up in a healthy way?

How long do terrible 2's last roughly? And are there any other things I can expect so I don't over react when it happens? I almost never take her out of the cage because I don't want to reward her bad "screeching" behavior but at the same time i'm concerned if she in all the time she's going to develop even more behavioral problems due to lack of freedom/exercise/socializing etc

She is exactly 2 so terrible 2's might be an option. I've decided to cope for at least a few more months. I work usually from 11am-8pm. I take her out at 9 am when i wake up till i leave for work then take her out when i get home at 8 pm till about midnight. My mind says just give her away, but i also have that inner feeling telling me if I do if/when she gets over this phase she will be pretty damn awesome and I might regret it for life. But as for right now......uhhggg life sucks. But I'll hang on as long as possible.

Hey guys, Been awhile since I was last on. School/work etc keeps me super busy. Just a heads up I'm probably going to be looking to sell/give my grey away to an experienced person in the near future. Her behavior now is so way out of hand that I'm pretty much at my witt's end. She screeches non stop anytime I step out of the room or leave for like a second etc. She scared of absolutely anything/everything. From people, to toys, to moving objects you name it she's scared of it and will fly off my shoulder. I've spent hundreds of dollars taking her to bird behavioral courses locally in San Diego and absolutely NOTHING is working..... I've talked to experts and read books and I've pretty much exhausted every option. I seriously feel like I have a kid with Autism that is dead to the world and no matter what i try or do they are just going to be "them". And it's starting to affect my life now with lack of sleep, and constant headaches etc etc. So rather than give her to some ill equipped kid, or just selling her on like a craigslist I figured I'd come to you guys first for any final options or advice.<br><br>Post edited by: Knight05, at: 2009/10/12 17:11

Some person name something mary or other. Is scamming I believe in my personal inbox. I think it's one of those chinese or african scams where they say hey I need to get rid of my grey quick please gimme your info etc. If I'm wrong and this is a real person sorry. But it sounds fishy to me.

Will do judy and I appreciate the info I kind of figured even as a first time parrot owner this was some parrot sexcapade. I don't rub her when she does it but she will get like right up in my face and and rub her face on mine all over the place and sometimes take a chomp at my nose. Kind of gross if you think about it from a beastiality stand point that a parrot would choose a different species for a mate. But if what you guy say is true that they see as "one of the flock" then I guess it's understandable it just has me a bit nervous that if I had her out or something on the bed while I took a nap she might start dry humping my face. How long do the mating cycles where they are in heat or whatever tend to last? And no she hasn't ever regurgitated for me she tries sometimes but its a dry heeve or nothing comes out (which im super thankful for). Do you think I should take her out with another grey owner and give her for lack of a better word a "booty call" and let her get it out of her system or just let her cool down on ice? I'll try to drop in more often Between school and work and chloe time I'm a zombie and I just come home eat and pass out for the night, rinse and repeat =/ sucks but hey it's only 4 years

Hey guys, been a long time since I posted, college keeps me pretty busy and I barely get online as much other than for school stuff. Chloe (for those who remember her) has been making a weird sound and body language thing I can't explain. Uhhhh background info as it might be needed, she 2 yrs old now female CAG. No medical problems or issues, weight is good diet mostly nuts and fresh veggies and fruits every other day or so. Ok that all aside the noise she is making I can only really describe as a "whimpering" type noise, it's like a poor me sound a young kid would make when he/she wants something or isn't getting attention. Coincidentally while making this sound she always opens her wings up a good amount as if she was over heating. Problem is A) she isn't over heating she is totally fine, and B the whimpering isn't justified because I'm actually giving her attention while she does it most of the time. This may be a funny question to some of you but do parrots "go in heat?" like a cat? Could it be stress related etc? Possible things I can do to fix it or try to see if she continues to do it. On a positive note though she went from saying 0 words up until 2 months ago at like 2 yrs old now she's up to about 12, which is pretty cool to see. She says her name "chloe", "shut up", "mcdonalds", "gimme some sugah" and a hand full of other stuff. Look forward to hearing feedback from the masters as always catch you alittle bit later -Spence

She's alittle over a year about 14 months or so (female cag). She does the noise solely to get my attention. If I leave the room to go smoke, or sit at my computer with my back to her and ignore her. She is a major attention hog and when I'm talking playing etc with her she is fine, no probs what so ever. But I can't give her my attention 100% of the day but she has come to expect it now since I use to not work and go to college full time. Now i go to school AND work so when I get home she is super moody.

Chloe has been doing this super high pitched bird chirp sound lately that could shatter glass. Is it literally like nails on a chalk board to my ears. I can't deal with it anymore and I need some help because its all she does. I tell her no and make sure I look at her when she does it, she stares at me for a few sec and as soon as I turn my back she does it again. I've tried the other route of ignoring it completely but she won't just do it for 5 min and stop, she will keep going for hour's! When i tell her no i put her in the cage. I must put her in the cage like 50 a times a day easily. She just doesn't get it. I'm seriously starting to think my parrot is mentally retarded. Even a stupid kid knows if you yell no and put him in the room every time that, if someone tells him no that's bad because he doesn't want to be in the room. Anyways you guys are the experts what can i do? I'm out of ideas.

Ya i tried the whole mmmm this carrot is num-my type approach and she just stares at it then stares at me like "you're kidding right? that stuff tastes horrible"

I don't know why but she won't eat fruits, veggies, beans or anything even semi remotely healthy like other peoples greys. But anything junk food and she is on it like white on rice. I pull out a carrot or a mango and she just chews it into 50 pieces and throws it on the floor. But I pull out a slice of pizza and she will eat the whole thing. She loves taco bell too. I know this stuff is bad for her though and I don't want my parrot to have a heart attack, it's weird though shes like a kid with a high metabolism she doesn't gain weight she just loves to eat people food.

Thx I appreciate all the feed back

Welcome aboard noob Glad to have you hear good luck with you're bird.

I took my grey to the last 4th of July celeberation in oceanside at the pier. Never again! Every loud thunderous boom she would try to fly off me and freak out. I don't know why I thought she might enjoy all the people lights etc, but fireworks are definetly a no go for most if not all animals the loud booms scare them and just add non needed stress.

Im by no means an expert but I would say yes. Grey's as I'm sure you know bond to one person, but they can be multi social if you expose them to multiple people at once and don't hog their attention. My grey loves me to death and does everything you described for you're wife towards me. It is alot harder to win their affection over their chosen person but it IS doable. My roomie for example can give my grey kisses and even get her to step up on most occasions. He cannot on the other hand rub her almost ever, and if she's on him but I'm within 5 feet she will crawl fly or do anything within her power to try and get to me. And if she can't get to me she will give me the parrot stare trying to get my attention to tell me she wants ME to come get her. What works for me in all honesty is the person she leans towards most should be the one encouraging her to be with others. An example being have you're wife move to the side of you and convince her to step up on you're shoulder or hand or w/e works and reinforce her with good bird each time she does. You should be the one giving treats to her when she is more socially interactive. Also spend some time talking to him/her 1v1 when you're wife is not around let her know you are a cool dude too and not just a third wheel. It does take time and it's not perfect or easy thing in most cases but if you have the time and the determination she WILL come to trust and want to be with you more. Just don't turn it into a custody battle between you and you're wife play with her together. But know in you're mind you just might not be #1 to her maybe for a day or week possibley ever but that doesn't mean you can't share an equal role.