Char

Thanks for all of your input. You have given me some things to think about.

That does look so funny. I think he is reacting to his shadow on the wall.

Greyparrot04 wrote: Wise decision. It is always best to err on the side of caution.

I am very sorry for your loss. I recently returned an amazon to the pet store after getting it treated for a bacterial infection. My avian vet also prescribed Baytril for 7 days so I think your vet was okay on that. It was probably just too far along and the bird too weak to be cured. Unfortunately birds are very good at hiding their illnesses until it is too late. That is why it is important that if you do get another bird that you take it to the vet for a checkup WITH BLOODWORK to be sure it is healthy. Unfortunately there are breeders out there who do not keep their birds in sanitary conditions. If at all possible inspect the premises and see the birds in person before buying and get a health guarantee. Again I am sorry for your loss,

No, I am not wonderful. Many on this forum would have done the same thing. A year ago I would have turned the other way. My gorgeous little sweet girl has put the bird love in my heart and shown me how sensitive and intuitive they are.

Whisper's flight feathers are starting to molt back in. she has 3 of them now. I can alrealy tell a difference as when she is startled off her playstand ect she will soar all the way across the room now. She was clipped when I got her but I am thinking of not clipping her anymore. I live alone and it would not be too difficult to control her environment for safety reasons. My question is this: Those of you who have flighted birds, do they poop all over the place? I know that birds will usually poop before taking off. As it is now I can take Whisper to her playstand and say go poop and she will. If she is flighted will she just fly around pooping all over the place? How do you guys handle the mess? Also how do you keep them off of things like the curtains ect.? Do you spend the entire time they are out chasing them around trying to keep them out of things? Do they spend less time out of the cage because you can't watch them every second? Tell me what it is like to have a flighted bird. Help me to make up my mind. Thanks Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/02/23 22:36 Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/02/23 22:37<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/02/23 22:39

I just recently convinced Whisper to throw a ball for me. I was having a hard time convincing her to do it for more than a couple of seconds until I started giving her a little treat every time she threw it. Now she will play for a lot longer. It is the first time I have used treats and done it like a trick. I will get it on video soon.

Birds all have their own personality. I will tell you what I like about mine and what I don't like. She is 15 months old. 1)I like that she is kinda of quiet. Does not scream or squawk. 2)I like that she is soooo sweet and I can have her on my shoulder. 3) I like that she is so smart. She was easy to potty train. 4) I like that so far she has not shown any signs of agression. She has NEVER bitten me. Now, what I DON'T like: 1) I wish she was more active and liked to climb around and play more. It is very difficult to entice her into a game. 2) I wish she would eat her veggies. Grays are suspiciou of new foods and it takes a long time and a lot of creativity to get thm to try something new. 3) When I get her a new toy, she is afraid and suspicious of it. I have to go through this long ritual of getting it a little closer everyday and playing with it in front of her before she will accept it and sometimes she never does. 4) She does not like baths but needs them because Greys are very dusty. 5) Greys are prone to feather plucking and it can be brought on by anything as simple as moving the cage. Mine does not pluck but she does chew on her wing feathers and they look natty.

Well, to tell you the truth she did not start to haunt me until I got home. It is too late now. I called the Estill Co. Humane society today and this is how it goes: The lady who works there seemed symapthetic. She said she has to call the State Police and they go out and investigate and call her if they feel it is needed. She told me in a small town everyone knows everybody and it works better if the state police are involved because they are not biased. She also said that they are a small county facility and do not have the resources to house the birds. she will need people to foster them. I called my vets office and they said if needed they have a network of foster parents they can call. I don't think they will seize the birds because they themselves don't look sick but hopefully they will make her clean the place up. Lets hope that the state trooper who goes out there will be sympathetic and intelligent about the needs of birds. You know how it is. A lot of people think birds are just nasty.<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/02/23 19:48

I would not use it if it has any non-stick surfaces. If you are using non-stick cookware you are playing Russian Roulette with your birds life. There was a post on here a few weeks ago about someone who has some kind of non-stick oven liner in the oven and killed his Grey almost instantly. don't take any chances just for the convenience of non-stick cookware. Stainless steel is really reasonably priced at wal-mart and will not stick if you let it cool before washing.

That looks like a nice one. I just got one of those cheaper ones at walmart yesterday. I put it in the bird room an shut the door. I should do that small room nicely. Since she spends all night in there and the daytime while I am at work I am hoping it will help. I got one because Whisper just finished her first molt and it now seems to be starting all over again.

It is great to hear that Klaus is talking so well. Even if some naughty words make their way in. You can tell people he must have heard that on the T.V.:lol:

DavidH wrote: I know what you mean. I was traveling on the interstate one day near Thanksgiving. I saw a truck load of turkeys go by with crates stacked in an OPEN bed truck. They were packed in there like sardines. The temp was about 36 degrees but you can imagine the will chill going down the highway at 75 mph. The poor creatures feathers were nearly all blown off and they must have been freezing. I know they have to go to slaughter but do they have to suffer on the way there? I tried to catch up with the truck to see a company name so I could call them to "discuss" it but couldn't as my exit came up too quickly.<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/02/22 18:25

dhorje wrote: I am afraid not. It is located in a very small rural town. Very redneck. Ignorance rules in some of these places. That is one reason my vet says she doesn't think the Humane Society there will do anything. But I am hoping for the best. I am calling tomorrow. I will keep everyone posted.

I called their local Humane Society but they are not open on Saturdays so I will call back Monday and I will let them know that I am going to also report it to the ASPCA and will be following up to make sure something is done. I know we can't save them all. I can't help but wonder if the people who gave up their older birds to her realize or care what kind of conditions they sent them to. Heaven help the poor people who buy these birds online without ever seeing where they come from. This is my second negative experience lately that I again hope serves as a lesson to someone else. This lesson is never buy a bird unless you can see the conditions in person. She had a young baby male Grey there that was just about finished weaning that she said someone in Louisville bought. Louisville is only 2 hrs from her I hope the person checks it out first. Surprisingly the birds themselves did not look bad but we all know how well birds can hide things until it is too late.

Oh I am going to do something. I was just waiting to see what I decided about that little Grey. You are right I do not need a rescue but just could not get her out of my mind. I did not feel that way about any of the other birds there. Don't get me wrong I felt terrible for all of them but that little Grey with her wild eyes just touched my heart. Maybe because I know how sensitive Greys are and how bad she must feel in those conditions. I am calling the Humane Society now.

Very cute!

I have the same problem with veggies. The only one I can get her to eat is sweet potatoes and the vet said to limit those to 2-3 times a week. I have tried putting broccoli in other things like scrambled eggs but she manages to eat around it. Others have suggested giving them the veggies in the morning but that does not work for me because of my schedule. I am open to suggestions also.

As some of you might have read in previous posts I am looking to get another bird. I visited a breeder/birdstore today in a neighboring town. I was shocked and saddened by the conditions the birds were living in. It was filthy and disgusting. She apparently breeds greys and also buys older birds and resells them. She had several large macaws, a red front macaw, some conures and a couple of greys. The cages were caked in poop an inch thick. The bottom of the cages had sunflower seed hulls an inch thick with the grate right on top of it and the smaller birds were digging through this mess. The water was filthy in every cage. I saw a few pellets but mostly sunflower seeds. But worst of all they were smoking in this confined area with the birds. The smoke was thick in the room. She sells most of them online and ships so most people will never know the conditions the bird was living in. I was so upset when I left that I called my vet's office to see who I would report this to. They said to call the Humane society of that county but since Estill county is a small backward county sadly they would probably not do anything. They suggested that I take some pictures and send them to the television station but I don't think they would let me do that as she could tell I was put off when I was there because I made some comments about the conditions. There was this one little female grey, 4 yrs old that had only been there for 3 weeks. She is the tiniest CAG I have every seen. Wild eyed and clinging to the cage bars. She looks really good despite the conditions. I cannot get her out of my mind. I keep seeing those wild panicky eyes and I want to cry every time I think about it. I was not looking to get another Grey, especially one that has problems but I want to go back there and get her. I know I should not buy a bird living in those conditions. She could have any kind of disease and I could risk the health of my baby. But I can't stop thinking about her. Her prices are top dollar for this area too. So please talk some sense into me before I go back there.<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/02/21 13:54

Mine was talking at 6 to 7 months too. By 12 months she said about 15 different phrases. She is now 15 months and I have to say that new things have started to slow down. Her newest thing is "go poop". I have counted about 20 different things that I have heard her say but some things I have only heard her say once. She has certain things she likes the most and says them all the time. Someone who was only around her for a short time would think she only says 5 things. I have read of greys talking as early as 4 months. Congratulations, I am sure you have a good talker on your hands.<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/02/21 12:55

Nychsa wrote: :woohoo: :blush: :woohoo: Char!!! I think you're on to something!! Maybe that's why she starts acting crazy too! We're all nuts around here! Well you have to admit from watching the video that Terri was acting crazy first. I sometimes try to look at things from their perspective and what they must think of us sometimes. For example when I am trying to get Whisper to play a game she looks at me like I have lost my mind. "You want me to do WHAT?":woohoo:

Nychsa wrote: :woohoo: :blush: :woohoo: Char!!! I think you're on to something!! Maybe that's why she starts acting crazy too! We're all nuts around here! Well you have to admit from watching the video that Terri was acting crazy first. I sometimes try to look at things from their perspective and what they must think of us sometimes. For example when I am trying to get Whisper to play a game she looks at me like I have lost my mind. "You want me to do WHAT?":woohoo:

As Judy said, the first step is vet check to rule out anything physical. Has anyone at home been using any chemicals? Air fresheners, candles? Is he getting 10-12 hrs undisturbed sleep every night?

Here is what I think.. I think Bella is sometimes looking at you and thinking "psycho woman, psycho woman".:laugh: :laugh: Just kidding. I think Bella is great.

What is going on at the time he is screaming? Is it really screaming or a begging kind of chirp. The only time Whisper let out a real scream was when we were watching basketball and I think all the rough contact upset her. We immediately removed her from the room. When I go out to the garage she will start that begging chirping sound but I just keep calling out to her to tell her I will be back. She will stop after a few minutes. Sometimes when I am cleaning house on Saturdays she will keep begging me to come and pick her up but I just go up and give her a kiss and say "no, I am not going to pick you up right now I am trying to clean house." I will distract her for a while with some food or a toy. It is really not a problem for me but it could be that you have really spoiled Koko and will have to wean him some. Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/02/20 01:41<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/02/20 01:42