Char

It is good that you are detail oriented but birds are different than humans in that you may not notice changes until they are very sick as they are very good at hiding an illness. Their survival in the wild depends on this. A bird's poop is a very telling sign that show something is amiss if it stays loose for more than a couple of days. Make the trip and take your bird to the vet and then come back and let us know if all is well.<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/01/11 04:11

That I am doing a terrific job. Whisper had her one year checkup today and the vet says she looks wonderful and whatever I am doing to keep it up. Made me feel like a million bucks! Just wanted to share my good feelings. Having this wonderful bird is such a challenge and we have been through a lot because my husband and I separated and Whisper and I moved. I am always second guessing myself if I am doing things right. This forum has been a wonderful resource. Thank you all so much.

Were you leaving the bird alone out of the cage while you were out of the house? Just wondering. Glad to hear it turned out well. Sounds like a miracle to me.

Whisper is molting heavily right now too. She had a bald spot too but I knew it was in a place she could not reach. It soon filled back in and I can't even find it now. I wouldn't worry about it.

I think one reason for the expense is that it is organic. I use it and supplement it with a little bit of Zupreem.<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/01/10 00:12

I have offered those little shoes to Whisper but she was not interested but then she is kind of finicky.

Yes I am sure now it is affection but I have to say I also get a little nervous about the ear too. She digs around in there like she is searching for gold.

Well she has started again. I think you may be right. It just occurred to me also that since she is molting she has not been demanding her head scratches as she usually does when sitting on my arm. She has some pricklies up there. Maybe she is substituting this for the head scratches in order to feel affectionate with me. Thanks for the response. Sounds like a good book. Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/01/08 01:48<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/01/08 01:50

Thanks Dave. That makes me feel so much better.

Whisper is molting. Does this cause them to me a little off. Quieter? Not so active? The last couple of days she just does not seem herself. I also think she is not eating as much. Poop looks normal and she is still eating but not as heartily. I came home today and she had not played with any of her new toys we made last night. I make the kind that she can chew up and destroy but nothing looked like it had been touched. She has an appointment on the 10th for her 1 yr checkup with the vet but if I thought it was needed I would take off from work and get her in earlier.

Whisper only has about 4 tail feathers left. Some have been broken from falling and some have just been damaged from rough preening. I am hoping it is something she outgrows. She is molting right now so maybe we will have some new ones. She also chews on the flight feathers and they are a mess. She was clipped when I got her but I don't plan on clipping her again if she will let them grow in. If I had it all to do over again I would have gotten a bird that was not clipped. As for the tail feathers..when I first took her to the vet she pointed out bands on her tail which are called stress bands and probably from weaning or some other stress before I got her. On another trip we discussed the breaking of the tail feathers and she pointed out that they were breaking at the stress bands where they were already weak. Hopefully the new ones will be stronger.<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/01/08 00:48

Well it has stopped as suddenly as it began. I guess I will never know for sure.

Hmmm. Twice I have come home and found the door open and whisper out but I told myself it must have been me since there is no way she could have opened that door. Now I am not so sure.

In my area you cannot put animals on Craigs list.

Jan, that is amazing!

:laugh:

Whisper has mixed up words before but this is the first time it made sense. She says good girl a lot and give me a kiss but tonight she said "Give me a good kiss". I have never said it to her that way so she made a new sentence herself! Also, she has not said anything new for a while but tonight I was standing at the kitchen counter with her on my shoulder eating nuts and I would occasionally offer her one and she was not interested as she does not like nuts. Then very quietly she said in my ear. "Want a cracker?" :lol: It was like forget those nuts get out some crackers. So of course I got her a cracker.:lol:<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/01/07 01:28

I too am beginning think it is some kind of preening behavior. I have had birds in the pet store do this but never my grey.<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/01/07 01:20

Whisper is afraid of large items that are bold prints. I tried to put a brightly patterned blanket over my computer chair to keep her from chewing on the back of the chair. Every time I went near the chair with the blanket on it she would freak out and fly off. I could not get her near it. Yesterday I was conditioning my hair so I wrapped a towel around my head and walked into the living room where she was on her play stand. She went beserk when she saw me. It wasn't even brightly colored. She screeched and flew off her stand. I had to quickly take it off and reassure her but she still kept looking at me funny. Her favorite toy color is yellow,<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/01/07 01:17

How cute! Whisper was sitting on my shoulder watching too and she was very interested.

My vet told me their are health reasons to know if a male or female. That is why I did it.

Whisper was trying to talk at 6 mo. At 8 months she could say a couple of things clearly. At nine months she could say about 6 different phrases. At one year old I have so far counted about 15 different phrases that she has said clearly. She is now 13 months old as seems to be stuck on her favorite 4 or 5 phrases. I can not get her to repeat things I have heard her say in the past. Some things like "I love you" she has only said in my presence once. By the way her eyes were yellow at 12 months.

Whisper is 13 months old. Just this week she started doing something that is different and annoying. She wants to lick my fingers and hands constantly. Little nibbles like she is licking the juice off them. As if they are the tastiest thing she has ever tasted. It is her tongue she is using, not her beak. My hands are clean and I rinse them thoroughly but you can still smell the soap on them. Not sure if that is it. She has never done this until this week. She used to sit quietly on my arm while I am on the computer but now she wants to constantly lick my hands. If I remove my hands she starts on my earlobes. Is this normal? Any idea why she does this?<br><br>Post edited by: Char, at: 2009/01/06 02:57

Nychsa wrote: She turned 12 months as of Dec 1.

She is adorable and soooo funny. Thanks for sharing.