BaxtersMom

Thought this was a pretty interesting read on African Greys:) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Grey_Parrot

Oh yea, I almost forgot, perhaps try reducing the seeds and increasing other healthy foods. The seeds don't have as much nutrients as pellets or veggies but they must taste great because all birds seem to love them. Unless they are rationed they will eat the seeds first and wont touch the other healthy foods. I do give seeds to my flock but mostly pellets and veggies. When I had lots of seeds in their bowl they would fill up on the seeds and wouldn't eat the more nutrious foods:(

I don't know about the dehydrated fruits and veggies. Maybe some of the other members might know more. I wouldn't totally give up on the pellets though. I know you've probably heard this before but keep offering them and keep trying. I had to hide pellets in eggs, oatmeal, pancakes, etc in order to get them to eat pellets. My eclectus was the toughest one to get to eating pellets but he finally has. I also tried offering him a differnt type of pellets than the other birds ate. He has to be differnt and the only kind I can get him to eat is the fruity blend pellets which isn't the kind Baxter and Bonkers eat:( . It also helped in the beginning if I soaked them apple juice but all birds are differnt and there aren't any magic answers unfortunately. Just keep trying. When I first got my birds I used to shop at the grocery store for fresh veggies for them and I wasted a lot of money and threw away alot of it:angry: I do still give them fresh veggies from time to time that I buy just for them but what has really worked for me is when ever I cook veggies for our dinner I will set some aside just for my flock. Sometimes they eat them and sometimes they don't but atleast they get a wide variety offered and it gives me a good idea of what they like and don't like. Seems like each one has different tastes too but atleast I am offering them their veggies almost daily and they usually do eat some of them so it works out for all of us. They have come to know the pattern too and they know when I have finished my plate they are getting some too:) I think they like that and are curious as to what is going to go into the bowl each night. They have come to expect this now too so each night I do give them some of our human food as long as it's healthy for them. I find it easy and hassle free too since I was making it anyway. Sometimes I add a dash of cinnamon or nutmeg to it, too and they seem to like the seasonings. No salt though. I'm sorry that I could answer your questions on the dehydrated foods but hope you can use some of the other ideas I suggested. I know first hand what having a picky eater is all about. You just have to keep trying and be persistant. If you still can't get Tango to eat those pellets increase in the veggies, the green ones especially. They have the most nutrients. Good luck:)

I would order one. Perhaps you should go into business with these:) You'd probably make a lot of money selling them to pet stores and individuals like us. Just curios, how much time do you think you put into making it?

I am concerned because I was under the belief that it was ok to give lactose free milk or soya milk as an alternative. Keep us posted on what you find out and I will do a little research myself. <br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2009/01/09 23:56

I just went into an older post from April of last year when this topic came up called "Lactose free milk for mende" Unless I wasn't reading it right it the conclusion seemed to say the lactose free and soya milk was ok and I believed it:( . Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2009/01/09 19:28<br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2009/01/09 19:38

Yes, it was a great article but now I have a new question:unsure: I have read alot of the old posts and from the information I got, I was under the impression that lactose free or soya milk was a good alternative since we should not give our greys much (if any) milk. But in the in the article you provided near the very bottom it says: "I have been asked about the possibility of giving a bird a commercially available product developed for lactose intolerant humans. The answer to that question is a resounding NO. The two compounds that lactose is broken down into by these products are toxic to birds" I am assuming they are referring to lactose free and soya milk? So does this mean that we should not give them lactose free or soya milk either? That's how I took it. But a small amount of regular milk is ok? Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2009/01/09 19:37<br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2009/01/09 19:50

You are so brave Berna and acted quickly too. Your fast thinking probably save his life. I think it's great when people go above and beyond to help these little guys out and you are one of them. It is amazing how they can adapt so quickly to something as big as loosing a leg or foot. More Karma coming your way!

Gosh, Berna, Elmos sure loves the computer. I died laughing when she said "Elmo" :laugh: Mine like to watch youtube videos and the TV, too. It's good to see you back and hope you come on more often again. I miss you when you are gone but totally understand;) :laugh:

:laugh: He does roar, really. It sounds like a really mad or scared cat with it's back all hunched and making that very loud growl sound:blink: but he pronounces it "Roar" That's his way of saying don't come near me. One good roar or growl to Bonkers mainly & he knows to go somewhere else. The first night I brought him home he did that to me and it scared the crap out of me:laugh: I thought "Oh No What did I do?" I thought I had a wild bird on my hands but he is the sweetest of the bunch.

I guess I am just pretty lucky with them all getting along. I didn't really do anything to make them get along they just kind of do. Baxter is friendly with all of them and he was never around other birds before this. I never tried to keep them apart. If they "ended up" near each other. I would just watch them to see their reaction. If one decided to get aggressive I would make sure I could step in fast but so far so good:) Tigger will let out a roar if he doesn't like someone in his space or if someone/bird gets to close to him but when they are all out in a nuetral area I've never had any problems. Cooper is still pretty new and he is young and gets so excited about everything. He's quite hyper:laugh: and I don't fully trust him around the other ones yet so I'm still keeping an eye on him.

This is just my opinion but I think it will be okay with eating the apples and green beans. Atleast he is eating those and along with the pellet diet should be getting sufficient nutrients. It is good that he will take nibbles of other veggies from time to time and perhaps in time his tastes will change again. I would keep offering what you are giving him. And the good thing is the green veggies have more nutrients in them than the yellow or light colored veggies. My grey will go through spurts. I think I know of a certain veggie he likes and then one day he won't touch it again for months. It can be so frustrating:laugh: I have had pretty good luck with new ways to give him a variety of veggies though. At dinner time what ever vegetable I have prepared (minus the salt, butter, etc) I will offer to him and sometimes he eats them and some times he doesn't. Some days he will just look at it and other days he will surprise me and eat almost all I offered him. Atleast this way I am not buying fresh veggies just for him that he won't eat and go bad. With the dinner veggies atleast they are something that I had prepared anyway. Another thing is sometimes they like their veggies cooked and other times they might perfer them raw, sometimes mashed up. Try different ways to prepare them and see if he prefers one to another. Mine used to like raw broccoli but wouldn't eat it cooked. Now he is back on eating it cooked but refused the raw. It's an ongoing process but don't give and keep offering differnt kinds but always have his favorites on hand too untill you can find other veggies, fruits he will eat. Another thing I have tried successfully is when I cook oatmeal or scrambled eggs. I hide nutritious things in those foods that I don't think he would eat any other way. Or sprinkle a little bit of cinammon or nutmeg on the veggies. They do likes flavored foods as long as it isn't bad for to light salt or butter. I do this with cooked veggies but never tried it with raw veggies yet but don't know why you couldn't. (I'm not sure if you give him cooked veggies or raw) Just keep trying different methods and if he still just wants the apples and green beans just keep feeding them to him. Persistance pays off;) Good luck.

yes,he is a good looking guy. Those are nice photos. He looks real happy. I've had my grey since last July and I'm still thrilled too. I don't think that feeling goes away;)

Thanks everyone. I love all my babies:kiss: I appreciate the comments about them looking healthy. Whew! I am always worrying about if they are getting all they need. It's nice to know it shows. No, there is never a dull moment at my house and there is always something going on. I have a whistler and a sound effects bird (Baxter), a squaker (Bonkers), a good talker (Tigger) and a singer (Cooper) Sometimes all at once:woohoo: Nope, never a dull moment at my house. Wouldn't change it for the world either;)

<br><br>Post edited by: BaxtersMom, at: 2009/01/09 03:13

Congradulations!!! I hope you show us some photos of both of them soon! Did they both come home today or just Kya? I am not sure when the proper time to take it out. I've read anything mushy should be removed from the bowls after a few hours and that's how I do it here with mine. There may be others with more experience that can give you a better answer on that one because I don't soak my seeds. There are some good threads in the Bird Food Room and recently a really good post about monkey nuts/peanuts and which ones are safe and not. The thread I'm talking about is called "Peanuts" Peanuts are not always safe and can cause serious illness to your birds so you might find it interesting and worth a read:) . As for the fruit, I have 4 birds and I usually divide about 1/4 to 1/2 of the apple and orange. Some eat more than others and some not much if any. After trying different amounts you will see how much they eat and how much is left over.

Haley, I bet an 250 year old cottage would be so beautiful. I can picture it out in the fields. I love the architecture of old buildings and it would be a dream to live in one. So, nope, no sympathy from me either. I would love to see a picture of it. Carline, congradulations on a new dishwasher. I don't have one of those either but I do dishes with Baxter and it makes it fun or atleast bearable:silly: I just finished putting a pot roast in the over a little while ago and have about another hour or so before its done. It's cold here too and a pot roast is always good on a cold winter night. I am ready to dig in. {Nature-00020096} It is cold here too and the weather man is warning us about an artic blast and the coldest we've seen this winter. I am not looking foward to that. It was decent enough to day that I got to take my little dog out for a good walk today. It was sunny and other than the cold was a nice day.

That's incredible and heartwarming. Thanks for sharing:)

I've been wondering the same thing Judy. I hope everything is going ok. I hope Dan & Kim can feel all the warm wishes, thoguhts and prayers we are sending their way.

I've never noticed it all and didn't even know about it untill this post came up. I didn't know they could blush. Perhaps I need to pay more attention to Baxter and see if he does it too. It gets pink? It's noticable? Pretty neat. I didn't know about this. Thats why I like it here, you are always learning new things:) Now I want to see a blushing grey:blush:

This one taken today Jan 8.

Here are a couple recent pictures of my flock. One was taken on Christmas Eve. They all get along pretty well together most of the time. The only one I am worried about it Cooper the dyh amazon. Tigger the elecltus likes to fly to his cage and they haven't ever fought but Cooper can get kind of beaky with Tigger but Tigger doesn't budge. Bonkers the conure and Baxter my grey are buddies and hang out with each other all the time. Lately they all want to be near me where ever I am which gets kind of crazy sometimes. The picture with the 3 of them started out as just Baxter on the perch spending some time with me. Then Tigger gets lonely and flies in. I put him on a smaller perch but he noticed all the dropped goodies in the bigger perch and had to go see if any of it was good:lol: Bonkers doesnt like to be left out of anything so he arrived within a few minutes. Baxter and Bonkers try to be friendly with everyone. Tigger tolerates everyone but not real interested in being friends and Cooper I think is just playful but can get rough. Well, anyway, that's the latest pics of my babies{Love-000200BF}

Hi Lisa and welcome to the forum. Wow, you come with a lot of experience and we could benefit greatly from you joining and sharing your experience and expertise with us. It sounds like you are very dedicated to yours and others birds and very active in helping others in your community. I am very glad to see you here and hope to hear more about you and your flock.

yes, they can be addictive but it wouldn't kill me if I missed some episodes. I probably have tuned in to most of them but never got hooked except for Days of our Lives. I was starting to get hooked on "Passions" but they went to Direct TV only and no longer on the cable service that I use:( I didn't want to change my service just for a soap opera. They had witches and spells and magic in along with the story lines. It was so bad it was good;) I'm secretly glad I can't watch Passions anymore cuz it takes up alot of time but I do miss it.

I was just wondering if anyone watches and would admit:whistle: to watching soap operas and which ones? I have watched "Days of our Lives" off and on through out my life.:blush: My mom was hooked on it and I kind of grew up with it on. If my life or work schedule was too hectic I could always give it up and when I would turn it back several years later and it was like I didn't quit watching at all:laugh: They are so corny I know and I think Days of our Lives has been voted worst soap opera of them all but I still enjoy keeping up with their stories:laugh: It's funny how often they can die and come back to life, get frozen and lose their memories over and over. I have watched a few others from time to time but Days is the one I ever got hooked on. I did watch General Hospital many years ago when the Luke & Laura saga was going on. Anybody else watch these crazy soaps:woohoo: