SchroedersJen

I admire Dave's willingness to be the wetblanket of reason. I used to volunteer at a bird shelter and quit because seeing all of the toos was waaaaaaay too depressing. I can't tell you how many people said that had they looked at and taken to heart the info at mytoos.com, they would have made a very different decision. If you get the birds, I hope you have a lifetime of joy. They can be excellent pets for the right people/ The problem is that only a small percentage of people that get these birds are the right people. Please do a lot pof homework, and take it all seriously.

Hey guys, thanks for the comments. I will take a new pic of SchroedE when he wakes up tomorrow. The dark ones I have are oldish and his beak has since gottewn darker. He does have a pretty vibrant tail. Not quite red, but much brighter than maroon. He is probably, as suggested, just a cute little anomaly So far as greys not liking other birds.....Schroeder LOVES other birds. Wants to gurge at first sight, snuggle and play.....other birds (even playful ones) want nothing to do with him. He must be a dork. Its ok, so is his papa......Not me though Nooooooooooooooooo. I will catch everyone tomorrow. thanks for the words of comfort. I'm sure my bank balance thanks everyone too.

Sorry to hear it, babies of any species are a hard hurt. I hope you all have many hours of smiles and good memories as the pain passes. *Hug*

Ok guys, thanks. At least now I know why other birds dont like Schroeder....He is freaky lookin j/k

The breeder sold him as a timneh, i do work for them and have no reason to question their integrity. I did call the woman that has schroeders clutch mate this morning,she said that her bird looks like a normal timmy, so im doubting he is a mix.

AWWWWWWWWWW, poor you! I hope you have a lot of make up. I wouldnt worry about scaring children though, how are your birds doing with all of this?

That sucks......Maybe you should try setting her down into her water dish when she does that?

Schroeder: Buddy: I dunno, I think my kids are cute

It is possible that Nicholas needs to be taught how to play with his toys. Some birds dont figure it out on their own and need to be shown how to be curious, how to investigate new items, that they are fun......and when they show those behaviors they need to be rewarded for them. Does he only eat pistacios? What else have you tried feeding him? A good alternative to baby formula, that works well in adults is a pellet mix (zupreem is most fun) warmed and mushy in juice or apple sauce. it might incentivize him to try new foods if they are warm, mushy and sweet. Once he figures out that you have a history of presenting him with warm, sweet mushy food, he will trust you to pick out tasty stuff for him. You might also try sicking his fruits and veggies in the food processor.

The vet had no clue what would be causing it, and while I have not seen Schroeder's parents, I do know the breeder and they arent shady. I did not know cags and tags would breed together, but it makes sense I gues.....if there are macaw hybrids, why not african greys too.....

Before I post my question, I should mention that I am also looking forward to seeing what kind of entertaining comments Dan comes up with. Ok So here goes boys and girls.....Schroeder is a TAG, and while his beak was never as lightly colored as most TAGS, is was definately a TAG beak. Lately, it seems to have been getting a lot darker. From across the room, It looks all black, up close it looks like a rich dark chocolate brown. To make sure I'm not going nuts, I looked at some old-newish pictures of him, and his beak is without a doubt much darker in the newer ones. He seems healthy and his diet has always been highly varied. He gets a lot of playtime outdoors and tons of exercise. Can anyone imagine what might be causing this? The avian vet didnt have a clue when I called. Said i should come in for a ton of expensive lab work. Before I shell out 500 bucks on a vet visit, I figured I should see if there is a reasonable explanation for this. Any ideas? Or do we think I just have a CAG in a TAGs body and tail?

Schroeder hates my husbands guts. He is nice and outgoing to everyone but Mike, including small children. Mike is his only real competetion for my attention and he would sooner bite Mike than take a treat from him. Mike has accepted the fact that is isnt going to have a relationship with Schroeder, and as long as Schroeder can get everything he needs from me, it doesnt really hurt anything. Mike can read Schroeder enough to know when to back off, or when Schoreder needs help and will accept Mikes intervention. They are civil with eachother 90% of the time. The other 10% of the time, the house is a war zone and I have to separate them. Mike helped me wean Schroeder, and when he was a baby tried to play with him, read stories and spend time around him. Schroeder just isnt into Mikes attempts to play nice. My point isnt that they are bad or that Mike screwed up, in fact, I think Mike did everything right..... but that once in a while there is bad chemistry. The only thing that really stands to get hurt if everyone keeps their cool is the hated humans feelings. I would try everyone's suggestions at keeping the peace, but please understand that there is a chance it isn't going to work out. Don't give up on your bird or your beau. It is still possible for everyone to be happy under the same roof, even if everyone isnt the best of friends.

Schroeder loves to play rough and gets really nippy/bitey when he does. I am constantly reminding him to be nice and I have to be really careful not to get hurt. I know he doesnt ben to bite so hard, but he gets really excited when he plays. If I stop to calm him down a bit when he is going too far, he snorts and huffs at me, as if to say "Well, it's not MY fault you're a sissy, what's the deal?" He loves to swing from and growel at his toys. He has gotten blisters a few times when he has been teaching his rope toys to obey him and loses track of time. Schroeder is also very calm and sweet at times, he seems to operate in the 2 extremes: b@t$h!t crazy and angelic, sweet boy.

I dont feel like being patient. I want it NOW NOW NOW NOW NOW NOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW (what? this isnt appropriate behavior?)

You can put foot toys in the cage. Just mount an extra food bowl int he cage and fill it with toys. A lot will get thrown on the floor, some will get played with and theen you get the extra pleasure of picking up the mess at the end of playtime and letting your bird start with the merrymaking all over again.

If she is molting, then new feathers must be growing in too. Those flakes my be the bits of feather sheathes that she preens off. Be careful not to addrivate her pin feathers while you scritch her. The aloe juice is a great idea, if that doesnt work, try avisoother and more frequent baths. Avi soother is a favorite of the customers at the bird store I work at, and I have heard a lot of wonderful things about it. It doesnt stink. I tried our sample bottle on my own skin when I had an allergy rash one day and it felt really nice. http://www.avianlove.com/item/AVIX_SOOTHER_SPRAY/681/c122

You are a lot nicer than I am. I would have called the humane society and made a complaint of neglect. I wish you the best of luck. You really are a saint. Let me know if you need help. I can pin the woman down while you do a grab and run j/k

Yes, we can leave them alone. They will not fly on to eachothers cage (Schroeder's cage is taller and Buddy is too fat to fly upwards.)... Schroeder does know that he is bigger than Buddy. When Buddy goes to far, Schroeder either flies away (Buddy is too fat to fly after him) or Schroeder will "bark" at Buddy and tell him to back off. Its kinda funny to see. The general rule is that Buddy can beat Schroeder up, but he can't beat him up too much. Buddy is a senegal and their hatch days are a month apart. They will both be 2 this summer.

Schroeder tries to do that with me....he hasn't quite figured out that if I gave him the treat it's because I don't plan on eating it. Like I've said before.....I have a short bus grey.

We rescued Buddy, our senegal, in December. He started out as my husbands bird and after his new cage arrived he allowed me to hold him. He is now bonded to both of us and has earned the nick-name Booger. He is pushy, runs Schroeder all over the house and very assertive when he wants attention (which is all of the time). Buddy is cute, animated and very playful. He likes to be hald on his back and to have his head, crop and tummy rubbed. He is noisier than my timneh, but Schroeder is a VERY quiet bird. I am inclined to say that Schroeder spends most of the day making a noise like a goldfish. At any rate, we love our bossy, slutty, cheeky senegal and I can't imagine ever parting with the little stinker.

thanks!

That was a rad poem. I believe there should be a cheeky bird poem room.........Admin???

Schroeder does the same thing....as if to say "No Jen, that is not a REAL bath. THIS is a REAL bath. *splash* duh." I let him think he is showing me up. In reality, Im just too lazy and know he will get to it.

Great list Tim!!! With your permission, I would like to post this on Schroeder's Facebook page (yes, my bird is on facebook, isnt yours?) I would reference you, of course. That cool?

I may have something to contribute to this thread soon. After becoming used to my quiet grey, he actually started talking today. He has said "Hello" "Step-Up" "(Hey)Good Boy" and "I love you" repeatedly over the past 2 hours. As we have a small condo and I work from home, I don't have a clue as to when he could have been practicing. This is exciting though, lots of phrases in 1 day....maybe soon he will be able to tell the UPS guy to come back later.