gotfaith1989

Thanks! Will definitely keep everyone updated!

Rocky is nice and healthy according to the vet! He said I'm doing everything correctly for Rocky! So glad he got a clean bill of health!

I'm so disappointed....Rocky pulled out the pretty red feather last night along with the other feather coming in on his back neck. I can't be upset at him though...he has come so far!

He still has a long way to go as far as being fully feathered. And his first vet visit is Thursday!

I am very excited that after having Rocky for 4 months now and trying many interventions, I can see progress in Rocky's feather plucking! First we tried Red Palm Oil (1/4 teaspoon), which I have been using on his Zupreem pellets everyday. Then I cut his seeds (he was getting half seed, half pellet). I tried bathing with aloe vera juice and plain H2O but he hated it so much and I hated to stress him out that I found a different way to get in a bath every once in awhile...he tolerates being on my shoulder while I'm taking a shower every once in awhile. When we FIRST began to see the difference was definitely when I bought the UVB Full Spectrum Lamp for him. He has also been sitting at the window on a perch when it is really sunny outside and he LOVES it. And OF COURSE those awesome head scratches I give him for HOURS at a time!!!!! This is Rocky when we first brought him home (December 31st) [ATTACH=CONFIG]20134[/ATTACH] January 11th (began red palm oil/baths) February 5th (I was gone on vacation for a week while my hubby watched Rocky...we began the Full Spectrum Light RIGHT before I left, but I think there was a tad of a relapse here since I was gone.) February 14th (Back from my vacation...signs of improvement!) March 15th....NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lots of improvement!!!!! My favorite feather on him! Let's pray he doesn't pluck it He has a couple other random red feathers on him, but nothing quite as obvious as this one! Does this mean he has Red Factor?

Doesn't some red factor have to do with plucking? My CAG is a plucker and he has some feathers throughout his body that grow in red. Right now he's got a big red one coming in on his neck that I'm PRAYING he doesn't pluck because it's beautiful!!!

Yes! I can only laugh when I peek in the room and Rocky is giving his toys kisses! He does it with such emotion! Rocky, in the couple of months we have had him, has only talked a couple times really nicely in front of me. The other conversations he has had have been when he thinks we aren't around! My husband and I joke that we need to set up a video camera in our living room while we're gone for the day and play it back to see what all Rocky talks about while we're gone! Now, whistling and making general noises; he does those anytime he feels like it!

Ok, so for all who are potentially interested...I found this article that says the following.... "THE AIR BUBBLES you see are a sign that an air sac somewhere in your bird's body has been damaged. The bubbles are either pockets of air - called subcutaneous emphysema - that has escaped from a leaking air sac, or they are air sacs located just beneath the skin that are distended due to an inflammation called air saculitis. An explanation of bird anatomy might help you picture what's going on. Instead of a diaphragm to separate the chest (thorax) from the abdominal cavity, birds have one body cavity filled with extensions of the lungs called air sacs. These thin-walled structures also sit just under the skin along the back of the neck and top of the head and even extend into some of the bones. Air sacs help birds fly and help keep waterfowl afloat. (In pelicans, air sacs under the skin on the front of their bodies allow them to dive from 30 feet without injuring themselves and then pop back up to the surface.) If the wall of an air sac tears, air will migrate up and form a pocket under the skin. When air sacs that sit just beneath the skin become infected or damaged and their connection to the rest of the respiratory system is blocked, they also can distend and form what look like bubbles. In my experience, these pockets of air, although unsightly, are rarely infected or life threatening. They're usually the result of a leaking sac somewhere in the bird's body that eventually heals, especially if your veterinarian can speed the process along with antibiotics. (Leaking air sacs cannot be surgically repaired.) However, bubbles can interfere with movement and make your bird uncomfortable. Drawing off air with a needle is a very temporary fix; the leaking air will only rapidly reform the pocket. An excellent way to take care of large bubbles is a Teflon stent, a small valvelike unit that is surgically implanted. The stent protrudes through the skin, allowing trapped air to escape. Depending on the location of the air bubble, the stent might be placed high up on the back of the neck where the bird can't reach it. Or it might have to go on the cheek, under the wing or along the back; however, in my experience, most birds leave stents alone. Stents can be left in place for long periods of time, even permanently. If the damaged air sac heals and the stent is no longer needed, it can be removed." This was found at http://www.parrotchronicles.com/askavet/airsacs_askavet.htm and from what I see, this isn't a terrible situation, but also isn't normal. I will definitely bring this up to the vet when Rocky goes

Rocky bit my finger *hard* for the first time a couple days ago. It HURT like the dickens and I think he got a nerve because it tingled for awhile! But I know he thought my finger was *the bad guy* and didn't intentionally WANT to hurt me so I shook it off. Meanwhile, I'm training my husband to let it go easier when Rocky nips him. My husband has a harder time forgiving and understanding Rocky is a bird, not a dog, and also has a harder time understanding Rocky's body language so ends up getting bit when I normally would have recognized Rocky didn't want to be messed with and walked away. Thanks for sharing your story!

Ok, so I have a very strange question but it has been bugging the crap outta me and I want to know the answer. Here is my birds neck (of course, a plucker) Ok so there are three pieces of skin that connect his head to his body...but on Rocky he has all three, but as you can see, the one on HIS left is full of air! Literally if you push on it (which he hates) it has air in it. I have NO idea if this is normal or not...could someone pretty please check their Grey to see if this is normal at all?

Does he like oatmeal? It may blend well in that. I gave Rocky a pringle (he is obsessed with them) with some on it and he even refused that. He is doing good with the pellets though. I would just try tiny amounts at first and work your way up. Apparently it is an acquired taste with Greys from what I can tell.

Great idea...in fact as I was getting ideas for what to do with our cage from this forum, I came across this http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?143481-Show-Us-Your-Cage!&p=143887&viewfull=1#post143887 which I LOVE. I think its a GREAT idea for a bird who can't fly to have more freedom. I saw your cage too, luvparrots, and I really liked that idea too with the rope and even the cute little ladder!

Well our whole house can't be a cushion, but his cage is on carpet. He has only fallen twice and once was because he was on my shoulder and when I bent down, he lost balance. So that time he fell maybe 1.5 feet, not too bad. But the other day, I was in the other room and I heard him fall off his cage and my husband said he was spreading his wings slightly and lowering himself, like he does when he wants me to come get him off his cage, and apparently my husband said he was trying to find me and running all over his cage and fell off. I felt terrible that time because I didn't see him.

I don't expect him to fly around like a bird who has been flying all his/her life. I just want to stop hearing "THUDS" when Rocky decides he is going to jump for the ground or get spooked. I want him to be able to glide to the ground and not get hurt.

He is very pretty but his front side is a different story His neck and about 40% of his chest is close to bare due to plucking. He is still beautiful to me though Thank you Dave...this makes sense. So am I right in thinking that the falling out of the "other side" feathers is due to the extra blood supply that is being taken to grow the one side in? And this will eventually even out and stay that way? If this is the case, I will be ecstatic!

Yes, and actually since I posted this thread, I did notice that one side of his flight feathers are missing. He won't let me mess with his wings so I can't look underneath. What could have caused this? Will cutting feathers short one time actually cause them never to grow back?

I have been trying everything I can to bathe Rocky...spraying, spraying with aloe, sink, and shower. The only time he acts like he has enjoyed it was in the shower once time. The next time I tried to get him in the shower he acted scared to death. Inbetween the two showers, I was trying to spray him with Aloe (he is a feather plucker on his chest), he got extremely upset and actually ignored and nipped at me for the next 2 hours (which really hurt my feelings because so far all he has shown me is love). This concerned me a lot to the point where I don't want to ruin our bond. I have only had him for about a week and a half and I don't want him to begin to hate me. Should I wait on spraying him until we know each other better or is he forgiving enough that he will bounce back and still love me afterwards? P.S. Today I gave him fresh COLD water and about 10 minutes afterwards, noticed he was trying to take a bath in it! So I tried to help by spraying...didn't work...turned on the shower to cold water...didn't work...he didn't want near the sink or the big basin of cold water I offered to him. I feel terrible because obviously he really wanted a bath but I could do nothing to help him. He could only get his feet and beak wet in his tiny water dish!

Well, I wouldn't use it quite yet just in case it could be harmful. The only reptile light I know 100% has the ok is the Reptisun. There are some people who swear that ALL reptile lights are dangerous. There are a lot of very knowledgeable people on this forum that will be able to tell you if this will work. Try to find out the CRI and the color temp of this light. In some cases, you have to call the company to find it out.

It depends on the reptile light. What Bran was talking about was probably the Avian Sun bulb, the one that comes with the stand. If you go to a pet store and get the ReptiSun 5.0 bulb, it is exactly the same bulb as the Avian sun. It has a CRI of 98 and a Color Temp of 6700. You would never want to get a 2.0, as it has no UVB and a 10.0 will hurt a bird. Also, don't get anything with heat in it. I actually called ZooMed yesterday and made positively sure that it was ok to use the ReptiSun bulb and the lady confirmed that yes, they are indeed exactly the same bulb, packaged differently. Jayd has posted this a couple times from when he contacted ZooMed: Thank you for contacting us. The Reptisun 5.0 is actually exactly the same as the Avian Sun 5.0 bulb. You can use the Reptisun 5.0 in place of the Avian Sun 5.0 as long as you follow the instructions that come with the Avian Sun bulb. Please let me know if you have any further questions. Kind regards, Ashley Rademacher Customer Service Zoo Med Labs, Inc. 3650 Sacramento Dr. San Luis Obispo CA 93401 Toll Free 888-496-6633 Fax 805-542-9295 Just remember that you will need to use the instructions that come with the Avian light which can be found here: http://zoomed.com/Library//ProductDBFiles/aviansun.pdf There is a difference in the distance you need to put the light on a bird as opposed to a reptile. Don't follow the reptile instructions, obviously. I would definitely recommend a light, especially in winter months. I have never heard anything negative about them, only positive things like birds seem more active, healthier, and happier. That vet didn't know what he was talking about. Just my opinion. About cataracts, to avoid eye damage to a bird, always keep the lamp ABOVE the bird as much as you can. It should never be out to the side. Wild African Greys deal with the sun everyday, which is much more damaging to eyes if looked directly at. A bird will damage his eyes if you keep the light to the side but putting it on top of him is merely imitating the sun. Hope this helps....

When I bought my first CAG, a couple weeks ago, we were on Christmas vacation, 800 miles away from home. I had been touch with the previous owner and learned a lot about Rocky through text and pictures for a couple weeks before I met him. I tried not to get my hopes up, but it was very hard. I never actually got to meet him in his home. My husband had to pick him up (I was in a different part of the state visiting my own family) and my husband spent the first 3 days with Rocky before I even met him. He, at first, loved my husband and my husband would send me pictures and videos of Rocky loving him and kissing him. But, no joke, the day after I met Rocky, he COMPLETELY turned to me and totally ignored and actually snipped at my husband. Rocky has loved me the minute he met me. He occasionally lets my husband pet him and he will always give kisses, but he does not like to be picked up by my husband. I am bringing him to a vet in the next month but he seems healthy on the outside, except for feather plucking. I just want to say that buying a bird you haven't spent time with CAN be done! Rocky never had the chance to "pick" me. Like everyone else says, even if he DOES have health problems and doesn't live in the cleanest enviornment, you will WANT to bring him out of that and give him a better home and a forever home! Thank you for considering this big step and let us know how it turns out!

I will be bringing him to an avian vet in the next month for sure.

Thanks guys...We got a new cage for Rocky, more of the size he was used to Here is a picture of it! Our living room is a royal mess right now, so disregard the mess!

When I got Rocky last week, his previous owner said someone had once cut one of his wings too short and that he would never be able to fly. Well, it is true, he has no flying ability..he falls to the floor like a rock when he falls. My question is this...Is it possible that he was never given the chance to fledge when he was little and that is why he cannot fly? Or is it really possible to cut feathers too short and mame the birds ability to fly forever? His feathers on his wings look fine just by looking at them...no major deformities or anything. Is there anything I can do to teach him how to fly eventually?

Thanks so much everyone! I tried giving it solid/mushy and Rocky had NO interest. So now, everyday, I take a half teaspoon and heat it up to make a liquid and mix it in with his new pellets for the day. He has eaten all his pellets just fine so far, so he is getting all of it without knowing it! I keep trying to give him a little not heated up everyday because I think one day he will magically like it, like other Greys on this forum have. That will be easier than mixing it up everyday! Oh and yesterday I gave him an aloe juice misting and he was NOT happy. In fact, he didn't let me pick him up, in fact snapped at me when I tried, and didn't come out of his cage for a good 2 hours afterwards. That really worried me, but today he loves me like nothing happened! I finally found a way he will take a shower, and that is with ME IN the shower. He loves it, so maybe I'll bring the dreaded aloe mister in the tub, try to spray his front side there while he is being drenched by the shower on his back and hope he doesn't attack me!

So, I have a plucker and I ordered Red Palm Oil. Got it today and it is a solid (mushy)...I was expecting a liquid. Is this the way it is supposed to be???