PrettyPax

What a wonderful story Pynk. I'm glad he has a good, safe home again.

Thanks for the update Steph.

Dave, I wanted to thank you for your very informative post. I discontinued the doxepin several months ago, and even though the bottle says that it's to be administered orally, I can see why it has been ineffectual. My vet and I were clueless that the molting was the principal cause of her dry skin. (Last appt. was Dec. 10) I brought Pax a bottle of Aloe Vera Gel and Juice just today. I will keep you guys informed as to how everything goes. Thanks a bunch,for me and for Paz because I think she will be a much happier bird!

No safety hazards in or around her cage. She does have the tendency to be pretty klutzy when she flies around and there is a strong possibility that she banged herself up. The antibiotic was discontinued by me about a month ago. She was on it for the prescribed 2 weeks and that was it. She's struggled on and off with the dry skin ever since last summer. It's fair to say that she gets a few conservatively sized squirts of the aloe spray every day, but I haven't saturated her with it as you recommended. I think I'll try doing that ,as you said, a couple of times a week. I will keep you posted, and as always I welcome more advice.

I just took this picture. I'm sorry if it's too small, it's the nick above her beak (that looks like a dark line) that I was concerned about. To answer your question about the antibiotic, it was prescribed by my vet several months ago for her dry skin. It is called Doxepin HCL and is taken orally in .03 cc.

Hey there y'all, I'm writing this because I woke up this morning and noticed that Pax has several nic(k?)s - you know, red marks above her beak (skin is open) and to the side near her eye. Also, I should mention that since she is molting, her skin is especially dry at the moment. So,my first question is, 1.) What is the cause of the nicks? 2.) Her dry skin is really bad right now. Antibiotic and commercially bought avian aloe spray are not working. What can I use that would help to relieve the itching?

I just took this picture, like 5 mins ago. I'm in a happy mood because I discovered I don't have to work tomorrow! I just learned how to upload photos, so I hope this work. In case you didn't know, I'm not very computer savvy.

I was just learning about the benefits of Red Palm oil, as it is an essential part of a Grey's diet in the wild. I'm curious as to how other Grey owners administer it to their bird. In the food? As a shampoo? My curiosity is peaked and I'd like to get some. I'm just not sure of the proper way to use it. Sorry, I know this topic has been posted before. I'm still a relative newbie. Thanks.

I'm getting used to the occasional bite or nip from my bird - I'm just glad she's not one of those great big Macaws! She can be kind of a brat when it's time to put her back in her cage at night - sometimes I chase her from one side of the room to the other, and ultimately when I do catch her she's not pleased. Also in the mornings if I'm pressed for time, all I can do is grab her since she won't step up willingly if she knows she's about to be put back in the cage. She's an astute little creature. I do have to remind myself not to show my frustration because then she becomes way more difficult. I love her so much, but she can be very trying on my patience.

Dan is right. A breeding pair are not considered to be pets. Granted I've never undertaken the responsibility of breeding Greys, but I have talked to Pax's breeder and I've read extensively on the subject. The breeding pair need a cage in a room of their own. Something quiet and as near as possible to complete seclusion. I strongly suggest reading "For the Love of Greys" by Bobbi Brinker. There's a very detailed section on breeding these bids. Also, this forum is a great reference tool and there are a multitude of experts who will happily answer your questions. Please keep us posted.

Thank you Dave and Char for putting my mind at ease. It's safe to say I know next to nothing about molting and I was't terribly enlightened by my visit to the vet. Your expertise is much appreciated.

Hey everyone, I'm pretty sure that my baby is going through her first major molt. She's lost tons of down feathers, a few wing and tail feathers, and her skin is pretty itchy. Pax just turned a year old and I've never seen her go through a molt as dramatic as this. What I'm concerned about are some bald/pink patches on her neck and breast. Is this related to molting, or perhaps connected to feather plucking? She's already chewed some of the feathers on the top of the blade of her wing. I should mention that she was at the vet last month and he didn't seem overly concerned. However, the pink/bald patches seem relatively new. She eats fine, plays, shreds, talks up a storm. Sorry If I'm rambling, but I'm still a fretful new mother and I don't know what to think.

Hi Steph and Welcome to the forum. It must be exciting to get to know your baby as a hatchling!! Pax was 8 weeks when I met her for the first time, so she already had her grey feathers. Keep us updated!

I remembered the title of that movie, it's called "Ghost Train". A really dumb movie, but the Grey made it memorable.

Couldn't you call the police on her? Also, have you mentioned this to the breeder herself? She deserves to be prosecuted.

B) I'm a classic movie nut (love TCM!!!) and whenever I see a movie that features a pet bird of any kind I take notice. I wanted to bring this up because I was watching a film from 1948 called "Black Narcissus" that starred Deborah Kerr, and in it there was a Congo African Grey. The poor thing was in a tiny cage, but sure enough it looked like my girl, Pax. I thought it was pretty cool to see one from 60 years ago in glorious technicolor! Another movie also from the 1940's (I can't remember the title) is a british film about a haunted train station and one of the characters who is marooned there (on a dark and stormy night) is an older woman with a caged African Grey. I'll be on the lookout for more Greys in films. In the meantime, can anyone think of any others?

Sounds like it differs from bird to bird. Are there any pics posted of a grey molting?

Thank you for your welcome messages!! I am hoping I can get some pictures loaded in by tonight. One of these days too I will attempt to capture some video footage of her running off at the mouth. I brought her home for the first time when she was almost 3 1/2 months old. Her breeder is located in the Milwaukee area. Anyhow, he said that there was a good chance she would be quite the prolific talker because both her parents started talking early and have exceptionally wide vocabularies. The apple don't fall far from the tree!! I'm excited because she just started saying "What are you doing" and "How are ya?".

Pax started talking at about 7 months. Her first word was "what" and at about the same time she started to mimic meowing. A couple of months after that, in about the same week she started saying "Hello" and "Pretty Bird".

Thank you for your reply. My Grey is also 14 months old and I'd say that "shabby" is definitely the correct word to describe her right now. Her chest has nothing but grey fuzz on it and some of her feathers on her wings are looking a bit frayed. I was looking for images on the internet of African Grey Parrots molting but didn't find anything useful, as most of the pics were of Macaws and Cockatiels.

Hey fellow parrot lovers! My name is Lauren and I'm a college student from MAdison, Wisconsin. I have a 14 month old CAG who is currently in the shower singing her heart out. I brought my Grey home almost a year ago. Her name is Pax and she's a great talker. I would love to chat with anyone who shares the same affinity for these birds that I do. I am certainly looking forward to being part of this online community. Hopefully I can post some pictures soon.

I'm curious, how often and roughly when does an African Grey start its first molt? What does it look like?