Jayd

This is very true..... When a baby bird is being raised by a parent, the parent has one thing in mind, getting the baby out of the nest and on his own. A breeder like you speak of has the same concern, getting the baby out of the nest. During the actual feeding time, the baby's don't care where or how they get there food, from a beak, or syringe or spoon or a Gavage tube, all they care about is eating..After being feed, a parent bird goes about his business, protecting his mate and young, at the breeders, the baby's are back together where the learn to be birds from each other and develop their skills, this is very good. In the wild, baby birds have no human contact, they leave the flock and meet new birds, find a mate and repeat this cycle. From the breeder, these have received human contact, even if you breed only two birds at a time, you do not give them so much attention that they bond with you. When two or a hundred are sold or given to their new parront's, that's when the bonding process starts!...Do not worry about "That has consequences, and I think I have to be extra carefull about everything that requires handling them." The bird's will adapt with you more easily, since the raising of them was done more naturally then a hand raised pampered, bonded with breeder fledgling. This is harsh but it's true...Thank you Jayd

Congo African Grey Parrot's are one of the most complicated parrots to own, especially their diet. There are many birds in the wild that eat meat. Chicken, Turkey, and fish are loaded with protein, fish have Omega-3! Gray's absorb little d3 from food, you get d3 from Sun [uVB] and meat! Yes please continue to try your bet to inculde Pellets into Rambo's diet.. Question? Do you have indoor Full-spectrum UVB lighting? plus do you take Rambo outside each day? Thanks Jayd

Thanks Dave for your invaluable advice..

Thanks Dave, I prefer giving the egg in one piece, that way I can clean the shell extra good... [Forgive the bold] Here's the chart for Tuna: There's 30mg sodium for 2oz, that's about 2 tbsp, A half slice of good whole wheat bread has 74mg of sodium, The average chicken egg contains 65 mg of sodium according to the American Egg Board. Your bird will eat around 1 tsp, as you can see, no problem...Thanks...Jayd Nutrition Facts Serving Size 2 oz drained (56g) Calories from Fat 10 Calories 60 % Daily Values* Total Fat 1g 2% Saturated Fat 0g 0% Polyunsaturated Fat 0g Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 20mg 7% Sodium 30mg 1% Potassium 160mg Total Carbohydrate 0g 0% Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Sugars 0g Protein 13g Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 0% Iron 2% *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or low

Thanks Dave, the forum and it's members can always count on you. Your on the right track Rrrma..I'm sorry, when you said "bone" I didn't relate it too chicken....You said,.I give 1/3 a teaspoon at a serving., Question? how is it cooked? I replied, "Give her 1/2 extra hard-boiled egg..[shell and all] just cut it in half and give it to her." Fish/Tuna, is caned, low-sodium in water. Again, Thanks Dave......

I'd keep doing what your doing and just enjoy. It's not a matter of her needing to gain weight, it's a matter of how much and how fast. Give her 1/2 extra hard-boiled egg only twice a week, stop the bone[?] cut the fruit to 1 small piece a day, hard cheese small amount 2 times a week, give cooked white meat chicken/turkey 2 or 3 times a week, a little Albacore tuna daily [this is all protein].Boil or bake a sweet potato and mix in some Skippy's natural peanut butter and give her twice a day warm, [under 108 degrees]...And all the fresh veggies she'll eat... Jayd

Thank You, Yes supplements are something we all stay away from. We supply all our fid's with a bowl of seed/pellets and the balance of their diet consist of fresh veggies, legumes, grains, pastas, eggs,chicken/turkey/fish. and very little fruit, which is famous for 'wet poop". Streetwise said "He's on large low sunflower fruity [which is dehydrated] parrot mix (Johnson and jeff). He as fresh garden peas in the pods. Cooked green beens and mix veg.[Added water]. These can cause a higher urine content in bird droppings. The foods I suggested plus some raw pasta [ Orzo, Rotinni etc] can help balance a diet. These are young baby's and haven't developed eating habits yet. Proper feeding and Sunlight [uVB for vitamin d3, since Grey absorb extremely little from food] will supply all a Grey or any parrot need's, minus the additives, preservative's, [bHT etc] that most pellets have, also the processing of the pellets destroy a major portion of the good they might provide. Harrison's, is mostly natural, and uses a low heat processes, TOP's is my favorite, Zupreem natural is has no preservatives etc..My feelings are that Pellets are a snack, and I treat them that way. Back in the 70's to many people's surprise, we feed our parrots mostly human fresh foods, and seed' and nuts......LOL Thanks Jayd....

That sounds good, I'm going to try some........LOL Diego can crack a Almond whole, a Grey needs a starting place to get his beak on.....Jayd

Dave's response is more then correct, and being in experance as you say are with Grey's, he is probability the most experienced person with Grey's on the forum. Judging a Grey' ideal weight by "keel feel" is a myth. A keel can protrude for many reason's, including lack of exercise... Length of a Grey has nothing to do with weight, as Dave said, bone structure is the guide . Remember, "Trim is In".....470 gram's is really a nice weight for a bird of your description. I'd be more concerned with consistent daily amount of food eaten......Thanks Jayd

Most of this is very true, when I referred to veggie's, I was referring to how they were prepared in this case, And I'm sorry, but pellets are not necessary to a parrots overall good health, Pellets are a "convenient" food, not a one source solve it all, and some brands can kill our fid's. Sorry, my opinion........There's some Grey't threads on of the forum that go into the research of this matter...Jayd

Yes, you could be very right, I got my info off a pet food site, but it could be old, I really hope they changed it. Rosemary is a preservative. Tocopherals [vit-e] is also a preservative. I still have a problem with the amount of starches and corn, corn is a filler, not much food value, it's a carrier for all the additives, so in essences, it's additives with color. Thanks for the update....Jayd

Yes, bitter almonds are most dangerous to all animal's, in the USA, they don't sell bitter Almonds. Almond's 2-3 a day, 1/2 walnut,Pistachio's, are full of "EFA" Essential Fatty Acids" which a parrots diet fall short of...Almond butter on toast is a excellent source of protein for our fid's...Jayd http://www.birdsnways.com/wisdom/ww21eii.htm

Thanks Dan, I agree with you whole heartily, In this persons case, bleach is the only way to go, my fear are when people mix other cleaners with bleach, like dish soap, which then produces a deadly gas..... As we both know, proper drying time in the sun is essential when using bleach....Jayd

Wonderful work Caroline, Thank you for helping to inform every one about thess fantastic Amazons.....Jayd

Sir, as we both know, rapid temp rise or fall is probably more of a concern then a acclimated consistent temperature is. We keep our Greys at a year round 72-74 degree's. I've heard of people keeping them outside, year round in Florida..Amazons and Conures live outdoors year round in San Fran. Shortly south of San Diego is Amazon and other parrot country..... Thanks Jayd

That's so sweet Janet, I'm so happy for you, theirs so much for you to look forward to...Jayd

Yes, by all mean's, Dave just recently did a post showing how to snip the pointed end to allow a Grey a beak-hold on the nut, the Grey has to finish breaking the shell to get at it....

Thank you Janet, please keep the updates coming.Have you tried a spray bath yet, have the camera ready, Zon's really soak, not like a Grey, they get dripping wet...lol

Sounds good, keep working on the fresh veggies, their the most important part of a parrots diet. Zupreem Natural is color free, that's one of the reasons I use it...Thanks

Parrot's eat clay in the wild to get the minerals they lack in other food and as a medicine. Yes seaweed, Psyllium is a bulk-forming laxative....Thanks Jayd http://www.inkanatura.com/macawclaylicks.asp

So sorry, my heart cries for you... Let us know where your located please... Please only get a weaned baby...Jayd

The best and safest cleaner and disinfectant is vinegar, Sanitizing / Disinfectant: A combination of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide make a cheap, effective and non-toxic disinfectant agent and is said to be more effective at killing pathogens than bleach. . As it is non-toxic, you can use it to disinfect fruits and vegetables, as well as pet toys, equipment and cages. In tests run at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, pairing Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide mists, kills virtually all Salmonella, Shigella, or E. coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces. Thanks Jayd Directions: You need TWO spray bottles. DO NOT MIX the solutions together. Put straight vinegar in one and straight hydrogen peroxide in the other spray bottle. NOTE: Light destroys peroxide rather quickly. It's best to leave it in its original bottle and screw in a spray head. DO NOT DILUTE THEM. Remember for any sanitizer to work properly, the surface has to be clean before you use it. When you want to sanitize a surface (vegetables, cutting board, counters, sink, cages, toys. toilets, floors, etc.), spray one (it doesn't matter which one you use first) on the surface, then you spray on the other. When they mix, for a brief time the chemical action of the two make a very powerful sanitizer. You can rinse off the surface afterwards, if you want, but the result is non-toxic. Fortunately it is cheap. BTW, we use it in the bathroom to sanitize the counters, toilets, floors, etc. http://www.google.com/search?q=organic+apple+cider+vinigar+for+parrots&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=com.yahoo:en-US:official&client=firefox

Most preservatives are listed as " Preservatives for freshness" etc I highlighted it below..Jayd Quote: African Special 3 lb Designed for most African species and medium and large conures, contains higher calcium. 14% protein and 8% fat in medium sized morsels. INGREDIENTS: Corn, Oats, Corn Gluten Meal, Wheat, Potato Protein, Soya Oil, Coconut Oil, Calcium Carbonate, Dicalcium Phosphate, L-Lysine, Choline Chloride, Natural and Artificial Flavors, DL Methionine, Isoleucine, L-Threonine, L-Tryptophan, Vitamin E Supplement, Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C), Ferrous Sulfate, D-Biotin, Yucca Schidigera Extract, Zinc Oxide, Manganous Oxide, Niacinamide, Magnesium Oxide,Vitamin B12 Supplement, BHT ( as a preservative), Copper Sulfate, Calcium Iodate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Sodium Selenite, Folic Acid, Riboflavin, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Thiamine Mononitrate, Natural and Artificial Colors, Menadione Dimethylpyrimidinol Bisulfite (source of Vitamin K3), Vitamin D3 Supplement, Cobalt Sulfate.:Unquote...

Since you've used bleach and maybe other cleaners, you'll need to rinse it many times with clear water and let it dry for a number of days, then soak it a number of times with clear vinegar, leaving it in the sun. Please list what cleaners you used, some are never safe even after drying.....

For discussion only,... Harrison's recommended feeding amount is based on fat/protein content, and how much a Grey needs to receive a daily requirement. Harrison's, Pretty bird, Kaytee etc are not my favorite. Harrison's because of cost and people think their birds need nothing else, Pretty bird because of corn etc and really bad preservatives [bHA]. I use Zupreem because of ingredients, but our fid's eat very little pellets. The best diet? A little seed/pellet's, A lot of fresh veggies, a dab of fruit, equal amounts of rice/legume, some nuts, a little hard boiled eggs and shells, a little chicken/turkey/fish and a lot of love, and toast for breakfast...lol Jayd