rbpittman

TGIF F.A.R.T. Let's get the party started!!! Decided I don't need reasons to imbibe, will just be counting all of life's blessings this week, haven't killed anyone yet, and will celebrate all by raising a glass and shouting CHEERS for each one!

Ok, I know this is an old post, but I just found it, and all that comes to mind is the HAL telling Dave what to do and how to do it and that he has no control. Apparently that is what has happened with this post. Dave would not, in his right mind, even whispered a suggestion of this being the real world, but a fantasy that most men have. A fantasy that would never come true except in the realm of television (now very outdated episodes of Leave it to Beaver) and the movies. Then again, the Stepford Wives showed quite clearly what would happen to the husbands who expected to live in such a world. No more TV for Dave!

OMGosh, poor Aussie, that little stinker of yours knows exactly what she's doing! And laughing about it the whole way. I think I would have used the evil laugh after pulling a stunt like that on the dog!

Your breeder is giving you his opinion and only his opinion. You are getting the opinions of many people here who own greys. Would you consider removing the legs of a dog or cat to keep it safe from the dangers you describe? They aren't any different. Dogs are prone to jumping up and spilling things from the stove if they are large dogs. I've seen many of them run out of the door and into the street, run away, crash into the sliding glass door, and many other injuries. Look at your bird being flighted the same as you would in having a dog. You make the same modifications to your home and activities to accomodate as you would for a dog or cat. If while cooking and that is a concern - don't have the bird out of the cage while cooking. If you're concerned about the tops of doors - prop them open. If you're concerned about not being able to handle a flighted bird - that's a different story and you may need to consider a stuffed toy parrot.<br><br>Post edited by: rbpittman, at: 2009/10/09 13:52

So glad that no one was injured in the manuevers, although their radio communication might need improvement on these exercises. Suggest you upgrade their communications systems and remove those walls so that Koko can avoid them in coming flying exercises. Mocha needs to remember that he's younger and probably a little more of a daredevil than Koko. On the serious side - very glad that Koko was not injured, but was lovely to imagine them flying in chase with each other and made me think of the many "top gun" type movies with the planes.

To get Dixie eating her Harrison's I soaked about 5 pellets in some apple juice (no sugar added) and mixed them with her regular food. She couldn't help but get some into her since they were slightly mushy and when she tried to move them to get to the "good" stuff it ended up on her beak, in her mouth and on the other food. It took about three weeks of doing this along with adding non-soaked pellets into the food along the way. She now has a bowl of just harrison's in her cage all day and I fill it twice each day - usually 10-12 pellets each time.

Misting her with aloe juice will also help with some of the pain from the pin feathers. Dave007 has an excellent article about the use of aloe juice and aloe gel for our babies.

I'm so sorry to hear about such a terrible nightmare, not being able to figure out how to unlock the cage and reach your precious baby. On the beautiful side of the dream, you had two birds of the same temperment, and what a wonderful world that would be. Try to see the bright side of it, don't let the dark invade and know that you are loved so much by Emma and all of us here.

Aloe Vera Gel - 100% - the miracle of all miracles. I have been giving all of the birds a fine misting with a water/aloe juice solution to help with their skin and have had wonderful results. Much less powerdery dander from Sterling (U2) and Dixie's seems to enjoy the misting much more lately. I had not thought of using the gel itself for Beau and didn't want to mist him yet since he just came home on Monday. Figured there was enough stress in the homecoming. At first he wasn't keen on the application, he was being held and I was pulling out his wing to apply. After getting just the smallest amount on one particular spot - it was bare - and while repositioning and getting more gell on my fingers, he seemed to immediately calm down. The remainder of the application was very simple. I probably applied it more liberally than an expert would have done, but the gel absorbed into Beau's skin and feathers very quickly, as I was informed it would do. The remainder of the afternoon and evening with Beau was very uneventful, which is a good thing. He ate from his crock's in the bottom of his cage without requiring an evening feeding. While his crop wasn't as full as with the formula, he ate until he was full and proceeded to play with toys, going back to his bowl once more. When I offered his favorite - green beans - he ignored them. The entire time he was in his cage his door was open, but he didn't seem interested in coming out. When he did come out it was after offering my hand to step up and he was ready for cuddling and love. Not at any time while in his cage did he position himself to go for his wing. When bedtime came around he seemed very content, quietly settling on his perch and what I call snugging his body down a little to sleep for the night, his collar slightly ruffled. I dimmed the lights and turned down the tv and stayed in my office an hour longer than usual, watching Beau calmly going to sleep, head tucked and content. Dr. Dave - thank you again for such great help and advice. I have applied some of the gel to the chest and crop of Beau as well and seem to have a completely different baby! Eating, playing, sleeping and content. Thank you again.

Ok, I think I have the ultimate name here - Bernie's Mistress - would be more than appropriate!

I have two greys - one flighted, one not - along with a U2 and sun conure. All but one of the is flighted. I was ignorant of the debate on clipping when I got my first grey and she came home clipped. She is totally dependent on my moving her from playstand or perch to her cage and vice versa. To enable her independence I have invested (with love of course) numerous ropes and ladders which help her navigate to the area's she wants to be. I swear she will never be clipped again! The baby grey is flighted, I insisted he be allowed to fledge and not be clipped. This non-clipped bird uses his wings to balance on his perch, navigate across his playtop and go from one place to the other and he's only been in my home since Monday. Without the full use of his wings at such a young age he would not be able to do this. The probability of falls and injury would be very high. Yes his wings are a little tattered from being in too small a cage for his wing span, but when I see him spread his wings and stretch he is gorgeous. He now has the proper cage for a fully flighted bird. The confidence that is being learned by having his flight feathers is what a young baby grey needs, once they are grown they continue to use this confidence and if they are clipped it can cause them problems, some noted in the numerous threads in this forum. Your Grey will only be as safe as you are with it - flighted or clipped. Even a clipped bird can fly somewhat and all the reasons you posted for having a bird clipped apply to the clipped bird - they can still happen, even though clipped. Post edited by: rbpittman, at: 2009/10/09 01:25<br><br>Post edited by: rbpittman, at: 2009/10/09 01:27

With advice from our resident expert Dr. Dave, he suggested 100% aloe vera gel on the wing. Will be rushing out to get that now and apply as directed upon return. Will keep everyone updated on the progres.

I love watching Emma. She is a hoot! Keep shooting the video, I promise to watch at least 3 times...lol.

Since it's my hubby's birthday I'll T..T. for both of us!!! T..T. T..T. T..T. T..T. T..T.

I would have rushed to the vet immediately. With the regurgitating as a possible sign of illness and the staying on the bottom of the cage. Birds are very quick to disguise their maladies and then when they show signs it's often times too late. Good luck, I hope things turn out well.

Beau was very fortunate - he was transported to the vet as soon as it was discovered that he had plucked. Then he went on a course of 7 days antibiotic injections and then stayed at the bird shop an additional 7 days before coming home to me. The burn was not extensive enough to come through the crop. Since he had plucked his chest and crop completely it was very easy to watch for signs of burning through. When eating, Beau will eat well, and I've made some modifications that he seems to like. I took some large dog crock type bowls and placed them in the bottom of the cage, with food (pellets in one, fruits and veggies in another) and he was eating out of these on my desk. I placed them in the bottom of the cage last night with green beans and fruit that wouldn't mold to quickly along with his pellets and this morning I caught him eating from the crocks. He can stand on these bowls and not tip them over. I have made sure to distract him when he goes for his wing, but not taking him out of the cage when he does so. I didn't want that to be the trigger of take him out. We made it through the night with no additional plucking - two nights in a row now! I'm considering making an appointment with the vet to see if anything else could or should be done for him. I'm watching him very closely and most of his attention to wings seem to be general preening now - I'm very thankful for this. I'm not sure if I should wait since he hasn't plucked any more so I can have a better grasp on his behaviors or if I should just make the appointment and go now. Beau is very snuggly and has started making some baby bird sounds, a few low grumbles, and is playing during the day in and out of the cage. At the shop he didn't want to be in the cage at all and would go for his wing. I'm trying to temper the in and out of cage time so that he learns to eat and play in the cage as well as out and not go for his wing. For his safety he cannot be out of the cage all the time as I'm not home all of the time. He is starting to come out of his shell some with personality and wants to be with me whenever I'm around, to the point of gladly leaving his cage to sit with me, either in my lap, on my arm or playing on my desk. At this moment he's fighting with one of his toys and is very pleased with himself for having won that fight.<br><br>Post edited by: rbpittman, at: 2009/10/08 18:06

Great video Davey! Alfie is such a card. Enjoyed it very much, thanks for sharing.

Dixie has a swing that faces out a window and she loves to sit there and watch the world going by. If it traumatic for the grey to be put back into it's cage I would wait until it gains your trust more to handle it.

General Beauregard Grey (Beau) has acclimated quite nicely to his new home. He is currently standing on my desk chewing on my pen. He is not completely weened from forumula so a nightly feeding is required. I am not using a syringe (sp) for this, instead a spooon from which he quickly laps up the forumla. We both become quite messy doing this, but then we enjoy a nice warm wash cloth to get cleaned up. Beau did pluck one more wing feather on his first night, but did not pluck any last night. For this I am grateful. With the stress of the new digs and all I'm sure it had something to do with the plucking, however, and please comment if you have an opinion on this, I believe he may be plucking out of hunger. Beau will not eat while in his cage so my being near by is imperative. When I put him in his cage last night - before feeding him - he immediately positioned himself to get at his wing. I took him out immediately and put him on my shoulder to go fix his forumula. After eating he went back inside his cage with no problems. This morning when I fed him - and I feed them all and then take LP to school - he started on his wing again. I immediately took him out, hand fed him the banana's, strawberries, green beans and a few pellets. When I put him back in his cage to take LP, he was fine. I made sure that when it was lunch time I hand fed him pellets and zuchinni. Most of the time he was sitting on the desk, eating out of my hand, but he is now going to the large bowl I have placed for him on the desk. I know this sounds like a simplistic reasoning for his plucking his wing, but with the crop burn he suffered, I wonder if he was getting enough to eat and if this is something that can be corrected with time, patience and teaching him it's ok to eat while in his cage. Other than this minor plucking, Beau has settled in very well. He flys (sorta) to Dixie's swing, jumps over to the other window swings and is beginning to make a few baby sounds. He seems to really enjoy climbing up and down the numerous ladders in my office. He interacts with me and LP very well and is quick to come to us. While in the shop he didn't want to leave his playtop (on his cage). All in all I'm very proud of the progress of two days. I did weigh Beau this morning and his weight is 402 grams, up from 398 on Monday.<br><br>Post edited by: rbpittman, at: 2009/10/07 22:38

Wow Fred is Gorgeous! Beau is in much the same state, chest and one wing almost completely empty of flight feathers. Thanks for taking in such a beautiful 2 and know you and Maggie will forever be in my prayers for all the wonderful work you do.

1. Fix a bowl of chicken soup. 2. Conure should be on his play stand and happy. 3. Don't have any paper towels, napkins, throw rugs or anything of that sort available. 4. Sit down to eat your chicken soup. 5. Conure will fly from playstand and happily land in your bowl of chicken soup. 6. Thank the Almighty that the soup wasn't steaming hot as you scoop up little bird from bowl. 7. Look around frantically for something to wipe chicken soup up with and wipe bird with. 8. Realize sink is right there. 9. Set bird on counter. 10. Turn on water. 11. Reach for dish towel to clean up mess. 12. Watch in amazement as little conure decides running tape water is better than chicken soup and is happily sitting in the sink taking a bath with the running water. 13. Stand there wondering if this will work with your Grey!<br><br>Post edited by: rbpittman, at: 2009/10/07 22:12

It will take a lot of patience on your part and time as well and you can possibly get this grey to trust you. I would start with continuing to bring it's food and water on a regular basis and talking to the bird. The more you talk to him/her the better the possibility it may speak. Imitate the whistles it makes and that will encourage it. Sit beside your bird's cage and interact with the bird by just being there and after time and much patience, you may find your friend willing to trust you. Start very slow though.

wonderful poem Davey - thanks for sharing.

my question - are you blushing while asking this?

Dixie and Beau (my greys) all have regular bedtimes - and that's 8:00 pm. By that - their lights go out, the tv gets turned down and we sit and watch some tv. Beau has taken to sitting on my lap and Dixie is usually on my shoulder (mind you Beau has only been here two nights). So completely dark is usually around 10:00, however, they are up at 6:30 a.m. every morning and let me know it. Mood wise, they are fine. The finicky one is Sterling my U2. He wants lights out at 9:00 and is up at 7:00. They do adapt to your schedule fairly well, just be consistent.