Spinner

DNA testing price varies so much, I'd contact your vet or breeder to get pricing. Your breeder should be willing to get this done if the well-check vet visit hasn't been completed yet. Of course, expect to pay for the check.

Banana, mango and papaya. Occasionally, mashed potatoes are a hit :woohoo:

Our bird room gets into the low 60's during the winter months. Grey's home turf runs 60-85 (according to Wikipedia), so I would assume any household temp close to that range as acceptable.

We make this behaviour part of our good-night ritual. Everyone in the room gets some cuddle time with Beaker before he goes back to his cage for bed-time. Look out if we don't do it! We're reminded the next morning that we failed to pay proper attention.

How sad! Treasure those videos.

Nice! What a lucky bird he/she will be.

I also hide one or two of the wood alphabet blocks as an added surprise. Such fun!

I've been stuffing my foraging toy with shredded paper, and Beaker is thrilled with it. He spends hours picking, preening and ripping paper out of the toy. Makes great use of recycled paper and a lot cheaper than rolls of calculator paper.

As stated, DNA testing is extremely accurate. The DNA labs have even taken steps to reduce the prospect of human error. I did find something interesting that I might use with the next clutch - they can use the DNA material left in the egg to tell the sex of the bird! Apparently, there's enough vascular material left in the egg to be as accurate as blood or feather DNA sexing. The only issue is keeping track of which bird had which egg. B)

By all means bring on the natural branches. Maple is an excellent perch material - reasonably hard as a chew challenge. Yes, be ready for your perches to be shred in relatively short time. I use green maple and oak branches with a variety of branch sizes. I find the green wood doesn't have any bugs or issues. Cut to length, cut a slot and voila, instance perch. As Jane mentioned, I too leave the bark on to add to the fun. Congrats on the new bird! Do we have a name yet? Pics! We need pics!

With five greys, I feel your pain :laugh: I worked out a simple solution that is working extremely well, and is very economical (especially when compared to air purifiers). I purchased a $12 box fan and have placed a series of filters on the intake side of the fan. I have a standard 20x20inch furnace filter as the first dander capture filter, then a finer micron filter behind that. finally, an activated charcoal filter removes virtually all the odor. The fan just sits in the corner of the room, between the cages and the sitting area. It is very effective. Total cost is under $25. For that amount, you can try it out and see how it works for you. Here's my shopping list using Home Depot as an example (apologies for the long urls): http://www.homedepot.com/Lighting-Fans-Portable-Fans/h_d1/N-5yc1vZarrrZ1xr5/R-100405665/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5/R-100011568/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 http://www.homedepot.com/Building-Materials-Heating-Venting-Cooling-Air-Filters/h_d1/N-5yc1vZ1xr5Zaq3n/R-100671908/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053<br><br>Post edited by: Spinner, at: 2009/08/26 16:34

I can't speak to that particular lamp, but I use full spectrum compact fluorescent lamps for all my cages. It looks like this unit has the same type of lamp. They have made a significant difference as evidenced by improved vitamin levels. I can tell you I wouldn't get a sunburn off these lamps - I'm glad, too, as they are mounted on the top of the cages. I put mine on timers, running them about 12 hours a day. They are definitely worth the money. Happy birds!

It's when they say hello when no one is there that messes with my mind

Nice! Thanks for sharing!

It sure sounds like Yoshi is well on her way to solid food. You don't mention how old she is which would be a good indicator. You need to make sure she is weaning (likely) and not just getting picky about the food. Considering that she's eating a lot of human food, I'd guess it's weaning time. Continue with the hand-feed attempts for a week. Have some regular food on hand to hand-treat Yoshi and get her used to taking food for later training. Congrats!

I'd have Leto's vet check him out and make sure there's nothing brewing. I don't mess with rashes or irritations. It could be a simple irritation, habitual scratching, or it could be something more. Either way, catching it early will stop the scratching from escalating and turning into a plucking event, for example.

I've been researching this for quite some time. I intend to convert my greenhouse into a aviary/flight for my Greys. I've found some excellent resources online: Check Animal Stuff's site for mesh material. Also check Natural Bird for FAQ's and articles on aviary/cage building. A comprehensive site for cage-building materials can be found at KW Cages. They've got kits, pre-built aviaries, mesh materials, doors and everything else you could need for building a solid aviary. I'm ordering material from all three sites (doing my best to help the economy). I'll be putting pictures and an article on my web site as I go through the build. Hope this helps!<br><br>Post edited by: Spinner, at: 2009/08/12 16:15

Wow does this sound familiar! My Beaker would rather shred the plastic pot growing the grass. Although he will occasionally play with a sprig of wheat grass, he really does prefer the noise of ripping into the pot. Oh, and after the first pot of soil flipped everywhere, I now don't use any soil for the wheat grass - just sprout the seeds in the bottom of the pot. Keeps the mess down just a little. (key words here are "a little")

Sounds like a common theme. I also do both; I have Roudybush maintenance in the bowl at all times, along with the usual morning fare of fruit and oats and the evening meal with us. Along the same question, do any of you limit what is available on any given day (IE, 1/3 cup of pellets), and when that's done it's all they get for the day? I appreciate the feedback (as does Beaker).

Absolutely awesome! This made my day. Thanks!

Go Girl!

I'm curious about what others are doing; Do you feed your fids meals, allowing them to eat for a finite period of time and then removing the food until the next meal? Or Do you have food available for them in their cup at all times?

A week is a very short time, especially for a young Star. Don't be tough on yourself, and take your time. Gain Star's trust and start working on step up's as you can. I'm no pro, by any means, and it took me a LONG time to teach my baby to step up. Does Star take treats from you? If so, get his attention by holding a treat and then trying the step up command with a gentle push of the finger on the tummy. If he obliges with by stepping up, then it's treat time! It will take some time for both of you. I compare it to teaching someone to ride a bike - seems like it will never work, then all of a sudden they're stepping up and giving us a verbal "up!". Whether to teach inside or out of the cage, follow Star's lead. He'll let you know what's acceptable. Star looks like a charmer!

Reading your earlier post about adopting your new bird tells me you've only had it for a few short weeks. You've got a lot of baggage with an adopted bird, and you may be expecting a lot of the bird in such a short time. I know just giving my birds a new toy creates a lot of anxiety - something that takes a week or so before they stop avoiding it. Putting a bird in a new home, with a new friend, new food, new schedule, and all has to be creating some protective instincts in your bird. Sit with him, talk with him, and let it happen on his schedule. By the way, does your bird have a name yet? Let us know how he's progressing. And, I honor you for taking on a bird that needs a great home!

Good for you, Pugman! I honor you for taking on a neglected bird. I trust that Sophie and you found each other to make her and you awesome friends. Spend as much time with Sophie as possible. This might be nothing more than sitting in a chair next to her cage. Yes, she'll shake. And yes, she's nervous, as you might be. Get her comfortable with your presence. The fact that she takes seeds from your hand is great news. Move to step up with a treat and everything else will follow. Getting used to the positive reinforcement (vocal as well as treat) will go a long way towards Sophie feeling better. You don't need to take her out of her cage for the step training. My birds all learned to step in the comfort of their cages. I'm sure we'll get a flood of disagreements - but remember, it's your bird and train as you feel comfortable. Spend time and enjoy the fun!<br><br>Post edited by: Spinner, at: 2009/08/05 05:27