Spinner

Sweet! Murphy is a lucky Grey!

I use Cage Catchers liners. I place about half a dozen sheets in the bottom of the cage, and roll one up daily for my cleaning routine. I find the waxed backing to be much better and sanitary than simple newsprint.

Brittany, Ask yourself what you are trying to accomplish. If you're fearful of a problem with the band, then speak with your vet, not just "someone" at the pet store. My personal opinion is that bands present no issue for our birds. I do, however, recommend removing split bands (the type typically found on imported birds), as these DO represent a hazard. The solid bands placed by domestic breeders are no problem. If you are looking for possible recovery of your bird, a band is the identification of choice for birds. A vet would have no reason to chip-scan a bird brought in for a check. But I see my vet check the bands every time I take my birds in, and she knows me very well. Ask anyone that has lost a bird whether or not the presence of a band (or lack of it) was a factor in recovery. I suspect it has no bearing on their recovery. Some people just don't care for the bands and have them removed. This is clearly a personal choice. As for my Greys, they really enjoy their leg bling and would be quite upset if I took it away from them.

Welcome Katy! Welcome Dusty!

Humm....she seems very emphatic about not getting a baby. We'll see, won't we? *sinister laugh in the background*

Looking good, Spock! Jay, thanks for sharing the good news.

Letting them continue can lead to hormones going ballistic and all the problems that go along with that.

Lyn, Now you know my pain! I can't keep them all. But I can't wait to see pics of your new little one. Yay!

...and, we're expecting the hatch to start on Wednesday.

The webcams are still online and fully functional. It's the BeakersAviary.com website servers that hosed. You know I couldn't deny you the live feeds, now, could I?

From emails I've traded with a few potential suppliers, it's simply an issue of potential spoilage and the supplier not wanting to mess with what it would take to ship to the states. For true Red Palm nuts, they simply ripen/mature too fast and would spoil by the time they arrived unless they are frozen. I do not believe it is a quarantine situation, rather, it's a shipping hassle problem. I'm still looking for a supplier that can ship bulk, and I'll ship around the states.

That's good news, but just so there's no confusion, those are Queen Palm nuts, not African Oil Palm nuts. Very similar, but not the same. Either way, I'm glad someone is finally carrying them. I came up blank on finding an exporter that would ship Red Palm nuts to me here in the states. If anyone knows of an exporter, pm me so I can contact them. Thanks, Lambert!

Sorry about my site server errors. They are on my end. I had major hardware failure that brought the entire server down last week. I had everything backed up (YAY!) and will have a new box in this week. Look for it back online by next week. Thank goodness I had the disk backed up - now how did that happen The good news is the new box should eliminate all the site delays I was having.

Good questions! Question 1) My experience is that my greys tend to know when someone is apprehensive about them and they tend to naturally stay away. Your observation of Isaac staying in his cage is partially a trained response. By consistent, repetitive routine you have trained Isaac when it is time to stay somewhere, such as his cage. The same can be done for any location. You can easily train a bird to stay until given permission, the same as you train a dog to "stay." Combine that training with coming ("fly") on command, and you've got a happy bird. Flighted or not, train Isaac to have boundaries and available commands so he knows what he can do and when. Question 2) Unfortunately, computer keyboards are really tough as they just beg our buddies to come a play! Key clicks, little parts, and the fact that we are playing with them piques their interest. This is where repeated and consistent behaviour is needed. Train in the same manner as above and set clear boundaries of what Isaac can play with. Again, just think "stay" One question seems to be in there but isn't explicitly asked - it concerns flighted or not. What you describe has no bearing on Isaac's ability to fly or not. He still needs proper training. Enjoy!!

When you say the vet doesn't have an answer, does he/she indicate whether there's a problem or not? (IE, does he/she think the feathers are not regrowing properly?) In the wild, greys will usually molt twice a year, but in captivity, the molting cycle can be interrupted completely. It can take two or three molts before the feathers are replaced. Most birds will inevitably break a feather or two during this time, making the replacement time longer. Give your grey a means to climb up and down from things to eliminate the need to jump/fall (fail to fly), such as a ladder, rope or blanket. Patience and know it will be a long process to have new feathers grow.

Good to know. Thanks all!

Dan, just like Crossfit, I am a celiac. Basically, gluten is virtually poisonous to me, causing an immune response that affects celiacs in many ways. Gluten is fine for our birds. Beaker reminds me of this with his feast of bread followed by a cute "neener, neener" gloat.

My fids get tapioca frequently. I eat gluten-free, and as you said, many wheat replacements use tapioca among others. I'd be interested in the source for not giving it to them. Gotta love pizza, especially when they flip that last piece across the room and onto the wall :lol:

Yay Pepper! Now you can throw away your bow.

Too good, Dan! I've been looking for my own wings....where did you get yours?

Oh...another red palm product is AVI-X Sunshine Factor. However, it's pricey at $16.95 for 4 ounces when compared to $19.95 for 32 ounces of Rainforest. Both are made from the palm nut flesh and are organic products.

Red Palm Oil is available at many vets, but I have bought it online at Rainforest Market http://www.rainforestmkt.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=RPOIL and locally at Whole Foods Market. I can vouch for both sources as having good Palm Oil products. I would love to find a good source of actual palm nuts, but they simply aren't available in the states fresh. They're like catnip for birds.

Camilla is once again in the nest box tending to her latest clutch of eggs. If you missed this before, you can follow the events on the nest box cam available at http://www.beakersaviary.com/index.php?title=Nest_Cam The Nest Cam page has static images updated every two minutes, while the live cam pages are real time streaming video. One of the eggs is visible next to her shoulder in the image above. The eggs were laid on March 16th, 19th and 22nd, with expected hatch dates starting around April 14th. Another egg is possible, so we continue to monitor the nest box regularly. This is Gonzo and Camilla's first clutch of the year (the last eggs hatched at the end of December). Enjoy!

Studies aside, here's my observations. Here's a typical scenario: Two birds are playing on a gym and get testy with each other, the one "on top" has the advantage over the other, and both will try to resist being below. I also know that a bird on top of the play stand is far more "reluctant" to step than the grey playing on the floor. I wouldn't label these examples as dominance, just different levels of motivation for each (to step up or not). Further, if Gabi is on my shoulder, I guarantee she will get nippy at some point. Not dominance, just easy access to toys known as ears. And just like Jess, my birds know being nippy has consequences which is why Beaker isn't seen on my shoulder. And let's not forget territorial birds, like Gonzo when he's protecting Camilla who is on nest. The flock stays away from their cage for fear of nipped toes. Paying attention to birds in the nursery interacting with older birds shows an interesting "order" of acceptable behaviour between the birds. There is an order of what a specific bird will accept from another, and that behaviour is most often related to the personalities involved (gregarious, quiet, playful, etc). I won't quote any studies for fear of public ridicule :silly: as what I present here is purely anecdotal based on my interaction with greys. I'll still be happy to assign flawed human constructs to my greys - besides, they have no idea they aren't people themselves and I'm not telling them otherwise. Now, where's the ladder?

All good recommendations. As a breeder, I encourage my new owners to visit as often as possible. It is invaluable to the baby to build the trust as early as possible. You can see the value of this in the "Baby Photos" thread here in the nursery forum. As to the transport, I provide a travel crate to take them home in and train the babies to go into the cage well before going home. If the breeder doesn't supply one (ask), then take yours when you visit to get the baby used to it. Also, ask your breeder for what I call "go home" info. It list much of what Caroline mentions. I have mine online for easy access. Finally, find a good vet before purchasing your grey and talk to them about area breeders. They see the babies from breeders come into their facility and know the quality of each. And while you're there, ask them what you should have for an emergency kit, such as styptic powder, vet wrap, etc. Thanks, Caroline - good info!