Tango

lovethatgrey wrote: If you could read anything more into my post, and therefore my mind, I'd hire you as a psychic (SP?) I guess your implication is that because I clean my fid's cages I should hate it? Do you have children? Do you hate changing their diapers? Do you resent having to carry out the tasks required of the creatures you've taken the responsibility to care for? hmm. really? I absolutely love it. I'll clean parrot poop with a smile on my face because these guys are the light of my life. Same for my german sheppards. If your parrot doesn't make a "great pet" it's your fault, and I'm sorry for you and your fid. seriously. It's a sad state if you feel that way. My 4 bird make great companions, and every day is a joy. I'm sorry that you don't have that experience. The bottom line is: just because you view your experience with your fids as "work" doesn't meant you should come here and advise people to spend the minimum amounot of time with them. My advice: Love your guys/gals as often as you can as much as you can. Spend every moment you can with them: training, teaching, snuggling. You won't regret it. DO NOT listen to people that say you should minimize your time now because you may not be able to spend that time later. That's beyond stupid. Love your little gremlins at every chance. They depend on us. Post edited by: Tango, at: 2009/08/03 05:49 Post edited by: Tango, at: 2009/08/03 05:56<br><br>Post edited by: Tango, at: 2009/08/03 06:06

If you're clipping the fid for safety then you have to do what you have to do. If there are external safety concerns that make you decide to clip then the safety and well being of your companion are paramount. Having said that, if you clip for your convenience... and you're too lazy to take proper care of your grey then shame on you. When I asked myself when we got our little ones, if we should clip them, the question was simply: is it for their safety or your convenience? Was a simple answer. They're fully flighted and we love it.

judygram wrote: You have the freedom to post the worst advice ever. I have the freedom to call you on it. Glad we can agree.

judygram wrote: I have no problem with that. As long as you don't post here advising people to spend less time with their comapnions.

You're sorry that I feel my birds come first? Are you really thinking about what you post? Edit: let me drop this sesame street style for you: I have a wife, couple dogs, 4 fids. The most vulnerable creatures in the house, those most sensitive, those most unlikely to understand the human world... THEY get the most protection. The most deference. I took the responsibility to accept them as a companion, and I'm absolutley responsible for them. For you to imply that people should reduce the time they spend with these wonderful creatures TODAY because TOMORROW they might work late is *#&$* IGNORANT!<br><br>Post edited by: Tango, at: 2009/08/03 04:20

judygram wrote: I have no idea what you just said. EDIT: Unless "you dang skippy" means you advocate spending the minimum time with your birds. Or that you need to retake that english class. In either case, you're apparently a fan of neglecting your birds, which makes you... um... wow I can't think of a word that doesn't include profanity.<br><br>Post edited by: Tango, at: 2009/08/03 04:09

judygram wrote: Apparently you don't understand how silly that argument is: reduce the amount of time you spend with the companion you love to the lowest common denominator because tomorrow you might not be able to spend that amount of time. Really? Are you seriously going to hold that ground? I'm glad I'm not your bird. Or child. wow. Bottom line: if you can't give your fid 4-5 hours a day then you should rehome him/her because you're neglecting him/her. That's not debatable. It's not a matter of opinion. I've seen too many abused birds over the years owned by ignorant, neglectful, selfish people. Bird comes first. Screw your schedule, your work hours, everything else. If you can't accept that, rehome your bird. It's like having a child.<br><br>Post edited by: Tango, at: 2009/08/03 03:57

Yeah, pretty much what Dave said. You need to do a lot of research and find a good avian vet. It sounds like your vet doesn't know what he/she's doing. No sane vet would advocate clipping to remove "old" feathers, that's insane. Greys moult throughout the year. You need to read a few books, but from our experience here's what we'v found: 1) claws naturally grind down if you get a sandpaper perch. We have 4 birds and have never had to clip a single nail. If they start getting too short we swap them out with regular perches. This is normally about a 3 month process. 2) Beaks: those sandpaper perches do great, but keep a good cuttlebone in the cage and you'll never have to trim 3) Feathers: they moult naturally. Unless you have an obvious plucking problem, let the critters do what nature meant them to do. We get bald spots on our kids all the time, and they grow in just fine. 4 happy, healthy birds with no interference. Unless you're clipping for safety reasons, I recommend you don't clip. Birds fly, it's what they do. Robbing them of that for your convenience is... well... yeah.

Dave007 wrote: You're right. It's probably not the worst advice ever. That would involve tons of things beyond the current discussion. However: telling someone they should dial down the time they spend with their birds to the minimum amount because they can't spend that amount of time with them all the time is ignorant, harmful and VERY bad advice. The fact thatyou've posted here for two years and I've posted here for two weeks doesn't make any difference. Why would you advocate spending less time with your fids?? For any reason? This has nothing to do with "my way or your way" or "what works for you" etc. It's not about us, it's about them. Telling someone to spend less time with their companion because it's not the norm is ridiculous. That's not a matter of opinion. Post edited by: Tango, at: 2009/08/03 03:22<br><br>Post edited by: Tango, at: 2009/08/03 03:24

"They are our friends not our slaves. Just because they are different, it does not mean that they are inferior or less important than we. We have no right to "own" them for our selfish purposes and dispose of them without gratitude for services rendered. A civilization is judged by the way the people treat their animals."

I'm glad your boy is OK! Holy cow I'd have been a mess! We use those hooks to secure all our toys. Indy must have been in the the wrong place at the wrong time to get that to puncture under his beak! Those hooks are pretty safe to use to hang toys from, and I think you guys just had the worst case scenario. Our fids don't ever even get up high enough to bother those hooks in the cage. I suppose it depends on how you have things set up. Using untreated sisal rope/twine or leather can always be a good substitute.

Those first few days are a combination of joy and terror! lol. We wish you the best with yummyumm.

Yeah. NEVER give alcohol to your bird. If you do, you're a moron.

I can only echo the other folks here: They have specific times/places they poop and once you get that down, you'll drop paper in those areas and it won't be a problem. The rewards for letting your boy fly FAR outweigh the bad bits. I encourage you to "click" train him to come to you. It's relatively easy and it's a very good bonding experience. Read up on everyone's posts on bird proofing. Picture a two year old infant with wings lol. Lots of ways he can hurt himself if you don't make it a safe place.

Wow! congrats! You.scared = you.goodmom I don't think anyone will disagree with the idea that the more petrified you are, the better parront you're going to be enjoy your little one!!