sixwings

Well the cage he has is a Kings Cage. They're suppose to be good, but apparently his cage failed. I did suggest stainless, and yes they are expensive. I guess he has to invest in it. Thanks!

I always wondered about giving ice cubes to the birds. Wouldn't it be too cold for them? Wouldn't it stick to their tongues? I have yet to try it with them.

Walnuts & Apples are Lexi's favs.

I'm going to have to guess female.

Not sure if everyone has heard of the food we give our parrots, but we give them Tropican and Tropicana for a treat. So in the morning they all get veggies or fruits, throughout the day they get their regular pellets, and then at night they get their treats and sometimes a little extra. We sometimes give them: shelled walnuts, shelled peanuts, unsalted crackers, goldfish crackers, red hot bell peppers, and a variety of nutritional snacks suggested by our vet.

I think it really depends on the bird as well as the situation. Tiko is not clipped only because he knows the house so well now. Skittles just recently learned how to fly and so has Lexi. We keep them both clipped, for now. We usually don't have any windows or doors open, nor do we leave them unattended when they are out of their cages, so we're not too concerned about them flying anywhere or flying away. So even if we didn't clip them, things would be ok...but you just never know. Everyone has their own preference and opinion on to clip or not to clip their birds, but that is what I personally do.

So far we've only come across a few break outs, meaning the birds broke themselves free from their cage. With the cats, we didn't trust the birds alone at home. We now use twist ties so we don't encounter any issues. My dad has also put a twisty-bolt thingy on all the dish holders so they don't open those and escape. My uncle however has an issue. He owns a Blue Head Pionus, Rocky. The bird was a rescue and really isn't used to having any toys, nutritious food, a nice big cage, social interaction or normal vet visits. He had nothing to chew on, so he turned to chewing at his cage. Now being in a loving home, spoiled, with a nice cage, he's decided to chew up his cage. Rocky chewed the cage so much he took the bars right out. So now his cage bars are loose, having him capable of a easy escape. He's looking into a new cage for him, but he's afraid Rocky will just escape again. He too has a cat and worries of accidents that may occur. Is there anything he can do so this doesn't happen again? He's already provided so many toys and things to chew on, but Rocky still love chewing on his cage. :unsure:

Love the kitty, Victoria. She has beautiful colours. All your none feathered friends are exceptionally beautiful.

Tiko is not a fan of me, so I don't allow him on my shoulder, let alone on my hand. He does however go on my brother's should so that he can "protect" my brother. Lexi tends to nibble a tad too hard on our ears and really loves to take a nice pinch to the cheeks. So we don't allow her on our shoulders. We do allow Skittles on our shoulders, but he doesn't seem to enjoy it too much. He'd rather hang from our shirts or cuddle up under our chins. I always thought it was a bad idea to have them on our shoulders, so we really never made it a bad habit.

Hey don't worry, I too caved into Harrison a few months back. I mix it in with their normal food that I provide them so that they don't need just the Harrison as a main course meal. Saves me money that way, yet they still get the best at the same time.

When I was hand-feeding, I too noticed a difference in size even though the birds were from the same clutch. Nothing to be concerned about. As long as they are healthy, they're eating and growing, size really isn't a concern. Lexi was actually the smallest of her clutch, but she eventually caught up to her siblings.

:lol: That's too funny. It's unbelievable that they are capable of mimicking sounds so precisely. Lexi learned the beeping of the answering machine, so we could never determine if we really had a message or if it was her when we got home.

Wow I've never heard of such thing until now. Blood work is a must I would like to think. I'd ask the vet, perhaps call and inquire about it first. I know vets are pricey, but that does sound serious. I would imagine that they would have the bird on meds of some sort too. I'm going to have to research this myself so I too am familiar with it.

Well...being in Canada we really don't have much of a summer. This year we've had a lot of rain. The last few days, rain. LOTS of rain. Today was really hot and humid, which was nice, but usually when that happens rain follows. So I suspect rain. yay! :laugh:

Congrats! By the sounds of it, he sure is lucky to have you. My uncle rescued a parrot a few years back. Sounds like a similar situation, small cage, no toys and no perches. Although he did have a belt (normally used for pants) as a perch. :angry: Do you have any photos of him? How is he adapting now?

I loved hand-feeding...but it is a risk to take. Of course I was working in a pet store so I was fully trained, but it is scary sometimes. If you are hand-feeding take your time doing it, don't rush the bird to eat. I've been in so many situations with people rushing a bird to eat :ohmy: ...which resulted in emergency vet visits, infections and even death. Keep a record sheet on the bird's weight and even work out a feeding chart, it sure helps out. You can then track it's growth and manage it's weight. Good luck!

I was wondering if anyone came across this, as I'm still puzzled about it. I hand-raised Lexi and of course has adapted to me more than my other family members. On occasion she would make the "baby cry" as if she was still hand-feeding. Now that she is 3, I'm a little concerned about this. I have read about egg laying and wondered if this is a sign or just a mimic of some sort? Has anyone had experience egg laying without a mate? Any ideas as to how to indicate when they are going to be laying? I know she regurgitates for me ALL the time, oh the love..but I'm just not sure since she is the only female parrot I own, so I have no experience with it at all.

Tango Caught! Caught again! The 22 pounder! Tinkerbelle After a bath Very passive

Tiko Very mad! Bath Time!

Skittles Hanging around.. Bright!

Lexi when she was a lil' wee one. Feeding Time Getting bigger..notice her red spots. A glimpse of her very red and spotted tail Recent photo Bath time! <br><br>Post edited by: sixwings, at: 2009/07/27 15:54

Thanks everyone for the welcoming. I'm still getting used to things on here...photos soon to come.

Tycos_mom wrote: That's a shame, it's odd though. The same thing happened to my aunt's Maine Coon. Someone took him, she searched for months and then gave up.

caitb2007 wrote: Thanks! The birds do get along with each other most of the time. We don't let them out together unsupervised though. The cats tend to leave them alone. Though sometimes Lexi (my Grey) teases my cats by calling them to her cage, then calls either myself or my brother for help. Smarty pants that's for sure.<br><br>Post edited by: sixwings, at: 2009/07/26 04:45

My name is Vanessa. I live with my parents and brother about an hour away from Toronto (Brampton). Canada of course. B) I'm currently attending teacher's college in Buffalo, NY. I recently graduated from University for Media Studies & Photography. It's my last year, so its going to be super crazy busy for me. I love it though, so that even things out. I plan to teach high school, mainly media and photography. I have a 7 year old Maine Coon/Angora cat named Tango & a 6 year old Maine Coon/Angora cat named Tinkerbelle. I also have a 5 year old White Cap Pionus named Tiko, a 4 year old Sun Conure named Skittles and last but not least, a 3 year old Timneh African Grey named Lexi. So quite the zoo in my house..for now. I think that sums everything up for now. Looking forward to meeting everyone on here. I'll post photos in the appropriate section soon.