Xtreme575

Thanks you guys... I appreciate the suggestions. Dan, believe me, if it got any more humid in here, I'd swim to the other rooms! Haha! I keep a humidifier running nearly 24 hours a day, as well as an air purifier right near the cage that is on whenever the cage is uncovered and the parrot is on the prowl. I just had a lung function test done and also got an X-ray, so we'll see if that allows the doctor to figure out what's going on. I'll sure be glad when this molt is over, although I remember praying for it last November, wanting the primaries to molt out. Well, little did I know... it seems like I've been cleaning up feathers for the whole year! Be careful what you wish for! I think I'm going to hold off until next spring before bringing a dog into the house, if I can wait that long. There is a sweet female pup ready to go tomorrow. It's all I can do not to go get her before 7 am! When it happens, I'll definately keep them supervised. It might mean Paco has to spend a bit more time inside his cage, but it's not like its lacking in anything! I wish my bedroom had that many toys! Thanks again all! Ryan

Hi all, with apologies, life has been really busy lately, and I have not really been posting, or even reading very much as to what is going on, so I"m really out of the loop. Anyway, I just wanted to post to let you all know that things are going well. I came down with some bizarre respitory issue about three weeks ago that resulted in my having to go on puffers. I don't believe that I have "Bird Fancier's Lung", but I know the dust doesn't help. I run a purifier and humidifier and Paco continues to be bathed regularly, but I still see clouds of dust come off of him when he shakes in the sunlight. Happy news, Paco started to fly a bit at the end of June, he is not turning into a very skilled flyer, and lander. Althought it is a bit frustrating dealing with a flying bird, the independence that he has found has been amazing! Any thoughts on the molting? Will it ever stop! He really starteed the molt in early January, and it continues to this day. Is that normal for a year old parrot? Finally, I'm thinking of adding a small dog to the house, I'd love to hear parrot/dog stories How do they get along, introductions, etc., any thoughts? I'm considering a Boston Terrier... Thanks all... Ryan

Thanks Jay, that's good to understand. I learned early when I took Paco out while he was still very young. Thank goodness I had his harness on him when a breeze came up unexpectedly, he puffed up, and was gone. Had it not been for the harness he would have been gone with no control, his clip was VERY severe, but it didn't matter with the breeze. Now, I find that I need to be even more careful, and the harness is a thing of the past, not a chance it will go on him again without my loosing my arm... Fully flighted bird here, with nearly all his clipped feathers molted out.

I'm not able to really offer anything more than well wishes. I'm sorry, I've followed Charlie's story with interest since joining this forum as my Paco was chewing his feathers around his crop. After three vet visites, and a lot of money, it stopped (touch wood). I believe it was Dave007 who once wrote about juvenile birds chewing and that they often will just stop, which seems to have happened. Hopefully this new method is going to be the silver bullet to stop Charlie as well... It's such an emotional roller-coaster to go through.

I too have had a few frightening bites that I was totally not expecting. I can't tell you how angry the bites have made me, and to add further injury, once a bite is inflicted I cannot get him to "step-up" without a getting bit more. So I have now just taken to walking away. I can't give a time out or anything, I just leave and let him make his way home. I can't tell you how hard it has been to keep myself in control, especially when this happens during a sweet "cuddle" time. I try to bear in mind that I should have paid more attention to the body language of the bird, and that I should have been more attentive to the fact that he was finished with scratches before me. In any event, try to take your bird away from "his" habitat in order to work with him to regain trust. Have treats on hand, and just start with simple step ups, easy rewards and it may be the road to recovery.

Haha! Congratulations too all! Paco has joined your ranks, he started his flights once he regained 3 primaries on one wing, and 4 on the other. We had a few crash landings on very short flights, but they are getting longer and longer each day, and yesterday he flew to each room in my house (I'm in a 1000 sq foot condo) as small as it is. I can't imagine the noise created by the beating wings of one parrot, so I can only imagine what its like to have 4 in the house! Batten down the hatches!!!

Thanks Janet and Jay! Yes, this is very exciting for me, it's been a long year in the waiting. I dreamt the other night that I had to go away and I had to leave him with a friend who wasn't able to handle him as a flyer and got him clipped again. I woke up from the dream soooo angry. I appreciate your suggestions, and ufortunately, I'm in a one story place. I'm hoping to start the flying down as soon as he has regained enough of his confidence to fly from his cage. Again, right now he will only fly towards the cage and is quite happy to land on my hand. Flying from the cage has only happened twice, once was this morning when he flew to find me in the kitchen. He wasn't sure where to land until I put out my hand, where he was grateful to find a place to perch, even though he has "his" chair that I stand him on while we are in there. Each time he chooses to be where he wants to be nearly breaks my heart in happiness. Allowing him to have this freedom is truly amazing!

So for the last couple of months Paco has been flying again. It started with short little flights, which may have or may not have resulted in his meeting his mark during a landing. He now has begun making longer flights through the house and is making beautiful landings on his cage or his "hanging tree". He will also land on my hand really well, if I rush from the kitchen to the living room. He is very happy to spend most of his day between his cage and tree and has not really ventured (much) off his cage to another destination. My questions is: How do I get him to take the "plunge" off his cage to start with, and beyond that, how am I going to begin recall training within the house. It is important to note, he has not yet molted out the very first (outer-most) primary, and there are still a few of the most inner feathers that have yet to molt out, so I still don't think that he will reach the acrobats that some of you see with your birds quite yet. I can definately say, now that I've seen the difference between a clipped bird and a flighted bird, happiness, confidence, the difference in the bird, I must say, I feel even more strongly regarding clipping than ever. I truly do view clipping as cruel except for the most extreme cases. I have also installed bird netting on my outter doors, but I'll get pictures and share these later. Thanks for your help! Ryan

How old is Diego, my Parrot only wanted heated (steamed) veggies for a few months, then all of a sudden stopped eating them, so I offered raw, and he was back on that. Now it seams he wants steamed again. I just go with the flow. Your frozen treat looks amazing, I may try a version of your idea next summer. Paco won't eat seeds or fruit, so I'd need to go with a veg based popsicle!

Mark, is she clipped or flighted? My parrot was clipped when I got him at 16 weeks and he stayed quite clumsy until he molted and regained some flight feathers. The suggestion to move the perches down and add a towel to the bottom of the cage is a good idea. As you parrot gets more confident it will want to be on the outside, I surrounded my cage with cheapy plastic air mattresses in case of falls or jumps from the cage. If your parrot is still flighted, then as soon as she is flying, and most importantly, landing then you will notice a difference in walking agility. Greys aren't the most graceful parrots out there, pretty hefty, chunky bodies... but you need to make sure that tail feathers don't get broken, and to protect the keel, or breast (wish) bone.

I agree that a movie such as this would cause more people to puchase parrots without fully understanding what they have gotten themselves into. I read a volume of books, nearly every post on here, and did an insane amount of research before purchasing Paco a year ago, and I'm still not sure that I am a true "parrot person". Don't get me wrong, I love my bird, I can't imagine a better companion, but I still have doubts that I am the best person for the job... In admitting this, I can assure you, I'm dedicated to what I have taken on, but just that this responsibility should NEVER be taken lightly. In saying that, it is hard to say how successful something like this would be. Parrot people are a special breed, wouldn't we all rather just order a movie on pay-per-view then actually leave our birds long enough to actually go to a cinema??? How much interest will the rest of the world outside of avi-culturism have in a movie like this? I don't think Alex was ever allowed to breed, so there goes the "sex" appeal of the movie. Finally, I don't know about the rest of you, but I don't invest in anything, whether for hoped returns or for a charity that I haven't researched well before getting my wallet out. So, sorry guys, without an opportunity to read a script first, this bank is closed.

Hi Peanut welcome! It sounds as though the poor little guy is still a little unsure of his new surroundings and flock (you and your family). If I were you I'd slow things down a little bit, it sounds as though the parrot is a bit spooked still. Perhaps you could sit near the cage while the cage is closed and just read aloud, or speak quietly to the bird to have it start getting more used to you. I'd probably only open the cage while the house is quiet to have it avoid flying while it is still unfamiliar with the layout of your house. I'm wondering if you can try to get a picture of what you think is plucking. I can't help but wonder if the area is directly below where the wing attaches to the body (the armpit for lack of a better description)? Do you see feathers on the bottom of the cage or around the cage, if so, are they fluffy little white down feathers that are difficult to clean up due to the fact that they seem to love to float away on the smallest hint of a breeze, or is it an actual grey feather? I asking because the "armpit" area is very lightly feathered, so upon "new" observation one could be tricked into thinking that the parrot is plucking when in fact it isn't. If you can get the picture of the area without angering the parrot then perhaps some of our more experienced ownders will be able to help you out.

Wow Mowlis Mum, you must be a very sound and gentle sleeper! I can't keep the blankets on my bed, let alone a bird in a container! Plus, beyond being a fitfall sleeper, I'm also a bad sleeper, waking up every couple of hours. I don't even dare go through the bird room to sneak a snack as I know I will hear the irritated flutter of wings from my parrot wondering why I can't just stay in my "cage" for 10 hours like he does.

I named my grey Paco as I had grandiose plans of getting an Amazon that I would give an African name to. I thought that Paco was going to be an unusual parrot name, especially an African Grey, but alas, we are more common than I first thought. The alternative name was going to be Cooper after Anderson Cooper, I'm a fan...

Dave007 has mentioned this for birds who have scaly feet, mine does not, but I bought the aloe gel by mistake one and needed to use it up. My vet wanted me to keep touching Paco's feet so that he would allow it during a vet visit, so I figured it couldn't hurt and the massages started, killing two birds with one stone. I guess that saying isn't really appropriate on here is it.

I use a cement perch as well. I have it on the outside of the cage which he uses as a bridge to get to his hanging playgym. It really helps, and I haven't noticed any foot irritation at all. Paco likes to hold my finger with a foot when he feels a bit insecure, his feet are in great shape, but they get fairly regular rubdowns with aloe gel... I could be so lucky!

I'm really trying to be a vigilant student of ornithology heeding all advice given. Haha! I'm becoming a party favourite with much of the information that I'm learning from all of you, I can't tell you how many people I have converted from organic veggies to washing with the organic apple cider vinegar, and other interesting tidbits that the members of this forum have given me.

Thanks Jay, I'm happy to report that I've been paying attention to all my more senior birders. I'm cooking the corn, more than probably necessary, but I worry about hidden mold, and yes, out it comes after a short time.

Great, thanks guys! I'll give it a try. Jay, I'm using the apple cider vinegar for his veggies already, you got me started on that months ago, but I'll do as you both suggest and try cleaning with it. Dave, I can't help but think that the odour has just accumulated over the year, but I'm going to keep digging around, make sure nothing is hiding on me... But it smells mostly gamey, like an animal, and its the worst when I put my head inside the cage. Toys are clean too. I've given him a bit of fresh corn on the cob now that it is in season, I can't help but wonder if that is what is doing it... It's the only "different" think from what he normally has/does.

I'm sorry, I haven't been around much so I don't know much about Tui, is your parrot fully flighted? I wouldn't allow him to be up that high if he is clipped. Even if you put some sort of matress or padding underneath, a fall from that height could be devastating. Could you hang it lower if the bird isn't fully flighted. If the bird is fully flighted, then from everything I have read and experienced in my last year of GreyT experiences, they don't seem to have dominance issues. Just game players. So if Tui is difficult to get at, and you make it more entertaining, then this will entertain him to no end. Stephen raises an interesting point with Isaac, he plays to Isaacs curiousity, good plan. My parrot is still recovering from the "breeder clip" and just starting to fly again, so he's easy for me to get at, now its just a matter of getting him to step up if he doesn't feel like it!

I'll admit that I have a very sensitive sense of smell, but I'm looking for some advice on deodorizing Paco's cage. I try to be very vigilant in making sure his cage remains clean, pulling out soiled paper daily, and cleaning perches. I do a total scrub down down each week using water, "Poop-Off" and a mild soap followed by a rinse. Next month I will have had Paco for a year, this week, I've noticed that there is a gamey odour coming from the cage. For all intents and purposes the cage appears to be really clean. I've pulled out the trays, gone in between the bars, I just can't seem to get the smell out. I'm wondering what others use to help fight odour from your cages. I have a powder-coated Avian Adventures cage, and live in an apartment style condo. Due to this it is impossible to "hose" it down, and a pressure wash voids the warranty. So, I'm down to scrubbing in house... Ideas on effective bird safe solutions? I've read that grape seed extract is effective, but then been told that it is not good for the birds... Any help would be appreciated.

What a great idea! Thank you! I hadn't thought of just working with the doors, and instead was considering a full "bubble zone" off my deck. I thiunk you've inspired me to go to Home Depot to figure something out, now if only I was handy...

Stephen, I'm certain that he is in those trees. You and I are both PST, so it is dusk, he's probably hunkered down for the night. I've noticed that its been getting light out at about 4:30, I'd be out again really early, and concentrate on those trees. Isaac has always been flighted, so I'm guessing that he knows how to fly "down-ward"? Three Greys flew off this week alone in the Vancouver area, and two were recovered, I haven't heard about the 3rd yet. Don't fall into despair, draw from the adrenalene! I know you can get Isaac back!

Now that Paco has molted a great number of clipped primaries, and is starting to fly around my condo a bit, I feel that it is time to line my deck with some sort of bird netting. Paco has a hanging tree gym directly in front of a door that leads out to my deck, and all that keeps him in while I have the door open is a "Phantom Screen" which is only secured closed by a small magnet. This magnet gives away and the screen will "roll" open if direct pressure (a bird) were to fly into it. My problem is, my condo doesn't allow anything like this to be hung on the deck. I am confident I could get away with this if I could find some grey or black netting, however, all I've been able to find is bright green which will stick out like a sore thumb on my building. Does anyone know of a link that might have something more appropriate that I could hang on my deck to capture Paco should he be able to get past the screen door? I try to keep this door closed as much as possible, but its hard to get a cross-breeze at the best of times, so it really is nice for both of us to get more fresh air in here...

Oh Stephen, I'm sooooo sorry for you, I'm just sick. I really am hoping that you post some good news for us about Isaac soon!