Elvenking

Ohhh man....perfect. I am going to order one of those little foraging cages....and I like the veggie mix idea. I might have to try a couple times before he digs in....he is used to being spoiled a bit I am sure. I used to try making Isaac birdie bread a la corn bread with chopped veggies mixed in....it was so-so....easy to try again though. Anyway....while typing this...I ordered the little bird foraging cage.....the birdie bread....and a birdie cookbook called Flourish to Nourish. I will try to steam some sweet potatoes for him tonight...I found how to do this as well.

Absolutely epic! Thank you! I assume this is what you refer to.... http://www.amazon.com/Nourish-Flourish-Healthy-Cookbook-Parrots/dp/0984264329/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403894166&sr=8-1&keywords=parrot+cookbook ...consider this ordered!

I am currently exploring a lot of possibilities to help Isaac be the healthiest bird he can be. He had a plucking incident recently so I want to work from different angles. Bear in mind, that I am cooking-challenged and most recipes will throw me for a loop right at the ingredients. Where to get these items....what are they? Yes....it's like that. I barely know what I would make myself to eat if it's not pre-prepared. So the one thing I would like to focus on first will be his diet. Here is my schedule....and some diet plan must fit in with what is possible. I already ordered a sprouter and some mid-bird sprout from the sprouts people...really hopeful with this. but this is going to take a few days to get going. My schedule during the week is as such...I get up in the morning and have up to two hours to do everything I have to do to get the birds ready and me off to work. I typically do not return till about 4:30PM but will often stop home at lunch time which is manageable. Whatever I feed him....I have to be able to get it to him...have him eat some...and be able to remove it and add some fresh veggies for the morning after I leave. I know that you don't want to leave them in the cage for too long, but I have to balance and I would rather leave him with something. Right now, I change all of his seed\pellet mix and water out, and chop fresh veggies a la broccoli, carrots, apples...and sometimes corn. Yeah probably needs a little help. Sometimes he gets a supplement of his baby food. Then it's off to work where I might come home for lunch. Then I can typically come home right after work and tend to my baby again. This would be when I have some time to make him something again. At this time...he either eats with me which can be noodles, rice of many types, chicken, he does pick my mashed potatoes...or I will make him some whole grain noodles with red palm oil, scrambled eggs. I definitely need more variety. With a schedule like this...what would you do? I want someone to just suggest, "Try this...." If you can do that.....my best love to you...and thank you.

How does your Grey take to the sprouts? I have just ordered some and am very hopeful. I don't mind the cost, I just hope Isaac can dig em.

Okay...so I guess your help has ended. Thanks. Man...what a great thing. How is that going to work? You have to understand just how stressful this is. We are talking about my baby here. I need help and things I can do...not things to not do. I can't go home and try everything you say....so it would be great if you could put all that typing into just one thing to try with Isaacs diet...so I can start somewhere.

So the one thing I would like to focus on first will be his diet. Here is my schedule....and some diet plan must fit in with what is possible. I already ordered a sprouter and some mid-bird sprout from the sprouts people...really hopeful with this. but this is going to take a few days to et going. My schedule during the week is as such...I get up in the morning and have up to two hours to do everything I have to do to get the birds ready and me off to work. I typically do not return till about 4:30PM but will often stop home at lunch time which is manageable. Whatever I feed him....I have to be able to get it to him...have him eat some...and be able to remove it and add some fresh veggies for the morning after I leave. I know that you don't want to leave them in the cage for too long, but I have to balance and I would rather leave him with something. Right now, I change all of his seed\pellet mix and water out, and chop fresh veggies a la broccoli, carrots, apples...and sometimes corn. Yeah probably needs a little help. Sometimes he gets a supplement of his baby food. Then it's off to work where I might come home for lunch. Then I can typically come home right after work and tend to my baby again. Now would be when I have some time to make him something again. At this time...he either eats with me which can be noodles, rice of many types, chicken, he does pick my mashed potatoes...or I will make him some whole grain noodles with red palm oil, scrambled eggs. I definitely need more variety. With a schedule like this...what would you do? I want someone to just say, "Try this" If you can do that.....my best love to you...and thank you.

Okay...so maybe back off on the potatoes. So what...do I get him hungry a bit so that he will break down and eat other stuff? LOL. I can try sweet potatoes....gotta learn how to do that though and make them appetizing...so if ya have any ideas or an exact step by step to follow...that works....remember...I am cooking impaired. White vinegar is gonna make me sick smelling that incredibly disgusting smell all the time. How to avoid? Has to be another non-toxic solution. Steam cleaner on a stove...a cage??? I don't see it or understand. LOL! So far I know to not give Isaac anything I am giving him and have no "do this first" to do for him. As far as food...what shall I do. I just got the sprouter on order with mid-bird sprouts. That is gonna take some time. What can I do tonight? My seeds are fine....the subject is very subjective and I just don't think that it is gonna make a diff if I switch up seeds. The seeds I get have a good rep...period. "It's not outside the realm of possibility to get a bad bag of food, either. There have been a ridiculous amount of pet food recalls lately & those were just what got caught by quality control (if I can use the term loosely)." We have to trust someone. I do have other things in life other than the bird and cornering every paranoia is gonna not be possible. Are you trying to create paranoia? Narrow your suggestions to something reasonable that I can try...not just heap so much on that it is impossible to know what to do. Not helping. Stressing me out!

He loves mashed potatoes....so maybe I should fine chop a lot of veggies and any other good stuff and mix em in with mashed potatoes....ya think that would be a good nutritious treat? He is delirious over mashed potatoes. When I originally tried wild rice and mixing in some good healthy veggies, beans and leafy greens, I had a couple of misses...just trying to find something that is going to work for my little guy. He may be a little spoiled and maybe it will take a few tries.

I will try this as well. I had wanted to try sprouts and this looks awesome. It'll be ordered tonight!

Show me an example of a proper 5500K LED Bulb that I would put over my bird...cause I am looking and feel a bit wary about a choice.

Okay...let's go one by one....I am trying a lot of things here....but yea there is more that can be done....I am just not aware of it all. Yep...I get a 25lb bag of this stuff called "Super Parrot Mix" at my local parrot store. It's got all the goods plus dried fruit....he seems to like it but I am open to other mix ideas. He turns his nose up at Harrisons Pellets though. I have tried wetting them, disguising them..etc. I heard it's not essential if they get other foods. So he is getting his seed and smaller pellets in a mix. LOL....regarding the bulb. I didn't even know any other kind of bulb was an option. Took me long enough to even find one single bulb on the planet that was made for birds and was practical to order. LED UV light? New to me. But I will look. I am getting a cage for outdoors ordered this weekend and he will have his outdoor time soon enough. Yep...I heard they are lactose intolerant...I can hold him off the cereal pretty easy...he usually only takes a few licks when I am eating it...but I don't have to eat it when he is out. As far as the mash. I am intimidated by it. I will just get a bunch of stuff...mix it together and Isaac won't even look at it. Red palm nuts....ohh how I wish I could get them in the USA. Closest I ever got was queen palms I believe. And those were touch and go. Sometimes show up unripe and I don't know what to do with them then. Maybe Isaac is spoiled from other stuff? Here is the other thing.....if he doesn't eat something I put out for him..and I have to go to work...I am worried about leaving it in there till I can get back to change it out. How to manage this? Especially if he is not eating these new creations I make for him. I am not sure why he is only turned on by a very few select foods. He does like noodles and red palm oil. I will give chop a try again. When you make it...is it warm....cold...any parts of it cooked....man....I would rather someone prescribe me a simple recipe that walks me through exactly how to make something appetizing for a bird so I am not guessing left and right...but they always list ingredients I am not sure of or how to prepare them. I have to be treated like an idiot when it comes to this and I need to be hand fed an idea...step by step. Other than that...I will try to conjure something up again. We both dream of red palm nuts...let me know if you know how to get them in the USA. My sink....lol...when I actually clean that thing...I just hit it with a hand brush and some regular soap. I do use Windex on my windows and such...but I can stop that. I'll do whatever I can for him....I will write more later...gotta go take care of fuzzy boy.

Yeah....well his tummy is not naked...its really fuzzy. Feathers just have not been sprouting over the past two or three weeks...no new ones at all. Like I said...there were about 5 or 6 feathers on there he was leaving alone for a while...then he did em in. As far as food....Isaac gets a few things. He gets some scrambled eggs about twice a week, I do pasta whole grain and regular mix with a little touch of red palm from time to time. When he eats with me...it's rice, he loves chicken...he dips his beak in my cereal bowl a little too for some milk. He gets a bowl of veggies in the morning raw....apples, carrots, broccoli, corn. Sometimes he will get a little triscuit cracker....cheddar cheese. I am not a real good cook...and I am yet to simply find a recipe for bird chop that can actually be followed. He does still get a bit of his baby food from way back which is the Exact formula...I figured it was a good supplement and he simply goes wild for it. Any help with a diet would be great...sure. I am out of options and figured that I just have to wait for the additional sun to take effect....I don't know....who really does anyway? I am soaking him with Feather In, he is under the sun lamp all day from 9AM to 6 PM....I have a humidifier by the cage. He still tries to feed me every single morning. Man...what else? I called the avian vet and can take him back for another exam. I do not have options that I know...so let me know. Everyone says "It is the big unknown problem with Greys...they just pluck."...so that is where I am headed. No way to learn...no way to find out. Here is a picture of my lil buddy now. Pretty much exactly like he was when I took my last pictures....ravaged and abused. Wish I could help little guy. I really do.

LOL...when I would get wadded up paper balls...and roll them passed Isaac when he was a baby....he would get all Pterodactyl on it. Flapping wildly in circles around the ball making that noise. It's a shocker when ya first hear it. LOL.

Today...I was rubbing his little fuzzy tummy to check for pins...I do feel the beginnings of some prickly pins. Maybe in a couple months....or 6...we'll keep watching. I am guessing that it can be some time in between feathers.

Hahahahahah a pot lid. Yes....I have a few 'birdie omens' around that I use for this exact purpose. A little stuffed animal that will keep him away from my speakers....another one is a small statue...my little mountain biking backpack will keep him away from other things. Yes....I employ this strategy all the time.

Issac is doing fine. Still getting his sun lamp and baths. Feathers just aren't sprouting over the last 3 or 4 weeks. No new ones...just a bit of waiting. The wing feathers are all staying where they are. On his tummy....he had like 5 or 6 feathers that were just waiting for the rest....then two or three weeks passed and he decided he didn't want those ones sitting there...so he "cleaned" his tummy once again and we wait to see if the next phase will makes it. He is as happy and playful as ever though. Mastering the sounds of my new phone. Just being my ever-so-sweet buddy that he is. He just had a squirt-down with 'Feather In' all over and is flying around drying off. LOL. Saying "Hi boyeee" to me every so often. Hehehehe...cute parrot.

Right there with you in this aching desire to embrace these wonderful creatures. I think that most people who spend time with these guys do get to that point of really understanding that we are dealing with life here. Life that is the same on all levels of what is important about life. We see much more clearly above many that they feel, have such volition, and interact as would a small child. I want to make sure they are ALL okay too....for sure. However a huge cycle does exist that won't easily be changed. Many have already clarified the issue so I won't add much more to that other than to say.....most people of the world are not enlightened to a better way of life. So we deal with the side effects of having money as the all great power in the world, giving way to the horrible things people will do for it...not to even mention simple neglect. My mind went down this same avenue....I wanted to find a way to dedicate my life to it....but it just cannot be. The bigger change needed is with people. The parrots of the world are actually fine for the most part and only get affected by people....the ones who really need fixing. On that front, I just try to live by example. I give the same care for animals the same way I would a person...and teach others to do the same. On a final note....no one is a saint...and there really is so much one can do. I mean...is there any reason why we shouldn't save all life...including ants, moths, cockroaches. On this front...I try to make sure not to take so much responsibility that I feel guilty and don't live a practical life. However, I think there is a long way we can go to put life and money in perspective to try and get people to value life over money. This to me..is the biggest problem in society today....money often overrides the value of life....or rather...becomes the value of life I would be right with you....saving the Greys.

LOL....I would have turned white with amazement. That is awesome! What a cutie!

Yeah...it has been a while since he has seen it...since before he was a year old. I'll get it out and get him looking at it. We'll take it slow and see what happens.

Lol...about the chair. Sounds like your little friend has the same habits. Isaac loves to perch on the back of my chair. I should take a picture of this thing as it is a spectacle when folks walk in and see it. My solution to the chair thing at first was to wrap the back rest in a towel..well...nothing gonna stop him. Eventually, that thing falls off and he gets to the edge and starts picking it apart. So I have merely committed to buying chairs that are not that expensive. Rather than buy a 150 dollar nice desk chair...I can get 3 cheap ones. I am definitely due for a new one. There can be no doubt...they decide when you should play. As far as knowing if they were wild or not. I really don't believe that they have the level of concern that we do about the situation they are in. I don't think that they resist the current situation like humans do....not unless it terrifies or angers them in a way. I honestly do not think that Isaac sits in his cage thinking of all the fun he could be having outside. He merely looks around his area for things to do, chirps with my other Conure Pedro, and seems to accept what ever is going on. I leave the TV running too. I don't think they pay it much mind. I imagine he would be looking for that door to open if he was really wanting out. He doesn't really care if the doors open too much. Not that I am not keeping a very close eye when I have to pass through a door to get something outside. Everyone knows how serious that is. The house seems to be what he knows and works with.

Thanks for this. I am really hard on myself, but I do know that I dedicate a significant part of my life to caring for Isaac. Every time I see those little eyes blinking and looking around with such vibrant curiosity, I am captivated by the miracle that is an African Grey Parrot. He inspires respect and love like nothing else I know. I'll keep being the best bird-dad I can be.

First of all....wow...thank you for taking the time to write such friendly words and advice. I really appreciate it. It is funny you know...as I was sitting on my couch watching TV last night...Isaac was playing with his cups and doing the occasional thing that requires me to get up and help him back to doing approved playful tasks. LOL....he loves to go for my speakers...so I have to place something on top of them to help ward him away. Anyway...I am sitting there and I put a foot up on the edge of the coffee table which raises my knee high and is a perfect perching spot for Isaac...so he will often fly over as soon as he sees my knee in that position. Last night he flies to where my hand is resting on the couch. Leans his head down and begins to shove his head under my half-open palm. Not the first time he has done this...but the way he was so persistent was so endearing. So I would rub and massage his head for a few while he was closing his eyes and obviously enjoying the scritches. Then I would stop and see if he still wanted more. Sure enough...shoving his head as hard as he could under my hand to get it started again. LOL...that is just kind of the cutest little thing in the world. He was all rolling his head around so the 'magic fingers' could get those areas around the bottom beak and cheeks...ohh yeah...rolling and twisting into all the good positions. In those moments, it is very hard to imagine that they would have it much better in the wild. I truly do like to believe that all situations are vastly different, but our emotions simply move from state to state in accordance with our past and current experience. Since Isaac has lived with me since his 7th week, I don't have much fear of him knowing what he is missing in any way. He seems really upbeat all the time and just accepts life on the terms he is presented. I just want to know that he has all the things he needs to be healthy and will do the best to make sure that is the case. I will have to get that harness out again...it may have been long enough now to where I can try again. How wonderful would it be to take him on a hike. I would love that! A little hiking partner. We will see what a trial brings over the weekend when I have some time to sit down with him and calmly give it another go. We'll see....try to take it real slow like you are...show him the harness again...be gentle.

I have the harness for Isaac. I had gotten it on him when he was younger and it was a bit scary for him I guess. He didn't like passing through doors at all. I got it on him about three times, and now I am not sure how I would get it over his head again. He sees it coming and there is just no way to get something over a birds head when he doesn't want it....very open to suggestions through.

Yeah, they are certainly more in tune with emotions than people typically are. So I work hard to be genuinely affectionate and happy with Isaac. I already have feelings that maybe birds this beautiful and intelligent shouldn't be 'kept'. He is so smart and kind and I have so much respect for him. It is quite amazing how my view of parrots has grown with him. The day that he got out...even though I was fretting him possibly disappearing forever...I had never seen such a beautiful thing as him soaring through the air so fast. I could see his eyes looking around as he circled me. The fact that he jumped from branch to branch finally coming back to me let's me know that at least he thinks I am good for him somehow....but when I see him sheading feathers....ohhh man....OHHH man.....please baby...please be okay. I need to be everything he needs me to be. I am not right for anything else.

Yeah...looking at the baby pictures and pictures with him fully feathered kind of does the opposite for me. It shows me a bird full of the most beautiful plumage I have ever seen and it makes me miss it. It also reminds me that I am not being good for him in some way or another. If I was all good for him, he would have his feathers. That is the crux of the frustration, is that I can love him so much, and still not be all good for him.