Elvenking

He looks so "Glad" being inside that box! :-)

Ohhhh he is! He is like, 'check me out...this is what i built yeah...this is me'. Super cute. He'll bring kitchen utensils in there and kind of play. Make weird hooting noises in the corner....hilarious.

Definitely the sounds Isaac makes when he is feeling the love a little too much. I think this is that time of year for them too no? Mating season? So it can be a bit more intense around this time of year.

Brutus usually hangs out in the kitchen/office/bird room with all of us--me, Pancho the Panama Amazon, and Jimpster the Quaker. Every few days he flies into my bedroom, within earshot, and stays there for awhile. He usually talks and whistles or just hangs out. I miss him when he does this. Sometimes he is gone for hours, even though I call him. Usually hunger gets him to come back. Why does he do this?

Mine sometimes likes to hang out on the bathroom door when no one is there in the very back room and whistle away! I often enjoy the free time in those moments as well. I know he is not getting into anything.

Not sure on the nesting thing but I personally wouldn't see a problem with it... unless he is actually she and starts laying eggs!!

 

Somebody else will probably have better advice than me but I have seen videos on youtube of parrots who like putting holes in boxes so they can play in them

Yeah...I have adjusted over time to just let him play in my kitchen since he likes it so much. So there are some cabinets I give him some rights to. This one had a box with a couple of containers left in it. He opened it up and eventually got inside to make the picture you see. He seems really calm with it all so I am letting him check it out. In fact...last night....it wasn't his favorite thing for a bit.....so it's not like he is spending all his time in there or anything.

So my little guy found a cabinet he really likes and a little box inside. Came by and saw this...should I not let him do this. He seems to really enjoy this little hang out lately. Is this nesting behavior?

Please if you have any suggestions that can help with are new baby African congo grey.

She arrived Yesterday after she endured 11 hours travel time from breeder to Us in are wonderful waiting home .She is only 12 wks and I thought she was 17 wks

She arrived by plane then we had to travel a hour with her home from the airport

There was a flight delay midway and I thought from what breeder said that she was going to make sure that the plane did not make any stops but of course that did not happen !!

So She is home and after cutting her out of her carrier that had zip ties everyplace I go to get her out and give her some nice warm perfect baby formula and she came barreling out of the carrier hissing and puffed out running at the syringe and bites it screams runs to the ground.I pick her up with a blanket and put her into her awaiting home now,she has had no water or formula for all this time so I put in water and some of the food that breeder was giving baby.

I watched as poor baby drunk the water like she was in a desert I cried as she went to a corner and got behind a big java perch in her cage and tried to hide her little eyes from us.She put her head in that corner and stayed so I covered her for the night it was late.

This morning I woke at 7:30 am to feed her and she still screams at the syringe then now tries to bite me and the syringe.I cannot get near her or she screams she drinks water as I seen but today I tried giving her a saucer of baby formula ,homemade birdy bread, oatmeal warm,Her pellets and nutri berris the breeder used nothing PLEASE HELP US !!

She goes to the Avian Vet Friday was the very first they had but shes not sick YET

Thank You so much

As soon as you said "11 hours flight time" I knew there could be no reason the bird would be happy. As others have said...try to provide a comforting and kind atmosphere for the new baby. I wouldn't keep her covered for any long periods of time other than maybe for sleep at night. I find it amazing that someone who breeds these would even consider "shipping" them like some kind of stocked goods. Really hard to stay partial on that front but I will. Please find a lot of love and compassion for the new baby so she can recover from the trauma. I wouldn't mind knowing the feeding instructions the breeder gave with the syringe and formula. Did they say what temperature to heat to and how to check? Just want to be sure everyone is being really careful with this precious new gift of life. At any rate, I think she'll eat something soon.

LOL...the only way I would take Isaac on a plane is if he could be in the seat right next to me where I would gladly pay a full price ticket for him just to make sure everything is okay. Then maybe...I'd still be afraid that he would be startled by the engines. HA! Just wait till you see how much you end up loving that bird. You'll see.

Nice Cage and good to see him in it.!

Thanks....I took apart and cleaned the old cage so I have it as backup to take somewhere if I need to set up an intermediate cage for him somewhere else. Maybe even an outside cage. He is really settling in to his new place. It is funny, because he has this one area he spends most of his time. I was worried about him finding that one little place...but he did find it. I do see him cruising all over the sides and checking things out though. I am happy to know that he has more space.

I just thought about this. We get up early, 3am-4am-5am and I don't want my birds being disturbed. So I will run a white noise maker just outside of their bird room door to mask the sound of my wife slamming the bathroom door, microwave door etc.

 

You may try running something similar for Isaac to see if it stops his night frights. Similar concept to a night light only your dealing with the auditory situation if that's what's causing this. I use two different things: we have a space heater that has a fan-only setting and I also have a regular turbin fan that is super loud (as fans go) and either of those do a good job of masking any external noise.

 

Might take a few nights for him to get used to it. Set it far away and bring closer over the course of a few nights. I think that will help with him sitting there focusing on every little sounds he hears. I also use this tactic in the living room during the day when they get startled and need settling - bust out the tunes to mask the scary quiet.

By the way...I have had the fan on for background noise for Isaac at night and he has not flapped in the cage once since I started that up. Looks like we may have a winner there. He is like me in this sense, because I also sleep with a fan running so that the quiet noises in the background cannot distract me from going to sleep.

That picture of Isaac at the end of that rope is exactly what GreycieMae loves to do as well. Only we use a plastic chain with a big 'ol cow bell at the bottom. Man she can get going around on that thing and make a HUGE racket and then she'll suddenly launch off of it into a wild terrordactyl strafing across the house. If she can spook the two littles into the air she'll chase one of them like she's some sort of predatory hawk or something. Too big for her britches sometimes. That toy really gets her going.

Hahahahha...yeah...when Isaac gets into it and flapping....he will also fly off and give a battle cry! Exactly what I was hoping to see with this. Needless to say I will be collecting lots of caps. However, he does like wooden beads on the leather straps too. Things are shaping up for his play time.

Continuing with Isaac's play area around his cage...put his atom back up in a new location with a long rope hanging down. I finally sat down and made a toy out the water bottle caps and milk caps I have collected over the last few weeks. So this is the second toy out of water bottle parts....REALLY recycling!! LOL. Anyway....he could not leave me alone while I was building these leather straps with water bottle caps. He was going for my fingers like, "Hey...those are mine...give them to me." I was really being over taken by him the whole time. I was trying to tell him to relax and that he would get it very soon. He wasn't having any of it.....he wanted it now. I did eventually get it built and it looks like this.

Well...with how much he loved it...I figured I could hang it at the end of the rope hanging down and he would have a great time flying around with thing.....and he did! He was swinging on the rope and I was laughing my butt off. The pic is a little blurry cause it was my phone camera...not the best action cam.

Man...there is no toy that makes him do anything like that! Ha! I have to find a way to keep making these for him. He was swinging from that rope....flying off on the up swing and landing on counter tops. Home made toys are the best!

I go to school from Monday to Friday every week and am gone from 8:30 to about 3:40 so I am looking for some tips to keep Lilly entertained while I am gone. I have a radio I leave on for my budgies and tiels right now but I know an African grey will probably get bored more easy. She will be in my bedroom with my other 4 so that might make it easier for her but I am just wanting to make sure she stays happy. she is used to being ignored from what I know to:(

This is a great question. I also go away to work and am gone from 9AM to about 6PM. I leave a television Isaac can actually see going for both sounds and visuals. (Disney channel to keep it light) I also find things he likes to gnaw on (like empty water bottles) and jam them in the cage. Seems that those are timeless entertainment for him...he loves to chew them...and I love to drink water. The tough part is finding things they take to, but when you find that...make sure they have access to it in some way during the day if it is possible. Isaac is tough because his favorite toy is me. He walks all over my floors playing with kitchenware, cups and other things. Experiment a lot and find things they like. Lots of people suggest parts of a book to jam in the bars of the cage for chewing....I use bottles....cardboard can work....I make toys out of plastic container caps and wooden balls. The key is to try a lot and see what sticks. Good luck and share your discoveries.

This is what I use, a rabbit litter pan that I have in all my bird cages.

Wow...now you have me thinking. Does your Grey bathe in that himself?

LOL at technology... Dayo is so fast with a keyboard cleaning it looks like a popcorn machine with Keys flying out it. like Stephen and Isaac, I forget how many keyboards I have replaced now. Phone Cord, bitten in half in 1 millisecond. TV remote buttons ripped out in a microsecond.... on and on. They should hire Dayo at the electronics recycle center.... Faster than the best machine they have.

LOL....yeah...I am lucky to have my original iPhone cable....with chew marks that have not yet severed the wires....BUT it's the original one. HA!...yep....1 minute with a key board and at least 10-20 keys are popped off. Most of the time he didn't ruin the bottom of the key so it can be stuck back in. So often I am able to re-assemble the keyboard. But at least 6 keyboards have had enough keys mangled to the point of no return. Heck....you know...some keyboards are only like 10 dollars....cheaper than a bird toy really.

That's not going to be doing good things for the bright, shiny, paint job on that nice new cage, though.

 

 

Mine have all pretty much learned to tolerate showers, fortunately. I usually do them 2 at a time - misery really does love company };-> Even so, when it's warm enough to take them out (during our 3-1/2 wks of summer) the simplest thing for me is to bath them when they're in their travel cages. For one, they ain't going very far! But I also don't have to worry about getting the cage, perches, food (especially) toys, and everything else soaked. And of course, it's way cheaper to replace the little cage when the paint goes.

 

Also, my hands aren't what they used to be. So that spray bottle, which no one was ever that fond of, got replaced w/a lawn sprayer. I had always thought part of the problem was certain types of bottles & the sound of certain pumps. W/this big ole contraption, I pump it up beforehand & it sprays real nice & quietly too.

 

I won't claim they actually "like" it. But they don't seem to mind it as much, at least. So that's something since I'd always hated feeling like bath time was synonymous w/torture. You know?

Since I got him a new cage, my old way is not going to work anyway. His old cage was wiped down enough to keep rust from setting in. So he was good. Now there is too much space in the cage for him to get away from me. So it is going to have to be his travel cage now.

I just thought about this. We get up early, 3am-4am-5am and I don't want my birds being disturbed. So I will run a white noise maker just outside of their bird room door to mask the sound of my wife slamming the bathroom door, microwave door etc.

 

You may try running something similar for Isaac to see if it stops his night frights. Similar concept to a night light only your dealing with the auditory situation if that's what's causing this. I use two different things: we have a space heater that has a fan-only setting and I also have a regular turbin fan that is super loud (as fans go) and either of those do a good job of masking any external noise.

 

Might take a few nights for him to get used to it. Set it far away and bring closer over the course of a few nights. I think that will help with him sitting there focusing on every little sounds he hears. I also use this tactic in the living room during the day when they get startled and need settling - bust out the tunes to mask the scary quiet.

Excellent idea, I will run a fan that doesn't need to blow on him...just make the ambient white noise. That must be it! HA....I think you might have nailed a good idea, because sounds always send him bolting away. I will let you know how this works out.

It makes sense though, because sometimes I have his humidifier running and I don't think he gets scared then. Could be the reason why he stops sometimes.

I just moved Isaac to a newer cage which is bigger. However, this all started long before that inside of his smaller cage. He's done it covered, not covered. This isn't the first time I have tried experimenting to see why. I was actually on the fence about getting him the new cage due to this....I figured he would be able to get more speed across a larger cage. Fortunately, it looks like he still can't do too much to him self. I just don't want a wing to get stuck in the cage bars or something. How much can you really do? I cannot identify a source that is there when this happens. He must hear or sense something stir, not know what it is, and just react. I always stay calm and talk to him softly telling him that everything is okay. Maybe I will try to leave the sliding door blinds open so the sun peeks in slowly. He never does this in the dead of night...not sure why he is inspired at bed time and first thing in the morning.

What your describing sounds more like a panic to me. GreycieMae will do that occasionally from external stimulus either visual or auditory - I never know what causes it as it's over by the time I get there. I believe we had an episode of it last night during the night because I went in to find her sitting on her food bowl. She never wakes up off her swing unless something has happened. We had a hawk attack them three times in the their aviary last night and I'm thinking she may have had some after affects from that (dreams maybe?!?).

Yeah...sounds similar. Same thing...over by the time I get there. Startles my Conure and he is flying around. Exactly like something startles him and he is just too overcome to remember that he is in a cage. Thus the flying like blind analogy. I wish he would not do this. I might try to just leave the blinds crack so he can see the sun coming out in the morning. The night light I put in last night didn't help. This morning....I wake up to the flapping and I saw what I descried above exactly. WHen he stops, he is looking around and breathing like he saw something. There is nothing to be seen.

It doesn't have to be anything other than that Issac is young enough that he's still doing flight exercises to blow off steam sometimes. Think of the guys who do their push ups before they get into bed. He's also young enough to resent his bed time. Especially if you're still up w/o him. Have you tried covering the cage? Some fids really do hate it. But if Isaac isn't one, it's a great way to help him power down.

 

If he's getting night frights, it might be better to look for the source. From everything I've read light cycle & lighting seems to genuinely affect parrots. The wrong light temperature/color can actually put them off their food. Differences in the balance of day & darkness effects their sleep cycle & hormone balance. Artificially simulating the breeding season of long spring & summer daylight seasons can lead to more plucking. And he's looking awe-some right now & I'm sure you'll want to avoid that for sure!

If by flight exercises....you mean flying from one side of the cage...slamming into the other...then back to the other side and then down to the ground...appearing to be completely BLIND...yeah...he is exercising. He only does it right before bed...or in the morning before I have come out to open all the blinds. Does anyone recognize this behavior?? At first...I did cover his cage...but I believe I stopped because of this issue. He'll go quite a while and not do it...but lately...he is doing this again.

Brutus HATES baths. I solve this problem by rolling him in his cage outside and hosing him off. I do it sensitively, of course, in that I don't surprise him and I praise him for tolerating the spray. This accomplishes two things, he gets sunlight, and he gets a bath. He only gets a bath once a week though. I take this time to hose off their cages too. I know you live near me and this could work for you too.

You do live close! Yeah...I have been spraying Isaac in the corner of his cage. He is really good about dancing around trying to avoid getting wet...but I get him pretty good. For now it's the way.

I KNOW the wing flapping of which you speak. PLEASE try to give Isaac a cooked organic drumstick bone once a week. He needs sunlight and nutrients. When you find him after these episodes is he disoriented and spacey-looking? This used to happen to Brutus when he was less than a year old. The vet said he was deficient in calcium. Deficiency in calcium is caused by deficiency in sunlight because it converts a precursory form of Vitamin D into a form that makes calcium assimlable. If Greys don't get sunlight or some other form of equivalent light rays they become imbalanced and subject to seizures. I do not mean to alarm you. My only wish is to help others after what Brutus went through. He is fine now and has been for seven years. I am thankful for the vet we had when Brutus was just starting to experience these symptoms.

Yeah...this usually happens around bed time and I JUST realized last night what I must do.....he needs a night light. I am going to try that. What happens is I will turn off the light for bed, and sometimes he will get scared. I'll go out there and turn on the light, and he is looking at the bottom of the cage as if it was trying to get him. I do not see anything at all. So I figure he is just having a problem with it being too dark. Getting him a night light for next to his cage.

Isaac does get at least one chicken leg a week. I peel the skin off a baked chicken leg and he goes to town. One if his favorites for sure. He also gets red palm oil veggie pasta. He is also under a Full Spectrum lamp all day long. I am not sure why any of those things would be related to cage flapping, but in Isaac's case, it doesn't seem to make a difference. He likes it when I leave a little light for him. So I'll give that a shot.

I may have to finally ban Dorian from his favourite perch, my computer. He chewed through the power cable to my monitor, and chewed off and broke the w key on my keyboard. I have to use a pen to push down the w now. You don't realize how often you use a key until you can't! I'm only typing this because I happened to have an extra monitor lying around, but it's got the power cable in exactly the same spot so I can't let his nibs near it. I know parrots are expensive, but this is getting ridiculous! I'm surprised he doesn't yet say "Don't you do it". Anyone else got a technology obsessed birdy?

Only the 'W'....hahahhahahhah ah ah a...you got off easy. My baby has done in at least 5 or 6 keyboards (some were 70 dollars + till I learned). This year alone, he has dumped 2 waters in the back of my computer as well (minimum $150 each motherboard replacement) . He has also claimed a smart phone (at the time costing 500 to replace). Oh yeah chaaahhhh ching! Definitely watch for those power cables though...those could really hurt em.

All horizontal avian lights should be positioned 3 ft or more above the roof of the cage. Avian lights have the ability to give out long distance rays even though lights are at least 3 ft away. Incandescent bulbs should be approx. 4 ft above the roof of the cage. They give off more heat. Toys ( any type of toys or ropes or swings_) shouldn't be positioned at the same height as the light. If a person does that, the bird can't avoid seeing the light when looking across the cage. Birds don't like looking straight up into light (any type of light including the sun). If a person or a bird were to look up at the sun for a while, the eyes would get injured.

 

Of course, if your bird area has a decent amount of indoor regular lighting around the cage and room, no avian lighting is necessary. Thousands of people have birds with no avian lights near or on the cage and no problems occur.

Thanks for chiming in. Well then maybe I'll just keep the light I have. It's not really super bright in my apartment....so I think he does need something but maybe that light is overkill. Just trying to do my best to give him everything he should have.

Yes, Talon had got her eye burned by perching on her boing in her cage with the light on top. It was almost 3 weeks and 2 vet visits and a week of antibiotic drops in her eye....as the vet thought she had an infection, not a burn, turned out to be a burn. I throw the lite in the trash and bought a feather brite that sits on her cage

Good to hear from you. How close was the light to the cage for Talon? I was planning to hang this from the ceiling about 12" above his cage. perches are really 2.5 feet below the ceiling of the cage....but there are toys at the top so I don't want it right on top of the cage. I was just worried my current one wouldn't be doing much that far away from the perches. However, do let me know if you think what I am doing might be dangerous as I can always return my stuff. the stuff I read in the article I linked above seemed pretty legit.

Each time I spray Isaac and give him the best shower I can give him....he almost always ends up by one of his water dishes trying to get his own bath going. So I figure...I can get a casserole dish....fill it with water and place it somewhere he can get at it...or near his play stand...shower him up a little, and see if he puts the two together...we'll see.

Oh man...is that thing safe for parrots? I've heard with reptile lighting you can burn birdy. Someone here did just that (Talon?) I can't seem to find the UVA/B requirement-differences between avian and reptiles or I'd check it.

That is what I had heard too....you have to pay attention to the amount of UV Index, UVA and UVB Output.....5.0 and below is pretty safe for tropical....above that and it is replicating dry desert conditions so that probably would not be good. Other than that...mounting at proper distance is important. I read the following study someone was doing on avian lighting and this was one of the recommended bulbs from the 33 or so they tested.

http://buffalobirdnerd.com/clients/8963/documents/UVlightingBirds.pdf

Seemed pretty good. Let me know of any hard evidence that I have missed though.