Birdnut

The oven in our house has a "clean" button, so I guess it does have a self-cleaning feature. I think it's original with the house, so it's probably 12-13 years old. I never use the cleaning feature. We've been living here with our birds for a couple of years and have used the oven for normal cooking with no problems.

I have just read that regular human styptic powder is toxic to birds. DO NOT USE regular human styptic powder. The styptic powder I have was obtained from my vet and is safe to use with birds.

With candles, there are issues related to lead in wicks, as well as scents and materials used in the wax. At http://www.avitec.com they sell a line of bird safe candles that are made from pure beeswax with 100% cotton wicks. I use these, if I want to burn a candle. Beeswax just naturally has a pleasant scent. But even then, I don't do it with the bird in the room. I don't think deodorant is a big problem, as long as you're not spraying it in the bird's presence. I use an unscented gel-type that rubs on. I use unscented versions of as many products as I can. I don't wear perfume around the house. But I do occasionally apply a little dab of a roll-on cologne on my wrists when going out. This can easily be washed off. This site has some good safety tips: http://www.plannedparrothood.com/birdtips/birdtips.html

I don't think it happens very often. The only time I've seen it is with my CAG when he was molting and chewed a little at a new blood feather. In this case, the bleeding stopped on its own. However, on rare occasions, a blood feather can occur with catastrophic results. This is a good article on dealing with blood feathers: http://www.tailfeathersnetwork.com/birdinformation/bloodfeathers.php

I keep some styptic powder on hand that my vet gave me. The most common bleeding problem you might have with your bird would be from a blood feather or an injured talon. A blood feather is a newly emerging feather that still has a blood supply. The blood feather can become injured and start bleeding. Sometimes it will stop bleeding on its own. You can try applying some styptic powder or flour to try to stop the bleeding. If it continues to bleed seriously, the emergency treatment is the pull the feather out. DO NOT USE HUMAN STYPTIC POWDER, as I have read it is toxic to birds. I use a special powder I got from the vet.

Quarantine is keeping any new birds separated from birds you already have for a period of time, usually at least 30 days. This is done to prevent a new bird from exposing your birds to any disease. Sometimes a new bird might carry some disease that is not evident at first. A period of quarantine gives time for a disease to manifest. During this period, the birds should be kept in different areas of the home, and anyone handling the birds should wash well after handling the new bird. The purpose of a quarantine period is to protect the birds already in your household. If you have had your budgie for at least 30 days, and it is still healthy and active, before getting your TAG, it should be all right.

Moussa's cover is a green tablecloth. I like to use green.

My Moussa has the pink feathers in the same area. It's kind of unusual, but does occur sometimes. He's going through his first molt now, so we'll see if he loses the pink or if it stays.

I think personalities begin to emerge during the first few months. For example, some babies will be more shy; some more outgoing. The breeder will be able to note this. The bird's personality continues to evolve through the maturation process, over a period of several years. As with different breeds of dogs, different species of parrots will tend to have particular types of behavior and personalities. Someone who has experience with a particular type of bird will be able to tell you what type of personality they tend to have. Whether or not a particular parrot becomes a good pet with a cool personality will depend a lot on how it is handled and managed by its keeper. A good pet will be one who has enjoyed a great deal of out-of-cage time and a lot of positive interaction with its keeper and other people.

It sounds like you're really anxious to get your new grey. But i wonder if it might be best to wait a few months until after summer, when things are more settled. That would give your new bird a better chance to settle in and get to know you. After that, I would definitely take your bird with you when you go to stay in your country house.

So sorry to hear about Blue.

Congratulations to you and to Aristotle! Looks like a really good match. Thanks for sharing all the pictures. You are in good company here with folks who get it that it ain't "just a bird."

Moussa started talking at about 1 year old. His first words were, "Want some water?" He's 18 months now and is muttering all kinds of phrases, some understandable and some not. He mimics all the things the conures say (in their voices). He's like a little sponge now, as far as picking up new vocalizations.

I enjoyed your post. I love to read stories from another person who "gets it" about birds. Lucky Eshe.

My grey does mimic human speech, as well as the sounds of the other birds in the house. But when he really wants to communicate with me, he does so in his own native sounds, as well as with looks and gestures. I don't know of any studies, but from talking with other bird owners, I have the impression that the majority of greys do imitate human speech to varying degrees.

What a bummer. I have not heard of this problem before.

Greys are like most parrots and will tend to pick a favorite person in the household. It's important for all members of the household to handle the bird and participate in its care in order to socialize it to all members of the household. Sometimes they can change their mind about who is their favorite person and pick another favorite. If everyone handles and interacts with the bird, there's no reason why it shouldn't be friendly to them. My grey relates to me as his favorite, but he also has a very good relationship with my husband. My husband makes a point of handling him and taking him off to himself from time to time to hang out together for a little "guy time." Our hand-reared grey is still very young - 18 months - but he has not bitten anyone so far. I try to be very observant of his body language and accept that "no means no" and not force or push him. If I need to, I try to solicit his cooperation with a little treat. I think these intelligent birds need to have the opportunity to make choices and have some control over their lives. If they have no control, they will feel stressed and anxious and much more likely to bite.

My birds will pin their eyes when they get a taste of something especially yummy to eat. It's a sign of excitement or arousal. You think greys eyes look creepy? You should see my blue crowned conures eyes when they pin. Their irises are bright orange, and when their eyes pin, it looks like they're flashing orange ... positively demonic looking! LOL!

Wonderful news! What a fortunate turn of events. And what a smart little bird to find the right person to go to!

Well, I have to stop laughing first. I guess if our birds can try to regurgitate for us without being a bonded pair, they could regurgitate for another bird. Maybe Beaker reminds Tybalt of someone he once loved. Hey, he is green, after all. Maye it's some seasonal drive, and Tybalt is looking for the nearest candidate to take it out on. There's no figuring why one bird is attracted to another. Our male grey loves our female pionus, but alas, she's having none of it.

Great pictures. Now we can put faces with the names in your wonderful stories about your flock.

The pics are great. Looks like Lollie had quite an adventure.

I can't give advice on choosing a mate or a friend for your bird. There are others here with multiple greys that might have more advice about that. But I will say that I don't think you should feel compelled to provide a mate for your bird. It sounds like he is doing very well with your companionship.

The toy looks great! I'm sure Lollie will catch on.

Cute! Does your hamster still have all his toes? (I'm afraid my lovebird is a pretty nippy girl.)