CindyB

Thank you all so much.

SO cute! Grey's are so clever. Little boogers.

Hello! Yes, most definitely get your baby on a different diet. Harrison's diet is a great one. I don't know of a 'seed' mix I would recommend. That's not to say a peanut as a treat is necessarily a bad thing. It just shouldn't be a big part of the main diet. Also, you have to be careful what you feed your bird as far as 'human' foods go. What kind of people food are you giving? Many things are considered 'safe', but be careful of fat content, sugars and salt. Fruits are great.. banana, grapes, apple, oranges etc. Veggies are even better. Greens, broccoli, carrots (cooked is better for carrots and other orange veggies), sweet potato etc.. all good. If your grey has been on a seed mix exclusively for quite a while, I would give as much veggies and fruits he would eat for now. Also, some whole grain, no sugar added organic cereal is good. Good luck to you on changing his/her diet. Sometimes, it's a really hard thing to do. Hoping your baby isn't 'too' picky.

Hello All! My name is Cindy.. and, I am a lover of the Grey. I lost my sweet Nikki just 5 short days ago. She was only 18 years old. She had an outrageously high cholesterol level. It was just too late to change it when we discovered it. We didn't have the time we needed.. and, I held her on Friday for almost 3 hours as she had a series of strokes.. Although it was SO hard.. I am thankful to have been able to be with her and comfort her during that time. I initially thought I came here just to warn you all about Nikki's cause of death, so you could make sure your Gray babies were ok.. but, I've found this forum to be a good place for me to spend some time and read about your babies as well. I think I'll stick around! I might need some guidance if I do decide to get a new baby!

You are all so welcome, and thank you all SO much for your thoughts. I appreciate your prayers as well. Judy, I'm not sure if cholesterol is part of the regular screening. If not, it should be. I am so heart broken. I miss Nikki's sweet voice saying "I love you" when I told her goodnight each night. She was just so precious and sweet. Almost anyone could handle her.. and, when my children were young she went to their classes to teach about the rain forests. I know you all understand.. probably more than others who have never experienced the joy of being a grey mom or dad. Nikki looked at me as her mom.. and, at my husband as her mate. She was such a character. I'm toying with the idea of another grey.. not sure though.

Hi All, I joined this forum for one simple reason.. and, that is to let you all know to be SURE and have your Grey's cholesterol level checked! My precious Nikki died this past Friday. She had been sickly since last Nov. In Nov, I took her to her vet because she wasn't feeling well. She had a bacterial infection that cleared right up with Baytril. She seemed to rebound..(must have felt better) after that. So, we thought all was now well. However, she began to act poorly again.. so, back to the vet. She had a yeast infection, following those anti-biotics, even though I had given her Bene-bac. Again, she seemed to rebound and feel and act ok. Then, she acted poorly again, so I took her back to the vet. Her cholesterol level was through the roof! (over 700). NONE of her other levels were 'off'. Her liver, kidneys and blood counts were all good. Apparently, she was genetically predisposed to the high cholesterol. Although we tried hard to reverse her levels, she stroked out in my arms on Friday. She was only 18 years old, and I had hand raised her from a chick.. I just want everyone to know of this potential killer of our precious grey-babies. I am so heart broken. Please let everyone you know to have that cholesterol checked if their bird isn't acting 'just right'. Grieving Grey Mama.