k9nurse

Klennex alert! What a sweet story! Thanks so much for sharing, I love stuff like that

Thanks for the input. I am not going to rush into any decisions. I need to make sure the individual bird is right for me, my home, and my lifestyle. I am going to take my time, do more research, talk to more people. The last thing I want to do is make a wrong decision for me and for a bird that will share my life. I appreciate you guys!

Hi all, So, I've had a deposit on a baby CAG now for about 3 weeks and during that time, I have gone in and visited, played, and helped feed him every day. However, I haven't developed that "bond" per say. I know he's young, but he screams the whole time I'm there. I still love him though. Today I went in as usual and saw him. We hung out together for about an hour. Then Doug (the guy at the store) put some of the other babies into the play gym area. Of those babies was a Goffin Cockatoo. I picked him up because he kept reaching for me. He is about 8 weeks old. He climbed up to my shoulder and started nuzzling my face and then preening my "feathers". Oh my, what to do. Our adult CAG is a very affectionate and sweet boy who loves Jeff very much. When I decided to get my own bird, my knowledge was limited to Greys, Macaws, and Tiels. I want a bird who will cuddle with me and want to be with me. I'm gonna do some research today and I've already talked to my mom who raised parrots for 25 years. Jeff warned me that toos can be very loud and are easily spoiled. I'd love to here ya'll's opinion. Kindest Regards, Amanda

What a greyt day! I'm so happy to hear about how Marcus is doing and that playgym was a greyt deal! Hope to hear more "a day in the life" stories, I love reading about everyone's birds. Helps those of us who are still relatively new at this know what a "normal" day should be, lol.

What a heartwarming story! Thanks for sharing and way to go!!!!

No problem, happy to help!

Howdy Marcus, I have had my 7 year old CAG in an A&E cage since he was brought home. My boyfriend's parents also have a grey, a TAG, in an A&E cage that they have had now for 12+ years. I have not had to replace any parts on mine, nor refinish it. It cleans easily. My new cage is also from A&E. They have made some changes to the newer style cages. One is the food door locks. They slide to unlock and auto lock when you close them. The little metal piece at the top is gone now too, you know, where you have to slide it to the side to open the door. That piece is still on the front. All in all, I have been very pleased with my A&E products from cages & perches to my 8 foot double java wood tree stand that barely fits in my house, lol. I also have an extra large double macaw cage made by King. It is made well, but the coating is a bit harder to clean. "Stuff" sticks more to it and I have to scrape it off versus just hosing the other cages. I clean cages at least once per week. There seems to be a bit more space allowed by pressing on the food doors from inside the cage as well, like they aren't quite as tight as the A&E cages we have. Again, a very good cage, but I prefer the food doors on the new A&E cages and the ease of cleaning as well. As far as the EZ care bowfront goes, I looked at one for my newest CAG. The pros are that it is easy to clean and very nice to look at. But once I talked to someone in the store who was shopping for a replacement for his EZ cage, I decided it wasn't for me. He told me that the locks on the front door kept coming off. The are spring loaded and the springs were wrecked. He had called the company twice and twice had gotten replacements only to have the springs wear out within the week. Naturally I inquired to see if he was opening his cage 100+ times a day to wear those springs out that fast and he laughed and said he opened the cage 3 times per day. The other downside is that since it is acrylic, it may be difficult to keep the front clean and clear for your bird to see through. Acrylic gets scratched easily. I would rather look through bars than dirty or scratched acrylic. Good luck in your search. I had very good luck finding the best prices on A&E cages through CSN Pets. Shipping is very reasonable too. But if you have a good store in your area like I do, you can always take your internet price and haggle a better deal with the local store. I got my cage for $60 cheaper than the store was selling them for by doing that

Cody looks very happy! The real question is, did you have to use "Poop Off" to get the "dirt" off the siding? LOL, sorry Deby, couldn't help myself! Can't wait to see the next set of pics.

How sad. I can't even imagine how heartbroken the owner must be.

Thanks for all the kind words everyone. Annie is doing great, just 4 more weeks with the cast now! Jeff and I decided not to take her for two reasons. One, we recently brought Paco into our home and while he is doing great, he is still a rescued macaw and does have some issues to work on which take a considerable amount of his time already and two, my baby CAG Mojo will be coming home around the same time Annie will be healed. While it's quite tempting to bring another macaw into our hearts, we know she deserves more time and affection than either of us will be able to spare. The good news is that another wonderful family came to visit her today and they are considering taking her. They have a B&G macaw at home already. I'll be interested to see if her leg is crooked at all once the cast comes off. Since she has been doing all her balancing on the other leg, I also wonder if she will naturally keep her weight shifted that way at least for a short time after the cast is removed. Guess I'll find out! Kindest Regards, Amanda

That was cute, thanks for the smile tonight! Interesting friendship

How scary for both of you! My professional advice (veterinary nurse x 14yrs) is to keep an eye on her, keep her calm, no more car rides for now, and run some bloodwork on Monday. She may need to go on some type of anti seizure med like phenobarbital or diazepam (valium) though my experience is mostly with dogs and cats so I'm not certain of the effects of these drugs on our feathered friends. More than likely, they will want to run a battery of tests. I would stick to doing a wellness profile which would include internal organ function screening and a cbc. The metals test is also a good idea. Good luck to you and please let us know how it goes. You'll be in my thoughts. Soft whistles from the Michigan clan, Amanda

Hi all, I am considering purchasing a pak o bird carrier. Has anyone used them? What do you think? Is there something similar out there that may be better? Thanks in advance, Amanda

Hi all, Would love to hear from those who have or have had macaws! I've had a military and currently have a Green wing, both recycled. Does your macaw talk? Paco has a rather large vocabulary, speaking over 200 words and phrases, even whispering them sometimes. I love when he uses his wings to hide his face and will say Peek-a-boo! He also puts his foot to his beak and says "Shhhh!" Let's hear those macaw stories!!!! ~Amanda

Interesting theories. I've heard about the no extra cuddles part, but never anything about warm foods. I can tell you that our 7 year old male CAG, Cosmo, is definitely not the easiest birdie to live with right now. He is downright mean, biting Jeff every chance he gets. Typically, Jeff can't help but cuddle with Cosmo as he is one of those super affectionate Greys, but right now he is being left alone a bit more due to his temperment during the season and because Jeff has Paco now to care for too. I can't tell you exactly what to do as I think it depends on each bird, but I can tell you that Cosmo will tell you when enough is enough. I'll be watching to hear from the experts here. I'd like tips on how to make our two mature males more comfortable during this time, aside from calling up a birdie 1-900 number of course!

Good morning to you too, Ray! I don't have a Zon, but wanted to say hello anyway. Love that you have a weiner dog. I have three and show them in AKC. I'm the President of the local Dachshund club and have had them forever, lol. Have a great day and enjoy the sunshine!

Also, are there any tips on what I should be doing while visiting him? I am touching him all over, including his feet. I talk, sing, and whistle to him. What other things can I do to help him become a confident Grey? Thanks in advance all!!!!!

Hi all, I just got back from visiting Mojo. I'm always amazed at how much he can change literally overnight! I wanted to share what I am experiencing with him and see what you all think. Today, Mojo started a new behavior. Typically, he is brought out of his cage and set in front of me where he will vocalize and look at me. He reaches for my fingers and tries to feed. His only sound right now is this "Aaaahhh" sound varying in pitch and loudness. I've often joked about changing his name to "Aaaahhh" so I could say my 7 week old baby Grey can say his name already, lol. Anywho, today he did something really sweet. He walked right up to me and buried his head in my neck pushing his head up to my chin. He would quiet down immediately when I would talk softly to him. I moved away and called him to me. He came running over (practically tripping over his own two big feet in the process) and cuddled up to my hand. I don't want to read too much into this but are these signs that he is actually bonding to me? And is this sound he is making a normal grey thing? Thanks all, and of course, here is a pic I took today. He's getting his chest and belly feathers

Our grey, Cosmo, who is a male, is completely bonded to Jeff. He likes me too, but if given the choice, he would choose Jeff every time. Our newest flock member, Mojo, is also a male and I am hoping he will be bonded to me when he comes home. I go visit him daily and have been helping with the hand feedings. I decided on another male Grey because our other two birds are male. I don't think there is any merit to the opposite sex theory. I agree that the individual bird does it all on his or her own. ~Amanda

Awww, sorry you got the nip, but what a sweet story. Amazing our babies are!

Happy Belated B-Day! Just remember, you are 21 years old, with 30 years experience!!!!!!

I am Spartacus! Prepare for glory! Love it, thanks for sharing

I love it! I just started dabbling with making some toys for my babies. I love to get creative and the kids are really good inspiration!

Thanks so much ya'll! (Yeah, I may live in Michigan, but I was born and raised in the south, still have my twang to prove it!) I kinda felt that way watching the videos on the site there. Felt like I was at a used car lot being hassled by some no brain salesman. LOL Going to Barbara's site now, thanks for the link

Sounds like you've done a great job so far! If it gets worse, ie swelling, redness, discharge, or odor; you can use chlorhexadine to clean it and if you have any animax, which is an antibiotic/antimicrobial cream, that will take care of any potential infection. More than likely, it will just heal up on it's own. Keeping it clean and dry will reduce healing time. Poor baby, sure hope he heals up quickly! Kindest Regards, Amanda