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I tried Scentcy electric candles and my grey developed cancer in his throat soon after. I lost him and will not use them again.

Thanks for your help.. His poop is white and dark green/black. The vet said it was fine when he was there two weeks ago. I think I will call him back. I don't understand what he would do if he did xray the liver. What possible problems/treatments might be. He didn't seem to think it was urgent, yet said he wasn't comfortable blowing it off.

My vet says our new bird, Tindo has elevated (above 100) liver bile acid readings. He says they were at 113 a month and a half ago and still there 2 weeks ago. He said at first that it could be because the bird had been weaned to seeds. We have had him on pellets (Pretty Bird African Grey) since about a week before his last blood test. Now he thinks because the reading is the same as before we should xray his liver. He did say we could wait a month or two and retest which is what I am leaning towards. He didn't say what could be done if there is a problem with the liver. I am all for paying whatever if the bird is sick and it can be cured, but he is so active and beginning to talk and shows no sign of any problem. I know they hide things, but he is busy and happy. Any one have any ideas or had a similar problem and what did you do?

I wasn't sure I ever wanted any other bird after we lost Tumba. It had been quiet at our house for a long time, since when he stopped talking was how we discovered the cancer. Even so, we knew it was coming and my mind was made up. When he was actually gone, it was even lonelier without him. We still had the 3 dogs, so how could we be lonely, but something was missing. Most pets don't become a part of your life for 20 years like Tumba did. In the end, as we discussed, we got a new baby and I am very glad we did. He is only making chirping noises so far, but we are bonding and it feels right. By the time the new greys are hatched and ready to go home, I think you may find that you are ready. Keep your mind and heart open to the idea, at least.

I am so sorry to hear about Betsy. I had been out of town and came home to find our Tumba had passed away due to his cancer. Anyway, I am just catching up on the story of Betsy. Again, I am so sorry you and she had to suffer so long without proper treatment.

I posted awhile ago when our Tumba had cancer. We lost him about a month ago. I wasn't sure I wanted another bird, but we went to the bird show last weekend and came home with a 4 1/2 month old. We named him Tindo (Teen-doh')which means active in Swahili. So far he fits the name. We took him for his first Avian vet check yesterday and the vet says he is very healthy and well adjusted. He loves his toys and already knows "up" very well. We have one Greyhound and a mutt who ignore him and one Greyhound who wants to get him, so he is either outside or leashed if we are playing with Tindo. He was only interested in our other bird when he flapped his wings and squawked and does the same thing now. It will take some work, but I would never trust him. The instinct is too strong. I is amazing now that he is here to realize how sick our other bird was before we realized. We took him to the vet when he stopped talking, but he hadn't been as active in a long time. This baby climbs everywhere, tries everything and seems fearless. I'm glad we gave in, I know he will be great company and we have told our grandson that he will inherit Tindo someday since he has shown the most interest of all the grandkids. Our age was what had held us back, but we should have some years left, I hope.

We couldn't think of a name for our new guy, so we Googled "African Names" and found all kinds of names with their meanings. My husband decided he liked Tindo (Teen-doh') for the sound and because it means active which our new guy is.

We have been on a 3 week vacation and our adult son was watching the house and pets for us. He had been checking Tumba's weight and giving him his anti-imflammatories and pain meds and said he was fine in the evening and gone the next morning. Tumba had stopped talking about 6 months ago after 20yrs and the vet felt there was a malignant tumor that showed in the xrays under bones in his neck. The biopsy was inconclusive but it was there and growing. My poor son felt so bad though it had nothing to do with his care. We knew it could happen at any time and were keeping him comfortable as long as we could. I feel badly that our trip which was planned a year ago kept us from being with him until the end. My husband wants to get another grey, but we certainly don't want a young one since we are in our early 60's. I'm not sure I even want another grey at least not for awhile. Tumba was such a talker and such a big part of the family, I think I would always make comparisons. Do any of you know if the forum ever has birds that are older and looking for new homes? Maybe someday....

I tried to post a picture, but it was too big. I mananged to figure it out tonight. You can see the lump on the left side of his neck.

Tumba, our 20yr old who stopped talking recently went back for a recheck today. He has gained back all of the weight he lost since he has been home on pain meds and anti-inflammatory meds. The biopsy report showed no cancer, but the vet thinks that is because he couldn't get to the tissue under the bone and cancer may still be the cause of his problem. On a positive note, he is doing better, not worse and we will continue to give him the medications until his weight "tops out" about 500 gr the vet thinks is good. He only wants hard food, not the soft the vet said we should offer. The Dr. says that is good and means he is not in pain. It would not be possible to operate again to get more of the mass or a better biopsy sample because the bones would have to broken to get to it and then Tumba would not be able to eat. He is doing lots of that now and dancing. There is no way of knowing how long he will live, but we got a scale because the vet want us to weigh him every day at about the same time and note any changes. We can call any time we are unsure and he will mail refils for medications since it is a 110 mi round trip to the vet. I am very pleased to think we will have more time with him. We spent a lot of money trying to find a cause which we weren't able to do, but we did find a confident, caring vet and Tumba will be kept comfortable as long as his quality of life is positive. Thanks again for all your concern.

I brought Tumba home yesterday and he is eating well and climbing around and alert. He didn't climb much before. It must have hurt with his beak pushed to the side. It looks more centered now and the swelling is going down on the neck. He is on anti- inflammatory meds and pain meds. I was really worried about how to give those, but the vet tech gave me some pointers and he is taking them readily on wheat thins. The vet said to give him anything he would eat at this point. He still isn't crazy about fruit, but is trying some new things. I worried he wouldn't be able to crunch the pretty bird, but he is eating it up. He doesn't like melon or yogurt or peanut butter. The bad part is that nothing grew in the culture so we expect the biopsy to be positive. The vet said if we know what kind of cancer, we can get a better idea of how to treat it and how much time he has. Thank you all for your prayers and kind wishes. It helps to have some support. Most people think we are nuts to be spending this much money and emotion on a bird.

We took Tumba back to the Avian vet yesterday. His beak looked broken and his tongue was sticking out. The vet checked carefully and discovered a growth on one side of his neck that was pushing his beak to one side. This all happened withing the month since the first visit. We left him there and the x-rayed this morning and said the mass was involving the bones in his neck and trachea. No wonder he couldn't talk. They are pretty sure it is cancer but did a biopsy and will start him on antibiotics and pain killers hoping it is an infection until the biopsy results are in. Most likely, we will have to put him down soon, but want to be sure that there is nothing we can do before we decide. Thank you all for your help and support.

Tumba is really more interested this weekend because my grandsons are here, I think. I have been holding me more since he isn't biting me like he used to and he and I have great clucking conversations. I almost wonder, since we never had him sexed, if he is a she. When I hold him/her, he lowers his feathers like he is covering me up with them. Maybe it is Spring and there is some nesting desire. Still no talking, but he eats well and is alert. We walked around the house and looked at things, but it is hard because the Greyhounds want to get at him. They are very prey driven, so I have to be careful. The dogs will stay down and walk next to us, but I can't trust them and look away. Thanks for checking and hopefully this will work out.

Thanks for your concern. How funny that you are also in Stanislaus County. Tumba is alert and seems interested in the dogs and the outside birds. He eats and drinks well. The Avian vet did say he would call this week and see how thing were going. Hopefully he will have some new ideas.

We haven't been able to pin point a specific reason for the behavior. We had moved him away from the sliding door to a darker spot in front of another window on the same wall. That didn't change anything immediately, but I moved him back a few weeks ago thinking he might want more light during this grey winter and spring. He never readily accepted new toys, but always checks them out carefully. He has started playing with one. He really acts the same except for more sleeping and no talking. He watches the dogs and the birds outside and makes a few high-pitched noises. I really am stumped.

Thanks for the ideas. We did ask him. He didn't answer.. He was driving us crazy asking for grapes all day and night. We gave him 2 or 3 a day and then he didn't want them anymore so we stopped giving them to him. Other than that, I can't think of anything different in his environment. We have 2 greyhounds and a boxer/lab mix and he used to throw food to them and call them. He can tell which is which and used to give them orders all day. Now he eats the food himself. He watches the dogs, but doesn't call them anymore. Really weird.

Tumba, our 20 yr old Grey has talked since he was a baby until about 6 wks ago. We took him to our local vet who felt he didin't have enough experience and referred us to an Avian Vet. The Avian vet ran blood tests after finding nothing wrong in his exam. The blood tests showed not problem, so we are stumped. He does sleep more than he used to, but eats well and plays with his toys. I have changed toys and added new ones, moved his cage to a sunnier spot since it has been a long gloomy winter, but he still has not said more than a couple of words in the last 6 weeks. I sure would appreciate any ideas or info anyone out there might have.