Doug

Well, I didn't get a response, but logic indicates that if rawhide is okay, the ears would be okay. I bought one ear and cut it up into smaller sections, drilled a hole in each section and included them in various toys. (You can see a couple of pieces in this picture...) The cow ear is a lighter material than rawhide - almost foam-like. Easier to shred...

I know that baby toys are generally built tough enough that the babies don't pull off a piece and choke, but parrots are a bit better than babies when it comes to destructive biting... Aren't you worried Eva will tear off the buttons and get into something inside that could harm her? (I spend a lot of time looking at baby toys and wondering about safety....)

I can't offer an opinion on your situation, but of course it has me thinking. Just wait until I tell my wife that I am going to build a walk-in aviary by the pool as part of the next phase of the deck construction... Current phase:

Oops, I did it again.... Ellie likes sitting on the back of the couch and looking out the window. Of course, that means poop on the couch. And that means she is chewing on the couch and the corners of the window and the curtains... So I made a perch for her. Because parrots are notorious biting machines, I wanted to make sure that the suction cups were out of her reach. Also, I wanted a "catch tray" for poop, since this would be over the couch (or over the kitchen counter/sink). I put up two sets of suction cups - one in the sun room (over the couch) and one in the kitchen. That way she can hang out with me when I cook. (I can't leave her on her cage's playtop when I'm cooking because she keeps trying to fly into the kitchen to be with me...) Plus, by hanging the perch on the hooks, it means that I can hide it out of the way when she's not using it. Kel is reluctant to fill the house with parrot perches for some reason... Naturally, she immediately climbed down and started walking around the poop tray, sometimes sticking her butt over the edge while she bit the edges of the plastic. So I'm sure there will still be poop incidents. Hopefully greatly reduced in frequency.... The plastic "catch tray" is corrugated plastic and pretty slick (which I wanted for easy of cleaning) but she slips around on it. I may have to change it out. I wonder if I could get a lightweight serving tray about the right size so it would have a lip... I love working in PVC for this kind of project as it is so easy to whip something together and to modify the design. Plus it's cheap... (This picture was taken in the kitchen while I was preparing her breakfast this morning...) Note: my expectations with regard to keeping the suction cups out of reach were optimistic at best (more accurately, "foolish"). I'm sure you experienced parrot owners where chuckling at my naivety... See this post for pictures.

My desk is so cluttered that she would much rather be on it causing havok instead of sitting on my shoulder or playing with the toys on her playstand. Sigh...

My thirteen-year-old daughter started to like the castle again when she realized that other kids in her social circle recognized it as a significant landmark. (It's visible from the road, but not prominantly so. It is in the back of a 1+ acre lot...) Now she's proud of it... Now, online, she refers to herself as Princess Keira. I'm not sure she NEEDED an ego boost...

I'm not sure if spoiled is the right word since I didn't start it, but she is certainly demanding! (And has high expectations...)

Today, I tried to get her head under my upper arm, kind of in my armpit (while she was standing on my desk - I had to get my chest right up against the desk) so I could continue to work, but she would only stay that way for a couple minutes.

He didn't continue the probiotics because we're not giving Ellie any antibiotics right now. Just the anti-yeast (Diflucan) medicine. I don't think that she is sneezing as a form of communication since it doesn't seem to occur when she is otherwise communicating. I'll try to be more observant...

She seems to eat a lot. I can't tell how much water she's drinking, but she seems to have a good balance of urine/feces. (Varies throughout the day, depending on when she's eating, naturally...)

The first week the vet saw some blockage in one nostril and I felt a bit of discharge one time when she sneezed. Since then, I have seen any blockage or discharge. There is an avian-certified vet about two hours away. (Apparently, some people in the local bird club don't like that particular vet, but I don't have any experience with him.) In case of emergencies, I'd really prefer to deal with a local vet.

Ellie has been sneezing from the day that I got her. Give or take - I wasn't looking for it the first two days - I brought her to the vet about 48 hours after I brought her home for the first time. He noticed her sneezing... The vet (not avian-certified, but handles most of the birds in the area) said there was gram-negative bacteria in her nostrils. He took a sample to culture this, but the results were negative (nearly two weeks before I got the results - WTF?). He also said there was yeast in her mouth. He put her on a two-week regimen of antibiotic and antiyeast medicine. Because I was on a business trip during the second half of the regimen, my wife gave Elegua the medicine. Ellie didn't go back to the vet until one week after finishing the medicine. (As soon as I got back, I noticed that Ellie was still sneezing, but my wife wasn't looking for it and she hadn't noticed. Just a sneeze, right?) I took Ellie back and the vet started her on different antibiotic, with a probiotic chaser. (Ellie LOVED the probiotic...) Ellie was on the second antibiotic for two weeks. I took her in again on Monday (24 October). The vet said that he saw some gram-positive bacteria and some yeast. He started her on a three week regimen of anti-yeast (Diflucan) medicine. He said that if this doesn't work, we will need to do some type of sinus-flushing (bird Neti pot?) or a nebulizer to get into the deeper sinus cavities. So, the real question is: how serious are the sneezes? Is it an allergy? How can I tell? If it is an allergy, is it a real problem? (Elegua has a lot of energy, she's eating well, her poop looks normal, her feathers look good...) I've already spent more on vet bills than I did on Ellie's purchase. Don't get me wrong - I am willing to pay the vet IF IT IS NECESSARY. I'm not hurting for money, but I also don't want to throw it in the toilet. Any other owners have issues with sneezing?

It'll be interesting to see how much is left once she reaches adulthood...

When I have Ellie in my office, and she gets sleepy, she doesn't want to nap on her playstand. No, that would be too convenient. Instead, she wants to be on my desk with my hand cupped over her head. She gets all nippy if I don't comply. (And growls when I move my hand before her nap is over...) She also seems to consider my computer mouse to be her rival - after all, I am cupping my hand over it. So if I continue to use the mouse instead of holding her in nap position, she attacks the mouse. As cute as it is, it causes my hand to cramp up after thirty minutes or so. Plus, it makes it hard to get much work done... Anyone else have oddball nap routines or stories?

Here's a picture of Ellie's tail feathers, showing the dark gray of the main feathers and the red-tipped feathers above the main feathers... As you can see, the dark gray tail feathers have a bit of red.

The past couple of days, she's been more adventurous - climbing all over, including down to the tray/bottom. The dogs get extra freaked-out when she's walking around on the paper - at "their" level... The next playstand is going to be all natural wood - as soon as I (carefully) identify the right trees near by. Oak would be easiest, but I don't want to take the bark off, so I'm going to have to print some ID pictures and go hiking in the woods... (And, no, I don't think I'll build a castle for Ellie...)

Obviously, I like to tinker... My wife claimed that I spoil Ellie and that I never put as much effort into making toys for the kids. I reminded her of the castle that I built in the back yard. By hand. Solo...

Getting a treat! (An almond - yum!!)

Elegua didn't like to hang out on her cage's playtop while we watched TV even though her cage is only in the next room (open between the rooms). But (naturally) if she was on the sofa with us, she would bite the curtains and poop on the leather... So I basically replicated a coffee table along with a bit of a playstand. Of course, she only likes to be on the highest level, so I have to modify it so there are some toys sticking UP. (As you can see if you look closely, she's playing with the tie-wrap holding the toy in place. Tie-wraps are preferable to the toys in almost every case...) She'll still fly over to me every now and again, but mostly she's cool hanging out only four feet away... The dogs get all excited when she's climbing on the lower levels... As you can see, I ran out of vet wrap before finishing, but I haven't had a chance to get out of the house since. I also need to purchase some casters as Kel doesn't want the playstand in the sunroom when Ellie's not on it...

Tearing up her kabob...

I'm sorry, but I cannot accept that statement. While it might be a big factor in their natural diet, it doesn't necessarily imply that it is healthy. After all, McDonalds is a big part of many Americans' diet...

What is the benefit of red palm oil versus other oils (say coconut oil)? Is there some tested benefit or just conjecture based on analysis of the components? (I ask this question because a lot of the hundreds of compounds found in most natural products are not well understood by scientists - and they are only studying the impact on humans (and test animals). It is very hard to extrapolate supposed benefits to our feathered friends. I am extremely skeptical of claims of "health benefits"...)

That's what I am currently doing, since Elegua is so reluctant to eat much of the bean/rice/veggie/nut chop. (I'm sure we'll get there...) One of the books that I read (and I'm on the road now so I can't pull up the exact wording) said to only feed pellets in the afternoon for a few hours. (I didn't mean to write "evening"...) I guess to leverage the bird into eating more fresh & "chop". Obviously, there are a lot of strong opinions in how to care for our feathered buddies!

Manzanillo, Mexico. That was a business trip. Doing some work poolside between a customer meeting and a dinner with said customer. I don't have a lot of time on my business trips to play tourist (for example, on my current 12 day trip to Brazil & Chile, I have traveled (will travel) by car and/or plane ever day except today. And today I have to work on a proposal. Sigh. Sometimes I have a free day to explore... Luckily my wife has a home office (contract project manager) so I don't have to worry about Ellie being alone very often...

For those not facebook inclined (a dwindling number?), here's the link without the intermediate facebook step: http://www.24parrot.com/Sandy-Perch--Nail-Trimming-and-Conditioning-Perch--Large-P4370/ I am really confused. So many people have complained about how the old type of sandpaper-tubes-slipped-over-a-dowel perches were bad because the bits of sand irritated the bird's feet. But the Sandy Perches get a lot of acclaim and they have the same deal with the grit underfoot. Can someone please explain the difference?