pikachu

How is Ellie doing now?

Doug, I don't know the answer to this. Pine sol is supposed to be toxic, but we used it all the time & didn't affect our Tiel. Of course once we found out, we stopped using it. And we also used Teflon until we found out it can be harmful. Didn't affect the Tiel. I'm sure you have read the posts by the owner of the grey who is wheezing, potentially from a chemical. I can't imagine what they are going through. It's not worth the risk.

Our avian vet is an hour away...that frightens me, but it is our only choice. I think there are only a couple in the state, so it's what we have to do. We were very fortunate that we were able to visit with our baby as often as we could. It made for a very smooth transition home.

There are two avian vets in AR. I bet they could point you in the right direction. Also, there are a few birds fairs that are held throughout the year where I live. Breeders bring babies to these events. I'm not advocating buying a bird from a bird fair, but I bet if you attend one, and ask different vendors, they could tell you who is reputable or not. There were also representatives from a local rescue at the last fair I went to.

The place from which we purchased our CAG, charges $5/bird. Our avian vet charges a lot more. Maybe around $20?

Glad you found it, but : shiver : I'm not as brave.

This made me laugh!

Malikah, they sell plastic chains @ drsfostersmith.com There are two sizes. Maybe the smaller size will work?

Idk if you have a local bird store, but ours sells those plastic chains. They are on a spool & can be bought by the inch, yard, whatever.

Dave, if I started a post that was titled, "Coconut milk gives me diarrhea", then I could understand you wanting to re-direct me to the proper area. However, I was trying to give input to the question. Go back & read it. I said that it can give humans the runs & that I'd be careful. I stand by my decision to add that comment. I thought this was a place to give advice & support. It is not necessary to nit pick people's posts. Time to give it a break now.

Dave, I made my comment because the person asked if it was safe. I don't know if it is safe for birds or not, but I added the comment that it can cause diarrhea in humans. I was thinking that it might possibly have the same effect on birds. I wasn't getting off-topic, just trying to help...just like when you have said that too much fruit can cause the same effect. I didn't know we were being censored on this board.

I never thought my cockatiel would ever switch to pellets. We were given different samples by the vet & he chose one he liked. I think I have heard that some companies will send out samples. If your birds refuse the pellets, don't give up, just try another.

Snap pea pods!

When the tornados hit here on Good Friday, we weren't prepared. The kids were home alone & (at that time) we only had the tiel, two dogs & a cat. Thankfully the tornado touched down in the yard & the house was spared. Now we also have a Quaker & the CAG. We have all the carriers under their cages. It's good to be prepared.

I know my birds act differently after getting their nails trimmed. They have a hard time gripping their perches & they are very cautious. Sounds like Albert was traumatized. Hope he is back to normal soon!

We chose the DNA testing bc another blood test was being performed already. We knew in a matter of days. Otherwise we would have had the surgical sexing. There is a traveling vet that comes to my area & it could have been done during the rest of the exam. I think people were just wondering why, not really questioning your decision - "surgical sexing" sounds a lot more invasive than it really is. Our baby has been home about a month and a half. It is sooo worth the wait!

Someone that works a lot with parrots once gave me this advise when I was afraid of getting bitten: "Think to yourself, what's the worst that can happen? A nip. It's not as if it is a lion or tiger biting you. It's a bird." I remember being so afraid of my cockatiel biting me. Now the thought makes me laugh. Sure, bird bites can hurt. But they can really sense when you are afraid. My spouse is so afraid of the cockatiel. He used to bite every time I took him out. I don't react. Now it rarely happens. If you own a bird, it's gonna happen.

All I know is, if humans drink too much coconut milk, they can get the runs. So, I'd be careful with it.

She lubs you!

I'm afraid to sing to my CAG - her singing voice might sound like me! All three of ours start going when we play classical piano in the house. The CAG really listened when I played a recording of "Queen of the Night" by Mozart. They love music.

Yep! Raw is the way mine gets her veggies! Thanks to both of you for the info. Our local grocery has a sale on all sorts of squash. Can't wait to try it!

I swear, it's the pretending to eat something & offering it & then taking it away (teasing) that got my CAG interested. When she first came home, she refused to eat anything except for her pellets. Now she eats everything that I offer (except for bananas), including brussels sprouts. All I have to do it walk over & offer her something that I eat and she immediately leans towards me.

Okay, so you cut it into thirds. I was wondering if they chewed into the rind. Can you do this with any squash?

So, does that mean that you give them a whole mini pumpkin? Stem, seeds & all? And they dig into it?

No, but I swear that Maui sleeps with her eyes open. I have never seen her with her head tucked or eyes closed. If I go up to her cage in the middle of the night, she is just sitting there with them open. It takes a while for her to recognize that I am there & then she greets me & comes down.