DawL

Volunteering is such an important job, and I just know you will be great at it! I volunteer when I can at Phoenix Landing here in NC. It has been an amazing experience, and you learn so much from it. Also, I agree that to change the world is to change the children. I have 4 daughters myself, and I strive every day to teach them the importance of love, and a trusting bond between us and our animal friends. I know there are a lot of people that did not want to watch the video, but even without watching it, it makes us think of the birds out there that need our help, and makes us want to help change their lives. Please keep us updated on your application status!

Do they have to have their cages right next to one another?

Barnaby absolutely loves toilet paper rolls

This poem gave me chills, and made tears well up in my eyes. Thank you so much for sharing this with us.

I agree with every word of this post Ray. It does take a lot of patience, and a lot of dedication as well.

I will, thank you

Hello everyone, and thatnk you for your kind words. Barnaby is doing okay today. He is actually taking the formula completely willingly, but he hates the pedialyte, and antibiotics, and I have to towel him in order to force him to take it. I didn't want to do this because I thought it would set our relationship back, but so far he has been very good about it. After I am done. I will let him out of the towel, and he will sit on my lap for a bit. He is still nervous about my husband, and kids. I am starting to think that maybe the previous man was not really nice to him, and they may have let their grandkids mess with his cage as well. I know they were aloud to stick things in his cage, including their fingers. They even told me "Dont stick your fingers in his cage, he will bite".... well, he doesn't do that to me. Also, I have not heard from the pervious owners in a couple days now. They were emailing me to check up on him, but have since stopped. I can't say that I am shocked though. Barnaby's vent area is still clean, and he can stop with the Baytril on the 4th of January. As of now, I think it is more than anything, him trying to settle in, and get used to this new environment now that he is feeling better. He does not like to step up for me from the top of his cage, but anywhere else he will step up without hesitation. I know this is normal, and I dont worry about it. It will take a long time to get his full trust, but I cant wait until that day arrives. I also bought him a harness the other day in the hopes that when he is feeling better he can go out to Petsmart with me Hopefully he wont just chew right through it LOL! I may have to buy a few more. Anyhow, thank you everyone for keeping up with Barnaby. I think we are outof the woods, but I wont know for sure until his blood work comes back, and we go to the vet next week for a weigh in. If he is not gaining any weight, he will have to stay there and be tube fed I hope and play that does not happen though. I will miss him so much if he is not home. I will update once again when I know more

I agree so much Morana! It is so incredibly heart breaking what man is capable of. This video is definitely hard to watch, but I do love the birds through it that are so incredibly loved by their owners. I love the ones that have their wings around one another as if they are saying "everything is going to be alright now, you are safe. My mommy will love you".

I love these photos! Thank you for sharing!

Cocoa is gorgeous. Beautiful birds, AND beautiful cars. Can't beat that!

Agree. Absolutely AMAZING photo. Thank you for sharing!

LMAO! LOOOVE the one where the grey is looking in the rear view all wide eyed!! I laughed when I saw it. Thanks for sharing!

Happy New Year to you as well Shelly, and I really hope you have a wonderful 2012! Sounds like a nice man...I mean seriously....handsome AND has a job?! That is almost non-existant anymore! You go girl!

I dont dilute if I use vinegar either, and I like to spray the cages down really well every now and again, and spray them off with the garden hose really well after the vinegar has set for a bit. It is very effective

It sounds to me like your bird is chewing his feathers. You did not give me much unformation to go on aside from bathing schedule, so my answer will be very broad. Whatever I list here that you have not done, I would do for your bird to try and get to the bottom of this behavior as soon as possible. Feather damaging behaviors are very complicated, and require a multifaceted approach to treat. The key is to determine the cause for the plucking/chewing, and often times that is the most difficult part. Above all you need to take your bird to an avian vet for a complete workup. He should be screened for viral infections, such as PBFD, for bacterial infections, have blood work done, get a thorough physical exam, and be vaccinated for Polyomavirus. In fact, your bird should have a well visit check up once a year. Next, you must be sure that the diet is good. You did not share the diet information with us, but you need to make sure your bird is on a good pelleted diet, such as Harrison's or Roudybush. Please be sure your bird gets fruits and vegetables every day as part of a healthy diet as well. Also, I prefer to use organic foods with my birds to avoid any kind of allergic reaction to pesticides and herbicide resdues (these can also cause feather plucking/chewing). Next, and an answer that is quite obvious, is be sure your bird has PLENTY of toys to play with. Birds can also pluck/chew out of boredom. I would also include some toys for foraging, as these seem to have proven beneficial with birds that chew. Next I would start using a water bottle for water as opposed to a bowl. Bowl tend to build up a bacteria in the bottom of the bowl called a "biofilm". This biofilm contains a bacteria called pseudomonas, which is a very common bacterial infection birds get from the bacterial buildup in their water bowls. Pseudomonas is a bacterial infection that is a very common cause for feather damaging behaviors. Sometimes it can help to increase the humidity in the home by buying a warm air humidifier, and also adding full spectrum lighting nmay help with the behavior. Last, but not least, I would check the location of the cage. Keep it away from the doorway where you could walk in and scare your bird if he can't see you coming, and also away from a window, as animals outside can be scary as well, such as squirells, owls, ect. Above all, you will need to see your avian vet. I didn't understand why in your post you said that you didn't want to take your bird to the vet... that is part of animal ownership. If your animal gets sick or something is not right, it is YOUR JOB as a responsible owner to make sure your animal gets the care that it needs no matter what. If you cannot afford to take your animal to the vet, then it may be that you should have thought that through before you got your animal in the first place. I wish you luck, and hopefully you will get to the bottom of this behavior, and try to fix it.

Tell me abgout it. I am still opening and putting together my kids toys!

Gosha- Welcome to the forums! I was wondering what it is that you feed your Grey? Has your Grey ever been to the vet for a routine checkup? Also, about not wanting to go into the cage, I have that issue with all of my birds, they just want to stay out and play! So as far as that goes, I wouldn't worry about that. Dave had excellent advice about chnging the food, and trying something else, that is why I was curious what you Grey eats in the first place, as the diet may need to be modified anyhow.

Geez, I swear I got more and more angry as I read through that post! You absolutely did the right thing, and you should be proud of yourself! This kind of ignorance just p****s me off! I am sure this woman has the internet since she has facebook, but it is a waste of her time to find out how to properly care for another living being?! That is just absurd. I could seriously go on about this forever, but I wont because I will more than likely say something to get myself in trouble, but I hope so much that this woman learns how to swallow her pride, and does what is best for the bird that she decided to take responsibility for! People like this shouldn't have animals at all, no matter what kind. Anyhow, you should be PROUD of yourself. You did what was right for a living being that has no means of speaking up for itself. You were that Grey's voice, and I hope she gives up and finds him another home.

@ Greywings...I think it is safe to say that your kids are freakin' awesome! @ Brainlinkles... thank you! I love my shower curtain! I have the bath mat to match as well... it has bloody footprints on it

Yes, yes...happy birthday again! Hope you had a great day!

Just make sure you sterilize any wood that you use from outside!

I love to see posts like this! Congratulations, and it sounds to me like you are beginning to build a great, trusting relationship between the two of you. Keep up the good work!

I am glad you had a good birthday. I will be 30 next October, and I don't want to be LOL! It seems like just yesterday I was 16! Time just flew by. Anyhow, glad to see you back online though! I don't think I saw you for a couple days and was thinkin "Where is this chick!?" LOL! Glad to see you back

This is very true

I am going to say a CAG as well. I knew it when I saw the first pic. It scares me that the lady you were talking about has been selling parrots for years, and didn't know this.