DawL

Fleas SUUUUCK! They are so incredibly difficult to get rid of, and honestly, even spray doesn't kill them. Often times it takes drastic measures to get rid of them. I definitely consider fleas to be an entirely different scenario though. The fleas breed in your home, live EVERYWHERE,and I do mean everywhere, and are very difficult to get rid of. You can't just take soap and wash your couches ect, and expect them to be gone. With birdy ailments, we can take generous precaution to prevent this from entering, and speading in our home. As long as we absolutely do not handle our birds before we shower, use antibacterial soaps, hand santizer, we know this will kill what we are wanting to kill....with fleas, just because we use something that says it will kill fleas, definitely does not mean it will do what it is supposed to do....and it ususally doesn't.

Loved this Judy, great thread! Thanks for sharing it with us

Oh WOW! Loved the pictures! What an amazing place! When do we get to see pics of what you bought your birdies? I bet they got some really awesome stuff! Such lucky fids you have

I loved the pics. I am a big fan of black and white photography. Thank you for sharing!

Oh man....I don't like KISS' music, but I LOVE Gene Simmons as a person. I just think he is a good father, and I admire that....anyhow, I also have a Nikon digital camera, and it takes fantastic video! I can't remember the model number on it though...I will have to check.

Well, since the Grey seems to be so well adjusted, that will definitely help you out! You can try to just cover the large cage in your office, but I think the sleep cage would be an easier way to go. Some people keep their fids in the same room with them, covered, when they are still awake, but I think with rescues they are already nervous and having trouble sleeping at first, so this may be the better way to go for you. I do not use sleep cages. My fids are all in my living room, but I have a den downstairs, along with a bathroom, and bedroom...so once it is bedtime, I move downstairs. As far as the sleep cage goes, it does not need to have food in it, but you will have to get up early and make your fid breakfast. They get up when the sun rises, so be prepared to get up, make breakfast, and move to the bigger cage. Yes, water should always be available, and as far as toys go, yes I would provide a few. Also, let your Grey spend some time on, and in the sleep cage during the day for awhile so that he can get used to it.

I also had this thought... If you left your bird out while you were asleep, or whatever else...and say, a fire happens... you rush into the room to get your bird that you have left out to do their own thing at night, so where are they now? Are you going to run all around the house trying to track your birds down? I think it is much safer to keep cages closed at night, not only for this reason, but so many others.

Hello, and welcome to the forum! As far as your Grey goes, he will be needing 10-12 hours a sleep a night to stay healthy. Unfortunately he will not be able to sleep with the TV on, and you working in the same room. If it were me, I would get a separate sleep cage (it does not need to be as large as his daytime cage), and put it in a different room that will be dark, quiet, and allow him to sleep. The only issue here is, since he is a rescue, he may not be willing to step up for you right away. Is there no where else in the home that he can be in his big cage that he will get attention and out of cage time until he has settled in a bit? You may very well run into this problem. Sometimes it can take months, even years to earn a rescues trust to the point that they will step up to you willingly....sometimes it never happens at all.

Thank you!!! We are definitely out of the woods here, and it is such a relief. When the vet called, and I saw the number on the caller ID, my heart just stopped...but I got the best news I could have hoped for, and I couldn't be happier. He is doing great. Tonight, he has been more lively than ever. He even snuck off of his cage and stole a piece of cardboard from one of my kids toys while I was giving my one year old a bath. I came back into the living room and he was waving it around, crest up! He has talked more tonight than any other night, and I can really tell a difference, even from just a few nights ago! A month from now I can only imagine!

I agree with Birdhouse about the oatmeal. Hopefully he will take it. I tried that with Barnaby, but he figured it out the FIRST time I tried to give it to him, and refused it. Unfortunately, I hae to towel him to administer his Baytril, but he forgives me quickly, and it is worth it anyhow to make sure he gets better. He does bite at the towel, so I have to be VERY careful where I place my hands... definitely don't want to get a bite from him...at least not yet, I am sure it will happen sooner or later (later if I am lucky)!

Agreed. As log as he showers and changes clothes immediately after coming home, I think things will be fine. You can also ask other volunteers what they do, as I am sure many of them have birds at home. When I volunteer, I shower, change, and use antibacterial soap, and hand sanitizer after my shower. You can never be too careful.

These were great! I am highly impressed! How long have you had your birds?

No, not at all. What you said was worded perfectly, but could have many things (that is just the English language). I have an Umbrella Cockatoo that I hand feed daily. He is 8 years old. I feed him Kaytee Exact Handfeeding Formula. All of the breeders I know, along with my vet's advice, say this is a great handfeeding formula. If Nutribird makes bad pellets, I would go ahead and assume that their formula is as well. Can you switch to Kaytee Exact?

Hello Dario! It is great to have you here on the forums! We look forward to hearing more from you, and please feel free to post some pics of Tango when you get a chance, we love pics!

HAHAHAHA! Now, THAT, would be hilarious!

Trust me, he will peobably HATE the antibiotics! LOL I couldn't agree more here, but I feel that if you get a rescue, the bird needs to go to the vet within the first few days. If you know you will be getting the bird, go ahead and make an appointment, and have the cash set aside. Taking in a rescue is a commitment... it is your job to save this animal in every way possible, and that includes ensuring that their health is good. Also, I have my birds in the vet every 6 months for check ups. I feel this is very important as well. Since birds hide their illness it is not easy to tell when they are sick like a cat or dog. They need to be examined often so that we can catch these things in time.

I am very confident that their lack in Barnaby's care was nothing more than ignorance on the care of a Too. I believe with all of my heart that they love Barnaby, and want what is best for him...that is how he ended up with me. I do occasionally hear from them, and they ask how he is doing. They care about his wellbeing, and that is enough for me. The woman did get online after Barnaby came to live with me and do some research, but of course this is something she should have done when he still lived there with her. She didnt because she thought she was doing right by Barnaby....and then after finding out that he was extremely ill, she realized...on her own, that she was not doing some things right for him. I told her to visit mytoos.com, and she did. She then made the decision for herself that Cockatoos should not be sold in the pet trade, and I agree with her. I will say that they did one things right though, they loved him... and they did that very well. Also, took pics the other night...went to bed because it was late...woke up at 6:15 with a severe ear infection! Had to go to ER, and am now on antibiotics that make me nauseated, and pain killers that don't help my stomach either... feeling a little better today, but can't hear anything out of my left ear I will do my very best to get the pics up in the next day or 2 Now, I also want everyone to know that I heard from my vet today. Barnaby's blood work came back. His uratic acid level went from 42, to 10.2!! SUCH A RELIEF! She did say that he definitely had a kidney infection, but he probably had it a very long time, and it may have still caused damage to his kidneys. We are going to finish up his antibiotics...the 14th will be the last day, and she is going to compile a diet plan especially for Barnaby, and we will next work on getting him converted. She has given him a clean bill of health, and he does not need to go back in to the vet for 6 months (until his checkup)!! I gotta say....I feel like I have won a war here...it was hard, but so worth it. Thank you to everyone for your encouragment through this very difficult time, it helped me more than you know. Now we just have to let Barnaby settle into his last home, and he seems to have a pretty good start to that as well

What kind of digital camera do you have (the old one)? What are the specs? I have a digital camera that takes fantastic video...not HD, but the images are clear, and crisp.

Yeah, I didn't understand that either. I have no experience with nutribird, as I feed my birds RoudyBush pellets, but I would imagine that if the food causes those issues, I wouldn't feed it at all. You are talking about pellets, right? Or are you speaking about the handearing liquid formula (baby bird food for hand feeding with a syringe or pipette)? If you are talking about pellets, I would use 1/4 teaspoon a day of palm oil in their food. I would switch the pellets you are using if you are using nutribird, and go with your choice of a healthier pellet. You can mix the palm oil in with the pellets, or with maybe oatmeal, soak it onto a piece of toast, or something else your grey enjoys to eat.

LOL! Wish I could hear him do that!

Welcome Bianca! You have a lovely flock there, and I love their playstand! You seem to really love your birds, and it great to see someone so young own up to the responibility of taking care of parrots. You should be very proud of yourself!

That is so very awesome, and you should be very proud of yourself! It takes a very kind heart to volunteer at a rescue/shelter/sanctuary. Let me know how it goes, and have a great time! You will be changing so many lives!

Oh, ABSOLUTELY. You have to look at the BIG picture here...where would Louie and Shadow be now had you not been there to take them in? Especially with Louie, as I don't know Shadow's full background...but you said the family no longer wanted him....he would have more than likely ended up in a sanctuary (which is not always a good thing) being caged all day, or given away to someone that would have grown tired of him, and treated him badly. I definitely think you both belong here.

Thanks for the advice Dave. I know Barnaby has worn a harness at one point, but who knows how long it has been since the last time he wore it. When I got him, they sent along a VERY tattered, worn out harness. I got him a new one thinking he might wear it, if not I will give it to Grimm, but I didn't want to go that route until he was a bit more comfortable being here with me. He does come right out of his cage when I open it in the morning, and stays out all day unless he gets hungry. I have not let him on my shoulder as of now. I have facial piercings, and worry that he will pull them out, but I hope he will get used to them as time goes on. He will step up for me, as long as he is not on his cage. Still, I think he has made excellent progress, given the time frame that I have had him. He seems to be very happy, and he does not scream. He definitely did when with his previous owners.

LMAO! So sneaky aren't we... Let us know if it happens!