mjv413

Stahl's is a highly reputable avian vet in the area, what I described was the diagnosis/treatment they prescribed Piper. Sorry for not clarifying.

I have a quick question for you guys.... this morning we woke up with Piper and everything was as normal, normal behavior, happy bird, etc. I put her in her house at 7:15 and when I went back 5 minutes later to change her water I noticed her eye was completely clouded over with blood. She wasn't in any pain and was continuing to be normal, but regardless Gabe and I took her over immediately to Stahl's and had David examine her. He said what happened was she had some trauma to her iris that may have happened a long time ago, or may have happened recently, even this morning, and caused the hyphema. Fortunately it has clotted by the time we got her over there, and he prescribed two antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory for a few days. 6 months or so ago I did notice a small red dot in her eye, but I didn't think anything of it and for the life of me I can't remember which eye it was in. I am thinking maybe this is something that happened a while ago while playing, and finally burst. He said if it doesn't clear up in a few days then we will have to bring her back and have the avian ophthalmologist take a look at her and find out what is going on. We are all confident that this is just an injury and should clear up in the next two days.... What I wanted to ask you is if you guys have had any similar experiences, and what the outcome was? I tried looking online and really can't find anything, and all of our bird friends haven't experienced anything similar either.

I recently visited a very reputable avian vet in the area for Piper's first wellness exam. When she initially came home she was eating pellets as well as the seed/fruit&nut mixture, but shortly afterward she totally stopped eating the pellets (the oven bake ones). When Dr.Stahl asked what we were feeding her, I told him about the mixture and fresh veggies and a little of whatever we are eating that day. He went on to tell me that seed/fruit vs pellets are a huge conversation in the bird community these days, and that he strongly recommends switching her over to pellets 100% and using the mixture as an occasional treat and for the transition period. He said that on a dried nut/fruit/seed died, Piper will more than likely have severe nutritional deficiencies later in age and that she will look much older than she is. To do the transition, he said to leave the pellets (higgins high potency) out all day, and three times a day at breakfast/lunch/dinner give her the seed mixture that she was previously eating for only 30 minutes. Over 5 days, slowly decrease how many times you give her the seeds. When we first started, Piper did not touch her higgins at all.... she was completely against it and rather upset with the sudden change. However, by day 4 she was completely transitioned and now she loves her higgins. Good luck!

Ok great guys, thanks. What I mean was she paces in her big travel cage... it is not a small one. She is quite content alone at home in her normal cage, and she paces in her travel cage even if we are sitting right next to her. She has all of her favorite toys and perch in her travel cage when we go anywhere, and I tried the favorite food thing. She just doesn't seem to like being in the travel carrier itself, whether we are in the hotel/out of the hotel, and we have tried it at home as well and she still just paces back and forth in it. I will continue to try to get her to enjoy being inside the carrier

Good morning everyone! I wanted some advice on traveling.... We took Piper this weekend for an overnight hotel stay, we went to the Dave Matthews Concert about two hours away and thought it would be a great test to see how she does. She has a kings cage travel carrier, and as long as the door is open she likes sitting on it in the car. As soon as she is locked in the cage, however, she is absolutely NONSTOP. She roams around and around, upside down, sideways, etc. We recorded what she did when we were at the concert (3-4 hours), and literally 90% of the time she was moving. I will admit that when we returned, she seemed a little frazzled. Any advice as to how make traveling a little easier??? In the future, we want to take her with us, but I worry that it stresses her out more than it is worth. Please note, she does the same thing in her cage even if we are sitting there with her.

Piper does the same thing. It's their baby noise that they make... no need to go to the avian vet.

Good morning everyone! !! So my question is about coffee.... growing up a family friend and avid bird owner had a few parrots that would enjoy a few sips ofcoffee with her in the morning. Piper always shows extreme interest in my coffee and id love to share some with her. I know that caffeine is a no-no. But would one sip in the morning really hurt? Do any of you share coffee with your feathered friends??

Hello everyone! With the holidays coming up, I have started giving some thought to traveling with Piper for 2-3 day stays at a time. The aviary that we purchased her from offers boarding, but the space is limited and I would much rather prefer her to come with us if possible. I have been looking at the following travel cage, because if she is going to have to be gone for a few days I want her to have something as roomy as possible: http://www.ebay.com/itm/ALUMINIUM-PARROT-TRAVEL-CAGE-ATM2029-bird-BRONZE-cages-cat-dog-carrier-toy-toys-/350494172077?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item519b14a3ad . What do you guys think of the kings cage travel versions, and do you have any other good travel cage experiences? How do you guys travel with your birds? Any suggestions? Thanks

When our grey was a baby, she also did the yawning behavior. The breeders said that the yawning is due to the pinfeathers around her ears, and if you rub the area it will help them relieve the itching!

Hi guys! Piper just came home last night and we are very excited to watch get comfortable in her home! It's so exciting to enjoy her here without having to go visit her. I do have a question for you experienced bird owners..... we have noticed that since we brought her home, we have noticed a very distinct bird smell in our apartment. Everything was brand new when we bought it, and the cage was fully set up (except for food out) for weeks before she came home. The only new additions are her, and her food. I know that aerosols are a big no-no, as well as regular candles... so I am looking for some advise for a solution. We absolutely adore HER, we would just like to eliminate the rather strong smell as soon as possible. My game plan is as follows: Get some sealed containers for her different foods Search for some beeswax candles Introduce her to a shower, or spray bath, whatever she likes better, since I am sure she has not had a bath yet Looking forward to hearing back from everyone... thanks in advance for the advice!

What is the best way to potty train an African Grey? I prefer not to put her in a flight suit. she is 2 months old and we get here in 2-3 months. thanks!

Size: Playtop - 34"L x 24"W x 33"H Dometop - 34"L x 24"W x 40"H Weight: Playtop - 159 lbs; Dome - 139 lbs. Total Height of Cage: Playtop - 63"; Dome - 68" Bar Spacing: Dometop - 7/8"; Playtop - 3/4" Wire gauge: 3/16"

What an exciting fourth of July! I finally decided on a cage. The major selling point for me was definitely the removable playtop. Tell me what you guys think! Can't wait until it gets here so that I can start setting it up for Piper's late August/early September arrival http://www.mightypets.com/Reviews/Review__Cage-MW-Bird-MedianaPlay.aspx

Just found out that.... Piper is a GIRL!!!!>

Good morning everyone! Piper is not coming home until late August/early September, but I have started doing research on what type of home I want to get for him/her. I found one online that I really like the style of.... ideally, I am looking for something that is dark brown, and I would LOVE something that has a cabinet or shelf underneath the cage itself. These are the few that I have found that I like so far... http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3140460&lmdn=Pet+Type http://www.petco.com/product/114150/Petco-Designer-Mink-Brown-Standing-Parrot-Cage.aspx?CoreCat=certona-_-ProductListTopRated_Bird_4-_-Petco%20Designer%20Mink%20Brown%20Standing%20Parrot%20Cage-114150 I am partial to the second one, the brown one. Do you guys have any other suggestions for the type of cage I am looking for?? Or does anyone have any experiences with either of these? Something else I am wondering about is dome top vs playtop. Back at home, our cockatoo has a playtop, but he literally NEVER uses it and would prefer to be inside his cage playing or out, than stay up top. Thanks everyone!