Sarasota

"They may have come in contact with (migratory) birds that had it, but there was never transmission," he said. "That has to be done by mosquitoes." That surprises me. The report says they captured 6,000 mosquitos from California and are testing them now. Hell, we already have crows falling from the sky due to West Nile, I hope this doesn't hit here as well.

If you are not interesting in breeding and just looking for a companion, try a same sex CAG or TAG. I have two boys. They are NOT caged together, but next to one another. They have very good interactions - a few spats, never anything significant.

GREAT photos! They don't have pumpkins at my market yet. Boo West Coast! I did give the birds some organic, canned pumpkin and they loved it.

That's going up on my wall at work.....

I don't see anything. Just ////////

Such beautiful videos. And now I'm crying again. I lost my cockatiels and Indian Ringneck in the Northridge Earthquake. I know how to feels to hold a handful of feathers and sob. I'm here for you.

I'm sitting here crying. . I'm so very sorry. Nothing I can say will adequately convey how awful I feel for you. Please know it's not your fault. Greys are famous escape artists. I'm going to PM you my email and number. Please call/write anytime if you need to talk, cry, anything!

I did something like this...I wrapped hula hoops in rope. They are awesome...but the birds are still terrified of it. Even the toucans! I worked so hard on it...it's hanging in the aviary, waiting for someone to use it (funny story: the aviary door was open one day, and I caught a Mockingbird sitting on it. Of course!)

No matter the outcome, it's a wonderful story. It's wonderful that you stepped in and took care of this special bird, it's wonderful that the owner never truly gave up looking for their bird.

Beautiful, lucky birds! That java stand and toys are wonderful!

Happens to me all the time. Just wait a day or two, the feeling will pass. The minute I get a home with more land, though, all bets are off.

I was thinking a) you don't pay as much attention to her when you have your headphones on, and b) perhaps the headphones cover something scary? Lots of earrings, maybe?

I am so sorry. I know how terrified you must have been! Webcam. Absolutely. I have it on all day at work. Call me loopy, but it's how I know when one of the birds have escaped a cage, etc.

So very true, Judy.

We love pix! By the way, there are things you can do to help plucking as far as training goes. It doesn't stop plucking, but it does give the bird something else to do (and reweard it) for not plucking. It's no quick fix and may/may not solve the problem - just to throw it out there. I'm working on an anti-plucking/ABA blurb and will post it here when I'm done. Also, some people have had a degree of succes with mop toys. If you are handy, you can buy a mop head at the 99 Cent store and rig something up. Pix idea below (that's a retail item called the Messy Mop).

Yeah! Shread that thing!!!

I can't stop laughing. This made my day!

Sanzoni, It sounds like you have a happy little guy! There are many reasons for plucking. Some of them are inter-connected. Not all reasons are understood or verified. Some people believe it is solely nutritional, others claim it is hormonal. First thing to do is have your vet run a complete blood panel to rule out any possible illness or dietary deficiency. Keep doing what you are doing with toys and enrichment. As CLB suggested, you may want to invest in full spectrum lighting or find time to take the bird outside in good weather. Also, if you tend to focus on it a lot - change that behavior. Parrots love drama and attention. The more you fuss over plucking...the more you may get plucking. If your bird has been plucking for a long time, it may be habit now - like biting your fingernails. It can function as a comfort behavior. In addition, if the bird is severely plucked, the follicle may be dead and feathers unable to grow back in. Do you have a photo of the bird? I hope some of this is helpful! If the bird is healthy and happy and the plucking is not destructive, I wouldn't worry too much. Just get the vet to take a look. It's always good to have a yearly check up and the blood panel can indicate any problem areas.

Let's see if this works: http://www.parrotenrichment.com/images/PumpkinForagingToys.pdf

Sondhi FREAKS for chicken. He seems to know when I've got it the market bags and starts running his beak along the bars of the cage like a convict. BUT, when I offer him the bones he looks at me like I'm nuts. I probably look like a nut standing there saying, "Come on, it's chicken. Chicken, chicken, chicken, yummy!"

Congrats! It's such a special time when they start opening up! I think Sondheim started talking around 10 months. Then there was a lull, and he burst forth with complete phrases at about 18 months. I learned really quick to keep my pottie mouth outside the house!

Ooops! Sometimes passionate people get carried away. No one means any harm by it. I hope you got a chance to check out the pumpkin idea! I posted it late in an edit, so I'll repost it here: http://www.parrotenrichment.com/imag...ragingToys.pdf

It's adorable!!

SOOO sweet. I have to know...when she is calling for you is it Papa? Or Ray?

I'm am so very sorry for your loss. My heart breaks for you.