kashalp Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 (edited) Just wanted to take a couple minutes and introduce myself. My name is Steve I'm 31 years old, I’m from the Barrie, Ontario Canada area and i am the proud recent new owner of Skippy, a approx 5 year old Timneh African Grey with an amazing personality! I also own a beautiful 2 year old female Indian Ring neck and have had her since she was about 8 months. I’ve had Skippy for about 6 weeks now and in that time we have bonded tremendously and also battled some feather plucking. His move to me was from 7 hours away with people that only had him a short time so he had suffered a lot of stress and unfortunately began pulling his chest feathers around the time i had gotten him. About 2 weeks ago i started bathing him every day and have noticed a huge improvement in the plucking and it appears he is now letting feathers grow back in. I was beginning to get worried because from about week 2-4 his chest was getting pretty bare with a large skin patch forming, but currently his chest is full of down and showing signs of new feathers beginning to grow I have 2 quick questions to ask... 1. As much as some people would disagree, I have always preferred my birds wings to be clipped. I enjoy taking them outside with me on lunches and afternoons doing yard work. My busy active lifestyle requires me to take my birds with me around a lot and a clipped bird just suits my personal needs better and allows them more freedom/out of cage time then a flighted bird as our house doors are usually found open with lots of traffic flowing in and out especially in the summer months. Anyway... after waiting 6 weeks for Skippy to get comfortable with me I had his wings clipped last night. The only thing i wonder about is the wings were clipped in a straight line and now when he is sitting normally there is a small "corner" edge that hangs out past his covering smaller wings (not sure what the name is, hope you understand) Although it is not and kind of danger or anything to me it is physically not appealing to the eye having this very obvious cut line hanging out. Would it be ok for me to trim them back a tad more and follow the contour of the covering wings so Skippy has a cleaner natural looking wing shape? 2. Question for multiple bird owners... Since the arrival of Skippy my Indian ring neck Kiwi has started to shed a lot more feathers. There is no sign of plucking and no bald spots but when i come home from work there is now anywhere between 5-15 green top feathers which is a lot more than the usual few down feathers that were shed before Skippy came into the house. I was thinking about it and i guess it could be time for a molt since I don’t believe she has had one since I’ve had here (about 1 year 4 months) but I was curious if it was normal/possible for a bird to get stressed and start losing feathers with the arrival of a new bird to the house? Anywho... this post is getting a bit long now so I thank you for taking the time to read this and i leave you with a brief video I made of Skippy after the first week of his arrival with me. You can see the start of the feather plucking on his chest if you look closely and again that was about 5 weeks ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KifptAc9Npk&feature=plcp Thanks for the help. Steve Edited July 31, 2012 by kashalp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Hello Steve and welcome to our family, just wanted to say hi and others will be along shortly to offer you some advice but thanks so much for giving this bird a new forever home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 I'm a newbie myself so will let the questions wait for the experienced members. I really enjoy watching the videos of others interacting with their birds though so thanks for the video and welcome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 What a sweetie Looks like both of you got lucky! Yes I guess the more vocal majority of members are for keeping birds flighted. But there are certainly many who don't & that is a personal decision. I wouldn't fault you for your logic. Especially seeing how obviously happy Skippy is. But I do feel obligated to mention that even a clipped bird can get surprisingly airborne. So please keep that in mind & maybe consider researching avian harnesses...? I was taught to clip flight feathers short enough to disappear under the smaller feathers. It looks better. But exposed shafts can get banged around causing discomfort & damage. So I was told this protects them some. I'm glad the plucking seems to be tapering off. You might want to ease up on the baths now, too. Seems like 2-3 times a week is recommended. Spraying Skippy w/100% pure aloe vera juice might be helpful now & is good stuff for healthy plumage, too. Kiwi's molt could be stressing over her new flock mate, having to share you &/or just a big molt. She's young so you haven't had a chance to establish a pattern w/her, yet. But if the video is any indication, she looks like she's taking the whole Skippy thing in stride. Just a little ruffled feathers in that first wk pic on the stand. In general, it looks like things are going incredibly well. 6 wks in grey time is (& I do mean) nothing. Skippy's feathers are coming back. He's talking, playing, socializing & interacting like he's been in his new home forever. Very, very Greyt!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CLB Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Welcome! This is a greyt group of people with tons of info to share. It does sound like things are going very well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kashalp Posted July 31, 2012 Author Share Posted July 31, 2012 thanks for the comments. I almost forgot to ask one more question.. Yesterday during the wing trimming i was told that skippy was under weight. I have him on a good pellet diet but wondered if there is something specific that will help him pack some weight on quickly and safely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 I'm hoping for some good answers to this question too. I was told by the vet that Timber was underweight also, and he was on Zupreem, which was the only pellet he would eat according to his previous owner. I've tried Harrison's, Oven Fresh Bites, other Zupreem flavors, roundybush to no avail. The only thing he WILL eat better is nutriberries. Not ideal I know, but I'm more concerned about getting his weight up right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 (edited) Welcome Steve and Skippy. Thanks for the video, it was enjoyable. Skippy is highly interactive both physically in play and talkative as well. It seems skippy has landed in a fun and loving home. Thanks for taking him in to your home and making him a part of your life. You could nip off the small portion of primaries on each side that are hanging out without harm. Just make certain it is a clean cut with a sharp set of scissors. I don't condone wing clipping, but I certainly will help in answering questions about it when asked. In regards molt, both my Grey and conure are going through one now. In regards weight, it is very individual to each bird based on frame size. One weight does not fit all. If Skippy is eating well, happy and playful, he is fine. The most important thing is to weigh your birds once a week in the morning after their huge poop. Doing the same time weekly will give you a running average and you will know when weight starts dropping due to illness if it exceeds 10 to 15 percent. You cannot state that a bird is underweight just by feeling the breast bone. That is just too subjective to personal opinion on how it should feel. Weighing weekly is the best indicator you can use. Edited July 31, 2012 by danmcq Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Just wanted to take a couple minutes and introduce myself. My name is Steve I'm 31 years old, I’m from the Barrie, Ontario Canada area and i am the proud recent new owner of Skippy, a approx 5 year old Timneh African Grey with an amazing personality! I also own a beautiful 2 year old female Indian Ring neck and have had her since she was about 8 months. I’ve had Skippy for about 6 weeks now and in that time we have bonded tremendously and also battled some feather plucking. His move to me was from 7 hours away with people that only had him a short time so he had suffered a lot of stress and unfortunately began pulling his chest feathers around the time i had gotten him. About 2 weeks ago i started bathing him every day and have noticed a huge improvement in the plucking and it appears he is now letting feathers grow back in. I was beginning to get worried because from about week 2-4 his chest was getting pretty bare with a large skin patch forming, but currently his chest is full of down and showing signs of new feathers beginning to grow I have 2 quick questions to ask... 1. As much as some people would disagree, I have always preferred my birds wings to be clipped. I enjoy taking them outside with me on lunches and afternoons doing yard work. My busy active lifestyle requires me to take my birds with me around a lot and a clipped bird just suits my personal needs better and allows them more freedom/out of cage time then a flighted bird as our house doors are usually found open with lots of traffic flowing in and out especially in the summer months. Anyway... after waiting 6 weeks for Skippy to get comfortable with me I had his wings clipped last night. The only thing i wonder about is the wings were clipped in a straight line and now when he is sitting normally there is a small "corner" edge that hangs out past his covering smaller wings (not sure what the name is, hope you understand) Although it is not and kind of danger or anything to me it is physically not appealing to the eye having this very obvious cut line hanging out. Would it be ok for me to trim them back a tad more and follow the contour of the covering wings so Skippy has a cleaner natural looking wing shape? 2. Question for multiple bird owners... Since the arrival of Skippy my Indian ring neck Kiwi has started to shed a lot more feathers. There is no sign of plucking and no bald spots but when i come home from work there is now anywhere between 5-15 green top feathers which is a lot more than the usual few down feathers that were shed before Skippy came into the house. I was thinking about it and i guess it could be time for a molt since I don’t believe she has had one since I’ve had here (about 1 year 4 months) but I was curious if it was normal/possible for a bird to get stressed and start losing feathers with the arrival of a new bird to the house? Anywho... this post is getting a bit long now so I thank you for taking the time to read this and i leave you with a brief video I made of Skippy after the first week of his arrival with me. You can see the start of the feather plucking on his chest if you look closely and again that was about 5 weeks ago. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KifptAc9Npk&feature=plcp Thanks for the help. Steve I assume that a vet or vet tech did the clipping. From your video, it looks like a flight feather that's sticking out. With a wing cutting, the direction is the same as the actual shape of the wing. When the wing is cut in a straiht line starting from the top shoulder down to the long flight feather, normally the length of the flight feather will be the shortest. In your case the flight feather was left longer instead of it being contoured. BUT you would need to post a still photo of that wing stretched out in order to get an accurate visual as to what feather is actually sticking out. Your video doesn't provide that. Your bird is darting around playing--the wing can't really be seen because the wing is closed. What is sticking out is from a front view so which feather it is can't be seen. It wouldn't be right to give info as to what to do especially if it involves a flight feather which has a blood supply in it. Take your bird, stretch it out, have someone take a photo of the wing streched out. Then turn the bird unside down ( like a bird laying on it's back) , hold the feather out and take another photo and post them. That'll provide a top and under view. That's the only way that advice can be given. OR you can simply take the bird back to the groomer and have the person fix it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 (edited) The only thing he WILL eat better is nutriberries. Not ideal I know, but I'm more concerned about getting his weight up right now. Please make sure they're not on any recall list, ok? http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?196480-Mazuri-recall http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?196446-Lafeber-Nutriberry-RECALL-notice Nuts, unsalted, organic, palm nuts & palm oils, peanut butter are all part of a healthy diet. But since they're also high calorie, generally restricted. But you could be a little more generous w/them just for the moment. Nuts that are still in the shell are great foraging exercise. Just not peanuts in a shell because they can tend to mold which can make fids sick. Proteins will help put weight on. A very well cooked chicken bone w/some meat left on it is good. Some hard boiled egg w/shell. Quinoa is a perfect protein & very nutritious. Grains will also put weight on a bird faster than veggies. If you explore the "Bird Food" forum, you'll find a whole lot of ideas about good food & good nutrition. This is a good link about bird mash/chop. But members talked about a zillion types of foods here. It should give you some good ideas. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?194243-Mash-amp-Chop&p=241139#post241139 Edited August 7, 2012 by birdhouse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 thanks for the comments. I almost forgot to ask one more question.. Yesterday during the wing trimming i was told that skippy was under weight. I have him on a good pellet diet but wondered if there is something specific that will help him pack some weight on quickly and safely? No there isn't any quick fix. Greys don't gain weight quickly and from the looks of him, he doesn't look abnormal. Just remember that with greys, weight also has to do with the bird being a small or medium or large sized bird. The larger the structure, the the more weight it'll have. There's people here that have TAGs that vary from 265 to 325 gms and there's nothing wrong with them. As far as food, the most important thing is a healthy, varied nutritional kind of food but that also won't put weight on a bird. Any weight gain takes a long time to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kashalp Posted July 31, 2012 Author Share Posted July 31, 2012 From your video, it looks like a flight feather that's sticking out...... Thanks for the info Dave but the video is a tribute to my first week with Skippy and was taken over 5 weeks ago. The wing clipping was just done yesterday so it is not shown in the video as he was fully capable of flight at that time. Also, thank you everyone for the nice words so far. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Thanks for the info Dave but the video is a tribute to my first week with Skippy and was taken over 5 weeks ago. The wing clipping was just done yesterday so it is not shown in the video as he was fully capable of flight at that time. Also, thank you everyone for the nice words so far. Well, in order to see what feather it is, 1 or 2 still photos would still need to be seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 I checked and I'm fine on the recall. Thanks for the other info too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kashalp Posted July 31, 2012 Author Share Posted July 31, 2012 Anyone here have any experiance with the Tropican Lifetime Parrot Granules? i tried a search and only one result was found of a user that actually fed them. It was suggested to my by my local pet shop as the best they carried. Considered driving the distance and switching to Harrisons but if the tropican stuff is a respectacle brand with no known issues i will stick with that. link to food in question: http://hagen.com/usa/birds/addinfo/tropican.cfm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Anyone here have any experiance with the Tropican Lifetime Parrot Granules? i tried a search and only one result was found of a user that actually fed them. It was suggested to my by my local pet shop as the best they carried. Considered driving the distance and switching to Harrisons but if the tropican stuff is a respectacle brand with no known issues i will stick with that. link to food in question: http://hagen.com/usa/birds/addinfo/tropican.cfm Use the other rooms here to get more answers. Ther's a bird food room here as well as others that deal with certain subjects Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Hagen makes good products for parrots. Rather than purchasing whole bags of parrot food and finding that they are not accepted. I would suggest going to each website and getting their phone numbers and calling to ask for samples. Most are more than happy to provide them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kashalp Posted July 31, 2012 Author Share Posted July 31, 2012 Use the other rooms here to get more answers. Ther's a bird food room here as well as others that deal with certain subjects Done.. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarasota Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 He's really adorable. You got yourself a nice little buddy there. Others have addressed the clipping issue really well. My birds are fully flighted, so I'm no help there. In the first part of the video you describe Skippy regurgitating and comment on his body posture (body low, wings held slightly out to the side). Just as an FYI, those are mating behaviors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Hi Steve, welcome to you and Skippy. It certainly sounds like you and Skippy have a very nice budding relationship going. I can't wait to watch Skippy grow with you. On another note, I looked at the Reef Tank you have! I am so jealous I would love to have such a great looking tank. But for me, a fresh water tank is all I know I can handle. I could watch your tank all day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kashalp Posted July 31, 2012 Author Share Posted July 31, 2012 On another note, I looked at the Reef Tank you have! I am so jealous I would love to have such a great looking tank. But for me, a fresh water tank is all I know I can handle. I could watch your tank all day. Thank you on a funny note i actually just got out of the salt water fish hobby and used the funds to purchase Skippy and a new cage for him not shown in the video. lol My tank was gorgeous tho, and that video really didnt do it any justice. One of those things you just had to see in person..... I was in that hobby for about 5 years and it ate up alot of $$. By the time video was made i probably had about $12000.00 sunk into that tank since i started "reef keeping". Truely beautiful hobby but i LOVE being able to play with and talk to my new buddy Skippy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray P Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 (edited) Hi Steve and a big welcome to you, Skippy and your IRN Kiwi. That was a great video of Skippy and Kiwi. We also have a great Other birds room with many sub rooms for other species of birds. I will add Kiwi to the Other Honored Birds list of the grey forum in the other birds room. Edited July 31, 2012 by Ray P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Nice video of Skippy and I noticed you petting him down the back and those noises are what he makes when he is getting sexually aroused and you would be wise to not do that when it makes him lower his wings, he will only get frustrated because there is no way he can get satisfied and its not fair to get him all hot and bothered only to leave him high and dry, he might start biting you because he wants more. Its better to direct his attention elsewhere, tell him thanks but no thanks, you love him but not in that way and let him settle down. I think its wonderful he has taken to you in such a short time, many people have to wait a long time to achieve even close to the same results, you must be doing something right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keeco Posted July 31, 2012 Share Posted July 31, 2012 Hey Steve. So when r you going to bring skippy back over for a play date with Keeco's? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kashalp Posted August 1, 2012 Author Share Posted August 1, 2012 Hey Steve. So when r you going to bring skippy back over for a play date with Keeco's? Ha! What's up brad, I new it would only be a matter of time before U found this forum. Being Skippy over soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now