KatB Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Hello! I'm new to the Forum and new to the AG world, and I'm thrilled to have found a place to ask questions and find answers. I've been researching Greys for quite some time now, always thinking that someday I would buy a hand-fed baby from a breeder. Last night I had the opportunity to purchase a 1-1/2 year old Timneh from an owner in crisis and couldn't walk away from it -- the conditions the bird was living in were pretty bad. I did insist on making it contingent on a vet check, and that's coming up this afternoon. So in 5 or 6 hours I'll know for sure if this bird is mine. So far he has been a perfect gentleman -- not squawking or plucking or attacking... He has nipped me a couple of times, but not enough to hurt, and he seems to have a persistent itch -- he keeps scratching his neck area. Other than that, he hasn't shown any behavior problems. Cross your fingers for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Welcome KatB!! It's good have you here and it's even better to hear you have been doing your research and now rescued a Grey. :-) He sounds like a normal healthy bird so far, but the Vet visit will definitely tell of any underlying conditions. We'll look forward to hear the outcome of your visit and maybe you can post some photo's once things settle down there a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 KatB, welcome and of course: I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatB Posted October 5, 2007 Author Share Posted October 5, 2007 Thanks for the encouragement, DanMcQ and FairY. I'll definitely keep you posted. -KatB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trina Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Welcom to the room I hope you will like coming here as much as ME....:woohoo: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatB Posted October 5, 2007 Author Share Posted October 5, 2007 Thanks, Trina. I'm looking forward to getting to know you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Hi KatB & .I wish you luck with your Timneh & hope you get good news from the vet.Please keep us informed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fourtrap Posted October 5, 2007 Share Posted October 5, 2007 Hi KatB and welcome to the group, enjoy your stay, glad to have you here. Benny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CursingLlama Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 Welcome to the party! Great folks and info here, I'll be glad to see some updates on your new rescue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 Hello and welcome to the family, KatB, glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about this grey you want to adopt. I am so happy you could be able to take this timneh into your life and give it a good home. A few nips are to be expected but it sounds like it is going well for the two of you. Let us know how the vet visit comes out. We have many threads with lots of information in them, read thru for useful tips on feeding and caring for your grey. If you have any specific questions please ask, we will do our best to get you an answer and help you in any way we can. We love pictures here so if you have one you would like to post please do so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevjoe Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 HI KatB. Welcome to the forum {Feel-good-000200BB} Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatB Posted October 6, 2007 Author Share Posted October 6, 2007 Hello, and thank you everyone for the welcome. I do have an urgent question right off the bat. I don't know which topic it belongs in, so I hope this one is okay. First, the timneh and I visited the vet this afternoon and it was pronounced underweight (275 grams) but otherwise appeared healthy. So that's good, and I determined to feed up the bird til it gains the needed ounces. But later this evening as we were sitting near the cage visiting with the little guy, we noticed not one but THREE roaches crawling on the cage! I have never had roaches at this house, and though the environment the bird came from could have been expected to be infested, it never occurred to me that I might be bringing them home in the cage. I had thoroughly cleaned the cage as soon as I got it home, so I'm guessing the roaches are living in the metal tubing of the cage. Anyway, the cage is at this moment sitting in my back yard and my bathroom has temporarily been turned into an aviary. I don't know what to do about exterminating the roaches without permanently poisoning the cage. Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevjoe Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 I would try very hot water with some bleach. Get it off the ground and let it soak and then let it stand a few days. Rince very well. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted October 6, 2007 Share Posted October 6, 2007 Good advice Joe. It sounds like the safest way to do it and the bleach will kill any remaining bacteria and disinfect it as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatB Posted October 7, 2007 Author Share Posted October 7, 2007 Thank you Joe and Dan. I've spent the afternoon on my patio scrubbing and disinfecting and running from the nasty critters. Seems to be working -- but everytime I think I'm finished and have evacuated them all, another crawls out of a crevice. Guess I just have to be patient and eventually they'll all jump ship. At least the birdie seems happy in his huge new digs -- the bathroom. He may decide not to go back to the cage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 The guys gave you some great advice, KatB, and keep working on it and you will eventually get them all. I'm sure he is making do in the bathroom but he will be glad to have his sanctuary back after you rid it of all the bugs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 HI and Welcome KatB. I'm very happy you joined, and I know you will get those nasty bugs under control real soon. Remember to triple rinse everything you bleach, and then air it out for quite a while. The fumes are very bad for any bird. Keep us posted. I look forward to seeing some photos and hearing more! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatB Posted October 7, 2007 Author Share Posted October 7, 2007 Thanks everybody! I think it's under control... I haven't seen a cockroach crawl out in about 6 hours and have hosed and hosed and hosed to rid the cage of fumes. I'll let it air dry outside til tomorrow afternoon, and if I still see no more bugs I'll call it done and set it back up for the birdie. Speaking of the birdie, here's a photo. Hope it comes through. He was dubbed Pegasus by the pet store, where I understand he lived til he was about 15 months old. His previous owner bought him from the pet store and kept him 4 months before passing him on to me. So, he's just over 1-1/2 years old. No, I don't know for sure that he's a he, but I hope to find out once things settle down around here. According to his previous owner he's mechanically inclined -- she said he doesn't like to be in his cage (and who would, sharing it with the cockroaches, ya know?) and he disassembled the door locking mechanism by removing one of the screws that held the eye the bolt fits into. She swears he did it and that he is currently working on the failsafe device -- a little metal tab that swings down to hold the door in place if the bar lock isn't engaged. For my part, I'm inclined to call him Capone -- today he picked up his SS food dish and dumped all the pellets on the floor, then proceeded over and over to bang the dish along the dowels of the back of the chair he was standing on -- like prisoners do with their water cups in the movies! Again, thanks for your help. Hopefully this crisis is at an end! --KatB Post edited by: KatB, at: 2007/10/07 05:24<br><br>Post edited by: KatB, at: 2007/10/07 05:28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted October 7, 2007 Share Posted October 7, 2007 KatB, It sounds like you have done a great job in removing the roaches and disinfecting the Cage all in one swoop. :-) Pegasus or Capone (whatever you decide) just may like the huge cage/room you provided him, but since he probably views the Cage as "HIS" home, he will welcome the security it provides. I love the mental picture you painted of prisoners running the cup along the Bar's...very funny!!! :laugh: Looking forward to more stories and photos!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatB Posted October 7, 2007 Author Share Posted October 7, 2007 Can someone tell me how to upload a photo? The one I tried to attach to my previous post didn't make it. My first attempt I tried to attach one that was too large and on the second attempt I got the message that I couldn't upload a jpg. So I inserted it into a doc, and made sure the doc was under 250 kb, and still it didn't work. Any hints? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 Hi KatB, YOu need to re-size any photo you wish to post to 500 or less pixels for it to post in a reply topic. If you browse to the photo on your PC and double click on it, it should open the default image software which is most times MSPaint. The you can Click on the Image menu item and then on size or re-size. Click on the units down arrow and change it to pixels. Then change the largest value to 500 and the other will change automatically to keep the proper aspect ratio. Then click on Save-As and name it something like reduced_Grey.jpg and you should then be able to post it in your topic reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kiwibarb12 Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 regarding the persistant itch on his neck - is it just one side? My TAG rubs his neck when he wants pets. You might try to pet his head next time he does this. and congratulations to the both of you. I hope you have many happy and healthy years together Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatB Posted October 8, 2007 Author Share Posted October 8, 2007 Thank you! Here's the pic of my new baby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatB Posted October 8, 2007 Author Share Posted October 8, 2007 You know, Kiwibarb12, I think you may have something. Although I know he itches -- apparently his previous owner forgot she was supposed to bathe him -- I've noticed he has taken up the habit of scratching his neck with his foot, then stretching his neck out to me, almost standing on his head sometimes to give me access to the place he just showed me I was supposed to scratch When I do scratch it, it feels rough and scaly at the base of the feathers. Is that normal, or something I should talk to my vet about? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdmom Posted October 8, 2007 Share Posted October 8, 2007 hello, Be careful; the water can get in there, and then you'll get rust in your cage and its harmful to birds. Bleach disinfects, but if you use alot of water with it you gotta make sure that cage gets dried out thoroughly, maybe roll it out into the afternoon sun several hours and let it air out and sun dry. You do need to be careful when rinsing the cage. It sounds like your cage has tubing with openings in it. The roaches will lay eggs. I don't think bleach will kill the eggs, they hatch in a pretty short cycle as long as it's warm. Roaches need water to survive. The only insecticide I know of that will kill insects and that is non toxic to birds is called Camicide. It works on roaches, waterbugs leas flies mosquitoes carpet beetles clothes moths and gnats. The bottle I have I bought at the local bird shop. The phone number on the back of the bottle is 800-448-9030 and its manufactured by Indchem Group in St. Louis, MO. Call them and ask where you can buy it locally. I would try also your local equine feed store, it's used for horse stables too. Get some, and spray the cage down with it. Then wipe it clean again with a damp sponge and some bleach and let the cage air and sun dry. You may want to invest in a smaller travel cage for the interim period. I have one and it's been a life saver over time. You can buy a small cage about 18X24 with one inch bar spacing at your local bird store. It should be fine for a week but let him out alot and put his perches in there with the right size for his toes. This cage will come in handy for travel also, try to find one that folds down. I paid around $100 for my travel cage. It's in the bedroom as a 'timeout' cage for naughty birdy. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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