Nutrition, Bathing and Caring for your Grey.

[Cosmos_Friend]

I know this has been talked about a lot before in other forums, however...

 

I've found a method of feeding, cleaning and keeping comfortable, my CAG that has worked for several years. I just thought I'd share with you what I've found and have stuck with for quite a while now that works for my Congo Grey (Cosmo). I can Imagine that there's people out there who've read some of the writings to these forums and all thought very informative, some of these may be frustrating to those who's Congo Grey just doesn't comply to how everyone else is caring for their parrot. Cosmo, is almost 6 years old now and we've been best of friends since he was 13 weeks old.

 

First off, I could never get him to eat Harrison's food no matter how I've tried and I've tried everything in the book. He will Just NOT eat pellet food. I eventually came to find a seed food blend that is a great alternative. It's ABBA 1300. It's a seed, whole food, nut, herb....combo blend that I buy on line on a parrot supply web site. Let us not forget, parrots by nature eat seeds. As a matter for fact, a Congo Grey's natural (in the wild) diet is seeds, nuts, bark of almost any tree and a occasional snail. However, we as lovers and owners of the beloved birds have found that they can live much longer and healthier lives in our care with special attention to their needs. I supplement Cosmo's diet 3 days a week with a small amount per serving of "Avian Plus" multi-vitamin, multi-mineral supplement that also has a full array of amino acids as well as kelp (iodine) which is an important nutrient to a Grey's diet (as well as other parrots) for healthy thyroid and feather health. (Note: Do not give this supplement or any other to your Grey if they're eating Harrison's food!) and of course not really having to say, fresh filtered water every day.

 

Next, I want to mention bathing. Some people will claim that you need to spray your parrot down every day. My opinion (and or course it's open to conjecture) is that your parrot will be wet every day. :confused: I would think that eventually, they'll get a chill and get sick. I spray my Grey down well once a week with "African Grey Spray" made by a company named Mango. It contains purified water, aloe vera, omega3 and omega6 oils in a "non-residual blend", there's no fragrance added.

 

Of course last but not least, there's the attention and love that they need and will give back to you ten-fold. A safe comfortable, clean cage environment to live and sleep in with plenty of toys to keep them occupied, as well as plenty of outside-the-cage time with your attention.

Edited July 4, 2013 by Cosmos_Friend

[Dave007]

I'm sure you'll find all the true information that you speak of in our numerious Boards that took quite a long time to create. Each thing you mention is covered on these boards including the most important foods, methods of bathing, types of bathing in special situations, brand names, and of course different ways of showing affection which is the least important because all the grey owners love their birds dearly and have different methods of doing it. After all, It would be a bad thing to say things that might turn out to be misleading. That's why the boards were put into place.

Edited July 5, 2013 by Dave007

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Cosmos_Friend Thanks for information that was very useful! Whats in the " African Grey spray?" Sophie my Congo grey, won't shower, and feels like I am murdering her when I spray her. She thinks a bath is jumping in the dogs water bowl. My amazon and sunconure LOVE to shower. Sophie sits on the bathroom floor, watching. When its her turn....I can't even tell you what comes out of her mouth! Been going on for a decade! Nancy

[Dave007]

Cosmos_Friend Thanks for information that was very useful! Whats in the " African Grey spray?" Sophie my Congo grey, won't shower, and feels like I am murdering her when I spray her. She thinks a bath is jumping in the dogs water bowl. My amazon and sunconure LOVE to shower. Sophie sits on the bathroom floor, watching. When its her turn....I can't even tell you what comes out of her mouth! Been going on for a decade! Nancy

 

It's just another one of those millions of BS advertisments that constantly float around on the net all the time waiting to be picked up by people. If a bird hates spraying, bathing, misting, there isn't anything arund that's gonna change it's mind. Too bad it's not against the law. although, I must say this one is unique. I had a good laugh. Hmmmmmm, maybe I should sit down and create a crazy product. I'll need time to think of good professional name.

 

PLUS---any excess feathering on flight and wing and outer body won't accept fluid. All those feathers are water, fluid proof.

Edited July 7, 2013 by Dave007

[judygram]

It's just another one of those millions of BS advertisements that constantly

float around on the net all the time waiting to be picked up by people.

They say there is one born every minute.

[Luvparrots]

My parrots will stick with their Dr. Flock spray: Aloe Vera juice and cold water. They love it and I keep in my refrigerator where it is nice and cold. They see the spray bottle and immediate climb to the top of their cages' outer perches and open their wings for a good total spraying.

[JeffNOK]

Cosmos_Friend. Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm glad you and your grey are close and doing well together. I'm not familiar with the products you mentioned, but Gracie does just fine with a spray down of water. I don't think she gets cold or sick. Their natural habitat is a rainforest after all. They have been created to accept water on their bodies with frequency. Does your Cosmo like vegetables? I try to feed Gracie a mix of many veggies, limited seed, nuts, beans, pasta, rice, potato, sweet potato, egg whites, lean chicken, and selected fruits. She won't eat her pellets anymore.

[Timbersmom]

Timber loves his daily spraying. In the warm months I use nursery water (chemical free) to spray him. In the winter (when the heat is running and it is dry) I use aloe to spray him. He hasn't been ill and would miss his daily misting. He takes a full bath when he is in the mood.

[Tyson'sMom]

I asked my vet about spraying Tyson, since he's a plucker. I thought maybe adding aloe or something to his spray water might help. I was told to just use pure water, topical products on the feathers aren't absorbed anyway, though the bird can ingest the residue when they preen. I'd NEVER use aloe vera to spray my bird, apparently it's toxic to dogs and cats, so why wouldn't it be toxic if my bird ingests it from his feathers? Even minute amounts might build up over time IMO.

[danmcq]

100 Percent Aloe Juice that has been pressed, strained and distilled is not harmful at all to a parrot. It is great for their itchy skin and I have used since Dayo was a baby to mist him down with. It reduces the dander and keeps the skin nice and moist comparatively speaking. Most Avian vets promote the use of Aloe juice and gel on severe pluckers.

 

Perhaps your vet is thinking of eating the plant itself as a whole, which is poisonous to humans and criitters. Just below the outer skin of the aloe vera plant's leaves is a layer of yellow juice. This juice, also known as the plant's latex, contains a natural chemical called aloin. Aloin is a type of anthraquinone glycoside, which according to North Carolina State University may irritate your skin if you have an allergy to latex. The skin irritation or allergy associated with latex is known as contact dermatitis, which produces a localized rash.

 

The University of Wisconsin lists the aloe vera as a toxic plant and reports that aloe vera latex consumed in large quantities can lead to diarrhea. Serious bouts of diarrhea in young children and animals may result in loss of electrolytes and dehydration. If you suspect the ingestion of aloe vera latex by a young child or animal, it is important to call your local poison control center and seek medical attention immediately

 

When applying aloe vera gel to the skin, it is a common practice to cut off the tip of a leaf and squeeze out the gel. This practice releases the toxic aloin along with the gel, resulting in irritation. Instead of squeezing, cut the aloe leaf at the base of the plant, slip on a pair of plastic, non-latex gloves and fillet the aloe vera leaf with a sharp knife. Once the aloe vera leaf is opened into two halves, scrape the top layer of clear gel from the leaf using a butter knife. Leave behind the lower layer of gel, closest to the skin. Store the gel in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and toss out the rind.

 

 

Only the Layer of CLEAR Gel is used in 100% Aloe Juice or Gel. Thus it is safe.

Edited July 9, 2013 by danmcq

[Timbersmom]

Thanks Dan! Good information.

[Dave007]

I asked my vet about spraying Tyson' date=' since he's a plucker. I thought maybe adding aloe or something to his spray water might help. I was told to just use pure water, topical products on the feathers aren't absorbed anyway, though the bird can ingest the residue when they preen. I'd NEVER use aloe vera to spray my bird, apparently it's toxic to dogs and cats, so why wouldn't it be toxic if my bird ingests it from his feathers? Even minute amounts might build up over time IMO.[/quote']

 

I'm really surprised that your avian vet would say something negative about aloe juice. Avian vets have been going out of way to tell people to use it. It's not toxic to any animal and it's not toxic to humans. MDs have told their patients to use it when they have digestive problems. The longer it stays on a bird's skin, the better. Outer feathers such as flight feathers, covert feathers, tail feathers are all waterproof and won't accept any fluids, water, aloe juice and will roll off those feathers. In 25 yrs of dealing with greys, I've yet to see any grey or any other parrot get ill from using it. It's especially good for pluckers, chewers

 

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?189967-100-natural-aloe-vera-juice

Edited July 9, 2013 by Dave007

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

I can't imagine aloe juice is toxic to a dog! ( A bird for that matter!) I discovered my avian vet when he was young and struggling. Noone knew about him. His office was small, he had one secretary.He told me about aloe vera soooo many years ago! He taught me soo much! Now of course, he is famous, and recommended thruout NY State. Noone can get in to see him! Sophie can! She is one of his original patients, and he sees her when needed. Dogs go to his associates, but Sophie, goes to Dr. Balonek! He will always greet us... " let me guess.... she is sneezing!" ( A joke... since when I got her at age two, she was sneezing, I thought she was sick!). She was imitating my sick son. Nancy

[Cosmos_Friend]

I certainly didn't mean to try to sell any product nor give advice to those who are more experienced than me. I did do some research on the African Grey Spray and all it contains is purified water, aloe vera and Omega3. I've been using it for a few years however I am open to any of the suggestions that I read in the forum that was setup already on this topic. I forgot to mention that I also feed Cosmo fresh vegetables and fruits daily such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, bean sprouts. He loves fresh apples, pears and papaya as well. I'm not one to jump at any "shiny object" I see however I pretty much go by what his likes and dislikes are (in most cases). I just want to mention this because I wouldn't want anyone to think that I'm some guy, who a few years ago purchased an African Grey because I saw one on "Worlds Smartest Animals" or "The Tonight Show" and thought it would be cool to have one., no. I've owned different species of parrots since I was 10 years old and now I'm pushing 50. It's good to have a venue such as this to ask questions and double-check solutions with you who are out there and know the African Grey with more years of experience with them than me.

Thanks for being there!

Edited July 11, 2013 by Cosmos_Friend

[Cosmos_Friend]

Oh, by the way, today is Cosmos' birthday, He hatched at 2:10 PM July 11th 2007. I got him some 13 weeks later. Happy birthday Cosmo, it's been 6 wonderful years!

[Dave007]

Oh, by the way, today is Cosmos' birthday, He hatched at 2:10 PM July 11th 2007. I got him some 13 weeks later. Happy birthday Cosmo, it's been 6 wonderful years!

 

 

We have a special place to enter Cosmo's name, age, how you got him ( if you want). Lots of people check out that section. Today, Cosmo is a star

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?25-Happy-Bird-Day-Room

[Luvparrots]

Happy Hatchday Cosmo! Have a wonderful day!

Edited July 12, 2013 by luvparrots

[Timbersmom]

Happy hatchday Cosmos!

[danmcq]

Happy B-Day Cosmo!!!

[Cosmos_Friend]

Thanks, all! and Cosmo thanks you too. I got him a "Ferris Wheel Swing" for his B-day gift. I ordered it from "Doctors Foster and Smith". It's a foraging toy that's a swing with a wheel that you can wedge treats in between rungs whereas your parrot spins around and pulls the treats out. He was so excited, he bobbed his head for quite a while!

[Cosmos_Friend]

We have a special place to enter Cosmo's name, age, how you got him ( if you want). Lots of people check out that section. Today, Cosmo is a star

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?25-Happy-Bird-Day-Room

 

Dave,

I posted about it being Cosmo's birthday and have a little story about how it all came to be for us, and some pictures as well. Thanks for the info. about this "special place".

~Rick

[Cosmos_Friend]

Cosmos_Friend Thanks for information that was very useful! Whats in the " African Grey spray?" Sophie my Congo grey, won't shower, and feels like I am murdering her when I spray her. She thinks a bath is jumping in the dogs water bowl. My amazon and sunconure LOVE to shower. Sophie sits on the bathroom floor, watching. When its her turn....I can't even tell you what comes out of her mouth! Been going on for a decade! Nancy

 

Yeah, Cosmo my CAG is terrified of the shower. Sorry for the late reply. You asked what's in the African Grey Spray. All it contains is distilled water, aloe vera and Omega 3/Omega 6 fatty acids (No fragrance). I started using this a few years ago because I had a hard time trying to find aloe vera that didn't containing other unwanted ingredients.

[Parrot Lady]

I have been using Aloe Vera Gel on Smokey and it seems to be helping with his plucking issues and he doesn't mind the spray bottle now so anything that helps works for me

[Cosmos_Friend]

I have been using Aloe Vera Gel on Smokey and it seems to be helping with his plucking issues and he doesn't mind the spray bottle now so anything that helps works for me

 

Parrot Lady,

 

Where can I get pure Aloe Vera Gel? I've tried some of the health food stores in my area with no luck. Is there some place on-line, maybe that you know of that sells it? I'm not trying to sell the idea of using "African Grey Spray", it's just the only thing that came close as a possible alternative. Since I've never used just Aloe Vera Gel itself, do I mix that with water, or spray it on Cosmo full strength?

[Dave007]

Parrot Lady,

 

Where can I get pure Aloe Vera Gel? I've tried some of the health food stores in my area with no luck. Is there some place on-line, maybe that you know of that sells it? I'm not trying to sell the idea of using "African Grey Spray", it's just the only thing that came close as a possible alternative. Since I've never used just Aloe Vera Gel itself, do I mix that with water, or spray it on Cosmo full strength?

 

Aloe gel is different than aloe juice. The gel is a salve that's used for minor cuts, bruises, areas where feathers have been plucked leaving bare spots. It's not used with any water or other thinners.

 

Aloe juice is the item that gets sprayed on and it's used full strength.

Aloe gel can be purchased at pharmacies. If they're out of stock they can order it for you. Aloe juice can be purchased at major supermarkets such as Walmart and other similar stores. Sometimes they also have the gel.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v50/DaveVP/CopyofBothtypesofaloevera-1.jpg