Ear Biting

[nevjoe]

Adele, If you felt what you have said, and what you said as a joke, your words would fall differently, or are you one of those talented Writers on strike. You have done an unforgivable thing here at this forum. I read you belong to another bird site, so I fell they deserve you much better then we do. You must be a real Star there, at the other site, but here you're a pimple on my ass, that has to go. You know little, if anything about the people here.

At least you made me laugh when you wrote how much better you are then us at THE BEST GRAY OR ANY OTHER BIRD SITE ANYWHERE.

Only a FOOL, like yourself, can commit such a stupid thing as you did here. You might be a great person, but you spoke, and that was your downfall.

 

Joe<br><br>Post edited by: nevjoe, at: 2007/11/26 07:17

[Guest briansmum]

as mod of this thread i feel guilty for being away over the weekend to not oversee this.

 

i agree the joke was EXTREMELY bad taste and it was adeles mistake to make it, howver i feel the bombardment following was a bit over the top guys.

 

we have to remember is it very hard to read saracsm in simple text, and while i am not defending the remark i am asking you to put yourself in a position where you would have heard her actually say that. you would have detected immediately that it was not intended to be serious.

 

i think this is just a mis-construed bad joke.. which is a terrible combination.

 

i do not think it is cause to exile adele. nor do i think it is an indication she mistreats her bird.

 

adele if you are still visiting us, which PERSONALLY i hope you are. please choose your words more carefully in future.

[ziggy]

Briansmum,

I agree with some of your post and disagree with most.

I think the text she used whether in joke or lie I feel that she put herself in this position to be bombarded. True we would give her the benifit of the dought if she would not joke in this manner. I and many other animal lovers will not stand even in joke this kind of behavior. This is my opinion of this situation. I respect yours and hope you can respect mine. I think that I speak for many here that this is unforgivable behavior. If future bird owners or novice owners would take this advice she has givin we could have had a catastrophe on our hands. Again this is only my opinion. But I tend to think I would be backed up by many here on how I feel.

[Guest briansmum]

of course i respect your opinion. and please do not mistake that i think the "joke" was acceptable, i do not. but the point i am making is that her bird WASN'T harmed. so we don't need to start accusing her of being a bad parrot owner and telling her she shouldn't have one.

 

the statement was made by her and is a reflection on her sense of humour not the way she cares for her bird.

 

you are very right in that new members could read it and think it was a normal thing to "swat" your bird, which is why the whole post was very very wrong, and i'm sure adele deeply regrets it. i just feel she should be given a chance to explain, appologise and retract before we all condemn her.

[Dave007]

I also disagree with you . I don't know what you mean *to be here to oversee*. It sounds like you would be giving the final opinion as to how to deal with this for whatever that's worth. You were away, you came back and then you had time to study the whole thread, the replies, the reactions most of which were 5 days ago. The people here responded quickly and didn't analyze what was going on because they were responsible enough to react quickly on the side of caution. In an area where the main lines of communication are through a keyboard, certain things are a no-no on certain types of boards.

 

"""new members could read it and think it was a normal thing to "swat" your bird,""""

 

That's why people quickly reacted the way they did and they really weren't worried about what and how this person would feel. I could care less about what she thinks or feels.

You're so sure that this person was just being sarcastic? The people here didn't sit back and try to figure out the tone of the post before responding nor are they supposed to.

 

""""you are very right in that new members could read it and think it was a normal thing to "swat" your bird,""""'

 

It's not new members, it's new novice bird owners or would be bird owners that people were thinking about. I'm a relatively new member and I have more than 20 yrs of experience with parrots so being new means nothing.

You think that what she said was so over the top as to be judged ridiculous? Ever go to a bird shelter or bird rescue service? I have many, many times. The birds there don't just have a broken wing, many times they're missing a wing. Some birds just don't have a black or swollen eye, some have lost an eye. Some have broken legs that can't be fixed anymore. Most of those birds in shelters/rescues that have broken parts got them from owners who aren't, weren't and never will be sorry. I could describe other things but I wouldn't want your stomach to get upset. If this person is so damned sorry about upsetting people, she had the means to say so. Instead she decided to tell people that she couldn't believe that people would take her seriously. What gives her the right to decide how people should interpret something? What's better, take it seriously and respond or sit back and decide whether the person was being sarcastic? Maybe you've never seen posts like that on boards. I have and most people react with her hearts and feelings instead of being analytic about it.

 

Since it was you that brought the word *moderator* into the mix, maybe instead of hoping a member will come back and to top it off, asking her to come back, maybe you should think about giving a big thumbs up and a big round of applause to all the people who reacted quickly and who went OVER THE TOP concerning that post. The people here were protecting the integrity of the board, not the art of sarcasm.

Understand that there are many hurtful people that congregate on animal boards and on those same boards there are many naive people that will take things seriously. I was a moderator on 2 different boards and what was most important to me was that smartass people should'nt take things for granted when other people were involved. Not everyone is able to disect the written word. As a mod, I was never heavy on the delete or ban button but I sure as hell warned certain people that future bullshit wouldn't be tolerated. I never really cared whether they left nor did I ever ask them to come back if they left.

 

Post edited by: MrSpock, at: 2007/11/27 04:18<br><br>Post edited by: MrSpock, at: 2007/11/27 05:59

[Talon]

As admin, I have been watching this thread since it started. I have access to this site, and every post made through out the entire day and night on my Blackberry. I read them all.

 

Dave, You will see that I made a reply in this thread as well. I agree with you, such cruelty whether it be for real, or as a joke, should never have been written here in a forum with members that truly care about all the birds here, and everywhere in the world.

 

Beccy, Our members were only protecting ALL the birds that could be affected by what others reading such things might think. I don't believe that there was anything a moderator or admin could do to steer this thread in a different direction. The members here handled it well, as it was never really made crystal clear that this was a joke right from the start.

I for one, am proud of the responses that were written by all the members that posted here.

 

And for the record, Adele asked to have her account removed. That was HER decision and not ours.

 

Penny

[ziggy]

Talon,

Thank you for the props that are rightfully deserved to the members that care enough to voice there opinion on a abusive member(IMOP). I for one have not been here for a long time but I have been involved with other forums that the members are rude and cruel toward each other. I dont feel that here in the grey forum. On the other hand I think I speak for the most people here that this kind of behavior will not be tolorated by anybody,this could be from all levels of the forum. I could care less that either a mod, or admin post a barbaric lie or joke I would attact them as well. A title behind your name in my book does not make you any more superior then a new member. I am glad that the likes of people like her just left, We here as a family dont need crap like that on our forum. I say thank you and all the members that voiced our opinions and the member elected to leave(with the family's help).Being from an old Italian household we were taught that you need to respect yourself before you demand respect. I was also taught that if you s h i t in your own backyard you need to live with the stink. She elected to s h i t in our back yard and we simply just took out the trash. She might just be a nice person but as for her post she showed us a side that we just can not forgive.

[nevjoe]

If you did not speak or received a PM from her, how would you know what the truth is. If it's a joke, as she said, then why did she leave with such Hostility? Oh I see it's us older members that are out of bounds, and to have her cast doubt on us is ludicrous.

Who really knows this woman? Why do we even care about her? She has NO history with us, to forgive her. I don’t think most of us are out of line, but some people don’t respect the thoughts of their friends, and for you its not fair to us.

Joe

[Guest briansmum]

well consider my opinion well and truely stepped on.

 

apparently my viewpoint is not what is required here.

 

forgive me for trying to have a little faith in a fellow human being.

[danmcq]

The bottom line is, she NEVER stated it was a joke.

 

I have remind silent on this as all the rest of these posts have taken place.

 

But, now just to clarify Adeles reactions (you confirm of course by reading the entire thread)....

 

1) She NEVER stated it was a joke.

 

2) She never apologized or retracted what she said regarding swatting.

 

3) She immediately became inflamed and accused me of attributing bad things to her. Which I did not. I simply stated that no one should ever "Swat" a bird out of the air.

 

4) All she needed to do was stated "I am sorry it was a bad joke and I hope the new user did not take my "joke" as being serious, though it appeared as a serious statement".

 

5) She stated she wanted to be removed from the board.

 

6) I Pm'd CD and Talon and requested that she be removed.

 

7) CD removed her from this Forum, being the responsible and caring Admin he is.

 

So, there is really nothing left here to debate :-)

 

I hope :-) the bottom line here is that we care about #1 our and others Greys well being

 

#2 We highly value and respect each others friendship and opinions.

 

Peace to all and to all a good night :-)

[lovemyGreys]

Beccy your opinion is valued here it was just the way Adele so flippantly posted here with her sick humour.She never stated that it was a joke & as caring members are concerns were for the grey in question.She never apologized for her words which were in very bad taste & i for one feel everything that was said to her was justified.We don't need rubbish like that posted on our forum & the other forum she belongs to are welcome to her.

[Teko]

Well thanks guys...I think.

[Teko]

What I have done is avoided having Teko get near my ears. He will fly and land on my shoulder but I will put my head down. This seems to be working out well for both of us. I have discontinued use of the spray bottle because, I agree with you, this is not nice even though his feathers could use the extra mist. I still gets somewhat agressive when he doesn't want to go "nighty night" but we are working with him on that. Most times we try to coax him in the cage with an almond or treat. I would welcome your thoughts on that. Thank you all (most of you) for your assistance.

[Teko]

Correction: HE still gets agressive...not me LOL

[lovemyGreys]

Hi Teko, & I'm sorry that your question you first posted has been caught up with all this nonsense on here.

 

I'm pleased you have found a method to stop Teko going for your ears,i'm pleased you have stopped the misting spray

 

Does Teko step up ? i mean step on to your hand when you ask him to ? I have three greys two step up on command & i can put them in their cage.My other grey is not to good at stepping up ! i usually save her favourite treat for when i want her to go back in her cage & this generally works.If you can get Teko on to your hand gently place your thumb over his foot, he will flap but you wont hurt him & gently place him in his cage & reward with a treat.

[Dave007]

Teko

You can try this out but I'll tell you before hand that it isn't a quick fix. It'll take time. I don't know of a lot of quick fixes concerning serious parrot problems. You say that he's lately developed this ear biting so apparently, this is a relatively new phase.

 

Start trying to substitute your arm or wrist area when he's gonna fly to you. It seems that parrots enjoy the act of flying to a guaranteed landing area constantly. Obviously, your bird has that natural tendency to take off and land on your shoulder. Many people pull their hair out trying all sorts of things just to make them fly to a person. That too is a long drawn out job. Your bird has the natural ability and desire to do the opposite. He also enjoys doing it. When you hear or see him getting ready to dive bomb you, immediately put your arm in the same general area. Make your arm or wrist the target. Make sure that no matter what, you keep your arm there so that your arm looks like a safe landing strip. Try not to be afraid of a flying bird coming towards you. Believe it or not, it works but it has to be repetitive until it's the arm that he's looking for. Redo this over and over. Divert his attention to the landing strip. It's gonna be much easier for him to land on your arm if you keep that arm strong and not falter by shaking it and making him insecure about footing. It takes a while though. You've heard of Clicker Training?? Well, what I just described is a bit like that training. Think about it. I've done it with birds and they went from destructive to constructive.

 

PS---I've mainly done this exercise with adult birds that were set in their ways but they still had the ability to change and younger birds are definitely easier to work with.

 

Another PS---The last bird I did this with was one that constantly flew onto the person's head ( husband and son) and tried to pull out chunks of hair. For a while the bird was successful but now, it looks forward to flying to the owner's arm, not the head or hair. The bird enjoys it.

Give a tiny reward each time (bits and pieces of nuts)

 

Post edited by: MrSpock, at: 2007/11/27 21:50

 

Post edited by: MrSpock, at: 2007/11/27 22:00<br><br>Post edited by: MrSpock, at: 2007/11/27 23:39

[OHSNAP!]

little green chicken seems like it might be tasty i have to admit

 

In all seriousness though... This is like the 2nd thread i have read since joining. :blink:

 

Was it a joke or serious? I think it was serious because i don't see any indication of a joke. Anyway i disagree with SOME of the methods and "rules" that most people use with their birds. I'm not saying they are bad i just have a different way that seems to work best. When i had my first bird i did not use the internet to research them like most did. I can say that abuse has never been our way.... Do people really smack birds? Seems unthinkable

[Dave007]

This whole thread was started off in the wrong way. Many people decided to speak out because they were concerned about the welfare of not only their birds but all birds in general. Was it a joke? Probably, but it wasn't presented in the proper joke context. If the huge majority opf people didn't think it was a joke then more than likely, it didn't look like a joke and if people say things but don't have the talent to make sure that people are easily able to read between the lines, then it shouldn't be said. Many people joke here about a multitude of subjects but the bottom line is that when everything is all said and done, everyone has a grin or smile on their faces. In other words, the entire thread was successful.

 

As far as disagreeing with other's methods of doing things. There's loads of ways to come up with a successful solution that apply to a person's individual problem or individual accomplishments with their birds. The bottom line is that it worked no matter how it was done. People here disagree with some of my methods and ideas about doing things but for me, it works. That applies to others too. I disagree with others here but again, it successfully worked for them. There's many oldsters her that also didn't have access to the internet way back when, but that didn't stop them from trying out things.

So, as with others, your methods are equally desired by people in order to see if it works for them.

The basic method here is this---

Person #1 supplies info

Person #2 supplies info

Person #3 supplies info

Person #4 supplies info

The person looking for that info takes a little piece of each person's info, scrambles it up in a pot, and voila, that person comes up with a solution that only applies to their bird or other creature. Actually, it's pretty simple and more importantly, it works for most.

 

Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2007/12/18 19:51<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2007/12/18 19:55

[judygram]

OHSNAP! wrote:

Do people really smack birds? Seems unthinkable

 

 

Only morons would do that...............

 

And beware......Dave is the king of jokes here as I'm sure you are finding out.

[Talon]

OHSNAP,I think you need to reread the ENTIRE thread, and you will see that the members here are very much against even joking about hurting a bird.

It's time to put this thread to rest.