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All things birds . . . / General Discussion / bird talk
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on: October 19, 2009, 12:32:34 PM
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Started by KarenB | Last post by KarenB
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Hello, I am the guardian(with my son) of a budgie named Zazu. He is about 8 months old and blue. He says pretty bird and pretty Zazu. He often sounds as if he's speaking english, the right inflections and everything, but I can't hear any actual words..like babbling. I have become facinated with him, and birds in general.
What are some thoughts about birds talking in context, not just mimicking? Does anyone think that budgies can? Does anyone have any experiences with this? I have seen the utubes of "Victor". Very interesting... What do other people think about this? 
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All things birds . . . / General Discussion / Introduction
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on: July 14, 2009, 01:41:49 PM
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Started by Tom A | Last post by Tom A
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Hello everyone!
My name is Tom from El Paso, TX. I am proudly owned by my 16 month old CAG Hershey and my 3 year old Tiel named Elvis (or my devil bird as I like to call him) I look forward to being a part of the forum and sharing stories with all of you.
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3
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All things birds . . . / Behavior / Aggressive male behavior
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on: July 01, 2009, 09:20:53 AM
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Started by Debbie T | Last post by Debbie T
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I have a male Timneh who's about 6 years old. He's in love with my 14 year old son, who can do anything with him and doesn't get bit. The Timneh has lived with us for 2+ years now, my female Congo has been here about 4 years.
The problem is the Timneh is aggressive to almost everyone else. My husband can't get near him. He's "okay" with me unless my son is in the room. He does bite me unexpectedly to the point of drawing blood. He's always been very territorial with his food bowl, play stand and cage. If he can't grab a hand or arm to bite, he'll grab my hair.
The bigger problem is that he will actually throw himself off his playstand and attack any of my son's friends that walk past him, even if they're feet away. Sometimes when the kids are watching tv he'll sneak quietly off his stand and then go after them. He's gone after my elderly dog and other pets. He jumps off his playstand and will climb up on my other grey's stand and fight with her until she vacates. If they both end up on the floor he'll attack her. I've had to put "things" between them to neutralize the fight, such as a pillow, magazine or whatever I can get my hands on so I can rescue my female.
He is now going after toes, whether in shoes, socks or barefoot. He hates people's toes and he won't let you pick him up to make him stop attacking. At this point I have to get a portable stand to pick him up.
I was hoping that as time passed he would fit in better with our household, but it almost seems like he's determined to get rid of us all and have the whole house to himself.
He reminds me of Michael Keaton in "Pacific Heights." Comments or suggestions?
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4
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All things birds . . . / Behavior / Re: Buddy is pluckingn her neck.
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on: June 19, 2008, 02:41:37 AM
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Started by BuddysMom | Last post by BuddysMom08
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Hi there, I thought I'd update you on Buddis progress. Since November she ate the red palm oil right out of a little spoon, for about 90 days, then one day decided not to eat it anymore. that was that! So, i resorted to hiding it in food (hard to hide anything that is orange). Anyway, the plucking wanted through the winter months and then in April 08, it started again. So I took her in for her annual check up and she is perfectly healthy.
As you may know if you read this post, I acquired a second grey one year before, in April 07. That is when the plucking got really bad. So, its hard to know if it was the arrival of number two, Charlie, or if it was some kind of seasonal hormonal thing, or what. I've tried everything: aloe, more baths, more attention, red palm oil, no colored pellets, vet checks, you name it. But in the fall and in the spring, the plucking seems to escalate. So, in april of this year, when she plucked her entire neck all the way around, I contacted the person I bought number two from. She missed Charlie, and regretted selling him so guess what. Charlie went home. Good for him. Now, I could concentrate on number one entirely. It has helped but at first, she stopped eating and I learned why they say birds are social, flock eaters. So, then I had to eat with her; apparently, she was eating with Charlie and now that I think about it she ate whatever he ate from the first week I had him.
So now, she dropped from 436 to 425 grams in 30 days. I ate with her; I shared my food. I went down and got the colored Zupreem pellets again, which she wolfs down. So now two months later, she is eating fine back up to 438 grams. Even eating her beak apetit, but right now, won't eat rowdy bush. This too, will change.
Right now her neck is not as plucked as it was in April before Charlie left, but I think maybe that has more to do with something seasonal and attention, than food. I know the red palm helps with dry skin, but I cannot say the aloe really helped noticeably. I keep it on hand and one time I sprayed it on a cut toe. She hates showers and I have read that greys in the wild do not bathe the way amazons do: the greys amble out on a limb during rain and only get a bit wet, then go back under the leaves. But the humidity is high in the Congo.....I think she feels better when it is humid so I have a humidifier. Showers are really short, and occasionally she enjoys a real cold one-- but usually tries to get out of there fast; I do spritz her in between.
The 1:1 scritching and preening sessions are really important for her, I think it helps the itching from new pin feathers. I put red palm in her food now and then-- but if she is expecting it, she boycotts it.
I think it boils down to routine, attention, and perhaps, seasonal triggers of their hormones. I'll know more after I go thru another season with no other bird in the house, then I can compare 06 to 07 to 08.
But Buddi is now 6.5 years. So, when I got Charlie in 4/07, she would have just been entering sexual maturity. Maybe she needed a mate, and perhaps the plucking is from sexual frustration? Just thought I'd throw it out there...  she goes ape anytime a male human is in the house, she just loves men! She's very sociable.
Right now, part of the neck has grown back, she is just plucked on the back and right side of her neck. The saga contines! More later, Joanne
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All things birds . . . / Behavior / Spring fever feather destruction?
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on: April 09, 2008, 07:47:00 AM
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Started by Debbie T | Last post by Debbie T
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I have an almost 3 year old female CAG (Fawkes) who started barbering her feathers a year ago October. I think I'm beginning to see a pattern in her behavior. For most of the year she does pretty well with leaving her feathers alone, but in October and April she really makes a mess out of herself. I've noticed a big change in her personality this month: she's loud and screechier than normal, irritable, seems to want something but she doesn't know what, and has barbered and picked her feathers terribly. She will ask for her favorite snack (macadamia nuts) and then reject them. She'll ask to have her head scratched and then bite me. She'll flap her wings and want to be picked up but then doesn't know where to go from there. She's been doing the regurgitation head bob. Last week she did a courtship dance for us on our kitchen island (along with cute little "ah-ah" vocals). She started all of this about April 2 and is just beginning to "calm down" now, a week later. The feather destruction is slowing down now too.
In the past I've been told that she won't reach sexual maturity until she's 5-6 years old and so she can't be hormonal, but I can't help but think the change in seasons gets her started.
I've been through almost 2 years of researching every other reason for her behavior and have tried changes to diet (she eats Harrison's plus fresh home-made mash twice a day, red palm oil, bottled water, AviCalm); I've had her thoroughly tested by Dr. LaBonde plus did additional giardia testing (negative); she has lots of toys and a variety of textures to play with; spends 12+ hours out of her cage; I'm running 2 humidifiers; no stressers in her environment; bought her a companion TAG (they don't get along); tried to get her to bathe more. At one point I was having her lower beak notched, but I didn't feel good about that and stopped. That's only addressing a symptom and not a cause anyway. I even went as far as having her "read" by an animal communicator/psychic (waste of money).
I've heard that wild caught greys don't feather pick, generally its only captive raised ones that were taken from their mothers at an early age. I've heard that I should let her fledge (grow out her wings and fly) and that might help. Sally Blanchard once commented that only spoiled birds that don't have boundaries (or something like that) pluck. Also heard that Harrison's causes plucking (but she used to be on Roudebush prior to that and it didn't make a difference). I've heard that dyes in foods can cause plucking (she doesn't get dyes). I've heard that attention to a plucking issue can cause negative reinforcement (she does it whether I'm around or not and I've been keeping my comments to myself anyway). Lots of opinions, but no one seems to know…
But she's getting some sort of satisfaction or relief out of feather destruction or else she wouldn't do it. I started to think the other day that CAGs in the wild most likely breed this time of year. They probably also begin to gather materials for nests. I started to wonder if the snapping of breaking off her feathers satisfies some need in her for gathering grasses or something. I read early on to not provide any materials to birds that might resemble nesting materials because it will awaken their nesting instincts, but now I'm wondering if I should give her some things in her toys that would have a similar texture so that she leaves her feathers alone and nips the toy instead. By the way, she will also snip off my hair if I let her -- she seems to really enjoy the sound or feel of the snapping off feathers and hair. Like someone biting their nails.
Any other ideas? Or am I destined to have a bird who is a little neurotic but seems otherwise happy? Are there birdie psychiatrists?
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All things birds . . . / Behavior / Re: Molting or Plucking?
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on: March 19, 2008, 07:39:21 PM
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Started by Ashelen | Last post by Ashelen
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thank you for responding so quickly!
I will give a call to ashe's vet and see if she thinks i need to bring him in right away .
I agree that emotional stress is most likely the culprit here, i'm also 4 months pregnant and i've been sleeping a whole lot more, so i'm sure he's agitated about that. I'm doing my best to restore his normal schedules, and make sure that everything gets back to normal for him. i'm also trying some quick-boredom fixes that seem to have cheered him up a bit, and i've been adjusting his sleeping schedule to make it more reliable.
as for the patch i've been watching it closely and i don't think it really is a "patch". he's always had a bit of a feather gap on the tip of his breastbone, like the fluff never completely filled in. he definitely has enough pin feathers to be in early molt, and i think what might have freaked me out may just be the fact that the spot i noticed seems fluffier than normal, i.e. it looked as if the underfeathers were being disturbed, but i think i may have overreacted.
i'll still call his vet and see what she says, but he hasn't been paying any attention to the spot, not even once since i noticed it yesterday, and it's not the size that i originally thought it was.
i am definitely going to make him take a bath, although i'm sure he won't speak to me for a day or so, and i'll see what the vet wants me to do.
again, thanks for responding!
i'll update on his condition.
-Ashe's still-worried-but-not-panicked Mommy
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7
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All things birds . . . / Behavior / Re: Molting or Plucking?
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on: March 19, 2008, 05:31:50 AM
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Started by Ashelen | Last post by africangrey
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A molt shouldn't cause bare patches. I realize you said a vet visit isn't possible but you really need to take him in to rule out any physiological reasons for the plucking. You also need to force him to take a bath, in just plain bottled artisan water. Mist well above his head and let it drift down on him.
If there isn't a physiological reason for plucking, you need to look at other emotional reasons. You said you just moved in with your in-laws. Are you under a lot of stress? Since he is bonded to you, he will react to your stress level. Even if you think you aren't outwardly displaying it, he can read you body language, feel you tension when he is on your shoulder, etc.
Unfortunately with plucking there is no easy fix.
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All things birds . . . / Behavior / Molting or Plucking?
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on: March 18, 2008, 09:40:20 PM
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Started by Ashelen | Last post by Ashelen
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Hi!
I have an african grey named Ashe who's about 1yr 3 mo's old. To give a bit of background, he's been with me since he was 7 wks old, I hand-raised him myself. He's always been well-adjusted, well-socialized, and healthy. He's a very active grey who's constantly playing and eats heartily just about everything i offer, fruits and veggies included. About 3 months ago, I noticed he had a tiny (i mean smaller than a cubic centimeter) spot on his chest where there appeared to be no feathers (right on the upper center of his breastbone). I watched him carefully and could see no plucking behavior, nor was the skin the least bit irritated. Recently (2 months ago) I moved in with my in-laws, and aside from the change of place, the ambient temperature went from around 69-70*F to about 75*F (because my mother-in-law is unreasonable). Just today i noticed that the little spot on his chest had expanded until it was a little smaller than a cubic inch. The skin is still not irritated, and he really doesn't seem to be focusing on a plucking behavior. He is covered from tail to beak in pinfeathers, but the bald spot appears to have none.
He DOES have bathing problems, he refuses a mister, a sprizter, a shower, a tub/sink bath, a bathing bowl...he only bathes rarely when he feels like it in his water dish. I was told that sometimes errant feather-plucking can be stopped by sprizting a 1/3 aloe, 2/3 water mixture on the spot..is this sound advice?
A vet visit isn't going to be possible for at least a month or two, so i'm desperate to try anything homeopathic in the meantime.
To clarify his situation, he spends a good portion of the day with me, a good bit of out-of-cage play, and he is never threatened by other people or pets.
He has also recently begun displaying mating behavior, even though i know he's way too young; he exposes his back by lowering his wings and kind of pants (only at me, not my husband). he has never fully regurgitated but he makes the motions. I realize i need to stop the overbonding before it becomes a problem, or before it causes sexual frustration, but i'm hesitant to make too many changes until i get this possible feather plucking under control.
i do live in N florida, so early moult isn't completely unreasonable to expect, but I've never owned a parrot larger than a quaker before Ashe, so i'm really a little out of my league as far as this goes.
I know this is sort of off-the-cuff since i don't have a picture to display, but can you please give me any general advice on whether or not i need to start worrying? As i said before he's incredibly happy and well-balanced, aside from his bathing issues. If there is an imminent problem, please let me know what i can do until i can get him to a vet!
(also, he has been preening moult feathers away from the rest of his body, so i'm fairly sure he IS in molt, but only the chest displays any significant gap in feather cover).
Thanks for any help!
-Ashe's worried momma 
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9
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All things birds . . . / Behavior / Adolescent Biting
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on: December 28, 2007, 07:52:29 AM
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Started by Sweetys Mom | Last post by Sweetys Mom
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Sweety is now 15 years old. He has been a wonderful companion with very few problems up until now. He is biting, HARD! There is no stimulation or issue for him, other than the fact that we are away at work during the day. Not much different than when our girls were home and way at school during the day. :'(He now will not come out of his cage in the morning for breakfast feeding. He used to love to walk around the table when I made my breakfast and lunch and snack on treats I gave him. He used to love to sit on us when we came home at night and watch television or just talk. Now he just bites and refuses to come out. Or when he is out, he will let you hold him and pet him as he used to, but then with no warning he bites again. I don't want to isolate him or ignore him, but I'm at a loss as to what to do. He is a loving bird with a very bad habit now! HELP 
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10
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All things birds . . . / Behavior / Re: Buddy is pluckingn her neck.
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on: November 29, 2007, 01:55:23 AM
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Started by BuddysMom | Last post by BuddysMom
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I have great news. I took Buddy to a different vet who did a fecal gram stain, all okay. She recommended Red Palm Oil for dry skin. Buddys been on it two weeks now and she is doing alot better. The feathers are growing back on her neck, and she isn't scratching and plucking them so much. I bought it at the vet office, but I know of others who bought it at Whole Foods. Anyway, she gets it everyday now on her oatmeal or a little piece of pancake. HEr tail feathers are getting verrrry Red.
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