Any pet bird lovers out there?
Posted By: Need input on 2006-02-09
In Reply to:
Thinking about getting a parrot, either Amazon or African Grey. Anyone have experience with either? Any pros or cons you can share?
I have had smaller birds in the past, i.e. cockatiels, so have some experience, but never have owned a larger bird. 
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So you bird lovers-name some of your favorite
When i got home, my parrot would ask me "being a good bird?" (as though since I had been gone, I may have been naughty).
My next favorite was when he got something especially good to eat, he would say "mmm, yum-yum!". We share spaghettis noodles and race either to the middle!
a bird!
LOL!!
If i had a choice I wouldn't do this guy, but i ALSO know I have it pretty good. No ESL doctors to date for me... but that doesn't ALWAYS mean the English ones are easy!! I have asked him, his partners, and the office manager consistently that he speak LOUDER because I honestly think that's the biggest problem. I have him up full blast and if you put a different doc on at the same level, it blasts my eardrums out! Nothing has changed, but that's why He is the only one to receive blanks in his dictation!! :)
Bird lover to the max!
I am an obessed bird lover!
Started with one cockatiel 7 years ago, fell in love and gradually got three more. I have 2 Australian Bourkes and 3 parakeets. Advice I can give you is get or subscribe to BirdTalk or Birds USA. I know these magazines are not widely available, but if you can, they are a great resource. The thing you have to keep in mind is the time you will have to spend taking care of a larger bird. That is key. Birds, especially the larger ones, require a lot of interaction and attention. I do a lot of reading about birds because I find them fascinating. Avian behavior studies are really only 20 years old, and what is being discovered is fascinating. They are much more intelligent than was previously thought. They now know that birds actually do understand at some point, they understand context. This explains how emotional they can be. Getting a large bird is a commitmentfor life. Birds feel emotion, and a bird can actually die of a broken heart if left alone too long, become destructive, or develop feather picking. It is a commitment one has to think about before getting a large parrot. Also, you may just surf the web for information. There are lots of websites, none of which I can think of right now! Good luck to you!
Bird rescue, etc. (s/m)
Interesting story about the birds! It sounds like you are doing a great favor to a lot of animals. Yes, actually the Queen Bee friend did request that I give back clothing I didn't want to her, but after the fact. I already had my nose a little bit out of joint by then, so felt that I would just put an end to the problem in its entirety by no longer accepting gifts with strings attached.
It is different with animals, though, and I agree with your request to give birds back to you, since the birds have feelings and have already had unstable lives. I got my cat through a cat rescue, and although he is now MY cat, I signed a paper agreeing to return him if I didn't want him (ha! that'll never happen), or couldn't care for him. That info. is actually on his microchip, as well. If I were to suddenly die or something, I would have the peace of mind in knowing that even if he ended up in the animal shelter, one scan of the chip would let them know the cat was to be returned to rescue, and they would actually have someone drive down to get him. Then he would be safe and well-cared-for until they found someone else who would spoil him as much as I do! ;)
I used to do this doctor that had a bird ...
and all you could hear was that flipping bird sqwaking and, excuse the pun, getting its feathers in a bunch. That thing was loud and "bossy". It knew a few words and I would hear it say "Hello, bye bye baby." Ughhh... It drove me insane because he would be on bright and early dictating from home his surgery patient H&Ps and all you can hear is that bird. I think I had nightmares for a while about that thing. It used to always make me want chicken for dinner.  
Thankfully I no longer transcribe for him.
Oops, I forgot the bird flu. nm
x
about the same as killing all birds over the bird flu sometimes...
you have to do what you have to do. If there is mad cow disease, everyone kills cows. If there is bird flu, we kill birds. If there is rabies, we kill dogs. Any epidemic in the making has to be stopped before the epidemic starts. Oh, and the West Nile virus, we kill mosquitos. The only thing with the deer ticks, we aren't forced to kill deer, people do that for sport. lol
Buy a Bird Talk USA to read over before deciding
It is an annual issue that discusses all the different species of birds and their quirks and specific needs. If you do decide on an AG, consider one older than a year or 2 old as they go through a maturity phase during that time and can change personalities or change the object of their affection. I have a personal preference to Soloman Island Eclectus males. Like most Indonesian parrots, they prefer not to be touched on the back of the head/neck but with love and tenderness, they can overcome this. These birds can bond to and love several people at the same time while maintaining the primary bond to their "main human" which an AG may not allow (all birds are individual in this).
Whatever parrot you decide upon, from a parrotlet to a maccaw, treat it as it is a 3 to 4-year-old child. That is the intelligence and emotional level they function with. Find out when they reach sexual maturity and be prepared to deal with the sometimes violent mood swings or changes in preference with whom they bond (this is very important especially if you hand feed one). Rotate the toys every couple of weeks. Don't be bashful about taking it on walks in the park, to the beach. Be careful about birds of prey if you let it play on a perch outside. A varied diet is a must (If it's good for you, it is for them. If it's bad for you, it's bad for them). Consider the toxicity of your house plants. Let them take showers with you.
Okay, I'm addicted to them. I'll stop now 
My friend's bird rang like the phone...
That was so confusing and quite funny. Also, my girlfriend from grade school had a parrot that overheard me say, "I'm going to the bathroom" and when I left the room it said, "Go pee pee, Go pee pee". I missed it, but they had a great laugh!
Hmm, guess I shouldn't have included bird and humans. nm
:=
Same people who properly call the bird African GREY
.
I need help from the cat lovers out there!
My mother has a cat that sprays horribly bad. (yes it's fixed and it's a female). It was a stray that adopted my mom. She has a couple other cats, one of which would fight with but that cat has since passed. We hoped that since that stress was gone it would stop. it hasn't. Been to the vet, no infection. He suggested it could just be a behavioral problem. How do you figure out if it actually is behavioral? Can't find a direct link between a particular action and her spraying and it's not usually in the same spot. She's not a big 'lover' and when she's through with you, she let's you know so we don't think it's an attention thing. any advice or websites would be greatly appreciated. any web sites I've found haven't told me how to figure out what would be causing this 'behavioral' problem or natural remedies.
HELP 
Thanks for your help and advice.
Unfortunately, the O lovers will NEVER believe he is
XX
Any of you pet lovers seen these sites?
http://www.catster.com
http://www.dogster.com
So cute, and so addicting!
OT: for animal lovers
http://www.snopes.com/photos/animals/finnegan.asp
for puzzle lovers
Take a break from working:
http://www.puzzlersparadise.com/page1029.html
St. Bernard - any other st b lovers out there?? nm
nm
Have all you Napoleon lovers seen
Benchwarmers? Good one! Liked that one, too! Napoleon Dynamite is a must see in our house at least once a month! What a hoot! HAPPY SPRING EVERYONE, and no I haven't gotten into the wine/cheese, YET!!!! But, I'm hearin' ya', Hayseed!!!!! LOL, LOL, LOL
Pet lovers - please vote
: My sister does animal rescue and transport, and also owns and operates a pet sitting business which has been nominated for Fox Philly's Hot List!
: If you have time, please vote for Sniffles and Friends on the Fox Philly Hot List on this link.
: If she wins, it's a great free advertisement for her pet sitting service that networks with rescue, fostering, and transport services for abandoned and neglected animals all over the East Coast.
: Thanks so much for your help!
: Jo
thank you Bose lovers!
to have mumblers come right out at you is terrific! I am going to give it a try. I heard you have 30 days to try their products, but I have a feeling I will enjoy them.
For pet lovers - please pass this link on!
http://www.cenex.ca/commercials/PPH_Cenex_SPCA_60AG_240.mov
dachsund lovers unite
any doxie lovers out there, i would live to hear from you. I have a 3 year old who is going to be a mommy at the end of Feb. She is my best friend.
tip for banana bread lovers. sm
I just disovered (thru a friend) that very ripe bananas can be frozen (in their skin) no freezer bag required to make banana bread on a future date. I tried this, and it does work! It is great!. I love making banana bread for my family, but find that many times, the bananas are ripening too quick for my busy schedule.
tip for banana bread lovers. sm
I just disovered (thru a friend) that very ripe bananas can be frozen (in their skin) no freezer bag required to make banana bread on a future date. I tried this, and it does work! It is great!. I love making banana bread for my family, but find that many times, the bananas are ripening too quick for my busy schedule.
fellow animal lovers/MTs
boycott Iams pet food - they have been charged of horrible animal cruelty in testing their food, see web site below.
www.peta.org/
Clay Aiken Lovers..this is a ..sm
great site to hear his AI journey....
http://www.findingclayaikenmedia.com/audio/AI.htm
Any horse lovers out there who would care to email me. I have
a problem with a skin infection on an Arab. Need some advice or chat websites. Thanks.
All animal lovers - check this out. Made me cry.
http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/08/katrina.snowball.ap/index.html
fumble fingers for music lovers
When I get like this, the only cure is to push the keyboard aside and pretend the tray is a piano and then listen to a fast piano piece and try to "play" it on the keyboard tray. (Obviously, I don't own a piano--yet.) This warms up my fingers and wrists, relaxes me, brings me joy if it is a favorite piece of music, and then when I type again it is usually more accurate and my speed is up. Sounds crazy but it works for me! Only takes about 3 minutes.
Another trick my piano teacher taught me when I was a kid was to practice the difficult parts with gloves on (yeh, that long ago). Then when I took off the gloves, I could play it better. This might work for the computer keyboard as well. You could use Playtex gloves perhaps.
For saurkraut lovers, put apples, onions and pork chops in crock pot.
Wonderful meal. Some fresh rye bread with butter. Yummie.
Oven-roasted chicky bird...with possibly seasoned tators in oven and ? for veggie nm
nm
Its not the animal lovers fault about abortion and abuse of innocent children, it's the fault...
of our government to allow such a law. The innocent dogs being killed over the so-called rabies roundup vs. shortage of "beef" have no government to help protect their rights to live so the humans have to step in and protect their rights and the humans should protect the human's rights as well to live, but when a government passes laws, etc., you can only fault the government; afterall, they have the final decision.
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