Parrots!

[thekarens]

Karen's first grey died of PBFD (Psittacine beak and feather disease). His name was Buddy and it broke her heart. Beau came a few years later and has a totally different personality. I can't imagine us ever not having a grey bird.

[myjohnson]

dang, that Congo African grey looks wild!

I like it!

[FIREFISH]

I read that Grey's live to be 80 years+. They almost need to be willed to someone to keep at a later date. I'm waiting for my 2 year old to turn 5 and I will be getting one myself. Lovely bird!!

FF

[Mzungu]

I read that Grey's live to be 80 years+. They almost need to be willed to someone to keep at a later date. I'm waiting for my 2 year old to turn 5 and I will be getting one myself. Lovely bird!!

FF

They are a great choice, just be sure that you want this bird for the rest of your life. :) It's ALWAYS a good idea to look at bird adoption, though. There are so many unwanted birds out there. People get a bird, and then realize that it's not just something pretty to look at and won't be happy in a cage for its whole life, and most likely starts stress and boredom behaviors like feather-plucking and screaming, and the bird is then sold or given away or rescued. There are so many birds out there that need loving homes. Just something to consider. :)

[wesleydnunder]

I read that Grey's live to be 80 years+. They almost need to be willed to someone to keep at a later date. I'm waiting for my 2 year old to turn 5 and I will be getting one myself. Lovely bird!!

FF

Life span was the primary reason I chose my jenday. They have a life span of around 25 to 30 years, and I figured we'd hit the end about the same time. Many parrots don't transfer well after an owner dies so I didn't want to get one that would outlive me by decades and possibly have to suffer.

Mark

[cms6175]

Life span was the primary reason I chose my jenday. They have a life span of around 25 to 30 years, and I figured we'd hit the end about the same time. Many parrots don't transfer well after an owner dies so I didn't want to get one that would outlive me by decades and possibly have to suffer.

Mark

If you treat them well, they live longer than 30 years, I have a geriatric pair of Jendays that were documneted imports in 1968. My grandmother got them, they were fed well, and they are still fed well.

it is an absolutely myth that they do not transfer well. I have been given many birds, have rehabilitated them, and they went to their new homes perfectly fine. My Alfred, is 60 or so, I am his 2nd owner, he was owned by a woman his whole life, and he came to me, it took about a years worth of work, but then he has adapted very well.

The issues with feather plucking and screaming are true, but primarily for Cockatoos, and neurotic tendencies of fether plucking in greys.

The most important thing is to make sure that you have an owner lined up just encase anything happens to you, at any point in time!

Shaun

[cms6175]

Karen's first grey died of PBFD (Psittacine beak and feather disease). His name was Buddy and it broke her heart. Beau came a few years later and has a totally different personality. I can't imagine us ever not having a grey bird.

Oh my, PBFD is a hard disease to deal with, and not to mention how contagious it is. So sorry about that.....

[thekarens]

Thankfully when she had Buddy there were no other birds or pets of any kind in the house. After he died she sterilized the whole house and then got a French bulldog, Ms. Ellie. She died of bladder cancer a few years back. Anyway, after having her for a year or so she got Beau. He's totally spoiled and knows it. The only time he's ever locked in his cage is if we're going to be gone for the weekend.

Something else to consider if you want a grey is that they are not "cuddly" birds like cockatoos or even macaws. Beau only lets you pet him once in a blue moon and then it's only where he designates

I tend to fall somewhere in the middle as far as transferring birds goes. If you're going to get one you need to make a life time commitment because they don't do well transferring, but they can over come it with time and patience.

When Karen's mom died they had a lesser sulfur crested cockatoo and a goffins. We took them in until we could find appropriate homes for them. The LSC went to a friend of ours who had just lost her cockatiel and always wanted a cockatoo. The goffins went to a nice lady whose goffin had passed away the previous year.

[cms6175]

Thankfully when she had Buddy there were no other birds or pets of any kind in the house. After he died she sterilized the whole house and then got a French bulldog, Ms. Ellie. She died of bladder cancer a few years back. Anyway, after having her for a year or so she got Beau. He's totally spoiled and knows it. The only time he's ever locked in his cage is if we're going to be gone for the weekend.

Something else to consider if you want a grey is that they are not "cuddly" birds like cockatoos or even macaws. Beau only lets you pet him once in a blue moon and then it's only where he designates

I tend to fall somewhere in the middle as far as transferring birds goes. If you're going to get one you need to make a life time commitment because they don't do well transferring, but they can over come it with time and patience.

When Karen's mom died they had a lesser sulfur crested cockatoo and a goffins. We took them in until we could find appropriate homes for them. The LSC went to a friend of ours who had just lost her cockatiel and always wanted a cockatoo. The goffins went to a nice lady whose goffin had passed away the previous year.

you are corect, it does take work...and lots of it....I have a 30 year old male Parvipes yellow nape come to me that, whoo hoo, he was mean.....it took me about 5 years to work him to being handleable, and now, my mother has him....he is phenomenal!!!

Shaun

[wesleydnunder]

If you treat them well, they live longer than 30 years, I have a geriatric pair of Jendays that were documneted imports in 1968. My grandmother got them, they were fed well, and they are still fed well.

it is an absolutely myth that they do not transfer well. I have been given many birds, have rehabilitated them, and they went to their new homes perfectly fine. My Alfred, is 60 or so, I am his 2nd owner, he was owned by a woman his whole life, and he came to me, it took about a years worth of work, but then he has adapted very well.

The issues with feather plucking and screaming are true, but primarily for Cockatoos, and neurotic tendencies of fether plucking in greys.

The most important thing is to make sure that you have an owner lined up just encase anything happens to you, at any point in time!

Shaun

If you'll read my post completely I stated that "many" parrots don't transfer well, not "all" birds. My Prometheus is well fed and spoiled rotten, so I hope to have him up to the end. The breeder I got him from as a baby told me the life span and I never questioned it. In retrospect, I guess I should have since she told me initially that Prometheus was a sun conure. I've seen more parrots than cockatoos and greys exhibit self destructive behavior when their owner dies...and you may be correct in stating that any bird can be rehabilitated with enough time and patience. I didn't want to take the risk that my bird wouldn't.

Mark

[cms6175]

If you'll read my post completely I stated that "many" parrots don't transfer well, not "all" birds. My Prometheus is well fed and spoiled rotten, so I hope to have him up to the end. The breeder I got him from as a baby told me the life span and I never questioned it. In retrospect, I guess I should have since she told me initially that Prometheus was a sun conure. I've seen more parrots than cockatoos and greys exhibit self destructive behavior when their owner dies...and you may be correct in stating that any bird can be rehabilitated with enough time and patience. I didn't want to take the risk that my bird wouldn't.

Mark

in understand your statement, however, birds are very complex, and if you understand the behaviors that they are exhibiting, then you can prositively reinforce to instill good behaviors, and remove bad behaviors. You have to think of them, depending on species, as between 2-5 year old kids, with greys being at the top for intelligence, and they being a little more difficult to break bad habits!

my pair of Jendays, who are so old, they i believe are an exception, however, a lot of my geriatric birds that I have retired, are like that, heck, i even have cockatiels that are nearing 20 that still produce babies occasionally.

[thekarens]

Hey Mark, Karen and love the name "Mr. Screamyface". Karen's mother's LSC was named "Knucklehead" now that's one neurotic bird. Thankfully she's doing well and has never plucked, but she sure is nuts. Her new owner adores her and she's an only bird.

[cms6175]

love Knucklehead, my yellow naped amazon pair's names are Napoleon an Josephine.....

[mahoro]

so one of my parakeet ecape the cage last night (the wings are now clipped) i try to grab it while it was flying around the room, and i grab the tail... and long story short, now one of them is tail-less... sigh....

[Mzungu]

so one of my parakeet ecape the cage last night (the wings are now clipped) i try to grab it while it was flying around the room, and i grab the tail... and long story short, now one of them is tail-less... sigh....

It'll grow back. That's quite a feat, though, to pull out every single tail feather. Poor thing. :( Make sure the whole feather was plucked, and there aren't any shafts or remnants left.