# The Parrot Chat Thread!



## temerist

Chat, share pics and stories!!

My new Blue and Gold Macaw - 

Kingda










My 2 African Grey Girls - 

Shelby










Isis



















My Cockatoos -

Tarn (boy)



















Angel (girl)


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## JackieL

Beautiful birds, I am curious about birds aswell as being slightly scared of them. Would love to hear more about your's however.


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## temerist

Well ive not had the macaw for long as I rcently rehomed him. They greys are lovely, one was my wifes and after she died she never acceptd me as her owner lol. I personally wouldnt recoomend cockatoos lol taking on a parrot is like having a permenant toddler lol plus they only seem to pick up the bad things you say (again like a toddler).


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## bubba-dean

they are so cute i love parrot's my african grey passed away last year but i would love to get a cockatoo but thay are so pricey.... my sister loves angle lol


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## temerist

Angel is lovely, she is actually my sons and now lives with him. im planning some nice ringnecks next


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## bubba-dean

i have got a yellow ring neck she is lovey i will have to upload some pics of her so you can see what she is like


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## JackieL

I understand them to be highly intelligent creatures. Am I right in believing you can have problems with cockatoos if they are hand reared, as in they single out a member of the household and constantly crave for they're attention etc?

What do yours say? And in your opinion what breed would you say was the most intelligent?


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## LoveForLizards

Lovely parrots. 
We have a very noisy African Grey at the moment, love him to pieces even if I can't get within two foot of him without him trying to attack me. :lol2:


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## JackieL

The Macaw is stunning.


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## temerist

bubba-dean said:


> i have got a yellow ring neck she is lovey i will have to upload some pics of her so you can see what she is like


would love to see pictures, seen a pair advertised for 75 quid wouldnt mind them lol



JackieL said:


> I understand them to be highly intelligent creatures. Am I right in believing you can have problems with cockatoos if they are hand reared, as in they single out a member of the household and constantly crave for they're attention etc?
> 
> What do yours say? And in your opinion what breed would you say was the most intelligent?


tbh cockertoos arent the birds im totally up on. i find the african greys are quite one person birds. Shelby hates me with a passion she was Jans bird and I doubt she will ever accept me now

I personally think macaws are the most intellegent but thats because they are my favorite but to be honest most parrots are. if you were thinking of starting out with a parrot maybe consider a ringneck, quacker or maybe a senegal one of the smaller types.

my cockatoo mainly copies things off the tv and radio, like adverts etc

but my african grey is a right foul mouthed little git, she constantly swears. her favourite saying is "ffs shut up u dumb bird" :blush:


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## JackieL

temerist said:


> would love to see pictures, seen a pair advertised for 75 quid wouldnt mind them lol
> 
> 
> 
> tbh cockertoos arent the birds im totally up on. i find the african greys are quite one person birds. Shelby hates me with a passion she was Jans bird and I doubt she will ever accept me now
> 
> I personally think macaws are the most intellegent but thats because they are my favorite but to be honest most parrots are. if you were thinking of starting out with a parrot maybe consider a ringneck, quacker or maybe a senegal one of the smaller types.
> 
> my cockatoo mainly copies things off the tv and radio, like adverts etc
> 
> but my african grey is a right foul mouthed little git, she constantly swears. her favourite saying is *"ffs shut up u dumb bird"* :blush:


:roll2: hahaha that's class!

Do they get stroppy with each other or do they get on?


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## bubba-dean

temerist said:


> would love to see pictures, seen a pair advertised for 75 quid wouldnt mind them lol
> 
> 
> i will upload some now : victory:


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## izzey

Lovely birds I will go find some of my lot


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## temerist

JackieL said:


> :roll2: hahaha that's class!
> 
> Do they get stroppy with each other or do they get on?


ermm we have the oddmoan but nothing major. Isis has a bad habit of teasing the other birds if shes out and she will climb on their cages and has been known to bite/pull theirs tails if its hanging through the bars lol


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## izzey

These are my lot

Smudge










Slim and Albert












Rubin









Shady


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## temerist

they are stunning :flrt: i love slim and albert :flrt:

are they called red macaws? thats deffinatly next on my list, I have a spare empty cage :lol2:


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## izzey

Slim is a scarlet and Albert is a greenwing, I love macaws will get some pics of the rest later


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## Krista

Hi All,

All these birds are just beautiful. :flrt:
Would love one but don't have the money for one...

Are they difficult to keep?

Jingle Bells :2thumb:


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## temerist

I have 2 that I got for free, lots of birds do come available to expereinced homes just have to know where to look lol


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## bubba-dean

nice parrots IZZEY

here is my little one










my sister (alicia she is 5 years old). molly is looking to see if she has nits lol


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## temerist

she is a beauty dean :flrt: is she a ringneck did you say? I didnt realise they came in different colours lol what other colours do they come in.


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## HABU




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## temerist

OMG Habu :flrt: that is stunning :flrt: what type is it?


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## HABU




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## temerist

EDIT - is the first one a Lory?


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## HABU

Eclectus Parrots: Species information and Photos


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## LiamRatSnake

My budgies are coming in a couple of weeks, can I join in? :blush:


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## temerist

yes budgies welcome :lol2:


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## bubba-dean

temerist said:


> she is a beauty dean :flrt: is she a ringneck did you say? I didnt realise they came in different colours lol what other colours do they come in.


yer she is a ring neck and you can get them in green/yellow/blue/white and then you can mix the colours when you breed them i did have a purple one he was nasty :lol2:


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## Myjb23

Here are mine:

CJ:




































Lola. She cant fly unfortunately, poor baby.




































Sweet Pea:



























James:











Ruby:


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## lunarlikes

I LOOOVVEEE birdies especially the parrots. 
Used to have a cockateil and he was my baby. :flrt:

But my daughter has eczema and asthma so we're looking to get 2 rosa bourke's parakeets to keep in an aviary. Just trying to find some breeders...anyone know of anybody???


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## Krista

Hi,

These birds are allllllll beautiful....lucky peeps.

My Parents used to have an aviary with a small collection of birds, but now they are just left with Pigsy the Parrot and he is just great. My Dad will not part with him yet (He says when he dies I can have pigs)...meany. 

Pigsy hates my Husband so that could cause a small problem! oh well got a while to wait.........

Jingle Bells


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## fenwoman

JackieL said:


> I understand them to be highly intelligent creatures. Am I right in believing you can have problems with cockatoos if they are hand reared, as in they single out a member of the household and constantly crave for they're attention etc?
> 
> What do yours say? And in your opinion what breed would you say was the most intelligent?


Species.There are no parrot breeds, only species.:whistling2::lol2:


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## lizardloverrach

Heres my pacific parrotlet Dexter, 7 months old


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## Bamboozoo

Beautiful Buddies Everyone! Personalities? Favourite words or sounds?


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## Tomcat

Ive got an African Grey, named Ollie.

Even if he does wake me up at 6.30 every morning, and demands bites of my apple if i eat them infront of him i love him to bits!

Sinse having him, i cant imagine how i coped with the quiet before lmao.

He is a great bird though, still needs to learn to trust me alot more. He will allow me to scratch his head from through the bars, and will walk very close to me once out of his cage but he still wont allow me to pick him up or anything. However, if i role a t shirt up (like when you roll a towel to whip someone) he will step up onto it and allow me to move him.


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## temerist

Kingda my new macaw is sat on the back of the kitchen chair next to me and eyeing up my fruit bowl :lol2:


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## Zoo-Man

Rosie, my Galah Cockatoo










Lola, my Blue-Fronted Amazon










Spike, my Black-Headed Caique










Jaffa, my Sun Conure


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## bubba-dean

i love all the pics of your birds (baby's) i will have to save up and get a african grey if any one knew prople that is selling one cheep can you pleace let me know thanks dean....


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## Shadowz

We recently got given 2 x cockatoo's and 2 x red rumped parakeets.
Sadly due to my allergies and after lots and lots of advice from people the 2 cockatoo's have gone to somewhere more suitable with outside aviary ect and somewhere they can screech their little hearts out if they so desire LOL 
Lovely birds thou ( a goffin and a ducorps ) but they needed seperating and stuff as the boy was misrable with the girl as she kept attacking him.

We have kept the red rumps who are just lovely 
The girl were hand reared and gorgeous ( even if she is "angry bird" right now due to breeding season apparently ) 

Im concidering getting a lovebird thou as I would like something parroty but in a small package and easy for a beginner.
I used to have tiels as a teenager and adored those but husband is not to keen on them.
Anyone keep lovebirds ? Is a pair or a single best ? 
Also how big cage do they need ? ( i got one thats 55cm x 45cm x 135cm - stamford 1 cage ) and they would obviously have out of cage time daily.


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## Bamboozoo

This is Jada, congo. The photo is fairly old and her feathering is better now. Jada has night panics. Have you ever tried to get a grey to say a phrase they personally disagree with? Jada does not allow me to touch her though smooches and carries on like a hussy with my oh.










Harry, the B&G. Shy and quiet girl. Though if the others are getting a bit loud is will tell them often to "shut UP".










Jack the Brat, GW. Mostly Jack is a pretty good boy these days. A little touchy about personal space. All food bowls are locked down, and this last week he has learned how to open his front door.










Abu ~ male red sided ekki, Awesome little guy. Noise is an issue with Boo.










Jazzie ~ Female Ekki ~ my first girl, typical female ekki though we have come a long way together. 










JinJin is a Vos Ekki ~ feather distruction issues though you cannot see much of it in this picture, she has no wing feathers or tail and has been known to chew herself down to nothing.










We also have a little love bird knicknamed Killer as she has the worst attitude in the house.


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## Mrs Meldrew

Gorgeous Birdies peoples....

I've got a Max pionus, 2 budgies and 2 canaries which all live together in an ooofing great big cage in the front room...

and Oz a foul mouthed african grey who has his own cage over in the other corner of the room... he can see the tv better from there...

I Lay in bed this morning listening to them waking up... 

the budgies were chattering...

The canarys were tweeting away...

Dizzy the Max P... was having the odd screech..

... and Oz was launching grenades, making machine gun noises and then shouting.... "Muumm, Mum... I want my Brek brek!!!":lol2:


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## Bamboozoo

:lol2: And you know you love em!


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## Ian.g

beautiful birds everyone....here`s Yoshi my little buddy! 
































































as you can see he LOVES his peppers! :lol2:


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## temerist

hes gorgeous :flrt: what type of bird is yoshi?


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## Ian.g

temerist said:


> hes gorgeous :flrt: what type of bird is yoshi?


Thanks Ian  He is an indian ringneck...he is just starting to get the ring around his neck now...it takes around 2 years to come out fully..the females look pretty much like he does now all their life, he is such a great little parrot! so un-demanding, yet enjoys coming out still...but not like some of the larger parrots who will complain like mad if they dont get to come out one day, or dont get enough interaction lol...he really isn`t bothered either way! he is just starting to mimmick, and is getting very good at the house phone, does a mean wolf whistle, and his "elow" is getting clearer all the time lol....the only complaint i have about him is he ALWAYS poos in his blooming food bowl! i have now tied his "toilet/food bowl" where it is and i leave empty food shells in there and have his proper food bowl in another area of the cage, so far he sticks to his old one as the toilet :lol2:


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## Bamboozoo

I have been having a battle of wits with my grey...try it~it really is quite fascinating as Jada will refuse to say things she personally disagrees with.

Couple of examples: Jada will not say she is wrong. I have been trying to get her to say it 2 years now. Jada will not say she is a little bird (though she is the smallest of the parrots). Jada says she is a big bird. Then asks for Jack to confirm it. Right Jack? Jada is a big bird?

Coffee is another one ... we do not give her coffee but in the past someone let her share. Jada has two dozen little coffee remarks but she will not say......no coffee for birds! She repeats coffee for birds, coffee time, coffee's ready, coffee for me, drink some coffee....etc. 

Pat


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## Shadowz

Few pics of our red rumps
Sadly the boy was pecked in previous home ( lived with other kind of birds in indoor aviary there ) not sure if it will ever grow back or not.
They look all scruffy as they had just had a bath LOL 































































and their cage


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## lizardloverrach

Dexter likes nuzzling under my hair and going to sleep, cant believe how quick he's tamed up, had him just over a month, he was an aviary bird, never been in a 'home' environment. he still gives me the odd bloody finger but he's worth it! 

hair sleep time


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## amyjl

hi guys hoping you can give me an answer/opinion...

one of the girls i work with has her blue and gold macaw for sale with a large cage, bowls, toys etc etc for sale. he is male and will be two in june. looks very much like izzeys macaw smudge.

just wondering how much is a fair price for everything shes selling? any ideas/opinions would be good as i dont want her screwing me over if i take him 

thanks, amy


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## 53bird

stunning birds everyone i really love the macaws, but dont have enough space at the moment :whistling2: here is my boy (i think a boy so a unisex name lol) jess 



















and one of him meeting one of my leopard geckos (hes not to intrested)










hope you like, and keep the pics going


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## 53bird

forgot to say he is a congo african grey, hes 3 years old and got him from john at parrotcare :2thumb:


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## Zoo-Man

a&m said:


> hi guys hoping you can give me an answer/opinion...
> 
> one of the girls i work with has her blue and gold macaw for sale with a large cage, bowls, toys etc etc for sale. he is male and will be two in june. looks very much like izzeys macaw smudge.
> 
> just wondering how much is a fair price for everything shes selling? any ideas/opinions would be good as i dont want her screwing me over if i take him
> 
> thanks, amy


Have you had a parrot before? If not, then I would not recommend you take on a macaw, as they are not parrots for beginners. They are large, extremely loud, very destructive, & can break your knuckle with that beak!


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## robstaine

temerist said:


> would love to see pictures, seen a pair advertised for 75 quid wouldnt mind them lol
> 
> 
> 
> tbh cockertoos arent the birds im totally up on. i find the african greys are quite one person birds. Shelby hates me with a passion she was Jans bird and I doubt she will ever accept me now
> 
> I personally think macaws are the most intellegent but thats because they are my favorite but to be honest most parrots are. if you were thinking of starting out with a parrot maybe consider a ringneck, quacker or maybe a senegal one of the smaller types.
> 
> my cockatoo mainly copies things off the tv and radio, like adverts etc
> 
> but my african grey is a right foul mouthed little git, she constantly swears. her favourite saying is *"ffs shut up u dumb bird*" :blush:


LOL bless her, They are very beautiful I used to have a budgie but would love something bigger. Alot of the ones I see or have herd of have loss of feathers thats due to stress right? how is that prevented?


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## Bamboozoo

Hi Amy, 

I disagree somewhat with zooman...we seem to have very differing styles. My macaws are awesome and the easiest of my birds to work with. My blue is very shy, my GW is gregarious. We do not have noise issues, they are patient and mostly very gentle guys. I have associations with a love bird, grey, ekkis, quakers and the macaws are easy to work with if you are friends. They can have quirks, but are rarely violent (hormonal season the worst). Ask for an "adoption" type arrangement and go over often for a couple of months and get to know him. Let her know you would like the ability to back out if you are not compatable. Neg... 2 years old is the brat stage and he will push buttons. The time at his previous home will help you to know exactly who he is and what has been accomplished and bring those good points into your relationship. Many rehomes can decide that they want a new kind of relationship and be very different birds. Macaws are known to become pluckers and need stimulation and a close relationship, most tolerate well being alone while a person works and be satisified with an hour a day a few treats and some preening and couch potatoe time works well. 

Price I cant help with as I am Canadian.

Pat

*PLUCKING*

Plucking is an unbelievably complicated issue that can have any number of reasons. Hormonal ~ females might pluck excessively while preparing to nest or if being refused a way to make a nesting area. Or as years past both males and females not having mates or being with an overly ardent or aggressive mate. Internal, external parasites, mites. Liver and kidney disease. Allergies: Birds have a very sensitive lung system, build up of allergies in a home environment. ie. no perfumed products, not candles, not popouri, cleaners, aerosols. Vitamin deficianies: particularly vitamin A will cause dryness, flaking, itchies, that can have them plucking. Stress as you mentioned. Night terrors are known to bare a grey overnight. That would be just a couple of likely 100 reasons. I also saw a study once on 250 pluckers, 159 birds were found to have physically related and solvable issues. The other 99 birds were living with a differing continental species. Hmmm. 


Sometimes the solution with plucking will never be solved. I am working with 5 who have had up to 9 years of the behaviour. We are somewhat better in 3. And Jacks is simply an issue of getting bored, and completely solved. JinJin's is worse since coming here than ever before. Though her biting has been nil and after 5 years of consistantly laying eggs every 6 to 8 weeks she has layed none. 

Pat


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## mrmacca

lovely birds , here are a few of mine
this is ollie 



this is max , growing his feathers back



this is barney



this is molly , currently up for sale , no fault of her own , we need to cut down on our birds



and this is billy also up for sale


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## Zoo-Man

Bamboozoo said:


> Hi Amy,
> 
> I disagree somewhat with zooman...we seem to have very differing styles. My macaws are awesome and the easiest of my birds to work with. My blue is very shy, my GW is gregarious. We do not have noise issues, they are patient and mostly very gentle guys. I have associations with a love bird, grey, ekkis, quakers and the macaws are easy to work with if you are friends. They can have quirks, but are rarely violent (hormonal season the worst). Ask for an "adoption" type arrangement and go over often for a couple of months and get to know him. Let her know you would like the ability to back out if you are not compatable. Neg... 2 years old is the brat stage and he will push buttons. The time at his previous home will help you to know exactly who he is and what has been accomplished and bring those good points into your relationship. Many rehomes can decide that they want a new kind of relationship and be very different birds. Macaws are known to become pluckers and need stimulation and a close relationship, most tolerate well being alone while a person works and be satisified with an hour a day a few treats and some preening and couch potatoe time works well.
> 
> Price I cant help with as I am Canadian.
> 
> Pat
> 
> *PLUCKING*
> 
> Plucking is an unbelievably complicated issue that can have any number of reasons. Hormonal ~ females might pluck excessively while preparing to nest or if being refused a way to make a nesting area. Or as years past both males and females not having mates or being with an overly ardent or aggressive mate. Internal, external parasites, mites. Liver and kidney disease. Allergies: Birds have a very sensitive lung system, build up of allergies in a home environment. ie. no perfumed products, not candles, not popouri, cleaners, aerosols. Vitamin deficianies: particularly vitamin A will cause dryness, flaking, itchies, that can have them plucking. Stress as you mentioned. Night terrors are known to bare a grey overnight. That would be just a couple of likely 100 reasons. I also saw a study once on 250 pluckers, 159 birds were found to have physically related and solvable issues. The other 99 birds were living with a differing continental species. Hmmm.
> 
> 
> Sometimes the solution with plucking will never be solved. I am working with 5 who have had up to 9 years of the behaviour. We are somewhat better in 3. And Jacks is simply an issue of getting bored, and completely solved. JinJin's is worse since coming here than ever before. Though her biting has been nil and after 5 years of consistantly laying eggs every 6 to 8 weeks she has layed none.
> 
> Pat


 
I would never recommend a large species of macaw to someone who has never had a parrot before, or to someone who has limited experience. It would not be fair on the owner or the parrot.


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## Dracyia

Helloooooo

This is my first post in this section EVER! So I appologise for my spelling but my baby below likes to remove my keys and some of them reattatch, others dont, and none of them work the same as they used to lol.

I bought a black headed caique a few months back- and as much as he is adorable is there any way to stop him chewing certain objects? Eg. cables, mesh and my keyboard when I am using it? I know their personalities is they do what they want and are very determined; and if it is unchangable then fine; but would like to know just in case! As he is starting to chew his way through the top of some of the glass vivariums to where the snakes live, and although he is always under supervision it's a bit of a pain chasing him across the room, remving him and then sewing them up again! specialy when he goes back and repeats the next day lol

We're moving house soon anyway and there will be a reptile room and a parrot-human room for him to destroy anything he wants.

My baby Chewy aka Chewbacca




























Some of you have the most beautiful birds  I'd love a blue and gold macaw- been playing with a silly tame one for months now- but one is enough for me  he takes up all my time as it is.


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## Zoo-Man

Dracyia said:


> Helloooooo
> 
> This is my first post in this section EVER! So I appologise for my spelling but my baby below likes to remove my keys and some of them reattatch, others dont, and none of them work the same as they used to lol.
> 
> I bought a black headed caique a few months back- and as much as he is adorable is there any way to stop him chewing certain objects? Eg. cables, mesh and my keyboard when I am using it? I know their personalities is they do what they want and are very determined; and if it is unchangable then fine; but would like to know just in case! As he is starting to chew his way through the top of some of the glass vivariums to where the snakes live, and although he is always under supervision it's a bit of a pain chasing him across the room, remving him and then sewing them up again! specialy when he goes back and repeats the next day lol
> 
> We're moving house soon anyway and there will be a reptile room and a parrot-human room for him to destroy anything he wants.
> 
> My baby Chewy aka Chewbacca
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> Some of you have the most beautiful birds  I'd love a blue and gold macaw- been playing with a silly tame one for months now- but one is enough for me  he takes up all my time as it is.


Aww, aren't Caiques just fab? My Caique is great, he will lie on his back in the palm of my hand. He is very playful & gets into mischief. Every few months he has his hormaonal period, where he will randomly go for us, so we just work round that until he comes round in a few days. He has a bit of a dislike of Clark, my other half. Great to have another Caique owner on here! Mine is called Spike (rthyms with Caique lol).


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## Dracyia

Awh!!! I saw youre wee bundle of joy lol mines ripped off a keyboard key while I type this lol. He is alot fo fun though- and alwasy rolls on his back for tickles. Hates baths  Which is a bit odd but never mind- and I like that if you ever want him to move just make something higher than him and he HAS to be up there- lording over everything! He's just a wee baby htogh- not even a year old yet!


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## Zoo-Man

Dracyia said:


> Awh!!! I saw youre wee bundle of joy lol mines ripped off a keyboard key while I type this lol. He is alot fo fun though- and alwasy rolls on his back for tickles. Hates baths  Which is a bit odd but never mind- and I like that if you ever want him to move just make something higher than him and he HAS to be up there- lording over everything! He's just a wee baby htogh- not even a year old yet!


My Caique loves his baths! MAkes a right mess too, & looks like a drowned rat afterwards haha


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## Dracyia

I get alot of biting and screaming if I attempt to bath. Which has to happen.. especially when he flies into my food and such like!

Just got an awful sore bite off him though. I'm actually bleeding. Removed my necklace without his permission


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## *mogwai*

ooh can i join in? i've got 3 parrots but had a few more rescue/rehomes pass through. 
i agree with zooman, a b&g isn't a good idea for a first time parrot owner. i've kept parrots for years & was asked to look after a b&g for a week or 2 while a new home was being arranged. i thought i wanted one until i looked after this one. oh my days i can't descibe the noise he made & although i've always been confident around parrots & not scared of being bitten, i was totally intimidated by that beak. 
one sec, i've still got a couple of photos of him.


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## *mogwai*

here he is


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## LiamRatSnake

Right. I'm definitely joining in now. My budgies came today. They're lovely.


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## *mogwai*

sorry mr ratsnake but you can just barge into this thread announcing that you have new budgies & not show pics. that's just not acceptable.


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## LiamRatSnake

teshu said:


> sorry mr ratsnake but you can just barge into this thread announcing that you have new budgies & not show pics. that's just not acceptable.


I've not got any yet lol 
Although, the male is kind of blue and white (Pied maybe?)
And the possible female, is the same, but grey and white, like looking at him on b&w tv.


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## *mogwai*

no way, the last pair i had were the same colour. a blue male & grey female. they weren't mine as such, they were rescues that i took in.
and i think a pied is black & white, not blue & white


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## LiamRatSnake

teshu said:


> no way, the last pair i had were the same colour. a blue male & grey female. they weren't mine as such, they were rescues that i took in.
> and i think a pied is black & white, not blue & white


Pretty sure you cna get blue pied and green pied and allsorts. I'll put pics up for ID's anyway


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## catastrophyrat

Widget-my rescue Macaw


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## Zoo-Man

Dracyia said:


> I get alot of biting and screaming if I attempt to bath. Which has to happen.. especially when he flies into my food and such like!
> 
> Just got an awful sore bite off him though. I'm actually bleeding. Removed my necklace without his permission


I found with my Caique at first, that if I sprayed him with a plant sprayer, he then went to the bath & dived in. It was as if it was the spraying that made him decide to get a bath.


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## Zoo-Man

LiamRatSnake said:


> Pretty sure you cna get blue pied and green pied and allsorts. I'll put pics up for ID's anyway


Yes, you can get pied Budgies :2thumb:


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## *mogwai*

Zoo-Man said:


> Yes, you can get pied Budgies :2thumb:


but what colour would a pied budgie be? i always thought that anything pied was black and white. a pied wagtail for example.


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## LiamRatSnake

teshu said:


> but what colour would a pied budgie be? i always thought that anything pied was black and white. a pied wagtail for example.


Aye, you can get blue pied and green pieds. Probably a million others too lol There isn't really any black budgies as far as I'm aware apart from the ones with the dodgy feathers that don't fall out and they die.


----------



## Zoo-Man

teshu said:


> but what colour would a pied budgie be? i always thought that anything pied was black and white. a pied wagtail for example.


Pied Budgies are normally blue/white or green/yellow. To add to the confusion, there are recessive pied & dominant pied.


----------



## LoveForLizards

Zoo-Man said:


> I found with my Caique at first, that if I sprayed him with a plant sprayer, he then went to the bath & dived in. It was as if it was the spraying that made him decide to get a bath.


Funny you should say that, slightly different species but, over the past few weeks I have noticed our AG male wont bath unless he has been sprayed first, in which case he tries to get into any water possible, often resulting to his water bowl. Or if he has been outside in his cage and it starts to rain, he will sit and preen the water from his feathers, then sit with his wings open and legs stretched until somebody sprays him or offers him a bath. :lol2: If and when he becomes a bit friendlier (I say friendlier, I never expect him to be a 'cuddly' bird, being able to pick him up would be a start!), hopefully he will have a shower properly so the water doesn't just fall off his feathers!!


----------



## Zoo-Man

LoveForLizards said:


> Funny you should say that, slightly different species but, over the past few weeks I have noticed our AG male wont bath unless he has been sprayed first, in which case he tries to get into any water possible, often resulting to his water bowl. Or if he has been outside in his cage and it starts to rain, he will sit and preen the water from his feathers, then sit with his wings open and legs stretched until somebody sprays him or offers him a bath. :lol2: If and when he becomes a bit friendlier (I say friendlier, I never expect him to be a 'cuddly' bird, being able to pick him up would be a start!), hopefully he will have a shower properly so the water doesn't just fall off his feathers!!


Hi Meg! I would guess that for many parrot species, especially the ones who rarely venture onto the ground, it is rain that evokes bathing behaviour, even if the parrot does not particularly want to bathe.


----------



## LiamRatSnake

There we are.


----------



## Myjb23

My lory loves a bath! She has to have one every few days as she gets her food all over her and it goes very hard when it dries, she also spends a lot of time picking around at the bottom of the cage (ussually rolling on her back playing with the newspaper!!) so if she poops then she gets covered in that too - yuk!

You can buy perches that attach onto the shower tiles with those sucker thingies. I have one for Ruby so she can come in the shower with me  lol


----------



## biohazard156

Here is Barry, my 14 year old Port Lincoln Parakeet. Was handraised by my friend parents, and became hers until he was 13...when she had to rehome him and since he seemed to like me from previous "bird sitting" experiences..he came to live with me.

Hates men with a passion, we have tried to get him to like my husband, but just isn't going to happen now! So, he is my boy, he feeds me, displays, and whistles for me...and is the best impersonator of *all* annoying beeping things...his favourites are the telephone, the smoke alarm, the alarm clock, the oven timer and a reversing truck....


----------



## LoveForLizards

Zoo-Man said:


> Hi Meg! I would guess that for many parrot species, especially the ones who rarely venture onto the ground, it is rain that evokes bathing behaviour, even if the parrot does not particularly want to bathe.


True, never thought about it like that!! :2thumb:



Myjb23 said:


> You can buy perches that attach onto the shower tiles with those sucker thingies. I have one for Ruby so she can come in the shower with me  lol


Would love to have one of these for Obi, but he goes nuts if I get within 2 foot of him as it is (unless I'm wielding tasty food that is, but he doesn't eat much food other then his pellets..grr) so there's no hope of him going in the shower :lol2: He could really do with it though, he gets awful dry skin under his wings, over his nape and around his keel so at the moment I just have to soak him with a spray bottle as much as possible and encourage him to use a bath pan. 



biohazard156 said:


> image
> 
> image
> 
> image


He is gorgeous!! :flrt:


----------



## Zoo-Man

LiamRatSnake said:


> image
> There we are.


Nice Liam. They look like 2 recessive pied to me mate.

BTW, those horrid plastic perches will do the bird's feet no favours. I would get rid & put some nice apple tree branches in there instead, as they are much healthier for your Budgie's tootsies.


----------



## Zoo-Man

biohazard156 said:


> Here is Barry, my 14 year old Port Lincoln Parakeet. Was handraised by my friend parents, and became hers until he was 13...when she had to rehome him and since he seemed to like me from previous "bird sitting" experiences..he came to live with me.
> 
> Hates men with a passion, we have tried to get him to like my husband, but just isn't going to happen now! So, he is my boy, he feeds me, displays, and whistles for me...and is the best impersonator of *all* annoying beeping things...his favourites are the telephone, the smoke alarm, the alarm clock, the oven timer and a reversing truck....
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image


Barry is a very handsome chap! It is unusual for parakeet species such as Port Lincolns to remain tame, even when hand-reared. Well done for taking him on.


----------



## *mogwai*

well i've learnt something from this tread, i honestly thought that pied meant black and white. please don't try & confuse me with ressesive pied & dominant pied, i'll just take your word for it lol. 

on the subject of bathing, lots of things can evoke a bathing response in parrots. the hoover or washing machine for instance. white noise apprently makes them think of a rain storm so they'll bathe. works in my house, nearly every time the hoover goes on, the birds dive int their water bowls.


----------



## LiamRatSnake

Zoo-Man said:


> Nice Liam. They look like 2 recessive pied to me mate.
> 
> BTW, those horrid plastic perches will do the bird's feet no favours. I would get rid & put some nice apple tree branches in there instead, as they are much healthier for your Budgie's tootsies.


Ohhh thanks for that. Yeah I know about the horrid perches. I do have a load of Eucalyptus branches doing nothing, can I use them? I'm guessing budgies being Australian will come across them a lot in the wild.

I've gotten really far with them in the past 2 days. The male will step up 100% of the time now and the suspected female will step up about 5% of the time. So getting there. She will fly onto me if he's on me lol
I've already let them out, they go straight onto their gym and go back into the cage when they're done :2thumb:

I'm loving them more and more, they have the same taste in music as I do


----------



## Shadowz

Managed to get a few better pics. 
Think the boy is looking better already in the head department and they only been here 2 weeks.


----------



## Shellsfeathers&fur

LiamRatSnake said:


> Ohhh thanks for that. Yeah I know about the horrid perches. I do have a load of Eucalyptus branches doing nothing, can I use them? I'm guessing budgies being Australian will come across them a lot in the wild.
> 
> I've gotten really far with them in the past 2 days. The male will step up 100% of the time now and the suspected female will step up about 5% of the time. So getting there. She will fly onto me if he's on me lol
> I've already let them out, they go straight onto their gym and go back into the cage when they're done :2thumb:
> 
> I'm loving them more and more, they have the same taste in music as I do


The budgie on the left could be a Spangle - have you got any other photos? We use apple tree branches for perches.


----------



## LiamRatSnake

Stephen P said:


> The budgie on the left could be a Spangle - have you got any other photos? We use apple tree branches for perches.


I think the missus took some pics but she's taken the camera to work lol


----------



## vonnie

Hope you don't mind me joining in. I've been researching for a while now and am planning to get a Pionus at some point. I'm really enjoying everyones pics.

Main reason for posting though is that one of the rescues up here in the NE has a cockatoo on their rehoming pages. I know they don't usually deal with birds, and I know they can be very hard work ...so just in case anyone in this area is looking, it would be great to know it was going to someone knowledgeable.

Untitled Document


----------



## LiamRatSnake

They did this just for RFUK.


----------



## Dracyia

biohazard156 said:


> image


What a beautiful bird! Didn't realise how stunning this wee one (though untame as hell if I remember?) is! Gorgeous!


----------



## biohazard156

Dracyia said:


> What a beautiful bird! Didn't realise how stunning this wee one (though untame as hell if I remember?) is! Gorgeous!



Hiya,

Yeah he is gorgeous! He is very tame though, just doesn't like men, which I believe can be quite common in birds. He would quite happily live on my shoulder all day if he could!

Anna


----------



## *mogwai*

vonnie said:


> Hope you don't mind me joining in. I've been researching for a while now and am planning to get a Pionus at some point. I'm really enjoying everyones pics.


yay get a pionus, i love mine can't believe i waited so long to get one. you don't see many about though. mine was a rescue & if she hadn't come to me, i'd was going to travel to west wales to see a breeder there to get a parent reared baby.


----------



## LiamRatSnake

teshu said:


> yay get a pionus, i love mine can't believe i waited so long to get one. you don't see many about though. mine was a rescue & if she hadn't come to me, i'd was going to travel to west wales to see a breeder there to get a parent reared baby.


I have a Pionus. I've had it since birth.

Just thought parroty people might like this http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/other-pets-exotics/489980-free-birdy-stuff.html


----------



## Zoo-Man

LiamRatSnake said:


> *I have a Pionus. I've had it since birth.*
> 
> Just thought parroty people might like this http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/forums/other-pets-exotics/489980-free-birdy-stuff.html


Ooo how rude!!! :gasp: Its a pygmy pionus isnt it?

:lol2:


----------



## LiamRatSnake

Zoo-Man said:


> Ooo how rude!!! :gasp: Its a pygmy pionus isnt it?
> 
> :lol2:


No. It's a lesser spotted pionus :gasp: You should see him standing there all proud with his spots.


----------



## Zoo-Man

LiamRatSnake said:


> No. It's a lesser spotted pionus :gasp: You should see him standing there all proud with his spots.


So where are the pics??? :lol2:


----------



## LoveForLizards

And there was me thinking there was going to be a sensible thread on here for once, but noooo along comes Colin dragging everybody down :whistling2::lol2:


----------



## LiamRatSnake

Zoo-Man said:


> So where are the pics??? :lol2:


18+...


----------



## Zoo-Man

LoveForLizards said:


> And there was me thinking there was going to be a sensible thread on here for once, but noooo along comes Colin dragging everybody down :whistling2::lol2:


Cheeky mare! :lol2:


----------



## Zoo-Man

LiamRatSnake said:


> 18+...


<wanders off to have a look> :whistling2:

:lol2:


----------



## LiamRatSnake

Check now Mr Zooman.


----------



## Zoo-Man

LiamRatSnake said:


> Check now Mr Zooman.


:lol2:


----------



## temerist

got my ringneck .......... finally :lol2: shes yellow and gorgeous


----------



## Zoo-Man

temerist said:


> got my ringneck .......... finally :lol2: shes yellow and gorgeous


And where the hell are the pics Ian??? For heavens sake man....

:lol2:


----------



## temerist

will get better pics soon lol


----------



## Shellsfeathers&fur

What a pretty little one!:2thumb:


----------



## lizardloverrach

What a beautiful bird! love the pure yellow :flrt:


----------



## temerist

bump :lol2:


----------



## LoveForLizards

Parrot people!
What cage would you recommend for an AG parrot?
I will soon be on the hunt for a new cage for Obi, a long over-due upgrade. But I'm not sure where to start, the cage I wanted has been out of stock everywhere for a while now so looks like I'm going to have to give up on that idea. I want something fairly big but not over powering, being as he's in our living room!! Not sure where to start now. There's too many to choose from... :lol2:


----------



## Shadowz

We have a Montana Grenada cage for our Timneh Grey. 

Quite a few people have " The Mansion" from here
Pet World Direct Parrot Cages


----------



## Shadowz

Our Sam - been here a month now.
He is the one who has Aspergillosis ( arrived with it ) 
He is doing well thou and hopefully the meds will cure or control it.


----------



## *mogwai*

we are sharing a cage!

ages ago now i posted a thread asking if it would be possible for my grey & my pionus (keep it clean lol) could share a cage because they seemed to want to. well i took it very slowly & they've been sharing for a couple of weeks now. i've put in extra perches, and extra bowls for seed & veg so there was no sqabbles & they've been fine. 

still have the other cage though just in case.


----------



## inkyjoe

Hi, Im planning on getting a blue and gold macaw, well, as soon as I have sourced one. Im looking for one under 18 months (though ideally under a year), as Im planning in trying to build a serious bond with the bird. Im fortunate enough to be able to spend practically all day in his company, and can really work on this.
This will be my first parrot, and i have read on this thread, by a couple of people, that macaws arent recommended as a first parrot, but other parrots simply dont interest me. I have researched both care and behaviour of these birds, and have the time and patience, as well as a blatant disregard of noise pollution, to have a flourishing relationship with a majestic and intelligent parrot.
Any first hand experiences, do's and donts, likes, dislikes, advice and stories, which could assist me further in bonding and keeping a B&G, would be very much appreciated: victory:


----------



## Zoo-Man

inkyjoe said:


> Hi, Im planning on getting a blue and gold macaw, well, as soon as I have sourced one. Im looking for one under 18 months (though ideally under a year), as Im planning in trying to build a serious bond with the bird. Im fortunate enough to be able to spend practically all day in his company, and can really work on this.
> This will be my first parrot, and i have read on this thread, by a couple of people, that macaws arent recommended as a first parrot, but other parrots simply dont interest me. I have researched both care and behaviour of these birds, and have the time and patience, as well as a blatant disregard of noise pollution, to have a flourishing relationship with a majestic and intelligent parrot.
> Any first hand experiences, do's and donts, likes, dislikes, advice and stories, which could assist me further in bonding and keeping a B&G, would be very much appreciated: victory:


If you are dead-set on a Blue & Gold Macaw, I would say do as much research on them as you can, & ideally try to find someone near you who may let you spend some time with their Macaw. Regarding your research, Rosemary Low is my favourite author on all things parrot & I have some top notch books of hers.

With the large species of Macaws, they have such intense personalities & they can quickly change their mood, going from a soft cuddly baby one minute to breaking your knuckles the next! 

A Scarlet Macaw that my friend rescued a few years ago is very hard to read temperament-wise. He is always horrid when he first meets anyone. You cant blame him when you hear he was padlocked in a cage that was only a few inches wider than he is, for years, so much so that he can no longer fully outstretch his wings or fly! When he gets to know you (after a few weeks) he may allow you to ask him to step up onto your hand.


----------



## rmb87

Beautiful birds!! My father had a blue and gold macaw called suki who i always adored, have been thinking about getting a bird fror months, i like sun conures but am slightly worried they are unbearably loud? Probably not the bird for me :blush:


----------



## *mogwai*

rmb87 said:


> Beautiful birds!! My father had a blue and gold macaw called suki who i always adored, have been thinking about getting a bird fror months, i like sun conures but am slightly worried they are unbearably loud? Probably not the bird for me :blush:


blue and gold macaws are unbearably loud. believe me when i tell you not thing prepares you for the noise. i thought i wanted one after i'd been keeping parrots for a couple of years. i helped out with a rescue & he stayed with me for 2 weeks. that put me off wanting one & i'm so glad i had the chance to look after one before getting my own. if not there would've been heartbreak. i thought i knew enough about parrots & blue & golds to be able to get my own. i was wrong, i wouldn't have been able to put up with the noise and the beak intimidated me a lot more than i thought it would. 

this really isn't a decision to take lightly. zoo-man is right, if you get the chance to spend time with one, do it.


----------



## inkyjoe

all duly noted, thank you. I have no intention of getting a rescue(that broke my heart to think of that poor scarlet in such a tiny cage), and as i said, am able to put as much time and effort needed to get this right.
The noise doesnt bother me too much, im hoping to be able to alternatively channel a lot of that into talking etc., neither does the beak, im sure it can potentially do damage, and must be respected, but i keep/have kept more formidable reptiles and inverts, without sustaining serious injury, im sure.
I have an old friend whos mum keeps and breeds parrots, including macaws, and im hoping to spend a bit of time with them. I have met tame ones in the past, and instantly fell in love.
Can anyone tell me anything more positive and rewarding about keeping these birds, id love to hear about peoples taming trials and experiences: victory:


----------



## catastrophyrat

Widget is not too noisy but when she wants to it can be earsplitting and yes a Macaw can severe your thumb in one single bite and you need a very large cage or preferably indoor aviary.
They are stunning birds but tbh you do need parrot experience before owning one -reading is not enough-in an ideal world would be a great idea to look after one first to see if you are really suited to each other

Hopefully Widget is about to get a friend a bit later in the year .


----------



## Zoo-Man

rmb87 said:


> Beautiful birds!! My father had a blue and gold macaw called suki who i always adored, have been thinking about getting a bird fror months, i like sun conures but am slightly worried they are unbearably loud? Probably not the bird for me :blush:


I have a Sun Conure called Jaffa. He is a real sweetie, who will fly to my shoulder when he gets worried about something. He is the loudest of my parrots undoubtedly, but he is really only noisy in the mornings.


----------



## Zoo-Man

inkyjoe said:


> all duly noted, thank you. I have no intention of getting a rescue(that broke my heart to think of that poor scarlet in such a tiny cage), and as i said, am able to put as much time and effort needed to get this right.
> The noise doesnt bother me too much, im hoping to be able to alternatively channel a lot of that into talking etc., neither does the beak, im sure it can potentially do damage, and must be respected, but i keep/have kept more formidable reptiles and inverts, without sustaining serious injury, im sure.
> I have an old friend whos mum keeps and breeds parrots, including macaws, and im hoping to spend a bit of time with them. I have met tame ones in the past, and instantly fell in love.
> *Can anyone tell me anything more positive and rewarding about keeping these birds*, id love to hear about peoples taming trials and experiences: victory:


Personally, I would say the more positive part of large macaw ownership is how soppy they can be. My friend who has Rory the Scarlet Macaw who was rescued from the tiny cage, also has a Military Macaw (my favourite species of parrot) & she adores me! She will climb down off her playstand & walk past everyone else to find me. When she finds me, she will tug on my trouser leg to get my attention & ask to be picked up. :flrt:


----------



## Zoo-Man

catastrophyrat said:


> image
> 
> Widget is not too noisy but when she wants to it can be earsplitting and yes a Macaw can severe your thumb in one single bite and *you need a very large cage or preferably indoor aviary*.
> They are stunning birds but tbh you do need parrot experience before owning one -reading is not enough-in an ideal world would be a great idea to look after one first to see if you are really suited to each other
> 
> Hopefully Widget is about to get a friend a bit later in the year .


Did anyone see the B & G Macaw that was on Britains Got Talent who's owner wanted him to eat mash off a fork? Well did anyone see the segment called Back To The Day Job, featuring that Macaw & his owner on ITV2's Britains Got More Talent? It showed the poor bird's cage - it was tiny! The Macaw could not open it's wings whilst in the cage & it looked like it was made of thin crappy wire! :bash:


----------



## inkyjoe

this is my captain mogwai, ive been waiting for the perfect bird to come along, and i think ive found him. hes a 14 month old blue and gold macaw, and is already so tame, he seemed to take to me straight away.
He had been wearing a harness his whole life, which after a week of having him, and gaining his trust, yesterday i took off him for the sake of his feathers (this was advised by 'parrot' people). This seemed to have made him a little wilder yesterday though, he had a very stroppy and uncharacteristic mood swing where he was being very vocal until(hes usually very quiet) picked up, but as soon as he got on me, he was really pinching my neck. he seems to have calmed down today though, so im hoping that it was just a funny mood swing and nothing to do with the removal of the harness.
Anyway, besides our little tiff yesterday, Ive loved having him, despite the mess lol....enjoy


----------



## *mogwai*

no way is he called mogwai. i have a 6 year old african grey called mogwai & i've never heard of another one. 
my mogs in no longer special. :lol2:


----------



## sorted21

here is my beautiful Blue front Amazon he is called Blue. This was on a walk around our nature trail. He loves coming out on walks with us.


----------



## Zoo-Man

inkyjoe said:


> this is my captain mogwai, ive been waiting for the perfect bird to come along, and i think ive found him. hes a 14 month old blue and gold macaw, and is already so tame, he seemed to take to me straight away.
> He had been wearing a harness his whole life, which after a week of having him, and gaining his trust, yesterday i took off him for the sake of his feathers (this was advised by 'parrot' people). This seemed to have made him a little wilder yesterday though, he had a very stroppy and uncharacteristic mood swing where he was being very vocal until(hes usually very quiet) picked up, but as soon as he got on me, he was really pinching my neck. he seems to have calmed down today though, so im hoping that it was just a funny mood swing and nothing to do with the removal of the harness.
> Anyway, besides our little tiff yesterday, Ive loved having him, despite the mess lol....enjoy
> image
> 
> image
> image


Oh wow, he's a stunner! I would suspect that after living with a harness on for so long all the time (which should bever be done), he finally felt that he was free from discomfort & could really have a good session of movement & activity. Harnesses are great if the bird will accept wearing one for going out & about with their owner, but once back in the safety of the house, the harness should be removed. Once again, congratulations on such a lovely Macaw. :flrt:


----------



## Zoo-Man

sorted21 said:


> image
> 
> here is my beautiful Blue front Amazon he is called Blue. This was on a walk around our nature trail. He loves coming out on walks with us.


Aww, nice Amazon there! I do have a soft spot for Amazons. My Blue-Fronted Amazon Lola is a real diva. 

BTW, whats a Kilkimido parakeet? I've never heard of one!


----------



## Shadowz

Few new pics of our Sam from tonight.
Still recovering very well from the Aspergillosis he arrived here with ( still on her meds obviously )


----------



## Zoo-Man

Shadowz said:


> Few new pics of our Sam from tonight.
> Still recovering very well from the Aspergillosis he arrived here with ( still on her meds obviously )
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image


Glad to hear he is doing well Shadowz :2thumb:


----------



## Sarah-Jayne

I have always wanted a parrot for as long as I can remember, I would absolutely love to have a macaw, but realistically I don't think that will ever happen...

I do however have 2 conures and a Congo African grey 


Milo, my black capped conure











Poppy, my baby crimson bellied conure











Milo and Poppy together











Sambuca (Sam) my African grey


----------



## ferretman

Reading this thread makes me jealous.

One day when ive got a good job and my own place am finally gonna get myself a large parrot.

Great parrot pics people.


----------



## inkyjoe

Zoo-Man said:


> Oh wow, he's a stunner! I would suspect that after living with a harness on for so long all the time (which should bever be done), he finally felt that he was free from discomfort & could really have a good session of movement & activity. Harnesses are great if the bird will accept wearing one for going out & about with their owner, but once back in the safety of the house, the harness should be removed. Once again, congratulations on such a lovely Macaw. :flrt:


hes been great today, just a little forceful of sticking his tongue in my mouth all day  so hopefully leavin that harness off wont result in more tantrums lol
and his name is CAPTAIN mogwai:lol2:
it was going to be captain biggles, but hed already been called morgan (which wasnt staying!) so i changed it slightly to mogwai, its got the m and the g sound still, and put the old 'captain' rank in there:whistling2:


----------



## sorted21

Zoo-Man said:


> Aww, nice Amazon there! I do have a soft spot for Amazons. My Blue-Fronted Amazon Lola is a real diva.
> 
> BTW, whats a Kilkimido parakeet? I've never heard of one!


 
sorry my mistake!! The lady in the pet shop said it was a kilkimido and it has always stck. I never knew of them until i had seen one. I wanted a companion for my cockatiel but didnt want to get another one the same. Aparently they are really good companion birds for other birds not humans. He has never sat on my finger or aproached me. The only time he landed on me was when he got lost in my house and didnt know his way back to his cage. Think he got a bit scared and had no other choice. LOL its a Kakariki










This pic is off the net as he never sits long enough to let me take a pic so i cant get a proper one.


----------



## Zoo-Man

sorted21 said:


> sorry my mistake!! The lady in the pet shop said it was a kilkimido and it has always stck. I never knew of them until i had seen one. I wanted a companion for my cockatiel but didnt want to get another one the same. Aparently they are really good companion birds for other birds not humans. He has never sat on my finger or aproached me. The only time he landed on me was when he got lost in my house and didnt know his way back to his cage. Think he got a bit scared and had no other choice. LOL its a Kakariki
> 
> image
> 
> This pic is off the net as he never sits long enough to let me take a pic so i cant get a proper one.


Ah, you have a Red-Fronted Kakariki. They are great little characters. In my experience, they can become suprisingly tame, as they are so curious & nosey. Hand-reared Kakarikis are fab!


----------



## Shellsfeathers&fur

We had a rescue Kakariki - she was a dear little thing. She shared an aviary with several other birds and kept laying eggs in the ring neck's box, so they attacked her. She had a totally bald head and chest, but when she came here we kept her in her own cage. We couldn't resist her, but her feathers never grew back. Sadly, she died just before Christmas, aged 5.


----------



## sorted21

Yer she gets on really well with Max our Cockatiel. Just does not seem to like me much. Can watch her all day and not get bored one bit. Great character. Here is the latest addition to our family. Our baby green cheecked called Pip


----------



## Zoo-Man

Stephen P said:


> We had a rescue Kakariki - she was a dear little thing. She shared an aviary with several other birds and kept laying eggs in the ring neck's box, so they attacked her. She had a totally bald head and chest, but when she came here we kept her in her own cage. We couldn't resist her, but her feathers never grew back. Sadly, she died just before Christmas, aged 5.


Thats one of the downfalls to Kakarikis - they don't live very long for members of the parrot family


----------



## Zoo-Man

sorted21 said:


> Yer she gets on really well with Max our Cockatiel. Just does not seem to like me much. Can watch her all day and not get bored one bit. Great character. Here is the latest addition to our family. Our baby green cheecked called Pip
> 
> 
> image


Conures are ace little parrots! I love em! :flrt:


----------



## inkyjoe

Zoo-Man said:


> Rosemary Low is my favourite author on all things parrot & I have some top notch books of hers.


yep, i got a book of hers today and have learned somethin new on every page. shame captain mogwai didnt share the same enthusiasm.....


----------



## Snoopy84

Here is my baby, Opie, Who is the best African grey in the world (no im not biased, honest!!!)

He is mummys baby, absolutely loves me, and suprisingly accepts my husband, will take fuss and food from him but just wont ever allow him to pick him up or move him, thats mummys job.










This is our Aviary of cockatiels, they are more my husbands as he spends all the time with them over fathering them :lol2:



















I also have a trio of lovebirds I rehomed when i brought my husband some cockatiels as the man was trying to sell up.

I adore these birds, underrated birds. They arent tame but mine live in a huge cage looking out of the front window as they love watching out!

Theyre amazingly playful and investigate everything!!! soon as you put something new in the cage they have to 'test' it to see if its breakable!! 




























The hubby also has this critter in his office, shes a hand reared gorgeous fuss monkey. We tried to get her into the aviary so she could be with her own kind with loads of room but she was not interested and not happy so she now lives in the office upstairs where hubby is all day and she has daily freedom!









I also have a rehome conure but hes settling in at the moment.


----------



## Zoo-Man

Snoopy84 said:


> Here is my baby, Opie, Who is the best African grey in the world (no im not biased, honest!!!)
> 
> He is mummys baby, absolutely loves me, and suprisingly accepts my husband, will take fuss and food from him but just wont ever allow him to pick him up or move him, thats mummys job.
> image
> 
> 
> This is our Aviary of cockatiels, they are more my husbands as he spends all the time with them over fathering them :lol2:
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> I also have a trio of lovebirds I rehomed when i brought my husband some cockatiels as the man was trying to sell up.
> 
> I adore these birds, underrated birds. They arent tame but mine live in a huge cage looking out of the front window as they love watching out!
> 
> Theyre amazingly playful and investigate everything!!! soon as you put something new in the cage they have to 'test' it to see if its breakable!!
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> The hubby also has this critter in his office, shes a hand reared gorgeous fuss monkey. We tried to get her into the aviary so she could be with her own kind with loads of room but she was not interested and not happy so she now lives in the office upstairs where hubby is all day and she has daily freedom!
> 
> image
> I also have a rehome conure but hes settling in at the moment.


 
What lucky Cockatiels you have! They are such strong flyers, I hate seeing them kept in cages barely fit for a Budgie.


----------



## Snoopy84

Zoo-Man said:


> What lucky Cockatiels you have! They are such strong flyers, I hate seeing them kept in cages barely fit for a Budgie.



Thankyou, we absolutely adore all of our birds and they are officially over spoilt. We have one hand reared one that didnt like being in the aviary so during the day when hubbys in the office she free roams the room, best thing we ever got was a medical keyboard which is basically a plastic covered keyboard with keys that cant be removed or anything go under as its so clean with her about!!

The outside birds are spoilt, i go in there every day least once to check on each one, as i would rather if there ever was a problem to be able to spot it as soon as, plus they all seem to enjoy landing on me :lol2:

Opie the african grey gets his out time during the day which he tends to spend asleep, odd critter he is but we chat to one' another throughout the day and he enjoys watching the tele:2thumb: 

If you leave the room he starts his laser gun noises, i assume learnt from the nephews! its amazing how quickly they pick things up, thats why we have a policy of no swearing in the front room by anyone including guests!


----------



## irish_vampire

A few of my birds ( i've over 40 so only a few pics)

White Faced Cockatiel











Plumhead










Indian Ringneck










Kakariki










Blue Fronted Amazon










Crimson Rosella


----------



## Sarah-Jayne

Snoopy84 said:


> Here is my baby, Opie, Who is the best African grey in the world (no im not biased, honest!!!)
> 
> He is mummys baby, absolutely loves me, and suprisingly accepts my husband, will take fuss and food from him but just wont ever allow him to pick him up or move him, thats mummys job.
> image
> 
> 
> This is our Aviary of cockatiels, they are more my husbands as he spends all the time with them over fathering them :lol2:
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> I also have a trio of lovebirds I rehomed when i brought my husband some cockatiels as the man was trying to sell up.
> 
> I adore these birds, underrated birds. They arent tame but mine live in a huge cage looking out of the front window as they love watching out!
> 
> Theyre amazingly playful and investigate everything!!! soon as you put something new in the cage they have to 'test' it to see if its breakable!!
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> image
> 
> The hubby also has this critter in his office, shes a hand reared gorgeous fuss monkey. We tried to get her into the aviary so she could be with her own kind with loads of room but she was not interested and not happy so she now lives in the office upstairs where hubby is all day and she has daily freedom!
> 
> image
> I also have a rehome conure but hes settling in at the moment.


I might be completely wrong and it might be a load of rubbish that I have heard but I have heard that African greys with alot of red on them are called red factor and are highly desired? might be wrong lol very pretty anyway


----------



## Snoopy84

Sarah-Jayne said:


> I might be completely wrong and it might be a load of rubbish that I have heard but I have heard that African greys with alot of red on them are called red factor and are highly desired? might be wrong lol very pretty anyway



There is a thing about red factors, yes. His parents are both red factor parents and well known for the red factor babys.

Also sometimes the red feathering can be an indicator to bad health or deficiancys.

It also should be noted that most of these red factor babys tend to lose their red feathering anyways. H es now a year old and is losing more and more reds, replacing with greys


----------



## Sarah-Jayne

There was a very red african grey on the tv the other day, on super vets or something it was 42 years old and the poor thing looked miserable and shabby  I dont think it could fly cos the people took it in a cardboard box thing and didn't care when it chewed through the box and it had a massive hole in it, they walked outside with it anyway!

Glad I didn't imagine the red factor thing lol


----------



## Zoo-Man

The Greys with red feathering are called 'King' Greys. They are often well sought after, but it can be a sign of health problems, including the dreaded Psittacine Beak & Feather Disease (PBFD).


----------



## Zoo-Man

irish_vampire said:


> A few of my birds ( i've over 40 so only a few pics)
> 
> White Faced Cockatiel
> 
> image
> 
> 
> Plumhead
> 
> image
> 
> Indian Ringneck
> 
> image
> 
> Kakariki
> 
> image
> 
> Blue Fronted Amazon
> 
> image
> 
> Crimson Rosella
> 
> image


Some lovely looking birds you have there! That buttercup Kakariki is very nice - I am a fan of Kaks! Your brave housing a Crimson Rosella with Budgies aren't you? :lol2:


----------



## Snoopy84

Sarah-Jayne said:


> There was a very red african grey on the tv the other day, on super vets or something it was 42 years old and the poor thing looked miserable and shabby  I dont think it could fly cos the people took it in a cardboard box thing and didn't care when it chewed through the box and it had a massive hole in it, they walked outside with it anyway!
> 
> Glad I didn't imagine the red factor thing lol


poor wee thing, not even classed as old at that age!!!

Ours can fly, hes not too good at landing though, tends to fly then crash land and then make his noise for mummy and i go pick him up and take him back to his corner!!!

There is a little african gret at a local garden centre which is a mess, its only 20 years old, about a third of the size of a normal african grey congo (its a congo too) and they had it in the middle of the shop when i saw it, shaking away in a bare cage.

Well if anyone knows about african greys you will know they can be very nervous birds especially of people they dont know. Mine for example if he doesnt know people who visit, normally takes 3-4 visits, he will do gun shot noises to show his dislike!


----------



## inkyjoe

Im having such fun with captain mogwai








He seemed to be genuinely enjoying my elvis renditions too:2thumb:


----------



## Sarah-Jayne

lol yeah mine is the same, she has an obsession with landing on my head too! so I have to run around the room to try and beat her to wherever shes going so she doesnt crash lol

I was trying to find a picture or something of 'Cocky' the african grey that was on tv but I cant find it

I am making sure mine meets everyone as she is very nosey at the moment and wants everyone to talk to her so I want to get her used to being around people, hope it works!

hahaha gunshot noises?? where on earth they learn that!


----------



## Sarah-Jayne

inkyjoe said:


> Im having such fun with captain mogwai
> image
> He seemed to be genuinely enjoying my elvis renditions too:2thumb:


:lol2:

if I did that with any of my birds they would be in the bath with me, they wouldnt stay still lol


----------



## Zoo-Man

inkyjoe said:


> Im having such fun with captain mogwai
> image
> He seemed to be genuinely enjoying my elvis renditions too:2thumb:


And your a brave man sticking your toes so close to Captain Mogwai! :lol2:


----------



## Snoopy84

Sarah-Jayne said:


> lol yeah mine is the same, she has an obsession with landing on my head too! so I have to run around the room to try and beat her to wherever shes going so she doesnt crash lol
> 
> I was trying to find a picture or something of 'Cocky' the african grey that was on tv but I cant find it
> 
> I am making sure mine meets everyone as she is very nosey at the moment and wants everyone to talk to her so I want to get her used to being around people, hope it works!
> 
> hahaha gunshot noises?? where on earth they learn that!



Those sounds come from having a 6 year old nephew visiting often who he likes !!! 

There was a thing ni the newspaper a while back where a parrot foiled a burglary once when the burglar entered he said 'i can see you, what you doing?' or something on those lines and the burglar gave up and left the property!!!


----------



## Sarah-Jayne

hahahahahah thats brilliant!!

trying to make sure my friends don't teach mine any profanities but don't know how long that will last!

I want to clicker train her...must get round to ordering that clicker!


----------



## Snoopy84

Sarah-Jayne said:


> hahahahahah thats brilliant!!
> 
> trying to make sure my friends don't teach mine any profanities but don't know how long that will last!
> 
> I want to clicker train her...must get round to ordering that clicker!


il pm u a great website for parrot bits!!!

We banned any swearing downstairs in our house, as we often have the nephews over its not something i want ever happening! he picks up on things very quick!! 

The thing also is to know that a parrot will learn what they want to learn, not what you want to learn!

I want to get mine the ring toss type game and some puzzle blocks soon to get him using his noggin more!!!


----------



## Zoo-Man

Speaking of parrot toys, all my 3 pattots love the treasure chest toy, that comes with coloured wooden shapes in it, & they have to work to get the bits out. You can also put treats in it. I got it from Northern Parrots www.24parrot.com


----------



## Sarah-Jayne

I have banned swearing here but I dont think it will work lol

I want to get the basketball thing and some other things, want to be able to entertain her outside the cage


----------



## inkyjoe

Zoo-Man said:


> And your a brave man sticking your toes so close to Captain Mogwai! :lol2:


hes ever so gentle, even when he is pissy


----------



## Zoo-Man

inkyjoe said:


> hes ever so gentle, even when he is pissy


In one of Rosemary Low's books, if memory serve me rightly its Why Does My Parrot...?, she tells of a story where a male owner took his Macaw into the shower with him, which the Macaw loved. But one day, the Macaw lost its grip of the man's arm, & tumbled down. Before it hit the shower floor, it grabbed something with it's beak on it's way down! :gasp: Can you guess what? :lol2:


----------



## inkyjoe

Sarah-Jayne said:


> I have banned swearing here but I dont think it will work lol
> 
> I want to get the basketball thing and some other things, want to be able to entertain her outside the cage


ARE YOU KIDDING? Im hoping that my macaw picks up some swearing, it adds colour to any interrupted conversation:lol2:


----------



## Zoo-Man

inkyjoe said:


> ARE YOU KIDDING? Im hoping that my macaw picks up some swearing, it adds colour to any interrupted conversation:lol2:


Thats really naughty! And think, what if you croaked it tomorrow. Who would want to take on a parrot who swears like Chubby Brown!


----------



## inkyjoe

Zoo-Man said:


> In one of Rosemary Low's books, if memory serve me rightly its Why Does My Parrot...?, she tells of a story where a male owner took his Macaw into the shower with him, which the Macaw loved. But one day, the Macaw lost its grip of the man's arm, & tumbled down. Before it hit the shower floor, it grabbed something with it's beak on it's way down! :gasp: Can you guess what? :lol2:


:lol2::lol2::lol2: brilliant!
Obviously far from ideal, but hey, ive got room to play with


----------



## Zoo-Man

inkyjoe said:


> :lol2::lol2::lol2: brilliant!
> Obviously far from ideal, but hey, ive got room to play with


:lol2: I'll have to take your word for it Joe! :blush:


----------



## inkyjoe

Zoo-Man said:


> Thats really naughty! And think, what if you croaked it tomorrow. Who would want to take on a parrot who swears like Chubby Brown!


My mate (the guy who found captain mogwai for me) made a fortune at a bird auction on a mynah bird that swore like a docker!
He was nervous about taking it in, as he thought no one would want it if it swore, and was hoping it would refrain until the auction was over...of course, that wasnt the case, and as soon as it started swearing, loads of people were bidding big money. The more he swore, the higher the bidding went


----------



## Zoo-Man

inkyjoe said:


> My mate (the guy who found captain mogwai for me) made a fortune at a bird auction on a mynah bird that swore like a docker!
> He was nervous about taking it in, as he thought no one would want it if it swore, and was hoping it would refrain until the auction was over...of course, that wasnt the case, and as soon as it started swearing, loads of people were bidding big money. The more he swore, the higher the bidding went


:lol2: madness


----------



## Sarah-Jayne

lol yeah swearing is banned round my birds, like above...what happens if my situation drastically changed and I had to rehome them...not many people that would look after a parrot properly and are actually interested in the bird itself would want a bird that swears


----------



## inkyjoe

Sarah-Jayne said:


> lol yeah swearing is banned round my birds, like above...what happens if my situation drastically changed and I had to rehome them...not many people that would look after a parrot properly and are actually interested in the bird itself would want a bird that swears


thats a rather unfair and presumptuous sweeping judgement


----------



## Snoopy84

following on from the red factor chat i managed to get a good pic of ope this morning.

This was Ope on 26th July











this is him this morning showing his colour change


----------



## Sarah-Jayne

inkyjoe said:


> thats a rather unfair and presumptuous sweeping judgement


No it isn't, its very true. People would just think 'oh a bird that swears how cool I can show it off to my mates' and wouldn't care about the welfare of the bird. I didnt say EVERYONE, I said a lot of people.


----------



## Sarah-Jayne

Snoopy84 said:


> following on from the red factor chat i managed to get a good pic of ope this morning.
> 
> This was Ope on 26th July
> 
> image
> 
> 
> this is him this morning showing his colour change
> 
> image


It has changed quite a lot! lovely looking bird


----------



## irish_vampire

Zoo-Man said:


> Some lovely looking birds you have there! That buttercup Kakariki is very nice - I am a fan of Kaks! Your brave housing a Crimson Rosella with Budgies aren't you? :lol2:


 
I dont have budgies no more but they were fine with the Crimson Rosellas ..i.ve a pair in with my cockatiels breeding happily, but i've changed my aviarys since that pic.

A lot say not to keep Rosellas in with other birds but it works in my case no fighting.


----------



## inkyjoe

Unfortunately, due to unforeseen changes in my life, I am gutted to the pit of my stomach, to be having to sell my macaw, captain mogwai 
Heres the thread if any of you lovely bird people are interested
http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/foru...fieds/587699-blue-gold-macaw.html#post7079177


----------



## Zoo-Man

inkyjoe said:


> Unfortunately, due to unforeseen changes in my life, I am gutted to the pit of my stomach, to be having to sell my macaw, captain mogwai
> Heres the thread if any of you lovely bird people are interested
> http://www.reptileforums.co.uk/foru...fieds/587699-blue-gold-macaw.html#post7079177


Oh no mate, so sorry to hear this. Wish I had the funds!


----------



## inkyjoe

cheers bud. Im so sad to be doin it, I know it cant be helped, but we had got really attached, hes such a lovely bird, not like the dangerous squawking beasts they get made out to be


----------



## Zoo-Man

inkyjoe said:


> cheers bud. Im so sad to be doin it, I know it cant be helped, but we had got really attached, hes such a lovely bird, not like the dangerous squawking beasts they get made out to be


At least you can do him the favour of finding him the best possible new owner now mate. Try not to feel too bad.


----------



## ferretman

sorry to hear that mate.


COLIN how u doin long time no speak


----------



## Zoo-Man

Hiya mate, it is a long time since we last spoke. Im ok thanks. You?


----------



## Tomcat

Hello all,

I own an online shop selling parrot accessories, and im wandering if anybody could be so kind as to send me a picture of their parrot i could use on it.

Although i have a grey myself, he hates the camera and doesnt sit still, so i cant overly use a pic of him.

If its on a white background its even better, however isnt essential.

Thanks


----------



## Shadowz

Tomcat said:


> Hello all,
> 
> I own an online shop selling parrot accessories, and im wandering if anybody could be so kind as to send me a picture of their parrot i could use on it.
> 
> Although i have a grey myself, he hates the camera and doesnt sit still, so i cant overly use a pic of him.
> 
> If its on a white background its even better, however isnt essential.
> 
> Thanks


Feel free to steal one from my album if any of them are suitable
Reptile Forums - Shadowz's Album: SamSam


----------



## Tomcat

Thank you very much, found one thats perfect!


----------



## Circe

I had parrots as a child (and various other birds) and have been thinking off and on about getting another at some time, but some time never seemed to happen.
Then a much loved friend left me a bequest and two days ago I bought myself an African Grey, Rosie; to remember her by. Rosie's two years old and pure joy. We've clicked with each other straight away and whereas I knew what fantastic mimics they are, noises have moved on a lot since I last had a bird like this. The weird,electronic, polyphonic noises she makes are just amazing! She's a good speaker, too. My OH is very taken with her too, though nervous of her beak. I need to train him to be confident as she responds well to that. He keeps telling her, "Hello Gorgeous" - he never says that to me, lol.


----------



## bosshogg

this is my African grey Charly


----------



## Zoo-Man

bosshogg said:


> this is my African grey Charly


A very popular name for Greys! I know about 4 Greys called Charlie! :2thumb:


----------



## bosshogg

Zoo-Man said:


> A very popular name for Greys! I know about 4 Greys called Charlie! :2thumb:


came with the name i wanted to call him Rafiki -what means friend but as he knew his name i thought it would be unfair to change it


----------



## Bryony2205

*Parrots!*

Hi guys

my boyf and I have been looking at parrots for ages and are very much still in the researching stage, but just wanted some advice. I have just joined a parrot forum, but thought I would ask you guys first as its a bit less scary! 
I very much want a Senegal and my partner has his heart set on a Timneh. As I understand it, Sennies tend to be 1-parrot pets and do not generally get along with other birds, so it would probably be an either/or situation for us .
However I have recently seen an advert for 2 parrots that are approx 10mths old and hatched and incubated together. The advert says they live in the same cage and are happy together so must be sold together, and guess what ... its a Timneh and a Sennie! We are torn as this seems too good to be true, but it is also sooner than we had intended and are not sure we are ready to go from no parrots to 2! 
My other concern is that the Senegals have such a reputation for not liking other birds, so will they happily live together for ever or is it going to 'grow out of it'? 
A further concern is that if they are happily bonded, would two species try to mate or are they safe to live together, as we have no intentions of breeding (they are male and female dna tested). And as Senegals do not live as long as Timnehs, what do we do in 30yrs time? 

Sorry for the epic post but we don't want to jump in before we know as much as we possibly can prior to owning the birds.

:2thumb:

p.s Also can you advise on buying older birds as my partner is of the opinion that we need to buy a baby so as to get the bond and teach it what we want it to say/do rather than its previous owners, but I see so many adverts out there for 4, 5 10 year old parrots and can't help thinking I would rather help out an old unwanted bird. 

Thanks 
Bryony


----------



## rachy

Zoo-Man said:


> A very popular name for Greys! I know about 4 Greys called Charlie! :2thumb:


Mine is Charlie too!! Otherwise known as CheekyCharlie lol


----------



## Zoo-Man

Bryony2205 said:


> Hi guys
> 
> my boyf and I have been looking at parrots for ages and are very much still in the researching stage, but just wanted some advice. I have just joined a parrot forum, but thought I would ask you guys first as its a bit less scary!
> I very much want a Senegal and my partner has his heart set on a Timneh. As I understand it, Sennies tend to be 1-parrot pets and do not generally get along with other birds, so it would probably be an either/or situation for us .
> However I have recently seen an advert for 2 parrots that are approx 10mths old and hatched and incubated together. The advert says they live in the same cage and are happy together so must be sold together, and guess what ... its a Timneh and a Sennie! We are torn as this seems too good to be true, but it is also sooner than we had intended and are not sure we are ready to go from no parrots to 2!
> My other concern is that the Senegals have such a reputation for not liking other birds, so will they happily live together for ever or is it going to 'grow out of it'?
> A further concern is that if they are happily bonded, would two species try to mate or are they safe to live together, as we have no intentions of breeding (they are male and female dna tested). And as Senegals do not live as long as Timnehs, what do we do in 30yrs time?
> 
> Sorry for the epic post but we don't want to jump in before we know as much as we possibly can prior to owning the birds.
> 
> :2thumb:
> 
> p.s Also can you advise on buying older birds as my partner is of the opinion that we need to buy a baby so as to get the bond and teach it what we want it to say/do rather than its previous owners, but I see so many adverts out there for 4, 5 10 year old parrots and can't help thinking I would rather help out an old unwanted bird.
> 
> Thanks
> Bryony


There is never a hard & fast rule, especially with parrots! They are such individuals, that just because Senegals have reputation for not getting on with other birds, it doesn't mean thats every Senegal. 

It is unlikely that the Senegal & Timneh Grey would attempt to breed, but even if they did, you would just try to discourage them by not providing anywhere they may see as a possible nesting site, reduce daylight hours, etc. I have a Black-Headed Caique & a Sun Conure who share a cage. They get on fine, & sleep together in a nest box.

Older parrots will often come with some problem or other, whether it be biting, screeching, plucking, etc. With understanding, these problems can be overcome, but some older parrots are no good for new keepers.


----------



## crossfire101

Well I'm looking to get my first parrot sometime this year, having wanted one for as long as I can remember. I'm set on getting some kind of pyrrhura conure, however I'm unsure of what one at the moment. All set to order a nice montana cage and getting everything set up in anticipation for him/her. Currently on the look out for a breeder, fingers crossed I can find one relativity soon. Anyway really can't wait! Any advice/stories on conures would be brilliant.


----------



## Zoo-Man

crossfire101 said:


> Well I'm looking to get my first parrot sometime this year, having wanted one for as long as I can remember. I'm set on getting some kind of pyrrhura conure, however I'm unsure of what one at the moment. All set to order a nice montana cage and getting everything set up in anticipation for him/her. Currently on the look out for a breeder, fingers crossed I can find one relativity soon. Anyway really can't wait! Any advice/stories on conures would be brilliant.


Good choice of genus! 

Green-Cheeked Conures are the most commonly available, followed by Maroon-Bellied Conures & Black-Capped Conures. I have a friend who breeds Green-Cheeks & Black-Caps, she lives in East Yorkshire.


----------



## bosshogg

Zoo-Man said:


> Good choice of genus!
> 
> Green-Cheeked Conures are the most commonly available, followed by Maroon-Bellied Conures & Black-Capped Conures. I have a friend who breeds Green-Cheeks & Black-Caps, she lives in East Yorkshire.



ooooo im in east yorkshire, I would love a green cheek but think charly is enough at moment:lol2:


----------



## Zoo-Man

bosshogg said:


> ooooo im in east yorkshire, I would love a green cheek but think charly is enough at moment:lol2:


Infact, having just looked at your location, you are VERY close to my friend! :lol2:


----------



## crossfire101

Cheers, I have only heard good things about them.

I think all of the genus are completely stunning, although I am growing to really like the painted conures. Unfortunately availability doesn't seem to be as great for them.

It's a shame your friend is quite a while away from me. 



Zoo-Man said:


> Good choice of genus!
> 
> Green-Cheeked Conures are the most commonly available, followed by Maroon-Bellied Conures & Black-Capped Conures. I have a friend who breeds Green-Cheeks & Black-Caps, she lives in East Yorkshire.


----------



## bosshogg

Zoo-Man said:


> Infact, having just looked at your location, you are VERY close to my friend! :lol2:


No dont tempt me -hides credit card! I do love charly just wish we could get him out of the habit of putting his head down for a scratch and then biting me! any ideas how to tame down a naughty Congo African grey


----------



## Zoo-Man

bosshogg said:


> No dont tempt me -hides credit card! I do love charly just wish we could get him out of the habit of putting his head down for a scratch and then biting me! any ideas how to tame down a naughty Congo African grey


Each time he turns & tries to bite when you are scratching his head, either return him to his cage immediately & leave the room, or just leave the room. Return to the room after 30 seconds. Try again & repeat if he tries to bite. If he allows you to scratch his head for even a second, offer him a peanut or sunflower seed. By continuing this method, he will hopefuly get the idea that head scratches are not only a nice sensation, they result in him getting a nice treat, & that his biting results in him being left alone/isolated.


----------



## bosshogg

Zoo-Man said:


> Each time he turns & tries to bite when you are scratching his head, either return him to his cage immediately & leave the room, or just leave the room. Return to the room after 30 seconds. Try again & repeat if he tries to bite. If he allows you to scratch his head for even a second, offer him a peanut or sunflower seed. By continuing this method, he will hopefuly get the idea that head scratches are not only a nice sensation, they result in him getting a nice treat, & that his biting results in him being left alone/isolated.



I will give it a go the problem with charly is I know history on him, as he was a rescue so having to start from scratch with him  

Hes loving a new play stand I got for free from a pet shop (it was slightly damaged so were chucking it!)


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## Zoo-Man

bosshogg said:


> I will give it a go the problem with charly is I know history on him, as he was a rescue so having to start from scratch with him
> 
> Hes loving a new play stand I got for free from a pet shop (it was slightly damaged so were chucking it!)


 
It is difficult with rescue parrots, but it makes it all the more great when you get that break-through! My good friend has many parrots, one is a Scarlet Macaw called Rory. My friend responded to an advert in a paper, & when he arrived at the house, he was met by a skitty woman. The woman took him to a cage containing a Scarlet Macaw. The Macaw could step to the left & step to the right, that was it! The cage was firmly padlocked shut! It had been padlocked shut for 14 years! The poor parrot had never been let out of this prison for the whole 14 years, as the woman was scared of the parrot! The Macaw had plucked his chest, back & shoulders right to the skin. My friend had to cut the padlock off the cage to get the parrot out. 

Rory was aggressive with anyone who dared to get close, lunging at them with his beak. He could not open out his wings fully, but could only open them from the shoulder to the elbow, leaving his lower wings fused in place. Eventually, he began to trust my friend, & allowed him to stroke what little feathers he had left. 

That was 5 years ago. Now, Rory has all his feathers back, apart from a small patch on the top of his chest. He adores my friend, & is very happy to be handled by him. He can still not open his wings properly, which upsets me the most about Rory's story. He is still very intolerant of other people, biting them when he gets the chance. It took me about 6 months to win Rory's trust & only then would he step up onto my hand.

Here he is


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## Snoopy84

awww poor ol rory!!! least he finally has a good and safe home.

We rescued a cockatoo and we called her Widget, she was plucked all over her chest, back, wings and legs. She was terrified of people and has a huge fear of certain things so we know that she was more than likely tormented by them.

She spent 6 years in a cage with 2 perchs and her bowls and that was it! she had no positive interaction and no toys, so since we took her on she has had to learn to play again.

Luckily we have the time and put so much into her, she is much more my husbands bird, im just the lady who brings food hehe.

She wouldnt let us near her at first and was terrified of people and now she will fly over to us for cuddles and enjoys being out of her cage all day.

It took a lot of effort, time, of being bitten and money to get her to this stage, and she still has some way off from being completely better as she is just starting to grow her feathers back.


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## Zoo-Man

It really angers me that anyone with the money can just go & buy a parrot, such an intelligent phsychologically complex animal. You hear about people choosing a parrot because it will go well with the decor of the living room, or because it will be cool to have a talking pet, or because they have seen trained ones on TV, etc etc.


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## Circe

I know what you mean, Zoo-man. I know two people with African greys, both bought as clever toys. One of them I think will come to me in time, her owner is just trying to get her head around acknowledging that she needs to let the bird go to a more stimulating environment. This poor animal sits in a cage all day plucking feathers but her owner does realise that something needs doing.The other was bought a few months ago by a woman in her seventies I know who will not take any advice on the bird's welfare as she used to know one when she was in her twenties so she knows everything.
This bird lives in a cage in a room other than the one she sits in, as it's too noisy to live with. She covers the cage a lot to keep it quiet, too. It's fed on sunflower seeds, peanuts and human food - she will tell you that pellets and fresh food are too expensive and she's a poor pensioner - why did she get the bird then? It will likely outlive her despite it's poor lifestyle, then it will be taken on by her equally clueless son. And that's it's life. I've pretty well given up visiting her as I cannot stand to see the bird in such an awful environment. She would tell you she loves it, but all her actions show that it's just a thing, like a tv or other toy. There is so much information available nowadays but some folk don't want to know as it interferes with their lifestyle to provide proper care.


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## Zoo-Man

Circe said:


> I know what you mean, Zoo-man. I know two people with African greys, both bought as clever toys. One of them I think will come to me in time, her owner is just trying to get her head around acknowledging that she needs to let the bird go to a more stimulating environment. This poor animal sits in a cage all day plucking feathers but her owner does realise that something needs doing.The other was bought a few months ago by a woman in her seventies I know who will not take any advice on the bird's welfare as she used to know one when she was in her twenties so she knows everything.
> This bird lives in a cage in a room other than the one she sits in, as it's too noisy to live with. She covers the cage a lot to keep it quiet, too. It's fed on sunflower seeds, peanuts and human food - she will tell you that pellets and fresh food are too expensive and she's a poor pensioner - why did she get the bird then? It will likely outlive her despite it's poor lifestyle, then it will be taken on by her equally clueless son. And that's it's life. I've pretty well given up visiting her as I cannot stand to see the bird in such an awful environment. She would tell you she loves it, but all her actions show that it's just a thing, like a tv or other toy. There is so much information available nowadays but some folk don't want to know as it interferes with their lifestyle to provide proper care.


Its a crying shame! If only people thought more about the parrot, instead of their own selfish reasons.


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