Please HELP. WHAT IS THIS?

[Rachelmarie]

BTW...I totally appreciate the help! I know these questions...ya probably hear all the time. Just learning!

[cknowles]

Yes you will need an avian specialist, I have heard many stories of people taking their birds to an ordinary vet and having them misdiagnose it then having them die because of it.
And keep it coming with the questions we are here to help, we all had questions when we first got birds.

[Michael]

I figured I'd call tomorrow to check, but was just curious. As far as male/female...I'll let my daughter pick a gender. lol. She'll love it. lol

She could end up really disappointed if "he" decides to lay eggs some time. I'd suggest DNA sexing (if knowing really matters to you) while you're at the vet. And yes, the vet must be well familiar specifically with birds.

Do you already have a cage, food, and supplies?

[Rachelmarie]

Okay, I will look around for a specialist tomorrow. Good to know!

I went and picked up at cage at a Pet Store and asked a lot of questions. They seemed to not know much about them (shoulda known). The cage I got is about 2.5 or 3 times longer than he is and plenty big enough to stretch his wings. He does fly and seems to know the "up" (on finger) command. Putting him BACK in the cage, we're having a problem with. The people we got him from (who found him and couldn't locate owners, and couldn't keep them) had him in a janky little cage with nothing to play with. He was VERY excited with all the toys and new food and room to play! (If you can't tell, I'm in love). Def' LOUD during daylight hours but has since been in his cage and quiet. Playing, but not screaming.
The store clerk did mention that some food is dangerous to concurs. Is this true? Is there a list?
And also they told me to clip his wings....? I'd rather not and keep him as "natural" (for lack of a better word). Is there a right or wrong thing to do with that? My research is very sketchy on that.....
I plan to take pictures tomorrow. I'm sure he'll photograph well...so pretty.

[GlassOnion]

Stay away from pet stores. Buy everything bird related online, you will get SO much higher quality stuff and often cheaper too. That includes cages, but whatever that's fine.

[Rachelmarie]

See...I knew I could get a better deal. I just had no clue where to go to do that. lol. I take everything they say (in general, any animal) with a grain of salt. It's all about researching yourself. I'm getting there. He's got it made...for right now. But I def have a LOT of reading to do!

[Michael]

And also they told me to clip his wings....? I'd rather not and keep him as "natural" (for lack of a better word). Is there a right or wrong thing to do with that? My research is very sketchy on that.....

Good thing you didn't listen to them. They don't know what they are talking about. They are just used to doing it that way and can benefit from repeat business of people coming in every few months to get the wings clipped and buy supplies.

[cknowles]

Yes some foods are dangerous such as caffine, chocolate, avocado, sugary things and salty things. And what ever you DO NOT use things with non-stick coating/tefflon. Don't use air freshners, body spray, or hair spray anywhere remotely near them. And don't use scented candles in your house, try using boiling spices to make your home smell good. And if you smoke please please try not to do indoors and around them. And this should go without saying, don't give your bird alcohol.
And don't clip your birds wings, it is completley unnatural, they need to fly to stay fit and healthy.

[Shelby]

He does fly and seems to know the "up" (on finger) command. Putting him BACK in the cage, we're having a problem with.

I highly recommend reading Michael's "Parrot Wizard" blog. The articles on taming and training are super simple to understand and will help you get to know your new buddy! The Taming Article is really great and you should read it even if your new bird sounds pretty tame already.

As for getting him back in the cage, you could try only feeding him his meals in the cage and save treats for outside the cage. This way he'll associate both you AND the cage with good things! If he tries to bite when you put him back inside, once you target train him, you can target him back into the cage to his supper.

[Rachelmarie]

Thanks everyone for all the advice. I gotta admit...early yesterday, I wasn't sure if it was going to work out. But I'm learning that this little fella has his own schedule he goes by. He's Loud. I mean LOUD. BUT...he calms down when he is out of the cage. It seems the previous owner gave him free flight of the house. I turned off all the ceiling fans and let him do his business. He is a good little guy/gal. I tend to wear ear plugs when he's on my shoulder. lol. Ordered some things online yesterday for nearly half what they are in the store. We put his cage in the room that attaches the house to the garage (for now). Once it start heating up, I'll prob move him back into the house since it gets so darn hot here. He searches the house for water. A sink full of cold water, a bath tub (usually with a kid in it)...he flies to water like it's food. Apparently a swimmer. So he now has his own little "pool" of water he can fly to at any given moment. He was obviously spoiled rotten by previous owners, and that's fine by me. As I said, I'm a stay at home Mom....so if he wants to hang out on my shoulder for the majority of the day, so be it. I got some toys to hang from the ceiling and can not wait until they get here. He sleeps great through the night and doesn't make a peep. When he starts screaming in the morning (around 9) I let him out.
I thought that it was the bird...that had to learn our schedule. Apparently, it's the other way around. He has SO much personality and my family and I are in LOVE with him! And I'm pretty sure he feels the same about us! One thing...he yanks my nose ring out any chance he gets. Must look like a bug. And I have a mole that he swears is a bug and is constantly trying to pick it off my face. Yeah, I could live without that. lol.
Other than that, things are going GREAT. Again, I thank you for all your help. I'll be browsing through the forums for some time, it seems. Cuz this little guy isn't going anywhere!