Hi, I am a bird nerd

[Vmax3000]

Thank you all for your kind comments and clarifications. I call my students "babies", as a term of endearment, but it's to their faces, so they know it's said with their best interests in my heart. I have found the information on birds to be woeful, at best. There was one site that called certain birds "starter" birds....pissed me off something fierce. I'd like to try the gloop.

Let's see, why did I think I had ruined Gus? Well, again, I have read some of the awful stories, and had some friends who had a cockatoo. This was many years ago. She had pulled out her feathers on her chest and neck. I was pitifully ignorant, but because her owners knew I had grown up around livestock, somehow, they thought I could help. I went to her cage, and was heart broken to see her, but didn't know why. I now know that these creatures require even more input than our busy lives might allow. Her cage was a large iron structure with no toys. If I had known then what I know now (and I stand in the desert with a grain of sand on my finger, claiming what I know now, so keep that in mind ), I would have recommended a rescue organization, or at the least, some toys. Long story longer....when I noticed that bald spot on Gus's thigh, I thought "Oh, no, it's happening to my little Gussie" and whisked him off to the vet. My spouse and I don't have any human children of our own, so I have probably acted like a new frightened parent, after reading too many childhood disease texts....every bad disease out there has common symptoms...headache? must have brain tumor....
Thank you, in kind, for your patience with me. I have sat by Max's cage and sang to him and read to him. He is significantly less "bite-y" and much more "beak-y" in just one week. He wanted to go with me while I was doing some things around the house...warmed my heart. I'll have to post some pictures, but only of the birds. They're the pretty ones

[galeriagila]

Hang in there, friend...
I have told our story (mine and the Rickeybird's) a few times here.
I guess the take-away is... yes, they are an amazing investment of time, learning, and money, and sometimes anxiety, but... the rewards are... I can't even think of a good adjective.
xo

EDIT
You sound like a wonderfully intuitive, caring, intelligent person.
To repeat myself... hang in there!
Hugs, good karma, free-lance prayers headed at you, wherever you are.

[Wolf]

Information on birds today is confusing at best especially for those who are new to keeping them. Although parrots have been kept for thousands of years there were no scientific studies about them and their care until in the 1970's when global transportation made it easy for there to be a worldwide market for them. Most of the current studies are less than 20 to 25years old and with the advent of the internet they are mixed in with tons of old, outdated and frankly wrong ideas of how to care for our birds. So as far as the care of our beautiful parrots are concerned everything is still in its infancy.

We are just now learning about the different requirements for most of the different species of parrots as well as the different ways that birds utilize the foods that they eat and the effects of diet on their health. Where clipping was once commonplace and is still practiced way too much especially with the young captive bred birds, the trend is now towards not clipping their wings which has proven to be much more beneficial for our birds. And even when clipping is done the idea of controlled flight instead of the total removal of the ability to fly is beginning to take hold among some of the better avian vets. This is because flight affects nearly every aspect of a birds development and well being.

There are many of us that do a lot of research on parrots covering everything from diet to , well just about anything one cares to discuss about parrots. And this is a great place to learn more about these wonderful creatures as we come here to share not only what we have learned through experience and research, but also interesting things that our birds do, or just to brag about them. We have a very long way to go in learning about how o properly care for our bird friends.

[Pajarita]

Ahhh, yes, one does panic... I have to confess that, even though I've been keeping parrots for 24 years and was actually born and raised in a country that has parrots, I still panic every now and then But, in my personal opinion and experience, I would say that the common denominator in all good parrot keepers is the constant worry and the feeling of inadequacy in relation to our personal knowledge. People who think they know everything there is to know about their bird and are convinced that they are doing everything OK and that no change is necessary usually get a big surprise one day... Me, I still do research almost on a daily basis and my husbandry, as the diet my parrots get, is nothing but a work in progress. I don't feel that way about my dogs or my cats -although I love them to pieces, too- and that might be the reason why my entire family says that I am 'obsessed' with my birds

And I hear you on the poor cockatoo. It is heartbreaking to see them in such obvious despair... I took in one (Linus) about 7 or 8 months ago as a companion to my other one (Freddy) that plucks something terrible (you can see his picture here: http://www.theparrotforum.com/viewtopic ... ilit=linus) . And, in my personal opinion, GCCs are as clingy and as needy as cockatoos so your getting another little one as company was exactly the right move. Let's hope they do bond with each other.

[Vmax3000]

... I've been keeping parrots for 24 years ...

my prayer is to keep my two alive and well for 24 years! Btw, I tried to recreate the gloop recipe, to the best of my ability. Max, such an easy baby, chowed down. I put some cooked sweet potato and little bits of Bing cherries and Ataulfa mango in along with some dried, chewy apricots and veggie bits. To my great surprise, Gus ate it! Thank you guys for sharing. In one week, my birds lives' have improved!

[Wolf]

I am so glad to hear that we have been able to give you something that can better your birds lives. Once you get the hang of making just the basic recipe then you begin to find out just how flexible it is in terms of providing a more varied diet for your bird and it is that combination of a solid base and flexibility that are the key to providing adequate nutrition for your birds. I still give them a weekly vitamin/ mineral supplement just to be safe. The one that I am currently using is a powder and although it recommends a scoop daily, I only give one scoop weekly. I have had no problems for the past three years.

[Pajarita]

Yes, all birds love gloop (even my canaries and finches!). Now, be careful with dried fruits like apricots and such because, if they look good (nice color, soft texture, etc), they have been treated with sulfites which are not good for parrots. I either get fruit that is naturally dried (like raisins, currants, dates, figs) in the supermarket or get the 'other' kind from here: http://www.barryfarm.com/dried_fruit.htm (but don't get the apples because they are not organic and apples need to be). But Whole Foods also has a nice selection of naturally dried fruits that are also organic.

[Vmax3000]

Yes, all birds love gloop (even my canaries and finches!). Now, be careful with dried fruits like apricots and such because, if they look good (nice color, soft texture, etc), they have been treated with sulfites which are not good for parrots. I either get fruit that is naturally dried (like raisins, currants, dates, figs) in the supermarket or get the 'other' kind from here: http://www.barryfarm.com/dried_fruit.htm (but don't get the apples because they are not organic and apples need to be). But Whole Foods also has a nice selection of naturally dried fruits that are also organic.

Thank you! Good to know on the sulfite business. I think I just thought of my first question for a thread! I do wish there was a Whole Foods closer to me...but I'd end up broke and fat b/c of their wonderful chocolate covered toffee

[Pajarita]

Yes, I only shop for my parrots in Whole Foods and try not to look around too much so as not to be tempted to buy anything for us (well, I always sneak a muffin and a croissant for me ) because of the prices.