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Navre and Friends in Boston

Chat about general parrot care and parrot owner lifestyle. Bird psychology, activities, trimming, clipping, breeding etc.

Re: Navre and Friends in Boston

Postby Navre » Tue Aug 29, 2017 6:53 am

Sheils wrote::cry: So sorry to hear that, get well soon angel


Thanks :)
Navre
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 1909
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Turquoise Green Cheek Conure
Hooded Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Navre and Friends in Boston

Postby Pajarita » Tue Aug 29, 2017 9:24 am

Navre wrote:I suppose these things could prevent or help with plucking that occurs for reasons such as dry skin, etc. I don't know how much it helps for psychological plucking
.


Actually, if I have to be completely honest, I don't think that parrots pluck because of dry skin... The thing about plucking is that people hate it so much when their bird does it that they develop this 'need' to find 'remedies' they can give the bird but, in my personal experience, the only thing that works -if anything is going to and, more often than not, nothing is- is great husbandry and the right constant company -which is not necessarily the owners', either because, for example, a nervous gray would never do well in a busy household.

There are physical causes to plucking... I always remember this quaker that used to pluck and self-mutilate his back and, when they did an XRay of his body, the vet found that his gonads were huge and right under the spot where the bird was biting chunks out of his back! Needless to say, if the owner had kept the bird at a solar schedule with a good diet, this wouldn't have happened and, as it is, instead of changing the conditions the poor bird was kept under, they decided to give it Lupron! But ALL physical causes disappear with good husbandry. Furthermore, I also think that a bird that continues to pluck when it's getting the right husbandry and has the right company all day long is, most likely, a bird that was not treated right while a baby or a juvenile and nothing we could do can change that.

All in all, I think that people make too much out of plucking... Not that one should not re-evaluate everything when this happens but if everything is OK in terms of our husbandry and the bird continues to pluck, as long as the bird is healthy and happy, I think it's best to accept the fact and keep on going.

Mami and Nadia Zons were looking terrible! Mami had plucked her entire chest and belly and did the same to Nadia with the addition of a wide 'naked' strip at the back of her neck which Mami did while 'kissing' her. Of course I did not like seeing them like this but it wasn't something that bothered me or that I even noticed much because they were eating, pooping, interacting and vocalizing well [Mami would sing her little heart out every morning and happily 'chat' with us every evening and even Naida was talking and learning new words]. Now that the breeding season is over for both of them and are molting, they seem to be growing new feathers that, so far, have remained untouched - but for how long, nobody knows :lol: Mami started first and her chest is now all feathered while Naida is only now starting her molt so she only has a few new feathers on her chest - and it's not that I don't enjoy seeing the green instead of the grey that had been there for months but, if we go back to plucked chests and bellies, it's OK with me as long as it's OK with them.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Navre and Friends in Boston

Postby Navre » Thu Aug 31, 2017 8:02 am

The other day I gave the birds strawberries, and Nicky plucked a bunch around his neck. He hadn't plucked in a while. I have kept strawberries out of his diet since then and he hasn't plucked since then.

I don't know if, at 5am, I gave him the organic strawberries or the non-organic ones my daughter had bought. Either way, I'm going to keep strawberries out of his diet.

I know that's not what made him start plucking, but since he already is, if he is slightly irritated by strawberries, that might exacerbate the problem.
Navre
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 1909
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Turquoise Green Cheek Conure
Hooded Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Navre and Friends in Boston

Postby Pajarita » Thu Aug 31, 2017 9:40 am

I would do the same thing. I don't know if I actually believe that parrots can have allergies because I think that, if they did, we would have found out already. I mean, it is true that we don't know enough about them but allergies to food items are very easy to figure out -we might not know EXACTLY which particular food items is causing it but we can tell that it is, indeed, happening [something that has not been observed once in parrots]. But just because I don't believe in something, it doesn't mean that I don't consider the possibility that I might be wrong so I would still act on it.

As to regular strawberries versus organic ones... I don't even buy the regulars anymore [they are the number one dirtiest produce on the 2017 list!]. I am personally EXTREMELY concerned about not only the huge amount of pesticides but also the kind that is used in USA [Europe has banned a lot of chemicals we still use in the States]. I was reading an article the other day about this pesticide that was approved in February without the extensive testing that used to be necessary [most of these 'extra' protections have disappeared since they 'streamlined' the approval processes to benefit industry] and the farmers are now desperate because it's killing everything it touches! Apparently, they never did real field tests [only lab and greenhouse ones] and they are now finding that it 'vaporizes' up to 3 days after it was applied and travels far away from the crop it was meant to treat so not only other crops but also grass and trees on the side of the highways are dying from it. Can you imagine how bad it must be for wildlife?!
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Navre and Friends in Boston

Postby Navre » Sun Sep 03, 2017 7:09 am

I've been leaving the full spectrum lights off. They seemed to make plucking worse. The birds have four, big, East, south, and west facing windows in their room. They get a ton of natural light. But what do you do on a day like today? There is no sun and almost no light? I figure it's totally natural to have dark days. I feel like it would be a mistake to turn on the lights just for today. I wanted to see what you all thought. The birds are definitely whiter and less active when it's like this.
Navre
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 1909
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Turquoise Green Cheek Conure
Hooded Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Navre and Friends in Boston

Postby Pajarita » Sun Sep 03, 2017 9:54 am

I turn on the overhead lights when the skies are covered and we end up with a gray day. I turn them on later than usual and turn them off earlier but I do turn them on. The only time I leave the lights off for most of the day [meaning, I do turn them on for a while in the morning while they eat their breakfast] is when the temperature is going to be very high. And this is only in the parrots birdroom on the second floor, not in the canaries room, the living or the dining room because they are on the first floor which keeps pretty cool even when it's super hot.

I've never noticed that parrots pluck more when they have bright light so I don't know what to tell you... Good light helps them produce happy hormones so I can't figure out why bright light would make them more anxious to the point of plucking themselves, I would say it would have to be the opposite, no? It is true that low light makes them quiet but that's only because, at least in my house, it only happens at twilight which is a noisy time at the beginning of it [dinner!] and a very quiet one as the light fades and they settle down to roost. I'll do a bit of research and see if they have done any studies on this -I doubt there is any on parrots but I am sure there are many on chickens.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Navre and Friends in Boston

Postby Navre » Tue Sep 05, 2017 9:54 am

Nicky will now step up onto a perch from the floor. He will also step onto a play stand. He won't do this for me, but for everyone else. I have lost his trust by taking him to the vet.
Navre
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 1909
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Turquoise Green Cheek Conure
Hooded Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Navre and Friends in Boston

Postby Pajarita » Tue Sep 05, 2017 10:56 am

I had the same problem with Pookey. She simply never forgot I was the one that was toweling to put her back in her cage when she was hiding under the cages... But she is doing GREAT now!
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Navre and Friends in Boston

Postby Navre » Tue Sep 05, 2017 2:10 pm

Elephants never forget, either. And they're ALSO grey!

I had to towel a U2, and then use pliers to take a clip off his beak. He forgave me as soon as I unwrapped him.
Navre
African Grey
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 1909
Number of Birds Owned: 2
Types of Birds Owned: Turquoise Green Cheek Conure
Hooded Parrot
Flight: Yes

Re: Navre and Friends in Boston

Postby Pajarita » Wed Sep 06, 2017 9:41 am

Cockatoos are different. They are complete hams when they are happy... gregarious, sweet-tempered, funny, very forgiving and physically affectionate both in giving and receiving. Grays tend to be more restrained, more introspect, they don't like hullabaloo or noise... they tend to be nervous nellies that don't like to be touched, hugged or kissed much. And they are not THAT forgiving, either...
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

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