Feeling sad, Kellie my African Grey sitting on 3 eggs...

[3willowsbunny]

That will never hatch due to her being boyfriendless. She does this every year and every year I feel so sad for her because she will never be a mom (she would be an awesome mom!). She has been bonded with me since she was 6 weeks old (I hand fed her) she is now 15, I doubt she would accept a male as she growls at our parakeets and we really don't want any more pets after we get our baby bun in a couple weeks. I just feel sad for her....

 

[Chrisdoc]

Oh that is so sad, she sound like a well loved member of the family and that's a great age. How long do they live ?

 

[3willowsbunny]

She could live to 60 or even older, which is one reason I'm hesitant to add more birds. Kellie is in our will and will be living with our oldest son when we pass on, being 47 I thought it was a good idea to plan ahead. Right now she is sitting on her 3 eggs and two golf balls, they were in her cage because she likes rolling them around. She's a goof.

 

[Tauntz]

I'm sorry you feel sad but I think your African grey despite her eggs not hatching is happy being with you. A good thought to her eggs not being furtile is since she is not living in the wild with a mate, you don't have to wonder if her babies have good homes. I know they have a long life span but in the wild it may be difficult or she may not have survived this long. She is very fortunate to have such a loving home & one thinking of her future! I think once her egg laying hormones are out of her system for this season, she will be happy to be with her human family & will not miss that she didn't have any babies to hatch.

I have several birds most of them were in need of homes for various reasons. My oldest is a cockatoo who will be celebrating his 18th hatchday this year! We have been together since his weaning at 4 months old.

Wishing you & your African grey a long, healthy & happy life together! Congo or Timneh?

 

[3willowsbunny]

Ohhhh! I love cockatoos! What type do you have? Is he a snuggler? I've always been partial to the big guys, Moluccan and umbrella, but we saw a beauty of a Palm cockatoo in Florida (Busch Gardens) years ago...stunning!!

Kellie is a Congo, I had a choice from her breeder of either a Gray or a Greenwing Macaw, we went with the gray due to small kids (and noise level!). She is out of her cage all day every day and is going to be sharing a room with the new bunny. She has already checked out bunny's crate and x pen and approves, I actually think the loves the huge dog crate! Yeah, she pops out of the "oh well they didn't hatch" quicker than me, plus she turns back into her love bug self (she is sorta cranky when on eggs). We let her sit until she either cracks the eggs or just gives up, usually a month or so.

What other birds do you have?

 

[kmaben]

Watch the birds food around your buns. My Goffins is on the zupreem fruit blend and she gets pissy if she doesnt have an abundance of her favorite color. She'll throw her food and the buns have ripped up large patches of carpet looking for bird food. They've eaten it with no ill effects but I dont appreciate the missing carpet atall.

 

[Troller]

I sort of know the feeling. We have to Cockatiels, one of which Oberon turned out to be a prolific hen. Even the vet was impressed that she seems to lay eggs 3 or 4 times a year, 5-8 eggs each time no matter all the preventive measures me and my wife take. We have a breeder on our hands with no real outlet. But at least she's sort of calm. Our other Cockatiel, Titania just laid some eggs for the first time about a month ago and man was she an aggressive overprotective mama hen! Titania is normally a loving, sweet bird more akin to a puppy then a bird who always wants our attention. Being a mama however she pecked and divebombed my wife whenever she tried to clean the cage. It was odd however, she never got that ornery with me...

 

[3willowsbunny]

Kmaben, we had her on pellets when she weaned, she was a happy camper for a couple years but one fateful day I decided to buy her a bag of seed mix for a treat....BIG mistake! She started eating only the seeds and rejecting everything else. I now have her on a seed/pellet mix (about 50/50, the vet said that was fine but I would love to shove her back to mostly pellets. Her vet said as long as she gets "people food" (she gets peas, corn, broccoli, baby carrots, grapes, bananas, small pieces of cheese, small pieces of cooked chicken, and scrambled eggs) I tend to give her a spoonful of whatever I'm eating if I'm walking by her cage with a plate of food (on my way up to my computer). She loves people food. When she was little she chewed up a corner of the remnant carpet that is under her cage (we have hardwood floors in that room), so if bunny wants to add to that that is fine as long as he/she leaves the family room carpet mostly intact (it needs to be replaced anyways so no huge issue). I do try to keep it clean around Kellie's cage but as you know birds can be huge slobs. She hates peanut for some reason, those get dumped on the floor first and if our dog doesn't find them first (she loves peanuts...shells and all UGH...the peanuts get tossed outside to the squirrels. Goffins are cute! They are the clowns of the cockatoo world arn't they?

Troller, our vet always said to just let her sit, don't take the eggs out or she will keep laying just to try and make up her clutch, and depleate her calcium. We had a pair of cockatiels who we WANTED to breed, but they never did....I loved our cockatiels, we raised (hand fed) Sammy from 3 weeks old....Never again!! It was exactly like having a newborn... We may breed Rosie and Cloudy again, they are our pair of parakeets who had 4 babies 3 years ago, 1 baby (Pepper) died at 2 years old suddenly and the other baby who died (Windy) died of egg binding around the same time as Pepper, they are buried together. we spend tons of money to try and save Windy as she was my baby, I adored the heck out of her!! She died while I was cuddling her and talking to her, I still tear up when I think about it. I can't even think about losing Charlotte our dog or Kellie....I cry when one of my Betta fish dies!

Kellie doesn't get to the point of nipping but she does get grumpy, she nudges my hand away when I'm petting her.

 

[Imbrium]

I do try to keep it clean around Kellie's cage but as you know birds can be huge slobs. She hates peanut for some reason, those get dumped on the floor first and if our dog doesn't find them first (she loves peanuts...shells and all UGH...the peanuts get tossed outside to the squirrels.

It could be worse. You could have two sugar glider cages, each containing a pair of naughties, none of whom can be potty-trained (unless you count Lemmy training himself to go out of his way to pee on me every time I take him out) and all of whom like to potty while running on their wheel, which they spend hours a night every night on. Said wheels *need* to have mesh tracks (not solid tracks), which is a double-edged sword.

Being able to runrunrun until the wheel is spinning super fast and then cling to the mesh track like you're on a carnival ride designed to make you dizzy as hell is apparently fun as hell (as is riding on the outside while your cage-mate keeps it spinning). Not running in your own excrement because it's trapped in the wheel with you = win (and god knows glider-safe wheels are WAY easier to clean than the wodent wheels I used when I had Syrian hamsters)... but the downside is that what doesn't end up bouncing around in the wheel gets flung out of it by centrifugal force.

Add to that a half-liquid diet, a tendency to suck the innards out of fruits and veggies (which they like to take "to go" and run all over the cage with) and spit out the rest, their tendency towards food-fights (seriously >.>) and an unrelenting desire to scent-mark everything in their cage that will make you RUE THE DAY should you ever be so foolish as to deep-clean their cage AND toys AND wash their stinky sleeping pouches all at once.

Suffice it to say, I have a clear shower-curtain liner covering the back and most of the sides of each PVC cage, a retractable fleece cover hung across the front of each and a coroplast drop tray underneath each one - I don't even want to THINK about what my walls would look like without the cage covers!

 

[3willowsbunny]

Yeah but they are so cute it's worth it...right!

We had a wodent wheel or I think that is what is was called, (the enclosed wheel with holes for hamster to get in and out) with my son's hamster Shadow and she used to use it not only for running like a banchee at night but also for food storage....You can imagine the NOISE that would come out of that thing while she was booking around at top speed with 59 thousand seeds and other prized yummies bopping around trapped inside the wheel! That thing was also a biatch to clean! I almost bought her a wire wheel about a dozen times after emptying her food out of the wheel at 3:00 AM and telling her she had to spend the night in the hallway if she put more food in there. Silly hamster!

I thought about getting a Sugar Glider for awhile (or a Flying Squirrel) but decided on our two ratties instead (they have both passed about 5 years ago...best pets EVER!!). I look forward to seeing baby pictures if your pair decides to breed!

 

[Tauntz]

Ohhhh! I love cockatoos! What type do you have? Is he a snuggler? I've always been partial to the big guys, Moluccan and umbrella, but we saw a beauty of a Palm cockatoo in Florida (Busch Gardens) years ago...stunning!!

Kellie is a Congo, I had a choice from her breeder of either a Gray or a Greenwing Macaw, we went with the gray due to small kids (and noise level!). She is out of her cage all day every day and is going to be sharing a room with the new bunny. She has already checked out bunny's crate and x pen and approves, I actually think the loves the huge dog crate! Yeah, she pops out of the "oh well they didn't hatch" quicker than me, plus she turns back into her love bug self (she is sorta cranky when on eggs). We let her sit until she either cracks the eggs or just gives up, usually a month or so.

What other birds do you have?

He is a Moluccan cockatoo. He was a last gift from a friend before they passed on. They knew they were dying of cancer & knew I had always loved cockatoos. I also have a Quaker who was also a gift from some wonderful friends when I lost my first Quaker to fatty liver disease. Quakers are prone to fatty liver disease. My sulfur-crested cockatoo came to me after being abused in his previous home. He still has issues. He will lull you in with his adorably sweet little voice & attitude but then nail you for all you are worth! I've worked with him but even I do not trust him & know to be very careful around him. His abuser was male but I think he also blamed the wife so he hates men but will turn on a woman too.

Wow! Greenwing macaws are BIG with GIANT beaks! lol Yes, those beaks scare this cockatoo person! lol Yes, I've had some bad bites & cockatoo beaks with their bite is very damaging if they want it to be. I've always wanted an African grey too! Yes, I'm birdie & bunny addicted! I love to teach/train too. My M2 roller skates, rides his scooter, plays basketball, bowls, & banks his wooden nickels! lol

Does Kellie like yogurt? My birds love it! Nice to chat about birds too!

 

[3willowsbunny]

I find it amusing that you asked if Kellie likes yogurt, she LOVES it but I can only give it to her on a spoon, I tried it on my finger probably 5 years back and got nailed! She also uses the word "yogurt" for "gimmie a snack" or "thanks for the snack" she says quite a few things, She used to call out cat Topher all the time when he was alive, after he died she slowly stopped calling him I explained to her that he went to kitty heaven..

Now she calls our dog Charlotte all the time.

Moluccans are so beautiful!!! I love their crests. We have had cockatiels, a cherry head conure and of course kellie and the parakeets.

 

[Tauntz]

All my birds eat their yogurt from a spoon. They love it & it is a healthy treat for them. It helps with their intestinal flora just as it does ours. Its my Quaker's favorite more than the cockatoos. Oh, I love the little parakeets too! I had the sweetest little lutino parakeet. I miss her so! She will always hold a special place in my heart! So nice to "meet" another bird lover! Always wanted a cockatiel too! lol Sounds like you've had some great birds! Have you been around birds all your life? We had parakeets when I was little & then when I got older I had my sweet little lutino parakeet as my first "adult pet." Just like potato chips you can't stop at just one & so here I am with my birdie crew & now our bunny girls too!

 

[3willowsbunny]

I love talking bird with other birdie people too!

When we were kids we ALWAYS had two parakeets...one died, we got another, and more often than not they were always named "Chirp" and "Tweet" creative huh?!? When I got married I was always in pet shops and one fateful day spotted a tailless, shreadded feathered green and red small parrot, the owner of the shop said it was a "Cherry Head Conure". I had never heard of a conure before so I went to my second favorite place...the library and found a few books on pet birds (this was the late 80's when we still had to look up stuff in books!). I learned that conures were good pets but could be "noisy", sounded fine with me, I asked the husband if I could add a bird to our 2 ferret and 3 cat apartment, he said that was fine espically since the bird was in need of a good home and nursing back to health..he thought I would do a good job getting the little guy bavk on his feet. So I brought him, his rather large cage a bunch of toys and my very first issue of Bird Talk home. Cecil, as my husband dubbed him flourished with us, he never really liked handeling but that was fine with us, he was spoiled and never in his cage since the first day we brought him home unless he was sleeping. He turned from an ugly duckling to a georgeous perfectly feathered healthy bird, and yes he was noisy! I have to have the husband scan pictures of him into the computer, the before and after pictures are quite drastic! We had to give him to a breeder when we moved about 10 years later, we checked this breeder over throughly and Cecil was in good hands. After a few years and a move to a more pet friendly rented house we got Sammy (handfed cockatiel) then Samantha (petstore adult female cockatiel) then 4 assorted parakeets, then a "breeding pair" of African Greys from a breeder that was getting out of the business, she obviously had no idea what she was doing as our "pair" Homer and Maggie were both males. Their cage took up half our bedroom! I had a breeder who wanted the pair of greys and offered me a baby (Gray or Green Wing), so we traded and I got Kellie! At one point I really wanted a Lorikeet (Curse you Bird Talk for introducing me to all sorts of birds!!), and I would still love a Meyers or Senegal at some point, I love African or Australian birds. You should get a pair of cockatiels, they are fairly quiet and easily tamed even if not handfed, great pets IMO.

Sorry this is so long....like I said, get me on birds and I'll talk your ear off.

 

[Tauntz]

Too bad we are so distant, we would really have bird & bunny talk! lol Yes, I love to talk birds & yes, Bird Talk magazine was THE magazine for anyone with an interest in birds. Once I started my Bird Talk subscription I kept it until a couple of years before it went out of print. It always had the bird fairs & shows section & I relied on it to know when there would be a bird fair near me to stock up on food & toys! lol Miss those bird fairs with all of those great bargains, oh & all of the birds!

Oh, please do not tempt me talking about getting a PAIR of cockatiels!!!!!!! All of my birds & bunnies would soon be homeless as I think my family would shoot me! lol I was surprised by the "okay, you got bunnies" attitude to my getting Faith & Hope, my Jersey wooly girls! Every time I got a bird it was with a battle, "You don't NEED a bird!"

Its been a long, trying week for me & I've enjoyed bird chatting with you. Your post wasn't long to me but I love talking & hearing about birds! Hope we can chat more again soon! Birds & bunnies chat anytime!!!!

 

[3willowsbunny]

I'll talk your ear off next Saturday after we pick up our bunny!!! I've been waiting a month for him or her, bought all the equipment and am now just waiting...UGH!!

Every time I bring home a new Betta, my KIDS always say "mom, you don't need any more fish!" unless the new fish is sick, then they agree it was a good thing I brought him home. My husband never says anything about my fish.

Our two fiddler crabs (adopted after my son's class project was done) died this week, those stinkers are HARD to take care of! So I now have a nice big free tank, it has a small leak so no fish will go into it, but I'm thinking maybe land hermit crabs. Had 4 years back they were fun and easy, unless you get pinched!

I like talking to you too!

 

[Azerane]

Oh gosh, I love greys My fiance's family used to have one, and she was such a character. It was always wonderful hearing her happily talking away

 

[Tauntz]

Oh, you will have to teach me about Bettas. A friend bought me a beautiful dragon scale crown tail betta and despite my best efforts he died. I know it sounds silly but I grew attached to him & couldn't help but cry. I swore I would never get another unless I had someone who knew about bettas to help me. While bettas are inexpensive, I just can't see buying one if I don't know how to keep it alive. Don't want to make bettas my disposable pet while learning the hard way (for the betta) how to keep them alive. Still working on my green thumbs & fish fingers (11th Dr Who)! lol

 

[3willowsbunny]

Oh, you will have to teach me about Bettas. A friend bought me a beautiful dragon scale crown tail betta and despite my best efforts he died. I know it sounds silly but I grew attached to him & couldn't help but cry. I swore I would never get another unless I had someone who knew about bettas to help me. While bettas are inexpensive, I just can't see buying one if I don't know how to keep it alive. Don't want to make bettas my disposable pet while learning the hard way (for the betta) how to keep them alive. Still working on my green thumbs & fish fingers (11th Dr Who)! lol

Bettas are great fish and they live at least 3 years if their needs are met. All you really need is:

1. A two to 5 gallon tank (I have all of mine in Medium sized critter keepers, they are 2 gallon tanks).

2. A tank heater, this is NEEDED if you want a betta who will live longer than a week, Bettas are tropical fish and need heated water. Heaters can be found for small tanks at Petco or Petsmart for $10 to $15.

3. Live plants, Bettas can rip their fins on plastic plants and develop an infection, live or silk are best though silk get groady awful fast and are a pain to clean, all my guys (and one girl) have live plants.

4. Water conditioner (to remove chlorine and condition the water right away)

5. Gravel or other rocks for the bottom of the tank, rinse them well before you add the fish! I used some black ones once and my hands got stained from all the dye they used to get the rocks black!!

7. Not necessary but helpful if you get a sick fish: Aquaruim salt, 1 t per gallon for fish with shreadded or stumpy fins. Epsom salts: 2 t per gallon for fish with swim bladder issues (floating on the top of the tank for periods of time).

8. Food, get pellets. Feed 5 or so pellets each day (or however many they will eat in a minute or so), don't feed more than 8 or so though.

9. Love: talk to your fish, Bettas learn their names and will come over when you talk to them, they are excellent pets and I personally get very attached to them. We just lost Ted the other day, he was a sick guy in filthy water when we bought him, he was only with us for 2 months...

Clean their tanks throughly every 10 days or so, you will need an extra container (remember Bettas can "jump" out of tanks and containers so make sure you have a cover for your tank (critter keepers come with covers) and container). Net your fish and put him in the preconditioned water in the holding container (I use a few drops in my 1/2 gallon holding container). Make sure the water is basically the same temperature as the water in their tank. Clean the tank throughly swishing the gravel around to get all the fishy goop out of it and rince throughly (do not use any soap!!), there may be slime on the tank sides, there is an awesome tank cleaning scrubby available at Petco for only about $3.00, it works great! After the tank is clean put water in and condition it then put the clean heater back in and put fishy back....DO NOT trip over the heater cord while putting the tank back were it belongs!!

If you have any questions concerns just ask, I'll try to answer to the best of my knowledge.

 

[Tauntz]

Thanks! I'm going to print your list! I still have my 5 gallon tank & a 2 gallon container. My tank didn't have a heater so I am thinking that is what at least contributed to his death. Had silk flowers/plants but live would be better. Any plant recommendations? Also, I have well water does it still need the conditioner? I did buy a conditioner & used it once before Gandalf died. Maybe that's what I did wrong. Any brand of pellets a better choice? Sorry, I had written my reply & pressed post & my computer went down so lost the reply with my thoughts & questions. Weird night here! Still wondering if that was an earthquake or a tornado I felt earlier but haven't felt any secondary movements. Scared the heck out of all my animals even my bunny girls were on alert!