Conference 7.286::pet_birds

    
    Wellllll, you may or not have a problem.
    
    The birds are either going to like or dislike each other.
    
    When we bought our greenwing (Oliver), we first put him in the kitchen,
    him on his perch and the blue and golds (Moonfleet and Dundee) in
    a cage. This situation was not acceptable after a few hours.
    Dundee, the male, had been together with a greenwing, and was very
    happy at that stage. It seemed like he remembered. On the other
    hand, Moonfleet, the female, got jealous and tried (still does whenever
    Oliver is in the kitchen) to get between Oliver and Dundee.
    This makes us think Oliver is female, we'll find out next saturday.
    
    So Oliver has ended up on his own in the lounge and sleeps in the
    office. He seems to be very happy, understandable really, because
    he's the one who gets all the attention. This is obvious when you
    leave the lounge, he starts crying like a baby. I wonder who taught
    him that?
    
    Perhaps you could give more attention to the grey and your other
    half to the new one. I would certainly give them each THEIR territory.
    
    Basically, you won't find out until after you bought him.
    Perhaps when they are opposite sex, they get along better. I honestly
    don't know.
    
    Good luck, let us know what you decide.
    
    Wivine.

    REP .0
    
    	I have a Moluccan Cockatoo, Max, and he is a very demanding
    bird.  I think he was mistreated before I bought him as he took
    over a year before he would let me touch him.  But they are a really
    nice bird all the same.  Noisy too!
    

    We went to the breeders last night and looked at a baby Umbrella
    and a baby Sulfer-Crested.  The 5 month old is a Sulfer-Crested
    also and we found out that she came from the same breeder.  The
    breeders recommended us against going with an Umbrella because they
    really need lots and lots of attention.  THey said for people that
    work during the day, they don't recommend them.  They did say that
    the Sulfer on the other hand would be great in this situation. 
    The lady that has the 5 month old has only had her for a month and
    doesn't have time for her.  The breeder tried to get the bird back
    from her but she said she would sell it her self.  They where glad
    that we were interested in the bird and told us that she is a very
    nice bird.  They would like to see her go to a good home.  Sooooo
    it looks like the 5 month old is the one we will get.  The breeders
    where real nice because they basically told us to not give them
    the money for their baby but get the 5 month old.  They must care
    alot about their babies to give up a sale to a bird they sold to
    someone else.  They did say that they try to keep track of all their
    babies and always tell folks to give them first crack at buying
    the birds back.  
    
    Anyway, I'll let you know how all this works out.

    On a similar note, I am considering buying another parrot.  I do
    not presently own one, however I did at one time one a Blue & Gold
    Macaw and a Cockatiel.
    
    I am researching what kind of bird to buy, would you experienced
    bird folks maybe be able to give me some insight as to what you
    think would be a good choice?
    
    I will give you the detail.  I am looking for a friendly, sociable
    bird, not necessarily a talker.  I am not keen on a sqwaker however.
    I am willing and able and experienced to train my bird, and the
    time commitment is nothing new to me.  I would like a bird capable
    of learning a variety of things, tricks, words, etc.   
    
    I am building a large cage for my new little friend,(in one corner
    of my house).  I think a Macaw is too big and I feel a little nervous
    about getting another one, but I am looking at the Sulfur-Crested
    Cockatoo or an African Gray.  Any suggestions.
    
    Also, does anyone out there know of any *_reputable* breeders in this
     end of the country.  There are a great deal of birds available
    in Calgary, but for a great deal of money.
    
    What should I consider a reasonable price for the two above mentioned
    birds?  If you could tell me in US funds I will do the conversion...
    
    Thanks for your input
    Shelley
    
    the country

    Shelley,
    
    I just got Sindbad a Congo African Grey and she cost me $500.00 U.S.
    Now that was a GREAT buy.  The breeders that I had spoken to were
    looking for $900.00 - 1,200 for a hand feed baby.
    
    She was worth every penny.  
                        
    Mark
    
    

    Where did you find a Grey for $500 -- is he hand fed?  Is there
    any difference in the Congo and the Timneh other than coloring.
     Are the Timneh's just as good at talking -- they sure are cheaper!
    

    Hi Shelley!
    
    I went through what you are going through now before I bought my
    Grey.  If you have the time I personally would recommend a Cockatoo,
    Sulfur-Crested over a Grey or an Amazon.  Cockatoo's are VERY MUCH
    people birds.  Now in all cases, I am referring to hand-fed babies.
    I would not own a wild caught bird again.  In a wild caught bird
    there is always a certain amount of unpredictability in temperment
    and maturity.  The only reason I bought my baby Grey is because
    he was a real sweet heart, but more so becaue I did want a talker
    and they are the best.  I have had him since he was 5 months old
    and he allready knows 15 words and phrases and wistles many tunes.
    He is going on 10 months now.  My Grey is very playful and loveable
    but when we started looking at cockatoo's (especially the 5 month
    old we are buying) I noticied that the cockatoo's are much more
    dependent on people!  The bird we are buying (wings clipped) jumped
    two feet off her cage to come land on me to get pets!  When we went
    to the breeders to see the baby sulfur-crested and baby umbrella
    they had, they where very very friendly also!  I think that the
    Grey's and Amazons enjoy being around people but they enjoy doing
    things on their own also and some times there could be a conflict.
    Cockatoo's prefer people over any other activity.  Some one in this
    notes file once said that: "As amazon's get older they get more
    independent and as cockatoo's get older they get more dependent."
    I believe this to be true.  
    
    I am really generalizing here.  The most important thing to remember
    is every bird is different!  I would recommend that you do as I
    did before you buy; See the bird at least 3 different times and
    at different times of the day, Be alone with the bird, away from
    whom ever hand fed it and see how he/she reacts, look at the
    environment the bird is in, what his droppings and food consumption
    are like, and last but not least look at different birds (same breed
    or not) before you make your decision so you have a reference for
    comparison.  The cost of birds is really left to the gods!  I have
    seen very little consistency in price's here in Colorado.  The more
    you like the bird, the more you will pay.  I will say that BIRDS
    AREN'T CHEAP!  
    
    I love my Grey.  I would recommend a Grey to anyone, however, your
    needs seem to fit more with a Cockatoo.  Perhaps you should look
    at both types.  I couldn't decide thats why I will have one of each!
    
    You will enjoy your search for the perfect bird, it is lots of fun!
    Let us know what you come up with!
    
    Karen

    I found her through my vet's office.  A woman wanted to sell her
    to a good home as this woman was sick and was going to be in the
    hospital for a while.  She had three other birds and she felt that
    she could not handle all of them.  I looked for a long time before
    I found her.  She is hand fed.
     
    As far as the differences between the Congo and the Timneh.
    The Congo is bigger and I think they have a better talking ability.
    
    Mark
    
    
    

    Thank you everyone for you input...it is very valuable to me.  I
    want to make the right decision.  I was reading in my newspaper
    here that someone had an Sulfur -Crested Cockatoo (with cage) for
    $900.  I think I will check it out.
    
    I have a really strange concern.  The age of the bird.  My books
    say that the average gray lives to be approx. 25 years where as
    the cockatoo live to be approx. 60 - 80 years.  What do you plan
    to do with you bird if it outlives you?  Strange I know but I also
    do not want to force someone to care for my bird when I pass on
    the greener pastures.  Should this be taken into consideration or
    am I over reacting?
    
    I realize that the search for the perfect bird will be time consuming
    but I am willing to wait and listen, unfortunately we don't have
    large source of birds like it sounds like you have down there. 
    Maybe Santa will bring me one in my Christmas stocking.
    
    I will keep you posted.
    Shelley
    
    

    I read in a recent Audobon magazine that there is an organization
    that helps provide a home for your turtle if it outlives you. Maybe
    they would also know of an organization that handle birds. You have
    to put something in your will.

    Hi again Shelley,
    
    I just talked to Chris Murphy, the breeder her in the Springs. 
    She said that the birds will live between 50-70 years and varies 
    so much because diet, stress, etc.. have much to do with how long 
    the bird will live.   If the bird is a female and is about 5 years 
    or older her eyes will be a brownish-red color in the iris.  The 
    males will stay pretty dark, almost the color of the puple.  She
    said that the conditions would have to be excellent for a bird to
    live up into the 60's and 70's.  Birds are very hard to tell age
    on passed the ages of 3-5.  
    
    A grey's eyes are dark until he turns about 6 months old, then the
    iris begins to change to a light grey color.  When the bird reaches
    approximately two years, the iris changes again to a yellowish color.
    After two, it is almost impossible to tell a Grey's age.
    
    One other thing she stated was that birds that are this old currently
    where not domestic bred birds.  It's only really been in the last
    15 years and later that breeding domestically in the U.S. has taken
    off.  Back then, you only saw import (caught in the wild) birds
    as pets.  There is no real estimate on these domestic bred birds
    on just how long they will live.

    I like to think of myself as living forever so I won't worry about
    it until the time gets closer.  At least they will have the best
    years of my life that I can give!  If your truly worried, see if
    you can find an older bird but remember, especially with greys,
    they bond very closely with their owners and it is very hard sometimes
    to displace them into a new environment.
    
    Chris said she new of a lady who passed on and owned a Moluccan.  In 
    her Will, she left the bird to the local Zoo.  Thats not too bad a life
    for an aging bird!

    Good-luck!

    Nobody has said anything about mini-macaws! I have a hand fed Hahn's
    and she (?) is great. Talks, does some sqawking, and is very energetic
    and playful.  I would recommend a Hahn's without question.
    
    Ed
    

    Reply to 60.12
    
    I have never heard of this type of bird...Yippee! something new to look
    up in my bird book library.  Could you shed me some details as to
    size, coloring, etc.
    
    Are they similar to maxi-macaw in behaviour and qualities?  Sounds
    interesting.  I have certainly never seen one in any of our pet
    stores in Calgary.  (Mind you we really only have  4 good pet store
    in Calgary that I would consider buying a bird from)
    
    Let me know more details,
    
    Muchly interested,
    shelley
                      

    Re:  60.6
    
    That is an awsesome price for a Grey.  Strangle enough this Saturday
    I stumbled across a Congo Grey (with Cage) for $500.
    
    Of course, being the inquisitive person I am, I call.  Well everything
    was legit, the bird was beautiful in color.  Upon observing the
    owner with the bird I noticed that she was terrified of the bird
    which in turn scared the bird.  He was very nervous and flighty.
    
    He repeatedly tried to bite her and growled almost constantly. 
    I guessed the birds age to be approx. 2 years old.  He would not
    come out of the cage for love nor money.  I almost thought that
    at one time she may have hit the bird or somehow scared the daylights
    out of him, however she would not say.  His diet also seemed to
    be lacking in vegetables and fruit (not much to speak of) and she
    bought her seeds at a local pet store.  I guessed that they were
    not to fresh.  He also did not have anysort of a mineral block.
    
    
    Over our hour visit his behavior did not improve.  Every time she
    went near the cage he went wild and she more or less paniced.  I did not
    even attempt to meet the bird for fear for making matters much worse.
    
    I think this young lady was in a desperate situation and would have
    taken almost anything for someone to remove this terror (?) from
    her home.
    
    Should I follow up my visit with another one perhaps without the
    owner in the room?  Can this sort of behaviour be adjusted in time
    and with patience.  Could his diet be a factor? or lack of diet?
    
    Books say that a parrot will never forget being mistreated, however
    will they associate that poor treatment with that particular person
    and be open minded to others.
    
    Many questions, I know.  But if his behaviour could be altered with
    training and patience it would be a heck of a deal?
    
    Any feedback would be appreciated?
    
    Regards,
    Shelley
    
    

    Hi Shelley,
    
    This poor Grey is either VERY mistreated or he is not a hand fed
    bird.  If the bird was imported, you will notice that the growl
    they make is much more perfuse.  Fortunately you can train these
    birds to be nice pets, but you must start right away.  In this birds
    case, this woman is not capable or qualified to train a bird of
    this nature and shouldn't not have gotten him.  The longer they
    go knowing that they can growl and get people to leave them alone,
    the harder it will be to train him in the future.  
    
    For that great price I would consider buying him for breeding stock, but
    not for a pet.  I really think that there is too much work involved
    for you to truly enjoy him in any reasonable amount of time.
    
    There is a book out called the GREY PARROT.  In this book the author
    I believe, talks about a situation with a drunken man holding a
    cage with two Congo's in it, both fairly young.  After buying the
    man a few drinks and feeling so sorry for the birds, he managed
    to talk him out of the birds that had been slung around on the ground
    in the cage as the man walked.  One bird died a few days later,
    the other took several years of training before you could even 
    reach inside the cage without being attacked.
    
    If you really really like the bird, you might offer her less and
    use the money you save to get the bird with someone who is reputable
    in training birds.  There is a man here in Colorado that trains
    birds.  He likes the special, hard to train birds but he isn't cheap
    and usually keeps the birds for several months.  (just a thought)
    
    I vote that you keep looking.  This bird won't sell any time soon
    so if you see other birds, then you can compare those to this bird
    and easily decide whether you want to see him again or not. 
    
    Keep looking,  Mr. Right(bird) is out there waiting for you to come
    find him! (or her) 

    
    I know the most about 3 types of mini-macaws; Nobles, Hahn's and
    Yellow Collared.  The information I have is from repeated visits
    to the breeder, discussions with other breeders, and a good article
    some months back in Bird Talk Magazine.  
    I have a Hahn's baby.  She is green (no real suprize here!) with
    some variations in the green spectrum.  Her crown is blue (she is
    molting and the colors are really coming out), and she has a reddish
    orange coloring underneath her wings.  She has the distinctive bare
    facial patch which gives the mini-macaws their name.  Her beak is
    black.  She weighs about 120 grams or so, and is about the same
    size as a big cockatiel/sun conure?  From top of her head to end
    of tail she is about 9 inches.  So, she is pretty small.
    
    Nobles are slightly larger, they get to be around 12 inches or so
    long.  Their upper mandible is a cream color.  Otherwise, the
    coloration is the same is the Hahn's.
    
    Yellow collared are much bigger, more baby amazon size, and reputably
    are not as good with children (this information is from 2 different
    breeders - but I have no personal experience).  They have a yellow
    "collar" around their neck in the back, similar to a yellow nape
    Amazon.  
    
    That help?
    
    Ed
     

    I don't know how far this is from you, and I am sorry, I did not
    look at a map, but I offer it anyway...It is from Bird Talk, the
    January Issue...
    
    "We offer a full line of tame, hand-fed MACAWS,
    COCKATOOS, AMAZONS, CONURES & COCKATIELS..."
    
    PHOENIX'S BIRD NEST
    318 Ottawa St.
    Hamilton, Ont L8H 3Z8
    (416)549-5300
    
    I paid $1800 for my hand-fed MACAW.  Hand feds are not cheap.  Good
    luck with your search....
    
    -dick

    Dick,
    
    Re:  17
    
    Thanks for the address.  Hamilton Ontario is about 3 air hours from
    Calgary.  
    
    I am hesitant to ship a bird.  How can I be guaranteed of getting
    ALIVE what I paid for?  Any insight that you can lend on shipping
    birds.
    
    I will keep the address because my research is showing me that most
    of the parrot breeders are in Eastern Canada and I may not have
    much of a choice.
    
    thanks,
    Shelley

    Shelley,
    
    I can't stress this point enough.  Buy a bird that you can take
    home and enjoy.  Not a bird that you are going to have to work for
    months with and still not know what you are going to end up with.
    My Grey does not growl.  Not once has she growled sinse I got her.
    She doesn't even growl when she is being looked at by the vet.
    
    While I was looking I found Greys that did nothing but growl, they 
    never stopped!  
    
    Take your time.  
                    
    Mark
    

    re: 19
    
    Mark,
    
    Are our birds related?  My vet was amazed that my bird didn't
    growl when he stuck the light down his throat!  
    
    I just love these birds!

    Re: 20
    
    Maybe?  
    
    I have to admit.  I have seen some VERY mean Grey's.  When
    I think that I almost bought a wild bird...  I will never again
    buy a bird that is not hand fed.  I think you can get lucky with
    a bird that is not hand fed but 90% of the time I think you will
    end up with a bird that will tolerate you and that is it.
    
    Mark
    

    I had a wild caught Blue Front when I was younger.  I used to think
    it was something else that he would step onto my finger.  That was
    about the extent of our physical experience. 
    
    Now with my Grey, I didn't know what I was missing.  Try to kiss
    my Blue Front's tummy, get your ear bit off.  Try to scratch under
    his wings, loose your finger.  Take my Blue Front too the Vet, have
    the bird in shock for 3 days.  Touch my Blue Front on his back and
    Die!  
    
    Want a puppy dog?  Buy a hand fed!

    I have a grey and love him very much, but I agree with previous
    replies that greys are not as much "people" birds.  In some respects,
    Max's personality reminds me of a cat type personality.  When he
    wants affection, he DEMANDS it, and when he doesn't want affection,
    to h*** with any attempts to pet him.  His behaviour is, however,
    much more consistent with my husband, whom he has loved from day
    1.  So I would also agree that grey's tend to be one person birds,
    and the problem is, the person they pick is not always the owner!
    It can easily be another member of the household.  Of course, if
    you have a one person household, that would not be a problem.
    
    From what I have seen, unless you get lucky, you should plan on
    a minimum of a year's training time to bring around a wild caught
    grey.  Because I found him, I don't know for sure if mine is wild
    caught, but I suspect that he was, but had some previous training
    when we found him.  From my experience with Max, I have to say that
    you have to view the taming/training process as an evolution.  At
    any given point in time, I would tell you that his behaviour has
    not changed at all in the past few months, yet when I look back
    over the 1 1/2 years we've had him, I can see a big difference from
    the beginning.  He used to growl at all strangers who entered the
    room, and he used to bite me (granted, not too hard, but enough
    to hurt, without breaking the skin) all the time.  Now, he almost
    never growls, unless a stranger charges up to the cage and tries
    to handle him immediately.  He will come out of his cage, even with
    strangers standing near, and consent to whistle and talk a little.
    And I haven't been bitten in months.  Instead, he now grabs my finger
    and squeezes it lightly to tell me that he doesn't like something.
    
    He is quite noisy, and is in the habit of doing his smoke alarm
    imitation at highest volume whenever one of us leaves the living
    room (where his cage is).  He is also hilarious.  Sometimes he starts
    cutting up, and you just have to laugh.  He likes to whistle and
    frequently makes up his own tunes.  I know you won't believe it,
    but this bird has rythmn!  Lately he is into making this exaggerated
    laughing sound every time my husband chuckles about something, which
    causes my husband to laugh even harder.  He also likes to make "OOOO",
    "OHHHHH", and "AHHHHH" sounds which he puts exaggerated inflections
    into.  So far he does not have a large vocabulary, but what he does
    say, he usually injects a lot of emotion into, and can usually say
    in several different voices.
    
    I find him to be thoroughly delightful.  However, I must say that
    had I set out to look for a bird (which prior to Max, I never thought
    I was interested in birds as pets), I probably would have looked
    for something less moody, and more consistently affectionate than
    Max is.  But it's funny, now I absolutely love Max, and would die
    at the thought of giving him up.  As far as I'm concerned, he will
    always have a home with us, for however long that might be.  I sure
    do wish it *were* possible to tell age.
    
    Laura and Mad Max

    re .15
    
    Can you tell me the author of the GREY PARROT book you mentioned?
    I have a book called "African Grey Parrots" by Annette Wolter. 
    I am assuming this is a different book?  If so I would like to add
    it to my Christmas list.  I am always looking for more literature
    about Greys in particular, and parrots in general.
    
    Laura

    Hi Laura!
    
    Smoke Alarm... I love it!  My Grey does the squeeking door sound.
    We will have to oil him after we oil the door!  Your Grey is lending
    to my theory that the African Grey's are really very intellegent
    creatures.  I read something somewhere about them using objects,
    wood pieces, pencils etc. to scratch their heads (tool makers!).  We 
    are currently potty training my Turd Bird (nickname), and I think he 
    has allready got the message after just a few weeks.  I'm really 
    amazed at these Grey birdies!
    
    THE GREY PARROT is a different book from the one you mentioned.
    I will get the author for you and include it in a subsequent note,
    its a good book.  It has lots of personal input from Grey owners
    as well as the author.
    
    Karen

    Funny the "ooh" and "ahh" sounds would be mentioned.  Precious does
    that everytime she gets warmed/soaked monkey chow in her bowl, 
    "Oooooh".
    
    Ed
    

    Re:  .25
    
    I love it....Potty training your bird.  That would be a dream come
    true.  Can it be done....how, when, 
    
    I want to know so when I get my new bird that can be the first thing
    I train it to do.  (TEEE Hee.. I can barely potty train my husband)
    
    Just joking,
    Thanks,
    Shelley
    

    re: .24
    
    The book is called THE GREY PARROT, authored by WOLFGANG DE GRAHL.
    

    How about an amazon?
    Have you considered a yellow nape?
    
    I have a hand fed 11 month old yellow nape and he is alot of fun.
    He has the combination of a good talker and entertainer.
    He will speak, laugh, cry, prrr like a cat, scream, etc,
    
    If you are looking for a parrot that is not as demanding as a
    cockatoo and is the class clown then I recommend a yellow nape or
    a blue front.
    
    I got him for $600. from a local breeder (I talked her down from
    $700.).
    
    Karl........in Hudson MA.

    Karl;
    would you be willing to give us the name and phone number of the
    breeder?

    Well we are picking up my Cockatoo Wednesday.  I'm so excited. 
    We were going to get her Friday of last week but my mom is coming
    and I wanted her to see the breeders house.  She has over 200 birds
    in her HOME of which 75% of them are parrots and macaws.  This woman
    is amazing.  Every room in her house has birds and she spends all
    day babying them and cleaning up after them...  One day... (dream
    dream dream.....)
    
    We ordered a nice big cage from a company called CAGECO.  They have
    great prices which include UPS.  Unfortunately the cage hasn't
    arrived yet...  The drawbacks of shipping during Christmas time.
    The company guaranteed me it would be here today or tomorrow.
    
    I'll let you know how Clair (her new name) adjusts!
    
    I'm soooooooo excited!
    

    

    I have never owned a bird, but I am seriously thinking of getting
    one.  I have talked to a few people about it, but I don't know which
    kind to buy.  I don't want to spend a lot of money but I want a
    friendly bird that can learn to talk.  I have heard that a conure
    would be a good choice.  What do all of you think?
    
                                             Waiting and wondering,
                                                   Glen Joyner.

    
    I don't know how well conures talk, however, what I would do, is
    figure out how much money I could afford to spend, and then find
    what kind of hand fed bird fell into that price range.
    
    This is just my opinion, but hand fed is the most important thing
    you can have in a bird, talking is nice, but having a bird layng
    upside down on you lap waiting to get its chest rubbed is just super..
    
    Where are you from?
    
    -dick

    Thanks for the advice.  I would like to spend under $100.00 for
    a bird.  How do you get a bird to do things like lay on your lap
    and wait for a tummy rub?  That sounds great!
    
    By the way, I'm from Portland, Oregon.
    
                                           Thanks again for the advice,
                                                    Glen Joyner.

    Sometimes with great difficulty, even in a hand-fed!  I am working
    on my Hahn's, she is not always willing to lay down!
    
    Ed

    re:30
    
    Hello,
    I bought my yellow nape from Sylvia King in Clinton, MA.
    I do not know her phone number but if you call infomation
    I am sure you will find it.
    
    Her baby yellow napes start at $800.00.
    
    Karl.......

    silvia king 508-365-5525

    
    Around here, (Eastern Mass.) You can get a Hand Fed Cockatiel for
    as little as $70 or $80.  They talk well, and they will get very
    friendly!
    
    -dick

Phew...  I tried to write this a couple of times but Mr. Network is
not having a good day.

I have finally returned from a too short vacation.  We picked my new
Cockatoo up last Wednesday.  She is truly amazing.  She is soooooooo
affectionate.  She takes her little head and places it on my shoulder
then lifts her wings and instructs me to pet her!  She also likes
to put her face on mine and make little baby noises.  What a sweety.
She enjoyed the ride down from Denver too.  She decided that she would
prefer to be out of her cage during the trip so I let her.  She likes
to ride in the car, just like my Grey does.  I just would never have
thought that a bird could be this affectionate.  She is just like
a 2 year old child.  She will scream and I mean LOUD when she doesn't
get attention.  We are working on this, but other than that, she is
a real sweet heart.  She will jump off of her cage or perch if I am
walking by her and I look as though I'm not going to stop to give her
pets.  My husband is afraid that because her beak is so large that
she is going to bite!  She wouldn't bite if she had too!  She like
to grab your finger in her beak then reach out and grab it with
her foot and try to perch but she wouldn't bite at all!  Well I'm
just as amazed as can be with her!

My Grey is taking this really well also.  He doesn't seem to mind
her at all.  We are giving him extra special attention however just
so he doesn't get jealous.

Well in case you haven't noticed, I am really proud of my new
cockatoo.... I'm really proud of my old birds too though!

Well enough on my bragging!  

Karen_who_can't_wait_to_get_home_and_play_with_the_birds!

    Karen,
    
    Congrats on the Cockatoo!  I really envy you.  
    
    Karen, I know how much you love your birds, so I hope you will take 
    this as a constructive suggestion.  As much as I would love it,
    I really would not allow my bird out loose in the car.  Just like
    kids and dogs, they are at such a risk.  Especially with a bird
    I would worry that one A**h*** cutting in front of me suddenly is
    all it would take to cause a fall and a broken leg or worse.  Also,
    it is a distraction to the driver, and the more distracted the driver
    is, the more likely he/she will not see a problem in time.
    
    I know how temping it is.  I really like to have my dog sit on the
    seat next to me, but I force myself to use the crate whenever possible,
    or at least make him lay on the floor.
    
    Just something to think about.
    
    Laura and Mad Max.
    

    This is good advice... Thanks

    KAREN,
    I have had a lesser sulfer crested cockatoo (timor subspecies) for 4
    and one half years now who's name is Billy. I purchased a 15 week 
    old Mollucan about a month ago which Billy gets extremly jealous of.
    However, he is slowly learning to except the new bird. H now will 
    come about 2 feet from him but will fly away as soon as "Sammy" 
    makes any sudden moves. Billy was wild when i bought him but has
    since turned into a real friend since and has learned about 10 tricks
    since he was tamed. He knows he is part of the family and resents any
    attention i pay to Sammy. I am hoping that the two of them will
    eventully become friends. My advise is to give them both equal
    attention and try to have them both out near each other as much as
    possible.
    
    please update   
    
    stan from the country part of Jersey
    

    Hi Stan,
    
    Since my original note on this, we have developed one big happy family. 
    We found that my Grey and Clare (my Eleanora) had no jealousy problems,
    but we did spoil both equally.  We now also have a hand fed Eclectus,
    Murphy and my latest pride and joy, a hand fed baby Moluccan.  With
    4 hand feds, our life revolves around our birds, but they return our
    love and give us gobs of enjoyment 2 fold.  Our lives really have
    to revolve around these guys but I think thats why they all get along
    so good because they get the attention they all need.  They are our
    children and we love them as such.  I don't know what I'd do without
    them.  
    
    Thank you for asking and let me know how your babies are doing!
    
    Karen from Colorado