Hello All,

['Too dad]

I intro'ed myself and Princess on the intro forum, and thought I would say hi here. Princess is an Umbrella that we basically rescued from one of my wife's relatives because he could no longer keep her. She was full-flight, on a strictly seed diet, not used to misting, and did not know step-up. She has learned that, we are weaning her from seeds to Zupreem pellets, intro' ing fruits and veggies, had her primaries and nails clipped, and she visits the vet next Saturday. Hopefully getting her on a better her on a better diet will take care of a couple of bare spots under her wings as well. I s'pose that not being misted allowed the feather dust to build up, which may have contributed to this as well.

For the good news, she seems very happy and quiet so far. She loves to cuddle, and says about 10 words or so. Here is a photo of Princess (previous owner's moniker - still thinking about a new name) on her new playstand. She seems to love it, but has yet to use the ladders or explore her new toys yet. I imagine that will come as she gets used to her new surroundings.

[Ginny]

You are right she will explore more when she get use to everything. Then she will be all over :roflmao2:

[harleybaby]

That is a nice cage but I was thinking the same as Shirley, playtops are much better because you'll find that they like to be on top of their cages a lot!! Hopefully you'll be lucky enough that she will stay there.LOL I do like that little platform that hangs down though. Bird fairs are a great place to find cages, Do you live in Orlando? THey have major ones there a few times a year.


This is supposed to be a really good one:

August 14 - Orlando, FL - Exotic Bird Society of America Expo & Seminar (http://www.ebsoa.org/august2005.shtml)

<DD>Central Florida Fairgrounds, 4603 W. Colonial Dr. (US50). (407)-855-3367 9am-4pm, Admission: $5. Visit our webpage!. Email: charles@ebsoa.org (charles@ebsoa.org). </DD><DD>from birdsn ways </DD>
and another: July 30 - Orlando, FL - Exotic Bird Sale & Fair
<DD>American Legion Hall, 1912-A Lee Rd. (561)-790-7959 9am-4pm.</DD>

<DD>I don't know how good this one is but I've heard of the other one. You can get really nice cages cheap assuming you live around Orlando. If not Sorry!</DD>

['Too dad]

Harley,

I live in SE CT, near Foxwoods casino. I checked the show calendar at parrotexpo.com, no shows listed in New England until October. So I guess I will just have to find the best deal I can on the web. I was thinking about going with the dometop to give her more room inside. During the day when someone is home, and during the evenings she will be on her playstand, which is quite large (4' wide or so, close to 6' tall). Although, the playstand will probably end up in my sons room, so maybe the playtop cage would be better after all.

Thanks for all the good advice.

[harleybaby]

You're welcome this really is a very friendly helpful group and I hope you feel welcome here!:D


Awwwww, wasn't quite sure how many Seaworlds are out there LOL but I tried, right? I think Joanne gave you good advice to wait a few weeks before moving her you may even have to put the cages right next to each other and she will hopefully be curious enough to climb into the other cage to investigate and get used to it a little before taking the old one away especially since she's in a new environment just so she has something that is familiar to her.

I just want to comend you for taking such an interest in her and for researching and trying to give her the best life you can!! I think it's absolutely wonderful!!! Thanks for caring so much!! Leah

[Jean]

Hi Too Dad, WELCOME! It is nice to have you join us. I see you are talking about a dome cage. I have a 11 yr old U2 and that I've had since a baby. Believe me, he would hate a dome top. He has a cage with a playtop and I try to keep a a cardboard box on one side of the top. He loves to play inside the box and chew on it. I have to replace it every few days. Elvie spends most of the day out of his cage and loves to play on his playtop. Most too's do much better with a playtop.

When you cage shop make sure not to just buy the cheapest cage you find, buy one strong enough to accommodate an active U2. Also stay away from any that have a rabbit logo on the lock. The metal's they use are toxic to birds.

['Too dad]

Jean,

Buying cheap is not a problem with me. My wife has a problem with me in that my hobbies are never cheap.

['Too dad]

Well,

Princess's first night in her new home went rather well. When I got up this morning and uncovered the cage, she was already up and eating from her seed cup. She is now on top of the playstand preening herself. Hopefully she will stay this quiet (just the occasional phrase here and there - no screaming as of yet. I need to head out and find a mister bottle. I tried a spray bottle and she didn't like it, even though I had it set as soft as possible. She also wasn't too keen on a soft drenching from the kitchen sink sprayer.

[Shirley]

Thank you for the updates! Even though she may not like the bath... she must have it daily. Also, they prefer cooler rather than warmer water.

Get her wet to the skin at least 2xweek. None of my birds have ever held it against me for drenching them, even though they still don't "like" it at all.

Hang in there... the goal is to get her healthy and keep her from messing with her feathers except for normal preening. :highfive:

['Too dad]

A quick question about feeding. Many people seem to recommend Roudybush or Harrison's pellets. If I go with Roudybush, what size pellets are appropriate for an Umbrella? Are U2's considered a large cockatoo?

[Jim]

Hi Too Dad, I'm no cockatoo expert by in means. (no expert of any speices for that matter) I like Foundation Formula, it's 100% organic. I feed the Spicers Blend. With that said this pellet has NO added anything - vitamins, supplements, etc.. The pellets, which they do eat, are mainly served so they will know it is a food source. Ya never know when something may go a miss, and someone else will need to care for them.

http://www.organicbirdfood.com/

[Sue]

Jim, Toto love a mister bottle, don't push it if she's not too keen at first, just a fine mist over the cage to keep her moist, you'll probably find she loves it when she realises it's not a threat.. here's some pics of Toto enjoying a shower, my avatar is my favourite, he was absolutely soaking:funny:



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v383/SueSi/IMG_0323.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v383/SueSi/IMG_0301.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v383/SueSi/IMG_0307.jpg

['Too dad]

Jim,

Thanks for the lead on the organic pellets. I will order the trial pack to see if see will take them before I spend a bunch of money on something she may eat.

Sue,

Wonderful pictures. Princess did get a misting today, which she tolerated reasonably well. After a few days of this we will try giving her a nice drenching shower. Jean gave me a good tip for after the shower. She stated that she uses a warm towel for drying her 'too. We will try that when she gets her first shower in a few days to hopefully help her enjoy the experience even more.

['Too dad]

Ok,

I just put princess in her cage for the evening and covered it. She started screaming and I would like some help in how to curb this behavior. I know that if I go to the cage and take her out, that will just teach her that screaming gets her some attention. Other than telling her "Princess, No!), not yelling it but in a sternish tone, what else should I do? I know not to throw anything at the cage or anything else that may traumatize her, but I would like some help.

Thanks to all for the great info so far,

Mike

[amazing greys]

Hi there, what I would do is when she immediately stops screaming, is reward her immediately with praise and let her know you are there by whispering to her or sing a song to get her wound down again. When she is quiet, tell her 'GOOD QUIET" I play a musical wind up toy for my Too when he gets ready for bed, kinda like he knows it's that time and he usually is calm and quiet.


Always try to reinforce WHAT you want from her, and IGNORE what you don't!!! This is always true and works. If you even tell her to stop, you are rewarding her w/attention either way. Also a distraction helps when the screaming is going on (loud noise like a can w/a few pennies or bicycle horn), then reinforce the positive QUIET behavior!!

Also, make sure she has been played out, so she is actually ready for bed.

Praising during the day or when she is out and quiet also lets her know what you like and reward her for just being good and playing quietly w/a toy.

[Jean]

My first question is, are you aware if she has ever been covered before at night?
My second one is, are you aware if she has been covered as a punishment?

Assuming these are not an issue, she may not understand what a cover, she may not want to miss something going on in the house. If any of these are a factor, uncover her then lay a cover over just the top of her cage to see how she accepts that then either progress to covering a portion of her cage leaving her some open space to see out.. Tell her you love the baby and want your baby to go night, night, or asleep or how ever you choose. If that does not work you may have to take her to your bed sometime taking an extra sheet then play we get under a sheet. She may need to learn a sheet or baby blanket is a good thing. Take baby steps, reassure he/she you go. Remember he''s in a strange home and is bound to feel some insecurity.

Elvie sleeps with lullaby music, he loves it. Here is a list of a few that are good.
http://www.oppenheimtoyportfolio.com/Toddlers/ChapterSubChapterAudio.asp?Chapter=Audio%3A+Great+ Music+and+Stories&SubChapter=Lullabies+and+Songs+for+Quiet+Time
You can also put on a fan or purifier heading in the opposite direction. This will often soothe them.

[Jean]

Hi Too Dad, I'm no cockatoo expert by in means. (no expert of any speices for that matter) I like Foundation Formula, it's 100% organic. I feed the Spicers Blend. With that said this pellet has NO added anything - vitamins, supplements, etc.. The pellets, which they do eat, are mainly served so they will know it is a food source. Ya never know when something may go a miss, and someone else will need to care for them.

http://www.organicbirdfood.com/

That looks good! I will have to give some a try.:thanx: Thanks for sharing it.

[harleybaby]

She may not like a cover, if she seems calm when she isn't covered then I would just leave it off. I don't think covering her at night will help much with your wife's allergies much anyway probably the most helpful will be the misting every day. She will learn to love it in time!!

Sue Toto is gorgeous!! I love those pictures!!!!!!!:wub:

['Too dad]

Well,

Unfortunately we can no longer keep Princess. About a week ago, she bit my son in the face. Not really hard, but enough to draw blood. Andrew was unsure whether he lost his balance and Princess was using her beak to steady herself, or if she just bit him for no reason. So we kind of let that one pass. Yesterday, she climbed off her playstand, onto the couch and walked over to my wife. She climber up Val's shirt, and was on her shoulder, playing with her hair. Val started to get uncomfortable, and asked me to take the bird. I did, walked to the recliner with Princess on my hand and sat down. She proceeded to climb up to my shoulder, where she immediately bit me in the ear, drawing blood.

I am looking for advice on how to find her a suitable home. I would love to keep her, but we can not have her in the house with that powerful beak and a tendency to bite. I also will not let her go to someone with kids or no experience with large birds.

Please let me know of any options or ideas you may have. We live in Southeastern CT.

Thanks,

Mike