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[Jan. 26th, 2008|12:16 am] |
I've put a lot of thought into whether or not I should post this video here. I've finally decided to, and I hope I'm doing the right thing in this. If the mods want to delete it I understand.
This is a footage taken by a PETA investigator inside an exotics breeding mill. It shows a baby cockatoo, who reportedly never saw a vet, slowly wasting away over a course of weeks. By the end the baby can do nothing but lie on its side and blink. The person in charge of caring for it is seen often lifting it up by its head, and force-feding her by inserting a tube directly into her croup*. The baby's cries, especially towards the end, are absolutely haunting. To sum things up, the video is HIGHLY disturbing (as a bird owner, the most disturbing thing I've ever seen on the internet, and I'm jaded) but I think it's also important that people know about these things.
If you already already know why it is completely unacceptable to purchase an animal for a pet store or mill breeder, by all means, skip this video. You don't need to see it, and I'm telling you that you don't want to see it.
But if you're on the fence about the issue, or if you still believe it's okay to buy mill-bred animals (or if you need a tool to show to people who defend pet stores) then watch and learn.
Not Safe For Work. Obviously.
(And yes, this is a PETA production. I agree that PETA in many ways sucks, and am aware of all the reasons PETA sucks. I'm not really looking have that debate right now. PETA might lie, but the pictures don't. There's no faking that poor suffering baby's screams.)
* The person who wrote the text seemed to think they were flushing the baby's croup, but it looked like they were forcing-feeding her to me. I could be wrong, though, as I've never seen either done in person. |
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| o m g |
[Jan. 26th, 2008|12:17 am] |
i was just crying like a little baby.
the cockatiel i rescues almost a year ago, his name is mr. bill. we call him bill bill. he's a normal grey, but has lived in a closet for 12 years until i took him. when we first got him you couldn't go near him...he didnt trust anyone.
as time went on he started to like us so he came out more, and started to whistle. i even taught hima whistle from the parent trap. then as he got more and more comfortable we found out he had a sock/foot fetish. strange bird i tell u. but he NEVER EVER liked to be touched.
well tonight, at 1145 eastern standard time. bill bill got his first scritches. and i cried like a baby. he let me scritch him, and he started to bend his head down to let me do it.
almost a year since i got him and i think he FINALLY started to completely trust me as his mom. |
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| is this normal? |
[Jan. 26th, 2008|12:27 am] |
| [ | mood |
| |  exhausted | ] |
Recently my Senegal, Dakota, has begun to do something odd. He's a little over one year old (we had him sexed, so we know he's a he, and he was born in Dec) and he's a little darling. Besides his biting problem which, by the way, I need some help to solve. Thats for another post. :) This one is about this peculiar behavior that began just a couple days ago.
Okay, I was sitting on the couch and he was on the back of it. We already know he's gotten into this regurgitation type deal (the vet told us about it since we had mentioned that it's almost like he's gagging and he'll spit up some food and then eat it again, I think thats a little gross and have nicknamed him the little green cow for that one XD like a cow chewing on its cud lol) so we figured that it was alright. Now for a Senegal, when do they start becoming sexually mature? I'm not sure, I know the smaller the bird the faster comes puberty, generally, my Cockatiel became sexually mature around... 2ish? I think. Could have been before the age of one, but I don't know.
Anyway, I'm sitting on the couch watching TV and I have him on my hands, like a bridge, and he begins to make these noises and his wings go down almost like he's covering my hands to keep them from getting wet, making little squeaky noises and sounding like he's complaining, almost. Then he tilts his tail to the left a bit. Its really weird, because now he'll do that on the back of the couch, the whole shebang, and he's tilting his tail, making those small moany/grunting sounds and his wings held low and out to the side a bit, almost like he's covering something underneath him. Its really weird, and I can get him to repeat it by making the same sounds and wiggling my fingers. So I KNOW its not my imagination. Its just so weird!
On to my other problem that I have, how do you get a Senegal parrot to stop being nippy? He does this when you're not paying attention to him, when you're going to put him back on his cage (he'll flip himself over onto his back and grunt and squeak at you while biting the hell out of your fingers), or when he wants to do something and you're not letting him. I.e., getting onto the table or going under the table and chewing on it. How do you stop this? Its become past the point for mild amusement, its aggravating and frustrating. I don't know how to get him to stop. Or stop chewing on my mom's glasses or grabbing noses and ears. Any tips? |
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| Fat Budgies! |
[Jan. 26th, 2008|10:56 am] |
Hello everyone :)
I've been reading this community from afar for quite awhile, wonderful community :) I just finally bit the bullet and joined, and just to make it super fun, I need some advice if ya'll have any idea :(
I have budgies! And I love my budgies :) But there is a problem, my budgies are fat. I have been trying to encourage them to slim down so they can be happier but nothing seems to be working. Here is what I have been doing:
1) Monitor the food supply closely, I do not over feed, always have plenty of water available as well as a mineral block and cuttlebone for their nibbling pleasure. I do a half and half with general millet and an enriched budgie food, so they have many chances of getting healthy stuff.
2) They only get one millet stalk a week as a special treat. Otherwise their daily treats are organically grown and well cleaned lettuce, apple bits and cucumber. They love it!
3) I have a biiig cage for my budgies, its five and a half feet tall about, probably taller as its taller then me, 3 feet deep and 4 feet wide. Lots and lots of flying space! They also get free flight time around the house 3 times a week, as thats all my schedule can really afford :(
The problem is.. they are still fat! The females specifically are the ones I have problems with, most of the males are bigger builds (Their father was half english budgie), but they fly around quite a bit and are very active, so I'm not as concerned for them, the females however pretty much never fly and would rather crawl up the sides of the cage and when I let them out they flutter all slowly to their favorite chair and just sit. How can I encourage them to get more active?
How can I encourage all my budgies to lose a little more weight? :( I want them to live long happy and noisy lives, but its so frustrating when it feels like I'm doing everything right and they're just all "Hi, we're lazy B)"
I know one of my females may be lazy for a reason, her mate just recently died :( It was really heartbreaking (He was my very first budgie, and he had a very long and wonderful life. It was really hard for me and my mum to lose him :/) and I think she may still be in mourning in a way, I've been especially nice to her and I've played with her a lot to cheer her up but I don't know what to do :/
So any advice would be wonderful. The males are a little overly chubby, but at least they move around and do stuff :( I dunno what to do with my girls.
Apologies for my first post being questions also :( |
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| Update on Cheek-O and her egg |
[Jan. 26th, 2008|01:22 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  hopeful | ] |
Update on this post http://community.livejournal.com/parrot_lovers/3327539.html
Since laying her first egg Jan 22, Cheek-O hasn't laid anymore eggs. Her droppings look normal and she is eating well. I'm still making sure she's getting lots of calcium. She is acting normal - no signs of depression. My hubby got her out of her cage yesterday and she was being affectionate and playful.
I think this is a good thing - right? How much longer should I worry? Am I out of the woods yet?
Also, I followed everyone advice on what I whould be doing it seems to be working. From one parrot parent to another I just want to say thank you so very much for your help with my little Cheek-O. I just don't know what I'd do if I lost her.
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| 'keet art |
[Jan. 26th, 2008|03:41 pm] |
More darling Budgie Art on Etsy.
(not mine) |
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| parrot anatomy book |
[Jan. 26th, 2008|03:43 pm] |
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Does anyone have any recommendations of books on parrot/avian anatomy?? |
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| Bar Spacing? |
[Jan. 26th, 2008|05:42 pm] |
| [ | mood |
| |  scared | ] |
I had a terrifying experience today and I need advice on bar spacing and cages. My sennie almost got her wing stuck between the horizontal bars of her cage today when she got frightened by the vacuum cleaner, and luckily I was right there and got it out before she could break it. It terrified me and I want to get her a new cage tomorrow so it doesn't happen again. I think the bars of this one are too close together for her, even though the cage itself is quite large. She would have had difficulty getting her wing out herself without breaking it. What would be the best bar spacing for a cage for her to avoid anything like this happening again? I don't want to overcompensate and get one with too large of spacing and have her end up getting her head stuck between them. |
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| Kind of funny, in light of a recent question... |
[Jan. 26th, 2008|06:34 pm] |
As some of you who are on my friends list know, I'm currently studying in Rome. This afternoon, a friend asked me if I'd like to come with her to the Catacombs of San Callisto, and I was happy to go. The catacombs are located in the Parco Appia Antica, along the Via Appia. This is actually a very lovely, preserved rural area outside the ancient walls of the city, where the Romans buried their dead. People hike, ride bikes and horses, bring their dogs, etc to this huuuuuge park. Needless to say, we liked being in the park since it was such a nice day out and never made it to the actual catacombs.
As we were walking near a sparse outcrop of trees, I heard a familiar noise. THEN, I heard the delighted shouts of a little boy, "PAPPAGALLI!!!! MAMA, I PAPPAGALLI!" So I walked over...
Do you see it?
How about now?
( Molti pappagalli selvatici al Parco Appia Antica... ) |
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| New member |
[Jan. 26th, 2008|07:45 pm] |
Hi there everyone! As the title says, I'm new to this community. Currently, I don't have any parrots, but the reason I joined is because I'm considering getting a Green-Cheek Conure that is being hand raised at my work right now. But before I go ahead and do that, I needed to know what exactly I'm getting myself into, as I believe getting any animal before researching it is unbelievably irresponsible and foolish. Now, first off, YES, I have the time to spend with this bird, YES, I have the space for him, and YES, I have the money for yearly exams and anything else he may need.
So with that all out of the way, I was wondering if you Green-Cheek owners could tell me what living with them is like. Are they really loud birds? This is the most important question I think because I have a very low tolerance for noise, and I'm sure my neighbors wouldn't appreciate it either :/ How big do they get? How long do they live for? How are they with other animals? Are there any behavior issues I should be aware of, etc? Let me know everything you can think of to tell a first time parrot owner. Thanks! :D |
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