--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 225 PARROTS Ref: CGT00005 Date: 12/23/95 From: TOM WEISS Time: 04:10pm \/To: JAN THOMAS (Read 5 times) Subj: Concrete perches On 12-2095, JAN THOMAS wrote to TOM WEISS: JT> Fran and I are planning a new project for you- heated perches so her JT> birds don't get frostbitten feet when she gets a frigid cold snap. JT> Concrete would be nice. . . Yep. Design concept is complete. Just need some design parameters from Fran. Need to balance the heat input with the heat losses. I need her max temperature of perch and minimum outdoor design temperatures. That will determine the watts needed for the tape. How many gross you gonna buy? ;) === * Freddie 1.2.5 * --- DB B2300sl/002493 * Origin: Wolverine (1:239/1004) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 225 PARROTS Ref: CGU00000 Date: 12/22/95 From: SUE TURO Time: 08:41pm \/To: KATHY JOHNSON (Read 5 times) Subj: Mail...;-) Hi Kathy...;-) This ia a test...seems that my mail doesn't get to you folks....;-) Since you last received a post from me...I've acquired a Peach face lovebird...his name is GT (Green Thing) who thinks he is an Africian Grey....and had to return Princess...was allergic to her....and got another grey 'teil...;-) His/her name is Cry Baby....the breeder called it Crier and I didn't like that....now to the problem....this 'teil is lighter than Scoobie and the underside of the tail is striped...it is 8 months old...and sings and talks like champ....is it possible for it to be a female???? Would appreciate your input...it is a lovely bird...and gets along great with the other two...;) ... Sue, Scoobie Doo, GT and Cry Baby...;-) I'm done now...;-) --- Blue Wave/Opus v2.12 [NR] * Origin: The BULLET Inn-V.34-Pittsburgh, PA (412) 264-3175 (1:129/112.0) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 225 PARROTS Ref: CGU00001 Date: 12/22/95 From: DAVID EMANUEL Time: 02:09pm \/To: ALL (Read 5 times) Subj: Cage Hello everybody! It's been awhile since I last posted here, but I ahve been a faithful reader of teh echo! But onto what I want to know. I have a Cockatiel and I've decided that within the next year, I want to get her a new, slightly larger cage. Her cage right now is about 17" by 20" on each face. except for the top adn bottom which is of course, square. But, I was wondering, from what company can I get a new cage that is sligtly larger, but has thin wires on it, I also have a cat that has this love of sticking his paws into the cage, but fortuantely can't because the wires are spaced to close for him to do this. I also want a cage that is easy to dismantle, clean, etc. Any adn all imput is welcome. thanx . . . RavER ... English: The Borg of languages. ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 [NR] --- FMail 0.92 * Origin: Stepping Stone BBS, Tulsa, OK (1:170/901) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 225 PARROTS Ref: CGU00002 Date: 12/20/95 From: KATHY JOHNSON Time: 10:11pm \/To: JERRY RUDOFF (Read 5 times) Subj: Concrete perches >-> The residue is also potentially toxic--chlorine bleach was never >-> meant to be ingested. >Not true...I the advise of my vet, occasionally I mix up a solution of >bleach and water (exacting measurements) and give to the birds for a >period of 3 days. This advice really bothers me. It makes me question your vet's avian treatment qualifications... I repeat, Chlorine bleach was never meant to be ingested. Yes, it is a bacteriocide, and in a pinch can be used to disinfect drinking water for short periods during emergencies. But it is also a toxin, and can do other physiological damage besides just killing bacteria. I STRONGLY suggest you call Dr. Branson Ritchie, THE foremost avian veterinarian in the US, and ask him for his opinion on this bleach water prophylactic treatment. You can reach Dr. Ritchie between 7 & 10 pm EST at 1-900-288-4267. This is a $2.95 a minute call, but I truly believe that your birds are at risk from this practice, and you should discontinue it. Dr. Ritchie will be able to tell you if it's safe, and what to do instead if it's not. I think it would be worth your time and money to call about this before you repeat the treatment again. >Not only have I consulted with my vet on this but also >with a pharmacist friend who initially advised me on proper volumes of >liquid. One, I doubt your vet's knowledge. Two, pharmacists don't usually know much about bird physiology/toxicology. Again, I suggest you get an opinion from an expert--call Dr. Ritchie. >Yes, I do taste the solution first to ensure I can take it >before giving it to my birds. You weigh how many hundreds of times more than your biggest bird? You can take a LOT more toxins than a bird can just because of sheer size, not to mention the major differences in physical construction between humans and birds. Get a second opinion from an avian expert, please! --Kathy * SLMR 2.1a * --- Silver Xpress Mail System * Origin: bloom county bbs * Parrots HQ * (313)582-0888 (1:2410/400) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 225 PARROTS Ref: CGU00003 Date: 12/20/95 From: KATHY JOHNSON Time: 10:14pm \/To: TOM WEISS (Read 5 times) Subj: Concrete perches > KJ> Just a comment here...using a wire wheel on poopy concrete is BOUND > KJ> to make dropping dust. As we all should know, this is not a good > KJ> thing to inhale. >While I understand your concern, it's not yet proven (to me) that poop dust >is harmful. I could easily say that it is not helpful .... dust of most >anykind (aspirin aside) is harmful to the lungs and should be avoided IMO . Not chemicals, Tom--poop dust contains bacteria, which *can* cause lung irritation or infection in some people if inhaled. Not everybody is sensitive to it, but in those who *are*, inhalation can cause the famous "bird-keeper's lung" disease. Inhaling poop dust is also the easiest way to transmit/acquire Psittacosis/chlamydia if the bird happens to be a carrier/shedder. Best to not press the points by inhaling any more dropping dust than is absolutely necessary--why tempt fate? --Kathy * SLMR 2.1a * --- Silver Xpress Mail System * Origin: bloom county bbs * Parrots HQ * (313)582-0888 (1:2410/400) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 225 PARROTS Ref: CGU00004 Date: 12/20/95 From: KATHY JOHNSON Time: 10:15pm \/To: JAN THOMAS (Read 5 times) Subj: Concrete perches >-> Just a comment here...using a wire wheel on poopy concrete is BOUND >-> to make dropping dust. As we all should know, this is not a good >-> thing to inhale. >Heh, heh, you sound as persnickety as me about dust. My concrete perch >is usually covered with DEEESgusting fruit goo, and sticky oatmeal and >stuff, not poop. Well, you haven't seen my house...I'm not fussy about *all* dust, just poop dust... I keep the poop cleaned up, but the rest of the house looks like a construction zone (and it's really not). --Kathy * SLMR 2.1a * --- Silver Xpress Mail System * Origin: bloom county bbs * Parrots HQ * (313)582-0888 (1:2410/400) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 225 PARROTS Ref: CGU00005 Date: 12/20/95 From: KATHY JOHNSON Time: 10:19pm \/To: TOM WEISS (Read 5 times) Subj: Good folks >Let this note tell all FIDO PARROTS conference people are super people. ...I've known that for years! Thank you for telling them how great they are! >To those who have helped ... Tinker seems to be doing well. Great! Keep us posted on "her" progress? Plan on doing a DNA sexing soon so we know what your first grand-bird really is? ...If you get me a photo, I can scan it and add it to my Web page. I'm considering adding a small area for "Parrots" folks' bird pictures. Whatdya think? --Kathy * SLMR 2.1a * --- Silver Xpress Mail System * Origin: bloom county bbs * Parrots HQ * (313)582-0888 (1:2410/400) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 225 PARROTS Ref: CGU00006 Date: 12/20/95 From: KATHY JOHNSON Time: 10:22pm \/To: TOM WEISS (Read 5 times) Subj: Chick production rates. > KJ> So, now that I've gone and drained my brain for today, what was it > KJ> that you were curious about? >I know a breeder who has 30 + pairs and only 4 of them are yielding chicks. >Your rate with a known hen is also low. The production rate of birds is >lower than I *had* imagined ... a problem that needs adressed by scientists, >IMO. I also know local folks who have no problems with their birds' reproductive rates--it's a random problem, from what I can see (Now) knowing the low rates, I don't feel so bad about my pair. But >when one reads in Bird Talk of David Blynn and his rates and Howard Vorn and >his rates, a guys gotta wonder, eh? (rhetorical ... wouldn't want to tap >out your brain again ... ) Too late...it's gone already. As for Blynn/Voren, I think they have tons more birds than 'real' people do, so their rates are artificially higher than normal due to population.....if they have a few pairs that don't breed, they can afford to mix/match/switch/sell and still maintain a good production rate from the rest of the flock. --Kathy * SLMR 2.1a * --- Silver Xpress Mail System * Origin: bloom county bbs * Parrots HQ * (313)582-0888 (1:2410/400) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 225 PARROTS Ref: CGU00007 Date: 12/23/95 From: KATHY JOHNSON Time: 09:00am \/To: PATTY MORRIS (Read 5 times) Subj: timer systems > Hi Kathy. We've considered using the X-10 stuff here to control our >birdroom lights & heat eventually but have heard that in conditions where >electrical service is interrupted they tend to come back on in an ON state >and we were afraid that with the storms we have here from time to time we'd >lose power during the middle of the night and when it came back on again all >of the lights would come on and startle the birds and disrupt their routine. > Have you had any problem with this or was our information entirely wrong? I haven't had a power outage in a long time (we've been lucky), but I think the lights come back on in the same state they were when the power went down. That is, if they were off when the power went down, they don't come back on. The lights are run by individual modules that are controlled by the timer. If the modules are in the 'off' position, I don't think that a power out changes that until triggered by the timer. What happens in an outage is that the clock timer loses the time (just as a normal electronic clock would--it goes back to 12 midnight). The on-off timer settings are also reset to midnight, and the lights just don't come back on until they're manually turned back on and the timers are re-set. But if the lights were ON when the power went down, then they'd come back ON when the power was restored. I'm think what happened last time we had an outage is that the lights were on when we lost power, they came back on when it was restored, then they didn't shut off at the correct time because the timer was no longer set. So the birds got a later than usual bedtime that night. As for disrupting their routine, I've not seen anything like that bother them. Even when I had to go into their room and turn on a light abruptly at 3 am (for a problem with something else), they got annoyed but it didn't seem to bother them long-term. --Kathy * SLMR 2.1a * --- Silver Xpress Mail System * Origin: bloom county bbs * Parrots HQ * (313)582-0888 (1:2410/400) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 225 PARROTS Ref: CGU00008 Date: 12/23/95 From: KATHY JOHNSON Time: 09:35am \/To: ALL (Read 5 times) Subj: Ivy the talking wonder Ivy, the newest Jenday addition, is becoming a talking fool. She tries to say everything! She is making good progress on "Tesla" (the dog's name), "Kirsche", "Rio", "Rico", "I love you", "Gimme kisses", "What did you do?" (a favorite phrase we use when the dog's been bad). She also inserts yup, no, alright, OK, and wow into our conversations as if she knows where they should go. I think she must've listened to Adair talk on the phone a lot before she came here. I've been hearing a couple new sentences worth of babble being practiced in the large bowl every evening. When she's in the mood to talk into her metal food bowl, I listen and then say what I thought she said. If I'm right she'll repeat what I've said back to me. If I'm wrong, she gets quiet for a while, then starts again--it's as if I've broken her train of thought. Her latest phrase has me rolling on the floor. She has a speech impediment (as do all my jendays), so the occasional vowel isn't quite right, and once in a while a mystery consonant pops up where it doesn't belong. Something new appeared in the repetoire last week; it took me two days to figure out what she's saying. Listening to her evening practice session, I heard what I thought was "Gravy!" (pronounced as in a Cockney accent--"GrIvy", roll the "r"). She's saying "good Ivy"..... --Kathy * SLMR 2.1a * --- Silver Xpress Mail System * Origin: bloom county bbs * Parrots HQ * (313)582-0888 (1:2410/400)