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Elite Member
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Last Login: 8/25/2008 7:47 AM
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Birds can live for days-weeks months, and even years after an escape. Never give up.
Always look for a grey BEFORE sun-up while it is still dark, and AFTER sundown. They are the most vocal then, and the most active.
Day 3 is when they get hungry and try to come in for food, they will go to just about any one at that time if they are tame.
ALWAYS have a recording of your grey when he is playing and having the most fun. Play this recording intermittently as you look for him.
Throw food on rooftops. Place a small cage on the roof of your house, or anyone's where they grey has been seen.
Tell people to put him in a pillow case, and have friends carrying pillowcases while looking, or small cages. Sometimes greys are caught by inexperienced holders and they don't know what to do with them.
Water hoses do work if you can spray him shortly after his escape. Hit him with as much water as you can all at once. He is heavy from not having exercise, and the water throws him off enough to ground him for a bit. Do not drench just before dark unless you are sure you can get him.
If possible contact organizations 50 miles away. Sometimes people find them while traveling and go home with them. Greys can also get that far just flying.
Give all the children in the neighborhood a buck and tell them there is more if they can locate your bird. Kids tell on people that are hiding them also. (per Mattie Sue Athan) Police will not help you retrieve a bird from someone else's home. You have to plan that one very carefully if they decide they want to keep your bird.
Have someone watch the bird at all times if he is spotted and you need to go for help.
If you try to climb the tree, it often times scares them up. A long branch may be better to coax him onto. Use your head here. Raise his cage to where he is.
Have friends and family miles away in other cities watch the lost and found ads.
If he is roosted near dark, wait until dark before trying to retrieve him. They don't fly well at night, and they don't want to fly, but make sure you don't miss. You may use a high powered flashlight to momentarily blind the bird while another person nets or grabs the bird.
If sighted, keep the mobs of people away, and let the owner try and coax him down. Have your helping friends in tall trees or on roof tops to watch where he goes if he takes off. You NEED spotters prepared and willing.
Additional Information/ Comments by Scott Lewis
I might add to all this that if the bird is hanging around but refuses to go in a cage or allow itself to be caught, a Have-A-Heart chipmunk trap may do the trick. This is a small live trap. We recaptured a hawk headed parrot with one. With this sized bird, which is roughly the same size as a Timneh African Grey, anything larger will not work because the bird can go in and out with impunity. We know this from experience. After watching in total frustration as the hawk head repeatedly walked in and out of a Have-A-Heart squirrel trap to eat, we got a chipmunk trap. She went in, she was back.
Place the trap high in the area the bird is frequenting. Remember that height equals safety to parrots and most other birds. Be sure to check it frequently. If the bird is caught, it may panic. And, there is a good chance you will catch native birds, which won't appreciate it a damned bit. I have released a few extremely irate grackles and such.
For little birds, such as lovebirds and budgies, a sparrow trap works well. We had a black-masked lovebird show up at the aviary. I suppose it was attracted by our birds' calls. Given that lovebirds can carry PBFD, to which all our birds are very susceptible, two vets told me to get a pellet gun. I didn't have the heart to do it. But, I caught him in a sparrow trap within a half hour after I set it.
Finally, a hose does work, but don't be shy. The idea is to totally soak the bird in a big hurry to the extent that it can't fly. If you're shy with the hose, you will simply watch a damp bird fly away.
Source: http://www.parrotta lk.com/missing. html
Located In Rockford Michigan
Hand fed baby Lovebirds and cockatiels
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Administrator
Group: Administrators
Last Login: 11/14/2008 6:21 PM
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I have to tell you about a parakeet my sister found.
It was about ten years ago (he is gone now) and the bird landed on her porch at an apartment. She walked out and he jumped right on her shoulder and started saying "pretty..."
Parakeets are not big talkers so this was really cool. This bird was so loving. My sister too it to the local Westland Humane Society because we really wanted the owner to have it. If they did not show up we could claim the bird in one week.
I went back after a week to claim the bird. The people at the Humane Society wanted it and did not want to let it go. Well I claimed him as my right, named him "Jake-o" and had him for six years. A nice long life for a parakeet. Every time I came home he would jump on the front of the cage wanting to come up. I would let him out for the night. He picked up many more words over the years. I owned parakeets over the years but this was the first one that uttered words.
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Elite Member
Group: Moderators
Last Login: 8/25/2008 7:47 AM
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| aww how cool to be able to keep him and give him a great home!! Keats can talk very well not all but some are awesome talkers books will say lovebirds don not talk at all and thats plan rubbish too as i had had four of them in my life time that would talk, not alot but would say Hello and I love you.. My quakers right now are making the rounds of peekaboo, lol one start then another and next everyones playing peekaboo.. check this out now i feed them at my feeder all the time but not one asked for a kiss,
lol
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpYHYrMnffc&feature=related
Located In Rockford Michigan
Hand fed baby Lovebirds and cockatiels
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Administrator
Group: Administrators
Last Login: 11/14/2008 6:21 PM
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| Cool video on YouTube. The bird speaks so clearly.
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Elite Member
Group: Moderators
Last Login: 8/25/2008 7:47 AM
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Keeping your parrot's wing's properly trimmed is an essential part of
owning a parrot. Not only does it aid in keeping you, the owner, as
the dominant member of the bird-human relationship, it is very
important for the safety of your pet. The vast majority of "lost bird"
reports come from people who claim to never have clipped their bird's
wings, or to have "forgotten" to do this. Even birds who owners claim
"never even attempt to fly" are prone to a startle reflex when
suddenly frightened. In this case even a handraised bird's instincts
tell then to attempt to fly off. If the bird's wings are clipped, the
parrot will flutter harmlessly to the ground - if not, this act of
owner negligence could result in the loss of a bird.
Even birds who never go outside benefit from clipped wings. A
fully flighted bird in the house is much more prone to wing, head and
leg injuries resulting from crashes into doors, walls, ceiling fans,
windows, mirrors, etc. Sometimes these injuries could prove fatal!
Further, a clipped bird is more likely to act dominant to its owner,
since it knows it can fly away to a high, "superior" spot if it needs
to assert itself.
For those feeling pity for stripping our feathered companions of
their unique and beautiful flying ability, fear not. Any bird will
learn very quickly to get what it wants using their two wonderfully
adapted feet and that marvelous hooked beak (if you don't believe me,
ask Birdmart's feathered CEOs!). Think about it this way, in the wild,
birds fly (expending lots of time and energy) to find food, shelter,
safety, things to play with, places to bathe, and companionship. In a
proper human-parrot home, all of these things are provided in
abundance. If let out of the cage often, and offered plenty of
opportunity and variety of food, playthings and companionship, a pet
bird with clipped wings will be perfectly content and will never
attempt to fly (unless startled).
There are a few different styles of feather clipping. The first
ones mentioned are not the ones we recommend! They were designed more
for aesthetics and can provide a true false sense of security. The
first is called a Window Clip. This means that the two outermost
flight feathers (see diagrams below) on both wings are left uncut, and
the next 8 or so are cut. It gives a bird a more "wild" appearance.
However many birds, especially aerodynamic types like Conures, Macaws,
Parakeets and Cockatiels, can still fly with this cut! The next common
style is the Single Wing Trim. This is a full cut of only one wing.
With this trim, birds can get lift and propulsion on only one side. As
a result some birds may fly in circles, which could result in severe
injury. Another common trim is an Every Other Feather trim. In this
case, every other flight feather is cut or shaved. This gives the bird
a totally wild look, but in many cases does not restrict their flying
ability, as a result it can be very dangerous!
The wing trim recommended by Birdmart.Com is the Bilateral Wing
Trim. With this style, the first 8-10 primary flight feathers on both
wings are trimmed to the point of the dorsal major primary coveret
feathers. This is a safe cut because you will not hit a blood feather
if done correctly. The following diagram describes the method and
logic to this trim:
The feathers we are most concerned with when trimming a bird's
wings are the Primary Flight Feathers and the Secondary Flight
Feathers. The Primary Flight Feathers are the long feathers at the
outermost portion of a bird's wing. The provide provide forward
propulsion. The Secondary Flight Feathers are those feathers between
the Primaries and the bird's body. They provide lift.
When we trim the first 8-10 flight feathers ( on some parrots,
like African Grays, only cut the first 6 flight feathers), we are
cutting away the primaries. This takes away the bird's forward flight
propulsion. Without this, the "lift" part of the flight system is
fairly useless. So, if the bird tries to fly away, he will flutter
safely to the ground, without falling too hard.
When trimming your bird's wings always aim the scissors away from
the bird's body. Otherwise, serious injury could result. Also, be sure
to have someone competent holding the bird. You could easily get bit
or even strangle your bird if your holder is not careful.
When you cut your bird's primary flight feathers, use the dorsal
major primary coverts as a type of "dotted line" guide. These are the
smaller feathers just above (towards the bird's head and wrist) the
primary flights. If you cut just below (towards the tail) these
feathers, you should never accidentally cut an immature or "blood"
feather, which could result in pain and bleeding. Normally, the part
of the feather sticking beyond the coverts is mature and without blood
supply.
Clipping the wings in this manner can be as painless as cutting
hair. Usually, the bird has more objection to the restraint involved
than the actual wing trimming. As shown in the diagram, when the wing
is fully extended, we can see the area cut. However, once the wing is
pulled back into a folded position, the cut portion folds under the
secondary flight feathers and cannot be seen.
NOTE: If you accidentally cause your bird to bleed during a
grooming procedure, do not panic! Bleeding can be stopped by using a
styptic powder (i.e. "Kwik-Stop") or even regular baking flour, in a
pinch.
Located In Rockford Michigan
Hand fed baby Lovebirds and cockatiels
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