new birb mom!

afternoon everyone!

new to the forum and wanted to introduce myself :3

my names ren, i'm in my 30s (dont let the typing fool you lol i'm just lazy) and i'm super bad at introductions!

this has been a year of firsts for me, most notably it's my first year renting an apartment! i room with my SO (significant other) drew, and our friend cody (who lives downstairs).

over time i've worked with several types of animals, mostly training and competing with dogs, but i've also bred dwarf hamsters (accidently bred molly fish for a bit heh). this however, is the first year i finally get to own a bird of my own. my SO and i acquired a white-belly Caique named Sgt. Nanners almost 2 weeks ago after wanting one for quite some time. i've worked with birds but this is my first time owning one and i'm very excited for the challenge :3.

i guess thats the gist of everything! i'll likely be posting here or there, though i'm really not good at maneuvering forums. most of the time i lurk until i have a question or humorous story to share so i hope nobody minds too much.

Hello! And welcome! We want a picture!!

Welcome to you Ren and Sgt. Nanners (love the unique name)! Hope you’ll share some pictures

Welcome! I can guarantee th Sgt will keep you on your toes!
[ame="https://youtu.be/VN_WzpQgDtY"]Funny parrot stomping around like its mad. Full HD best video!! - YouTube[/ame]

Oh I laughed so hard tears rolled down my cheeks!

Welcome!!!!


Stop using anything scented in your home (any cleaner that isn't avian safe is not avian safe..Bleach, windex, lysol, air fresheners, scented oils, carpet cleaners, hairspray, aerosols in general, perfumes, candles (even unscented ones)....etc)

The only safe cleaners (exluding obscure brands)= vinegar+water (if not heated), grapefruit seed extract (GSE) with water, or F10 SC . F10 is a GREAT veterinary-grade disinfectant and the yellowish variety is safe to spray near birds---cleans almost as well as Bleach (better in some cases) but without any of the risk.

Research the heck out of Teflon/PFOA/PTFE---VERY VERY DEADLY. Birds have died when it has been heated on a separate floor of the same home. It is obviously in a lot of non-stick pans but it is hidden internally in many cases (space-heaters, blow-dryers, curling irons, popcorn poppers, humidifiers, air-poppers, rice-cookers, irons, ironing board COVERS, microwave popcorn (clear coat in bag).....It won't be advertised on the box unless you are looking at a pan...SOOO you will have to call and say the full chemical names +abbreviations for all---also ask if any fluoro plastics of any kind are in there because those are as bad/pretty much the same.

Thanks for the welcome guys! ye i posted this on my phone during lunch lol so i wasn't really able to add any pics but i definitely plan to!

that videos adorable weve seen that one before lol, never get tired of it! our boy doesnt stomp yet but he sure does hop and flop around like a fish sometimes pfft he's a nifty nutter.

thanks for the advice too noodles! we've actually been using a space heater because this apartment (housepartment i guess) is pretty bad by way of keeping heat in or...out. whatever it is outside its the same in here, and its been in the 30s lately so we were worried about him getting sick. our landlord is pretty terrible, so its unlikely the heating will get fixed at all. we plan on moving out after this lease is up though!

and people asked so pictures! hope its okay i posted them here :3


he loves his daddy :3




hope its ok to add my other two pets! xena the gsd and mailbox the hamster!

Welcome to you and Sgt. Nanners! You are welcome to participate, lurk, or do research! Main agenda is to provide a safe environment for Nanners.

Dogs can be problematic with a bird in the apartment, so please use all possible care and diligence to ensure safety!

thanks! i always feel bad for lurking/posting questions but long as nobody gets mad at me ok :3

xenas a good girl, very well trained. she lives with my mom who wanted her when i moved out because shes protection trained and her house was almost broken into once. so not much to worry about there :3

i know what you mean though, the secretary at my job has a cockatiel and a green-cheek and just got a new puppy she is not very good with :\ i've tried giving her advice (i train/work with dogs on the side sometimes) but she never listens so her puppy is very destructive and has gone after her birds a couple times.

Welcome to our community, and congrats on your new family member! I guarantee you that adding a parrot to your family will be like no other "pet" you've ever had the pleasure of living with! They possess the intelligence of a 3-4 year-old human child, with the emotions and mood swings to boot. It may be challenging at times, but the rewards far surpass any frustrations...

****Very good advice given by Noodles, and please, please take it very, very seriously!!!You have to understand that if you own/use ANY pots or pans that have a black-colored non-stick coating on them, the coating most-likely contains either Teflon and/or one or more of the Fluorinated Compounds that emit immediately and instantly fatal fumes to all birds when used at or above a certain temperature....So you MUST get rid of them and replace them with either Ceramic non-stick pots and pans, or the other types that are safe are Cast-Iron, Stainless Steel, or REAL Copper; however, the Ceramic non-stick pots and pans are the most common safe ones, they simply contain a clear-colored non-stick coating that is usually white in color.

What most people who are new to having a bird in their homes don't understand is the extreme seriousness with regards to Teflon/Fluorinated Compounds (PFOA, PTFE, etc.). You cannot even use them in the same house as your bird when your bird is on an entirely different floor, on the opposite end of the house, with the door shut! Not exaggerating, one little whiff of the fumes from a Teflon non-stick pan and your bird will die instantly. There is nothing that can be done, they literally flop around for a few seconds and die, no time for a vet, no time to even get them outside of the house for air. Pots and Pans are the most common culprit that kill birds, as the most-commonly purchased and used pots and pans are coated with either Teflon or a black-colored, non-stick coating that contains one or more of these deadly Fluorinated Compounds. Even as late as a decade ago, pretty much all sets of pots and pans that you could buy in any store had these types of non-stick coatings...Only recently in the last couple of years are you now seeing Ceramic Non-Stick pot and pan sets being sold commonly, and at reasonable prices. I bought a $400 18-piece set of Ceramic Non-Stick pots and pans about a year ago at Ross for $75, and TJ Maxx is the other place that sells high-end sets cheaply. So please, if ANY of your pots or pans have a black-colored non-stick bottom/coating, please remove them from your house now, and replace them with only safe ones...

****Also, as Noodles already mentioned, part of owning any bird in your home is getting rid of all scent-emitting products and no longer using them at all inside your home, such as all candles, sprays, wax burners, oil burners, things you "plug-in" to wall outlets, incense, etc. They are all toxic to your bird. It's a huge change for some people who love to burn candles, incense, essential oils, etc., but it's just not optional when you own a bird. And possibly the most difficult thing for most people to change is using any and all store-bought cleaning products that are not unscented, all-natural, and plant-based. The only store-bought cleaners that you are going to be able to safely use inside your home now are the all-natural, unscented, clear-colored ones that are plant-enzyme based (such as GreenWorks, as well as some store-brand lines of eco, all plant-based, clear, unscented cleaners)...The safest cleaning product you can use is WHITE VINEGAR and VERY HOT WATER, and then some elbow grease. Never ever use any Bleach anywhere in your home, no bathroom cleaners, kitchen cleaners, all-purpose cleaners (except for GreenWorks or one of the plant-based ones), no carpet sprays/cleaners/powders (the carpet powders are very deadly), no floor cleaners or waxes, no dusting sprays, no furniture polishes, just nothing. White Vinegar and Hot Water works very well, as does Red Wine Vinegar and very Hot Water. For a very mild, faint fresh scent, you can add a drop or two of all-natural peppermint oil or orange oil, but that's it and they must be all-natural oils and not "extracts" or any other scents/types. There are also some bird-safe cleaners available in pet shops specifically meant to clean their cages and to clean bird poop off of things, and if you read the ingredients of these products, they too are all-natural and contain plant-based enzymes that remove the bird droppings very well.

I don't know where you live, but I live in the northeast US (Pennsylvania), where there are Wegman's grocery stores, which all have a massive "Natural Living" section that contains a very large selection of all-natural, plant-based products that are unscented and actually work very well. Everything from soaps, shampoos, deodorants, lotions, etc., to their own line of plant-enzyme based cleaning products that work very, very well. They are all unscented, clear or yellow in color, and each type of cleaner (kitchen, bathroom, carpet, all-purpose, etc.) contains different plant-enzyme combinations that work best for removing soap scum, kitchen grease, dust, etc. I'm sure that other "natural" grocery stores such as Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, etc. also have similar lines of cleaners, but from my personal experience, if you live anywhere near a Wegman's, I highly recommend checking out their cleaning products, they're great.

Other than that, please don't ever hesitate to ask any questions at all, there is no such thing as a stupid question when it comes to caring for birds. Even though they are extremely hardy and tough, they are also much more sensitive to certain things than any other animals. And with our very first parrot, we all have made horrible mistakes...I wish there had been a forum such as this back in the mid-90's when I was first learning to breed and hand-raise birds, as this forum is a priceless tool...

****Just a quick question that I didn't see mentioned yet, but what is your bird's current daily diet? Is her staple-diet a pellet or a seed-mix?

Since you're such a cheerful, open-minded sort, I'll add a couple more basics for your reading pleasure... concerning general health.

Most of us swear by our avian vets in the event of health concerns. I don't know where you are, but here are some links. I only have USA info...
Certified Avian Vets
https://abvp.com/animal-owners/find-an-abvp-specialist/
If none are near you...
Avian Veterinarians
http://www.aav.org/search/custom.asp?id=1803
In my opinion, any of the vets listed here should be better than a regular vet.

What's the diet? That's critical for health. Too many are kept on seeds or other poor-nutrition things. They need veggies, legumes, grains... pellets are a good staple. Here's what I use.
Harrison's Bird Foods
I feed Harrison's, supplemented by fresh healthy treats. My first, and later, my current avian vet recommended it. My bird loves the pellets now, but to get him converted, my avian vet suggested putting pellets out all day, and putting seeds (his old diet) out for two 15-minute periods a day. That would sustain him but leave him hungry enough to try new stuff. I presume the same technique could be used to get him to eat other healthy stuff, like fruits and vegetables! My guy was eating pellets in a couple of days, and now I can feed a good variety of other stuff, knowing he has the pellets as a basic. Pellets are out all day... fresh treats a few times a day. I also like Harrison's via mail because I never have to worry about out-of-date products.

I love Caiques. I can't wait to see the Sgt.'s antics. Anybody with an ID like Mrs. Pants and a bird named Sgt. Nanners, well... you have our attention. Maybe you'll share the origins someday? I'm glad you're here!

wow ive never been so proud to be uhm...so not like my mom lol! we have a handful of chemical cleaners the landlord keeps here (theyre his, we dont use them) but for the most part i clean things with water and dawn soap. bird cage is just hot water rinsed about every other day til im able to get some more bird-friendly cleaner. i worked with birds for a few years and we had very specific criteria for cleaning their cages and what sort of things they could/couldnt be exposed to so im thankful for that!

i didnt know about the pots and candles! i did some digging and found more info about different things that could be a hazard. i used to use scented candles a lot so gotta do some candle rehomeing lol. i was glad to see that sage isnt considered an issue as long as we dont get smoke in his room (i burn sage in honor of my late cat alfonz who i miss horribly still...)

thankfully we dont use a lot of those cleaning products at all! i remember the whole fiasco with febreez killing pets . most of our pots and pans are stainless, so itll be easy to replace the one pan that isnt lol. other than that im a fan of more natural alternatives so this is all up my alley lol.

as for food! nanners gets a mixture in different bowls. he gets ecotrition which has a mixture of seeds, corn, grains, pellets and some dried fruits. in addition he gets a bowl i prepare of rotating apples, pears, carrots, broccoli and spinach leaves. ive got a list of different things i wanna prepare to vary it up! he gets grapes as a reward for good things since theyre easily his favorite though apples are a close second lol.

so the name mrs pants was started by my SO drew who goes by 'residualpants' in gaming forums and profiles. when we started dating one of his friends just randomly called me "mrs. pants" cuz everyone could hear me whooping about wrestling in the background through drews speakers lol. we became the "pants" family lol and used to joke how a caique was so perfect for us cause they have little yellow "pants" lol!

oop i wrote a lot again sorry!

also thanks for the avian vet link! were fortunate to have one around here im familiar with but options are always good!

Welcome! So glad you're here. No worries about anyone getting mad at you. This is the nicest place on the internet. Sometimes we are a little passionate about birbo safety, but that's the only time anyone is likely to be anything other than kind. And we have the best group of mods ever, making sure things stay that way.

Nanners is sooooo cute! I can't wait to see more pics and get to know him.

Welcome to you and Sgt. Nanners!