Finally Joined a Parrot Club!!!

EAI

New member
Jul 25, 2014
867
2
Honolulu, Hawaii
Parrots
Budgerigar: Arrow, Esther, Kratos, Cora, Ducky.


Lovebird: Izzy, Gizmo.
I had to consider joining one for a bit, but finally made plans to visit one of the clubs on the island and got to go through with it! I brought Gizmo of course, and I think he had a great time there too!

Once the founder saw me she literally ran and greeted me and I felt welcomed already.

Not even 5 minutes in, I'm holding this really gorgeous Red Headed Amazon while talking to the owner of also a Hyacinth(!!!).
I was also able to snuggle with the one of the friendliest Moluccan Cockatoo. Her back story was horrible, she was locked in a closet for 17 years and the new owners she found out her neck was broken--but she fully recovered partially because of that club. The only issue now is that she started mutilating at her chest area but is currently still recovering. Her owner's backstory was even sadder but for privacy sakes, I'll leave it at that.

Gizmo got a lot of attention, like compliments on how sweet he is. It was great for his socialization, a few people got to give him some scritches and handle him a bit.

Not to mention I met Mrs. SilverSage! She's beyond kind and there was a small group conversation on her contract for her birds which was absolutely brilliant and insightful.

Everyone there was beyond helpful and the nicest people to talk to. The meeting came out 100x better than I thought. I came out with knowing a great product to treat Gizmo's wound and now I'll be getting an aloe plant (yes another plant!). The advice given was outstanding, most for Gizmo's wound but I was able to learn so much in the few hours of being there.
And now I might be getting another Lovie soon but who knows!
Sorry, I'm still just really hyped about today! (I have a few pictures to upload, I wish I took more but I got too caught up to take any :/)
 

Allee

Well-known member
Oct 27, 2013
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Texas
Parrots
U2-Poppy(Poppy lives with her new mommy, Misty now) CAG-Jack, YNA, Bingo, Budgie-Piper, Cockatiel-Sweet Pea Quakers-Harry, Sammy, Wilson ***Zeke (quaker) Twinkle (budgie) forever in our hearts
Sounds like both you and Gizmo met a great group of new friends. Looking forward to the photos.
 

Terry57

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Nov 6, 2013
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Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada
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Hawkhead(Darwin),YCA(Dexter),VE (Ekko),OWA(Slater),BHP(Talli),DYH(Calypso),RLA(Kimera),Alex(Xander)CBC(Phoe),IRN (Kodee,Luna,Stevie),WCP (Pisces),CAG(Justice)GCC (Jax), GSC2(Charley)
I also can't wait to see pictures! I am so thrilled that you went and had such a great time, and it is so exciting to meet someone form the forum. I have only gotten to meet one person so far (when Starlit Night joined the bird club I am a member of) and I was ecstatic to meet her:) I can't wait to add more friends to the "met in real life" list.
 

Agapornis

New member
Oct 25, 2012
478
1
California
Parrots
Turquoise GCC - Fiji - Hatch Date: 8/14/12 and Yellow Sided GCC - Sundance - Hatch Date: 4/12/13
OMG, I wish we had a parrot club here! You are so lucky! AND you got to meet Mrs. Silversage! Very cool.

Ok this may seem like a dumb question...but what about the other birds, what if they have some kind of disease? You know how we have to quarantine any new bird, to make sure it's healthy. How do they ensure all the birds in attendance are healthy?

Would love to see pics!
 

RavensGryf

Supporting Member
Jan 19, 2014
14,233
190
College Station, Texas
Parrots
Red Bellied Parrot /
Ruppell's Parrot /
Bronze Winged Pionus /
English Budgie
OMG, I wish we had a parrot club here! You are so lucky! AND you got to meet Mrs. Silversage! Very cool.

Ok this may seem like a dumb question...but what about the other birds, what if they have some kind of disease? You know how we have to quarantine any new bird, to make sure it's healthy. How do they ensure all the birds in attendance :grey:are healthy?

Would love to see pics!

I think about the same thing. Not all birds have been tested for disease and may be carriers. How would you know if people there have birds that they might have gotten from a risky source without testing or at least quarantine? Fact is, it IS a risk anytime different people's birds get together. It's just not something many people worry about, and I'm not judging anyone. It really does sound like great fun!
 

Scott

Supporting Member
Aug 21, 2010
32,673
9,789
San Diego, California USA, Earth, Milky Way Galaxy
Parrots
Goffins: Gabby, Abby, Squeaky, Peanut, Popcorn / Citron: Alice / Eclectus: Angel /Timneh Grey: ET / Blue Fronted Amazon: Gonzo /

RIP Gandalf and Big Bird, you are missed.
I've been an occasional member of North County Aviculturists in northern San Diego. Any forum members affiliated??
 

SilverSage

New member
Sep 14, 2013
5,937
94
Columbus, GA
Parrots
Eclectus, CAG, BH Pionus, Maximilian’s Pionus, Quakers, Indian Ringnecks, Green Cheeked Conures, Black Capped Conures, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Budgies, Canaries, Diamond Doves, Zebra Finches, Society F
It was great to finally get to meet you and Gizmo! I have only been a part of that club for a short time but I have found the support and input to be more valuable than I ever hoped :)

To address the concern about the birds and their health, it is a calculated risk. Our club is full of people who are huge advocates of regular vet care of course, and many of us have regular tests done on our birds, but even with that there is always a risk. Of course, there is also a risk of bringing home disease if you sit on a park bench and come into contact with bird feces, or track it in on your shoe. The risk is slightly increased in social setting, but that is true of all pets. I also take my dog to the dog park, because even though he may contract an illness (or fleas!) the social interaction is extremely good for him and he loves it. The birds do not socialize with each other so much as they socialize with other humans. At the meeting this week I held two cockatoos, a Sunday, a jenday, a GCC, gizmo, and that lilac crowned amazon, named charlie. That was a slow day for us! There were several other cockatoos and macaws, two Eclectus, two sun conures, and even a hawk head! All of these birds get the chance once a month to be handled by about 20 people, and they love it. It is really good for them!

Also, most diseases are spread among birds through dried feces. Our meetings are held outdoors, and are only a few hours long. This means the chance for feces to dry sufficiently to by aerosolized and get into the air is very small, and if it did, the wide open space would minimize the contact. I believe that it is safer for my birds to go to the club meetings than it is for them to sit with me on my patio, as pigeons often are in the area, and the chance of dry poop is higher.

I respect some peoples choices not to bring their birds to this kind of event, and I understand why they choose that. I simply believe the value outweighs the risk in this case. :)
 
Last edited:
OP
EAI

EAI

New member
Jul 25, 2014
867
2
Honolulu, Hawaii
Parrots
Budgerigar: Arrow, Esther, Kratos, Cora, Ducky.


Lovebird: Izzy, Gizmo.
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #9
I'm glad you had fun! Yes, pics please :)
Sounds like both you and Gizmo met a great group of new friends. Looking forward to the photos.
I also can't wait to see pictures!.

So sorry for the late responses! I had to be away for a while because I've been loaded with tons and tons of homework and school projects that left no time for actual relaxing on the internet. Even now I'm not done (it's 3 am) but I can't do anything productive right now :54: .

But I have some bad news and...well mostly bad news. Almost a 3rd of the pictures from this month got deleted on my phone while trying to transfer them. I have no clue on what I did, all I remember is saying "Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope". I'll try carefully upload the remaining ones in a few minutes.
 
OP
EAI

EAI

New member
Jul 25, 2014
867
2
Honolulu, Hawaii
Parrots
Budgerigar: Arrow, Esther, Kratos, Cora, Ducky.


Lovebird: Izzy, Gizmo.
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #10
OMG, I wish we had a parrot club here! You are so lucky! AND you got to meet Mrs. Silversage! Very cool.

Ok this may seem like a dumb question...but what about the other birds, what if they have some kind of disease? You know how we have to quarantine any new bird, to make sure it's healthy. How do they ensure all the birds in attendance are healthy?

I think about the same thing. Not all birds have been tested for disease and may be carriers. How would you know if people there have birds that they might have gotten from a risky source without testing or at least quarantine? Fact is, it IS a risk anytime different people's birds get together. It's just not something many people worry about, and I'm not judging anyone. It really does sound like great fun!


But that was one of the tough decisions about bringing him in, prior I emailed the founder wondering what the requirements were to bring your bird and stated that he had had 4 vet checks in less than 2 months (his butt) but was cleared for yeast and other spreadable diseases.
A woman walking her dog had the exact same question that I had to loosely answer along the lines of the sentence below
I wasn't as concerned about other people knowing how committed they were and what steps they would take for their birds and other birds. I'm also taking him in for his butt again, so I'm hoping for his health to remain all clear again!
 
Last edited:
OP
EAI

EAI

New member
Jul 25, 2014
867
2
Honolulu, Hawaii
Parrots
Budgerigar: Arrow, Esther, Kratos, Cora, Ducky.


Lovebird: Izzy, Gizmo.
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #11
It was great to finally get to meet you and Gizmo! I have only been a part of that club for a short time but I have found the support and input to be more valuable than I ever hoped :)

To address the concern about the birds and their health, it is a calculated risk. Our club is full of people who are huge advocates of regular vet care of course, and many of us have regular tests done on our birds, but even with that there is always a risk. Of course, there is also a risk of bringing home disease if you sit on a park bench and come into contact with bird feces, or track it in on your shoe. The risk is slightly increased in social setting, but that is true of all pets. I also take my dog to the dog park, because even though he may contract an illness (or fleas!) the social interaction is extremely good for him and he loves it. The birds do not socialize with each other so much as they socialize with other humans. At the meeting this week I held two cockatoos, a Sunday, a jenday, a GCC, gizmo, and that lilac crowned amazon, named charlie. That was a slow day for us! There were several other cockatoos and macaws, two Eclectus, two sun conures, and even a hawk head! All of these birds get the chance once a month to be handled by about 20 people, and they love it. It is really good for them!

Also, most diseases are spread among birds through dried feces. Our meetings are held outdoors, and are only a few hours long. This means the chance for feces to dry sufficiently to by aerosolized and get into the air is very small, and if it did, the wide open space would minimize the contact. I believe that it is safer for my birds to go to the club meetings than it is for them to sit with me on my patio, as pigeons often are in the area, and the chance of dry poop is higher.

I respect some peoples choices not to bring their birds to this kind of event, and I understand why they choose that. I simply believe the value outweighs the risk in this case. :)

Thank you for the clarification! I wasn't exactly too sure on how that exactly worked either and was quite baffled myself.
But I agree that I rather take him there rather than outside because pigeons and other birds feel like they have a need to stalk around the lawn every minute, and I can't risk any of my birds getting in close proximity in possible diseases or pests like mites.

But Charlie was his name! I also really wanted to try interact with the Hawkhead (one of my favorite species) and the Citron...if I can recall the name now (Precious? Petry?). I really, really can't wait for the next meeting if this was a "slow day" :D .
 

SilverSage

New member
Sep 14, 2013
5,937
94
Columbus, GA
Parrots
Eclectus, CAG, BH Pionus, Maximilian’s Pionus, Quakers, Indian Ringnecks, Green Cheeked Conures, Black Capped Conures, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Budgies, Canaries, Diamond Doves, Zebra Finches, Society F
The meeting very :) I meant for me personally I held fewer than I usually do. Wait until you come to a meeting with Bruce! He has amazing parrots. Sadly I strongly disagree with a lot of his practices as far as breeding and housing go, but his trained birds are simply marvelous to interact with! At a recent meeting his U2 decided he had had enough of his t-stand, jumped to the ground, and started running away. I put my arm down and he ran right up! I was uncomfortable with a strange cockatoo so close to my face and quickly handed him off, though I have been assured many times that he is as people friendly as they come! My understanding about Petree is that he is not really able to be handled by strangers but they bring him for the outing (He belongs to the same family that had the two B&Gs and the Catalina) That was the first time I saw the Hawkhead, and I guess the only let the lady I introduced you to as "my dealer" (Of birds, not drugs, but is there really a difference??) pick her up that day, but not every bird is going to let every stranger pick them up the first day they are out with people. I got quite the bite from that little GCC because he was on someone's shoulder and wouldnt let his poor owner take him off! All in all I find it a great time to interact and learn from others.

How is Gizmo's butt? Did you decide to get any of that spray?
 
OP
EAI

EAI

New member
Jul 25, 2014
867
2
Honolulu, Hawaii
Parrots
Budgerigar: Arrow, Esther, Kratos, Cora, Ducky.


Lovebird: Izzy, Gizmo.
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #13
I actually met Bruce a few times prior, once for the education program at the zoo earlier in March (I think) and in May for the PetExpo. He seems like a genuine bird lover but I can see your point on the housing. It was heartbreaking to hear the theft of one of his Macaw since he doesn't have a sleeping cage for them.
I love, love, love Buddy (the U2)! He was my first interaction with a Cockatoo and I got to snuggle with him for almost half an hour :) . That was also my first time holding a Ringneck, Romeo, and a Senegal.

I adore Petree, but I respect his boundaries so I'll do my best restraining myself from asking to hold him LOL! I guess it's my fault for assuming, but I always thought that the GCC was extremely hand-able, mostly since he was flying on people's shoulders haha.

I think the spray was a bit too irritating for him. He just started picking off the scab again so my mom is calling for another appointment. It might have been my fault too,, I never thought the medicine through and didn't put on his cape afterwards.
Just tonight I put down the Kwik Stop on it hoping for less irritation, but Mr.Demanding decided he wanted it off ASAP and ate a chunk of it. So I spent a few minutes cleaning up his throw up, ripping newspaper to hide millet to busy himself, and installing some egg treats for the calories. I'm looking up good high calorie foods for birds (so maybe some one could help me there?).
 
OP
EAI

EAI

New member
Jul 25, 2014
867
2
Honolulu, Hawaii
Parrots
Budgerigar: Arrow, Esther, Kratos, Cora, Ducky.


Lovebird: Izzy, Gizmo.
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #14
As Reid said in a sarcastic voice, "I just love how someone says they'll post something but never does".

These are the last three remaining pictures (might as well upload all)

Halfway there he decided now would be the best time to take a bath and throw water on himself and on the car.


This is the wonderful Charlie! Sorry it's blurry, taking pictures is hard with a plate on your knee, a bird in one hand and another bird licking your ear on your shoulder!


I really wish the pictures stayed, there was only 5 because I didn't want owners asking why I was taking pictures of their bird, but next time I'll make sure nothing happens!

A final after shot, he was sleeping on the way home. I thought it was a great socialization part for him. I had to quite taking him outside after school and to malls because children find it absolutely necessary to scream when he screams and to point and terrorize birds. (I completely understand though). I also can't say no when there's parents around and he almost fell off of one kid after he jumped and shook his hand after he chirped.
 

RavensGryf

Supporting Member
Jan 19, 2014
14,233
190
College Station, Texas
Parrots
Red Bellied Parrot /
Ruppell's Parrot /
Bronze Winged Pionus /
English Budgie
Gizmo's so handsome! I see he's pied, but is he solid yellow in front? Beautiful:)

How is his tail coming along?
 

SilverSage

New member
Sep 14, 2013
5,937
94
Columbus, GA
Parrots
Eclectus, CAG, BH Pionus, Maximilian’s Pionus, Quakers, Indian Ringnecks, Green Cheeked Conures, Black Capped Conures, Cockatiels, Lovebirds, Budgies, Canaries, Diamond Doves, Zebra Finches, Society F
I understand about the kids! I have a routine now. Some don't need it but some do. I judge what they will be ok with, and handle accordingly. For example, I am likely to tell a small child "I will hold her and you can pet her just like this" and show them exactly how. That way you aren't really saying no, and you aren't endangering your bird. Parents usually understand, and if they don't, you just have to stand firm; it is your bird, and their kid is a lot bigger than your bird, so you have to protect him.
 
OP
EAI

EAI

New member
Jul 25, 2014
867
2
Honolulu, Hawaii
Parrots
Budgerigar: Arrow, Esther, Kratos, Cora, Ducky.


Lovebird: Izzy, Gizmo.
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #17
Gizmo's so handsome! I see he's pied, but is he solid yellow in front? Beautiful:)

How is his tail coming along?

Yes, he's completely yellow in the front with dabs of yellow on his predominately green wings!

Overall, his tail is slowly getting there. And emphasize SLOW. Once his new tail feathers are right about to "bloom" they're ripped out so I come home to find dried up blood on the ends. I found out that pulling them out makes it worst because they start to bleed up again and the feathers are still growing. His booboo is starting to scab up, so I consider that as a great thing! Above his tail is getting some blue feathers and I'm so stoked for that!

I understand about the kids! I have a routine now. Some don't need it but some do. I judge what they will be ok with, and handle accordingly. For example, I am likely to tell a small child "I will hold her and you can pet her just like this" and show them exactly how. That way you aren't really saying no, and you aren't endangering your bird. Parents usually understand, and if they don't, you just have to stand firm; it is your bird, and their kid is a lot bigger than your bird, so you have to protect him.
Thank you so much for that tip! I got quite frustrated a few where I ended up loosing my temper a bit. Good thing their parents or guardians weren't there :54: .
 

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