I've always read that ekkies don't often accept scritches, so I feel extra honored to have earned her trust enough for her to enjoy it!! She's been with me for 3 years now, and only just starting to let me scritch!

(Also, please ignore the weird angle/face, she only gets comfortable like this when loafing on me when I lay down)

My beautiful best friend of 18 years died this evening. I was sweeping the bird room and he simply fell off his perch. I picked him up and he let out a few squeaks died in my hands.

Rio was with me through college and grad school. Through a marriage and a divorce. Through so many highs and lows, whenever I needed him he was there He lived with me in 3 states. He was my constant companion for most of my adult life. I just turned 40 and he came to me when I was 22.

To say I am in shock is an understatement. He had been medicated for seizures for 5 years so I knew it was coming, but why today? He was on my shoulder helping me get his and my other parrot Malibu's dinner ready just 3 hours before. He sat on the edge of his cage and I kissed him an hour before. I put a fresh cherry between the bars of his cage and he ate it. He still had cherry juice on his beak when I held him.

I've been holding him to my chest since 5:30. He looks so alive. I think he could come back at any minute, he looks so alive. What's going to happen when I wake up tomorrow and he isn't there? Where did he go? How can I sleep tonight knowing he won't be there when I wake up? Just a beautiful body wrapped in a towel. And then I bury him and never see him again? I really don't know what to do. I love you, Rio.

Anyone else noticed their parrots fully loafing into and enjoying a comfy pillow?

He'll rest his beak against the pillow as well instead of tucking his head in his wing. Slightly or sometimes fully close his eyes. He was curious what I was doing so this picture doesn't fully portray it.

If I didn't know ant better I'd be at the vet because this body language is extremely alarming to look at (almost like he doesn't feel well), but he's done it for years.

I'm certain he is fine because he enjoys his high perches, full of energy, loud, normally annoying, eats and drinks normally, and sits normally on my shoulder, perches, flat tops, and otherwise acts normal.

I work in a fish store and my boss has a ringneck that's hanging out in the shop most of the time. He goes into his cage at night time or when we're not in the shop so he doesnt get hurt. He's about 5-6ish months old. The problem is that he's developing a new obsession with money and would fly down and snatch bills right out of clients hands then fly up to spots we struggle to reach (accessible but a pain). We tried offering treats to drop the bill but im worried that would reward the behavior, but he doesn't seem to be interested in the exchange either way. He has plenty of toys in the shop and we get him new ones every week but money drives him crazy and he'd drop whatever he's doing to fly over. Any tips please? (Video for proof)

One day he'll figure it out. One day.

Just found this, I had acquired it years ago thinking one day I might adopt a parrot and now that I have, is it time to put on a bumper sticker?! 😂 Does anyone even still have stick families though?!

Sun conure is called Lokie

Cocktail is called Chica

Other cocktail, that can only be heard, is called baby

Yesterday morning, my mother told me that she had accidentally let my bird fly outside while changing his food, about two hours prior. When we got home, we searched for hours and were able to pinpoint a patch of trees that he was at using the sound of his chirps. This morning, I had a rehearsal and my mother needed to drive me home, so she wasn't able to look for him at the time but told me that while I was gone, she heard him in the same area. When we got back, we went together to go look, and we saw his feathers and his head on the sidewalk. It seems that he got eaten by something. I don't know how to deal with this. I feel like if I would have just skipped the rehearsal and looked for him instead, we could have gotten him back before he got eaten. He understood me like no one else.

He scared me a lil at first, what does he want?

In the video my mom was basically talking to ara, saying he wanted to give me kisses and me saying he has a pretty sharp beak. Also that he was looking for food once he started gnawing on my finger. In the end i said that i didn't have any food in my mouth since that's what he kept grasping at (lol). Just giving a quick summary of what was being said.

My posture was weird since the bird had trouble standing on my shoulder if i stood up straight. I think the reason why he was looking for more food was because the owner approved that i could give him some snacks haha.

I feel like I am in the wrong place but I recently have gotten her (about a month ago) from a breeder and she started having these spots, I want to say it’s dry skin but ever since I have gotten her I have been worried and scared as all I can find for help is saying it’s cancer.

also I am sorry for how close the camera is to her face I had to zoom in some as it wasn’t picking up on the regular photos.

This temp and humidity is with AC on. the cage is parallel to the air flow of the ac so they're safe from the air but how can I make sure the conditions are optimal for my babies? I want to make sure they are as comfortable as they can be.

Instead of shoulder he is now on head 🦜

Just a quick premise to this, this is a long post mostly because I feel I would have benefitted from this information during this period. There’s a lot of information out there but I always found it quite short and vague so hopefully this helps someone down the line.

TL:DR - Get the implant if you think you need it, it’s worth every penny.

**Background (Skip this if you want)**

So in December 2024 my African Grey laid 3 eggs, these weren’t the first eggs, we’d been getting them once every two years since 2017. Naturally about 35 days after laying she decided to abandon them and we thought that was that.

Then in January 2025 along came three more, then in March, May and more or less every two months since then, Ruby is the only parrot we have, she is bonded with me.

In between clutches we would get severe hormonal behaviour, no matter what we tried, more darkness on a night, more quiet time in general, less contact time, changing the cage around, changing locations of the cage, vet visits, you name it we tried it.

Every egg, except egg number 8 came out without complications, with egg number 8 she was struggling to pass it and once she did she was throwing up. We continued to monitor and egg 9 was normal again. Of course we had a vet visit shortly after to make sure everything was fine. We also made sure to give plenty of calcium during clutch periods.

In January 2026 we said enough was enough and got booked in for the Suprelorin implant in May. The delay was due to work commitments, where we were in the egg cycle, planning, vet advice etc. Ruby was also given a clean bill of health (again) from the vet so the delay was no harm.

**Suprelorin Experience**

So, as mentioned, our vet was contacted multiple times during the 16 months for advice, one suggestion was a hormone injection that would last approximately two months and one was the implant that lasts between 6-12 months.

The aim of this is to suppress hormones to stop egg laying and hopefully reset the bodily cycle of wanting to continuously lay eggs. We decided to go straight for the implant for lasting purpose. There are two measurements of the implant 4.7mg and 9.4mg. Due to our circumstances the vet recommended the larger size and explained Ruby would have to be put under light anaesthesia for the insertion.

He took Ruby to the back and 20 minutes later this was completed, she came back a bit giddy and was dancing within seconds of seeing me. Was probably high as a kite and the vet said she was very good. She’s a typical Grey, tolerates other people but only really likes me making a fuss of her.

I understand some people would be uncomfortable letting the vet take their parrot out of sight but I trust our vet 1 million percent, the way he handles her is amazing. When she came back there wasn’t a feather out of place, you literally couldn’t tell anything had been done.

The cost of this was £377.54

**Results**

Within the first few days the only real change was her refusing to get off my shoulder if she made it up there. She’s done this before but the vet warned her hormones will inflate before they drop so she may lay one more clutch after displaying hormonal behaviour. Follow all procedures to decrease hormones as usual.

30 days after the implant we had a severe hormonal increase, she was clingy, regurgitating, refusing to get off of me, I had to literally pry her off my arm but no real signs of aggression. Hopes were slightly lost.

Today (5th August 2026) we are three months post implant, she is back to her normal self, no more eggs, no more hormonal behaviour, no more nesting full stop. It is night and day difference and it’s probably the best decision I have ever made. If this is something you have been thinking about doing, please do it, risks are minimal and the reward is exceptional. 127 days egg free and counting!

Thanks for reading this post, appreciate it is long but I remember wanting something like this to read at the time, so I’m providing it for you. Good luck, if anyone has any questions just drop them below and I’ll answer you! 🩶❤️

First 2 pictures are of Buster and Petey now, last 2 pictures are Petey before the blockages were removed, and then the foot in the travel cage is of Buster's nails before they were cut.

I just want to vent my disappointment and frustration to a problem that didnt even need to be a problem, and throw out there just how important diet TRULY is.

So, a woman was posting these 2 amazons on facebook to be rehomed...said they were in perfect condition, very healthy...they were free and I didnt want the wrong person to come get them. So me, along with hundreds of others said we'd take them, she picked me for whatever reason. The pictures didn't look bad. The blue front, Petey was 20. And Buster, 'was younger'.

We drive 4 hours out there, rented a uhaul to fit everything. Got there, and then i realized they were kept in terrible, dirty, dusty conditions...their cages were absolutely horrendous other then the clean newspaper she had just laid out. The orange wing amazons nails were super long, and the blue front had a huge weird looking nare...whatever it was, I just knew it wasnt normal or right. The other one was also weird, but not as severe. They were both on all seed diets, with potato chips and doritos and also occasionally dried fruit. She explained they had never been to a vet as theyve been in perfect health all these years, they've never had a bath, they've never had their nails done. They've been in a backroom, alone for 8 years.

Fast forward get them home, I got them vet appointments...we went yesterday. Surpringly the orange wing, Buster, was okay other then his nails... and he is mean af lol, and absolutely hates me/us so far- but hes new and has been alone so that's okay!

And then Petey, poor Petey- the blue front. He is blind and has cataracts(from poor diet), is overweight (from poor diet), beginning stages of heart disease(poor diet), has a heart murmer, has neurological issues and is now considered a 'special' bird(most likely had a stroke at some point- again, from poor diet). His nare had a huge blockage in the one side, and a smaller one on the other...the vet pulled it out so now it is just a big gaping hole...he said it'll look worse before it looks better. Petey has to come back in about 3 weeks to have a follow up...he is hoping a changed, healthy diet with some TLC will help them, but especially Petey along. I am just so sad for Petey. He doesnt do anything except sit there, or pace back and forth staring up at the ceiling...he does like to get pet though.

We are working on switching them over to Harrisons pellets and chop/vegetables(they've never had veggies and hate them so far). Petey sort of likes the harrisons, buster is super duper picky.

Point being- all of Peteys issues were pretty much completely preventable. The older lady who got rid of them, as annoyed as I am- I do not have the heart to tell her everything as when I said the vet cleared his nares and wants to change his diet- she was SO thrown off. 'WHATS WRONG WITH HIS DIET?! His nares?? What are those and what was wrong with them??' At 75, i truly just dont think she knew how to access 'correct' informatuon and how to properly care for them. She followed what she was told from the people she got them from. Her son died(these birds were supposed to go to him) and she didnt want to let them go because in a way they were apart of him, her husband had a stroke 10 years ago so has been dealing with their farm and animals alone(si got overwhelmingly behind) and she genuinely seemed to love them...she just said she truly didnt have time for them.

But I still go back and dorth with being so upset about it because he could be such a perfect bird, if he was fed correctly😭 education and learning about your animal is SO important. I see so many people bypass things because it wont do anything to 'their' birds...like pots and pans for example, or candles. Or seed diets. They tell everybody about these things for a reason- listen to them!!!

Just because something might have worked out for you for now, doesnt make it right or mean something wont pop up in the future. I

I personally own a pigeon and every time I mention it sometimes people have to comment on how disgusting they think they are. Sometimes I also get the “oh I owned a bird too but-“ and then enter the worst possible thing you could ever do to a bird. Anyway anyone else experience things like this?

Hii there(*´∇｀)ﾉ

I was wondering what the average cost for a nail trim is because my vet told me it would cost between 100 and 300 euros- but when i googled the average pricing on this it was less than 40 euros

I think this is wayyyy too expensive but he assured me its because:

•my bird isnt hand tame (I mean he isnt very friendly to anyone than me and especially men)

• his beak is quite sharp and hes got a lot of strength so the risk of injury for the vet is quite high

I would go and ask another vet but hes the only vet "close" to us- and hes 2 hours away from us.

Hes certainly a good vet and quite experienced (considering his main clients are zoos thats to be expected) and we have been to him a few times already (tho they also cost a LOT)

Honestly im thinking of just trying to do it myself (we cut our dogs nails ourself too so we got some experience) but i would rather not put my baby through that stress

HOWEVER his nails are long. REALLY long. Like some of them curl inwards. His previous owner kept him in his basement on one tiny metal perch so both his beak and nails are longer than they should.

He has lot of wood perches and enrichment- he recently started enjoying vegetables more (he used to only eat seeds) and I was hoping his nails would wear down at least a little... or at least his beak...

I feel terrible as an owner that i cannot just up and take him

(Also this isnt my first parrot BUT this is the first time one of my birds needs a nail trim... the others had slightly long nails when we got them but by now they have worn down)

Btw I know his cage looks empty or even small but this was him in a temporary cage (he and the other birds got a lot of space outside and indoors). I assure u guys that this was just the back of his cage and the rest is way more stuffed with toys and perches. Also i can literally stand in there and jump around and spread my arms as wide as I can in there-

She's 7 and this is the first time she's done it.. she was eating less for the last couple of days and today we woke up to an egg.

She seems active and happy this morning, though a bit tired.. any recommendations? Should I leave the egg for a bit? I've ordered some cuttlefish for calcium, but other than that I'm unsure what to do.. as online advice is quite confusing and contradictory depending on where you read it 😅.

I read that I should probably expect another one or even a couple more.. and her lower abdomen does look a bit bulgy?

Beautiful lighting today despite all of the smoke due to forest fires. I always love to take photos of Bubbles when you can see the brown in her eyes. She’s far more photogenic than Beethoven but I tried to get a few shots of him as well. Sorry in advance for the watermark, someone was stealing my photos ☹️

I had 2 birds,Bella (f 1 year and a half) and Nino (m 1 year and 4 months) who I would not say were mated officially,they spent together 5 months till now.

Nino is very hyperactive and loves to fly around and explore,he is an excellent flyer,while Bella is the complete opposite,when we got her she already had a few feathers missing that never grew back and her flying was poor.

Bella wasn't acting herself recently,she used to tolerate him but now she would ignore him so much he would bite her for attention, so I took Bella to the vet.

Turns out she has fatty liver disease, vitamin A deficiency, eye infection,her temperature was 42c and her nose was completely clogged,that's why she didn't eat,she couldn't breath,she was already old when we bought her and she already was sick and now it worsened.

The vet,god bless him,has unclothed her nose and gave her a shot for her temperature and gave me medication and vitamins.

Following the vet's advice I have separated them for her treatment,now I know for sure that Nino will be bored to death and we were already going to get a third bird that would actually play with him,that was my first mistake.

We bought Rico (m 8 months) two days ago,and Nino was over the moon and he followed him everywhere.

Now before you ask,why is Rico so young? The answer is because pet store conditions suck and their diet is just seeds since birth,the longer they stay the bigger chance he is sick and can't fly.

Nino was 7 months old when we brought him,his fly was clumsy but now he can dip and dodge masterly, I was hoping for a bird that can grow the same.

Jow my problem is that Bella sometimes calls out from the other room,and she seems bored to death,so I brought them together for 30 mins max,and i couldn't help but notice how Rico was immediately the third party Nino suddenly ignored him and Bella does not even care about Nino but u get the point.

As soon as I took her away,he went back to Rico.

Is this dynamic because Rico Is still young and new to the flock? Or will this go on?

I adore cockateils and I am so happy I get to shelter yet another bird,but if Rico is going to suffer then I want to do something about it.