Lord Herbert wrote on Jan 21^st, 2014 at 8:35am:


not as bad as cats as neighbours ....

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That happened to me too, a couple of years ago.  He had that beak problem, where it grows and he can't eat.

Sad.

White Dove wrote on Jan 21^st, 2014 at 3:01pm:


I've seen a few wild cockatoos with the problem, but my guess is that this particular bird had been someone's old pet and released into the wild by whoever inherited him. Initially his top and bottom beak were so long that he had to eat out of the side of his mouth, then a few days later the bottom beak broke off, probably because he had some natural wood to rub it on. It was winter and he was always shivering, but I wasn't brave enough to catch and cage him. It's amazing that he survived as long as he did.

The drug ivermectin would probably cure this mite, but there's no way it can be applied to wild birds. 

People who keep caged birds need to use sticks and branches for perches - not little plastic rods which cripple them and give them nothing to chew on to maintain a healthy beak.

I have always had an aversion to birds in cages not my go at all..I feel the need to let them all out I am afraid..daughter has a cockatiel..and its better than any watch dog...fortunately its getting on a bit so not as noisy as it once was, once whoever is coming to the house is let in he shuts up which is a blessing.. and sorry to hear about your cockatoo mantra I had a similar thing years ago but it was a galah..almost thread bare and whilst all its mates were on the ground eating the bird seed.. he sat on the wall just watching so I put seed up there..they didnt attack him that I saw but he didnt seem one of the group...

sounds a bit like the human race doesnt it?.. your different bugger off.

The Savage Dogs Thread ...

I've created a monster.

My neighbour's male Staffordshire Terrier is the friendliest dog you could ever wish to meet, and for a couple of years now we've been playing fetch-the-ball from my side of the fence into their backyard.

But then they brought home a little female puppy that was sired by him. That was 3 months or so ago.

Every time the father dog and I played across the colorbond fence, the little puppy couldn't get any of the action because it was simply trodden underfoot by 'Luigi'. From little 'yappings' of frustration and protest she has now developed a barrel-chested deep growling and snapping jaws ...   

It now clamps onto Luigi's ear, or leg, or haunch and hangs on like a tick or a tumour as Luigi runs around fetching his favourite ball ...

It has become almost a permanent appendage to Luigi's poor suffering body.

But I'll deny everything.

If somebody says something, I'll give the Bart Simpson Defence: "I wasn't there ~ and you can't prove it!"

Lord Herbert wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2014 at 9:21am:


She will probably clamp onto a human one day. I'd be smacking her before it became a bad habit. Not a painful slap, but a noisy one on its upper back leg, which unfortunately is what I've had to resort to with the latest resident Ruffy the terror tom.

The older cat Sia hates him with a vengeance. Even though she's larger - she's gentle and likes her space. Ruffy wants attention constantly. He hides in the bushes and pounces on her when she nervously comes into the garden. She left home a few weeks ago and only eats here now thanks to Ruffy's intrusion on her tranquil life. He's become obsessed with her and has to be put in a bedroom when she eats otherwise he's sneaking up behind her and touching her with his paw which she hates.  When she runs - he runs after her until she finds an escape route that he can't conquer.

The whole scenario over and over again is stressful. Sia has had a bad life and now she's got this little pest obsessing over her. I don't know where she's going in between meals and that's a worry.

Ruffy isn't fully grown, but getting stronger. I don't like giving him the occasional smack - but he's got to learn some control. Same as the little dog next door to you Herbert. There's nothing worse than seeing a young strong animal drag another older, weaker one around the yard.   

Lord Herbert wrote on Jan 23^rd, 2014 at 1:06pm:


I dosed a cat once with valium. I had to transport him and the vet said it would calm him down. The poor thing was unconscious for hours.

Hopefully Ruffy will calm down a bit as he matures.  I found him on the garage roof yesterday stalking unsuspecting birds. I had to climb up a ladder and bang a rake on the roof to scare him off. Getting down wasn't as easy for him as climbing up and I saw him fall over the side of the building, clinging onto vines as he slid down the wall. Hopefully he'll remember the garage roof with fear.


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I can hear my one out near the back verandah relentlessly chirping for food. I always give the poor wattle birds extra food when they've got these monsters to nurture.

Let's hope the Koel bird parents stay out of harms way. It's tough for the baby when the parents don't come back. It's also tough for the humans within earshot of its cries. The wattle birds give up feeding it after a couple of weeks and it's left to fend for itself the best way it can.

cods wrote on Jan 24^th, 2014 at 5:14pm:


A few minutes after reading your post - I saw him stalking his beloved. He was just about to pounce so I used the spray - just a little squirt. It seemed to work immediately because he hid first and has now kept his distance from the female for the last 15 minutes. I'll keep the spray handy. Hopefully I won't have to use it very often. It seems a little bit cruel, but then I haven't got the patience to sort out the psychological problems of animals these days. I need something to work quickly on them.

Thanks Cods - good advice. Let's hope he learns to associate the spray with her.