HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: dougnews@access.digex.com (Doug Humphrey)
Subject: Re: Macaw (and Cockatoos)
Organization: Express Access Online Communications, Greenbelt, Maryland USA
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 1992 04:03:30 GMT

In article <1992Sep28.215711.21467@pasteur.Berkeley.EDU> bhtongue@highlander.berkeley.edu (Benson H Tongue) writes:
>I've got a question for all those Macaw and Cockatoo owners.
>Quick background: I'm very comfortable around birds (``a bird
>person") and have experience with Amazons, Greys, cockatiels,
>Tovi parakeets and Moluccan Cockatoos. My wife is discovering
>she likes birds through our cockatiel, Bogey. I've got 2 kids,
>very active, that also like Bogey. We're thinking of getting
>a larger bird, either a Macaw (mini or full size) or a 
>Cockatoo. As I understand it, from personal experience and 
>anecdotal evidence, the Cockatoo (probably a Citron if we
>got one) would be VERY demanding of attention, very loving
>and cuddlable for the whole family, create mounds of 
>possibly allergetic powder and chew anything he (or she) could
>get. Not to mention yell loudly at times. The macaws are
>reputed to be more independent, less cuddly, less family oriented
>as opposed to single person oriented, also destructive of beak
>and perhaps less loud but still capable of producing plenty of
>volume. Now to the question. Do any of you owners out there
>disagree? If you all agree, then there's not much to discuss.
>But do some of you have counter experiences? Cuddly macaws or
>cockatoos that don't want to be with their owners every hour
>of the day. Macaws that relate to the whole family. Etc.

Looks like you have hit it on the head....  There are friendly
Macaws, no question, but they all (in my limited experience) 
have their nice times and their not so nice times.  Much like
people, there are times when they don't want to relate socially.
I have seen Cockatoos in a bad mood a few times, but the one 
that I deal with on a daily basis has picked up the somewhat
questionable nickname "love sponge" because she simply soaks up
whatever attention people will give her; she often climbs 
from person to person in staff meetings here, roaming at will 
and demanding nearly constant attention.  

As to distructiveness, birds are agents of entropy.  It is their
JOB to take complex things and make them simple, to unplug ethernet
connectors, clip phone lines, and otherwise reduce the universe to
its more simple parts.  Didn't you read the manual?

;-)

Doug



-- 
Doug Humphrey              doug@access.digex.com               +1 301 220 2020
Digital Express Group, 6006 Greenbelt Road #228, Greenbelt, Maryland 20770 USA
Express Access Online Communications for Washington/Baltimore:  info@digex.com
       Login as "new": Washington 301-220-0462, Baltimore 410-766-1855
From: meredith@pdx805 (Susan Meredith)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.birds
Subject: full spectrum lighting
Date: 28 Sep 92 16:19:45 GMT
Organization: Intel Corp., Hillsboro, Oregon

I remember reading something in Bird Talk about birds needing full spectrum
lighting to be able to properly absorb calcium.  Since my guys never get
exposed to unfiltered sunlight, and I can't afford to build an outdoor
aviary, I'm thinking about putting in some full spectrum lights above their
cages.  Has anyone out there ever tried this??  If so, could you tell any
difference??

thanks in advance for any replies.

Susan

===============================================================================
                                                          The Rest     o
             /\_/\       meredith@ichips.intel.com             ____    0
            / o o \           (503) 696-8055              |\  /|||o\  O
    /\_/\   \ >"< /                ___                    ||><|||(|_>
   / o o \   =====      ___       (o o)       ___         |/  \||||/
   \ >"< /  /     \    (o o)     (  V  )     (o o)
    =====    Loki     (  V  )   /--m-m-     (  V  )   Intel Corporation
   /     \   ___     /--m-m-      Dudley   /--m-m-    MS JF1-91
    Freya   (o o)     Sherman             /  Mango    5200 NE Elam Young Pkwy
           (  V  )                       /            Hillsboro, OR  97124-6497
          /--m-m-
            Kiwi
===============================================================================
From: melton@skat.usc.edu (Mike Melton)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.birds
Subject: Jet travel with my macaw
Followup-To: rec.pets.birds
Date: 29 Sep 1992 18:32:36 -0700
Organization: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
Distribution: world
NNTP-Posting-Host: skat.usc.edu


Hey, birdpeople!

About three months ago I moved to sunny California, and I anticipate
that at Christmas time I still will not know of anyone that I can
trust with my bird. I won't board him, either. So, I want to take him
with me on my Christmas travels. I already have a cat-sized carrier,
which I intend to use to carry him on the plane. Does anyone have
any hints? I will be in Chicago, so I am a little concerned about the
cold too. What about on the plane? Can I remove him from the carrier
to feed and water him? Will changes in pressure hurt him? Will he
screech until they thow us both out of the plane at 10K feet?

Mike,
Worry Wart


Xref: sparky rec.pets.birds:2409 rec.music.misc:24734
From: lecampbell@OCTAVO
Newsgroups: rec.pets.birds,rec.music.misc
Subject: Re: What is your birdies favorite type of music?
Date: 7 Oct 92 00:05:21 GMT
Reply-To: lecampbell@OCTAVO
Followup-To: rec.pets.birds

My severe macaw, Birdsley, like middle eastern music with women
singers, such as Om Kalthum.  He sticks out his chin (lower mandible)
feathers, bobs, and pock-pocks like a chicken.  Nothing western
seems to appeal to him.

Laura
From: cj@hpsad.sad.hp.com (Chris Johnson)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.birds
Subject: Re: lovebirds
Date: 5 Oct 92 17:07:37 GMT
Organization: HP Signal Analysis Division - Rohnert Park, CA

>   .....  (stuff deleted) .....                  _Love_birds, huh.  Whoever
>   named these little devils never watched them for long, I'll bet!
       (more stuff deleted)

>   Ruth


  Yeah, we call 'em "Pit Birds", kinda like Pit Bulls only worse. Our first
  was a hand fed Fisher's, whose cage got knocked off the table by the cat
  one night. Ever since then, he's had his new name, "Nasty". He likes to
  lure people in by acting friendly and interested. Then, when they get
  close enough, he strikes, clamping down HARD! We try to warn people, but
  it often doesn't work. We've tried to get him back to being handleable,
  but he seems to really like to bite. 

  We have 4 of the little devils now, 2 blue mask, one Green Fishers (Nasty)
  and one Yellow Fishers. The Blue's we got as a pair, and they are completely
  bonded. The Yellow, we got hoping Nasty would like it and it would be the
  right sex. He chased it and harrassed it for 2 months, but now they seem to
  be a bonded pair.

  What we'd really like is to have them breed. Does anyone in this group
  have any pointers in this area? Since we now have what appears to be 2
  bonded pairs, this seems like it might be feasable (assuming they are
  really birds of the opposite sex). The Green Fisher's is about 5 years
  old, the rest are much younger. We've had the blue's for a year now,
  so they're probably somewhere between 1.5 and 2 years old. The Yellow
  Fisher's we've had for 6 months or so, so I'd guess it's getting to be
  somewhere in the 1 year range.

  Given nesting boxes, both pairs seemed to do a lot of nest building, but
  no eggs. I'm guessing that they're just a bit too young. Anyone know when
  Love Birds start breeding?



  -cj


-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
|cj@hpsad.sad.hp.com            |                                             |
|-------------------------------|Discalimer:                                  |
|Hewlett-Packard                |Everything here is just *my* opinion, and    |
|Signal Analysis Division       |even I wouldn't believe my opinions...       |
|Rohnert Park, CA               |                                             |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From: ammg2052@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Aaron M. Moy)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.birds
Subject: RE: Why pellets?
Date: 5 Oct 92 22:40:29 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.Bvo6zK.9ru
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana


The big deal about pellets is that it breaks the old idea that birds eat seed.
Birds do indeed eat seeds in the wild, but their diet also consists of a 
large variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, and whatever they can find.  Seeds
themselves lack many of the vitamins and nutrients birds need, and are usually
high in fat content.  As long as the domesticated bird receives a variety in
his diet besides seeds, then great.  For those bird owners though who can't
provide that large diversity in the diet (or whose birds are rather picky),
then pellets at least provide a decent source of nutrition.  In addition,
the seed hulls can tend to get messy.


						Aaron
Newsgroups: rec.pets.birds
From: lily@jessica.Stanford.EDU (Lily Koessel)
Subject: full-spectrum lights
Reply-To: lily@jessica.Stanford.EDU (Lily Koessel)
Organization: Stanford University
Date: Wed, 30 Sep 92 21:44:37 GMT

I don't read this newsgroup everyday, and so I realized just recently
that people were talking about full-spectrum lights.

When I brought my Senegal home this past May, my vet and the person
who weaned Skeeky both said I should get a full-spectrum light for him
since he would be indoors for most of the time.

They told me that the light I needed was not like an ordinary grow-light
for plants/greenhouses, but something a bit different.  Given that the
vet was an avian vet and the lady who had raised Skeeky had many beautiful
birds in good health and had a good reputation, I believed them.

So I bought the one light that they approved at the time.  It was the
Vita-Lite that someone mentioned previously.  It's a flourescent tube
that emits a broader spectrum than regular grow lights, so the literature
says.  Apparently it's the ultraviolet frequencies it provides that helps
the birdies metabolize their Vitamin D.  (Humans need this too, and this 
light was touted not as a plant light, but as a light for people and pets, 
too.)

It's got patents and patents-pending, if I remember correctly, (I threw away
the boxes and literature.) and I've just confirmed with the lady that the
vets are now telling her that this Vita-Lite is not the same as a plant
light and that it's the only one on the market that provides the right
frequencies.  

Anyway, I bought the standard 4 ft. tubes and stuck them in a regular shop 
light fixture.  Bulbs were around $20.00/ea and the fixture was $6.00 at Home 
Depot.  The lights were special ordered by the lady for me.  The company is
Durolight. (sp?)  I've got the lights in the fixture haning about a foot away 
from the cage. 

The vet said to keep the light about 1 to 2 ft away from the subject.  It's on
a timer, so my baby gets 12 hours a day every day, as prescribed.  It doesn't 
generate much heat at all, and Skeeky's looking in fine feather, absolutely
glowing.  

If anyone can provide more info, I'd love to read it.  I'm sorry I don't have
all the details, no time right now to look it up.

From all I've heard and seen, though, the investment is worth it!

Lily Koessel

Standard Disclaimers, etc, etc...
Newsgroups: rec.pets.birds
From: bhtongue@highlander.berkeley.edu (Benson H Tongue)
Subject: Macaw (and Cockatoos)
Organization: University of California, at Berkeley
Date: Mon, 28 Sep 1992 21:57:11 GMT

I've got a question for all those Macaw and Cockatoo owners.
Quick background: I'm very comfortable around birds (``a bird
person") and have experience with Amazons, Greys, cockatiels,
Tovi parakeets and Moluccan Cockatoos. My wife is discovering
she likes birds through our cockatiel, Bogey. I've got 2 kids,
very active, that also like Bogey. We're thinking of getting
a larger bird, either a Macaw (mini or full size) or a 
Cockatoo. As I understand it, from personal experience and 
anecdotal evidence, the Cockatoo (probably a Citron if we
got one) would be VERY demanding of attention, very loving
and cuddlable for the whole family, create mounds of 
possibly allergetic powder and chew anything he (or she) could
get. Not to mention yell loudly at times. The macaws are
reputed to be more independent, less cuddly, less family oriented
as opposed to single person oriented, also destructive of beak
and perhaps less loud but still capable of producing plenty of
volume. Now to the question. Do any of you owners out there
disagree? If you all agree, then there's not much to discuss.
But do some of you have counter experiences? Cuddly macaws or
cockatoos that don't want to be with their owners every hour
of the day. Macaws that relate to the whole family. Etc.
Thanks
Benson
From: steve_lemme@gateway.qm.apple.com (Steve Lemme)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.birds
Subject: Umbrella Cockatoo for Sale
Date: 5 Oct 92 16:26:49 GMT
Followup-To: rec.pets.birds
Organization: Apple Computer

I have for sale a beautiful Umbrella Cockatoo (Sinbad) that unfortunately
I must sell.  Very very affectionate bird, loves everybody.  Loves to be
with you, go for rides, showers, etc...

Sinbad has been thru a full battery of tests from a very
notable aviary vet in the area, and the doctor has given her a great bill
of health. Receipts are available for the tests.

Sinbad has a large cage with a number of accessories and extra perch.

The price will be negotiable and open to a reasonable offer, or if
guaranteed
a good home we will be willing to really work something out.

Steve 
Home: 408-996-7850
Work: 408-974-7716
 
Organization: Psychology, Carnegie Mellon, Pittsburgh, PA
Newsgroups: rec.pets
Date: Tue,  6 Oct 1992 14:28:52 -0400 
From: "Faye A. Miller" <fm11+@andrew.cmu.edu>
Subject: Rats!


Anyone out there have a pet rat?  I have the opportunity to get one that
is in need of being rescued from a bio lab.  Do they make good pets? 

Faye
fm11+@andrew.cmu.edu
From: bproden@ualr.edu
Newsgroups: rec.pets
Subject: Re: Inputs needed on armadillos and opossums
Date: 29 Sep 92 12:25:40 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: University of Arkansas at Little Rock

In article <1992Sep29.112428.24364@mlb.semi.harris.com>, rns@af2.mlb.semi.harris.com (Renee Sumperl) writes:
>  I recently committed myself to help a vet raise some baby possums and
>  armadillos.
>  Anyone out in net land have any experience with these two?
> 
> 
>                                            Thanks,
>                                             Renee

My wife's father once caught an armadillo in their back yard.  He put it in
a 50 gallon drum (about 1 a.m.).  When he got them up the next mornning to show 
them what he had, it was gone.  But the drum was still standing.  They can 
jump quite well.  (That's why so many get killed on the roads.  The car scares
them, they leap, and get smashed on the undercarriage.)

Buddy also found two baby possums on a fencepost (the first one morning, the
second the next) during a flood.  The mother had put them there to get them out
of the water.  He brought them home and threw them in the bottom dresser drawer
with a cat who had just had a litter of kittens.  He figured she'd treat them 
like rats and try to kill them.  Instead, she forced them to start nursing.
Of course, once the possum is out of the pouch, it's weaned.  So she really
FORCED them.  Anyway, that cat raised the possums as her own.  They made good
pets.  One got cantankerous and had to be let go after a year or two, but
the other stayed around a few years.  I can't remember if they released it or
it disappeared.

This subject reminded me...
Of course, you know an armadillo is just possum on the half-shell.

Brian Roden
From: v072pygu@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu (trespassersW.)
Newsgroups: rec.pets
Subject: To the fella who started the "whale watch"
Date: 1 Oct 92 02:39:00 GMT
Organization: University at Buffalo
News-Software: VAX/VMS VNEWS 1.41

Why don't you e-mail me please whenever you get a chance.
v072pygu@ubvmsb.cc.buffalo.edu   If you really want to help 
I think that maybe we might talk a bit.   Bye-Bye
Xref: sparky rec.pets:3204 rec.pets.herp:3443
From: pk@aficom.ocunix.on.ca (Stephen Kunc)
Newsgroups: rec.pets,rec.pets.herp
Subject: Re: turtles
Keywords: looking for info
Date: Thu, 01 Oct 92 06:54:13 -0400
Reply-To: pk@aficom.ocunix.on.ca (Stephen Kunc)
Distribution: world
Organization: AFI Communications - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

time@coos.dartmouth.edu (Susan M. Kennedy) writes:

| Can anyone tell me why turtles are so hard to find and why they are so
| expensive?I imagine the reasons are connected. I'm looking for an ordinary bo
| turtle(proper name?). Are there reputable mail order sources of turtles and o
| reptiles and their supplies?
| 
| Thanks in advance!
| 
| Susan (SMK@mac.dartmouth.edu)

 
Turtles are illegal for sale in many places because they carry 
samonella. But, depending on where you live, a little known trick to 
get cheap turtles is to go down to the chinatown section of your city, 
and ask around at grocery stores. The only thing you gotta remember 
when you buy them is to specify you want them alive (turtles make good 
soup, apparently). They sell them by the pound, not by the specimen.
 
Steve

Newsgroups: rec.pets
From: yozzo@watson.ibm.com (Ralph Yozzo)
Subject: Cat itching and biting his back.
Date: Thu, 01 Oct 1992 02:42:20 GMT
Disclaimer: This posting represents the poster's views, not necessarily those of IBM
Organization: IBM T.J. Watson Research Center

I have a cat that sometimes bites the hair on his back.  The cat is 
15 years old.  I've been told that it is caused by dry skin.  It 
is not caused by fleas.  When he bites the hair, he leave bare spots
behind. 

Has anyone else seen this condition in their cat or dog and if so,
what did you do?
I read that the itching is caused by a vitamin deficiency.  
(But this information came from a vitamin retailer.  
(Hardly, an unbiased source))

-- 
Ralph Yozzo (yozzo@watson.ibm.com)  
From the beautiful and historic Mid-Hudson Valley area of NY state
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: seedman@IASTATE.EDU (Remo Williams)
Subject: I.S.U. Herpetology Club Meeting (ignore if farther than 500mi from Ames, Ia)
Reply-To: seedman@IASTATE.EDU (Remo Williams)
Organization: Iowa State University
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 02:06:50 GMT

Be it known that there will be held,
in room 119 of Science II,
on Thursday, October 8th,
at 7:30 PM,
a meeting of the I.S.U. Herpetology Club.

The program will be presented by Joel Rybolt, and it will be on
accessing this newsgroup.  So if you're reading this, you probably
won't need to listen to Joel.  But, come anyway.  We also need to decide 
on a t-shirt idea.  So if you have an idea, bring it.

					Send any questions to
					seedman@iastate.edu
From: mcovingt@aisun3.ai.uga.edu (Michael Covington)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: Re: Feeding baby lizards
Date: 4 Oct 92 01:19:56 GMT
Article-I.D.: athena.1992Oct4.011956.24544
Organization: AI Program, University of Georgia, Athens

Another good food source is fruit flies.  Carolina Biological Supply Co.
sells a variety with vestigial wings that can't fly.

-- 
:- Michael A. Covington     internet mcovingt@uga.cc.uga.edu 
:- Artificial Intelligence Programs       phone 706 542-0359
:- The University of Georgia                fax 706 542-0349
:- Athens, Georgia 30602 U.S.A.          amateur radio N4TMI
From: cain@silverblue.fac.cs.cmu.edu (Sebastian Nightingale Cain)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
Subject: Re: Another question about mice:
Date: 2 Oct 92 18:51:03 GMT
Organization: School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon

In article <1992Oct2.161947.13256@progress.com> gerard@progress.COM  
(Gerard Bras) writes:
> nathan@charles.ucdavis.edu (Nathan Rollins) writes:
> 
> 
> > Here's another vote for stunning or killing mice. While pet shop mice
> >may be fairly tame/stupid, most of the ones I've met still seem to get 
> >fairly panicy around snakes. Back when I was young and foolish, I let
> >my corn (who always struck "quick and deadly") go after a general  
average
> >mouse... it only takes one lucky jump for the mouse, and the snake has  
it
> >by the tail, or a hind leg, and the mouse turns and CHOMP... nasty
> >wound. The snake can usually kill the mouse eventually, but it's not
> >worth it to risk an expensive herp to a $2 mouse; wounds and bites
> >from mice can lead to death, as the unfortunate Black Pine story
> >apparently shows. 
> 
> Listen up, this guy is talking sense.
> 
> >	Basically, whether "killer mice" are the rule or the exception;
> >doesn't matter. Don't take chances. Thump the little furry beasts. A
> >mouse, and other rodents, especially rats, are MEAN when cornered or
> >fighting for their life. And they're sure cornered in a snake cage.
> 
> Can't really blame them.  They're trying to survive too.  
> 
> >	Despite all the kind help, I never got the hang of spinal
> >dislocation for mice... I usually thump the bigger ones HARD with 
> >a thick stick and good aim, and the smaller ones (hoppers, which
> >have small teeth but eyes open, hyperactive and nippy) are still
> >usually dispatchable by throwing violently against a hard floor. 
> 
> I have found the floor method to well nigh infallible, if a little  
messy.
> Even better is the edge of a counter allthough it takes a little`
> more coordination.  I have found sticks to be messy and less reliable
> in that unless your aim is perfect it will take multiple swipes
> to finish the job.  This tends to cause more bleeding.
> 
> >	Also have noted that ones without eyes open are generally
> >harmless... I thump them anyway, because my Corn seems to prefer them
> >thus. 
> >	Has anyone tried a commercial snap-type mousetrap for
> >dispatching them? My Burmese is growing fast, and soon she'll be
> >onto adult rats, which may be a bit harder for me to kill; would a
> >spring-type rat-trap be an answer?
> 
> The floor will still work.  Mousetraps are a little too hair trigger
> for me, and besides, you'll still have to hold the mouse down.
> 
> 
> cheers,
> gerard

What I have been doing lately is picking the mice up by the tail, and  
dangling them in my Burmese's cage, where it promptly grabs them by the  
head and does them in rather quickly.  Of course my burmese is only about  
2.5' long at the moment, but you won't catch me doing it that way once it  
gets bigger.  Uh-uh, no way. :-)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: philipla@microsoft.com (Phil Lafornara)
Subject: Re: 1 of the 1001 places to hide for snakes.
Date: 05 Oct 92 18:31:37 GMT
Organization: Microsoft Corporation

In article <1992Oct5.125459.7675@ultb.isc.rit.edu> mds5597@ritvax.isc.rit.edu writes:
>
>	Should I be worried if she allways tries to get out of my hand? She
>does seem fairly scared still....how long should her fear last? Is this
>normal for a baby? I am holding her everyday (for about 10 min).....good or bad?

     My babies were exceptionally jumpy for the first couple of
weeks after hatching - they've since calmed down quite a bit.  On
occasion, they freak out when I pick them up and try to jump out
of my hands.  What I usually do is spread out my fingers and let
them climb around a bit - once they get a loop thrown around a finger,
they feel safer and calm down.
     Handling them daily is probably a good idea, except for a few
hours immediately following feeding.

				-Phil
-- 
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Phil Lafornara         				1 Microsoft Way         
philipla@microsoft.com				Redmond, WA 98052-6399 
Note:  Microsoft doesn't even _know_ that these are my opinions. So there.
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp
From: debra@solbourne.com (Debra Frances)
Subject: Re: suppliers and address
Organization: Solbourne Computer, Inc.
Date: Tue, 6 Oct 1992 16:12:10 GMT

I, on the other hand, continue to have very good success with Glades.  Yes,
sometimes their prices are a little higher.   I think your point is well taken-
make sure whoever you deal with knows you won't accept garbage - then they are
less likely to send it to you.    Applause on first nursing the snake back to
health - most folks wouldn't have taken the time.
                        DEBRA
Newsgroups: rec.pets.herp