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Post by kerryandgoofy on Jan 12, 2007 15:23:13 GMT -5
Well I had a good refresher course on bird genetics. I had forgotten that in birds the chromosomes are opposite of humans. Humans: Male - XY Female XX HOWEVER in birds: Male - XX Female is XY No wonder I have been slightly off in retaining and understanding sex linked mutations like the inos (albino/lutino/lace-wing, etc.). That slight difference makes all the difference in the world. So see one is never too old to learn or be re-taught!  |
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Post by Sivin on Jan 12, 2007 16:13:25 GMT -5
Hi Kerry,
All very interesting, but tell me this: what kind of bird is pictured with your postings? It is absolutely beautiful!
Sivin
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Post by Michael B on Jan 12, 2007 17:57:32 GMT -5
what kind of bird is pictured with your postings? It is absolutely beautiful! Sivin Goofy, I presume. It never occurred to me that some species were reverse witht the XX XY. That's interesting. So, albino, and mutations ending "ino", signify an X-linked gene? I suppose you don't know any Y-linked ones? They might tend to be important for reproduction, I'd guess. I doubt that's important in bird shows (at least not the family-rated ones). |
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Post by kerryandgoofy on Jan 12, 2007 18:15:45 GMT -5
Hi Kerry, tell me this: what kind of bird is pictured with your postings? It is absolutely beautiful!/quote] That would be Goofy Goofball, my 15/16 yr old fasciata Moustached parakeet.  |
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Post by kerryandgoofy on Jan 12, 2007 18:17:23 GMT -5
Michael your just bad to the bone! |
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Post by Sivin on Jan 12, 2007 19:31:03 GMT -5
That is one exquisite bird! What is his personality like?
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Post by henryswife on Jan 12, 2007 20:40:05 GMT -5
' Wow ' He is beautifull !!! How big is he compared to other birds?
Daughter is a genectic tech. have to ask her about other animals about XX-XY-etc. Alice
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Post by kerryandgoofy on Jan 13, 2007 12:00:01 GMT -5
That is one exquisite bird! What is his personality like? Well by nature these are painfully shy birds. If you want them to be pets they MUST be hand fed. Cocks make MUCH better pets than hens. Hens are aggressive and take offense easily to anything. Some hens do become pets, but they will bond to ONLY 1 person and even then try every now and again to establish they are top everything of the house. One must remain consistent with training and discipline to maintain the higher rank. Cocks go through the "terrible twos" as they move into adolescents, IT WILL PASS and you must maintain consistent training. I can still remember watching Goofy's wheels turning in that little head each time he tried to nip/bite and I told him NO. Some times it was like 4 times in a row as he r e a l l y wanted to establish that I did not want him to bite me. I did get frustrated and did the no-no at times and yanked his tail when he wouldn't quit. That got his attention, but now he still hates anyone to mess with it. The Goofball was raised around lots and lots of people. He is always of the opinion that he should be the center of all attention when people are near his cage or have him on their hand. If idle chit chat moves from him he does something to bring it back. His #1 ploy is to cough. I had pneumonia one year and he even had the body language to go with his interpretation. It really does sound like he is on death's door step. He is my love bug and cuddle muffin. He lives for kisses. He will snuggle up and press his beak against my lips (when I'm watching TV) and fall asleep. However if I forget to toss in a few kisses now and again he makes kissey sounds (while his eyes are closed) to remind me of my neglect. |
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Post by Sivin on Jan 13, 2007 13:09:38 GMT -5
He sounds great, Kerry. My husband and I are looking for a new community to move to and one place that had a lot of what we were looking for is Prescott, Arizona. However, I discovered that there wasn't a bird vet there at all, just the basic mammel doc who could do a cursory exam and send patients on their way to a specialist in Phoenix -- two hours away by car.
Finding someone qualified to take care of these guys is a real challenge. We are currently very lucky, but finding both a place we like and a new bird vet is going to be a real challenge.
Sivin
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Post by Michael B on Jan 13, 2007 13:32:20 GMT -5
Goofball sounds like a great pet for you. Myself, -I'd have lost out in the dominance competition, I'd bet. Too bad you weren't playing music, or reciting poetry instead of coughing, but to each her own. Are you Goofy's only owner since weaning? What's there lifespan? How does he do when you are at work? Does he socialize with other birds?
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Post by Sheila on Jan 14, 2007 22:37:28 GMT -5
Kerry "Goofy" is a gorgeous bird.
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Post by kerryandgoofy on Jan 15, 2007 13:43:52 GMT -5
Are you Goofy's only owner since weaning? What's there lifespan? How does he do when you are at work? Does he socialize with other birds? I had Goofy's parents and pulled him and his sibling at 2 weeks of age to hand feed. The life span of a Moustache is about 30 years. Since Goofy doesn't think he is a bird, it is beneath his dignity to live with them. I guess he believes Suville is the exception since he picked her out as one we should keep. There was a time when he did live in the bird house, but put his foot down one day in total displeasure. For him that means he quite eating. Since his cage was up high I really didn't pay good attention until 2 or 3 days later that his feed dish was at the same level. I rushed him to the vet and they crop fed him. Man the look on his face at that sensation! They kept him in the clinic and ran all kinds of tests on him - not once but twice - everything came back normal. Then one day one of the technicians noticed he would eat while he was in the bird room caring for the other birds. He was immediately moved into their lab area where there was lots of people coming and going. With a $400 vet bill the vet hated to call me and tell me that there was nothing wrong with the twit that it was all in his head. He didn't believe he was a bird and didn't want to live in their company any longer. To help up the weight back on him I took him to every bird meeting in the area - Dallas, Fort Worth and Plano. He chowed down big time with so many people, but refused to let me go and refill my coffee cup. The little fart! I tried once during a meeting and he really yelled. I told him to shhhh that I was right here, but he yelled again. I went right back to my chair since everything had stopped for our conversation. Some really nice person took my cup and refilled it for me. No one was put out with us, they all knew why he was there and didn't give it a 2nd thought. Now days with Suville, she can get a bit much so they live in separate cages side by side. When I get home I let them out for the rest of the evening. Suville doesn't jump so stays on her cage. Goofy is very agile and jumps over to her cage, to keep her company, eat her food, etc. until she becomes demanding to chases him. Suville has a toy with lots of wood pieces to chew up. Goofy has never liked toys in his cage. He has never even played or chewed on Suville's toys. His joy is jumping back and forth on the cages. They use to LOVE to go outside in their play pen, but I haven't taken them back out since the sharp shinned hawk attack last summer.  |
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Post by kerryandgoofy on Jan 15, 2007 13:46:52 GMT -5
Thanks everyone I love my little pink and green birds. I too think they are beautiful. There are days though that I tell them I'm going to make Moustache soup though. ;D
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Post by henryswife on Jan 16, 2007 19:45:12 GMT -5
 What a great story! ' Goofy the bird who thinks he's too good for the flock and wants to dine with only humans. ' ;D He sounds like a real ' cuddle bug ' just don't forget the  Alice
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What a great story! 