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Sorry folks, I had to resurect this one for a different reason. Aside from everybirdy having a "good " smell to them, this afternoon, Ginger was very close to my face, and I caught a whiff of something that smelled like a cross between silage and poo. For those of you who don't know what silage is, it's corn (normally) that has been cut and stacked in a very wide trench like ditch, then covered with black plastic. The silage is fed to cows and hogs, and goes through a fermentation process which gives it a pecular smell, similar to rotted grass clippings or freshly cut weeds that have gotten wet.

Of course, I checked to see there was no poo on her head or body, and that she'd not gotten into something she shouldn't have, so everything in that department checked out. I also checked 4 of the others for odd breath smells, and found none. Her poo is normal, as is everything else. The only thing that has changed in the past few days was their water. They have been drinking RO filtered water since I've had them, but after reading an article about RO water being possibly unhealthy for them due to it being "hungry" and depleting essential minerals in their body, I switched over to tap water. To make matters worse, Missy and Smokey will now not drink from a water dish, but absolutely have to have water straight out of the sink faucet, unfiltered, and if not about 90 degrees, they only sip. Warm it up a little, and they both will tank up like it's their last drink, or they haven't had water ever before in their entire life!

So, aside from all the very good humor we created, I'll ask again, "do you sniff your birdie"

Any questions -- see sig below!

Awww, I love how my birdie smells! he always lets me give him a kiss, it's funny----he will turn his head the other way, as if to say----ok go ahead, I won't watch! lol sam, is it ok to give them regular tap water?? and what's RO water??? I give my bird spring water, fresh from a spring that is tested regularly and supposed to be some of the cleanest water in the country! wow, is he spoiled or what?? I know tap water in some areas is not even good for people to drink-----where I lived over in upstate NY the water came from the hudson river where pcb's were dumped from GE and it is proven cancer causing----nice huh? growing up we never drank that water! always spring or bottled water. I'm not really sure of the quality of tap water here, just used to always having to get bottled or spring water my whole life, and the spring water here being one of the cleanest, best spring water in the country, so that is what we drink---- & birdie too!

Sam - do you think it could be intestinal gas? I swear Luna has passed some in the past! We can even hear it sometimes.

As for the water - the little stinker aka Luna will go to the faucet when I have her in the bathroom with me, and start scratching the screen of the faucet! It didn't take her long to figure out where the water comes from.

When I first got her, I didn't see her drink out of the water dish! Being of Italian decent and worried over things like eating and drinking, I was very concerned I hadn't seen her drink. I called the store where I got her (a bird store) and they said not to worry since they ususally don't drink much, and I probably wouldn't see her drink when she did.

Well........ that just wasn't good enough for me! I had to see her drink once - then I would be fine!!!

After a couple of days, I had her in the kitchen with me and put her down in the sink - she slurpped up all the droplets in there!! So, I gave her some water in a clear glass ashtray on the floor of the cage and watched until she drank.

I use a regular water cup now, but the first few days were very worrrisome. And she likes the water direct from the faucet.

Of course I sniff my birdie!! Every smooch comes with a complimentary sniff!!

The R.O. is "reverse osmosis" and the process removes 99.9% of everything that is in water, including some essential minerals, all forms of toxic stuff, and all chlorine. The problem as I read it when drinking RO water is the fact that it can cause essential minerals to be absorbed from the birds bones instead of them getting some from the water itself. Calcium magnesium and phosphorus are the ones I remember right off, so that is also why RO water is considered "hungry", as it will dissolve copper tubing in efforts to bring itself back to a neutral state. It is perfectly safe for humans to drink.

Jo, as for passing gas, yes, I've heard a couple of them fart. It's kind of funny to hear it, but I guess maybe she could have had a case of gas We used to regularly hear Coco pass gas, and it would sound like letting the air out of a balloon with the top pinched.. quite hilarious!

It's just things like different smells they can have that makes me want to know stuff about them, especially when it occurs on a random and infrequent basis.

I saw this post and had to add! Yes I smell my caique all the time!! lol...It's just what I do!! ha ha ha.... We all do it!
Sometimes if I've been kissing her alot, and then I'll go to my fiance's house and give him a kiss, he'll say I smell like Lola!! lol oops!

And after a bath she has a stronger oder. And when she's on her playgym and the back door is open she gets a different smell. I tell her she smells like outside. She loves to sit by the back door when its warm and breezy...loves it!!

That is funny about you smelling like bird. I will have a feather stuck on my chin or in my hair and my husband says..."I know what you have been doing!!"

Luna Bella wrote:Sam - do you think it could be intestinal gas? I swear Luna has passed some in the past! We can even hear it sometimes.

Birds fart?! I swear I didnt know that!! lol I was always wondering about that!! I've never in all my life having birds heard them fart.. lol

Diego's Mom, Lisa wrote:That is funny about you smelling like bird. I will have a feather stuck on my chin or in my hair and my husband says..."I know what you have been doing!!"

Oh yeah, I'll have little pieces of downy feathers on me and I'll be in school and I just happen to see one fly past me! lol I take Lola everywhere with me whether I know it or not!

once a few semesters ago, i had a night class, I came home and realized I have poop on my shoulder!! lol I thought geeze hope no one saw that!! ha ha... oops...

It's like being a mom with spit up in your hair or down your back!!