Bubbus Finds True Love

Bubbus always comes completely unglued when Claudia comes over. Is it her blond hair? Is it her endearing sweet concerned voice? Whatever it is...Bubbus is truly mesmerized in her presence.

When Claudia has his attention, he speaks sweet nothings to her as if he is courting her. Claudia's own little cockatiel, Munchkin, probably won't want to share her attentions, but she is willing to work with Bubb to get him used to stepping onto her finger. Right now, he is easily handled by using a stick as he seems afraid of a hand. She has had great success by hiding her hand inside a sleeve and coaxing him aboard. I think the secret here is the fact that he adores her!

Cleaning Day...What Stress!

I have relented to the fact that I cannot get this whole house clean at any one time. I now have a wonderful couple that comes in once a month to tackle the chore. I have finally found someone who uses my products and respects the birds. Although, I remove the birds and they blast through the mess. I love it!

However, keeping all the parrots happy and quiet with all the turmoil is a real challenge. I put the macaws in the outdoor cages but that soon loses its appeal and they begin to make a lot of noise. So I start to rotate them inside to the ropes. I try to stay out of the way of the cleaning team but also cater to the needs of all the parrots.

This photo is of Bob in the back and Romeo in the front. With four Blue and Golds in residence...I am careful to know who is who! Molly, my own girl, is a puff-a-lump because of her "blown air sac". Sierra is a wild and crazy child who is as outgoing as they come. Bob is a stoic and mellow old dude. Romeo is a bit timid with me but sees all the others and cooperates nicely. You will notice that I differentiate the macaws by personality, not markings.

On cleaning days Buster and Chauncey get rolled outside through their sliding glass door. The cockatiels also get rolled out in the cages to enjoy the beautiful fall day. It's very disruptive to our otherwise slower routine and once the cleaning team leaves...I am exhausted! But the house shines! The parrots work quickly to return this place to its comfortable state of bird debris.

Most Intelligent Bird?

Gary Bogue, our local wildlife/pet columnist, asked the question in his morning column. What are the five most intelligent and five least intelligent birds?

I immediately emailed him with my input. If you would like to respond to this question, you can email Gary Bogue at the Contra Costa Times.

garybug@infionline.net

Of course we all know that parrots are the most intelligent of birds....but which ones? I submitted Chauncey, my slender bill. Also Buster, my grey.

What signifies intelligence? Communication? Problem solving? Interactions with those around them?

Their high intelligence is precisely what makes sharing your home with a parrot challenging and exasperating! Highly worth it, don't you think?

Gary printed my letter in the Wednesday Column! Check out the Contra Costa Times Gary Bogue Column.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Where did this past week go? I try to post to this blog every day or two but, not surprisingly, the days get away from me.

When caring for so many charismatic parrots, I find myself in a constant state of managing their happiness.

I awaken to the urgent need to get breakfast served. From then on, it's change out the waters and the papers and rotate the population to various places in and out of the house for a change of scenery.

In this photo, Bubbus has spied the container of wheatgrass put out for the flock of tiels while they hang out on the rope gyms. He was hilarious in his attempt to get to the grass without flying. Come on, Bubbus, you have wings! Perhaps it felt good to stretch his legs!

Caring For Free Flighted Birds

I love what I do. I have the space and setup to take care of just about any parrot. Chi Chi, seen here in the photos, is a free flighted Nanday Conure. Her mom doesn't want her clipped and I can totally understand her wishes.

Most, if not all, of my parrots are also unclipped. However, they all get plenty of out-of-cage time and out-of-doors time.

I am happy to be able to offer boarding to birds like Chi Chi. She can hang out on the playgym or on her cage and has the freedom to fly around the room if she chooses. She mainly stays near her cage or near the food... but she enjoys a drenching mist shower after breakfast!

I find that the noise level is decreased when Chi Chi is happy and sitting outside of her cage. Nanday's have some real noise issues! Whew! Good thing they come with outgoing and lovable personalities! Chi Chi flies over to my shoulder frequently to ask what's going on. She's a sweetie.

Sunshine Wheels

One of my favorite foot toys is called the sunshine wheel. I can almost count on its success with any parrot. They love to hold it and chew off the spokes. The plastic is soft and pliable. These wheels connect together or can be used as separators on a skewer. Piece of apple, wheel, slice of squash, wheel, etc.

Of course, since they are loved, they don't usually last long! Here Apollo has gone through his in one fell swoop. But boy did he enjoy it!

To get your own supply of Sunshine Wheels check out California Bird Nerds. They have an incredible assortments of great toy parts.

http://www.cabirdnerds.com/sunw.html

Foot Toys Irresistable

Here you see Apollo busying himself with a delightful foot toy. Foot toys offer lots of interesting play, however, many people don't bother with them because they eventually get dropped to the floor.

One way to make life simpler is to use an empty bowl for the collection place. You might use either one of the regular food ports or, even better, a Smart Crock or other attachable bowl. Put it up where the bird likes to roost.

When you clean the cage, you'll have an easy spot to put the items that aren't soiled. (Those go in the dishwasher.) Plastic bottle caps, wine corks, toy parts, etc. can be a fun enrichment for a bored bird. If you have a little more time, wrap them inside a twist of paper to allow your parrot to unwrap and discover the goodie inside. An occasional nut keeps it intriguing.