Expertise or Easy? (con't)

The second macaw, Lily, was a different story. She was terrified at first. "She hates the shower and will scream bloody murder" I was told. I spent some time standing next to her cage facing away at an angle and spoke with the daughter. Lily just hearing my voice was relaxing because I speak in a low calm voice. Occasionally glancing in her direction and saying, "Hi" in a gutteral macaw way. She started pinning her eyes, fluffing her head, and leaning over and raising her wings. (I know this as a loving behavior, like blowing a kiss.) She was less agitated and she had watched the goings on with Oliver so I opened her cage door and used the same method only with the stick and the orange ring toy. She was scared but nervously stepped onto the stick and I brought her out while talking calmly to her. Off to the shower! She became quite animated in the shower while I sang songs to her. She started talking and playing. Another huge surprise to the astonished daughter. "She has never seen her so comfortable in the shower before." A fun visit that was indeed a success. Lily, by the way is looking for a permanent home. One with patience and macaw knowledge. She has an exceptional vocabulary and will trust again sometime soon!

Expertise or Easy?

I've worked with parrots for many years now. What I do instinctually is subtle. I recently had the chance to test my abilities. I was hired to go to a home where a young adult daughter was housesitting. She "does not handle Oliver." Oliver is a 40+ year old Blue and Gold macaw. I arrived and found that there was also a female BG macaw staying there recently rescued. She had previously been traumitized in an abusive home. So here were two large macaws that I was supposed to get into the shower. Okay.... I brought some props. I had a "distraction device" an orange dog toy ring, which I sometimes hold in one hand while I offer the other hand for a "step up." This often works...not this time...a macaw lunge (very intimidating but out of fear not aggression). Plan B, I brought a stick (perch) for a hopefully stick-trained bird. I added an enticement of holding an almond in one hand and offering the stick behind the big boy while saying "step up." Success! He backed onto the perch and we proceeded to the shower! No fear, no bite, no stress. The things I tried came naturally to me because of my own macaws and knowing their preferences. The daughter learned a lot by watching and I explained what I was doing and the reasoning behind each maneuver.

We're Having A Heatwave!

It's HOT! Yes, most parrots are native to warm weather climates. They should be fine with this... well, maybe not. They, too, have become aclimated to our artificial indoor climate. Air conditioning, and generally cooler indoor temperatures are the norm. If you don't have air conditioning, or the power goes out and you're uncomfortable with the heat, then your parrot may be too! They don't sweat so simply offering a fan is not enough. Because we sweat, the fan makes us feel cooler. How about a drenching shower? I know my birds thoroughly enjoyed this! Even my boarding guests participated. This is Ben, a 20+ something conure. He is handicapped and doesn't move around much. But he sure got used to the shower quickly! Happy Ben. Also provide lots of cold fresh water in the cage. Make sure no sun shines on your bird's cage. A darkened room is okay for the duration of this kind of incredibly hot weather if it keeps the room cooler!

Making Time for Yourself

Obviously, having a house full of parrots (my own as well as my guest birds) and making house calls to care for my client's birds keeps me jumping! I love what I do and find it rewarding and never dull. This last week was a challenge because I also had my sister and her husband visiting! Having "non-parrot people" see the goings on in my life made me a bit defensive. "No, I'm not crazy!" This is not the lifestyle for everyone! I find the routine of cleaning, feeding, sweeping, and playing with the parrots normal. Fitting in an afternoon of sight seeing was, indeed, possible but not easy! Every cage got cleaned and each bird got their shower & breakfast before I popped out for a few hours. Then, every evening, every bird got some loving, their dinner, and the floors got swept. Easy? Absolutely not! But in lieu of a vacation, I had to take time for myself. This is a good lesson for everyone! If you don't take time for yourself...your bird will soon become a burden that ties you down and resentment will follow. All will benefit if you have a life. This is the same advice given to new mothers! Your bird is not an anchor.

Latest Recipe

Latest Recipe includes the following ingredients:

Hulled Barley
Wild Rice
Spelt Berries
Large Size Cous Cous
Chopped Fennel
Chopped Molucca Nuts
Ground Ginger
Ground Red Curry
It helps to soak the spelt berries and barley overnight. I cook the cous cous first because it only takes a few minutes. Set aside. Chop the vegetables while you bring the water to a boil. Once you add the spelt/barley mixture and seasonings, stir, bring back to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Lift cover and add the wild rice, stir. Cover and simmer for 40 more minutes. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Feel free to add your own goodies. Chopped veggies, nuts, pureed pumpkin or sweet potato, etc. Order your Molucca Nuts from Project Bird Watch. The proceeds go to protect the wild Indonesian parrots.

A Difficult Cockatoo

I am boarding a Citron Crested Cockatoo at the moment who is a difficult "case." She has spent the entire sixteen years of her life with "her man" and she is accustomed to being on him all of the time. Strictly a shoulder bird. At her home, "she is rarely in her cage." The woman of the house (human) indicated to me that this bird "doesn't like women and bites" which makes getting on MY shoulder a "no no." Oh yeah, did I mention this bird is spoken to in Dutch? This has been a fun week. No really! I have tried to calm this bird and teach her to stay on my hand. She has some feather issues so I have also been misting her daily. I introduced this concept to her by misting every other bird in the room first. She saw them enjoying it and when it was her turn, success, she too enjoyed it! Hopefully, by the time she goes home, I'll have instilled some basic training into her life. It's important to train your bird to be successful in any home.

A Typical Morning at my home.

My little fluffy grey, Buster, loves to join me for breakfast! He loves milk. Here's my typical morning...
First, everyone gets uncovered with a "good morning" and a tiny snack. Second, I prepare and serve breakfast in bed for everyone! Third, I set up the outdoor cages with fresh water and foods. Fourth, I put out half of the birds...I have a noisy group and a quiet group. When the first group is outside, I clean their cages and sweep/mop their floor area. By the time I'm done, the noisy group is usually "ready to come in" and they show this by being quite vocal. I bring them in one at a time which is cause for great excitement and noise! The noisy group (two macaws and two cockatoos) hate to be separated from each other even for a moment! Once they get back to their clean and restocked cages, all gets quiet. Whew! However I then go into the next mode...Fifth, I take out the quiet guys (two greys and a yellow collar macaw). They enjoy the outdoors by watching the wild birds, ringing like phones and having long converstations. This, I hope, is not too objectionable to my neighbors. I, then, clean their cages and floors and, of course, the kitchen (which has suddenly filled with dirty food and water bowls!) Then, I'm free to go out to do parrot nanny business. Whew!