Feather Picking Bintel

Feather Picking is the most frustrating behavioral issue to deal with. We provide the very best environment and care and yet, they still fuss with their feathers making one very fuzzy bird. I have my fuzzy grey Buster and the photo here is of one very adored Goffins Cockatoo named Bintel. Bintel like most has good days and bad. His family cares very much and they have tried everything. The newest attempt was this cute little "jacket" especially made to fit around the neck, over the chest, under the wings and down the back. It closes with a velcro strip. Let me tell you, it wasn't easy to get this on Bintel and he looked quite dapper for a half a minute. Then he proceeded to nibble away at it. The fringe in front was intended to give him something to fuss with...he, however, fussed with the entire outfit. Better to chew on the soft material than to chew on himself, but will he ever get used to it? Who knows. One thought is that it would feel soothing to cover the denuded area, sort of like putting a band-aid on a wound. But having a covering on is very foreign to a bird. This saga will be continued!

BAILY AND DUDE

This post is especially for Lee who is missing her two little guys very much. Baily and Dude are utilizing my biggest cage (because they fly all over the place when allowed!) They spend a lot of time near each other but venture away to explore the ropes and toys and, of course, the food dishes! Yumm. They really love my special Psittacine Cuisine cooked grains! The cup is absolutely empty by the time it is collected. These little guys go home tomorrow and, although I'll miss them....I'm sure Mom and Dad will be very happy to see them again. Everyone's had a nice vacation!

Flighted Birds

Flighted birds can be a real challenge to me. I have never had trouble before coaxing Mango and Blue into their cage after allowing them to fly around while I am at their home. This time, however, I needed to trim their nails. In order to towel them, I had to capture them inside of the cage. This was done calmly and without fuss but, needless to say, it offended them. I trimmed the nails and then released them to fly free. Whew! Well, when it came time to put them back they were not cooperative. I believe they were suspicious of my intentions! I spent a lot of time patiently luring them to come down and get back to the cage. When a smart parrot can fly, you have to win them over. You can see them thinking and you just know that they are laughing at you! When the game gets too long, they are the ones that decide to concede and behave.

Spoiled Birds Welcomed!

This is Bailey and Dude. Their mom and dad reluctantly went on a much needed vacation. These little greencheek conures are very very spoiled. This is a good thing! Except when it comes time to leave them in the care of others, because they're here, it is nice to know that their lifestyle won't be inhibited. At my home, even spoiled little birds have a pretty good time! Bailey and Dude are good flyers and I have ten foot ceilings... I do, however, have a wonderful Exotic Enclosure in my living room. This is a 4' x 6' x 6' wire "room" for parrots. It is decked out with rope "vines" and toys. I can put all my guests in there (not together!) no matter what size. Indy, the Hyacinth, to Munchkin, my frequent guest cockatiel, to these two precocious greencheeks! They climb all around and transit upside- down on the ceiling of the cage. If they choose to, they can fly in this cage! I am confident that they will enjoy their stay and I sure hope their parents can relax and enjoy their vacation as well. If you look closely, you can see that Bailey is a yellow-sided greencheek conure!

Wild Meets Captive

I didn't have my camera with me today when I took a break and sat outside in the sun. I was basking while watching my parrots in their big outdoor cages. When you sit still and just observe you can truly see some wonderous behaviors. In this case, the behavior was entertaining! A passing Anna's hummingbird came through the area and spotted the bright red tail feathers of Buster. It attempted to investigate the red "blossom" but was deterred by the cage wire. Buster had the most puzzled look on his face. The hummer got tired trying to get to the red target and decided to sit on the wire three inches from Buster. The two just sat there in the glorious sun and I could just imagine what Buster was thinking. "Is that a bug or a bird?" "What the heck am I supposed to do?"

Computer Illness

Sorry that I haven't posted anything new for a while. My computer is experiencing some sluggish behavior. Every page takes a minute to two to load... I am seeing a lot of that little hourglass. Most frustrating but I am working on a solution. Please bear with me!

Have a full house this weekend so I should have plenty to write about soon! Lots of parrots with a few days of rain....tends to make things a bit lively around here! What is it about rain that excites these guys? Do they feel the pressure drop? Do they revel in the prospect of a drenching shower? Do they just want to share in the exhilaration? Whatever it is...it is always noisy! Get out the Hearos Ear Plugs!

Light Tubes Bring In Light For Birds

Yesterday I brought light into my living room which has always been rather dim and dreary, especially in the winter! What a difference! Wow. Two 14" Sola Brite SolaTubes brightened the 20' x 40' room like you wouldn't believe. The technology is so advanced that the small sun collector on the roof collects the light, amplifies it and sends it down the tube to flood the room with bright and cheery light. My electric bill will certainly go down! Now I enjoy being in that room and I am sure the birds will appreciate the brightness as well. I also had a smaller 10" tube installed in my interior hallway and its light floods into the nearby rooms. What a delightful change. From dark and depressing to bright and happy. Even the birds seem to be in a better mood today! If you'd like to bring light into your home, I highly recommend SolaBrite SolaTubes. Please tell them I referred you! www.solabrite.com

PARROT RELATIONSHIPS WITH PARROTS

I've been emailing lately with a friend who also has a multi-parrot household. How easy it is to bring too many parrots into our lives. How easy it is to realize that there isn't enough time in a day to avoid guilt about their world. One thing that makes me feel okay about being busy is that my parrots have relationships with each other. Ben, the elderly Blue Crown Conure, and Chauncey, my Slender Bill Cockatoo, are a team. (A strange team but a team.) They enjoy being near each other. Molly, my Blue and Gold Macaw, and Josey Wales, my Umbrella Cockatoo, (another unlikely duo) seem to need each other. When one gets taken from the vicinity, the other one voices displeasure. (loudly) Buster and Bug, my two Congo Greys, reside next to each other and carry on long conversations. BJ and Lacy, my cockatiels have caged together for many years. Lucy, my Scarlet, resides in "the noisy room" with Molly and Josey Wales but she doesn't seem to need them. She does well wherever she is and lights up when a person walks in the room. Although you can see from the photo that she and Molly can share an outdoor cage. Providing our parrots good care and a quality environment is easier than providing them with enough one-on-one attention. However, because they have their own little world and the company of others, they seem happy and content. Therefore, I resist the guilt! But I will suggest that those people thinking about getting another parrot limit themselves to two or three. There is something awesome about the thought of caring for these guys for the duration of their lives or mine. As Chauncey would say, "Whew!"

Parrots Have Lasting Memories

This is Kilgore. He hasn't stayed with us since last September. The very first day he arrived this time, my grey, Buster, was saying his name. He loves to say "Kilgore!" Kilgore, too, seemed to remember the surroundings. He didn't miss a beat when it came to talking and eating and preening. I consider these actions "comfort behaviors." It was funny, however, when I tried to put him on the rope boinggg in my office. He acted like it was a snake and jumped to my shoulder! Once we discussed it and worked through the anxiety, he stepped cautiously onto the rope. You can tell by the photo he's not at all sure of this setting. Kilgore has a beautiful dark charcoal coloring with the brightest red tail. He is a 30 year old (wildcaught?) and has loads of personality and confidence. Except when it comes to ropes! Every time a grey visits we get a whole new set of sound effects. Beeps, whistles, electronic tones, and of course, phone ringtones.

What a day...what a day!

Thought my day would be the ordinary kind...caring for the parrots and such. 8am 0pened the drapes in the Noisy Room where Lucy and Molly reside with Josey Wales, the sentry alarm bird. The neighbor across the street had been TP'd. The breeze did a good job of blowing the long strands of toilet paper. This startled and alarmed my birds. Josey who isn't even near the window would not stop calling out his warning. You'd think the TP was snakes! My entire day was stressful and anxious because of this little prank. It's not even April Fool's Day! I used all my tricks to soothe the wary beasts. I ended up closing the drapes and turning on the full spectrum lights. Then, I played their self-soothing CD of soft music and nature sounds. Then, I gave them all showers....put them out in the backyard cages....brought them in...nothing really calmed them. If those people knew what a panic they caused. Parrots are very visual. They also are fearful of new and "threatening" things.