BEWARE OF DRY CLEANING CHEMICALS

Did you know? The chemicals used for normal dry cleaning are extremely toxic to your bird (and you). You should remove your dry cleaning from the plastic bags immediately and air the items outside if at all possible. I am pleased to report that there are a few "green" dry cleaners now in business who do not use the toxic chemicals. Give these a try! The photo is my Chauncey organizing his feathers after his shower. No dry cleaning there!

Rain Forecast Means Showers Inside

Today there are thunderheads moving across the sky. My home is full of parrots and they all seem to revel in the forecast of possible rain. It certainly gets noisier when the weather changes. To make them all happy, I moved through the house with my mister bottle. Simon, the amazon, couldn't get enough! Jasper the funny little Senagal, also gave me a cute little pose as he soaked up the water. Katie, the sweet little girl cockatiel fanned out her wings to take advantage of the spray. (Yes, she needs a trim!) And, Munchie, the handsome male cockatiel, tried to remain stately and unaffected but he thoroughly enjoyed the shower. Afterwards, it was actually quiet (for a whole ten minutes) while everyone preened.

CONURE CHAOS

This is a conure kind of week. I had Charlie here for a short visit. He's the handsome guy sitting next to the sunflower. Also had Baily and Dude visiting...the greencheek and yellow sided greencheek on top of the cage. And, I'm visiting the flighted conures on the top of the armoire, Blue and Mango. Mango is peeking out from under Blue's tail! I love to allow flighted birds to fly when I can supervise them. The hardest part is getting them to "go back" when the time comes. For Baily and Dude, the "secret weapon" was their favorite treat, Life cereal! They would cooperate when they saw the cereal go into their cage. For Blue and Mango...the only way is to darken the room and tell them, "Come on PooPoo Head, time to go back." If the room is dark and I say that particular phrase...they, too, cooperate (eventually). Charlie is no problem at all. He simply steps onto his little bird ladder and he'll go anywhere. Training flighted birds to cooperate with us grounded folk is challenging but necessary.

Almond Joy

This is Simon! He just arrived and I had an almond waiting for him as a welcome gift. He loves almonds! However, he couldn't seem to figure out how to transit from around the cage with the nut in his beak. After dropping the first almond, he decided not to take any chances with his second nut.

He dangled easily and munched away without a problem. What a guy! Just look at those muscles! My home will be alive with song this weekend!

Watching a bird learn

Yesterday I was having some back pain and decided to rest for a while in the afternoon. I layed down on my bed and threw a blanket over my legs. Manu said, "night night". I explained that I was just resting...he didn't care. He was busy trying to bring a piece of dropped pasta up to the perch from the floor of his cage. He was so industrious! He'd go down and get it but as he attempted to navigate the rope perch he would drop the pasta. I could see his little wheels turning. He made many attempts and finally figured out that he would need to take a different path to the top. Success. He cherished his bow tie pasta! He worked very hard to get it where he wanted it! Watching a parrot's behavior covertly can really teach you a lot about their preferences.

Finally A New Post

I have been remiss in posting to my blog and I apologize. I have two cute little guys staying with me...

And, as you can see, they are active and happy birds.

Manu and Munch get the same attention as the big guys and they enjoy the hanging ropes and playgyms with active enthusiasm. Even though they are of similar size, I still don't allow them out on the same play area at the same time. One of them might get a little feisty and the other would get hurt feelings (or hurt toes!). I won't attempt to guess which one would play which part.

Who's the boss?

This is Kiwi. She misses her family and climbed down from her kitchen perch to sit with her "sister" Payton. Do parrots see and identify with photos? I think they do. Keep this in mind when you install large prints, photos, or paintings where your birds can become afraid. Observations of your parrot's comfort is essential with behavior issues.
Back to Kiwi... she loves sitting on her kitchen playperch and feels at home supervising my duties there. As I cut up veggies she will ask for a bite and when I run the faucet she will announce it with enthusiasm. Nothing like a bossy parrot to keep you in line! Just don't bring out the vacuum and expect cooperation!

Here Kitty Kitty Kitty

To you and me, this cute little fluffy creature is a dog...but to Louie, the guest Red Fronted Macaw, every time Moki, my Pomeranian walks by, Louie calls "Here Kitty Kitty Kitty!" Obviously Louie has a cat companion at his home and Moki is a confusing little scamp. After all, she uses her paw to reach in and score on any dropped almond or piece of food just like a cat or raccoon. Her beautiful coat might be from the abundance of Harrison's and Nuts, sweet potato, and who knows what!
It's certainly interesting to imagine what my guest birds think of their new surroundings. Louie seems to love playing in the big Exotic Enclosure during the day. He has a cute personality and even with the kitty confusion, he has adapted well.

Manu Needs Batteries - Or NOT!

Manu is the most active little bird ever! He goes and goes all day long. His batteries must be running low though because he keeps beeping at one second intervals! Just like my smoke detectors when the batteries are low. I even had a plumber here who was fixing some bathroom faucets and he couldn't figure out that persistent noise. No, it's not electronic...it's Manu! I can easily stop the beeping by replenishing him with some pomegranate kernels! Go Manu.