Bath Time For Kiwi

This is Kiwi.

I enjoyed watching him dive into his bowl of water to bathe today.

As you can see, he really gets into his bath!

It's fun to listen to his chattering and he is very talkative. The latest phrase is "You hurt me!" Most likely this is said to him often when he nips a finger.

He is most territorial around his cage but quite sweet when he is out playing.

An Enriched Life

This is Sydney. He is a large male Moluccan Cockatoo. This happens to be the natural "breeding season" for cockatoos. While his family is away, he is enjoying a large cardboard box positioned in his cage to keep him busy. I must admit, that I am careful when I handle this big guy. When he is intense inside his box I don't try to reach in to retrieve him. I simply say "hello" and preceed to carry out the other birds in the room. After a while, he pops up and realizes that the others are out on the play stands. Then, he comes to the door of the cage and happily steps up for a trip to the kitchen. Providing this type of enrichment for a parrot needs to be monitored. If it produces an aggressive attitude, remove the box. Use your knowledge of your bird to determine the pros and cons of allowing a "nesty" behavior. It certainly keeps this big guy busy all day!

Life Before Parrots

This photo is from 1953. My living room. I'm the little girl in the middle holding my new doll. My Mom, Sister, and Brother surround me. I'm sure my family thinks I'm crazy for filling my home with parrots, but I find this life very rewarding. I am appreciated and busy and what more can you ask for? Merry Christmas !

Brrrrr

This is Olive. She is one of the Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill. Tonight I'm sitting here, after tucking in my household of parrots, and I wonder how the wild birds keep from freezing! I even put a blanket over my sensitive plants in the garden! Buster, my feather challenged grey, has a heated perch to roost on if he gets cold. My elderly little cockatiels have a heat panel attached to the side of their cage. I know the wild birds are equipped to handle the cold...and luckily it is a little less cold in San Francisco, but I shiver when I think of them out there! I'm the kind of person who makes warm hummingbird nectar to help the hummers on frigid mornings.

One Man's Trash...

This is Munchkin. When he is home he enjoys many activities in his favorite places. One of these activities is to explore special cubby holes and hideaways.

While Mom works in the office, Munch finds himself self-absorbed in creating a nest in the nearby recycle bag. Another favorite is looking at himself in a shiny object..."his spoon". Who needs expensive toys!? This is one happy bird!

Special Care For Feather Pickers

This is Leo. He is a returning guest who has had severe feather issues in the past. He has recovered quite nicely, however, he still has bouts of relapse. He is quite accustomed to wearing a collar and it doesn't seem to bother him. When he spends time here, he gets special treatment.

His foraging toys get filled faithfully, he has a full spectrum light shining on him, and he gets showers regularly. I am vigilant about watching him when his collar is off. He comes out to play on the ropes in my office/bedroom and enjoys some freedom from the collar. It takes a keen eye to tell the difference between happy grooming (preening) and compulsive "over-preening" or picking out feathers. He does fine at first, but if allowed too much preening time, he starts to pull feathers from his legs. He is a cuddle bird and I spend during the day lowering my energy level and just meditating with him on my chest. He, too, becomes calm and quiet. It's good for both of us.

Getting Used To Showers

One more post about the two BGM babies...then, I'll move on to my other guests!

These guys weren't too sure about the shower stall. But once I got them positioned under the warm water....they enjoyed it! Their posture indicates that they are not quite relaxed yet. One is very upright and tall, the other is beginning to relax. By the end of the week, I expect they'll be fluffed and spread out to capture the water and revel in the "downpour." The fact that it's raining outside helps. The parrots seem to get excited about rain. I like shower perches with at least two, preferably three, strong suction cups. I also wrap the perch with self-adhering bandage (sport wrap) to give the birds a solid grip on the wet surface. The shower is the perfect place to let them hang out while I clean their cage.

PLAN "A" WORKS NOW

Just wanted to report that this morning, the second morning, Oro and Azul came right out onto my hand with a simple "step up" request.

They had such a great time playing in the big Exotic Enclosure yesterday that they wanted to go back! I showed them the bowls filled with their foods first. Parrots are quite easy to win over if you take things at their speed. They could easily figure out that the morning routine is to move to the larger cage for breakfast. No hesitation now! Let's Go!

Using Plan B C & D

I have two new guests. Baby Blue and Gold Macaws, Oro and Azul. They cage together and this morning, the first morning, they decided they wanted nothing to do with coming out to me, a stranger. I backed down and went to plan B (a towel) but that wasn't going to work either. So, I placed a large tree outside their open cage and placed a walnut in the cup. Out came one of them and grabbed the walnut. At that instant, I requested a step up and she easily stepped onto my hand without dropping the nut. Voila!


You can see by these photos that they are now having the time of their lives playing in the big Exotic Enclosure! These youngsters are making use of each and every toy and perch. It's always fun to have playful young birds as guests!

HAVE A "PLAN B"

I have my own sometimes obnoxious parrots who sometimes try to get away with being obstinate. I can read them and always have a way to back off and proceed on a different path when they decide they aren't having what I'm giving. In other words, I ask them to step up and they say "no." I don't make a big deal out of it...I just go to plan B. It is important to have a Plan B and Plan C and even a Plan D for those rare days.

This is even more important for me when I am dealing with "other people's children."

When I am working with someone else's birds, I have to have a "bag of tricks" to draw upon when my first attempts are thwarted. I rarely get bitten because I stay calm, back off, and come again using another method.

I first ask for a step up verbally. By watching closely, I can react quick enough to avoid a bite. Body language is everything for a parrot. It is important not to just give up and go away at this point. That will embolden the bird and teach it to be difficult. I back off for a second and then come back... the most successful Plan B is to hold another object in one hand as you request a step up with the other. (Good Hand Bad Hand) The distraction of the object will make the plain hand seem like a friendly and less confusing alternative.

Another method is to fold a towel over the hand/arm and request the bird to step onto the towel. Some birds are less threatened with the toweled hand. Many gripping birds actually enjoy being transported by having them hang on a towel as you walk around. (Amazons love this. ) Many birds are stick trained and will prefer to step onto a stick. When my Umbrella Male gets excited (see photo) I can always take a towel and wrap him up to his delight. Another sneaky trick is to offer a nut... I use this one with a big Greenwing Macaw who will nervously lunge. I give him a big walnut and when he has it in his beak, I request the step up and he climbs aboard without dropping the precious nut.

It is important to work with your own birds to get them used to a few of these various methods. If they are stick trained, or comfortable with a towel, those difficult days will be less traumatic for both of you. It will also make it much much easier for me when I care for them!

Munchie's Special Freedom

Munchkin has a standing reservation at my home. His cage awaits and when he is here, he is allowed to hang out after breakfast on "his ropes." You can see by his dirty little face that he enjoys my cooking! I have been adding canned pumpkin to the Psittacine Cuisine lately...can you tell?

He loves to just sit and preen next to the moppy swing. Even if he doesn't get a lot of exercise on the ropes, he seems to enjoy the out-of-cage time.