Life is Never Dull Around Here

Summertime is always a busy time for me. I thought I would share some of my current guests with you. Odie, the 19 year old male umbrella, is hanging out on the ropes while I type this. He is very loved and maybe a little bit spoiled. He is staying for a few days because his parents are having house guests and he gets a little loud at times. He is having a fun vacation too!


Daisy, this petite little Congo Grey, is also exploring the ropes (at a different time!). She stretches out and climbs from one boingg to the next. Daisy's primary contact call or self soothing phrase is, "Hello baby." This is in her dad's deep male voice which is fun.

At the bottom, we have Matilda! She is my whistler guest! All day long I hear renditions of Pop Goes The Weasel, Bridge on the River Kwai, Take Me Out To The Ballgame, and much more. In this photo, I had just misted her and she started to actually talk. I couldn't make out what she was saying but she definitely had something to say about getting wet.

I love my job!

Greysie Found A Good Home

Greysie is a happy girl. So is Norman. He has been educating himself and researching African Grey parrots for a long time. He knew the right bird would eventually come along. Greysie was that bird. She took to his calm demeanor and patient ways.
Now she is in her new home. Lots of people responded to my post but Norman seemed to know exactly what to expect. I hope they have many years to entertain each other!

Greysie Needs a Great Home

Greysie is now officially in need of a new home. I am interviewing potential people. She is smart! Her noise level is definitely higher than most greys. She seems to have a constant banter which can be very entertaining.
Whoever adopts this bird will have to stay two steps ahead. She picks up on words and phrases quickly and is eager to interact with you.

Greysie is five years old and has not been dna'd. She has been an only bird thus far but seems to enjoy the companionship of my other parrots. She has slowly become comfortable with dogs. In fact, she now barks and says, "No bark."

If you know of someone who would be a good parrot person, please let me know. Thank you.

Looking For Good Homes

These three lovely birds are in need of new homes. I can testify that they are really very nice birds. I have cared for them in their own home and also in my home.

Ditto and Phoebe are sweet umbrella hens. They tend to be quiet outside and enjoy being cuddled and played with.

Tango is a large Greenwing macaw and is stick trained and very managable. He is young and talkative.

If you know of any appropriate candidates, please email me. I will put you in touch with the family.

These birds can go to separate homes.

Taming The Wild Tiel

I've had my work cut out for me this week. Irwin and Not Irwin have been guests. These two beautiful cockatiel hens live in a large cage together at their home. My job this week was to try to tame them down.

One of them is tamer than the other. So, I naturally started with her! The other would watch and hopefully see that I wasn't an evil person. I had originally put them in a large Hoei house cage...this didn't work because the door was small. I moved them to a cage with an easier access. I now have them both coming out without much fuss. Their "reward" is to get a rest period on the playtree. After they cooperate with a few step ups, they are placed on the tree to relax and await the return to the cage. "Oh no, here she comes again with that step up request!" With patience, persistence, and low energy, eventually they will relax and enjoy coming to the hand.

Transition To Pellets

This is Paulie. He is a baby greencheek conure. His mom is trying to get him to experiment with different pellets to see which ones are preferred.

My favorite way to convert a small bird to pellets is to place the bird in his travel carrier with pellets sprinkled on the floor of the carrier. It doesn't take long for them to get bored and start to forage on the floor to eat. This method works very well.

So when this youngster came to visit, I used the same method only on the cage floor. Sure enough! Paulie enjoyed grazing on the cage papers more than going to a food cup.

Sometimes it helps to put a tiny amount of seed to get them started.

Rico this big beautiful greenwing macaw enjoyed his stay so much that his mom is going to use my services for daycare! A couple of days each week he will come for the day or maybe an overnight just to have the experience of being around other parrots. When the weather is nice, he'll get to go outside. He'll have fun and a change of scenery. Mom will know that while she is at work, Rico is at play! Lucky bird!

This photo doesn't show the incredible detail but this is a beautiful Arpillaras. (ar-pee-air-ah) It was a birthday gift and I have never seen anything so intricate and lovingly made. These are available through The World Parrot Trust and by buying one you support a local tribe that currently guards a clay lick in Peru. This clay lick is used by thousands of wild parrots but cannot be turned into an ecotourist destination because of its remoteness. Please take a moment to read about this effort. http://www.parrots.org/images/shop/PsittaScene_Creative_Conservation.pdf

Greysie Gets A Shower

Here is a photo of Greysie showering indoors in my bird shower.
You can tell by her posture that she absolutely does NOT want anything to do with it!
Have you ever seen a grey get so tall? Most of the time, she would mysteriously get wet when she was in the big outdoor cages. I could use the hose and have the shower come down over her from far away. After watching the other birds enjoying this phenomenon, she soon began to enjoy it herself. However, in the "real shower" there was no illusion of rain...just rude water cascading down on her. Alas, it did her a world of good and she actually became somewhat quieter for a short time after this incident!

Big Handsome Rico Greenwing Macaw

This is Rico! He has been staying with me for a few days and is a joy.
He plays peek a boo and says "hello" in the sweetest voice.
Rico has food allergies. He eats a special diet of Rice Roudybush and selected vegetables and fruits. His allergies present themselves with sneezes. I have considered food allergies with regard to Buster, my grey, and his feather picking. My newest attempt to improve his condition is to eliminate wheat from his diet. Always trying to find a solution!

My New Bird

Can't quite believe it myself...but I have adopted another bird. This is Sammy. He is a 12 year old cockatiel that was in a Mickaboo foster home for two years. That home was no longer going to be available due to the foster mom moving out of the area so I made the commitment to take Sammy. The foster home is one that I care for when the mom is traveling.

Sammy captured my heart because he was in a small cage and loved to come out while I was there and get his face rubbed and head and neck preened. It also didn't hurt that he whistled the Andy Griffith Tune very happily. What a great little guy.




Now, my house has this happy little character singing away at the top of his lungs. What's a little more noise? As long as the noise is "happy noise".

I have the privilege of having many birds come through my life and this little one just grabbed my heart.