Update On Buster

Buster is still
fluctuating with his feather progress. He begins to grow in the scallops of chest feathers and then, poof! They're gone.

I still give him the Haldol in hopes that it will calm him and remove his anxiety. Some improvement is better than none!

I have managed to teach him to sip it from the syringe (instead of having to wrap him in a towel). One less stress in his life. "Want your strawberry?" He readily takes the syringe into his beak. Still some gets away... oh well.

The latest anxiety for him was when I decided to trim his flight feathers. I believe in letting a feather challenged bird have his wings. But, after the recent traumatic escape, I decided to clip him. He goes outside daily and I cannot risk seeing him launch into the trees. Would he? Probably not...but that feeling is still fresh in my mind.

LESSON LEARNED

It could happen to anyone. We never think it will happen to us but, it happened to me yesterday. Why admit it? Because I want to illustrate how devastating and real this experience is and warn you all...it can happen to you.

He had just arrived yesterday morning and his mom and I discussed his abundance of flight feathers. I should have trimmed him right then and there but for some reason...

I went to bring in Kiku, a cute sweet boarding Blue Crown conure, from the outdoor cage. He had certainly enjoyed being out on a beautiful fall day. He has been here many times and has always easily stepped up and come inside without any problem.


Kiku got momentarily flustered upon seeing me and flew over to me at the door. (This has never happened before.) He was by me in a flurry and flash.

I cannot describe the gut-wrenching sick feeling I felt at that moment. But, I immediately went into action mode. I sensed he had made it to the eave or roof so I ran to get a ladder and climbed onto the roof and looked in every corner. No Kiku.

The amazing thing was how quiet it was. Kiku is not a quiet bird and I expected to hear him call out. Nothing.

I ran around the property calling his name and checking the shrubs, trees, and ground. All quiet...nothing. I used my cell phone and called all the people who could come right away as I rang doorbells and checked neighbors gardens. People were eager to help. "What do we say or do?" they asked. Call his name, "Kiku" sweetly and say, "step up" because that's like "come" to a bird. I also called Kiku's owners which was the hardest call I've ever made.

I had my family and friends searching so I ran in and printed out quickly-made flyers to post on every telephone pole. I couldn't find a photo of Kiku right away so I just said Lost Parrot, 14" green Blue Crown Conure, my phone number and REWARD! I think it would be prudent for you to make a Lost Parrot flyer with the photo and information on it and keep it ready to open on your computer. That way, if this happens, you will have it ready to go on a moment's notice. When this type of escape happens, time is the most important factor.

I think it would be a good idea to have a simple photo of the bird for this purpose. (I always try to capture unique playful or preening poses....a plain photo of the bird on a perch is more descriptive. One of you holding the bird will give a better idea of size.) My sons took staple guns and plastered the neighborhood with the flyers.

My dear friend Shelley who had rushed up to help had her sister calling all the veterinarians in my area. Her friend, Terry, was posting to CraigsList about the lost parrot. All this from their own homes. What a team! I was about to email Gary Bogue, the local wildlife columnist, to hopefully get a mention in his column the next morning but decided to get back outside to search. The email to Gary could wait until later.

Shelley was walking the perimeter of the property again and calling for Kiku. Somewhere deep inside the hedge, Kiku responded. He had flown into the middle of the hedge, well hidden, and had remained very quiet until he heard Shelley calling. (Shelley has played with Kiku many times while in my home.) We both entered the hedge and Kiku gladly stepped onto my hand. I brought him to my chest and held on to my little bundle until I could climb down the embankment and get him inside. The feeling of relief was immeasureable.

Looking back, I think the first time that I walked along the hedge calling for him, I was excited, desperate, and my adrenaline was pumping. Kiku was also excited and afraid and had his own adrenaline rush. He remained silent to protect himself from danger. Parrots are very sensitive to your energy level!

He was missing for one hour but it seemed like six! I am so proud of how my friends, neighbors, and family came rushing to help. His mom and dad arrived and we rejoiced at his safe return. We also clipped his flight feathers! A happy ending to a traumatic event.

I hope by reading this you will give some thought to how you would react in this situation.

Little Shop of Horrors

Doesn't this huge sunflower look like the most wonderful enrichment? It contains large juicy robust sunflower seeds! All parrots love sunflower seeds!

Well, not so. I suppose my parrots are used to sunflower seeds that come from a cannister!

I grew this gorgeous sunflower in my garden. Actually, it grew from the leftover parrot seeds that were tossed out for the jays. The plant became seven feet tall and we had to use a ladder to support the head as it dried. It was heavy!

I brought it inside and hung it in the large Exotic Enclosure in my living room. Two things happened. One, the room began to smell funny. Musty, like an old wet dish rag... yuck. Also, two, the large parrots were freaked out and would not enter the cage! You'd think it was a Harpie Eagle!

Strange enough, the little birds happily entered the big kingdom and played with abandon. (Although they didn't find the sunflower seeds!)

The macaws and especially Chauncey, my cockatoo, panicked and demonstrated the flight response from perceived danger. Their vision is very detail oriented and they can spot the tiniest change in their environment. This type of vision helps them spot the ripened fruit in the lush vegetation or the nut on the forest floor.

Needless to say, the sunflower head is now hanging from the outdoor wild bird feeding station. They know what to do with it! Peace reigns again in this parrot home.

Newspaper Chores

Here is Terry sorting the generous offering of newspapers left on my porch. He sat down to take a load off and I asked him to sort through the newspapers and remove all the color inserts and off size pieces. In the foreground, Jasper tried desperately to supervise. Jasper figures he is so cute, how could anyone not want to play with him! Terry, who is quite used to being around demanding parrots, kept to his task. Thank you Terry!

Cockatoo Mobiles

Here are three cockatoos all enjoying their time out of the cages. Sydney, a moluccan male, and Sophie, an umbrella hen, and Lucca, a male umbrella all live in harmony. They have paper towel rolls to give them something to tear up. The first couple of days these birds are somewhat subdued when I come to visit and take them out. Soon they'll be rambuncious and vocal and I'll have to get out the ear plugs! Nothing gets quite as loud as a cockatoo letting go his jungle call!

The Chatter Never Stops

Barnaby is here and the joyous chatter goes on and on. He is so vocal and lets out his amazon call to the delight of everyone...except Buster, who yells "quiet!" Barnaby is happy and playful. He is always upside down or doing battle with some toy. He has my respect and is handled carefully. An amazon really knows how to play! They also really know how to bathe and how to eat! Come to think of it, "Gusto" would make a great name for an amazon parrot.

Here, you see how beautiful he is. What a guy!

Work, Work, Work

This is a tough job, but someone has to do it! Here you see Shelley taking a break from the cage cleaning, floor sweeping, and other not-so-glamorous chores. There is always a parrot hoping for some special attention. Indy, gets some lovin' and I don't know who is enjoying it more! He is a sweet boy and his feather preening needs always get met.

We laugh at Indy's stubbornness. He puts on a big show about not wanting to come out of his cage...but if we wait long enough, he eventually comes around and decides to "come here."

Kitty Kitty Kitty

My current flock of guest birds are a little confused.
They have repeatedly called my dog "kitty kitty kitty" and then they meow. This has happened before. Moki is a pomeranian. She acts as my vacuum service and has a nice shiny coat due to the abundance of almonds and Harrison's pellets. I guess to the parrots she looks like a cat! Moki has developed great skills reaching into the larger cages with her paws like a raccoon to retrieve morsels dropped on the cage floors. The birds find this funny and they have quite a unique relationship with her.

Macaw or Conure?

Okay, I've had Wishes here for quite a few days now. I understand that some conures are thought to be very close to being considered macaws because they have skin patches on their face. Well, I personally think that the Red Fronted Macaw is a conure! Wishes puts out a constant contact call just like my Blue Crowned Conure. My other large macaws just blast out now and then with their air horn like call. Usually when there is an alarming incident, like someone walking by. Wishes will sit in her cage and make a continual racket. Just like a conure! Shreek, shreek, shreek. She is sweet, and I love her, but I think she is a conure!

Lots of Conversation

Anyone with a talking parrot will understand this one.

When all is quiet and you are in the next room, the birds carry on entire conversations. They seem to be more conversational when no human is present to hamper their dialog. I have the added fun of having "other people's children" here. They are down there talking up a storm! One of them is even having sneezing fits! Someone in that home must suffer from hayfever. Birds certainly are a lot of work, but they offer such great entertainment! Love it.