Otis (Odie) A Strange Bird

This is Odie, a twenty year old umbrella cockatoo. He spent Thanksgiving with me and was very close to the dining room. He has a rather simple pallet and generally eats natural Zupreem pellets and Monkey Bisquits. Trying to entice him to broaden his menu, I offered him a walnut. To further solicit his curiosity, I cracked it for him. Did he take the bait? Well, sort of. He picked up the walnut and proceeded to chip away at the empty half of the shell. He found the object fun to break up and completely ignored the other half that had all the delicious nutmeat in it! Go figure!

How to quiet a loud guest.

Here is Ben on Thanksgiving. The family is trying to have a nice quiet meal at the dining room table only a few feet away. Ben isn't always understanding about other people eating without sharing the meal. He gets a little loud. My solution was to pull out an old friend of his that he hasn't seen since he arrived at my home years ago. When Ben first came to me, he had a mirror and a bell. Both of which he was glued to! I wanted to promote more activity and removed the two companion toys. He is stronger now and gets around fairly well for a thirty year old conure! Seeing his old friend, the mirror, was the solution. Will I leave it in? No. Will it arrive to pacify a noisy bird at crucial times? Yes! It would not be as effective if it was always available. Mirrors should visit a bird, not be a constant companion. You will notice that Ben was also eating his meal at this time. I wouldn't think of eating in front of my parrots without them having their meal at the same time! Eating is a social affair afterall.

Sierra Goes For A Walk

Such a beautiful fall day. Sierra's mom and dad came by to take her out for a walk around the reservoir! They are spending time in the area sight seeing and researching potential future neighborhoods. They plan to move from Alaska to California when they return from Kosovo.

Apparently, Alaska is a little cold! Sierra certainly enjoys the sunny days outside.

I was amazed at how easy it was to put Lucy's harness and leash on her! She didn't resist much at all! The youngster is ready for anything!

Tiel Community

There is quite the little cockatiel community now at this house. It is very enjoyable to invite them all out to spend some time socializing on the ropes. Bubbus, the newest member of the flock, is a good talker and babbles on and on when he is out. Sammy, a Mickaboo Rescue bird, is a happy little guy always eager to come out. Munchkin, who is an "only bird" at home, has developed a good friendship with Sammy. My older birds, BJ and Lacy, usually prefer to stay in their cage. Like old recluses, they don't venture out much.

SIERRA UPDATE

Here is Sierra enjoying the outdoor cage for the first time. The birds only go out when the weather is warm enough. Sierra is from Anchorage Alaska! Even a cooler sunny day was delightful for her! She obviously loved the fresh air and sunshine. She also loved the walnut that was waiting for her.

Coco Likes His Cage

This is Coco! Coco is a wonderful grey but he is not used to being handled! What a drama king when it comes to coming out of the cage! Once out, he seems fine. His nails were very long like hooks and he was actually getting stuck while climbing around the cage. I calmly and gently groomed him and allowed him to hang out on the ropes with me for the afternoon. He wasn't sure what that was all about.

Then, when he went back to the cage, he ate like there was no tomorrow! So much excitement! He was vamished. He ate apples, corn, grains, cheese, and peppers.

Coco needs a place to relax and enjoy being part of the family. He is a classic case of a cagebound bird.

Long Term Boarder

This is Jessie and Linda with their sweet baby, Sierra. They had the awesome task of finding an appropriate place to leave their young macaw while they are stationed overseas for the National Guard. I am so pleased that they found me and I get to take care of Sierra for an extended term. She is very cute.

As you see, she is a good eater! She loves bananas and cooked grains and I am getting her used to cooked yams.

You'll see her on my blog a lot because I want Jessie and Linda to know that she is happy and doing well. I love my job!

SPIKE THE GREENCHEEK

This is Spike! She is aptly named because her entire head and neck is festooned with spikey feathers. I hope to get her comfortable with having these little keratin sticks gently crushed.

Usually this activity is appreciated by the "single bird." Spike is 17 years old and obviously not used to having this procedure done. I will have to go slow.

Not helping matters is the fact that my right hand is slightly disabled this week. I'm learning to use my left hand, but it's not easy!