Cockatiels Out to Play

Even when I'm very busy all the tiels can come out to socialize together. They generally don't really bother each other and if one wants to be too close to another, the offended one just moves off to a different perch. I wish I could do this with the big guys. They need close supervision so that no one gets hurt. I wish I had a large enough play room so that everyone could be out at one time with a safe distance in between. My own birds could probably learn to tolerate each other but I always have some guest birds to add to the flock. They come from homes where they are the "top dog" and it is difficult to integrate them into the group. It's always safest to keep the big birds separated.

Busy Days

These days are certainly busy but there is no better way to entertain the household of parrots than to rotate them to the shower! Here is Barnaby getting good and wet! The cacophony of parrot sounds gets a little quieter after all have gotten their turn. Ear plugs are still the order of the day for me! The birds all enjoy being part of this rather large holiday flock.

Grey Play Day Group

Here is Cassie (on the right) who has become the centerpiece of our group of parrot lover's. She sits quite happily in her basket observing all the happenings. She and her siblings lost both feet in the nest box as hatchlings. This doesn't stop her one bit. If fact, she seems quite able to do just about anything she wants, including perching on Christine's shoulder! It's like she doesn't know she is missing her feet. You should see how long her neck is when she wants to reach something outside of the basket! Amazing.

We've turned our group into a multitasking unit. While we hold up the various items, we also construct toys! Christine brought a generous amount of toy making supplies and we had a fun time putting together toys!

At the top, you can see Niki, Sherry's grey, critiquing her special toy made by Christine. I bet she can't wait to dig in!

Start your own parrot play group! Even though we don't encourage the birds to interact physically, they enjoy watching each other and they love having the company. It's really fun for the birds and the humans.

Toys Make the World Go Around

Here is Buster investigating one of his wooden foraging cups. I try to "serve" his Harrison's inside these cups throughout his cage. I like this version of the wooden cup because the chain keeps the lid from falling to the floor. You can order them on California Bird Nerd. I just keep the links open and collect all of them to fill daily. Moving them to new spots keeps it more fun. The other toy is fabulous too! It is designed and crafted by Christine Arnott. She has a large selection of wonderful toys available for sale. Each is made with safe and enticing materials in a way that tends to keep the toy from falling apart too quickly. The materials are soft and destructible and utterly irresistible to even toy-shy birds. Her website is under construction www.birdybling.net but you can email her to ask about her toy line. clarnott1@aol.com or call Christine at 510-535-0514

Grey Group Model/Rival

Our first Grey Group Model/Rival gathering! Sherry brought her little Congo, Nikki, who was shy at first but really got into it eventually. Christine brought her little footless wonder, Cassie, and we settled her in to a basket in the center of the table. And Buster joined in as well, just as soon as we introduced the word, "cheese". We had a lot of interesting items to work with. We concentrated on Ball, Bell, Wood, and, the favorite, Cheese. Cassie concentrated on chewing up the basket. She wasn't at all sure she wanted to share her mom's attention, even though she was the centerpiece!

It was fun for all and we'll do it again. The greys really watched the three of us use the words for the items and pass them around with animated delight. Maybe next time, they'll actually say something!

POMEGRANATE SEASON YUMMMM

I don't know about your birds, but my flock certainly love their pomegranates! The cages and the floors look like crime scenes but the tangy juicy pomegranates are savored by almost all the birds. This is Kilgore enjoying his portion with gusto. He even closes his eyes as if he is in a coma. The parrots seem to like the flavor and the individual kernels that pop and squirt with each nibble. Messy? You betcha! But it's worth it to see their interest in a food that is truly good for them. Lots of anti-oxidants and vitamins. If you haven't tried them...go ahead. Keep them refrigerated after you split them apart. (Don't wear your nice clothes when you cut into one!) Have fun!

This is Ginny! She has a one track mind. She loves men. I have had her here for over a week and she is the perfect little girl...until a man walks in. She has two personalities. One is shy, demure, sweet, and quiet. The other is loud, insistent, and unquenchable.

She seems to lay in wait for a man to appear. When my son Paul sat down to eat breakfast, she was drawn to him like metal to a magnet. Luckily, Paul is used to strange behaviors from parrots. He just continued to eat as if there was nothing unusual. Ginny was as content as can be just sitting there. She was getting "her fix".

Do Parrots Like TV?

Here is Sierra gallivanting all over the Atom while she watches Polly Vision on my high def television. She and Molly, my Blue and Gold, were having some playtime while I cleaned their cages.
Both of them seemed to be truly interested in the macaws playing and eating in their wild environment. Sometimes this dvd excites the birds into a rather noisy jubilation...but other times, they just seem to enjoy the company of their wild friends.

Grey Class

I have recently read Irene Pepperberg's wonderful book, Alex and Me. Now I'm trying to see my grey, Buster, in a whole new light. We had fun playing the shell game. I showed him three different treats as I hid them under some caps. Then I encouraged him to ask for the one he wanted. Buster never talks to me. He talks plenty, but never to me, unless I'm across the room. He still wouldn't speak, so I changed the game to choosing the one he wanted. He went for the almond. I am hopeful to get a group together to use the model/rivel technique that Irene uses with her greys. If you haven't read this book, I hope you do. It really opens up your mind to just how intelligent parrots are! Cooperative? Not always...but definitely intelligent.

Where's my Daddy?

This is Ginny, a bare-eyed cockatoo. She belongs to some very good friends of mine. Why is she here? Because she is obsessed with the man of the house. She is like a compass and points to her man whenever he is present in the home. Since the home has an open design, you can see most of the living space from where Ginny sits. Ginny has a special "cackle" that seems to escape her whenever she thinks "he's out there". One night, after the birds were all tucked in, I was in the kitchen. I hiccuped and, out of the darkest in the other room, a cackle. Of course, I continued to hiccup...and she continued to cackle each time! It made me laugh and soon Ginny had cured my hiccups! This photo is Ginny going on a walkabout in my home to find her man. Cockatoos love to walk on the floor. It is how they spend much of their time in the wild. The Outback of Australia is probably cleaner than my floors! Just try keeping up with the detritus of ten+ birds and a pomeranian! I need an industrial strength Roomba! Santa? Can you hear me now?