Glove Use Around Parrots

Typically I do not recommend wearing a glove around a parrot. This stems from the general fear they have of anything new and different. However, recently I had a problem develop with Artie while she was staying here. She had chewed away at her foam collar and it became positioned over her head and was stressing her out. I called on my son, Paul, to come and assist me. He donned a glove called a "fillet glove" which is stainless steel mesh. Artie saw him enter the room and immediately fell in love. Some birds! I had been trying unsuccessfully to contain Artie by myself and she evaded me by flying and running around. Paul was able to skritch her and love her and calmly cut of the remains of the foam collar without any anxiety from Artie. She seemed to love the glove! So, go figure! After it was off, the neck rub was much appreciated. Artie is home now and doing fine without the collar. It's a wait and observe phase of her recovery. Perhaps she'll leave her chest alone....we hope.

Meet Marley

This is Marley. I have taken on the responsibility to find him a good home. He is a four year old Blue Crowned Conure. I placed him on the ropes with my little old man, Ben, who is in his 30s now. Ben is in the foreground, as if you couldn't figure that out! Marley, standing tall in the background, is active and talkative and couldn't figure out why Ben is so stationary. Oh well, getting old isn't fun. Blue Crowned Conures can be very noisy. Marley, luckily, is a talker, not a screamer (so far). He has so much to say! He is also quite tame and steps up nicely. I will spend some time getting to know him and allowing him to transition to this home before earnestly attempting to place him. But if you know of anyone who would be a good candidate, email me! He has a lot of love to give someone!

Joshua Update

Joshua is making great strides at being a well socialized companionable parrot. He won't step up yet, but he's getting very very close. He adores Claudia who comes to work with him and visit him often. She and Joshua have quite a loving relationship. As you can see from the photo! Trust me, he is giving "kisses" and is very gentle. Joshua is a joy to have here. He sings and talks and does acrobatic maneuvers in his cage. He hangs completely upside down to get you to look at him! Joshua is thriving.

Big Breakthrough With Knuckles

Knuckles has been at my home for quite some time now as he and Big Bird await their home repairs. Big Bird is a young (5 yrs) female greenwing macaw. Knuckles, on the other hand, is a 30+ year male greenwing who has some mobility problems. He had not been kept in a cage before but spent his time on a tree. At my home, he was caged. He adapted very nicely to a large cage with perches positioned for his easy movement. However, he was not open to stepping up and maneuvering down and out of the cage door. It frightened him. So we let him be. I did put a door perch on his door (a short perch on the inside of the door) so we might be able to open the cage door when he was on it.

A couple of days ago, I developed the largest bird room into a "macaw room". Macaws have to be in the same vicinity in the home or you have noise problems. They call back and forth and they do not whisper. Notice the sound proofing tiles on the wall in the photo.

Today I put the other macaws outside as is the normal routine. And, since the room was so spacious, I could move the large manzanita tree over to prop open Knuckle's cage door. Then...I left the room.

Imagine my surprise and delight when I returned and Knuckles had climbed out all by himself! He was quite happy with himself too! He spent the afternoon climbing on his cage and even coming to the tree. He watched as I brought all the other macaws in and put them away in their cages. Then...it was his turn to "go back". He knew what I wanted. However, he was a bit anxious and unable to climb down and go inside on his own. He would evade my attempts to have him step up. He's a big bird on top of a big cage. I asked my son, Paul, to come in and help me. Being 6'4" was the ticket! Plus having one person in front and the other in back. Knuckles knew what was going on. He was a little nervous but he eventually moved around and stepped onto the long stick that I offered. Then, I put him on his door perch and he jumped inside. I think the whole afternoon was successful for him and for me. The next time should be easier!

Hot Hot Hot

This weather is really something. First a cool August...but then, a heatwave! Oh well, when it's hot, get wet! The cockatiel gang enjoyed a drenching from the spray bottle while they were out for some free time in the small bird room. They all tried to turn inside out as the water bottle soaked them. Even Bubbus, who used to migrate away from the mistings, got excited and rejoiced in the wetness. This photo, however, is of The Munch, as he is affectionately known. Munchkin is a favorite guest of the flock and knows the routine around here pretty darn well! He's a very handsome dude, even soaking wet!

I will admit, some parrots are more difficult to handle than others. I have a lot of tricks in my bag but this morning Lulli thought he had the best of me.

I opened his cage door to get him out and he hightailed it to the top of his cage as fast as he could. There, he proceeded to attack a wiffle ball and display his most exuberant taste of freedom. He was really having the time of his life.

I tried to capture his antics with my camera and you can see how fast and loose he was being. The second photo was taken after he slowed down a little.

So, what do you do when a bird goes ballistic and won't settle down? You back off, calm down, and wait (but don't leave the room). He eventually expended much of his energy and decided to climb down to the floor. At that point, I could ask him to step up and get his cooperation. Then he got to go to the large Exotic Enclosure. Lots of space to play!

What to do with all those feathers!

Feathers are a natural resource when you have a parrot. It is impossible not to marvel at their beauty. I collect them daily as I clean the cages and display them in an apothecary jar and vase in my foyer. They are a treasure. But, what to do with them?

In the past, I had frequently given them to a Native American Pueblo near Santa Fe New Mexico, where my sister lives.

But recently, I was contacted by an artist that uses feathers as her medium. She does amazing and unique pieces. See for yourself at http://www.featherfantasies.com/ .

I enjoyed meeting Lorra Lee Rose and was delighted to offer her my bounty of feathers. I would like to encourage my fellow parrot lovers to collect both large and small feathers. (She even uses the tiniest of them.)

I will gladly accumulate them here and make a contribution to Lorra on a regular basis. Don't let them go to waste! It's an easy way to support the arts!

To Each His Own

I have many parrots come through this home. Each one has different preferences. Some take perfectly ripened blueberries or melon and throw it on the floor. Ouch! Others take delight in the offerings. I am amused that Big Bird, seen here, enjoys the juicy tangerines! She uses her huge beak to extract the juice meticulously. All that is left at the end is the clean peeling. Other macaws that I know will only eat the citrus rind and not touch the juicy insides. It is important to note their preferences but not cater to their favorites and exclude new and exciting produce. Preferences can change and tomorrow, zucchini might be their primary favorite! Keep offering! Vary the sizes, textures, and flavors. It does help, however, to put the least preferred at the bottom of the crock and their favorites at the surface. This way they won't toss everything to get to the goodies. Later in the morning...they may go for the greens, or less flavorful veggies.

What would YOU do?

These are wonderful parrots. However, their mom has been very sick. She is in the process of trying to find good homes for each of these endearing characters. They can be adopted individually, but only to serious and commited people.

I can attest that all three would make great companions for the right homes. Chloe is a very sweet timneh African grey. She is a good candidate for condo living as she is relatively quiet and relatively small. She is hand tame and a talker and will make you laugh every day.

Wishes, a red fronted macaw, is quite the opposite. She is much more vocal and should be placed in a home where noise levels aren't a concern. She is brimming with personality! She will make you laugh daily with her intelligent and outgoing persona. She's a very good girl. Red Fronted Macaws are small compared to the Blue and Gold or Scarlet. They become more and more brilliant orange as they age. Wishes is still a baby.

Merlin is a congo African grey. He is more shy but is coming along nicely. He is stick trained and will become a wonderful companion for a person with patience and calm.

If you, or someone you know, is a potential adopter of one of these beautiful parrots, please email me. I can put you in touch with the family that must part with them. The priority is the right home.

Decibel Levels High?

Here you can see Poe and Salsa enjoying their breakfast. When breakfast is served to the masses, all gets nice and quiet...

Lately, I've had a lot of noisy house guests. Lots of Aratinga Conures (ie the noisy kind, suns, jendays, nandays, etc.) and an umbrella cockatoo, aptly named Rooster! I manage the inevitable noise in many ways.

When I enter the room, I make sure that I don a pair of Hearos ear plugs. These are made of foam and if you twirl them with your fingers prior to inserting them, they then expand and protect your ear drums from the shrill sounds. It is important to remember to act normally when wearing ear plugs. Don't forget to talk or sing to your parrots.

I also try to make each room as sound friendly as possible. I do have neighbors! I have acrylic panels mounted on the inside of each window to create my own version of double paned windows.

Next, I mount foam egg crate sound deadening tiles on the walls. This really helps since all the floors are bare for easy sweeping. I've used the foam mattress pads in the past but for the latest renovation, I ordered special acoustic tiles from Next Acoustics. Com. This absorbs a lot of the parrot noise.

My home is surprisingly quiet when you consider how many parrots are here. One reason is, they all enjoy each other's company and have lots of new sights, sounds, and good food to keep them occupied. I make the rounds and give each bird the attention they crave. The noise is just a part of being around parrots. If you react negatively to the noise, you can create a problem. Noise Manipulation is a common behavior problem. Parrots love drama and attention. When they squawk and you respond, whooppeee! What fun. And, what you consider effective, like covering them or spraying them with a water bottle, may be just what they scream for. It's best to just not react at all to the noise and calmly attend to their needs. Many parrots that are escalating their decibels can be rerouted to a song or happy phrase even from a distance. Try it!

Little Miss Winchester

Meet Winnie. She is a sweet little Nanday Conure. Her name is derived from her sorry past. She was shot with a BB gun and rescued and repaired by Mickaboo. Winnie now has a lovely home and a wonderful cage mate named Paco. He is a mustached parakeet. They hang out together and enjoy their active and noisy lives. I love happy endings! Thank goodness for Mickaboo and their wonderful network of volunteers!

Just Another Day at Nanny's

PJ is here! Along with her entire flock family! She is the little goffins cockatoo that has some feather issues. Here you see her sporting her foam collar. It keeps her from denuding herself. She is the sweetest little girl. Below is Simon. He, too, is here with his entire flock family! Keeps me busy! Simon had his nails trimmed and was rewarded for being a good boy with some time outdoors. With the shadows and sunshine, you can see how well he would be camouflaged in the jungles south of the border!

Evade and Resist

In my small bird room, the little guys are rotated out for some free flight time. Here you can see Baby and Tulip enjoying some time to hang together as a pair. They are caged next to each other (but separately). Oh, how they love to visit! However, they tend to evade all attempts to cajole them into going back to their respective cages! It takes some patience and inner calmness to finally get them to cooperate. Eventually they succumb and allow me to return them to their cages and their food. They'll do anything for a fresh millet spray!