Parrot Daycare? You betcha!

Pierre at Sunny Day Camp

Pierre is an only bird and lives in a condo.  While dad goes to work, she gets a day to socialize and experience a warm day outside.  Sunlight may be just what she needs to improve her feather condition. 



Wet and Wild Amazon Girl





It got to 80 today!  So all the birds got a nice mist shower.  Nobody showers like an amazon!  Look at Pierre in all her wet and wild glory!  What fun she had!

I hope she comes often!  When the parrots have fun, I have fun!!!  

Cleaning Day is a Fun Day

Bintel Makes Friends With Charlotte

Charlotte is an animal lover.  She is perfect for coming over on weekends and helping me with the never ending task of cleaning around here.  What I love most is that she takes the time to talk to and interact with the interested parrots all around her.  They feel very comfortable with her and the various activities going on because she is tuned in to them.
 
Here, you see Bintel holding her hand.  Bintel's phone was ringing a lot while Charlotte busied herself in the area.

Thank you Charlotte!  You're a big part of me keeping my sanity around here!  We both remarked on the ability of these characters to make a mess as fast as it is cleaned up.  There's got to be a cartoon in there somewhere!  Just another instance where a good sense of humor comes in handy!

Old Toy is New Again

During this rainy week, I dug into some of the bins of old toys.  I have lots and lots of toys and toy parts.  Probably most parrot households have this same accumulation!  I came across a toy that has plastic chain and a large plastic bell.  I remember putting it away because it was so noisy!  Well, I installed it into Joshua's cage and he loves it!  He hangs from it and does battle with it.  Joshua is a very active grey! 

It doesn't take much to improve a parrot's environment.  A new perch or toy or a food bowl placed in an unusual place can remedy their boredom in a moment.  

Sometimes a cage setup gets very static.  We don't bother to change it up.  This may be due to our feeling that new things scare our birds, or it may be due to our busy lives.  Our parrots are with us for many years and we have the responsibility to keep them challenged and entertained.  A simple rearrangement of what's in the cage or an addition of something new will spark interest in most birds. 

If a bird is terrified of new things, you can work on this anxiety.  Placing the new object near the cage and pretending to play with it in an animated way will get your bird accustomed to it.

Whenever you add something that may be perceived as scary, make sure you don't put it near the parrot's food or water bowls.  You want to introduce "scary things" in the most remote corner of the cage, not where the bird roosts for the night, etc.
 
One common method of introduction when a bird is nervous about new things is to place it in the room but within sight away from the cage, then move it to the outside of the cage, then move it to the far corners of the inside, and then it can be placed in the center.

Remember to calmly talk about the new item and play with it yourself near the bird.  This will go a long way towards showing your bird that the new toy is fun.

Joshua?  Afraid?  Not on your life!  He went right over and attacked the toy with gusto! 

Plenty Keeps Me Busy

Not everyone would thrive in this environment.  And this isn't just anyone's living room!  I am greeted each morning with a chorus of "Hi Ho, Hi Ho, It's off to work we go!" I wish you could hear the chorus. 

Surprisingly, most of the time this home is fairly quiet.  That's a relative determination, of course.  But all in all, for having a house of parrots, they are usually happy and talkative, not screaming.  Since Ben, my 33 year old Blue Crown Conure,  is near the front of the house and let's out a blood curdling alarm when someone arrives, it may not seem quiet when you first get here! 

But back to my day's agenda...Let the fun begin!  I fortunately maintain the right attitude and calmly sing my way around the house as I uncover all the cages and happily say good morning to every bird.  I can keenly observe how each is doing by their posture, poop, and looking them in the eye.  (covertly, of course)

Then I prepare the breakfast bowls, change out the cage papers, and again give each bird their share of attention.  Of course, at that stage of the day, they really just want breakfast!  They thrive being in a multi parrot home.  They watch intently as the breakfasts are served and their neighbor digs in whole heartedly.  

My day gets gobbled up with supplying clean water bowls, fresh pellets and seeds, and the never ending job of sweeping the floors.  There is always a parrot that needs to be rotated to a play area or given a shower or newly made toy.  I have many stainless steel skewers and bins of holed toy parts and cardboard to quickly make something fun for any bird. 

This daily regiment might seem monotonous to some, and it could be that.  But the day is interspersed with the comings and goings of various birds which means I get fun visits from their moms and dads.  Discussing parrot behavior and the challenges of sharing our homes with these intelligent and comical creatures makes for interesting discussion topics!  Also, all of the parrots love it when someone walks through and says hello.   

My home, my business, and my life is not for everyone.  But I love it!  I have the macaw room, the cockatiel room, the conure room, and the living room seen in the photo.  You can see for yourself, I always have something to do!

Visitors Welcome

Hermann Visits Joshua

Joshua has a frequent visitor.  He looks forward to seeing his friend Hermann who comes over almost daily from Rossmoor.  Joshua and Hermann have a connection.  Mainly because Hermann has a calm demeanor and sits next to Josh's cage with the door open and encourages socialization.  He has made huge steps in Josh's tolerating the touch of a hand. 


Joshua Gets Stroked

 What Hermann doesn't realize is that all of the neighboring parrots get a lot out of the visits too!  Minna, Lincoln, Buster, and Buzz (all greys) watch intently to participate in the interactions.  Chauncey and Luve, being cockatoos, watch as well but they have other things to do...like eat.  Greys are so cerebral.  They are the thinkers in the flock.  Cockatoos are the doers.  Barnaby, the large nape amazon, watches and comments with his low grunts and whistles.  When Hermann leaves, you should hear the chorus of "bye byes!"  Everyone enjoys Hermann! 

Luve Goffins



Luve Loves to Forage

 One of the services that I perform is to resupply a parrot's foraging toys.  Keeping them busy while they are "vacationing" here is imperative to their well being.  Luve is a typical goffins which means she is hyper active.  She goes from one activity to the next. 

Here I placed her coconut toy inside her cage freshly packed with shredded paper and a couple of treats.  She looked at it for a moment and dove in as soon as my hand left the cage!  When a foraging toy becomes that easy to solve, it's time to find more intricate forms of foraging.  Perhaps a puzzle toy that has to be manipulated would be a good option.  I'll work on a few different choices to see what keeps her challenged.  This coconut is almost a serving bowl for her!

Life At Parrot Nanny



Echo Stuck Like Glue

 Here is handsome little Echo admiring himself in a type of mirror.  It's not really a mirror...it's simply a shiny washer.  But he will find any shiny surface and keep company with that charming companion nose to nose.  I've moved him to a different cage to avoid this situation.  He and the flock are allowed to roam openly in the cockatiel room and this gives Echo a chance to sneak into the neighboring cage to visit with his image.  It's not bad for a short visit, but inactivity is not a good thing with these guys.  They need to climb, fly, eat, and drink.  Be sure your bird isn't drawn to only one spot in the cage.  Promote activity.

 On a different subject....
I've had some clients voice concern over the Japan catastrophe radiation spreading to the West Coast.  That, plus a very rainy week, has all of the birds staying indoors.  I have been busy showering them and rotating them to the various playareas.  They also have full spectrum lighting available. So having to spend their days indoors is not very punitive.

Do I think the threat of radiation is viable?  Not really.  But I want to err on the side of caution and I want my clients to relax and not be stressed.   

Comfort Food



Kiki Likes The Menu !

 Around here, breakfast is a big deal!  No matter what the birds are doing, they all stop and come down to their breakfast bowls to investigate the morning meal. 
I use the Smart Crock In and Out Bowls because I can install them conveniently where the guest bird like to be, usually up high where they roost and play.  The shallow bowl with the rounded rim make it easy to see the food and scan the various items for selection.  When these foods are in a deep bowl, they get tossed out to get to the bottom! 

Kiki, here, went straight for the apple.  I serve a varied diet depending on the best fresh produce available.  Warm cooked grains (My own Psittacine Cuisine) is always a portion of the meal.  Fresh produce, a bit of cheese or a dollop of yogurt, perhaps some scrambled egg and toast?  Each day is a little different.  I also follow any special diet instructions that the bird is used to at home. 

Do all birds eat everything?  Of course not.  Some reject it completely the first day.  However, once they see the routine breakfast service and watch their neighbors chowing down, they soon learn to try out the offering.  They mimic more than sounds!  I've converted quite a few parrots to my cooked grains! 

In the afternoon, I take my own baked Munch Muffins around and talk to each bird and offer bites of muffin.  These are made with organic oat and barley flours and flax seed meal grated carrots and solid pack pumpkin along with 22 other ingredients to make them great for feather health.  I purposefully exclude corn and wheat. 

All in all, the parrots eat well! 

Rocky and His Mom

Carmen Loves Rocky

Rocky has been a part of the cockatiel flock for a while now.  His mom came to visit him yesterday and saw how he fit in with the other "bachelors".  She will be boarding him here for an extended period and is happy to see him interacting with the flock. 

She experienced, first hand, the attraction (obsession) that Rocky has with Echo.  Rocky wants to be near Echo at all times.  Echo....not so much.  But cockatiels have a way of settling territory and personal space issues without much drama.  It helps to be able to just fly off to a different perch location.  We should all be that quick to dismiss stress in our lives!



Echo and Rocky share Carmen

 When  Carmen gave Rocky some love and attention, Echo came right down to see if he could get his share. 

It's a perfect world when cockatiels can have their flock and human company too!