True Nanny Job



Littlest In Middle Stays Warm

 

I have the opportunity this week to be a true nanny to a young family.  The mom and dad are cockatiels and they are doing a wonderful job of caring for their five babies in the nestbox.  In order to have survival of all five chicks, they have to have abundant food.  (Unfortunately, the youngest chicks don't always survive due to the huge size difference.)  But this mom and dad seem to be very successful.  I go over twice a day to replenish their selection of soft foods and fresh produce.  I also let them out to fly about and get the cabin fever out of their system.  After a little flying, it's back to business.  The mom is the diligent caregiver.  She is serious about eating heartily and then feeding the babies.  She scolds the dad to come back in and help out!  He seems to prefer standing guard on top of the cage.  I am pleased to say that all five babies are already spoken for and will be in good homes.  Looks like three "heavy pieds" and two solid yellow or white birds.  Gorgeous.



Mama Eats Ravenously





Dad Stands Guard



Mimic Comfort? Yes!



Zoey and PJ Comforting Each Other

Zoey, on the left,  is staying with me for the first time. She has never boarded anywhere!  It was stressful for her the first day as she missed her mom and wasn't used to a multiple-bird environment.  She found a favorite spot in the cage and stayed there.  

I noticed that she wasn't going to the food dish so I inserted an In and Out cup up where she was stationary.  I also moved an active and happy guest Goffins over to be parallel with her.  PJ would comfort her and when PJ moved around, so did Zoey!  When PJ started eating, so did Zoey!  Now Zoey is more comfortable and I even caught her playing with a toy.  Hallelujah.  She is still a little shy, but PJ will draw out her personality soon!

I also used this method with Lily, a first time boarding grey.  She was taken aback by the environment and stayed quite still the first day.  I turned Lily's cage to put her preferred perch next to Joshua's food dish.  As she watched Joshua chow down, she quickly mimicked the behavior and went to find her food.

There is something magical about watching a bird watch a same species bird next to her for the first time.  A kinship is quickly formed.  I luckily have many eager parrots ready to show the newcomers how great this place is.  Lots of good food and attention!    

Shy Grey Discovers Foraging

Lily is a new guest.  She was quite shy at first and refused to investigate her larger boarding cage.  Her home cage is smaller.  To encourage her to migrate, I turned her cage around so that her chosen position was near Joshua. Joshua is an active grey. She soon learned to climb around and found the foraging toy that was hanging on the backside of the cage. It contained pistachio nuts and papaya pieces.  She forgot her shyness and figured out how to get inside the various cups containing the treats.  Now she is active and eating and having fun.  It just took her a day to settle in and get comfortable. 

Freedom to Hang Out

Some birds are more active than others!  Joshua is what I would call an active grey.  I have provided him his own hanging play area over his cage so that he can expend some of this energy.
 
Recently, I purchased a new toy from Cavalier Bird Toys.  It's called the Big Bird Pull-Thru Parrot Toy.

When I saw it, I immediately thought of Josh.  He hangs around like a bat!

I allowed him to look at it for a day before placing it up on his play gym.  There wasn't enough room inside his cage for getting the ultimate play from this toy.  He was immediately mesmerized by the hanging rings. It took him about one minute to go over and begin exploring.
 
Watching a parrot have fun is so rewarding! 

It Takes Two Baby!



Charlotte and Delphis

 Since the Fourth of July I've had a full house!  How do I do it?  I have help!

Charlotte is seen here working with Delphis who tried to supervise her cleaning efforts.  He would climb down to observe every move she made as she cleaned the grate. 

Delphis cages with his companion, Andres, the hen umbrella seen sitting quietly in the cage as all this action is taking place.

It's a great example of the differences between Goffins and Umbrellas.  Goffins, often called Goofy Goffins, are much more active and inquisitive.  They explore everything and everyone.  Umbrellas are sometimes more reserved around strangers, although not always! 

I appreciate Charlotte so much.  When there's lots to do, it takes teamwork to get the job accomplished.  It's very reassuring to know I have an assistant that can be calm and comfortable around all the parrots.  Everyone here seems to love her!

Velcro Birds

 Artie gives the term Velcro Bird new meaning.  Today was pick up day for three of the guest cockatoos.  When Keith arrived and collected Artie, she would not let go of him!  She played the infamous game of climb behind the neck and evade capture.  Then she literally climbed down his t-shirt.  Due to her history, Artie is handled with kid gloves as to not stress her.  Keith exhibited patience beyond belief.  He eventually shed his t-shirt to coax little Artie into the waiting carrier.  So cute, so funny, and so Artie!

Cockatoos Abound This Weekend

Cockatoo Grand Central

 Currently, I have seven cockatoos in residence.  Who needs fireworks?  Every single one of them has issues with feather destruction.  That puts a lot of pressure on me to return them happily to their homes with their feathers and emotions in decent shape.  Artie, PJ, Rooster, Bintel, Andres, Delphis, and my own Chauncey absolutely crave the Biggie Fuse Beads strung on Poly Rope.  Actually all parrots seem to love these soft pliable tube beads but cockatoos especially adore them. 


Andres Loves Fuse Beads



Delphis Loves Poly Rope

Andres loves to take her time to chew the fuse bead and squish it in her beak.

Delphis has found his delight in the Poly Rope.  I believe these two items have the tactile qualities that parrots crave.  Their tongues fiddle with the spongy textures and they seem to be quite happy and content.  Of course, I am restringing the Poly Rope throughout the day but that task is fairly easy.  I can untie the knots and restring in a matter of minutes.  I use squares of cardboard, woven finger traps, large pony beads, Sunshine Wheels, along with the Biggie Fuse beads.  I tie the strings on a baby link so that I can quickly and easily install and remove these as needed.