Step Up Training, Day Two: Venturing Out of the Cage
What to do in the early days of new parrot ownership of an older bird. Patience and ambient attention is important. Continue reading Step Up Training, Day Two: Venturing Out of the Cage
Category: Parrot Everything!
Step Up Training, Day One: Waddles has arrived!
…And I want to rename her “Viola”, even though she knows her name and a chorus of “Hi Louie!” and “Hi Waddles!” is echoing back and forth between my main floor and my basement. We met Samantha (the grey) as well, but the other woman decided to brave her fears and take her home. It’s a coin toss over whether or not the grey will … Continue reading Step Up Training, Day One: Waddles has arrived!
Today is the day.
Our neighbor-friend keeps waffling over whether or not she wants to take Samantha, the African Grey or not. Will we be receiving one large parrot, or two? Stay tuned! …I am rather nervous about this… Continue reading Today is the day.
Multiple bird syndrome? Just wait.
They will find you. And there will be more than you know what to do with. It’s pretty rare for a bird person to stick to one bird–sure, if you have a cockatiel who comes out to hang with you sometimes or a canary who sings to you, then maybe you’ll stick to one or two, but when parrot fever bites you, they’r e like … Continue reading Multiple bird syndrome? Just wait.
The Pampered Flock is going to get a little larger and a little less pampered.
Hubby says this episode of our bird-owning lives is like the plot twist in a reality television show–something deliberately messed up to keep the viewer interested. Hurray? So. Hubby is a teacher who knows a teacher who has a friend who knows a friend who has decided that she would rather put down her twenty-year-old African Grey and Amazon parrots rather than worry about either … Continue reading The Pampered Flock is going to get a little larger and a little less pampered.
Flock Mentality – The Pull of other Parrots & Whistle Training
I now understand why Karen (the former owner of the bird shop where I volunteer) told me to keep my budgies in separate cages where they can’t hear each other. Flock Mentality: It’s A Thing. Qtip (our cockatiel) came to us knowing the “Imperial March” and “Zippity Doo Da”. Sure, he’d get stuck on the four march notes like a scratched record we couldn’t quite shut … Continue reading Flock Mentality – The Pull of other Parrots & Whistle Training
Problem: Chewing on things they Shouldn’t
Ozone is a wood chipper. Never underestimate the power of a smallish beak. See that mess beneath Ozone? That is all the remains of a small cardboard cereal box. He can decimate a small cardboard box in thirty minutes. Cardboard anything is the bees knees per Ozone. Some birds are chewers; if they are, there is really nothing you can do to STOP this behavior. … Continue reading Problem: Chewing on things they Shouldn’t
“I live to irritate you!”
…His obnoxious behaviors (like the one above) stem from the fact that they get my attention; kissy noises not working? Regurgitating for my toes producing no effect? Better chew on a bag or some books! Continue reading “I live to irritate you!”
Parrots and Context–A Thing.
Many people speculate over whether or not parrots understand context, or perhaps language on some rudimentary level. I can’t answer the second part of the above statement. But can parrot understand context? Oh yeah. Louie gets it. One of the phrases that Louie knew before coming to us was, “Hi Shay!” which was the name of his human Dad. We’ve never once heard him so … Continue reading Parrots and Context–A Thing.
A First Sign of Illness: A Bird’s Weight
There is one simple sign many parrot owners overlook that can be the canary in the cave of your bird’s health, and that sign is your parrot’s weight.
Buying a gram scale and weighing your parrot regularly could save your feathered friend’s life, especially if he or she is a newer member to your flock. Continue reading A First Sign of Illness: A Bird’s Weight
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