Living With Parrots Cage Free

The Bird Room Gets Ambience

2012-01-31T22:38:00.015-05:00

Since discovering that Coco appears to be reacting to the increased dust and decreased humidity of the winter season, I have focused on increasing steam baths as well as making environmental adjustments.

For the time being, fifteen minute steam baths will be held on Sunday, Tuesday and Friday. Additionally:

1) I will be purchasing a warm-air humidifier and a hygrometer (an instrument to measure humidity).

2) This evening, I set up a fountain in the bird room. It will provide some additional moisture, acts as a night light and certainly increases the room's ambience factor!

3) I picked up some GSE (Grapefruit Seed Extract) at the organic grocery. Drops were added to the fountain water to discourage germ growth.

4) I will be placing an order for F10 Biocare which I will use when cleaning the fountain and humidifier. This broad-spectrum disinfectant can also be used for nasal flushes and in a nebulizer. I hope I never need to check out the specific directions for these uses!

F10 is an interesting product. Here is a link to its fact sheet: Disinfectant Data.

5) Finally, I picked up a fresh bottle of Hemp Seed Oil. Yes, Hemp Seed Oil has a 'best used by/expiration date' on it! (Remember to keep it refrigerated.)

I will be adding a few extra drops of hemp seed oil to Coco's diet. This is easy to do by tossing some into her vegetables, legumes, greens or mixing it into a nut butter.

It is also great in human dishes such as pasta or spinach salad, as a dressing or on soft bread sticks with some herbs!

I had a busy 'bird' day, and still need to make a decision on which humidifier to purchase. Time to sit by the fountain with the birds and relax!

COPYRIGHT ©2009-2011: ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on my personal postings and images.
They cannot be copied, re-worded, edited and posted elsewhere without my permission.
Thank you.

The Diva Refusing To Bathe?

2012-01-22T20:51:00.011-05:00

It is not the first time in her nearly 15 years that she has gone through a "no thank you" bathing stage. Over the past month or so, I have offered her numerous baths. She showed a reaction that bordered on aversion at times, so I did not push things. Concurrently, I have been sick and not nearly as fastidious about keeping the fine white powder cleaned up in the bird room.

Several days ago, I came home from work, went into the bird room, and my mother's ears perked up. I thought I heard some nare noises coming from Coco. Something did not sound right to me. I grabbed my flashlight to shine it in her nares, and saw that one of the nares was almost entirely stopped up and had some wetness around the small air opening remaining.

At times, feathers (or even food) can find a way into the nares. But no matter, it cannot remain. Sadly for The Diva, this meant an unpleasant experience of being toweled and having her nose cleaned and flushed. While in the neighborhood, the other nare was flushed with saline for good measure. I removed a piece of something resembling a slice of fingernail or skin from her nare, and all was well?? Except me.... feeling a little (naturally) panicked....

The first thing that occurred to me is that I may have transferred my winter illness to Coco. Despite having written many posts on zoonotic diseases (diseases that can be transferred between humans and birds), and fully understanding that there are very few diseases that can be transferred to birds, I still felt a bit of anxiety. In observing her, from what I know of my bird, I saw nothing else that would cause alarm.

So, the first thing that came to my mind was dust - a dust reaction due to her refusal to bathe, combined with my having not kept up with the cleaning and the natural dryness/lack of humidity that exists during the winter.

Not for nothing, any discharge from a nare or blockage in a nare is something worthy of note and concern. A cloudy discharge earns an immediate trip to the vet. I have seen instances where birds have an occasional wet sneeze from dust, but I was not pleased to see a near complete blockage.

At that point, Wednesday night, I decided I would need to keep an eye on it and see how it was in the morning. Thursday morning came, and her nares were open and dry. I breathed a sigh of relief. I couldn't have taken her to the vet at night, and now with the morning there were no further signs of worsening or other symptoms of sickness.

Fortunately, she did not hold the toweling incident against me. The trust account balance was high, and although she was not amused, she did not even growl. She did chew on the towel. And, had I been stupid enough to get my finger in front of her during the nare-cleaning process, she would have not been able to help herself from taking a swipe at me.

It is not easy to make a decision if or when we should go to the vet when the symptoms are not acute and obvious. I had to make a judgment call, and I decided she needed a bath first and foremost. But through circumstances beyond my control, I got home too late on Thursday night to give her one.... but she was not going to get out of a bath so easily on Friday....

Friday morning came, and upon awakening and going into the bird room, my mother's sense again was alerted. Something did not sound right. This time, the opposite nare had wetness and a drip coming out of it. Both nares were still open. However, this just is not good. Not good at all. I had to make a decision - either take her to the vet right then, or give her a nasal flush and a bath right then. Based upon knowing my bird, and making a judgment call, I chose to give her a nasal flush and a steam bath. She again took it well considering that she is The Diva.... and all this was a bit presumptuous of me first thing in the morning... ! She actually enjoyed it... (the steam bath part that is)! She steamed for 15 minutes and did a little self-bathing, but not a thorough soak. However, I was satisfied she was wet enough, and lightly towel dried her and she returned to Fort Coco.

That day while at work, I called my husband numerous times, directing him to shine the light in her nares and give me a full, detailed report. The Diva does not even like him approaching within 3 feet of her, so this was an endeavor on his part that brought much trepidation. But he was more afraid of what I might say if he didn't follow my instructions, so he complied!

Throughout the day Friday, all was well. On each report, her nares were open and dry. She had dried nicely from her bath, and had spent the day vocalizing, eating and otherwise acting normal for The Diva.

Meanwhile, I have a vet that is open 1/2 days on Saturdays for emergencies, so I knew I had a fall-back position if things went downhill.

Since the situation first presented Wednesday night, we were now two (going on three) days into the incident. I admit it was a big judgment call on my part. If I was wrong about the symptoms being a reaction to dust, and she was truly sick, then getting a bath would have been the wrong thing to do. And waiting could have made matters worse as well. We all have to make these judgment calls from time to time and they are rarely cut and dried. I would not want to make that call for someone else though. Erring on the side of caution and taking a bird to the vet is never the wrong thing to do.

By Friday night, her nares were still open and dry. Thus began a weekend long cleaning fest! Everything in that room was cleaned, from the curtains to the budgie-boys! No surface was left untouched or unwashed. We also rearranged the room and removed several items to make future cleaning a bit easier. It was during this marathon cleaning event that I realized just how much powder there was in the room! I picked up a throw pillow that had been sitting on a chair and wiped it against my black pants and it left a trail of white! So everything was washed. We have since applied sheets to all the largest surfaces, and sheets covering the bookcases, to make it easy to once a week remove them, wash them, and then replace them. This will cut down on the surface area that needs to be wiped down. With the amount of powder I found, I was truly surprised that both The Diva and I did not react sooner!

But for a couple of wet sneezes during room cleaning, all has been fine. My husband and I gave her quite the show with all the room rearranging, dusting, vacuuming... she loved it! Every time intermission came, she just sat there and screamed until we returned to restart the show!

Knowing your birds habits, patterns and normal behaviors is not a guarantee that illness will be caught, but it is certainly a help. Beyond that, we have to do the best to assess each situation that arises, and react accordingly. It is not to say that every clear, runny nose is a reaction to dust. I just believed that this one was, with all things considered, and reacted accordingly with a back-up plan in place. But it was still difficult for me. I still second guessed myself, and spent several days checking on her and relentlessly flashing a light in her nares! At this point, it does appear that my judgment of the situation was right - and this I believe is almost entirely due to knowing my bird. We are the only one who is an expert on what is normal/abnormal for our birds.

Through this, I was also reminded of the value of keeping the trust account level high. Needing to towel Coco twice to flush her nares resulted in withdrawals from the trust account. Fortunately, she took it well, and shortly after was cuddling with me and asking for scritches. In the times when we have to wear our mother/caregiver hat, which are hopefully few and far between, it is handy to have the trust account padded so that a withdrawal will not result in the account going into the red. This will ensure much less of a strain on the relationship and much less anxiety for the human.

Meanwhile, another Diva Spa Treatment (steam bath) is planned for Tuesday!

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They cannot be copied, re-worded, edited and posted elsewhere without my permission.
Thank you.

Please Help Coco Help The Gabriel Foundation!

2011-09-20T22:20:00.027-04:00

Coco and I need your help! (Updated!)

(UPDATE: Thank you to all my wonderful readers and friends... Coco's photo WAS THE WINNER! The birdies at The Gabriel Foundation have some goodies coming their way!)

Her photo has been entered in a contest, and the photo with the most "Likes" will win a $50 gift certificate for bird supplies! Coco is blessed with plenty of food and toys, but she wants to donate the gift certificate to The Gabriel Foundation to help parrots that are between homes or in sanctuary.

The Gabriel Foundation is a 501(c)(3) avicultural and veterinary affiliated parrot welfare organization licensed by the State of Colorado, promoting educational outreach, conservation, rescue rehabilitation, adoption, long-term foster care, and sanctuary needs for parrots.

The contest sponsor is My Safe Bird Store, and the voting ends at 11:59 pm Friday (Pacific Standard Time). MSBS carries everything a birdie needs for health and happiness, provides phenomenal customer service, and operates in a bird-free environment. While Coco is in the lead, she has other great birdies on her wing giving her a run for her feathers!

So, spread the word.... Every vote counts!

Step #1: Be sure you are already actively logged into Facebook.
Step #2: Click the link below to open Coco's photo in Facebook.
Step #3: "LIKE" her photo!

---->Coco's Photo Link<----

Coco and I thank you for your support!

Robin

COPYRIGHT ©2009-2011:
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on my personal postings and images.
They cannot be copied, re-worded, edited and posted elsewhere without my permission.
Thank you.

Positive Reinforcement at the Grocery Store

2011-07-31T19:24:00.034-04:00

As many of you know, I have a favorite organic grocery store I frequent named Earth Fare. Containing everything from fruit to make up, it is an environmentalist's dream come true. Right down to the....

Paper or plastic?

That's been a dilemma for years. While I won't get into that debate, I did want to relate an interesting experience I had there the other day.

One day awhile back when I was shopping and it came time to sack up my goodies in the usual brown recycled paper bag, I was asked an odd question:

"Did you bring your own bag?"

I had never thought of that...

"No, I answered."

"We would be happy to provide you one for a small fee that will be used to promote..."

"What?"

You want to charge me for that brown paper bag recycled from dog dung and oatmeal shavings (or something like that)?

Well, I'm not cheap, just a little surprised. Perhaps I need to get out more?

I will tell you one thing - from that point on I made darned sure I brought my own bag. The ten cents was not the issue - it was the principal (isn't it always?). I was just as capable of bringing my own bag as the next would be eco-conscious citizen.

Many months later, my husband and I stopped in unexpectedly so I did not have a bag (I do have a purse, you know what I mean?). I can get more in my bag my husband calls "luggage" than most people can get in the front of the shopping cart where a child sits.

I'm not going to pay for a bag.... I might buy a five-buck starbucks, but ten cents for a dog dung oatmeal shaving paper bag that starts shedding small pieces of coconut hair before I reach the car? No thanks...

Oddly, the cashier offered us a bag, and before I could say anything, I realized that no mention of money had been made.

Hmmm.....

Having lived with my husband for many years, I knew it wasn't necessarily his charm and personality. I was perplexed, but went about my business.

Now, when the initial bag incident happened, it occurred to me that the practice of charging for a bag to encourage people to bring their own, while altruistic, is a bit... behaviorally speaking... punishing. It sure worked for me. And that is the way it is with punishment usually - it often works quite quickly. But we do know that it has the potential to affect the relationship.

For example, I could have refused to ever shop at that store again. A definite affect on the relationship. In many respects, the relationship plays a big role in my response. Perhaps if that was my first ever trip to the store, I may have had a different reaction. The store is a positive experience for me and a place where I am able to purchase items not available elsewhere. This was one thing to weigh against my reaction to the store attempting to change my behavior through punishment.

From that point forward, I worked hard to avoid paying the ten cents by trying to remember to bring my own bag. I even put extra bags in my vehicle just in case. I changed my behavior - which is what the store wanted - but I did so to avoid a consequence. And, if I didn't have a bag, even if it killed me, I bundled up my arms and dumped everything in the passenger seat of my vehicle.

Fast forward - about a week ago I was at the grocery store, and I noticed that the gentlemen in front of me (a good greenie with his recycled bag in hand), was filling out some sort of white piece of paper. When it was my turn to check out, and after all my items had been rung up, the cashier looked toward my over-sized bag (it's a purse, sir... it's a "purse"), and asked, "will you be using 'that' for your groceries?"

"Yes sir", I proudly exclaimed. " I may need to carry the 20-pound package of carrots, but you better believe the rest of it will fit in my 'purse' quite nicely, thank you!"

At that point, he reached for one of those pieces of paper, and a pencil, and said, "Would you like to put your name and email on this for me?" (Why?) He went on, "for everyone who brings their own bag, we enter them in a weekly drawing. There will be one winner per week!"

He may have mentioned what the prize was - I don't remember - but since it was just my name and email, and since it was a drawing for a prize, I busily scribbled my name and email on the paper using my purse as a makeshift desk....

While walking to my vehicle, I thought - now THAT is positive reinforcement! You can either encourage me to bring my own bag by punishing me with a fee if I don't (and potentially affecting my desire to shop at your establishment), OR you can positively reinforce me for a behavior that you like... 'bringing my own bag'.

The store wants to see me repeat the behavior of bringing my own bag. So they asked themselves what might be in it for me. What might make it worthwhile to bring my own bag? The drawing will be running weekly over the next few months - just long enough to get all of us greenies into the habit of bringing our own bags. Then the drawings will come to an end, but we will continue to bring our bags - out of habit. Or, out of the possibility that the contest might start up again at some point so we would want to have our bag with us!

These are the same concepts we employ when working with our birds. We must always ask ourselves what is in it for them. Why should they repeat the behavior? Because they "love" us? Because we "want them to"? I don't know about you, but as much as I enjoy my job (certain parts), I wouldn't do it if I wasn't rewarded with money. A boss needs someone to do a job, and the employee needs to earn money to live on. Each receives something they find rewarding, and it is a win-win for both parties.

While we focus on using positive reinforcement when working with our birds, it is often conspicuously absent in our interpersonal relationships. There, we seem to easily gravitate toward punishment as a means of behavior change. So it was rewarding for me to see that a store was using positive reinforcement to affect behavior, while updating their mailing list at the same time! Double-smart! And, I have the potential of being a winner....

(... wait - what is the prize - a recycled grocery bag?...) !!

COPYRIGHT ©2009-2011:
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on my personal postings and images.
They cannot be copied, re-worded, edited and posted elsewhere without my permission.
Thank you.

When Green Equals Brown !

2011-06-16T21:11:00.006-04:00

Coco was in the mood for a bath tonight, and decided to get fully soaked!

She has been molting for a few weeks, as have been the budgies, so as you can imagine, the bird room is 'well feathered'! In fact, it looks like a small feather pillow exploded in the room.
With the number of feathers lost during a molt, one might wonder why the bird is not naked. But when put in perspective, we realize a bird has thousands of feathers, and not every one of them is even replaced during a given molt.

Once bath time is over, it's time to drip-dry! Even when soaked to the skin, it only takes an hour or two for Coco to fully dry. It is a time she enjoys, rezipping all the feathers and putting things back into place. But she also likes having a little snack during dry-time.

And then when she is freshly dry after a shower, she shines with the brilliance of the sun!

I think this mohawk 'doo suits me well, don't you!

COPYRIGHT ©2009-2011:
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on my personal postings and images.
They cannot be copied, re-worded, edited and posted elsewhere without my permission.
Thank you.

Peeled Please...

2011-06-14T22:22:00.007-04:00

What's up with this - -

I like the grapes and all, but in the future I would appreciate you providing them "pre-peeled" please.... !

Oh, and the same for my almonds, beans and apples while you're at it...!

In fact, why do so many good foods come with peels on them anyway?!

COPYRIGHT ©2009-2011:
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on my personal postings and images.
They cannot be copied, re-worded, edited and posted elsewhere without my permission.
Thank you.

Common Birdie Sense

2011-06-12T15:25:00.014-04:00

At a family gathering a number of years ago, I recall a distant relative complaining to my grandmother that her toddler was still not potty trained. She quizzed her as to the right age for a child to be trained.

"Dear, I've raised 6 children to adulthood. All of them potty trained at different ages. But this I can promise you - not a single one of them wore diapers in high school."

If there was one thing she knew, it was that each child was an individual. And she treated them accordingly. If one of the children didn't eat their dinner, she did not become frantic and call the doctor. There certainly was not the money for that sort of thing. She simply didn't allow them desert, and knew that eventually they would get hungry and eat. She sent them outside to play, or assigned chores (work) to increase their appetite. She seemed to have a keen sense as to when a child was actually ill and when they were just simply feeling like being rebellious and refusing to eat their vegetables. She knew her children, and she knew them well.

Likewise, each of our birds is an individual. Not all birds of a certain species eat the same amount of food daily. Not all macaws love the underside of their left interior wing scratched. And, not all cockatiels like to play with the same types of toys.

We humans seem to gravitate toward taking the unique and making it ordinary... turning the complex into a recipe for sameness, and categorizing the splendor of each bird into the clump of "all"or "most".

The joy in living with a companion bird comes in developing a relationship, learning their preferences, likes, dislikes, and tendencies. Then as any good parront, we help them develop to their full potential. We expose them to different foods, people, and situations carefully and lovingly encouraging them to explore the environment and expand their horizons. We are certainly the product of genetics and environment, but we are also shaped by our experiences. By knowing our birds, we can begin to predict how they might respond to a new situation or food, and are also in a position to know what is normal and when things are not at all right.

Common Birdie Sense.... it helps us focus and not freak.

It allows us to quickly call the avian vet if there is an illness, and enables us to take a deep breath and relax when there is not.

In the bird world, it seems sometimes we see parronting skills that are on opposite sides of the spectrum. One person will write: "I plan to take my bird to the vet first thing tomorrow morning - because I have not seen her take a single drink of water in over an hour!!!" While another person will post a question on a bird forum that reads, "My bird is in the bottom of the cage convulsing and unable to perch. Does anyone know what could be wrong, and if there is some herbal tea home remedy I can give her?" That's where a little Common Birdie Sense can really come in handy. It's just as absurd to freak out that we didn't see our bird take a drink in the past hour (some birds will never be seen drinking), as it is to be looking for home remedies and internet advice for a convulsing bird.

It is really important to take a common sense, educated approach to bird care, and that begins with our responsibility to know each of our birds. To really know them.

As I have mentioned in previous posts, this is also true when it comes to reinforcers. In the same way that each bird has food and toy preferences, birds also are unique as to what they consider a high value reinforcer. And even those are not only personal, but also situational and changeable.

The last couple of weeks it has been hot enough to fry an egg on the sidewalk. Knowing Coco, it didn't surprise me when she slowed down on her food intake. I've seen this in the past during the hot weather. She did not stop eating, but she has been eating less. Using a little Common Birdie Sense, I thought I would change things up a little bit. Normally, she receives fruit as a treat. So I bought some seasonal raspberries and strawberries, and whipped them up with a light tossing of vanilla yogurt. Sugar often sparks appetite, and what better than some juicy berries! Yep - that got her appetite moving again! And being the dedicated parront that I am, I joined her... just to set a good example, you know... !

(Now, if grandma were here right now, I bet she would have a nice slice of homemade pie to go with this!)

COPYRIGHT ©2009-2011:
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They cannot be copied, re-worded, edited and posted elsewhere without my permission.
Thank you.

Think When Considering Expanding the Flock

2011-05-28T13:49:00.023-04:00

Considering a new flock member is an important decision, and will affect many different areas of our life and our existing flock:

1) Food and care costs (perches, toys, cages/environments, etc.)
2) Medical/vet bills
3) Time spent in care and cleaning
4) Time spent in interacting and relating to the birds both individually and as a flock
5) Adjustment to the changes to flock dynamics

It is impossible to predict the affect a new bird will have on the household and flock dynamics, but of this we can be sure: It will certainly have an effect!

When I see the budgie boys flying, preening and playing with one another, I never regret having found two perfect friends for Strider after rescuing him from a tree several years ago. However, it could have gone either way.

There is never a guarantee that birds will get along. One cannot even say "they probably will"! Unfortunately, we simply do not know and cannot predict.

Just a few of the factors that may affect the potential relationship between an existing and new flock member are:

1) Age
2) Gender
3) Species
4) Cage/environment size
5) Method of introduction
6) Unique personalities of each bird

These, along with simply the unknown and unquantifiable, combine to result in either birds that cannot be out together, ever, or birds that (over time) develop close and healthy relationships with one another. One thing is for sure, it cannot be rushed.

By looking at the above list, we can easily see that the success of someone else in integrating a new bird into their flock has little to no bearing on whether or not we will be able to do so. Just as one toddler may joyously greet his new little brother or sister, another may have quite a difficult transition.

Our utmost priority must be given to considering the affect on ourselves and our existing flock. These are the birds we have committed to care for, love, and provide forever-homes.

If we are already stretched to the limit with time, money and space, it may not be the right time to add a newbie to the mix. If our personal lives are in an uproar or unsettled due to moving, job changes, financial pressures, relationship issues and the like, it may not be the best time to expand the flock.

While anticipating the best, plan on things not working and the birds needing separate spaces. One of the worst mistakes to make would be to bring a new bird into the flock and expect him to immediately share digs with an existing bird without planning for each to have their own area. It is simply not fair for either bird. Do not assume birds will, or should, get along and easily share space. Even if they do share space, that space needs to be very ample. The best of friends can get on one each others nerves when in close quarters!

Always quarantine! I have written several posts about the necessity of quarantine. Yet, I am always amazed when folks skip this step. Especially when they cite that they are 'anxious' for the birds to meet one another. I'm anxious to visit foreign countries, but am I so anxious that I do not take the time to check with my doctor and see if I need to be vaccinated against malaria, food borne illness, cholera or who knows what else? It is just common sense, wise and saves a lot of time, money, pain and heartache. Nothing like ruining a vacation with a great case of Montezuma's Revenge!

Finally, avoid the temptation to make an impulse decision because a bird is "just so cute", or "I've always wanted one of that species", or "they really needed to be rescued". Consider you and your flock's needs, and ask friends to help with the objective analysis. Certainly, there is always the emotional component to any decision, but that is easy for us to think about. The help of a close, honest and supportive friend is invaluable in assisting us with an objective, unbiased analysis.

If in the end you decide that flock expansion is in your future, take the time to prepare, research, and set up both quarantine and separate full-time living spaces. Create opportunities for the birds to be successful in their interactions with one another, and ensure that when both birds are with you, both birds experience good things.

Planning and preparation always increase the chances of success!

COPYRIGHT ©2009-2011:
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on my personal postings and images.
They cannot be copied, re-worded, edited and posted elsewhere without my permission.
Thank you.

Coco Eating Palm Nuts and Pandanus!

2011-04-26T18:45:00.011-04:00

Coco received a super treat today... a delivery of fan palm nuts and pandanus fruit from The Cozy Nestbox in Miami, Florida. I was so anxious to see her reaction to these tropical delights!

First things first.... wash and rinse as I would any other produce:

===========================================
What exactly is that new thing you want me to try???

Well, maybe just a little taste.....

Hey, not bad... not bad at all! Thanks!!!
I'll take a little more of that, please!

Quite unique! I love the orange fleshy part!

===========================================
This is Coco enjoying the pandanus fruit, a true tropical treat! It is a fibrous fruit, and the birds take great efforts to peel and remove the outer husk to reach the prized inner nut:

Pandanus fruit, and palm nuts of all varieties, provide loads of enrichment. The pandanus fruit, in particular, may take a day or two of work before a bird reaches the inner nutty reward.

COPYRIGHT ©2009-2011:
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on my personal postings and images.
They cannot be copied, re-worded, edited and posted elsewhere without my permission.
Thank you.

Coco Trying a New Food Item

2011-04-25T22:26:00.004-04:00

This video, filmed just prior to the video of the budgie boys, shows Coco getting in on some healthy eating action of her own!

She has always been a fairly good eater, usually willing to try new foods with some encouragement. When introducing new foods, consider the following:

1. Offer a new food along with existing recognizable favorites.

2. Offer a new food several days in a row. Do not give up if it is initially snubbed.

3. Variety and presentation is critical when it comes to acceptance. Offer the new food minced, diced, chopped, chunked, grated, raw, cooked and cooled, pureed, etc.

4. If possible, allow the bird to watch the food preparation process while you "talk it up".

5. Consider adding a new food to a favorite mash base such as sweet potato or mashed beans.

6. Many parrots love birdie bread. This can be a method for introducing a new item, increasing nutrition and even using up pellet crumbs. (Just collect them each day, and refrigerate them until it is time to add them to the batter.)

The mix in this video contained brown rice, organic hydroponically grown bibb lettuce, a small amount of thinly sliced apple, and one new item (rottini pasta made from carrot). Enjoy!

COPYRIGHT ©2009-2011:
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on my personal postings and images.
They cannot be copied, re-worded, edited and posted elsewhere without my permission.
Thank you.

Budgie-Boys Expanding Their Cuisine!

2011-04-21T20:56:00.004-04:00

The budgie-boys are better than most when it comes to eating. In addition to a high quality, organic seed blend that I mix myself, they will eat grains and beans. They have not, however, been terribly keen on vegetables and fruit with the exception of a little carrot and an occasional bite of apple.

So last night I made them a bowl of brown rice, thinly sliced apple and shredded, organic, hydroponically grown bibb lettuce! I tell you the bibb lettuce is really delicious, and I had hoped to get them interested in the world of greens by starting with the bibb lettuce.

After 10 minutes of being curious, but hesitant... finally.... all 3 were willing to eat. And eat big they did! And they also finished a bowl of the same mixture tonight. The video below shows the fruit of my labor (pardon the pun), with all of them really enjoying the entire mixture. A little seed was sprinkled on top to pique their interest.

I hope you enjoy the video as much as they enjoyed their new cuisine!

COPYRIGHT ©2009-2011:
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on my personal postings and images.
They cannot be copied, re-worded, edited and posted elsewhere without my permission.
Thank you.

Bear Pictures - FINALLY!

2011-04-10T18:33:00.012-04:00

After all these years, and even face-to-face bear encounters, we have yet to get one picture. That is, until tonight... JACKPOT!

Steve left the house to take Barney for his walk, and just as they were headed down the driveway, a mother bear with THREE new baby cubs suddenly appeared from behind some trees. At that point, Barney and Steve were about 30 feet from the 4-some.

(Sorry that the pictures are not that great, but the last thing you want to do is chase down the mother and ask for her autograph!)

When Barney saw them, you can imagine what transpired. I was in the bird room when I heard barking. I immediately knew something was wrong, because Barney rarely barks, and only for a very good reason. So my first thought was bears, but it is a little early in the year to see them. And, before tonight we had not yet seen any.

As soon as Steve saw the bears, he grabbed Barney, and with him in his arms literally ran back up the drive way and the stone steps into the house. While our experience with bears in the past 11 years is that they shy away from people and are not aggressive, we also do not feed them or give them a reason to approach. Yet, a mother with three newborn cubs is a whole different animal - and Steve knew it would be critical to get inside as soon as possible so as not to concern or upset the mother bear.

Just as Steve was walking into the house with Barney, I was coming from the birdroom into the living room. I knew something was up, when the first words out of his mouth were, "is the camera ready with batteries?" The answer was yes, and I stayed inside the house to keep Barney calm and not barking while Steve went out onto the deck to see if he could get some photos. These photos are taken just outside the bird room. Fortunately, the mother and cubs remained in the driveway long enough to get a few photos!

Aren't they the cutest little cubs?! The good news is that mom looks very healthy and fat. It is unusual to see a mom with even one baby, so to see her with three cubs was a huge treat!

The general cycle of black bears is to breed in June or July, the gestation period is 235 days, and cubs are born in January or February. At birth, they average 10-16 ounces and are 8 inches long. At 5 weeks of age they are mobile, so we know these cubs are at least 5 weeks old. To us, they appeared to weigh 15 to 20 pounds, and are probably about 3 months of age having been born in early January.

We are so excited to see and introduce them to you - perhaps we should have a naming contest!

Enjoy!

COPYRIGHT ©2009-2011:
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on my personal postings and images.
They cannot be copied, re-worded, edited and posted elsewhere without my permission.
Thank you.

Cleaning with Hot Water and Soap?

2011-04-02T21:36:00.010-04:00

It has been awhile since I've done a blog about 'cleaning'... how much can you say about the topic? For those of us with birds, it is simply a part of our daily lives!

A few months ago, I was surprised to read that good old hot water and soap is on the 'outs' as a cleaning method. I even had one person warn me that it was dangerous and to stop using it. (And to think that most of us still use it for our dishes and baby items... goodness!)

I was shocked to read that many simply rinse a bird's food and water dishes with hot water, but never use soap. They do occasionally swish with vinegar. If they do the same for their own dirty dishes, I can promise you I will turn down their dinner invitations!

For gosh sakes, it really makes me wonder sometimes. Has common sense fled the planet?!

It is a sad day when soap and hot water are deemed dangerous.

As you know, I have used the dangerous soap diluted in hot water in my home for many years on both my own dishes and the birds. The type of soap I use for the birds is "Murphy's Oil Soap" partially because it works well on wood, and mostly because it contains 98% natural ingredients. It is well diluted in plenty of that old fashioned, out-of-date hot water! But if I were to run out of it, I would not hesitate to use the clear, scent-free soap that I use on my own dishes!

So I thought I should get up on my soap box (oops, pardon the pun), and show some new cleaning pictures. While lots of soap and water were used in these pictures, no birds were harmed!

(Really, it is just a great excuse to post some new pictures of the budgie-boys... how cute are they?! They are smooch-able cute!)

So, what does the bird room look like on a typical day when I get home from work? Coco's area looks well used:

And the budgie-boys try their best to keep their area just as tidy!

Time for a little cleaning! Within 15 minutes, it will be brand-spanking, sparkling clean!

STEP #1: The Scraper:

This is what Coco's area looks like after it has been scraped:

STEP #2: The Sweep:

This is what the budgie area looks like after scraped and swept (but prior to vacuuming):

This is Coco's area after a scrape and sweep (prior to vacuuming):

Scraping and sweeping by hand is fast... maybe about 5 minutes if I don't get distracted by birdie-helpers!

Add another 5 minutes for a good vacuuming, and I'm ready to spray down their areas with a bottle containing lots of water and a little bit of soap:

What to do... what to do while waiting for the spray to soften so that I can easily wipe their areas clean? What better opportunity for a quick little bath! It is also a time when I swap out the water dishes, replacing them with the ones that were cleaned the previous night (you guessed it...) with hot water and soap!

You will notice that some of the budgie perches have a little 'ick' on them, but that will be taken care of in the next step!

This is a mixture of soap diluted in lots of hot water. A good old fashioned wash cloth (used only for this purpose, and thrown into the washer for sanitizing) is excellent at getting into all the corners. I first wipe the perch surfaces before cleaning the flooring.

Every nook and cranny can easily be cleaned - good as new!

Coco's area gets equally clean, although it never stays that way for very long!

And now, my favorite time of the day: mommy-birdie time!

COPYRIGHT ©2009-2011:
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED on my personal postings and images.
They cannot be copied, re-worded, edited and posted elsewhere without my permission.
Thank you.

Coco Getting A Little Scritching and Doing a Little Talking!

2011-03-22T14:54:00.007-04:00

Coco was in the mood, this evening, for both scritches and talking!

Does Ignoring Really Work?

2011-03-19T18:56:00.029-04:00

Oh boy... I've been seeing a lot of "just ignore it" advice going around lately. So I feel compelled to write about this topic again.

It usually goes something like this: "you don't want to reinforce the biting/screaming, so just ignore it when he does that. Then he will LEARN not to do it."

Learning is an interesting thing.

I learned not to sass my mom because one time when I did, she shoved a bar of soap down my throat. I learned alright - and quite fast I might add! However, learning is not the only thing to consider when effecting behavior change with our birds. We must also consider how the relationship may be/is affected by the method we choose.

Methods of achieving behavior change in order from least intrusive on the relationship to most intrusive:

Positive Reinforcement
Negative Punishment
Negative Reinforcement
Positive Punishment

If my bird bites me, and I squirt water in its face, it might quickly learn not to bite me. If I squirt the bird, and it bites less, behavior change was achieved by means of positive punishment. This is also the most intrusive method. So I might not want to choose that method first!

But we must remember that there are 4 methods. It does not mean that we always and only choose positive reinforcement. I think that is not realistic and in many situations there are good reasons for choosing something other than positive reinforcement. But it is realistic, and my responsibility, to understand what method of behavior change I am utilizing, and what affect it is having on my birds.

My mom only had to put soap in my mouth once. She probably knew that I would not be happy with her for doing it. But she only had to do it once. She made a choice on which method to use, for her own reasons. I think we should be doing the same with our birds - understanding not only the bird's behavior and response, but also our behavior. I want to clearly know how my choices affect the bird's behavior and my relationship with her.

Any attempt to change behavior must be analyzed in the context of whether it results in an increase or a decrease of a particular defined behavior. Behavior that increases has been reinforced. Behavior that decreases has been punished. So to say to someone "you must ignore your bird's screaming, so you do not reinforce it," is simply not a valid analysis or conclusion.

If we respond to a bird's screaming by leaving the room, whether the action of leaving the room is reinforcing can only be determined by analyzing the behavior to see if it increased, decreased or maintained. This is why it cannot be declared that 'ignoring' will not result in a behavior being reinforced. That cannot be determined until we examine the frequency of the target behavior after the ignoring has taken place.

How does this 'ignoring' advice that is so frequently suggested to be used on birds work on our fellow humans? Let's see...

I call my husband to dinner.
He 'ignores me' (doesn't hear me/chooses not to respond).
I get annoyed.
I yell his name louder.
He 'ignores me' (doesn't hear me/chooses not to respond).
With an even louder and obviously irritated tone of voice, I say:
"Dinner is READY!!!!"
He 'ignores me' (doesn't hear me/chooses not to respond).

Any ideas what I may do next?

Most likely, I will escalate my behavior.
In fact, I already have escalated my behavior vocally.
I may also have moved toward him as I was vocally escalating.

Next, I just might walk over to him, yank that stupid x-box controller out of his hand, use it to knock him over the head, smile at him and say, "As I was saying: DINNER IS READY, (sweet-thing)!!!"

Did this interaction improve my relationship and communication with my husband?! Hmmmmm......

We do not have to imagine how we feel when we are ignored. We have all experienced it. And if it works to 'teach us a lesson', we are not left with a warm fuzzy feeling inside. We might even feel manipulated or coerced. It doesn't leave us feeling calm and happy.

What is reinforcing to one bird may not be to another; what is reinforcing on one day may be punishing on another. When the advice to 'ignore' behavior is given, it is done so with the implied idea that the companion is looking for a way to decrease an undesirable behavior such as biting or screaming. If successful, my bird still has not learned what I would "prefer it to do" or what ways in which it may gain something it finds rewarding.

While it is important to teach a bird what not to do, it is equally (if not more) important to teach a bird what TO DO.

Let's say the bird starts screaming.

I walk away. I'm waiting for the bird to take a breath and stop screaming.

I wait, and wait and wait....
And, wait and wait....

People are often amazed at how long a bird can scream without seemingly taking a breath! Much longer than most people have the patience to ignore!

And then I wait, and wait some more as the screaming continues.

If there are other family members around, they might not be on board with our training methods when they cannot hear themselves think!

And then I wait, and wait some more as the screaming continues.

Finally, the bird takes a breath, is distracted by something, and stops screaming for a moment.

Finally, the golden moment I have waited for has arrived! I run into the room, and give the bird a treat and praise.

What have I just taught my bird?

Scream for 20 minutes, take a breath, and she shows up.

Tomorrow the bird will be prepared to scream for 21 minutes if need be, to gain the reward of the companion showing up with a treat.

With Coco, it is my goal to address 'screaming' when she is first starting to get geared up to go to the ball game. I can tell... as I am sure all of you can with your birds as well! I do check to be sure she has everything she needs, just as one would with a crying baby. Is the curtain open? Should it be closed? Radio on? Should it be off? Wrong music station? Food? Water? A snake on the deck? Having an understandable need for some time with me that I should not ignore?

Don't we do this with our children? Does anyone ever suggest that we ignore a crying baby so that they 'learn' that crying doesn't gain it anything? We try to address the situation and affect behavior change when the child is starting to get geared up... not after it has been screaming its lungs out for 30 minutes.

Behavior change is not about providing a recipe for what to do, in order of how to do it, and then voila... no more screaming/biting, etc. However, I will say this: I rarely respond to screaming by leaving the room. If she is gearing up, I usually go toward her and see if I can get her interested in something such as playing with me and some toys, or taking a walk around the house, or (fill in the blank). I try to address it before the screaming starts, not after..

As I am so fond of saying, "The only bite that cannot be inadvertently reinforced is the one that does not happen." The same is true with any behavior - including screaming. We are good at watching body language so that we can avoid a bite. The same can be applied to screaming. Watch the body language. It may be 'vocal' body language. It is with Coco. But she also displays body language such as standing tall or perhaps pacing when she is getting geared up. Through the benefit of a relationship with her, I learn what triggers her, what situations may cause her to gear up, what to avoid, what to change, how to redirect her attention, what signs she displays when she is feeling uncomfortable, and so forth. Then I have the ability to try to get her involved in an activity that she finds reinforcing, and situations where she has the chance to gain something rewarding!

A busy beak is a happy, quiet beak.

Want a treat, little girl?!

Birds That Love Their Toys Too Much!

2011-03-06T19:07:00.007-05:00

In my last post, Enrichment, there is a video of Coco playing in her box. You may have noticed that she seemed much more interested in her box than in helping me make a great video for the blog! She was almost too interested in her box to try the bean mix... almost!

So, what if I concluded that she 'ignored' me in lieu of playing with the box? That she was more interested in the box at that time than me! Should I take her box away so she will pay more attention to me? Should I be concerned that she seems to like the box a lot more than me??

You may see where this is going.....

We recognize that providing mental, physical, visual and auditory enrichment is an important part of our role as a good caregiver to our companion birds. Therefore, we rightfully spend a great deal of time, thought, effort and money on toys and other forms of enrichment.

However, after spending all this time, effort and money, when we finally find a toy that our bird really likes, how do we react?

Are we threatened that they are spending too much time with the toy and ignoring us?
Are we concerned that they will "bond" with the toy, and stop wanting to be around us?
Do we moan and groan because they spend a lot of time looking at the 'birdie in the mirror'?

Hey - isn't that why we got the toys to start with? So, they would play with them?!

It sure seems such a bizarre dichotomy... who thought there could ever be "a bird that loved their toys too much"?!

Perhaps the problem is not that they love their toys too much, but that we are concerned or convinced that they may "love us less", or not at all, if they are allowed to keep a toy they really enjoy.

Do we really think that the bird is confused into thinking that the plastic toy in the cage is a real bird despite it not moving, breathing, chirping, regurgitating, preening, eating or flying?!

We acknowledge that our birds have the intelligence of a child between the ages of 1 and 4 (depending on the species). If our toddler had a favorite rattle, doll or blanket, would we take it away for fear they were liking that toy 'just a little bit too much'?

Instead, we let them carry the dirty blanket around, and sneak it to the washer while they are sleeping. We encourage play, even independent play, and are thrilled when we find a toy that the child actually likes to play with (as opposed to the wrapping paper!). We love seeing them play by themselves or even with their little friends, and are not at all concerned that it will affect the 'bond' that we share with them. We recognize that we are not their entire life, although a big part of it, and it is important for them to have a well-rounded life and experiences. But this knowledge flies out the window (pardon the pun) when it comes to living with our birds.

Far too often we become threatened when they have a favorite toy. I will even read of people responding by removing the toy that "is coming between them" and the relationship with their bird.

Really???

Our relationships with our birds are such that they can be threatened by a plastic toy, perch, swing or favorite mirror?

Can the mirror give them rides around the house or millet treats? Can the swing whistle and sing funny songs with them? Is it necessary to deprive our birds of a toy they enjoy because we are concerned that it might become a threat to our relationship?

This is also often cited as the main reason not to allow a bird to have another bird friend. ... "oh - don't dare do that... the bird will really like the other bird and stop paying attention to you.!!!"

Well, if this were actually true, and it was what made the bird happy (spending time with one of its own species), then shouldn't we place the happiness of our bird ahead of our own desires and expectations?

The good news is that birds, like people, can enjoy a variety of relationships and activities, all without the companion feeling insecure or threatened that a toy may be coming between them and the bird, and making a decision to dump the toy. The budgie-boys do things with each other that I cannot do for them: preen, regurgitate to one another *yuck*, and have relay races. On the other hand, I provide them with activities, treats and rewards that they cannot gain from one another. There is room in their lives and in their hearts for both.

But to take away a favorite toy because I am concerned that they are 'liking it just a little too much'? Wow.... In other words, I am threatened by their enjoyment of the very toy I bought for the purpose of enjoyment and enrichment!

Before taking a toy away from your bird, consider this:

Is the toy being removed because it is in the bird's best interest to do so? Is the bird really loving the toy too much, or are we insecure and afraid that the toy may be "coming between" us and the bird? Food for thought!

Enrichment

2011-03-03T20:37:00.001-05:00

Sorry, the video upload cut off at 10 minutes, but was actually about 11 minutes long. All you missed at the end was me saying that I would like to do some more posts in the future about enrichment - how it is different for each bird, and how we can provide enrichment without necessarily spending money! I hope you enjoyed the chance to see (and hear) the budgie-boys and Coco! Everyone is happy, and some of the flowers have already begun to bloom on the mountain top!

12 Hours Later...

2011-02-19T12:34:00.004-05:00

Just as a reminder:

This was last night at bed time (she looks so 'innocent'):

Twelve hours later:

Are those shark-teeth marks on the edge of that box?!!
*looking around for the next vic- I mean 'box'*.... !

Early Spring Cleaning!

2011-02-18T19:48:00.003-05:00

Coco continues to enjoy her box, but I was thinking it was getting a bit 'deep' in there?!

This box is in great shape compared to previous boxes that 'bit the dust'.

Again, anyone who needs packing material please speak up!

I did feel it was time for a bit of a cleanup, to remove the old shreds, make room for new, and to clear out the dust, feathers and even even bits of pellets and other miscellaneous treats that could be lurking beneath.

Naturally, I was not sure how she would react. She has never had a problem with me 'messing' in her box, nor has she shown the least bit of aggression or concern. So I decided to see if she would allow me to really clean it out and wash it down.

She was more than happy to sit back and watch the show. Notice the relaxed body position. Is she smiling a little?!

There we go... all cleaned up!

The Fort-Maker never replaced the slat in the back right corner. Now that she has it shaped into a perfect dagger, she has left it alone!

...Hey - what is this??

I think I can see my reflection!Is it safe?

The new box made for great photos, but it is a bit too small. So I switched it with one that is significantly larger. I do not want to create too small of a 'hole' to crawl into. So I changed it out.

......
.......
.........
...........
...............

Twenty-four hours later.......

......
.......
.........
...........
...............

It's a darn good thing I took pictures to document that I did, in fact, actually clean!!!

It only looks this good because I have the excess shreds shoved into the back right corner behind the egg carton. She's a happy girl - time for bed now!

Valentine's Day Cards

2011-02-16T23:37:00.003-05:00

And as a surprise, Coco cleaned up her area before I got home... look how sparkly-clean she got the floor!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-13T20:29:00.003-05:00

When Reducing Hormonal Behavior Does Not Work

2011-01-22T15:54:00.016-05:00

When we discuss hormones in our companion birds, and ways we can reduce undesirable behaviors and egg laying brought on by those hormones, it is easy to find a list of "do's and dont's" offered on bird sites and forums. While following these recommendations may help reduce some hormonal behaviors and egg laying, there is a problem...

What happens when nothing works?!

At best, the companion is frustrated. At the worst, they are made to feel they did not truly do everything suggested, or they would not still be having problems.

Far too often, dealing with undesirable behaviors and egg laying (brought on by those hormones) is painted with a broad brush. It is human nature to want to help, and folks are anxious to regurgitate the 'list of answers' that has been floating around avian circles forever.

Often egg laying, in particular, is labeled as a 'husbandry issue'. In other words, this means that doing things, or failing to do things, are the sole reason a hen lays or chronically lays. Thus, it is purported that we have the ability to completely stop egg laying if we try hard enough.

So, what does that mean when we can't?! When despite all best efforts at following recommendations a hen still lays?

Experiencing hormones is normal. And in reality, it seems there may be a number of birds that for whatever reason will lay eggs, like clockwork, even large clutches, despite all our best efforts.

I have a logical mind, so it occurs to me that if we in fact have the ability to stop a hen from laying with proper husbandry techniques (meaning, following the 'list of recommendations'), then conversely doing the exact opposite should mean lots of eggs, and that could be tested!

That means we should be able to take a bird (or a couple), bring them into our home, put them in a cage, and do everything we are told 'not' to do.... give them lots of light, lots of nesting material, feed them warm foods, high protein and abundant diets, and make sure we touch them on their backs and under their wings alot...

Then.... voila.... lots of eggs! Hey, no more endangered species if we follow this tact! The birds would lay tons of eggs because we were doing everything opposite from the things we are told not to do so that egg laying and hormonal issues can be avoided! Could it be that easy? I think not. Otherwise, entrepreneurs would seize upon the opportunity and the market would be flooded with fluffy cute little chicks of all species. Many of us have hens that never lay, and many more 'break the rules' without any eggs being laid.

It seems to me in my travels that "hormonal behavior" is equally if not more of a concern than chronic egg laying. We want to do everything we can to reduce or eliminate hormonal behavior. Why?

There are only two reasons I can think of:

1) Because "hormonal behavior" is inconvenient for me; and/or
2) Because we do not want a hen laying eggs and potentially become egg bound or nutritionally deficient.

Of course, the second reason does not apply to male birds. Therefore, when speaking of male parrots, the one and only reason for wanting to reduce or eliminate hormones is because the bird is doing something that we find annoying or inconvenient.

Perhaps the bird desires less human interaction. It is labeled as "hormonal". If the human does not respect this, the human gets nipped. The bird is labeled "really hormonal!"

So instead of giving the bird its space, the focus is placed on attempting to manipulate the bird's environment to make them "less hormonal". Why? Is it perhaps so the bird can better meet our needs? We want to interact, and we expect the bird to be the same - all the time? Humans are not the same all the time. We have days we don't want to interact. We don't take it personally or think the human "hates" us. We do not label each other hormonal. We say things like "I need my space", and "I just don't feel like going out tonight", or "I need some time alone."

So, let's see how this might look for a companion and bird:

* Bird experiences normal hormonal changes, and often times is more interested in chewing wood and looking in a mirror than interacting with the human.
** Response: Human takes away chewing toys and mirrors because they are "interfering" with the relationship between human and bird.
*** Result: Frustrated bird? I say there's a big chance the answer is yes! I know I'd be pretty frustrated if I was enjoying a quiet activity and somebody came in and took my book away from me and demanded me to interact!!!

Then the human is surprised when bird sits on perch listlessly, starts to pluck, or starts to scream. I'd scream too! The companion took away 2 things the bird was enjoying because it was "more interested" in the wood chewing and mirrors than stepping up! What's wrong with that?! Time to consider things from a different perspective, in my opinion.

It cannot be a coincidence that so many people are having no success in reducing hormonal behavior and egg laying despite following all of the traditional recommendations, while other people break all the rules and experience little to no hormonal issues or egg laying. Obviously there is something missing... something we do not know!

I say - if the things on the list help, and work, then wonderful! Do them in abundance!

But if they do not work, it is frustrating to see the person treated as if they are still doing something wrong because their bird is still laying eggs. It is time to try something new.

We must recognize that we humans do not have all the answers, and that some things simply don't work for certain birds. We must be willing to treat our bird as a study of one, doing those things that are best for our individual birds. And, if the things 'recommended' do not seem to be working for our bird, then willing to try something else even if it is the opposite of what has been recommended.

RIP Lickle Box.... You Were Loved!

2011-01-18T20:16:00.005-05:00

RIP Lickle Box....

It was only 'with us' for two days.

But it was loved, from the beginning to the end....

You may not be able to tell from the pictures, but all that is really left is a roof and a little bit of its floor. Both sides and the back of the box are almost, well, demolished! She continues to be incredibly calm, and as you can see, quite busy as well! Nothing like a mission and a hobby! I did remove a small plastic grocery bag full of shavings to make more room - and because the shavings were falling out the sides of the house!

=====================================================

Hey! I would never get away with pulling a stunt like that and making a mess!

A Day Off So I Can Work?!

2011-01-17T14:11:00.006-05:00

There is nothing like a day off to get some work done!

The birds and I were up fairly early today, and I have spent most of the day cleaning and cooking (for both myself and the birds).

It is time for another batch of Birdie Crock Pot Surprise! I think I have 3 or 4 "ice cubes" of bean mix left, so time for a new batch.

This time, I plan to add a bit more rice to add firmness and extra grain value. I'll also be including cous cous and some tri-color rotini for fun.

I still have plenty of dry beans left over from my purchase at the organic health food store many months ago, including four different types of lentils, black beans, garbanzo beans, split green peas, split yellow peas, garbanzo, pintos and kidney beans. Penske especially loves anything orange, so I will definitely include carrot and sweet potato in this mash.

For the budgie-boys, I mash some up in the food processor before I freeze their ice cubes.

In the meantime, the bird room is in the process of getting a good cleaning (now that Coco has received her bath)! Look at that dirty face already!

Coco, Meet PigPen!

2011-01-15T17:56:00.011-05:00

The sun has been an infrequent visitor to the mountains as of late, instead being overshadowed by Mr. Snow. But this morning was an exception. The sun shone brightly as I entered the bird room, and Coco greeted me with a happy, full body shake. As I gazed across the room toward her, I could clearly see she was encircled in a shroud of bird dust! Oh, my gosh - shades of PigPen from Peanuts came to mind!

Time to see if she was at all interested in a bath! While I would like her to have one, it is still her choice. I prefer not to mist her in the bird room, if I can avoid it. If I were to mist her in the birdroom, before she became sufficiently wet I would have to stop to build an ark to get the budgies to safety!

So I brought the mister into the room just to see if I could pique her interest, if even a little... and then hoping that this would encourage her to desire a regular shower-bath.

Then I reached for the treat cup to see if she was interested in taking a trip to the bathroom. I had previously heated it up, including warming the cold porcelain tub, in hopes of a positive reaction.

As we walked into the bathroom, and I lowered my arm into the tub, I watched her carefully. If she is not interested in taking a bath, she will start walking up my arm toward my shoulder. Otherwise, she will step down off my arm into the tub.

If she starts walking up my arm, I may wait a minute and give her a second chance. But if she doesn't step into the tub the second time, only a fool would try it a third time!

Fortunately (whew!) she stepped down immediately! She was as anxious to take a shower as I was to see the dust cloud in the birdroom settle.

She showered for about 15 minutes, and probably would have stayed for hours if I had let her. It can be tricky knowing the best time to call bathtime complete. I will watch her to see when she is showing less interest, walking away from the water stream more often or maybe starting to preen a little.

Because she knows it is an opportunity to receive a treat, she also looks forward to coming out of the bathtub. As she steps onto my arm, the treat cup is there for her to take a little bite if she wants (and she usually wants!) as we walk back to the bird room. Then she can spend several hours busily zipping her wet feathers... Doesn't she look beautiful all cleaned and dried!

Eventually it will be time to get back to shredding activities! She continues to be so fabulous in behavior. Last night she took food from my husband's hand twice (with me in the room), and this morning he was in the room alone with her and she gently took several sunflower seeds from him! She has a mission and a project (and, taking it quite seriously, I might add!), and is in a wonderful birdie frame of mind. The more relaxed she is, the happier I am. Then she picks up on my happiness and relaxes even further... and so on and so on it goes. It is wonderful to see her project as it progresses....

Time to look for a new cardboard box, already!

Snow, Snow and More Snow!

2011-01-11T22:29:00.003-05:00

And then, more snow! This past Friday night we received 5 inches of snow, and then another 10 inches over the weekend. I'm hoping to get off the mountain sometime tomorrow.

However... surprise, surprise... it is snowing again! The slush on the roads has refrozen, and it looks like we will get one inch of snow overnight to add to the existing mess.

Is it a ski slope? Nope - wait - it's the road!
Watch out... no guard rails!!! Keep to the right of the pink flags!

Wheeeeee!

The driveway leading to the house:

Looking from our driveway down at the road leading off the mountain:

Gotta love snow days, though... lots of bird time!
(Or lots of time to get belly rubs from dad)!!!!

Poor Me!!!

2011-01-02T14:11:00.005-05:00

It's pretty bad when you have to scratch your own head!!!

Redecorating Continues!

2010-12-28T17:50:00.008-05:00

The redecorating project continues! The only question is... when do I replace the cardboard box?

Perhaps when it no longer stands up on its own?!

You will recall a month ago when the redecoration project was in its infancy stages:

Obviously there was much more work to be done!

Fast forward one month, and she continues to seem quite pleased with herself happily showing off her area without hesitation or concern:

She even allows my husband into her area with only a low grumble (always needing to be sure he remembers that entry is permitted only at her specific direction)!

Although excited (especially when I first come home from work), she shows no sign of problematic hormonal behavior. While much focus is on the box, ample time is spent out of the box with customary activities such as foraging, singing and daydreaming.

Coco was happy to see me this evening, but did greet me with a bit of a mess!

You can see a number of items from bottle caps to a shredding toy that received the old 'heave ho' today.

She greedily accepted a favorite treat from my hand: black striped sunflower seeds.

I was able to get off the mountain this morning, with the snow plow having made one pass yesterday and an additional scraping today including an application of sand/salt. As I went down the mountain I passed two vehicles (both 4-wheel drives) that were stuck trying to get up the mountain. Another 4-wheel drive vehicle was spinning and going nowhere at an intersection past the bottom of the mountain - despite being pushed by two burly men.

While I had no problems, for the first time ever I had to use 4-wheel drive 'low' in order to get out of the driveway!

===============
"I'm not sure, but I think I may have missed a piece....!"
===============

By the way... anyone need shredding material?! Anyone?!!!

The White Christmas Continues!

2010-12-27T14:58:00.003-05:00

As of Saturday evening we had 7 inches of the white stuff:

But now we've got over a foot! We lost power on Sunday for 5 hours, for about 30 minutes in the early morning hours of Monday and late Monday morning as well. The internet has been intermittent. All other times the power outages have been brief or simply brown-outs.

Good news - - the generator works just fine! I've been spending a great deal of time in the bird room knitting where the generator is able to maintain the standard room temperature. The generator also ran the radio and the coffee machine, so I was all set!

At first, the birds were a bit taken a back by the noise of the generator, and were quiet. Once they became accustomed to the humming, all returned to normal.

For Coco's part, she was a bit suspicious of the snake-like cords that were used to hook up the portable heaters. So I stayed in the room with her while they were in use just to ensure she did not launch an aerial attack against the offensive snakes!

This is our Ford Ranger, on Sunday, although in the photo it looks more like an F-250!

And then a picture today where we have removed some snow from the side to give a better picture of the additional snowfall overnight:

The snow has stopped falling, and we are not predicted to receive any more. We are experiencing gale force winds, so what is on the ground is being blown in a fashion reminiscent of the arctic tundra. The road crews are having difficulty keeping the main roads clear due to the drifting snow. So we are not expecting to see a snow plow anytime soon and will probably remain on the mountain at least until Wednesday. We have plenty of food, water and fuel, and I am enjoying the extra time with the birds and my knitting needles!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

2010-12-25T09:33:00.002-05:00

It is a white Christmas this year!

(view off the deck this morning):

Merry Christmas to all!

Christmas Eve Dinner

2010-12-24T13:36:00.004-05:00

Mmmm.... mom made me a special Christmas Eve dinner! Adzuki beans and rice! Absolutely delicious.....

Merry Christmas Everyone!

One Foot Up?

2010-12-23T10:49:00.016-05:00

Hey, I'm the first to love a good fairy tale... they offer perspective, and usually teach a life lesson. And, they end with 'happily ever after'!

The bird world has its share of tales, but I will refer to them as 'old bird tales'. They do not teach a valid lesson, end up passing along incorrect information, and potentially harm birds and their companions. They certainly may not end 'happily ever after'! Information is everything, and perpetuating false information is something that gets me riled up.

One of these old bird tales that reared its ugly head this past week on a bird forum is the "one foot up" rule. "The way to know if your bird is healthy is if they sleep with one foot up and their head tucked back. If so, they are perfectly healthy; no worries. If not, they are very sick!"

What? Really? Rubbish!!!

And silly me - I thought we looked for signs such as diarrhea, lethargy, nare discharge.... what was I thinking!

So then, how easy would that be (if true)? Instead of worrying about whether our birds are eating, drinking, their demeanor, their droppings.... skip all that - just watch them sleep! One foot up and head back - no worries... both feet on the perch and head forward.. hurry to the vet! Rubbish (oops... I'm repeating myself again.... I must stop that!)

Anyone who has had birds for any length of time knows that they are each unique, and as humans, they assume a variety of sleep positions. On the side of the enclosure... upside down... foot up, feet down, leaning forward, some even have been known to nap on their back, laying down or in their food bowl!

It is really dangerous for people to go around claiming that this is an accurate predictor of health. It could lull a companion into a false sense of security and change the focus away from other symptoms. On the flip side, someone with a bird that sleeps on both feet or in some non-conforming position could freak out for absolutely no reason.

So to be clear - birds sleep in a variety of ways.... and it is very individual to the bird. One night this way... and perhaps the next night a different way. Now if the bird is sleeping all the time, then that is a different symptom. But to simply look solely to the manner in which a bird sleeps as an accurate predictor of health is to miss the whole picture. Birds are individuals.

So, as companions, we should spend our time observing the whole bird, recognizing what is 'normal' for our bird, accounting for individual differences, and watching diligently for symptoms of ill health.... during the daylight!

And they all lived happily ever after!

What are 3 Birds in the Hand Worth?

2010-12-16T20:21:00.003-05:00

What are 3 birds in the hand worth?!

Priceless!

I love these boys more each day... and they bring me so much pleasure just watching them have relay races, chatter with one another, preen and just meditate together!

Look at the Mess You Made!

2010-11-27T10:02:00.038-05:00

On May 21 of this year, in my post Hormonal and Nesty Behavior, I wrote of acknowledging the spectrum of behaviors commonly referred to as hormonal-ness or nestiness as opposed to overtly attempting to suppress them. In other words, approaching the annual cycle by allowing Coco to experience the changes - neither directly encouraging or discouraging her natural behaviors, but attempting to create a supportive environment within which she felt comfortable to express them in a healthy manner.

On October 10 of this year, in my post I Always Stay Put, I wrote of Coco's propensity to head to the corner of the room when I entered. This was most likely the beginning of her seasonal hormonal changes. Additionally, in that post, I discussed the role that the fall season's lighting and temperatures changes may play in triggering the hormonal changes. Over the years, I have found February through April to be Coco's 'most' hormonal time, but do feel that when she began to 'corner' in October, this was the start of the seasonal change.

Last year, I experimented by giving Coco an open cardboard box within her main house where she could create a make-shift nest if desired. Unfortunately, I cannot recall exactly when I gave it to her, but believe it was early February. Mind you, giving a female any nesting materials, let alone a make-shift box, is not something generally recommended. However, I have always wanted to do the things I felt were proven to work best for Coco and me even if they contradicted conventional wisdom.

So in preface, I will say that much of what I write about in this post may, and most likely will, fly in the face of advice provided by experts of both the true and self-appointed sort. In that regard, I can only say that my goal is to do what works best for me and Coco. I am willing to continue evolving my behavior and approach as her needs or desires seem to indicate to me as her companion that an environmental tweaking may be in order. That means considering the advice of all sources - including my own intuition.

As I wrote in my May 21 post, I believe that notwithstanding dealing with chronic egg laying, the temptation to attempt to reduce hormonal behavior in birds may emanate more from a human's desire to make the bird a better companion to us, rather than a desire to allow them to be the best bird they can be. And I also believe that in certain (perhaps many) instances, denying a bird the ability to express their natural hormonal behavior, and have it acknowledged in a healthy manner, could actually cause greater frustration and potentially set the stage for behaviors of far more concern - such as relationship issues between the bird and household members or even feather destructive behavior.

Last year I witnessed significant positive changes in Coco as she received the open box and began creating her area. If nothing else, she was certainly busy! So this year, she received the box earlier - within one month of me observing her heading to the corner of the room. Needless to say, she has completely disregarded the room corner (works well for me!) in favor of the more desirable corner within her personal space.

She is very proud of her nest, and seemingly anxious to show it off when I approach. While my being in her area is of no concern, she does show some small signs of boundary issues with my husband. However, since he stops when she begins to become uncomfortable, these have subsided. Last night we had company, and she showed no hormonal behavior or territorialism.

Overall, she has been calmer than ever. When she began going into the corner, she was also doing some regurgitation. However, this has stopped since she got the box. She does very little displaying, and encourages my advances into her space and interactions with her. Naturally, I try at all times of the year, to be very respectful of her space and enter when invited.

Additionally, I aim to be sensitive to changes she makes in the area. If she drops something, I give it back to her. But if she throws something out of her space, I remove it from view. I interact with her in such a manner as to consider what might be 'annoying' to me if I could possibly put myself in her position, and then do my best to react accordingly.

In her overall environment, I am doing none of the things that are often recommended for attempting to "reduce hormonal behavior". Nor am I necessarily doing the exact opposite, but again attempting to take a supportive role. Well... I understand that the experts advise to take away cubby holes and to not provide shredding materials, so in that regard I must accept my maverick status!

As for light, Coco goes to bed with the sun and rises with the sun. I have not reduced her soft foods, but have found that she is presently less than interested in them. Most important, I believe I am giving her an outlet to express and act upon her natural desires, and if it means that I am unable to approach her during this time, then so be it. I would rather her express those hormones, than become frustrated and potentially fall into truly destructive behaviors. To my delight, I have found a much more calm, settled bird than I could have imagined, one that desires interaction and is equally calm around family members and strangers alike.

I say all this through the veil of understanding that Coco is not a chronic egg layer (has never even laid one egg), and that I am quick to alter her environment if in the context of our relationship I see that it would be for her good. It is about meeting her needs, not mine. Therein, I am not recommending or advising this course of action for other bird companions, but simply detailing my experiences with Coco especially over the past two annual cycles.

I do believe that introducing the box in November instead of February has made, and will continue to make, a great deal of difference in her overall mental health and interactions with me and her environment. I also point out that the 'box' is not a traditional nesting box or an enclosed cavity, but simply a simulation that I hope allows her to express her natural and instinctive nestiness in a supportive environment, while I remain keenly aware of my responsibility to respond to her unique and changeable needs and desires.

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!

2010-11-25T15:57:00.001-05:00

Thanks Arlene (aka.pody)!

Make My Day!

2010-11-07T19:21:00.006-05:00

"Go ahead, punk... make my day"....

(Punk.... I mean, Mr. Daddy!)

Ok, I must admit - I've been feeling a little 'edgier' than usual. Mom says it is just that time of year, and that I may feel this way for awhile. Sometimes I just have this overwhelming urge to ask to see a Clint Eastwood movie...

In fact, when my daddy closed the curtain for me this evening (after having to scream *twice*... humans can be so dense), I seriously considered reaching over and grabbing the edge of his flannel shirt....

It was so tempting. Of course, I might have wanted to go a little further and ever so *gently* press my beak into the deeper layers of the flannel part that covered his arm....

But alas, dad and I have an understanding. I allow him in my area to do what he needs to do (and no more), and then he must leave my presence. Now, if I say 'bye' when he enters the room, I expect him to turn around and leave. (I must admit we are still working on this a bit.)

It is not an easy task to train a human daddy. For my part, I agree not to scream in his ear when he is directly below me cleaning up the toys that I have scattered. I amuse myself with dropping them over and over again.... ha! What a sap...!

But really... is it wrong to be amused by watching the humans pick up my toys time after time? I think not! I believe it to be enrichment for them, and goodness knows we parrots understand the importance of keeping our humans enriched!!

Chop-chop, humans, this floor is a mess!!!!!

PS: What does the dadders mean when he says I am lucky that Barney likes chicken and not parrots?

It seems to me all he really likes is napping!

Trick or Treat?

2010-10-30T14:49:00.014-04:00

How about this:

Give me a treat, or you may soon be known as the 9-Finger Lady!

Happy Halloween everyone!!!

She Tempts Me, She Tempts Me Not?

2010-10-12T15:07:00.016-04:00

In the course of my business interactions, today I came across a lady who has a budgie, two cockatiels, an umbrella cockatoo, an African Grey and an Orange Winged Amazon! Now, that's a bird room full! And to top it off, her daughter has a Green Cheeked Amazon. All were hand raised babies, and she seemed to be a caring and knowledgeable companion to her large flock.

Orange Winged Amazons (along with Lilac Crowned Amazons) are generally known to be amongst the calmer of amazons, usually good talkers and make great companion birds:

Credits

Beautiful, yes?!

To the untrained eye, Orange Winged Amazons are often confused with Blue Fronted Amazons.

Green Cheeked Amazons (also known as Red Crowned Amazons) also make wonderful companion birds. (I say that as if I think there is any amazon that doesn't make a wonderful companion bird? You know I love them all!)

Credits

Just stunning.... !

The client's 16 year old son is the main keeper of the Orange Winged Amazon, and given his age and accompanying activities, apparently the bird has taken a bit of a back seat as of late. It sounded like there had been some cursory thoughts of re-homing. We had quite a wonderful bird conversation which culminating in her asking me if I wanted another amazon.

Oh my!!!

Do I want another amazon? Heck yes!

(I also want to stay married!)

It is quite the coincidence that just the other day hubby and I were discussing how much noise (a good kind of noise) that the budgie-boys make now that they are together. When Strider first came to me via the tree I climbed, he was quite quiet. Moving into the fort and gaining two friends (especially the noise-box Penske) has brought about constant singing and frivolity.

I was commenting that if Coco had an amazon friend, I can only imagine the banter that might ensue! As it is, she has loud vocal contests with the crows and pileated woodpeckers. Additionally, I am fairly convinced that she can hear the yellow fronted amazon that lives about a quarter mile away from our home. There are times I think she is conversing with the neighbor bird!

I certainly have room for many more budgies as well as another parrot. The biggest consideration would be introducing another parrot to Coco, the new bird's ability to transition to cage-free living and whether Coco (or the new bird) would want to share even a large space.

Having the conversation with her was sort of like dreaming about buying an upgraded computer, redecorating the house, or taking a trip to Tahiti. Fun to think about, but perhaps not practical or obtainable. Ah, but ever so tempting.....

I had to say no, of course.... (but, just between me and you, I still have her phone number)!

I Always Stay Put...

2010-10-10T13:22:00.014-04:00

Of course I always stay in my fort when mom is not looking.....

Naturally!!!

I am fortunate that over the years, Coco has learned to stay in her fort (for the most part) when I am not in the room.

When I enter the room, that is usually a cue for her to head down the ladder or fly to the corner of the room for play time. However, when I leave the room, she immediately heads back. It was not necessarily something I 'trained' her to do, but something that became part of our routine. Initially, of course, she was well rewarded for returning to her cage-free area. Now it is simply habit for lack of a better word.

I began keeping her in varying degrees of a cage-free environment when she was less than 6 months old depending upon the circumstances of our home. Even during the times when she had a cage large enough for me to stand inside and close the door, her door always remained open - day and night. She did learn to return to the inside of the cage for a treat, a skill that came in quite handy for me.

She has now lived in the fort my husband built her for about 3 years. I wouldn't have it any other way, and I think she would agree. I am so happy we created it for her, and the budgie fort, and even more pleased that these have inspired many of my readers to build similar spaces for their birds.

The unobstructed view is only one of the benefits:

Even when it is not feasible to provide a completely cage-free environment for a bird, every little bit of freedom creates opportunities for enrichment, empowerment, foraging and more.

Coco spends a great deal of time foraging for food during the day:

In addition to foraging, other activities include watching and listening to the budgie-boys and observing the mountain wildlife through the sliding glass doors.

Of course, she can also lap the room if she chooses (and does)!

Check this out... one of the remnants of an earlier lap this week. An amazon parrot's secondary flight feathers are a beautiful navy blue with red edging:

Fortunately, these are normally the only souvenirs she leaves me. She is good about returning to the fort to relieve herself.

During the years of fort living, there has been only one instance of unapproved chewing. That was last year when she chewed on the door jamb. As you recall, the fort-maker left the door ajar, and it was simply too much to resist. We have since placed pieces of wood around that area to prevent any further episodes.

She has not (yet) chewed any of the many other items of wood and furniture that she can easily access. Since these items are in her space, it is my bad if there is anything that would cause me upset if she chose to destroy it.

I don't know about where you live, but here it is shaping up to be a beautiful fall! Coco's molt is now complete. Fingers are crossed that the budgie-boys will be finished soon as well.

With the onset of the cooler fall evenings, many begin to turn on the heat. This can trigger hormonal fluctuations in many birds. Naturally, this does not mean we should not provide heat! But it does cause me to consider the variation between day and evening temperatures, and ensure that there is a variation with the emphasis on cooler evenings. My goal is to have bird room temperatures that range 15 to 20 degrees between the daytime and the cooler evenings.

In the fall and winter, the average day temperatures in the bird room range between 75 and 80 as the room naturally warms when the sun shines through the glass doors. Once the sun sets, the room begins to cool. If needed, I turn on the electric ceiling heater to remove any chill from the room and to ensure a steady temperature as close to 60 degrees farenheit as possible.

This winter, I will certainly rest easier having the generator in place. While we managed exceptionally well during the 3-day power outage last Christmas, I have no desire to repeat that experience! I apparently acclimated the birds to the cooler temperatures better than myself!

A New Mix for the Budgie-Boys

2010-09-10T18:10:00.011-04:00

The budgie-boys are enjoying the new mix they received this week! As a bonus, I have discovered that with access to the organic grocery store and an entire aisle of grains, beans, nuts and seeds, mixing my own is less expensive than buying off-the-shelf mixes.

The custom mixes are supplemented with pellets, sprouts, vegetables and grains.

This particular custom blend includes:

Oat Groats
Golden Millet
Golden Flax Seed
Buckwheat Groats
Hulled Sesame Seed
Hulled Safflower Seed
Hulled Sunflower Seed

In addition to gathering the ingredients for the mix, I picked up some organic pecan and walnut pieces for The Diva, Coco.

The cost of the entire order: $4.29.
The cost of the 1.75 pounds of budgie mix: $3.00.

On average, 2 pounds of store-bought mix for the budgies ranges from $6.99 - $11.99 or more!

And the boys do love the custom-blend mixes. No preservatives, no food coloring and no waste. Purchasing in small quantities and keeping it in a mason jar ensures it is consumed while fresh. Each mix ends up being slightly different.

No matter what, Penske will always be my carrot-man... he loves his orange vegetables!

Coco was not about to be left out...

She received the pecans and walnuts, two of her favorites.

She also had an opportunity to chow down on some Birdie Crock Pot Surprise:

A little special goodie for everyone!

Hey, what about me? !!

Share and Share Alike

2010-09-02T14:10:00.005-04:00

In my last post, I shared pictures of the budgie-boys on my hand eating millet.
I wanted to now show a video of their interaction. This will demonstrate how they share, yet also jockey for position and even occasionally posture and beak toward one another.

This type of interaction is quite valuable - not only to support their relationship with me, but also to encourage sharing and relating with one another. I want them to learn and experience that a reward for one is a reward for all.

While posturing, jockeying for position and even beaking toward one another is seen from time to time, these behaviors are not fighting. In the proper circumstances they will not even escalate to fighting - they are part of the interaction and the relationship. We even see this behavior in outdoor birds as they jockey for position and take turns at the family bird feeder.

Birds that are housed together in conditions that do not provide ample personal space, lack opportunities for exercise and do not enable the ability to get away from each other will produce conditions where birds are at risk for developing relationship problems that could degrade into fighting. This is a dangerous situation, as birds can and do hurt one another.

You will see in the video that each bird has their turn (even Penske) at holding their own and receiving first dibbs at the millet. Even Strider, who has been with me the longest and is the most assertive of the three boys, gives it a rest during the video and allows the others to enjoy the millet without his interference.

Of course, Coco makes a cameo appearance in this video as well! She is most unimpressed with the budgie-boys, but intrigued by checking out her dad who is standing on the other side of the screen door to monitor her activities and ensure that she plays in safety.

Enjoy!

Eating From My Hand

2010-08-28T13:42:00.008-04:00

A special millet treat for the budgie-boys, and look at Penske! My shy boy continues to come out of his shell to get his fair share! Love these boys... !

After finding Strider in a tree near my office, it took 6 months for him to come to my hand for millet. The first several months, you might have suspected he "didn't like" millet! He certainly did - he just didn't want to take it from me! But time and patience allowed trust to flourish and his personality to come to the forefront.

Penske and Bucky came around much quicker, but Penske has always been my shy boy. No doubt, every bird just like people, has their own unique personality. Some will be quicker to warm up to human interaction, others might seem shy or moody, while others might be more interested in playing, napping and meditating.

While I have often read of splitting up birds for "training", I choose to focus on interacting with the birds together, allowing them to decide if they want to receive a reward and get in on the action. They are each empowered to choose. This allows me to take advantage of the 'monkey-see, monkey-do' principal.

I know that when Bucky (normal green budgie) and Strider (yellow face type 2 sky blue budgie) quickly fly to my hand for the millet, it certainly makes Penske (olive green cinnamon greywing) interested in getting in on the action! He has a limited window of opportunity to receive the treat, and over time I have found he is much quicker to gain his share of the reward. I believe this also helps the boys learn to share, not only treats but, my attention.

While there doesn't seem to be much room on my hand, all 3 manage to find a spot!

I Gave In

2010-08-27T09:12:00.002-04:00

Whoops - I gave in.... I am so weak and pathetic! I was holding out for that country ham, but I ate my dinner last night. I know.... I am an embarrassment to the staffet hounds of the world.... but my mom diced up some liver bits, and I just couldn't help myself!

I'm on a Hunger Strike

2010-08-25T21:20:00.006-04:00

I know I haven't had much to say lately, so I suppose I should fill you in on what's going on in my life! See, I'm reserving all of my energy as I am presently on a hunger strike.

It all started about a week or so ago, my mom was making a sandwich and dropped a piece of ham on the floor. Naturally, I was there to snarf it up (erm - I mean, I was there to make sure that the floor didn't get dirty?) - - yes, that was what it was!

3 second rule, right?

I'll tell ya what... I'm not positive the piece of ham actually touched the floor, but if it did, it was certainly for less than 3 seconds!

Since that time, I've had some serious emotional issues.

I must admit - my mind has been quite troubled. I now realize that this ham stuff, along with roast beef, turkey AND swiss cheese is kept in a bin in the refrigerator.

Yet - none of this has ever been added to my dinner. So - I am refusing to eat until my dinner bowl is 'beefed up' a bit.

Tonight, my dad tried to trick me into eating by putting some bacon drippings on my food.

No can do, dude.... unless you want to dredge some meat through those bacon drippings. I'm not settling for dry kibble with some canned food mixed in any more - I've put my paws down! (Well, actually, I've put them on the bed...)

Oh - memo to the supposed chef: since when do I eat canned peas and carrots? If they are leftovers, and you don't want to eat them, please don't put them in my bowl until they are mixed in a country stew with real beef gravy!

I'm not sure how long I'll hold out, because they've stopped giving me any treats. However - joke is on them - they also stopped giving me my breath biscuits and I think they may regret that in the middle of the night.... !

Meanwhile, I continue to conserve my energy so that I can beg for some more of that high quality country ham....

Birds Who Live in Wood Houses

2010-08-21T11:07:00.007-04:00

As is the saying about people who live in glass houses....

Birds who live in wood houses shouldn't chew perches!

But if one is to chew their perches, it might be best if it is done while one is not actually standing on the perch!

It can result in an impromptu and unexpected trip to the ground!

Oooh, it must have been so humiliating to get dumped onto the floor.... !

Whoops... left an exposed screw, and we cannot have that! Time for an immediate fix! This perch was also an important transition perch between the pole and main house.

Although, she could certainly use flight to navigate, The Diva expects her fort area to be perfectly maintained...

The Master Fort Maker has since replaced this perch with an oak dowel. It will be a bit harder to chew through... Or will it???

For Coco, it just presents a new challenge!

What the...... did I approve this new hardwood oak dowel? I do not remember receiving a Memo!

Let me 'splain somethin' to ya "Master Fort Maker".... take a look at these other perches behind me. Do you think this oak dowel is any match for my Diva beak?? !!

Mmmmm... peanut!!!!! (What were we talking about?)

What Happens When My Bird Becomes Ill?

2010-08-13T20:11:00.011-04:00

What happens if a bird becomes ill? Surely we do not even want to entertain the notion!

In Sammy Cockatiel's 28 years with me (rest in peace), he became ill only one time requiring medication. I am blessed that 14 year old Coco has never been ill, and so far the budgie-boys are the picture of health.

When it comes to illness, there is value in planning for the worst and hoping for the best. So, just a few tips:

Advance Planning:
1. Of course, stepping-up and stepping-down will come in quite handy. Keeping these behaviors strong will be helpful on many levels.

2. Learning to drink juice and water from a syringe will make all but the nastiest tasting medications easy to dispense.

3. Learning to willingly transfer from the living environment to a travel cage for a desirable treat will make trips to the vet much less stressful.

If Illness Strikes:
1. If you need to give medication orally and your bird cannot (or refuses) to drink from a syringe, ask your vet to demonstrate the proper way to dispense the medication. Then, have her watch you medicate (or give water just for practice).

2. When giving oral medication, do not lay the bird on its back. Instead, keep it upright. Give medication from the bird's left side of the beak. This will reduce the possibility of aspiration.

3. Clean the syringe with soap and hot water after each treatment, and allow it to air dry.

4. Medication that is designed to be given orally will be prescribed in a different amount than if it were to be mixed in water or sprinkled on food. Give medication exactly as directed.

5. Before leaving the vet office, be sure to ask specific questions and get answers to each of your concerns.

6. Ask for a general time line in which to see improvement in the bird's condition. Find out what symptoms or conditions will warrant a return trip, and whether the bird will need a recheck once treatment is complete.

7. If there are other birds in the household, ask the vet if they will require treatment or if they should receive a check up.

8. Certain illnesses may necessitate the bird being placed in a hospital cage or similar set up to restrict flight, reduce activity, help conserve energy or assist birds that are unable to perch. However, unless specifically directed by your avian vet, this does not mean to cover the bird on 3 or 4 sides and keep them in a dark, quiet room. Birds sleep in the light, but will not eat in the dark. We want the bird to eat and drink to keep up its strength and heal. This is especially important if medication has been added to food or water. Activity level can be sufficiently reduced through cage arrangement, location, and keeping the bird separated from other birdie friends. Soft music can be played to keep the bird company and comfortable.

In certain situations, I advise giving a bird light 24/7. One example is when I was fostering a very young cockatiel. He was extremely underweight for his age. For the first few days, I kept him in a room with full light day and night. By giving him constant light, he had many more opportunities to eat and drink. As time passed, I placed the light on a timer at night, giving him several hours of darkness, followed by several hours of light. Each morning I measured and recorded his weight. He steadily gained weight, and as he became stronger, I began gradually increasing the number of hours of darkness, until he reached 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness.

9. During treatment, some trust may be lost. Once treatment has concluded, the relationship will return to normal footing with time and patience.

10. Recognize that you may get the cold-wing for a time. Remain low-key during illness and offer treats as appropriate. This is a time for rest and recuperation, not an opportunity for training sessions and relationship demands.

On a happier note, I've recorded a new video of the budgie-boys coming to me to receive treats. I think you will be most pleased to see that Penske, the olive-green greywing cinnamon budgie (in other words, the one that looks 'all yellow') continues to come out of his shell! He's becoming quite the little-man, and while still hesitant, he is showing welcomed signs of asserting himself to get his share of the treats!

A Coco Shower Video

2010-08-09T21:47:00.006-04:00

A new video of the diva enjoying a shower! Listen closely to hear her say:

Are you hungry? Mmmmmmm!
I'm a bird - pretty bird
The 'charge' whistle
Hi-honey!

I hope you enjoy watching it as much as she enjoys showering!

Updated Photos of the Budgie Boys

2010-08-08T13:56:00.005-04:00

Featuring: Photographic Assistant, Coco:

Blurrrrrr!!!!!!!

They were not interested in bathing (perhaps they were camera shy), but perhaps they will jump in the bathing container later this evening:

The Bird Room Gets an Upgrade!

2010-07-17T17:14:00.011-04:00

With the onset of such hot weather, I wanted to supply a bit more air circulation in the bird room. So, what do we do?

Well, naturally - we call upon the Master Fort Maker!

A screen door was on the drawing board. We could buy one at the local box store for around $50, or he could make one from scraps around the house for a total materials cost of $0. We chose option #2!

And, now - - - more air circulation!

First, pictures of the upfit:

Now, with the screen door in place, I am able to place the box fan in the hallway, facing either into the room or into the hallway.

Oh, you might be wondering what the pink blanket is doing wrapped around the door... When the door is closed, as you will recall, we have the wooden spacer attached to it so she is unable to chew on the door or casing. But the door itself, once opened, becomes a possible temptation for a wandering beak. When leaving the door open and screen door in place, I will keep the pink blanket wrapped on the door (which stays in place because the edges are wedged between the door and jamb). This reduces the likelihood of the door being attacked.

And now, some new photos of Coco!

It is that time of year, and she is going through a full out molt, but has been a very happy girl!

Heat, and Plenty of It!

2010-07-07T21:33:00.016-04:00

Is this summer hotter than past ones, or does it just seem like it?! Where are the snow-capped mountains when you need them?

As you know, the bird room is not air conditioned. In the same way the birds are acclimated to cooler temperatures, the same is needed for warmer temperatures. In many ways, it seems they more easily adapt to temperatures under the bird room norms than over.

A few changes are in order to ensure their comfort as the bird room averages the high 70's or low 80's during the day.

====
1) Keeping the sliding glass doors closed.
2) Keeping the curtains closed.
3) Frequent bathing opportunities.
4) Careful monitoring temperatures with a wall thermometer.
====

1) Keeping the sliding glass doors closed.
Of primary importance is keeping the sliding glass doors closed during the day. This might seem counter-intuitive. However, the sun beats down on the wooden deck and radiates off and right into the bird room if the sliding doors remain open. This will easily raise the room temperature ten degrees or more. After enjoying a "cool" night of temperatures in the 60's with plenty of fresh outdoor air, the first thing in the morning I close the sliding glass doors to keep the cool air in and the heat out.

2) Keeping the curtains closed.
Closing the curtains during the day makes less of a difference, lowering the temperature only a degree or two, but it is something I will do on exceptionally hot days.

3) Frequent bathing opportunities.
Offering frequent bathing opportunities is much appreciate by the budgie-boys.

Coco also enjoys her shower times whether in the fort or the bathtub!

Offering her a little spritz in the fort is great fun and always results in increased vocalizations!

4) Careful monitoring temperatures with a wall thermometer.
Whether winter or summer, it is equally important to monitor the temperature of the bird room with a wall thermometer. No need to guess - I must to know the exact temperature, gauge changes, and make advance preparations.

Air circulation is also provided. I keep a box fan on the low setting angled away from the birds, to pull in cooler air from the hallway.

Of course, fresh water daily (for drinking and bathing) is a must. Placing an ice cube or two in the water is a cool treat in more ways than one! While the budgie-boys are non-to-impressed, Coco loves pushing them around with her beak! I make my ice cubes in the old fashioned trays with the same filtered water used for drinking.

By nature, my birds reduce both their food intake and activity level on hot days. The budgie-boys expend less energy flying and spend more time preening and singing to each other and their outdoor birdie friends.

What do the outdoor birds do during these hot times? We notice them reducing their activity level as well. The crows are out foraging for food in the early morning hours, and keep to the cool shade of the trees the remainder of the day. If your outdoor birdies do not have easy access to water (or even if they do), consider giving them an additional source of fresh water for drinking and bathing especially during these very hot dawg days of summer!

Signal Degradation

2010-07-01T21:37:00.005-04:00

Quite some time ago, Coco learned that raising her foot resulted in her receiving a treat. This has been used to signal that she wants something I have. It could be a treat, it could mean she wants to come to see me (to step up), or it could mean she wants my jewelry! When I see her foot up, I know she is telling me that she wants something that I have or can bring her. This is usually accompanied by leaning toward me.

A few days ago I was giving her treats, cleaning her area, and interacting as usual. She was next to me on her main pole, and I turned slightly sideways to put one of her treats into her secondary house. While I was not paying attention to her, she leaned toward me, placed her beak on my hand, and applied and uncomfortable amount of pressure leaving a temporary indentation.

Hmmm.... what could have possibly caused this?

Had I only considered a cursory view of the situation, I might have said, "oh my goodness - my bird 'bit' me! Why the sudden change??!"

First, this was not a bite, but an attempt to communicate with me in a way that I found inappropriate. She could have done much more than simply apply uncomfortable pressure.

A bird chooses how much pressure to apply. The same beak used to peel the skin off a Spanish peanut can be used to break the hard shell of a nut open or splinter wood.

Time to consider some theories as to what might be going on.

First, I know that her lifting a foot is a signal to me, and it usually results in her getting what she wants. But sometimes it doesn't - - for example, my jewelry. She may signal she wants it, and lean toward it, and put her foot up again, but the jewelry does not become hers.

It is possible that as I had turned my side to place food in her hut, she did in fact signal me and I did not see it. She could have done this several times without my noticing. If so, that signal did not achieve the desired result, and it is feasible she chose to up the ante.

It is also possible that the cue itself has degraded. There are, of course, many times when I give her a treat simply for the giving - she does not need to ask for it. At this particular time, I was giving her treats because she was pretty and because she is Coco, not in exchange for performing a behavior.

I can only surmise what may have caused her to choose to apply some pressure to get my attention to receive a treat. More important - what steps will I take to address this new, surprise behavior?

First, I have returned to working on the foot raising cue. We have had several sessions of receiving a treat for raising the foot, putting her head down for a scritch, or shaking hands.

Second, I am chaining these responses together. For example, she may receive a treat sometimes for raising her foot. At other times, she will need to raise the foot and shake hands before receiving the treat. And so forth.

After several of these standard interactions, I again assumed the position I had been in the other day with my side to her and reaching in to place a treat in her house. (This time, I was watching her carefully!) Twice she leaned with her beak toward my hand in what I felt could have been an indication of an intent to apply pressure. Each time, I responded by taking a step away from her, pausing, and then asking her for a wave (indicating for her to raise her foot if she wanted a treat).

After these two back-to-back instances of leaning toward my hand, and then resuming requesting a behavior(s) for a treat, several more sessions have resulted in no leaning toward my hand. This evening's session, I spent nearly the entire time with my side toward her, and hand well within her leaning distance, and each time she lifted her foot when she had finished a seed and was ready for the next to be dispensed. Up went the foot!

Frequently I read "my bird suddenly bit me, and nothing changed!" The companion is flustered and flabbergasted about the bird's sudden change of behavior, or new behavior, and the whole thing is a huge mystery. First, we must understand that something did change. No two interactions or training sessions are identical, as we and our birds bring something new (if only our attitude and being) to each session.

Additionally, we understand that all behavior has function. Behaviors that result in the receipt of desirable rewards will be repeated. Those that do not result in desirable rewards will not be repeated.

My best analysis would be that I had let the foot up cue degrade. In addition to communicating she wants something I have by lifting her foot, she also has learned that mimicking speech gets my attention. I will now add a third option for her to communicate with me. I will be working in the upcoming weeks to chain a foot-lift, followed by a word, and then in time followed by moving to a perch slightly farther from me in order to receive the treat.

She is a quick learner, so I do not expect it will take much time for her to learn that if she moves to the next perch over, she will receive the treat. In addition to giving her another option to communicate with me, it will also reduce the likelihood that she will contemplate applying pressure to my hand, since she will be one perch back. Most important, I want to provide another layer of opportunities for her to communicate her desires to me - leading to further empowerment.

Someone's Knockin' at the Door !

2010-06-29T22:58:00.003-04:00

Look what we found right by the door when taking Barney out for a walk:

And then a couple days later, this!

Barney did not seem to have any natural fear, and tried to smell both ends! Eek!

This is a common black snake, not poisonous, and around 5 feet in length. They are generally shy, avoid people, and are not 'aggressive' unless cornered and threatened. They are excellent at keeping the rodent population under control - in fact, we never see any rodents! This guy likes to sun himself on the deck, and when we walk by simply slips between the boards until we've passed.

The Molts are Both Over and Beginning

2010-06-20T19:20:00.009-04:00

In early May I reported seeing an abundance of fluff feathers in Fort Coco. Sure enough - this was a sign of Coco's impending molt that is now in full swing.

The good news is that the budgies have finished their molt. Most days now, I do not see a single fluff feather in their fort. I was wondering if they would all molt simultaneously or if one of them would always be in a molt. However, they seem to have synchronized their molts (with each other, but not with Coco).

I went to the LPS (local pet store) yesterday and picked up a few things for the budgie-boys. I splurged and bought them some cockatiel-sized Kaytee Healthy Bites (forti-diet). They love chasing the little balls of seed all over the fort, and Coco actually enjoys a Healthy Bite now and then as well. This is a great foraging activity for budgies!

It has been very hot and muggy here, and I have been frequently offering opportunities for the birds to bathe. They do not always oblige, but when they do it makes their momma happy. Tonight Penske even jumped into the bathing dish! It has been so hot that we have had to cut back on the length of time that we walk Barney. With his dark coat, he is not meant for heat, and wears out quickly.

There is, however, one animal that is not bothered by the heat! It has been seen frequently sunbathing on the deck just outside the door. Unfortunately, Barney has no fear of this creature, so due caution is in order before opening the door to take him for a walk:

This is a common black snake, and while not poisonous, we do not want to encourage interaction between it and Barney. I wouldn't want to see the thing latch onto his soft nose! Unless touched, these snakes are docile and avoid humans. They are great at controlling the rodent population around the area! This snake was asleep and did not seem to notice Steve and his stealth camera!

Unfortunately, Steve was unable to capture a photo of momma bear with her two cubs as they were walking down the driveway at dusk two evenings ago. We have now positioned the camera next to the door, in hopes that we may be able to get a photo of the family! Those little baby bears are sooooo cute!

I AM a tick-magnet!

2010-06-16T18:30:00.010-04:00

You all remember when I told you I was a tick-magnet? Now, I can prove it!

Since March, my dad has collected the ticks he has pulled off me. He carefully placed each of them in a small jar containing rubbing alcohol. (I worry about him sometimes...)

He said something about them 'drowning their sorrows'.

(My mom says he will collect anything, including dust.)

Humans are so hard to understand....

All those times I thought I was getting full-body rubs, come to find out it was for the daily tick-check! Can you believe it! The good thing is that the ticks are not interested in the birds or my mom. She has had a couple crawl on her, but when she gave them the evil-eye, they ran in fear! My dad has only had to pull two off himself this year.... what can I say.... the ticks just LOVE ME!

Check this out:

Maybe he should replace the worm in his tequila bottle with a tick or two - there's more where these came from!

Where Do you Want to Nap ?? !!

2010-06-15T22:24:00.002-04:00

Fluff Feather Fashion

2010-06-06T19:38:00.002-04:00

Some days, you simply have to set the pace for the fashion industry....!!

Barney Bait

2010-06-05T13:24:00.004-04:00

Today, Barney's morning walk was a bit more exciting than usual because one of the neighbor dogs had inadvertently escaped.

While walking this morning, Barney and Steve found Jelly out seeing the world. Barney was used as "bait" to lure Jelly back to her house. Worked fairly well too! Jelly's parents were so happy to see the little rascal!

Jelly is a wonderful little dog - she loves to come down to the fence and greet Barney when he is out walking. So we were happy to see her home, safe and sound!

In the meantime, here are some pictures showing Barney on his walk today.

He likes to *stop* and get a drink out of the stream each day!

Hormonal and Nesty Behavior

2010-05-21T19:28:00.015-04:00

Hormonal behavior... Nesting behavior...

A big topic for those of us who live with companion birds. We are likely to encounter it from time to time and year to year as a natural part of the cycle of life.

I am no expert in any aspect of the topic. If I could claim to be an expert in any area, it would be nothing more than understanding my birds better than anyone else - simply because I live with them.

I believe we are each the best experts on our own birds. Thus, it becomes our goal to determine what is best for them, often wading through a sea of sometimes conflicting information.

Hormonal fluctuations, especially those resulting from nesting and mating instincts, are completely natural and to be fully expected.

I have found it fascinating that, through natural cycles of hormones and molting, I have observed nothing I would classify as hormonal fluctuations with the budgie boys.

I have seen no "grumpiness" or other irritability that is reported by many over the course of a year.

I cannot be entirely certain as to what to attribute this lack of observable hormonal or molting changes in them, but I have several theories:

1) A very large space in which to live;
2) No female budgie (those with female budgies know of whence I speak when it comes to the change of dynamics a gal can cause!)
3) No demand from me for interaction.

Often "hormonal" behavior is described in the context of a bird's reduction in desire to interact, or quickness to move to nippiness or biting. In certain instances, forcing interaction, and the resulting negative consequences, may sometimes be attributed to "hormones" or "molting", when they may or may not be directly related. Or, perhaps only play a small role.

So, what do we do about hormonal or nesting behavior? Do we want to reduce it? If so, why? If not, why not?

One consideration is that we do not want our female birds endlessly laying eggs, potentially becoming egg bound or having other physical issues as a result. That aside, the males do not have these same issues. However, they certainly experience their share or hormones and nesty behaviors!

In the wild, males of most species participate in selecting and building the nesting site. They are responsible for feeding their mate, often for assisting with feeding the chicks, and certainly for defending the territory and safety of the nest. While males are not at risk for egg binding, what are reasons some feel that nesting behavior should be discouraged - whether males or females?

While a variety might be cited, two I have seen frequently expressed are:

(1) The concern that hormonal behavior can lead to feather destructive behavior (FDB); and

(2) Biting: A tendency to nippiness, biting, etc.

FDB:
If hormones alone were responsible for FDB, I believe we would see it prolifically in the wild as well as the companion bird population. All birds have hormones, and most do not ever experience FDB. That is not to discount the role hormones may play in the overall picture, but that FDB is a multifaceted issue with no singular cause or cure in most instances.

While we can make a case that reducing the triggers that may cause a bird to want to start a family (lighting, temperature, food availability, etc.), such does not necessarily mean a bird has a reduction in hormone levels. The bird simply views the environment as less than ideal for chick-rearing.

It would be my guess that, if in the wild an inhospitable environment suddenly became perfect for chick-rearing, our birds would be able to quickly move into family mode. Their survival depends upon that type of flexibility. In other words, it could be less about hormonal levels and more about environmental conditions.

Also consider this: If one day suddenly we notice our bird seems "hormonal" - what changed in their environment? In other words, we may not have actually done anything to bring on the natural cycle of the bird's season, and manipulation of the environment may only have a certain degree of affect on reducing it as well.

We also see that trees and other nesting materials are available to parrots year round. Thus, availability of nesting materials alone is insufficient cause to start a family. In our homes, these materials are also available to our companion birds year around. But often the advice I see is to remove any item that a bird might be able to use or perceive as nesting material. In many cases, this means dismantling their entire environment! The parrot is left staring at a rope perch, a couple of acrylic toys and a skewer of broccoli!

Biting:
Notwithstanding a hen laying eggs, perhaps biting and nippiness may actually be a companion's biggest issue with hormones. We must then contemplate if "reducing hormonal and nesty behaviors" is more for the benefit of the bird - or - saving ourselves from experiencing (dealing with) a nippy, biting bird.

Unfortunately, it may be easy to blame nippiness, biting, or a lack of desire to interact on hormones in the early part of the year, and on molting at all other times.

Certainly, hormones may create the propensity for a bird to be a bit more on edge, quicker on the draw, or less tolerant of humans ignoring "back off" body language. This is my observation in Coco. A molting bird may be labeled grumpy when a companion handles the bird in the usual fashion without awareness to the sensitivity of the pin feathers.

Attributing a nip or bite to hormones or molting, can remove the responsibility from the human, and take the focus off the bird's biting as a behavior.

In other words, it becomes easier to look the other way when we classify biting or nippiness strictly as a physiological response due to hormones or molting - one that is beyond our control. The result of this is a greater potential for the behavior to be reinforced and to escalate long after the initial onset.

So, imagine this - a bird displays back off body language, it is ignored, the companion gets bit, and classifies the bird as hormonal. Or worse yet - the bird is labeled "a biter"!

Many of its toys are removed (or those that might be used for shredding for example), it gets covered more, more darkness, perhaps a change of diet... all this because the bird's body language was ignored, it nipped, and the companion adjudicated it hormonal. It may not have been hormonal at all - it may have simply had its body language ignored one too many times. Or it may have been interested in something other than interacting with the human, or experiencing hormones causing it to be a bit quicker on the beak-trigger than at other times.

What if in response to all these changes, reduction of toys, and less human interaction due to "nippiness and hormones", it actually did start feather plucking?

It is a lot of food for thought....

In the least, the relationship between avian and companion would be affected by all of the changes.

I know that when I am "hormonal", I respond better by having my hormones acknowledged instead of dismissed. While acknowledging my condition does nothing to reduce my hormones or make them go away any faster, dismissing them will escalate things and not win friendship.

So - what about 'acknowledging' hormones, nesting behavior and the natural cycles in birds? While we are reducing their hours of sunlight, are there things we should be changing in our own behavior, approach and mind set that could make this time of year easier on all?

Is there a way to acknowledge hormonal, nesty behavior without encouraging or discouraging it per se?

I have more to share over the coming posts, and hope that you will all feel free to add your comments. For most of our birds, spring time is ending and hormonal, nesty behavior, if any, is coming to a close. What have been your observations, and what has worked best for you and your bird(s)?

I know nothing of these things... keep my food bowl full and my pillows fluffed and all is right in my world!

Millet Soccer

2010-05-19T17:59:00.007-04:00

See the budgie-boys playing Millet Soccer and how Coco has redecorated one of her fort elements!

Enjoy!

Things a Birdie Wonders...

2010-05-15T19:54:00.006-04:00

Just a few things a birdie might wonder...

When it rains, how do outdoor birdies avoid sitting on their branches until they are fully dry?

Do outdoor birdies have trouble sleeping on nights when there is a full moon, and are they grumpy the next day because of not getting total darkness?

In the summer when the crickets and other insects are singing loudly at night, how do the outdoor birdies get their quota of shut-eye with all that racket? And again, I wonder if they are 'grumpy' the next day?

If it rains in the late evening (or even during the night), how do the outdoor birdies avoid going to bed wet?

and finally...

Do outdoor birdies get the evil-eye when they dive-bomb lazy outdoor doggies?

Just a few things I've always wondered!

~The Diva~

Happy Mother's Day !

2010-05-08T15:29:00.003-04:00

Happy Mother's Day Everyone!

Fluff Feather Heaven

2010-05-07T23:16:00.013-04:00

The beginning of a molt is always preceded by an abundance of fluff feathers... and we are in fluff feather heaven at the moment!

While Coco is still expressing a few mild nesting symptoms, most of her chewing and shredding behaviors have subsided, she is rarely regurgitating, no longer assuming the position to lay a pretend egg, and has just now begun a molt. Fluff feathers are everywhere! Time to buy a pillow case and start stuffing! It wouldn't be so hard on the vacuum if it were not for the fact that the three budgie boys have also started their molt! (I think I might have smelled a smoky odor emitting from the vacuum as it struggled to keep up today!)

It has been a rather pleasant nesting season for Coco as nesting seasons go. She has been quite clingy and cuddly (unusual for a nesting season), wanting to be on me, with me and near me a great deal of the time. I noted that during the first two days of her molt, evidenced by seeing fluff feathers for the first time in months, she also experienced two days of very loose droppings with higher than usual quantities of urates (the white part). I tended to think this was just a transitional change, and decided to keep a close eye on her and give some extra rice for dinner.

By the second evening, it resolved itself, and her droppings have been normal since.

I do not recall this ever being a part of the initial stages of a molt, but will make note for the next time around to see if this is a pattern.

Meanwhile, I decided to refurbish an old necklace that had seen better days by adding some fresh beads and restringing it. Coco gave the design two wings up!

I'm Smart When It Counts

2010-04-29T08:00:00.004-04:00

These people think I'm stupid... hey, I'm smart when it counts!

Get a load of this clever location where I put my food dish! (And, dad asked mom if she put my food dish in the middle of the walk way for some reason... snicker-snicker!)

It wasn't easy either - that bowl does not slide well on carpet!

The Birdess Book of World Records

2010-04-26T21:24:00.017-04:00

It would seem that my mom was trying to float a rumor yesterday about me attempting to 'wake the dead' with my afternoon vocalizations. As you might imagine, I have a few comments in this regard. I cleverly usurped the keyboard while she was in the kitchen refilling her glass of tawney port wine. (She said something about her ears still ringing from yesterday. Does wine reduce ear ringing? Just checking....)

First, I think she quickly forgets how loudly I am actually able to scream. Did she think that was it? I was only at about 80% of capacity! There's always room for more screaming and more chewing!

Second, it would seem she was unaware that I had secretly applied (thus, the 'secret' part) to the Birdess Book of World Records. If ever I was going to memorialize my place of importance in the Birdess Book of World Records, screaming seemed to be like falling off a branch... rather easy for me! I've fallen off this one a number of times!

Yes, I understand she was trying to take a Sunday afternoon nap. Don't think she didn't tell me that more times in 5 minutes than I can drop a toy. However, you must understand that she takes a nap every Sunday. How many naps a week does a human actually need? If she went to bed at sunset like I do, she'd have a lot more energy and not need so many naps!

(Oh, I could also give her some diet advice, but I'll save that for another blog entry.)

And in all honesty, I wasn't even going for the loudest scream birdie record (do you think I should give that one a shot?). I was going for the record of longest scream session.

There was a slight hiccup in the process of attempting to break the record: The Society actually has rules to follow if you want to qualify. Really cramped my style a bit.

This is going to come as a big surprise to all of you, but I can have some trouble with rules from time to time. My mom raised me to be an independent thinker and to be empowered to make my own choices. (She did not raise me to be a diva... I managed that all on my own!)

It would seem there is no category for "free-style" screaming. Some of the Committee's expectations:

1. No bashing toys during any of the screaming. C'mon now.... I can hardly be expected to get through an afternoon without beating a toy to a pulp, now can I?
Screaming and bashing toys really does go hand in hand. It must have been one of the bourke committee members that made up this rule. From what I can tell, they don't even like toys!

2. One is required to stay perch-side. This may come as a surprise, but due to my mom's failure to provide me with ballet lessons as a chick, I'm not the most graceful amazon around. Sometimes I just walk across my fort - and - well, next thing I know I'm on the floor heading for the ladder.
If you want my opinion, the one thing Fort Coco is missing is a good slide. I could simply slide down and then climb up the ladder. I've got wings, but sliding is so much more fun!
3. I'm not sure which avian on the rules committee came up with this one - but they require that you not intimidate any other household animals while attempting to break the record. I know two macaws on the committee, and they would never vote against intimidation!

In my defense, I was not completely clear on what qualified as intimidation. It would seem looking upon Barney with disgust and disdain was regarded as an attempt to intimidate.

Puh-leeze... if I wanted to intimidate him I would have backed his little brindled-behind up against the wall and given him a free manicure.
Look at those nails... and I'd like a chance to remove those basset hound spots from his arms!

So - the good news? They are letting me try to break the record again next Sunday afternoon! Woo-hoo!!!!

Do you think they might give me bonus points if I waited until dad and Barney were sleeping too?

SQUAWK!!

A Trip to Whizzney World!

2010-04-24T16:02:00.012-04:00

What's more exciting than a peanut butter rawhide?

Why - of course - it's a trip to "Whizzney World"!

Also known as the North Carolina Arboretum, it is a beautiful and relaxing place any time of year.

A trip to the arboretum always makes for a great time.

Especially in the spring and summer when a variety of beautiful flowers are in bloom, and the springs are flowing free.
I hope you enjoy the photos - naturally, they do not do it justice!

Let's go, let's go, let's go!!!

The quilt garden:

The bonsai exhibit - the photos below represent only a small fraction of the trees:

I especially love the flowers and water features:

Yep, we had a great time....

and got home just in time for a nap!

Using Sign Language

2010-04-22T12:19:00.022-04:00

I have written a number of posts on body language and the importance of understanding, interpreting and responding to the body language of our unique birds. Each bird is unique, even within the same species. Naturally, no one can definitively state and guarantee that all body language means the same things in all birds and in all circumstances. Thus the benefit, and absolute necessity, of learning the body language of each of our individual birds becomes immediately clear.

Although Coco is quite free in expressing herself through a wide variety of body language expressions, in addition there are certain words and phrase patterns that I believe she has learned to use to prompt the humans around her to action in much the same way our dogs learn that certain vocal patterns when matched with certain visual cues or actions on our part have specific meanings. However, this is not 100% for her. For example, she routinely says bye-bye when my husband enters the room while we are spending private time. However, she also says it at times, and in manners, that seem out of context to me. For example, when I am cleaning the budgie fort and she is vocalizing to get my attention including saying 'bye-bye'. It is likely that this use of the phrase bye-bye is not an attempt to encourage me to leave the room, but simply a method to get a vocal response from me in turn.

Since I have observed that the use of the phrase bye-bye does not appear to have a consistent meaning for her, I do not want to rely on it for a basis of communication or to dictate a response that I might provide. Ok, so that's out... I'm not going to teach her how to have lengthy conversations with me about her needs.

How then do we form a basis of communication when we do not share a common spoken language ?

One option I use with Coco is the same skill I would employ if I were communicating with a deaf child - the Helen Keller method... sign language. The ability to create communication using sign/body as a base, is of immeasurable assistance.

How can this be accomplished?

Perhaps the single most important piece of body language that can be learned is the 'back off' language of a bird. However, a bird may use a variety of different body languages to express this, escalating all the way to biting, if needed, to get the point across.

If we can create an environment where we teach the bird a 'sign' that means back off, we are well on our way to knowing when the bird wants us to do so. When the sign is displayed by the bird, we back off, the bird's need and desire was met, trust is gained, and the relationship is strengthened (or at least no blood is let!).

Before addressing an example of sign language used to indicate 'back off', I want to write about the sign language she has learned which means 'give me that' or - 'I want what you have'.

I began with teaching her a simple wave. Initially, she received a treat for picking up her foot slightly off the perch, and we worked toward her receiving the treat when she had her foot entirely in the air. She has since learned to even curl her toes as a human would curl their fingers. She also learned that when she performed this behavior, she received a treat. It did not take very much time before she began doing this behavior, uncued, because I had a treat she wanted. When I would reach for the treat jar, she would immediately perform the behavior whether or not cued. Now, if I walk into the room with a plate of food and she would like some, she will perform the behavior. However, she will also perform the behavior if I am wearing a shirt with big buttons that she would like to access, or if she would like me to come over to her. While she will perform the behavior by my asking "give me a wave", we have also come to mutually understand that her initiation of this behavior means that I have something she wants. Even if it is in a jar across the room. She wants me, what I am wearing, what I am eating, what I am holding, or what I have the potential to bring her.

While teaching a bird to wave is a cute trick, it begins to have meaning if we can use that behavior as a basis of a common language between human and companion.

The same applies if we were to give a bird a method of communicating 'back off' through the performance of a body language behavior. With Coco, I have used one of her innate behaviors to create the sign language for this desire. Whenever I am around her, if she begins to walk away from me, or turns her back on me, I immediately do the same. Mirroring body language has many benefits: see Birdie's Helen Keller Moment for a few more examples.

What Coco began to learn, and now knows well, is that if she wants me to move away she simply moves away from me or turns around. And I need to trust that if she performs these behaviors, she means them. And, I respond accordingly. Sometimes she changes her mind and high-tails it back towards me; I respond in kind by returning to her. In the beginning, each time she would turn her back on me or move away from me, I immediately responded, and it took little to no time at all before she realized we were forming a method of communication. I believe birds are far better students of body language than we could ever be!

When a bird has a sure-fire method of communicating its need for space, or desire to avoid interaction, it also has a means to meet its own needs without escalating to lunging or biting.

Back off, mom - this guy promised me a trip to see the queen!!!

We can think of many other scenarios where teaching sign language through the use of behaviors or even innate body language can work to create a common language. Instead of relying solely on learning their body language (while that is certainly essential and cannot be underestimated), taking steps to teach language and behaviors that communicate shared ideas creates the opportunity to expand the horizons of the relationship and add to the list of experiences that gain trust.

More Budgie-Boy Fun !

2010-04-21T22:02:00.007-04:00

Tonight's video features them chowing down on their bean, grain and veggie mix. They are so cute - there should be a law against this much cuteness. And, we see that millet is not the only thing that they will fly over to me to obtain!

I hope you enjoy it - especially the part where Penske seriously considers landing on Bucky's back! Whoa, dude.... !

Building Trust an Experience at a Time

2010-04-19T18:03:00.011-04:00

I've never been fond of spiders. While intellectually I may accept that I am a zillion times larger, this hardly outweighs their ability to go into stealth mode as they seek to terrorize unsuspecting victims (namely me).

I have no recollection of a traumatic incident involving a spider. Notwithstanding, while eating lunch at a fine, upstanding dining establishment last week, I felt something on my arm. I looked down just in time to see a medium sized black creature moving toward my lunch trio of boneless buffalo bites, egg rolls and chicken crisps.

This bad boy was no doubt one of the worst of his kind - a carnivorous spider (obvious by the fact that he had designs on both me and my protein-oriented fare). He thought I wouldn't notice? I noticed alright... as did everyone within ear shot.

I quickly flicked him off of me in a manner that made those at the table closest to ours wonder if I was having a seizure.

So, why do I have a freak fit when exposed to spiders? I have no logical answer. But I nonetheless contend that it is an appropriate response given their ferocity.

As I mentioned, I recall no traumatic incidents in either childhood or adulthood. For obvious reasons, I have never watched the movie 'Arachnophobia'... (Can you imagine if I had?!)

Whether learned or innate - it is what it is... when presented with a spider I am no different than a bird having a night fright or one afraid of hands or (fill in the blank)....

One might imagine that living on top of a mountain in the middle of the woods there might be just a few blood-sucking 8-legged, beady-eyed opportunistic arachnoids around. And, that would be correct. I am unable to bring myself to get close enough to even smush them with a kleenex or flush them down the toilet. And, it would seem that if I take an 8 foot shovel to them while they are walking down the hallway, somehow I'm the one with the problem?

I have very few options...

Donning my red slippers and clicking my heels together?

A special phrase such as salagadoola menchicka boola bibbidi-bobbidi-boo?

I wish.... not even upon a star makes them go away.

The only real magic is closing my eyes and yelling one special word... STEVE! By the tone of my voice he knows exactly what I mean and exactly what I expect him to do about it. He is certainly capable of making my world all better again by removing the offending creature. And, I fully expect that he should and will do so immediately if not sooner. The screaming and seizing will stop as soon as he has fulfilled his responsibilities. Make haste!

Whether or not my fears are justified or rational (and, I assure you they are both justified and rational), his response and reaction during each and every experience serves to either gain or lose my trust and confidence. For example:

1. Immediately removing the offending, blood-thirsty creature. - - gains trust.

2. Immediately removing the offending, blood-thirsty creature, while making light of my fears - - loses trust and causes anxiety.

3. Immediately removing the offending, blood-thirsty creature, and while walking past me puts his back to me to shield me, while stating that he understands my concerns, and that I can count on him to address the situation - - gains trust big time.

4. Immediately removing the offending, blood-thirsty creature, but while walking past me to take it outside pretends to throw it at me - - loses trust.

I pause here to add that he has a strict policy of spider relocation. Early on I discovered that we are, apparently, a no-kill spider shelter.

Look, I'll be honest with you - I'm not necessarily on board with the whole spider rescue and relocation project. I'm really not. However, I've not much input on the topic. I've come to accept that if I want him to deal with the spider, I have to play by his rules - and that means appearing to be on board regarding the spider relocation project. Which I'm not. But - I may have mentioned that already?!

An important point here is that given the level of my fear, if even once he pretends to throw it at me, while he has never actually thrown it, even a one-time action would leave me feeling very uncomfortable and anxious. And the next time I will remember that he pretended to throw it at me, and will begin with a certain level of anxiety.

What if he did that one time just to see my reaction? To watch me scream - or find it amusing? You can imagine...

We can think of many other situations where trust and confidence might be either gained or lost.

What seems notable to me is that I cannot imagine a scenario where the trust remains neutral. I bring this up because the topic came up recently on a discussion board. I read a number of statements similar to "I've done nothing to lose my bird's trust."

Naturally, my question is, "but what have you done to gain trust?" Trust is something that we earn, not that should be automatically given because we've never harmed the bird yet.... If I am in a room with a spider for 30 days and it fails to eat me alive, doesn't mean I trust it and am its friend. It means it hasn't bitten me yet!

It is SO easy to inadvertently lose trust... and without thinking it may occur more often than we might predict. It can be something as simple as buying a new toy, noticing that the bird is afraid of it, and then exclaiming,

"Oh sweetie - it's just a little toy! It won't hurt you! Look, it has a bell!" The next thing you know, a companion is bringing the toy closer and closer to the bird.... Imagine if that was my husband's approach with the spider. It would do nothing to change my fears of spiders, but it would do everything to affect my relationship and trust of my husband in that particular situation. What if when we see the bird is reacting to the new toy with hesitation, concern, fear, we move away instead of closer? Or remove the toy from the room? Or take other steps to give the bird a chance to experience the new toy in a manner that will not create anxiety? We can imagine that doing the opposite is a set up for trust to be lost. But the opportunities to gain trust in each and every individual interaction and situation are immense and exciting leading to a better relationship with our birds.

Trust is gained or lost one experience at a time.

Back to Work, Human!

2010-04-17T15:02:00.007-04:00

There's a Saturday morning cleaning supervisor in every house... used to be my mother, though....

Coco's Secondary House is one of the easier Fort Elements to pick up and move to a different room. And, a supervisor does need a good vantage point from which to supervise!

I have inadvertently discovered, though, that she enjoys singing with (I mean, singing over) Aretha Franklin!

A Must Read: How to Win Dogs and Influence Eagles

2010-04-13T12:00:00.011-04:00

Today's post is an assignment... of the fun and educational sort!

I came across a most awesome and educational article on one our favorite topics here at the Living With Parrots Cage Free Blog - behavior!

Please take a moment to click the link below, and read the article "How to Win Dogs and Influence Eagles" by Peta Clarke posted on the Animal Education Foundation blog site April 2, 2010. The article also appeared in the March 31, 2010 issue of the Dog Lover's Digest.

It is a straightforward, easy to understand, and enjoyable presentation filled from beak to tail with pearls of wisdom. She discusses behavior - not just in regard to birds - but other zoo animals as well!

It is an article worth bookmarking and referring to often.

How To Win Dogs and Influence Eagles
by Peta Clarke

Additional Sources:
Animal Education Foundation
Dog Lover's Digest

Do They Sell Dog Toys at the Pet Store?

2010-04-10T16:41:00.009-04:00

I just want to document the type of abuse I am subjected to on a daily basis in the bird oriented environment in which I live.

Yesterday my mom went to a place called a "Pet Store". I'm not entirely sure why it has that name, because they don't actually sell pets... go figure... humans are so silly!

But they call it a pet store anyway. So, she comes home with a bag of "bird" food, and a different bag of toys.

First, I have a simple question:

Do humans usually eat bird food?
I've watched my mom snitching pieces of apple, pineapple and kiwi out of the bird food bag! I'm 'jist sayin'..... I didn't buy the thing about wanting to assure freshness... You would have thought there was a chocolate Easter bunny hidden inside the way she was pawing around in the thing...

And, do you think there were any dog toys in the bags? Um... yeah - NO. However, I still wanted to play with some of the toys ... any of the toys... all of the toys! I was told they are specifically "bird" toys.

Really?? Who makes up such rules??

She did not hesitate to rub further salt into the wound by pointing out that they were on sale. This means saving money... plenty of money to buy a dog toy, right?

Another question:

How many toys do these birds need anyway?

I see you understand my point:

She saved all this money, yet no peanut butter rawhide for me? Oh, they must have been sold out...

From left to right, she found some great deals:
$1.00
$1.75
$2.50
$2.50
$2.50
$2.99

For the record, I totally eat popcorn.... I want one of those cobs of popcorn...

Food Good Enough to Eat!

2010-04-09T19:07:00.009-04:00

I bought the most wonderful treat food today! Something I've never seen on the shelf before - it is Tropical Carnival Parrot & Macaw - Natural - by Brown's.

Oh, my gosh - it is SO delicious! I've already determined that about anything Coco is not willing to eat, I am! (Yes, I admit... I even tasted the biscuit... how could I resist butterfly shaped biscuits? I know... impossible!) And, they didn't taste half bad!

The items I found most surprising as a part of a mix were the cinnamon sticks, dates, in-the-shell walnuts, pecans, almonds, and huge, moist peppers.

No artificial colors, no preservatives, and no sulphurs. I wish you could taste... oooh... the apples, even the kiwi, sweet potatoes, green beans and garbanzo beans. And, the dried apricots... oh, wow....

Just delicious!

Coco agrees!

Look mom, no hands!

An Old Bird Turns a New Phrase

2010-04-06T23:06:00.019-04:00

Well, Coco gave me a bit of a pleasant surprise this evening! She turned a new phrase!

I do not personally subscribe to the notion that birds with the propensity to mimic human speech have a window of opportunity within which to learn. This may be another old-bird tale similar to the idea that allowing a bird access to a mirror will cause them to fail to 'bond' with their companion. It has been my personal experience that the window of learning (for all birds and all types of learning) is lifelong.

While I do tend to speak to Coco with the same phrases and speech patterns as we go about the daily business of life, I do not spend time formally training her to mimic speech. She picks up what she picks up. She has learned to use certain phrases within context to a degree. For example if she cannot find food she will ask, "are you hungry?". This is a phrase that I say when I am placing food. Thus, she has learned to associate the phrase with receiving food. I believe her repeating the phrase back to me when she is unable to find food is an effort to trigger me to "do" what it is she has learned I do when she hears me speak that phrase. (Now, had I really been smart, I would have simply said, "I'm hungry" when placing the food instead of asking her if she was hungry!)

As fun as it is to hear a bird mimic human speech, whistles, etc., more important is the role it plays in providing interaction and enrichment between companion and bird. We take turns - she will whistle a tune, I will whistle it back. She will say a word, I will repeat it back. She seems to enjoy going first and hearing me repeat what she chooses. It is a fun method of interaction for both of us. She is much more responsive to this pattern than if I take the lead. So we can have a great time as I allow her to select what word, phrase or whistle she would like to hear me say next and we take turns. Often she will go through her entire vocabulary in short order.

In addition to providing enrichment for the bird and fun for the companion, vocal interactions afford the opportunity to engage a bird in a hands-off manner. This is handy for new birds to our home, for birds that do not desire hands-on interaction at a particular time or circumstance, and even for maintaining communication and contact when the companion is in a different room. It is fun to call back and forth!

I will also use a variety of sounds such as purring barking, honking noises, etc. in an attempt to engage and amuse her. If nothing else, it catches her attention!

So while I do not formally speech train her, I can virtually guarantee that any word said in haste, anger or with great emotion (even if said only one time) is quite likely to be immediately and frequently repeated! Yet another reason to keep our language clean "around the children"!

If she likes the way something rolls off her beak, she will quickly latch onto it stronger than Barney on a peanut butter rawhide!

So tonight my almost 14 year old gal (birthday June 1) surprised me with a new phrase - while I was cleaning the budgie fort. She plainly said,

"Can I help you?"

Of course, upon hearing it, I repeated it back to her several times.

She silently stared at me as if I had just given my acceptance speech for the Idiot of the Year award!

I am not aware of it being a commonly spoken phrase, around her, and certainly not a purposeful one. Over the years, when she has been expressing excessively loud vocalizations, there have been a number of times that I entered the room and asked her exactly that question - Can I help you?? !!

Apparently she has been paying attention!

Too bad I couldn't take her up on the offer and get her to help with the cleaning!

We've come a long way since the baby days.... here she is at less than 3 months of age! Bananas are still a big favorite!

Regurgitation vs. Vomiting

2010-04-04T16:20:00.008-04:00

Sometimes it can be hard to tell the difference between regurgitation and vomiting, especially with a new bird when we may be unfamiliar with the bird's normal behaviors. This question came up on a bird forum I frequent.

While regurgitation is normal, vomiting is a medical emergency. So it is really critical to know the difference in your bird.

Here is a video of Coco regurgitating. It is, after all, nesting season!

This is a second video... she is just too darn cute! Watch her go down her ladder during this video!

Happy Easter !

2010-04-02T13:30:00.001-04:00