Baxter had a trick up his "wing"...

Hi Everyone!

So, I came home from the grocery store this morning and, like always, I made my way up to Baxter's room to bring him down while I unpacked the groceries. This is what I found...



Before my mind had a chance to process what was going on, I heard a call from my bedroom...



There he was on his playstand acting as if everything was perfectly normal!

I have no idea what happened! Did I not make sure the cage door was completely closed when I left? Has he figured out how to release the latch on his cage?

I also have no idea how long his "jailbreak" had been going on. Thank goodness he didn't get into any trouble - our house is definitely not Baxter-proof!

I have a Baxter-Cam so I watched him for about an hour to see if he would pull his Houdini trick again. No such luck. Will be putting a padlock on his cage until I catch him in the act!

Our birds keep us on our toes, don't they?

I think Baxter has a secret he is not going to tell you about LOL!

My money would be on the "he has figured out how to work the latch on his cage."

On the bright side, at least the cage still has a door on it. Sweepea figured out which screws held the door hinges on her cage... IT'S WAY MORE FUN WHEN YOU GET TO TAKE SOMETHING APART... CRASH, BOOM, SQUEEEAALLL!

"I have no idea how that happened. It just fell off... Completely on it's own... The nut in my beak? I found that! No. I did. It's mine now. I don't want to give it back."

Sally used to "gaslight" me.

For awhile there I thought I was losing my mind. I could have sworn I cleaned up the mess by her boing in the window, and put her toys back. But the floor is messy... and the toys are scattered... I don't remember so good anymore.

She's in her cage. The door is latched... I guess I just keep forgetting to do it....

YEAH, SHE KNEW MY SCHEDULE. NOT ONLY DID SHE LET HERSELF OUT, BUT WHEN I WAS DUE TO COME HOME, SHE'D FLY BACK TO HER CAGE, CLOSE THE DOOR, AND LATCH IT AGAIN!!!

Then one day I came home early from work AND SHE WAS BUSTED!! She actually flew back as I walked in, and was trying to latch the cage door as I got to the cage...

AND THAT is about the time I quit closing cage doors for good.

greatblue320 said:

hi everyone!

So, i came home from the grocery store this morning and, like always, i made my way up to baxter's room to bring him down while i unpacked the groceries. This is what i found...



there he was on his playstand acting as if everything was perfectly normal!

Click to expand...

what?! You're the one who went grocery shopping and forgot to put me back... (psych!)

i'm completely innocent...

GASP!!! I would have loved to have seen your face, Shawna, when you entered the 'crime scene'. :54:

Can't wait to find out whether you'll catch Baxter in the act. What a clever boy!!! And thank God he stayed out of trouble!!

Mark I am in hysterics reading about Sally's antics! What a SMART bird! I can imagine the look on her birdie face when you came home early and "busted" her! Haha! I think it is absolutely incredible that she figured out your schedule and learned how to close the door and latch it herself. Truly amazing!

What isn't shown in the photo of his "empty" cage is a big blue foraging box that I had installed on the inside of the cage door. I think it was the stable surface Baxter needed to get a good hold on his latch. Obviously, I have since removed said foraging box and Baxter hasn't had a "jailbreak" since!

GreatBlue320 said:

Mark I am in hysterics reading about Sally's antics! What a SMART bird! I can imagine the look on her birdie face when you came home early and "busted" her! Haha! I think it is absolutely incredible that she figured out your schedule and learned how to close the door and latch it herself. Truly amazing!

Click to expand...

Well, what was funny, was she was in something of a blind panic trying to get the door latched... (She thought she was going to be in trouble. Hey, when I got that bird she was completely cage bound and phobic. I actually found this sort of behavior as she was 100% cured...)

Since all she was doing was flying back and forth to her boing in the window anyway, and playing with her toys, and hadn't misbehaved at all, I decided caging her anymore was both pointless and counter productive at that point.

I haven't caged her since.

The funniest one for Sally was the day a red tailed hawk landed on the bird tree in the window...

Sally was sitting in her boing in the window. The Hawk saw a potentially tasty morsel, and decided to stop by and take a closer look. Sally, of course flew off down the hallway, around the corner, and into my bedroom...

She quite literally pushed the door to my bedroom closed with the top of her head. I found her hiding in Papaya's cage. She had climbed in. Closed the door. Latched the door shurt. And hid behind the biggest toy she could find.

She was taking no chances that that hawk might find a way to get inside the apartment and get her...

When growing up my family had a Grey, Lovebird and Cockatiel, all in separate cages, all in different parts of the room. The Grey was clipped, and always out of his cage, we almost never closed it, but the little guys we would keep locked up while we were out of the house or at night. Well one day we came home and everyone was out, ok, so us kids got yelled at and punished for leaving the birds out. Then it happened again, and again, finally we found out what was happening. The Grey would climb down off his cage, go over and open one of the others, then climb down go across the room and open the other cage. He just wanted his friends to be out having fun with him.

THE FUNNIEST thing that used to happen down at Tuesday's rescue....

She had a CAG named Quincy. (And another named Pebbles.) And several others of course, but for this story you need only know about Quincy and Pebbles.

Quincy had a habit of letting, not just himself out, but going around to ALL the cages, and letting all 70-some parrots out. He'd just run across the row of cages, opening latches as he went...

SOOO... OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A COMMOTION IN THE BIRD ROOM. GOTTA GO CHECK IT OUT... ABOUT HALF THE CAGES ARE OPEN, AND QUINCY IS WORKING ANOTHER LATCH... LIKE CAUGHT WITH YOUR CLAW IN THE COOKIE JAR, COULDN'T BE ANY MORE BUSTED THAN THAT...

Q: "QUINCY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
A: "PEBBLES DID IT!" :52:

Q. "NO QUINCY. PEBBLES IS STILL SITTING IN HER CAGE. YOU DID IT."
A. "PEBBLES DID IT! BAD BIRD!":21:

Talk about toddler like... "It wasn't me!"

I am LOVING all these stories. And, I think it is so incredible that some birds not only want their own freedom, but freedom for all their friends, as well.

I don't think I will ever fully comprehend how smart they are.

GreatBlue320 said:

I am LOVING all these stories. And, I think it is so incredible that some birds not only want their own freedom, but freedom for all their friends, as well.

I don't think I will ever fully comprehend how smart they are.

Click to expand...

That's one theory.

Another theory is that creating chaos and pandemonium everywhere they go is the highest form of birdie entertainment going... and when they can instigate AND stir up trouble with friends... HEY! Why wouldn't you?!

I like your theory better, Mark. Fits much better with the mischievous nature of our fids!

Especially a CAG... They love to instigate. "Creators of Chaos." Then sit back and just observe.

And even more especially if they can get a couple of macaws and toos riled up, and then get out of the way, and watch the fun... (And then blame it on another bird. "Pebbles did it!")

OH YES THEY DO!!!

Birdman666 said:

Especially a CAG... They love to instigate. "Creators of Chaos." Then sit back and just observe.

And even more especially if they can get a couple of macaws and toos riled up, and then get out of the way, and watch the fun... (And then blame it on another bird. "Pebbles did it!")

OH YES THEY DO!!!

Click to expand...

So what did Pebbles do so much that people were saying "Pebbles did it".

I have no idea where he learned that phrase... But I have an educated guess:

That bird was FULLY cognitive. I suspect he knew what it meant in human.

And he was such an instigator that he probably heard "Quincy did it!" followed immediately thereafter by someone getting mad at Quincy....

So my guess is that he picked it up in context (by being a stinker) and tried to use it to "trick us" to keep us from getting mad at him when he got caught.

Quincy and Pebbles were buddy birds, and were both cognitive (in context) talkers...

OMG, these stories are hilarious and I am intrigued that they are so smart......I am hoping Tokie will at least be half this smart......I am looking so forward to how she is going to be and what I am in for!!!!!! After reading the writing about what to expect....I am really looking forward to having her here, and how our life may change.....

TokiesMom said:

OMG, these stories are hilarious and I am intrigued that they are so smart......I am hoping Tokie will at least be half this smart......I am looking so forward to how she is going to be and what I am in for!!!!!! After reading the writing about what to expect....I am really looking forward to having her here, and how our life may change.....

Click to expand...

Well macaws talk a little bit, and pick up a couple of things in context, but mainly they're PLAYAHAULICS, GOOFBALLS, and LAP BIRDS.

Macaws are the most toddler-like of all of them, in my opinon, in both the good way (playful, loving, cuddle birds), and the bad way (tantrums/pushing the limits/manipulation.)

I've told this story before, but it's worth repeating for the level of manipulation IQ of these birds.

There was a large too, who scared the crap outta me down at the rescue. One minute he was happily playing with his toy, and the next minute he was screaming, writhing, and flapping upside down in a blind panic. HIS TOE HAD GOTTEN CAUGHT IN THE QUICK LINK, AND HE WAS STUCK HANGING UPSIDE DOWN... AND FREAKING OUT!

Well, needless to say, I also freaked, and immediately ran over to the cage, opened the door, and stuck my arm in to try and save the day...

And before you could blink, the too flipped over, ran up my arm, and pressed his face against my cheek. HIS TOE WAS NEVER STUCK. HE JUST WANTED OUT! Once out, he did the full on suck up routine to try and stay out.

"Okay, I lied, but I'm very sweet. Can't I stay out with you for a little while?"

Macaws and large toos are masters of this sort of human manipulation.

They can, they do, and from time to time they will...

GreatBlue320 said:

Mark I am in hysterics reading about Sally's antics! What a SMART bird! I can imagine the look on her birdie face when you came home early and "busted" her! Haha! I think it is absolutely incredible that she figured out your schedule and learned how to close the door and latch it herself. Truly amazing!

Click to expand...

Py used to recognize the sound of my car, distinct from the sound of every other car out there. I don't know how, but everyone in my household said that when my car was about a block away he'd start screaming and demand who ever was holding him let him go. He would get quite POed at them if they prevented him from getting to "his spot."

He had a "welcome home" spot lined up with our front door. And the minute the door opened, he would swoop from that spot to my shoulder. "HI PAPAYA, HOW'S MY BIRD!" SAME THING HAPPENED EVERY DAY FOR 12 YEARS!

Yeah. They study the routines. They know the drill.