Upbeat - news

[ChristaNL]

Hahahahaha jealousy is a great and usefull thing in the parrotworld!
(well sometimes anyway )

(after the Parrots had their breakfast- I do not believe in hunger-training: )

I started this morning with Appie and the aviator- her only probem is she really dislikes the small loop touching her eyes when she puts her head in, so we did some work on that and after that she wore the aviator (reluctantly) as long as there were nice munchies available.

She really *is* milking it for all she is worth: pretending to panick... running off in the direction of the bag of chips/crisps I was snacking on yesterday!
and trying to get some...
mortal fear indeed!

Sunny was still in the cage, being interested and protesting her lack of being involved.
So when Appie was done and it was her turn ...

Sunny climbed on the table from my lap, walked a few steps and grabbed her aviator!
(still wrapped up/ so that was a first) :40:
Still in a hurry she almost rammed her face through the loop in my hand at full speed and was happily munching away.

So there was some pulling it back over her head (munch munch) and putting it back on with her being passive a few times, but also some active "put your head here...thank you!" and even some - "he, this is the rest of the aviator moving around on your back, touching your wings...what do you mean? more munchies? again?". :52:

Murphy's law kicked in: the moment I got (over)confident- she got entangled and lost a bit of "her c00l" -- but no fullblown panick :40: and though she lost her footing squirming etc. she ended up back on my lap and there just let me straighten it out (not completely without bloodshed - she stabilized herself by grabbing my thumb a bit too firm) and was ready to go again in less than a minute! (amazing!)
Of course I did not push her- just looked at her, she was perfectly okay and eyeing the aviater with that same look that said "hmmmm mealticket, gimme!" - so the moment I offered some nuts she put her beak& face trough the loop like nothing had happened and we just went from there...


Always quit while you are ahead (if possible) - so we stopped the session shortly after with her still wanting to do more and mutual good feelings (not even needing a bandaid).


Afterwards she decided my looks needed an upgrade, so pulled a few of my hairs out of my head, got rid of my glasses, licked my nose and groomed my eyebrow. :40:
I drew the line at her trying to remove a freckle from an eyelid (completely forgot I had one there) and searching my mouth for interesting leftovers.
(I brushed! really!)



Fooddriven? Sunny? Whatever gave you that idea? :18:

 

[LaManuka]

Never a dull moment at your place Christa! ❤️

 

[ChristaNL]

\o/ Yesterday (the 6th) was the first lunge-free day sofar! \o/

Sunny usually gets quite defensive/ offensive when she is in or on the cage.
Something I can and will not tolerate because I need to be safe when I am bent double working /cleaning / hanging toys etc. in the cage!

(I know the ideas here on the forum about it being "my cage is my castle" and "it should be a safe place for the bird"... well they are allowed that, as long as they are gracious hosts but if they get nasty about it: their cage is a rental and I am the landlord. As a result I've been able to lift my greys of their eggs without any fuss etc. ; they are used to me being there as well and trust me.)

It's been quite a challence to do things in her cage with her disagreeing with my being there and not letting things escalate into hard feelings (usually from my side) or succesfull lunges and bites (hers).

As Gail said it before: we adapt to the birds (probably) way more than the bird does to us.


Sunny really is not happy about the distance between her cage and the computer (where I spend a lot of time) and her attitide changes a lot when I sit near her when watching a film on tv etc..
nearness = relaxation for her, but I do not want her to go into full overbonding and having to be next to me all the time (one of those emotional needs tightrope-walking situations).


Yesterday I was home late and she is cranky when tired, but I decided to let her out anyway (whoops).
She spend a lot of time refusing chances to step up and just hanging on the side of the cage ... but did not lunge even once :40:
instead she opted for a lot of scritches! :heart:

I was watching a horrormovie (it's that time of the year) and was terrified!
Not because the movie was that scary (it was pretty good, nice timing etc.), but I was afraid I would unintentionally react to the film by a twitch/ flinch and break the magick!
....best....film...ever...

 

[Laurasea]

Hi sounds like you are so is with the harness training! Sunny seems to be showing the sunny side. My you have many more lunge free days.

 

[ChristaNL]

Hahahaha, weird week

Sunny completely gnawed off her remaining 'old' tailfeather, but the 2 new-ones are still there (not completely intact, but in much better shape than the ones before that) and there is a 3rd comming in - also right next to these, more to the center.
Let's hope there is strenght in numbers!


She has been more active and is climbing around the cage more and exploring different places in it.:40:
More gnawing on the willowbraches, less on her feathers.

No more lunges inside or on the outside of the cage \o/ only when she hangs on the inside of the open door she will try - but no longer bruises my arm and my skin is slowly getting back to normal (no new holes, so that will be the end of my "I am holey-er than thou"-attitude as well )

Lots and lots of scritches inside the cage lately; she is very accepting of me there, except my hair (autch!) -> if I let her have her way with that I would be bald!


I am a bit of a coward with the aviator-training (stalling?)
now she seems to be over the loop-over-my-head frights, she doesn't seem to care at all about the rest of the harness touching her back, wings or even chest. :40:
This morning I decided to test my luck and slip a wing in the large loop, and she really did not care ( I ran out of cedernuts at that point and *that* annoyed her a lot more! ).
Now I am a bit stuck on how to proceed - usually tightening the thing completely brings on a reaction and I do not want to ruin anything (and would like to keep all my fingers etc. intact).

So I've been working on "oh oh we got stuck"- scenarios, where I only have to free her head and we have gotten to the point where she just goes "yes yes, just get my head out of this, like you always do, and let me snack in peace, plze". :40:


One of these days I will have to take the plunge and try a full suit/ completely closed aviator.
I am lucky the greys both are demonstrating how it is done (and she *does* pay attention!)- naming everything really does help them all.
(Great tip from the forumpeople, again.)
:07:

 

[ChristaNL]

Today was the first day of the special fortified oats for breakfast.
Appie almost ate more of them than Sunny did, but that is okay - everyone is rebuilding feathers atm. -> but most important: she ate them! :40:

Shower was supposed to be short today, but (after being presoaked) for the first time ever she was okay with being placed on the floor and mucking about there. :40:
She got a bit nervous and almost lunged at my toes, but she stopped before contact.
If she ever gets more feathers (tail and wings) the showerperch will be too close to the wall, so I would love to relocate the bathingfun to the floor.
She sort of hunkered down at the drain with her wings lowered in the slight puddle there - so I'll get the ridiculous large birdbath inside sometime soon (it was meant to live on the balcony) and see if & how she likes that.
I hope she may be into some really serious & spontaneous wingflapping exercise!

There is a 4th large tailfeather trying to grow ...
(wouldn't it be amazing it she left them all in peace instead of pieces?)

 

[Laurasea]

Fun updates! Grow tail featheres! And no plucking!

 

[ChristaNL]

The first time with the aviator over and under the wings, pulled tight till the clasp-thingy. :40:
(I did not dare to "lock it" by pulling it all the way through because I had no idea how she would react to something sliding around on her body and tightening as well.)

She just reacted a bit crabby "yes, yes, I *know* this "UP-right wing" and the "UP- left wing" and the "Koppiekoppiekoppie" (pulling the loop back over the head) ... where are the snacks, haven't you noticed the empty beak yet?!
It has been vacant for at least 20 seconds already!" :33:

I could have guessed; she is so used to being touched all over that the reaction would be mininmal - on the other hand, she *did* manage to get her feet in places the harness was not designed for (and still remained as cool as a cucumber about it, this time) though she has freaked out about the harness before ...

fooddriven/ foodobsessed... comes in handy

 

[ChristaNL]

"there and back again"

All the parrots were out and Sunny decided to go off exploring! :40:
So instead of choosing to climb her way over to me via the side of the greys cage, she climbed on top and went exploring there (there are carboard boxes, pieces of cardboard and lot of braches up there).
Yes, another first!

It is mostly Japies Kingdom up there (mine, mine mine, mine, mine!), but he was away doing something else and she was having a blast!
Making noise by shaking things, gnawtesting the boxes, ducking between the branches ...

Every single time she does something new or tries something unknown to her she is *so* proud of herself! :07:


(and beware of the displacement biting afterwards - there is always something scary about an adventure- so that stress needs relief too. Usually she is *really* in for a game of "grab and throw the bottle" to work off that nervous energy. LOL I never realised that "deciding on and providing stressrelief" was a crucial part of macaw ownership - I am so used to/spoiled with parrots who know how to take care of that themselves... )

I just love to see her grow and become more of a real parrot instead of this almost mindless ceiling-hanging parrotpendulum I met a few months ago.


Now, how about desensitizing that tail ?
(yup, it is growing - and bumping into things - and yes, it makes her chomp down om me :34 Any tips, anyone?


She talks up a storm (she actually outtalks the greys, not in variation or intonation, but in sheer repetition) and yesterday surprised me by doing the special Appie-whistle! :40:
(she's never made a whistling sound afaik!)
= the sound Appie makes to me when I ask her to do something she is really not enjoying or willing to do at that moment, but is too polite to protest in another way (like flying off or even a soft warning bite)
:40: and she did it IN context! :11:




=
edit: I almost forgot: We tried the big birdbath today...
she had not seen it before but did trust me enough to step down into it after she saw me splashing with the water.
LOL< no bathing, she did take a few drinks!
-

 

[ChristaNL]

:40: hahahaha, she met a total stranger today.
(I sold something on MP, our craighslist, and he came by to pick it up in person.)

He came in the house with *no* parrotexperience whatsoever but was curious to meet her.
Nice calm man, had some dogexperience and she really can use the socialisation - so a meet&greet was definitely called for.


She chomped down without really biting :40: ... in shark-terms it was an OMA
(open mouth attack)
Sharks use it to 'feel out' an unknown object: is is dangerous, is it edible, what is it made off etc.etc.
He did not even react! :14:
(Not something she was expecting, obviously: )

That impressed her so much she spend the next few minutes leaning towards me for support (she was sitting om my arm and did not dare to step up to him, though he had his hand there if she wanted/decided to) but was *very* enthousiastic in accepting cedernuts form his (flat&open) hand.
They had fun!


So, not only did he help sponsor some nice birdtoys for her, he did something far more important! :41:
I think she made a friend, because we've decided to this again some other day.
(and I really appriciate all the help I can get! advise or practical )

 

[Laurasea]

Hi On the 15th you talked about Sunny exploring the fun top of Jappies cage yippie! Penny went on top of Neptune cage for the first time and I felt the same way!!! I tried bragging to my mom , lol but she didn't get (it) so CristaNL I get it! Woop Woop! And Sunny played! Woop! Penny just looked out the window ignored the toys and veggie plate lol, but it was still a big moment for her. Sounds like you are really there with the harness training! Woop! That non bird person did Amazing took a bite like a pro!

 

[ChristaNL]

Laurasea: Oh that is sooo great! Congratulations on having an explorer-bird! Penny is also getting braver everyday, good job! :35: :07:

Today- no harness training -yet- (I am running out of bribes and the bribe-money hadn't come in yet) thank you for the reminder , today is out of controll crazy again, but good things also happen!

 

[jousze]

:40: hahahaha, she met a total stranger today.
(I sold something on MP, our craighslist, and he came by to pick it up in person.)

He came in the house with *no* parrotexperience whatsoever but was curious to meet her.
Nice calm man, had some dogexperience and she really can use the socialisation - so a meet&greet was definitely called for.


She chomped down without really biting :40: ... in shark-terms it was an OMA
(open mouth attack)
Sharks use it to 'feel out' an unknown object: is is dangerous, is it edible, what is it made off etc.etc.
He did not even react! :14:
(Not something she was expecting, obviously: )

That impressed her so much she spend the next few minutes leaning towards me for support (she was sitting om my arm and did not dare to step up to him, though he had his hand there if she wanted/decided to) but was *very* enthousiastic in accepting cedernuts form his (flat&open) hand.
They had fun!


So, not only did he help sponsor some nice birdtoys for her, he did something far more important! :41:
I think she made a friend, because we've decided to this again some other day.
(and I really appriciate all the help I can get! advise or practical )

I love reading about sunny, and I really think she’s a strong parrot!
I’m gonna be the next stranger she’s gonna find [emoji18]and probably the next being bit.

Mambo met the first stranger yerterday, he did one of those mouth attacks that you say but in the end he bit 🤦🏼*♂️ he broke her nail and made her bleed (she didn’t scream though) I don’t think she will ever touch him again :/
And today I don’t know how he took my phone and broke the screen glass... I don’t blame him, 4 months... exploring.... I guess 🤦🏼*♂️🤦🏼*♂️🤦🏼*♂️

Dinozon behaviour

 

[Laurasea]

When you have a wounded soul making process,.every tiny step is a reason to celebrate! When ever I have room for more it will be rescues from now on.

 

[ChristaNL]

Sunny's new friend called and he spent half an hour coaxing her to accept cedernuts from his hands (and feeding the other bottemless pits, who were not shy about shamelesly flirting to get their share/ so much for the famous reserved african grey! Appie even demanded scritches from him.).

She was still not sure and stayed on my lap for most of the time, but at the end decided it was okay to step down beween us (more nuts plze!) a few times, and even to eat there (not climbing back to the 'safe' spot on my knee).
He also played the 'catch the colabottle'-game with her.
Not as excuberant as usual (the rough and tumble is reserved for earlier in the day or maybe different players?)

(its almost half past nine here, PM of course/ so waaay past her usual bedtime / but it had been a crazy day anyway - the fridays usually are)

 

[LaManuka]

Your new friend sounds like a “natural”... but he better keep those nuts coming just to be safe

 

[Laurasea]

Is this your friend, it the "Craig's list" friend? Either way that is awesome, you've brought a non bird person to the dark side lol he will have a parrot soooon hopefully a rescue! It speaks highly if you as a parront , because it's an extension of the trust they have in you! Maybe he wants to be your friend too

 

[ChristaNL]

Hahahaha I laughed out loud @ "brought a non bird person to the dark side". Pure Genious!

Pieter seems to be really intersted in Sunny - almost the same "whoa, what IS this creature? What does it want or need?" I had the first time I met a parrot.

(not counting the budgies, sorry to say, they were just too wild and agressive to befriend a small child - even when I was quite a bit older "Mean Old Green" would bite chunks out of my fingernails right through the cagebars .. she was somewhat psyco-lady)

He had been telling his friends about her - and *they* freaked!
"What!? You were bit by a macaw!!?? And you are ging back there?!"
As if I would have let him near Sunny if I'd thought she might really, really bite him.

Grinnn, bandaids maybe in case of panick ( I always warn people of course), but not a trip to the emergency-room -- that is her thrust-level in humans atm.
She really is a wonderfull parrot. :07:

 

[ChristaNL]

Hmmm, hard to place this in an upbeat way: she is still determined to pluck my head bald ...
(not that it is such terrible a fate, I always loved Yul Brynner in "the King and I " and of course Sir Patrick Steward in almost all his different parts and even our professional-cuddly Dalai Lama in his most recent incarnation is "rocking the noggin' " so I'll be in great company )
Even after I changed my haircolour to see if that was the problem for her.


Anyway- today she decided to be a royal pain in the neither regions.
Lots of skittishness, so after an only partially eaten breakfast, a few half hearted training-moments, uncalled for (imho!) lunges but also stealing my glasses and exploring my face (she decided my eyebrows and eyelashes are okay-to-stay, but the rest must go!)...

... after being a dry parrot for 4 full days I decided she had waited long enough, gathered up the flock and went to give everyone a long, long soak.

That was totally what the doctor ordered: she was crouching down and dry-flapping those half-wings for all she was worth ...even when she knew it was not her turn yet.
The enhousiasm was wonderfull! :40:
A great way to assess how far she is willing/ able to stretch those wings and how much force she is daring to place on them. => I need a better grip-able perch, she almost flapped herself off several times! \o/
?Is that vetwrap-stuff waterproof? One way to find out of course

I even got to place her on the floor for a bit; she did not freak out, but was also not really comfortable enough (yet) to run around. :39:

I did some extra toy-cleaning with all of them present- I had the wooden ones in the final after-soak with just water after really getting rid of everything left over from the previous owner by loads and loads of chlorine the past days (could not find the sachets of official desinfectant, so I went old-fasioned on them) and she could not wait to get her beak in/ on them! :40:
LOL, the greys always check if it is harmless first, she really does not care: "it looks interesting, now see it it feels/ tastes interesting as well".

Right now she is back in the cage ( her choice) and gnawing on the willowbranches (They are really getting old and dry, but still... she likes them! / Ignoring the fresher bunch.) and commenting *is 't lekker?* (is it nice?) *ja* (yes) etc.etc.


(actually talking up a storm now) :07:

 

[bigfellasdad]

loving this thread ChristaNL I've never ever met a macaw and the closest i've been to one is a pair of hyacinths at Chester zoo. I really dont like the sound of a macaw bite though, I had my first from enzo over the weekend on my nose, im very lucky she didnt put too much pressure on as it only bled rather than ripped through.