Does anyone else's parrots have odd fears or odd hobbies?

May 2, 2021
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Vermont, USA
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Stormy(M): blue Australian budgie
Picasso(F): green Australian budgie
Apollo(F): sky blue dominant pied Australian budgie
Open discussion!

Stormy:
Afraid of string
Loves my gel pen jar

Picasso:
Afraid of Stormy's antics
OBSESSED with my gel pen jar

Pepper:
Afraid of being social
Loves said gel pen jar
 

Rozalka

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Bourke's parrots, green cheeked conure
Angela:
- loves hanging

Zenek:
- likes being closed in a drawer (seriously! he's happy then! :ROFLMAO:) (don't worry - I close him just for few seconds)
- he's afraid of humans in caps

At this moment I have no more ideas what are odd hobbies/fears of my fids
 
OP
π•Ύπ–™π–”π–—π–’π–žπ•»π–Žπ–ˆπ–†
May 2, 2021
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Vermont, USA
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Stormy(M): blue Australian budgie
Picasso(F): green Australian budgie
Apollo(F): sky blue dominant pied Australian budgie
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #3
Angela:
- loves hanging

Zenek:
- likes being closed in a drawer (seriously! he's happy then! :ROFLMAO:) (don't worry - I close him just for few seconds)
- he's afraid of humans in caps

At this moment I have no more ideas what are odd hobbies/fears of my fids
The drawer 🀣
 

wrench13

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Yellow Shoulder Amazon, Salty
So weird. Salty will all of a sudden be deathly afraid of a prop we have used 50+ times in training, looking askance at it, hesitatingly approach it and then back away, only to then have no issues with it if I change the position of it. Happened again last night. I have this doll house infant we use, Salty puts into a doll house crib and then gives it to me. He was like "I am NOT going near that terrible what ever it is!!", but when I turned it 90 degrees, he had no issues. SO strange these birds are sometimes.
 

texsize

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1 RLA (Pacho R.I.P.)
2 GCA(Luna,Merlin) The Twins
1 Congo AG (Bella)
5 Cockatiels
Bella scared of lots of things but large boxes are at the top.
Loves my wife and hanging out in the bathroom.

The Twins, haven’t found anything they are afraid of.
love playing with all kinds of stuff and making noise.

Bingo.
Loves me and people food.
Not scared of things but gets a serious hate on over.
large pill bottles, baseball caps, jackets…

Tiels
Mango & Angle.
Love neck scratches.
Scarred of so many things I can’t list them.
 

GaleriaGila

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May 14, 2016
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The Rickeybird, 38-year-old Patagonian Conure
Remember this one?
LeaKP created and added a word to the Forums Lexicon while contributing to the Rickeybird Scrapbook. I love it.
Submitted for your consideration.
Luv ya, Lea.

Buttfeather
Verb
Performed by a perching parrot, the act of turning the back and hoisting the tail, thus exposing the nether-feathers in a display of defiance, mockery, or mischief.
Buttfeather, buttfeathers, buttfeathering, buttfeathered
"The bird would often buttfeather his owner when feeling ignored."
Synonym: "moon" (slang, obsolete)
Illustration (using the now obsolete term "mooning")
eSMy13x.jpg
 
OP
π•Ύπ–™π–”π–—π–’π–žπ•»π–Žπ–ˆπ–†
May 2, 2021
3,527
Media
4
Albums
2
8,038
Vermont, USA
Parrots
Stormy(M): blue Australian budgie
Picasso(F): green Australian budgie
Apollo(F): sky blue dominant pied Australian budgie
  • Thread Starter
  • Thread starter
  • #9
Remember this one?
LeaKP created and added a word to the Forums Lexicon while contributing to the Rickeybird Scrapbook. I love it.
Submitted for your consideration.
Luv ya, Lea.

Buttfeather
Verb
Performed by a perching parrot, the act of turning the back and hoisting the tail, thus exposing the nether-feathers in a display of defiance, mockery, or mischief.
Buttfeather, buttfeathers, buttfeathering, buttfeathered
"The bird would often buttfeather his owner when feeling ignored."
Synonym: "moon" (slang, obsolete)
Illustration (using the now obsolete term "mooning")
eSMy13x.jpg
That sure was...informative 🀣
Thanks Gale!
 

GaleriaGila

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Parrot of the Month πŸ†
May 14, 2016
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Cleveland area
Parrots
The Rickeybird, 38-year-old Patagonian Conure
So weird. Salty will all of a sudden be deathly afraid of a prop we have used 50+ times in training, looking askance at it, hesitatingly approach it and then back away, only to then have no issues with it if I change the position of it. Happened again last night. I have this doll house infant we use, Salty puts into a doll house crib and then gives it to me. He was like "I am NOT going near that terrible what ever it is!!", but when I turned it 90 degrees, he had no issues. SO strange these birds are sometimes.
Al, I sometimes think they have a bad dream about something, and after, waking, don't know it wasn't real, and... there ya go. The Rb does this at times. Sometimes the new phobia goes away, sometimes it's permanent.
 

Terry57

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Hawkhead(Darwin),YCA(Dexter),VE (Ekko),OWA(Slater),BHP(Talli),DYH(Calypso),RLA(Kimera),Alex(Xander)CBC(Phoe),IRN (Kodee,Luna,Stevie),WCP (Pisces),CAG(Justice)GCC (Jax), GSC2(Charley)
Al, this sounds much like what Salty is doing.

I give small treats to my birds in cupcake holders. I twist the ends and it looks like candy that is wrapped.
Xander will see me coming with a colour he had yesterday, but now it's poison. He does his alarm sounds and flies away.
I give him one in a different colour and that's ok, then he will take the first one next like it's no big deal.
 

zERo

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Tony-Green QP(M)
Tom-Pineapple GCC(M)
Milly- Sparrow (F)
Lets see then,

Tony(QP)- Terrified of tape measures and anyone in a mask of any kind.
- likes taking the keys off my computer and bobbing his head up and down with anything remotely doing the same.
Tom(GCC)- hates it when I eat while he's out, the food I'm holding is his enemy and must die.
-likes getting in my jacket sleeve, pestering my sister by jumping on her computer keyboard over and over and throwing his foot toys from the highest point in his cage so they make a loud noise.
The cockatiels-They all love toys especially the mated pair, almost no matter the material.
-None of them like anyone coming into their kingdom if it isn't me, and even then they don't appreciate me much.
The Budgies- There's not much they're scared of, they like invading the cockatiels cages and 'stealing' their food. They love running at full speed across my room on the floor and sitting in little cult circles, their faces will all be very close, (except Hedwig, she hasn't been here long enough to be trusted yet) quietly discussing whatever budgies talk about. They discovered where the dry seeds and fruits are (literally right in the open on the dresser and it took them months to find them after I moved them), they think if they pick at the bags long enough they might make the seed aparate out of the bags somehow.
 

HeatherG

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Apr 25, 2020
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QPs seem to have lots of weird random or random-ish fears.

I had to sell a cool African owl candle lamp because Lucy QP was afraid of it and would stare at it and scream. I bought a plastic yodeling pickle (to teach her to yodel) and she was terrified of it. She hated glasses (spectacles) and balloons. Terrified of electrical cords. I had to hide the Dustbuster or make a cozy for it so she couldn’t see it. And this was a very smart bird! She hated ladder trucks like fire trucks or phone company vans, even from 5 stories up. Hated a big red exercise ball I had, for no known reason.

Willow also hates the Dustbuster, but he isn’t quite as silly about it. He is afraid of any new toys or cage furniture for AGES and therefore won’t take a bath in his cage nor does he get many new toys. Thinks weaving sticks are scary, too.
 

foxgloveparrot

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Lilla (senegal parrot)
Snowberry (yellow-crowned amazon)
Cricket (pacific parrotlet)
Yes.
Yes, they do.
 

Laurasea

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Aug 2, 2018
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Aww
I have had the exact opposite experience with QPs. Tho a yodeling pickle might have thrown mine too!

They are so bold , they can be climbing on a new toy as I'm hanging it. They come investigate anything new. That's the norm from my reading species descriptions. But all are unique in their experiences.

My mixed species flock are all pretty bold, even the budgies . Maybe its flock culture

But I had this new tie dye shirt in bright yellow, blues, pinks. It freaked out my mellow yellow Pikachu! Caused her to scream non stop as soon as she saw me in it and to fly and want to bite the shirt, try and pull off me, and bite me as well. I really thought it was a beautiful shirt and wanted to keep it. But I gave it away.

Hobbies, thievery!
If I'm working with small parts, like perch attachments, they steal and fly to ceiling fan. Parade around with my missing part while looking down on me. If I'm especially interested in something they will steal it if they can
 

HeatherG

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Apr 25, 2020
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Aww
I have had the exact opposite experience with QPs. Tho a yodeling pickle might have thrown mine too!

They are so bold , they can be climbing on a new toy as I'm hanging it. They come investigate anything new. That's the norm from my reading species descriptions. But all are unique in their experiences.

My mixed species flock are all pretty bold, even the budgies . Maybe its flock culture

But I had this new tie dye shirt in bright yellow, blues, pinks. It freaked out my mellow yellow Pikachu! Caused her to scream non stop as soon as she saw me in it and to fly and want to bite the shirt, try and pull off me, and bite me as well. I really thought it was a beautiful shirt and wanted to keep it. But I gave it away.

Hobbies, thievery!
If I'm working with small parts, like perch attachments, they steal and fly to ceiling fan. Parade around with my missing part while looking down on me. If I'm especially interested in something they will steal it if they can
Lucy would be all over any toy or pen or phone or food. Just had a big imagination when it came to random furniture and household items.

I don’t think Willow got much exposure to toys? So maybe that’s why he’s a big chicken.

I used the yodeling pickle for ulterior purposes when Lucy decided she was scared of it and wasn’t going to be the worlds only yodeling parrot. When she was being naughty i would get it out and show her. She would screech and dive back in her cage. Eventually all I had to say was β€œI’ll get the PICKLE”!

Poor bird. Snicker..
 

Laurasea

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Aug 2, 2018
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Lucy would be all over any toy or pen or phone or food. Just had a big imagination when it came to random furniture and household items.

I don’t think Willow got much exposure to toys? So maybe that’s why he’s a big chicken.

I used the yodeling pickle for ulterior purposes when Lucy decided she was scared of it and wasn’t going to be the worlds only yodeling parrot. When she was being naughty i would get it out and show her. She would screech and dive back in her cage. Eventually all I had to say was β€œI’ll get the PICKLE”!

Poor bird. Snicker..
Hee hee
I'm sure psst experience and exposure is huge!
Plus having several burds in a flock they copy each other and are emboldened probably
Or FOMO@ if I don't get to it first I might miss out
 

HeatherG

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Apr 25, 2020
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Hee hee
I'm sure psst experience and exposure is huge!
Plus having several burds in a flock they copy each other and are emboldened probably
Or FOMO@ if I don't get to it first I might miss out
Well, if Willow is being slow about coming out I call jasper to the side of his cage and give Jasper the treat. Then Willow comes running for the next one.

Lucy was the grande dame of the Quaker Parakeet world. Except for the Dustbuster-balloon-cord-owl-pickle phobia, she had no fear. We went to concerts and block parties and she got kinda famous. Was even on a radio show (pledge show) with me once, demonstrating a station premium and (recorded) thanking guests, etc.

But she did not yodel.
 

Terry57

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Hawkhead(Darwin),YCA(Dexter),VE (Ekko),OWA(Slater),BHP(Talli),DYH(Calypso),RLA(Kimera),Alex(Xander)CBC(Phoe),IRN (Kodee,Luna,Stevie),WCP (Pisces),CAG(Justice)GCC (Jax), GSC2(Charley)
I can't dye my hair any other colour that's not close to what it is now. As long as it stays brown, it's good.
I once added a strong red tint to change it to Auburn, and Talli never got over it. I gave him a week to see if he would get used to it, but nope. He was still furious and tried to attack me when I got close.
I got another box of dye and changed it back, and then there was peace in my birdieland.
 

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