Hello Parrot People!

JawzX

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Aug 22, 2010
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8 year-old second-hand Alexandrine Parakeet Buddy (aka Baby, aka Ms. Prissy Beak)
Hi folks,

I go by JawzX (and various iterations thereof) on these here Internets, and I happen to have recently become a parrot owner!

I had a budgie when I was a child, he was never very tame, but for the 10 years between the ages of 6 and 16 I spent a lot of time whistling with him, and mistaking his beeps for the microwave...

This year, for my 32nd birthday my girlfriend helped me become a bird owner again!

It began with her own search for a bird: She had determined that she would be getting a rescue or second-hand bird for both financial and moral reasons, but wasn't ready to pull the trigger yet. She wanted to meet some birds, feel out the different species and try to find the perfect fit. On one of her trips to see birds we went to a rescue to see an 8 year-old Alexandrine parakeet. As it turned out, she and the bird did not click very well, but one of the other birds there, a 30 year-old, over-weight, perch-potato Amazon named Cody loved her almost instantly. As it turned out, Buddy the Alexandrine was sitting on my shoulder cooing into my ear in another couple minutes. It took some time for us to come to terms with the idea, and to acquire the requisite supplies and do some more research about what we were really getting ourselves into, but the operator of the rescue saved the birds for us, as he said we were the best candidates he had met yet and the birds liked us better than any other people who came to look at them!

a little over a month ago now we each brought home a second-hand bird. Cody, the Red-lored Amazon :green1: is a grumpy old man of a bird much of the time, having been owned by grumpy old people who had died recently and he was not loved by their son before coming to the shelter. The rest of the time he is a silly, silly "fat green chicken" as we call him. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WSpTVtJQm58]YouTube - Codyflops[/ame] rolling over on his back, for scritches and pettin's and mumbling to himself constantly in combination chicken/parrot/old man voice. He still needs to loose a lot of weight and he has bad eating habits (seed diet for most of his life) but he's got more personality than you can shake a cane at while yelling "get off my lawn you damn kids!" and doesn't have any behavior problems beyond his tendency to beg like a chick for any food item thats obviously not good for him, sitting like a lump unless forced to do otherwise, and an occasional bout of nippiness.
---

Now we get to my bird: Buddy (aka Baby, Aka Ms. Prissy Beak) the 8 year old Alexandrine Parakeet. She's the quietest bird I have ever met, she hardly ever squawks, and when she does it's short lived and not super loud, most of the time she purrs and coos and makes soft little whistling noises under her breath. She does talk, but rarely and I've only heard three phrases so far.

She's an active forager,
spoon.jpg


she loves foot toys
birdday.jpg


and apples and yellow squash, and is too damn smart for my good. In the short time we have known each other she has learned to come when called, step up without hesitation and where the seeds, toys and treats are stored (and how to open the containers they are in too) :p You can see the constant thinking and scheming in her eyes. She's smart and she knows it :22:
frisbee.jpg


Ms. Prissy Beak is cage-potty trained from her previous owner and has an amazingly gentle personality. Even when she's being cage defensive (her biggest fault) she never bites harder than a mild nip and even with her big strong beak has never drawn blood. She enjoys a little petting as long you confine it to the neck and top of the head.
scritches.jpg

I Have been able to find very little information specific to Alexandrines on the internet, despite their long, long, long history of being pets and companions. I'm hoping to find other Alexandrine owners and possibly other parrot owners in the North Eastern united states to connect with and learn from!

She's currently angry at me for not taking her to wash dishes and cook lunch yet, so I best go oblige before she hides my glasses or eats my phone in spite ;)

JawzX (M.) In Vermont
 

parrotqueen

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Jan 14, 2010
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Pineapple & Sunshine--Gray/wildtype male cockatiels
Hey JawsX, pleased to meet you! Welcome to our friendly, helpful forum. Browse around our many interesting topics, and feel free to post your own. We'd be happy to help you with any of your parrot problems or to just talk parrot.

Thanks for the pics! We're all crazy about photos.
 
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Bobby34231

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Quincy - Blue Throated Macaw, Skittles and Dusty - Rose Breasted Too's,
Joey - Yellow Crown Amazon, Ashley - CAG
Hi and welcome to the forum, thanks for sharing your fids (fids=feathered kids) with us, there are lots of friendly members here to share ideas and information with I hope you enjoy your stay here with us :)
 

HRH Di

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Jan 9, 2010
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Max - Alexandrine, Jade - Red-Front Macaw, Ruby - CAG
Welcome to the forum!

I also have an Alexandrine. Max is about 18 months old and is mostly my son's bird. You're right, they are incredibly smart. Max is a very quiet guy, but has been more vocal lately, so we think he'll be talking soon.

Being such a quiet loner gave us the impression at first that he might not have much personality...were we ever wrong! He has a very distinct personality and we wouldn't trade him for the world!
 
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JawzX

JawzX

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8 year-old second-hand Alexandrine Parakeet Buddy (aka Baby, aka Ms. Prissy Beak)
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great to see another Alexandrine owner! I was a little woried about her apparent lack of perrsonality at first when I brought her home. She was very quiet and standoffish, and although she would take food from me and reluctantly step up she wasn't the gregarious silly-head Cody the Amazon was...

It seems she just had to be sure I was worth her time. I have never met a more curious and adventerous bird! She always wants to be in the middle of what's going on and will lean waaaaaay out on her perch to check things out (be it your shoulder or other sitting area). She figured out how to open the LOCK SIDE tupperware food containers on her first try and when she's not trying to put her beak on everything you are doing she's sneaking (and I mean with ninja-like stealth!) around with devious plans for food acquisition, or possibly world domination....

She knows that water makes things softer and puts almonds and her hard wood forrage toys in the water dish to soften them up before total desruction is wraught. She always looks in the fridge and freezer any chance she gets and likes to unscrew quick-links and throw her toys on the floor of her cage. She knows spoons are used for getting food to mouths and has gone beyond meerly attempting to intercept them to attempting to USE them! Thank god she's not intent on escape, I think she could figure out a combination lock! Needless to say, the personality has come out ;)
 
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Auggie's Dad

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Welcome, we do have a handful of Alexandrine owners, hoepfully they will pop in to this thread.

rolling over on his back, for scritches and pettin's and mumbling to himself constantly in combination chicken/parrot/old man voice. He still needs to loose a lot of weight and he has bad eating habits (seed diet for most of his life) but he's got more personality than you can shake a cane at while yelling "get off my lawn you damn kids!" and doesn't have any behavior problems beyond his tendency to beg like a chick for any food item thats obviously not good for him, sitting like a lump unless forced to do otherwise, and an occasional bout of nippiness.
Hmm, most of that would seem to describe me as well :eek:
 

birdboy747

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Jul 11, 2010
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northwest indiana
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cockatiel
She knows that water makes things softer and puts almonds and her hard wood forrage toys in the water dish to soften them up before total desruction is wraught. She always looks in the fridge and freezer any chance she gets and likes to unscrew quick-links and throw her toys on the floor of her cage. She knows spoons are used for getting food to mouths and has gone beyond meerly attempting to intercept them to attempting to USE them! Thank god she's not intent on escape, I think she could figure out a combination lock! Needless to say, the personality has come out ;)


i thaught almonds were not good for birds, am i wrong?:confused:
 

Bobby34231

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Jun 25, 2010
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Sarasota,Florida
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Quincy - Blue Throated Macaw, Skittles and Dusty - Rose Breasted Too's,
Joey - Yellow Crown Amazon, Ashley - CAG
She knows that water makes things softer and puts almonds and her hard wood forrage toys in the water dish to soften them up before total desruction is wraught. She always looks in the fridge and freezer any chance she gets and likes to unscrew quick-links and throw her toys on the floor of her cage. She knows spoons are used for getting food to mouths and has gone beyond meerly attempting to intercept them to attempting to USE them! Thank god she's not intent on escape, I think she could figure out a combination lock! Needless to say, the personality has come out ;)


i thaught almonds were not good for birds, am i wrong?:confused:

Almonds are good for birds, good source of protien and calcium :)
 

HRH Di

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Jan 9, 2010
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Max - Alexandrine, Jade - Red-Front Macaw, Ruby - CAG
She knows that water makes things softer and puts almonds and her hard wood forrage toys in the water dish to soften them up before total desruction is wraught.

Max does the same thing with his pellets. Routine: Pick up a pellet from the pellet bowl on the perch...walk across the 18 inches to the water bowl on the perch...dip the pellet...enjoy!

Sometimes he drops a pellet then has to start over. His water can get pretty gross.
 

Aussie Ben

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Jun 8, 2010
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Big warm welcome to you and your fids! This is a great community and you will slot right in here.

You seem like fantastic guardians to your birds and it is great to see that they have found a loving home after being put in a rescue.

She figured out how to open the LOCK SIDE tupperware food containers on her first try

The first time my bird opened a container, it ended up on the floor, he thought it was hilarious LOL

i thaught almonds were not good for birds, am i wrong?:confused:

Almonds are great for birds (you might be thinking of peanuts, they can be iffy). My Ekkie loves almonds, although ever since he tasted a cashew, he throws the almond away and sits and waits for me to give him a cashew instead :rolleyes::p
 

The Parrrot

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Aug 22, 2010
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Saudi Arabia
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0.0.1 Congo African Grey
0.0.1 Latino Cockatiel
Hey man and welcome, I really like the way you put your post together, it was fun to read just like a short story with a happy ending loool.

Have a good one

Rakan
 

Dj tweet

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Aug 11, 2010
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Pheonix- alexandrine parrot
1 September 2010

mikki- barraband x king parrot
21yrs old
Hi there it's so great reading thru your post
I have just recently spoken with the breeder and booked my baby for when his mummy finally gets busy so should be a nice little Xmas preseng by time he ready to come home
I would have liked to take on avrescue but there are very few in nz and with 2 little kids I think getting a younger bird and having it grow up with the kids will be better for all

I'm so happy reading thru your post as this is the exact personality I want in a bird and it gets me so excited in waiting for mine

Please if you know how add me as a buddy as I would love to stay in contact with as many Alex owners as possible as it's always great for advice and funny stories

Cheers Jesse

Ps : so glad you guys took on rescues and have provided them with a loving home if more people thought about there actions there wouldn't be the need for all these
we need more good people like yourself in the world :)
 

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