kiwi update.

[ACE209]

Well this adoption has been one of the most difficult I have ever had. I hope that when I reach my goals with her I will be my most rewarding one. This bird was spoiled rotten. She does whatever she wants when she wants, and she's an evil mastermind about it too. She has zero manners she will come to the kitchen table and steal your food and scream and try to bite you if you try to stop her. He (previous owner) obviously let her get away with anything. She seems hooked on soda when she sees an open can [or closed] she runs to it knocks it over and tries to inhale it. She knows what chips and top ramen are and will bully you for them lol. If I'm lucky to catch her on a good day and she does step up theres still a chance she will bite me or scream at me move too fast. As soon as you step away from the cage she will try and run up your arm to your shoulder and again scream and bite if you try to stop her.I had to change the locking mechanism on her cage because it only took her a day to figure it out. All this while I'm trying to go slow and believe me im going very very slow. All at her pace:31:. I'm her least favorite person in the house but the only one one that interacts with her. Everyone else is terrified of her, something else I'm working to change.

Now that I got all the negative out of my system here's some positives. She learned step up. She becoming more tolerant of me pushing her to do more. She learned that I don't like her on my shoulder so she's content on my hand or arm. Shes eating her pelleted diet fairly well, still won't eat anything fresh unless it's on my dinner plate. I've made her a nice fresh veggie mix a few times didn't touch it. She's no longer allowed out during meal times. Sorry babe no more junk food for you. She was a very plump 750 grams she has started to lose weight I'm sure from stress and diet change. I can't wait to run for her drs appointment so doc can tell me how fat she is :/

This feels like it's going to be a marathon. I'm sorry if this is a long rant about how aweful kiwi is, but I'm in it for the long haul. I simply want to share my struggles with you guys so when its all over i can say, hey remember how aweful kiwi was when I first got her. I knew there were risks when adopting an adult instead of a chick. I'm just as stubborn as she is, and I have much more patience for her shenanigans.

 

[Kiwibird]

Well this adoption has been one of the most difficult I have ever had. I hope that when I reach my goals with her I will be my most rewarding one. This bird was spoiled rotten. She does whatever she wants when she wants, and she's an evil mastermind about it too. She has zero manners she will come to the kitchen table and steal your food and scream and try to bite you if you try to stop her. He (previous owner) obviously let her get away with anything. She seems hooked on soda when she sees an open can [or closed] she runs to it knocks it over and tries to inhale it. She knows what chips and top ramen are and will bully you for them lol. If I'm lucky to catch her on a good day and she does step up theres still a chance she will bite me or scream at me move too fast. As soon as you step away from the cage she will try and run up your arm to your shoulder and again scream and bite if you try to stop her.I had to change the locking mechanism on her cage because it only took her a day to figure it out. All this while I'm trying to go slow and believe me im going very very slow. All at her pace:31:. I'm her least favorite person in the house but the only one one that interacts with her. Everyone else is terrified of her, something else I'm working to change.

Well, she sounds like a normal amazon to me lol. Feisty, unpredictable, will make you EARN her love and a total junk food junkie! Have patience, and she will be the best friend you could ever have. Zons are great birds, but they are headstrong and while they are certainly intelligent enough to learn some basic concepts like stepping up, you don't see too many zons who have the right personality for super regimented training (and most don't need it, they are very independent). They like to do their own thing and just hang out. As for the table manners, that is all amazon Obviously she shouldn't get junk food (you know that) but if you're having veggies or oatmeal or eggs or other healthy table food, invite her over (on a t-perch or she will stomp into the middle of the plates lol). Meal time is a big bonding experience for amazons, and so long as she is offered healthy foods, it's a great way to build trust and make her feel included in your flock. And I must say 750 grams is HUGE for a BFA. I think they typically weigh between 375-500 grams, depending on subspecies and overall length. Kiwi is a pretty big blue front and only 420 grams. He's at a healthy weight (according to his vet). I will be curious what the vet has to say about your Kiwi and what diet he puts her on.

 

[Allee]

Are you sure Kiwi isn't a Cockatoo disguised as an Amazon? We faced some similar issues when Popeye came to live with us. Re-homes can be difficult at first, but as you said, so rewarding in the long run. You are making progress though, and it sounds like you have a very intelligent bird. Looking forward to updates. Please let us know what diet her vet recommends.

 

[strudel]

and she's an evil mastermind about it too.

I shouldn't have laughed, should I?

 

[Allee]

Well this adoption has been one of the most difficult I have ever had. I hope that when I reach my goals with her I will be my most rewarding one. This bird was spoiled rotten. She does whatever she wants when she wants, and she's an evil mastermind about it too. She has zero manners she will come to the kitchen table and steal your food and scream and try to bite you if you try to stop her. He (previous owner) obviously let her get away with anything. She seems hooked on soda when she sees an open can [or closed] she runs to it knocks it over and tries to inhale it. She knows what chips and top ramen are and will bully you for them lol. If I'm lucky to catch her on a good day and she does step up theres still a chance she will bite me or scream at me move too fast. As soon as you step away from the cage she will try and run up your arm to your shoulder and again scream and bite if you try to stop her.I had to change the locking mechanism on her cage because it only took her a day to figure it out. All this while I'm trying to go slow and believe me im going very very slow. All at her pace. I'm her least favorite person in the house but the only one one that interacts with her. Everyone else is terrified of her, something else I'm working to change.

Strudel, I confess, I also laughed. Sorry ACE209, I promise I was laughing with you, not at you!