Meet schnapps

[Mariar]

Sorry everyone for being a stranger! With job changes due to covid and stress and everyday life I kinda just kept to myself for awhile ,,but I’m back! In September I had a birthday ,,thank you everyone for the warm greetings in October I worked non stop. In November the restaurant I was working at temporarily closed due to covid violations and I got a different car that is still giving me issues but whatever. It’s December and I have a new job and I’m bird sitting schnapps a Mollucun too. As some of you know I worked at a parrot sanctuary in Tampa ( if you don’t know it’s a super long story and you can pm me if you want to know more lol) but the sanctuary had issues and some us took birds home to care for. Schnapps is a sanctuary bird and I’m so excited to be taking care of him for the next month or so. He’s hormonal and will be asking advice because my birds sissy and tiger have not gone thru this .. not this bad at least.
Thanks for reading.don’t mind the bad pix of me

 

[saxguy64]

Well, welcome back! Schnapps is one big handsome boy! Thank you for taking care of him. Sorry about the hormones, but as they say, that too shall pass. Hopefully sooner than later.

 

[Mariar]

Because I know where he came from and what he had to put up with (same as my tiger ) I would go to the ends of the earth for this bird and his mommy and actually I would bird sit for anyone. I like a good challenge lol

 

[Flboy]

More and more adventures!

 

[Mariar]

it was very hard in the beginning welcoming schnapps into our home, hes so loud and messing and im guessing he gets his own way alot. Latley hes been very good, hes become quiet when we need him to be.we are teaching quiet talk so when he gets mad we whisper.. and he whispers back. just a quick update thanks for reading

 

[Scott]

Glad you are back, Maria! What a gorgeous M2, enjoy your time with Schnapps!! Yeah, hormones in a big too can be challenging. Careful avoidance of stimulus and letting him "be" when overloaded is best tactic.

Oh, and bite your tongue, always good to see you!

 

[WhiteFlight]

We whisper.. and he whispers back.

That's unique. Meisha has whispered back a few times. Would like to experience it more often. Beautiful bird. How does his weight compare to Sissy?

 

[Mariar]

I’ve been trying to weigh schnapps for a few weeks now to ensure he’s getting enough nutrition but he hates the scale.tiger and sissy don’t mind being on the scale (both have lost alittle weight since schnapps came home but nothing major) He’s been a lot better lately not as loud and just happy following me around the house with a wood block in his mouth. Even though he bit me pretty bad in the hand a few days ago I still pick him up and exercise his wings. And nothing alittle super glue and gauze couldn’t fix lol

 

[saxguy64]

I have a small perch that fits perfectly on my scale. Tucker is usually okay with it, but Baxter, my YNA won't go near it, or the scale. For her, I put a small rag over the scale surface, only exposing the screen. She'll sit on that without too much fuss.

 

[Mariar]

And just to let people know the difference in weight
Schnapps mollucan too (finally got in the scale) 745 grams
Tiger lesser sulfer too is 440 grams
Sissy severe macaw is 365 grams
All weights were taken today

 

[Scott]

Glad you had success! Moluccans are weighty birds!

 

[noodles123]

Lol- he's so cute! Thanks for fostering him!
In terms of hormones and cockatoos- they are very easily triggered (M2S AND U2s especially)


Don't let him have access to any even remotely shadowy spaces (no matter how much he is obsessed with finding them).


Pet on the head and neck only and avoid prolonged touching even in those places-- they are very sexual parrots.


A place like your lap, or even sitting on a couch may seem innocent, but if you see him lowering his head and kind of scoping it out, or rubbing his beak on things/ peeking into darker areas, OR any quivering/twitching/vibrating, change the subject immediately by moving locations and setting him down on his cage etc-- not in a mean way, but in a..lets do something else way....


Do not wrap him in towels or cuddle him much at all-- no stroking, no under wing touching, no piles or paper or bedding or access to any shadowy spaces at all...no pillows, blankets, cubbies, cabinets, low shelves, etc



12 hours of sleep on a set schedule is really important for M2s and U2s as well, as it regulates their hormones and impacts behavior. Think of him as a needy toddler who has to have a set bedtime/wakeup routine and make sure you stick with it.


Read signals and never push- you want to be associated with positive, but preferably non-sexual activities, so make sure that you have fun/ stress-free interaction that does NOT just revolve around touching...

 

[Mariar]

Thank you so that post was super helpful seen as schnapps ALWAYS try’s to get his way with me !!!!

 

[Scott]

He's in spectacular feather!

 

[Mariar]

So schnapps just died. I can’t stop shaking and crying. His bird mom is in Connecticut with him and she just called and said he was fine last night and now this morning ....gone. I know he wasn’t mine but a piece of my heart is missing. He deserved to live a much longer life. He will be missed

 

[saxguy64]

Oh no! I'm so sorry. I absolutely understand, even though he wasn't "yours," they do take a piece of your heart with them. Any idea what happened?

 

[Scott]

I'm so sorry to hear Schnapps passed, my deepest condolences for the loss of a moluccan you dearly loved. Just reviewed the images, he was a gorgeous bird.

 

[wrench13]

SO very sad, especially when they leave like that. Here and then gone. Schnapps is flying free over the bridge now.

 

[Mariar]

No clue what happened yet I’ll keep everyone posted
Unfortunately he came from the sanctuary I use to work and he’s not the first bird to pass away from there in the last year. I worry because tiger lived there as well

 

[fiddlejen]

I'm so sorry for your loss.