The Professor has arrived.

[Redballoon]

The Professor is officially,...in da house!
He is a darling chatty little Pink and gray Galah.
I went to Minton Animal rescue and picked up the Professor this Morning.
I got there and was greeted by two orphaned Kangaroos. I then found a flock of one armed seagulls and then I found the office.
I got taken past hundreds of birds. kingfishers, Kookaburras, Corella's, Major Mitchel's, ducks, geese, Pigeons,...Every kind of bird you can imagine and got to this small aviary with the Professor in it. He fell out of his nest, was rescued by kids, but fed seed when he needed tube feeding. He nearly starved before they worked it out and gave him over to animal rescue.She has finished hand feeding him and he is eating seed. He is about 2 months old. He is Grotty as any bird I have ever seen. I have bathed him and now he will start getting some individual care he couldn't get at a place where they are trying to look after hundreds of birds, Kangaroos, Koalas, Possums, Turtles etc. He has started Preening himself and has now discovered the head skritch. He likes it. In fact, He starts crying with joy when you do it, proving he is still such a baby.
I have found 2 different personalities in these 2 birds. Skippah Is British, laid back , polite, quiet, pleasant but stand offish.
The professor is chatty, cuddly, dirty, smelly, and interested in everything I say.
I took a few pix, not many coz I didn't want to appear rude. The camera is in the car and Debbie has the car.
I will post up pix as soon as she is home.

 

[Flyte]

Wow Red that's great that you were able to take The Professor in.


** I can imagine dinner conversations.. someone hears a yell. Your wife mutters that the professor is hungry and your guests think your keeping some sort of mad scientist locked in another room.

 

[Redballoon]

The professor is always hungry.
Sadly he seems to make the same noise when wants his head rubbed.

I am going to go back to hand feed for a while, with seed on the side.
I have not been able to get a pic of him with his mouth shut yet, So I think he is American

 

[TexDot33]

What a great addition to your flock ... I just want to know when: Mrs. Howell, Ginger and Mary-Anne are going to join the flock too?!?! :lol:

 

[Christy]

Cute bird Red. He looks like a handful. how are Skippah and Giligan liking the newbie?

 

[Redballoon]

I have been joking with Debbie about the rest of the islands residents.
When I was as Minton Farm, I saw a pair of Rosella's that are both flightless and therefore cant go back to the wild. I thought they looked like mr and mrs Howell, But I think I will wait till the atmosphere around the house improves before I suggest it. He is demanding soft food, but wont eat it when its offered. He needs his head rubbed all the time. He is not as loud as Skippah, but he is vocal all the time. As soon as the Professor see a person he is off! Loud and chatty, then degrading to screaming and crying, so opposite to Skippah its incredible.
Gilligan is scared ofhim and he is scared of Gilligan. Skippah is ignoring the whole thing. He refuses to change his ways at all and is as laid back as ever.

 

[birdcrazy]

oh i get it i know i'm kinda slow i was like the professor is kinda a random name but you're doing the gillians island thing LOL ( brunette moment)

Hey Tex I'm changing my Boston Terriers name from Torre to Tony for Tony Dungie

 

[nzchickadee]

Boston Terriers are so cute!
Don't worry Kelli, I didn't catch on either.
I too am brunette

 

[Redballoon]

Why the Professor is called "The Professor".
I didn't just randomly choose a name for the Professor.
My thought process went like this:
On the island,.....
Gilligan was too innocent,
The Skipper was too old,
Mr Howell was married,
Neither Maryanne or Ginger got pregnant,
So the Professor must have been gay,
This bird is mainly pink, So "the Professor" fits.

 

[TexDot33]

What a great picture of The Professor with his beak open and everything! Love the logic too Red, but I am glad to hear that he is settling in nicely!

 

[Redballoon]

What a great picture of The Professor with his beak open and everything! Love the logic too Red, but I am glad to hear that he is settling in nicely!

Who said that?
He hasn't shut up since he arrived!
The pet store lady suggested going back to hot wet runny food when he is already eating seed would be a backward step and I should avoid it.
THis is what i have noticed;
If he cant see me, he will answer me,
If he can see me, he will try and start a meaningful dialogue,
If talk to him from across the room, he is chatty,
If I go over and start giving him attention, he starts crying.
If you rub the back of his neck, he cries mildly less,
If you stop, he goes off like a feminist on a hair waxing forum!
When you put him on a stand and walk away, he stops.
He then goes back to being chatty.
I no longer think he is hungry.
He was tube fed and can be toweled.
He is fully flighted, but has not yet ever wanted to leave my side.
He will fly into what ever room I am in.
He doesn't have the confidence to land on me,
But I can sense he thinking about it,
You think he is missing out on anything?
He still smells wild( bird breath, oily smell)

 

[TexDot33]

... he goes off like a feminist on a hair waxing forum!

Now, that right there ... is FUNNY!

 

[Chewy]

Instead of seeds you might want to consider pellets for both of your cockatoos. Galahs are like Cockatiels and are susceptible to Fatty Tumors, and Seeds are a big cause of them.

 

[Redballoon]

I have got pellets.
I couldn't get Skippah to eat them.
I will try the little fellah on them.
He is still crying.
I will post up the sounds of a whining Galah soon.

 

[Chewy]

what you can do is put pellets inside of the seeds and slowly take away the seeds. on both of them............don't give up. hey you could also put the baby bird formula mixed with it.
they mixed peanutbutter and pellets for a little while at the vets for Chewy.

 

[Redballoon]

Ok, I will try it.
I have never let the Professor have sunflower seed.
I know its bird "crack".
He has actually shut up and sat on a perch inside with me for 1/2 an hour.
I am not pushing it.
He ignored the 1st handful of pellets.
He cries/whines when you pat him, chats at you if your across room.
So we have improvement.

 

[Chewy]

How are you petting him that makes him cry or whine? IT also sounds like a handfeeding reflex.

 

[Redballoon]

It is.
I wont go back to hand feeding him, but thats what he's after.
He is getting better.
I put him in the aviator harness and it went well, till I tried to get it off him, then he went into a bit of a panic. I cant find the dvd so I can see how to remove it.
He loved being outside climbing in the trees.
I don't have full confidence in the harness yet. I think when he flies off and comes back to me a few times I will feel safer.
It went well over all and I am hoping to there are no dramas when I try to put him in it again.
He is quietly sitting on a perch next to me now.

 

[nzchickadee]

If you stop, he goes off like a feminist on a hair waxing forum!

Red, Darling, How would YOU know?

 

[Redballoon]

Hey
I'm a feminist.
I don't believe a woman should be chained to the kitchen sink,
I mean,... How could she mow the back lawns when she is in the kitchen all the time.