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A toucan is the first bird I ever wanted. Is it true that they can't really bite you and they just kinda gum you with their soft bills?  it sounds so precious. I saw a video of a toucan bapping his head against his owner a while ago too, it was so pathetic and aaaa adorable!
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Jan 15, 2013 08:56
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| # ? May 18, 2024 00:34 |
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Toucan story: zoo curator had a few come through his pet store, and he would always keep them in an open air enclosure. Every once in a while, a small parrot/whatever would get out of its cage and zip around the store for a while before landing on somebody's hand and getting put away. Well, one day a small bird got out, and was zipping around the store, while the toucan just sat there, watching. Zip zip zip CRUNCH - dead little bird on the floor and one pleased looking toucan. They apparently also like going across ropes and messing with women's long hair. They can give very good pinches as well.
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Jan 15, 2013 13:11
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Amaya posted:A toucan is the first bird I ever wanted. Is it true that they can't really bite you and they just kinda gum you with their soft bills? The small aracaris we let chew on our hands don't not hurt, but they don't necessarily hurt either. The tip of their beak can pinch the fleshy parts of your hand, and the serrated sides hurt when they hit your cuticles. The birds cut down their food in the wild by grabbing it and shaking it with their head so they have a reasonable amount of clamp to them. You just grab their top beak gently and pull up and off they go though. The shaking is why you cut their food into bite sized pieces - to avoid fruit being flung EVERYWHERE. We didn't let any of his larger pet toucans from his house bite us. His bare-eyed cockatoo pet was being boisterous, wouldn't stay off of me. Jerry was worried he would bite as he frequently dislikes strangers. Turns out the zippers on my jacket were too much too ignore. He was a big softy. 
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Jan 15, 2013 15:31
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Amaya posted:A toucan is the first bird I ever wanted. Is it true that they can't really bite you and they just kinda gum you with their soft bills? Before we got Ozzy and were contemplating adding the 3rd bird to the flock, my husband really wanted a toucan for that reason, and the adorable hopping, and the weird little noises they make. Then we found out that no one remotely near where we lived had toucans for sale/adoption and we ended up with this retarded little conure v  vSpeaking of Ozzy, my husband does some sports card opening thing with a webcam and the goons keep calling him a "weird sounding cat".  My bird is way cooler than a cat OKAY.
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Jan 15, 2013 16:55
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What are budgies like, in comparison to cockatiels and conures? Personality, how intelligent they come across as, derpiness, all that. It won't happen, but I have daydreams of getting Steve a little budgie buddy, watching them sit together with fluffed up mutton chops, and maybe finally having a bird than can talk.
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Jan 15, 2013 17:06
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Battle Pigeon posted:What are budgies like, in comparison to cockatiels and conures? Personality, how intelligent they come across as, derpiness, all that. It won't happen, but I have daydreams of getting Steve a little budgie buddy, watching them sit together with fluffed up mutton chops, and maybe finally having a bird than can talk. I am going to give my perspective- keep in mind that we got our budgie from a bin-o-budgies from a large chain pet-shop. I would probably say that Sprite has equal or higher intelligence than Nugget, but my cockatiel is also painfully stupid. Certainly not as smart as Ozzy is. She has a really big personality, she's pretty aggressive and pushy. She alternates between terrorizing Nugget and then trying to make up with her. She would probably try to pick fights with Ozzy if we let them interact. She's really fun to watch playing with toys and zipping around the cage and chasing Nugget around. She really hates to be pet but will sit on my finger for a little while before flying back to her cage. The only interaction that I have with her that she doesn't seem to dislike on some level is when I hold up my finger for her to bop with her beak. If you get a budgie buddy for your 'tiel, be careful, male cockatiels are a little more aggressive than females, so Steve might get annoyed with a budgie's antics and start a fight. I'd try to look for a male budgie because supposedly they are less aggressive than the females. I think the males are more likely to learn to talk as well.
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Jan 15, 2013 17:29
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Cockatiels: today, drumming. http://polsy.org.uk/play/nico/?vidid=sm4635197&vurl= Tomorrow, the world.
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Jan 15, 2013 20:47
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Can anyone dig up that old youtube of the parrot saying racial slurs like friend of the family for me?
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Jan 15, 2013 22:53
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WYA posted:Can anyone dig up that old youtube of the parrot saying racial slurs like friend of the family for me? Jeez what a swell fella. Pollyanna posted:Cockatiels: today, drumming. How are his brains not scrambled? 
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Jan 16, 2013 04:46
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Chili posted:How are his brains not scrambled? oh, but they ARE.
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Jan 16, 2013 05:16
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Pollyanna posted:Cockatiels: today, drumming. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8qp3whnsDw Fakeedit: Oh god he has more: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCnHmqX3kZM Cockatiel pecking a can. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZMPLJUcN9M Cockatiel jiggling a spoon.
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Jan 16, 2013 09:27
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post ALL the tiel videos! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9NZnpleU0s He claps oh my goddd
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Jan 16, 2013 09:39
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Amaya posted:post ALL the tiel videos! If you're happy and you know it clap your hands, KACK KACK Deadly Chlorine posted:Oh god I think this is the cockatiel that drummed on like everything on camera. Because I saw another video of a cockatiel pecking this final fantasy drink and I cannot believe they're not the same cockatiels: http://polsy.org.uk/play/nico/?vidid=sm4736564
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Jan 16, 2013 10:48
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WYA posted:Can anyone dig up that old youtube of the parrot saying racial slurs like friend of the family for me? This racist parrot? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BrRVe4oG4Wg Youtube has.........an awful lot of racist parrots.
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Jan 16, 2013 14:16
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Cockatiels are clearly the best birds. Clearly. Nugget is either too smart or too dumb to bang her head on random objects. I'm not sure which, though. I should really get back into trick training her and Ozzy. I was really surprised when she learned "turn around" pretty quickly. It certainly helps that she is super food-motivated. Should I teach her to give herself concussions???????? Clearly I have to teach her retarded tricks. We wouldn't want to ruin her reputation.
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Jan 16, 2013 14:26
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The cockatiel clapping cracked me up. Rosy why you gotta be so boring, why don't you want to be a youtube star. 
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Jan 16, 2013 17:27
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OK, I may be going full blown bird crazy now. I think... I want a third cockatiel. I certainly have a big enough cage to support three, at this point, there's really not much more difficulty to just adding another. Here's my thing though, I've got a boy and a girl right now, and they're close. Bubbles is the boy, he's been pretty neurotic and people avoidant from day 1 (he's better now, but still not great), but Kima, the girl has been a scratch fiend and is totally chill. I don't know if a third bird would disrupt their balance. The last thing I want is a bird war on my hands. I've looked in the book that I have and have done some research but I can't seem to find much on an introducing one new bird to two. Anyone have any experience/suggestions on this? If I did shoot to get another, would I be correct in my assumption that another male would be more likely to cause trouble than another female? I'm not totally set on adding a new bird, and I'd only do it if it's not likely to end in a feather fight. I'd also like for them to not mind coming out and hanging on my desk perch with me while I'm writing. So I don't quite want to become uninteresting to them. And that will be it! NO MORE BIRDS AFTER THAT ONE.
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Jan 17, 2013 00:57
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Clapping Bird has nothing on Tequila Bird. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMvj_-1Uvp4
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Jan 17, 2013 02:16
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Chili posted:OK, I may be going full blown bird crazy now. I think... I want a third cockatiel. I certainly have a big enough cage to support three, at this point, there's really not much more difficulty to just adding another. It would depend on the personality of the third derp. Hunter wasn't an issue when I added him because Elle is too much of a sweetheart to get into bird fights and Hunter is such a derp that Archer just sees him as another bird to keep in line.
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Jan 17, 2013 03:27
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My Eclectus Ruby is currently waddling around the house chomping down on random shiny objects and making goofy "ooooOOOOHH!" noises while she does it. I think she's still getting used to the household and I'm giving her as much freedom as I can to get her comfy with her surroundings. She seems pretty happy though, and the vet said that she's looking very good.  Parrots are certainly a lot of work, but totally worth it. Already thinking about getting another one.
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Jan 17, 2013 03:27
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I took Fred to the vet today, since he had only pooped twice all day and they were huge, massive shits. He'd been moving around the cage very slowly, was wobbly with his balance and was making unhappy chirps at night when he was covered, so I took him in. The X-rays say that he's got a giant tumor inside where his stomach should be, she can't tell if it's a kidney or gonad tumor, but it's massive. He's 23, so she wanted to talk about treatments to extend the time he has left, since this is most likely incurable. My options were to do blood work, which could help figure out what kind of tumor it is, she could give him a steroid injection which *might* shrink the tumor and make him feel better but it would shorten the overall time he has left. She could try injecting Lupron which might help if it's one particular type of tumor, but not if it's the other. Or there's euthanasia. These last two years have been really rough on me as I've been moving a lot, not making very much money at all, I currently rent a room in an apartment so I'm the only company Fred gets when I'm around, which isn't very much. I don't know if extending his life with injections would be worth it if the life I'm extending is mostly him on his own, sleeping, trying not to fall off his perch. I think euthanasia would be the best option, but I don't want to kill him just because it's inconvenient. Money-wise, I don't have the money for any of this, but I can pull the money together. I just don't know what to do.
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Jan 17, 2013 03:36
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Well thats just a poo poo choice to make. Condolences. Im all in favour of not prolonging pain and suffering.
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Jan 17, 2013 05:34
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Frogmanv2 posted:Well thats just a poo poo choice to make. Condolences. Agreed. Unfortunately in cases like this it may be best to make the difficult decision to put your feathered friend to rest.
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Jan 17, 2013 05:47
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Kenshin posted:Agreed. Unfortunately in cases like this it may be best to make the difficult decision to put your feathered friend to rest. I'm in this boat as well, and I know how tough a decision it can be (by proxy). We had to put down our derp when I was younger due to cancerous tumors that were inoperable. My condolances 
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Jan 17, 2013 05:53
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You'll make the right decision, whatever it may be. All of them have the potential to leave you with a lot of guilt, don't let that happen. You'll do the right thing.
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Jan 17, 2013 06:00
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Is $400 for a cinnamon green cheek conure from a petstore ridiculously expensive? There are no breeders anywhere near me and I think this is the only petstore in my city that sells birds bigger than budgies. If I buy a bird from an out-of-state breeder I'll have to pay for shipping and that will bring up most birds' prices between $300 and $400 anyway... This bird is so cute though. One of the employees has been working with it and has already taught it to step up and it even stepped onto my hand.
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Jan 17, 2013 06:57
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Slinky Weasel posted:Is $400 for a cinnamon green cheek conure from a petstore ridiculously expensive? There are no breeders anywhere near me and I think this is the only petstore in my city that sells birds bigger than budgies. If I buy a bird from an out-of-state breeder I'll have to pay for shipping and that will bring up most birds' prices between $300 and $400 anyway... That seems to be about the price that the petsmart/petco by me sells conures for as well. At least it sounds like the employees are trying to keep it entertained. I always get bummed when I stop by petco for something, they always have 4-6 conures all in tiny 2'x2'x2' cages with maybe a single toy if they're lucky. The petsmart here on the other hand only has 1 bird tops, and they have a big 3'x4'x6' cage, with a giant natural wood perch and all sorts of toys for the bird to play with, and employees that spend time with the bird. They also had an albino budgie last time I was there.
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Jan 17, 2013 07:28
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What are people's suggestions for easy, cheap things you can use to keep your parrot amused? Now that Saffy's wings have grown back she is flying all over the house and finding things to destroy. First it was my bonsai plant, then a bag of grapes I left on the bench. I am going to get her some driftwood to chew up tomorrow, but in the meantime I'd love to hear people's suggestions on what toys they have made, or things they've gotten for their bird to help keep them stimulated! I can't justify spending a heap of money on toys that she is just going to chew to pieces, I'd rather have a crack at making my own if it's safe for me to do so. And to contribute to the thread, here's a tiel singing dubstep: http://youtu.be/AXQSFZIQFnA bee fucked around with this message at 11:50 on Jan 17, 2013 |
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Jan 17, 2013 11:46
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Ozzy really likes to chew on colored pieces of wood that he can hold in his foot. If Saffy is weird and requires colors like my retard, you could use food coloring to dye your driftwood  All my birds like to tear up paper too, so if you get free phone books still (for some reason, we do), you could use pieces of that for Saffy to destroy too.I mean really Ozzy's favorite thing to do is sit right next to my neck and eat/chew/cut my hair but it's really unnerving hearing the little crunch crunch crunch noises that go along with it right next to my ear. I never realized that hair could be crunchy before. 
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Jan 17, 2013 14:33
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bee posted:What are people's suggestions for easy, cheap things you can use to keep your parrot amused? Now that Saffy's wings have grown back she is flying all over the house and finding things to destroy. First it was my bonsai plant, then a bag of grapes I left on the bench.
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Jan 17, 2013 17:07
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I don't think I'm allergic because everything is fine otherwise, but if Steve's powder down gets into my eyes, it burns. Sometimes I'll pet him and then without thinking rub the corner of my eye, or he'll fluff up just as I'm putting in a contact lens (how do they know), and it burns enough that I have to often have to rinse the eye, or let the tearing up do it's thing. It's done the same thing on the corners of my mouth/my lips too (he waddles up and shoves his head against you wherever he can reach to be petted, we're more vigilant now). Is this usual?Pip pip pip posted:If you get a budgie buddy for your 'tiel, be careful, male cockatiels are a little more aggressive than females, so Steve might get annoyed with a budgie's antics and start a fight. I'd try to look for a male budgie because supposedly they are less aggressive than the females. I think the males are more likely to learn to talk as well. Nah, definitely not getting one, just wondering what it would be like to have one around. Two birds is enough right now!
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Jan 17, 2013 17:24
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Slinky Weasel posted:Is $400 for a cinnamon green cheek conure from a petstore ridiculously expensive? That's what I paid for Amadeus. The lowest I've seen a GCC in a petstore was 300 -- the poor little guy had been there so long he'd been "bargain priced." Broke my heart. bee posted:What are people's suggestions for easy, cheap things you can use to keep your parrot amused? Now that Saffy's wings have grown back she is flying all over the house and finding things to destroy. First it was my bonsai plant, then a bag of grapes I left on the bench. Ama loves hurling around Snapple caps and whatever small trinkets he can steal off my desk. Anything that makes a CLANG when it hits the ground is the greatest thing ever. Toilet tissue tubes are fun to shred and fight with, especially when they're cut into varying lengths, and twisting a length of Kleenex or paper towel into a rope and playing tug of war is a good game for both of you. After the bird "wins" they get to destroy it! Pip pip pip posted:I mean really Ozzy's favorite thing to do is sit right next to my neck and eat/chew/cut my hair but it's really unnerving hearing the little crunch crunch crunch noises that go along with it right next to my ear. I never realized that hair could be crunchy before. Oh my god that sound is the worst.
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Jan 17, 2013 17:45
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Battle Pigeon posted:I don't think I'm allergic because everything is fine otherwise, but if Steve's powder down gets into my eyes, it burns. Sometimes I'll pet him and then without thinking rub the corner of my eye, or he'll fluff up just as I'm putting in a contact lens (how do they know), and it burns enough that I have to often have to rinse the eye, or let the tearing up do it's thing. It's done the same thing on the corners of my mouth/my lips too (he waddles up and shoves his head against you wherever he can reach to be petted, we're more vigilant now). Is this usual? I get the irritated eyes sometimes from Nugget fluffing up right next to my face but I've never had an issue with reactions in other places. I do seem to have ridiculously sensitive eyes though. v v Hopefully it's not too bothersome for you!
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Jan 17, 2013 19:52
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LITERALLY A BIRD posted:That's what I paid for Amadeus. The lowest I've seen a GCC in a petstore was 300 -- the poor little guy had been there so long he'd been "bargain priced." Broke my heart. We got Novolo for $200 because she was the manager special! Poor defective bird. Also, her favorite toy is bottlecaps.
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Jan 17, 2013 23:26
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We got Ozzy for $150 from a breeder in GA. vv He is also defective but he was not specially priced. She also had a couple pineapple green cheeks for $200 if I remember correctly. Bird prices don't seem to be very standard, it all depends on what is around you and what the operation is like. We got Nugget from some crazy guy in MD for like $40. Oh god her little stump tail was too cute for me to resist.  Memories
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Jan 18, 2013 00:45
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I was wondering why Ohtori was climbing around his cage muttering to himself since he'd been put to bed hours ago, as usually he just bitches for about ten minutes after being covered, before climbing into his hut. Until I realised I'd forgotten to put said hut in for the night. The image of him wandering around in the dark for hours, determined to find his drat hut, made me laugh out loud... and from the other room came bitching in response.  took him all of five minutes to go to bed when he got it and was covered up again.
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Jan 18, 2013 01:33
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 Iro and me, reading the Internet. Just walked by Iro in her covered cage on my way to go to bed. She just made the most disgusting fartquack noise, then said "THAT'S NICE!" Now I'm in bed trying to sleep and she's whining and screeing quietly and crying and my boyfriend is snoring. No rest for the wicked. STOP WHISTLING AND SAYING "NICE" YOU WENCH GO TO SLEEP IT IS 2AM.
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Jan 18, 2013 02:40
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When I came home last night instead of making weird shrieks Charlie got all excited and said "Did you miss me!?" The tiels on the other hand angrily warked until I went into the computer room, said hello, and walked out.
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Jan 18, 2013 02:50
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What's a good way to keep your parrots cool? Sydney is currently going through a death/heat wave, as it's currently 45 degrees with very little humidity, and Ruby was dry after a bath in 10 minutes. She's walking around my room playing which I gues is a good sign, but if I need to cool her off what's a good method of doing so?
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Jan 18, 2013 04:03
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| # ? May 18, 2024 00:34 |
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How do I tell if my GCC is doing a DO ME body posture vs just wanting to cuddle up? Like he'll (she?) sometimes rub over my hands cuddleytype and it turns into him kinda hunkered down with his tail in the air and still being cuddley. I know for my tiel thats a definite 'do me' posture along with her vocalizations but for the conure I have no idea. Cuz he likes to sit on his butt too when being pet, instead of standing. e: To add, I am guilty of whole body petting. But how can you resist
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Jan 18, 2013 04:14
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