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Rooting for Tokyo!! Also, this was my favourite   Also also, My birdie girl, we've decided to name her Milly (cause she loves millet.. har har) really seems to enjoy chewing/peeling strings and bark. I'd like to get her more destructible toys that let her do this, but will it make her want to start nesting or initiate breeding behavior? Wrecking Ball fucked around with this message at 20:09 on Aug 17, 2014 |
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Aug 17, 2014 20:05
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As long as you don't give her a good place to stash the shredded material you'll be fine.
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Aug 17, 2014 20:12
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Yeah best wishes for Tokyo. Wrecking Ball posted:
The happiest little dinosaur 
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Aug 17, 2014 20:22
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I've had some success getting my parrotlet to start taking a bit of millet from my hand and not freaking out too much when I put my hand in his cage now. My technique has been to just put the hand in slowly until I see him tense a bit and soothingly talk to him until I think he's had enough and breaking for twenty minutes or so and going back to try again. Is this alright to do? It seems like it is quickly working to make him more accustomed to me. Still haven't been able to get him to come out and it worries me a bit that he will become addicted to staying in his cage. Is this silly on my part?
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Aug 17, 2014 20:57
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You're doing it correctly. Just keep going. 
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Aug 17, 2014 20:57
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Forgot to post these the other day. Inko got over his fear of the window perch:   The extra dowel perches are to stop him falling off, since his feet aren't so reliable and he can grip the smaller ones more easily. And two conures after baths:  (Ohtori and Steve both still hate him) I put some nuts into a glass vase earlier, tilted it, and Ohtori went straight in to get them then gave approximately zero fucks when I put it back upright. He just sat inside eating his nut pieces and looking out the window while Steve pecked at the glass and waddled around him in confusion.
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Aug 18, 2014 00:34
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That is my favorite thing I have read today.
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Aug 18, 2014 00:48
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Battle Pigeon posted:I put some nuts into a glass vase earlier, tilted it, and Ohtori went straight in to get them then gave approximately zero fucks when I put it back upright. He just sat inside eating his nut pieces and looking out the window while Steve pecked at the glass and waddled around him in confusion. That's hilarious.  I just let Amadeus clean my bowl for me after dinner (black bean casserole over rice) and he basically tried to eat himself into a coma. He's on my shoulder now making beaky sounds, happiest bird on the east coast.
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Aug 18, 2014 00:48
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LITERALLY A BIRD posted:I just let Amadeus clean my bowl for me after dinner (black bean casserole over rice) and he basically tried to eat himself into a coma. He's on my shoulder now making beaky sounds, happiest bird on the east coast.
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Aug 18, 2014 00:53
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Tasty_Crayon posted:That is my favorite thing I have read today. ...there are some photos if you wanted to see, they're just rubbish quality and I didn't want to post too many crappy pics at once  LITERALLY A BIRD posted:That's hilarious. conure.txt  Kenshin posted:Auri must be the happiest on the west, she's been gorging herself on green beans, blueberries, and late-season cherries all day. Blueberry and cherry-filled food bowls here too lately (and raspberry, strawberry, plum...), they're going to be heartbroken when the season is over. Especially when corn stops appearing, all of them go for it first.
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Aug 18, 2014 01:09
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Battle Pigeon posted:...there are some photos if you wanted to see, they're just rubbish quality and I didn't want to post too many crappy pics at once
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Aug 18, 2014 01:28
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Tasty_Crayon posted:Do iiiiiiit
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Aug 18, 2014 01:31
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Ok, so this is a somewhat uncomfortable post to make and I'd appreciate any feedback. After a lot of discussion with my girlfriend and a frank assessment of our living situation, we're not sure that we're really doing Babs any favors by keeping her. In all honesty we're out of the house (really it's a small apartment, too small for our family already) an awful lot and even when we are home she doesn't get as much attention as she probably needs. It doesn't help that she won't let 2/3's of the house anywhere close to her, but between school and work(school) we just aren't home that often and when we are we're often doing homework, cooking, or sleeping. None of these are really Babs friendly activities, she can fly but is clumsy and prefers to just stay on her cage, and our attempts usually result in a bird on the floor waddling back to her cage. How should we handle this? I really feel like she could do better in another home, but we both want to be absolutely sure that if she goes, she goes to someone who is willing to treat her as well as she deserves. Clearly craigslist is pretty much off the table for this, I just don't trust it or any of the people on it. I'm sure there are good people, but we aren't going to take that risk. We talked to one of the parrot rescue organizations in town and they said that because Amazons are so single person, and Babs especially so, even if she went to a rescue she'd probably end up there forever because prospective adopters wouldn't really be able to interact with her. We don't want that, she needs a real home, not a rescue limbo forever. We live in Albuquerque, so if anyone knows of local resources that could help that would be cool.
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Aug 18, 2014 01:33
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Tasty_Crayon posted:Do iiiiiiit   
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Aug 18, 2014 01:44
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Bwhahahahaha that look of confusion
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Aug 18, 2014 02:38
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Olothreutes posted:Ok, so this is a somewhat uncomfortable post to make and I'd appreciate any feedback. Sounds like you're doing the right thing. Since you're not in a rush, you have the luxury of picking a good home for Babs. That's a really great thing. Sounds like the rescue you talked to is not very optimistic or motivated to find a home for her (why waste resources trying to home a difficult Amazon when you could home two chatty friendly African Greys in that time, right?) and so you may be on your own as far as finding potential new human slaves/owners for her. I know you've just about made up your mind and I don't want to necessarily provoke a big discussion here about your motivations, but I'd like to say one thing about the decision to rehome. Think about the long term. Is your home going to be like this forever? Will you always be in school and working this hard, or is this a temporary situation that will resolve in a year or two? Birds live a long time and while they may become somewhat antisocial and grouchy when they have to live like that for a while, it isn't necessarily better to go through the trouble and trauma of rehoming if things are going to be better in a (relatively) little while anyway. Amazons can live to 50 so if you're going to have this life for another two years, that's just less than 1/20th of her total life. We're used to thinking about rehoming for short-lived animals like cats who can live to 15 - 2 years is more than 1/7th of its life and that's a significant consideration when you're trying to assess whether to keep an animal or not. It might be the lesser of two evils to just accept that your situation is not ideal but work towards a life that accommodates her needs better over time, rather than give up and try to rehome. Besides, it may take months or even a year to find someone who will take her forever since Albequerque isn't a super huge city, and at that point she'll be just as grouchy and antisocial anyway. I guess what I'm saying is, rehoming is a great thing and you absolutely should not feel ashamed for considering this, but don't give up on yourself as a bird owner just yet. You have a long haul with Babs if you're lucky.
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Aug 18, 2014 04:40
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Ohtori is such a goon. Steve is all "Are you seeing this poo poo?"
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Aug 18, 2014 04:53
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Olothreutes posted:rehoming If you choose to re-home, and only you two can make the call on that, know that it's going to be just as stressful as keeping her in an environment like this. After a lot of blood, sweat and tears I successfully re-homed Ivanicus earlier this year. I still have withdrawls and wonder if I did the right thing, but then I ask his adopter for an update and I know everything is okay. As I am in socal I can't give you names that are helpful, but I would start by looking up rescues and specialists, since they have a huge network of people they work with and that goes a long way. I made the decision to re-home him after several, several months of training, horomonal treatments and just about everything I could imagine under the sun. He was home alone all day with someone he hated and the attention I gave him when I got back simply wasn't enough. He had all the toys in the world but was immensely frustrated all the time and began to overgroom and have stress bars in his feathers. I couldn't stand the thought of neglecting him and knowing full well that he was used to having bird buddies to talk to, but I couldn't afford another bird. It was a really tough choice, but I am glad now. It took me 9 months to get Ivan into the home I got him in, and even then it was iffy for a while. There were three other potential places that looked very promising but each one of those fell through in one way or another, and starting the process all over again was a total nightmare. I contacted several rescues, his breeder and vets to get the best advice. I ended up getting the aid of a local animal behaviorist who knew a family who would absolutely love him. He eats out of their hands, he gives them kisses and talks to their other birds, has an outdoor aviary to play in and is in a neighborhood with so much money that I felt bad just driving in my old little honda in there. There are options out there, you can do it if this is the path you choose to. I had many mental breakdowns during this period and still miss him dearly, but I feel very strongly now that this was the best for the both of us. I still lurk this thread because I love birds, and I miss Ivan. But I don't think I could take him back from this family, he has everything I could ever dream of him having and he's set for life.
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Aug 18, 2014 07:43
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I'd like to go with Pile of Kittens on this one. If your situation is a temporary one, then maybe it can just be a minor rough patch in Babs' long life and what little time you have during this time to hang out with her(?), she'll appreciate it nonetheless. But if it is going to be like this for the foreseeable future, then rehoming is the best option.
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Aug 18, 2014 10:13
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So my budgie (whom I still cannot name because none of them have stuck yet) has been really good lately. Normally he is a chill bro who just hangs out when I feed him and train him and give him head scratches. However sometimes, randomly, he decides to get really bitey, and just bites me hard, I think soon he might draw blood. Problem is he is only like this some times and most of the times he isn't. I've seen the tips on how to get budgies to stop biting when its all they do, but I am not sure what to do for my bird since he only bites occasionally and I feel like I cannot millet train him with positive reinforcement when he isn't biting since that is what he is doing 90% of the time anyway. I know punishment isn't the answer because they don't respond well to that so does anyone have any tips or anything?
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Aug 18, 2014 16:29
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Birds are occasionally assholes, it's an occupational hazard for a bird owner. However, if you want to discourage biting without resorting to punishment, there are a few basics:
From what you describe it sounds like your budge just occasionally feels like being a biting rear end in a top hat. Budgies have a lot of personality and aren't usually swayed from getting stuck on the floor (I think they're mostly ground foragers anyway) so you may just have to deal with the bites for now. You can try sticking him in a boring cage out of view of people for short spells and see if that improves the behavior.
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Aug 18, 2014 20:22
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DarkHorse posted:Birds are occasionally assholes, it's an occupational hazard for a bird owner. However, if you want to discourage biting without resorting to punishment, there are a few basics: I have a tiny carry cage I use as a time out jail when he's bad. He goes ballistic but I just ignore him for a bit. I've tried using it a ton, and its clear he HATES it in there but I haven't seen it alter any of the bad behaviors I'm trying to dissuade. Thanks for the write up though, it does help.
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Aug 18, 2014 20:29
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http://www.votenationalbird.com/ Ring Necked Parakeets are an option because they've been breeding in the South since like the 70s. Probably never gonna win, but it's fun to think about. loving sad seeing how many of these burds are endangered now, though.
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Aug 19, 2014 00:00
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So, tomorrow is Ritz's third birdday, but it's also GF's birdday, so we're going to be gone most of the day. We celebrated today instead! What better way than to let him bask in half of an orange, his favorite fruit. (Disclaimer: he got to pose for pictures, then was given a proper bird-sized piece) He didn't really know what to make of it at first.  Once he figured out what it was he went to town!  Happy birdday Ritz!
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Aug 19, 2014 00:46
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Olothreutes posted:Rehoming questions You've gotten some fantastic advice so far, and I want to add one additional suggestion. If you are looking for a new home for Babs and you have a good local avian vet, try talking to them about placement options. You may even want to put a flyer up in their office. That's how I found a new home for two 'keets I rehomed in '09 (NOT Alfie, no worries guys, he's still around). I posted a short ad on the board at my avian vet's office, and a regular there saw it and contacted me. Turns out she was the best possible home for my birds: said person has a HUGE free-flight aviary built onto the back of her house, teaming with budgies and conures and other lovely birds. Really great forever home for my guys, and knowing that they went to ~birdie paradise~ made the rehoming less painful. So yeah, an ad at your avian vet's place would reach a much more self-selected, responsible crowd than any ad on Craigslist.
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Aug 19, 2014 01:21
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Wow, Ritz is so handsome!
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Aug 19, 2014 12:25
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Addicted to blueberries
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Aug 20, 2014 02:06
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That is a gorgeous photo. So many beautiful birds in this thread!
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Aug 20, 2014 02:47
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I'm going to Burning Man and my mom is keeping the bird. I'm going to fret the entire time. Sigh.
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Aug 20, 2014 02:59
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Update on Tokyo: at least I'm getting really loving good at making a reluctant bird drink out of syringe. 
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Aug 20, 2014 03:02
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Have you tried diluted pineapple juice?
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Aug 20, 2014 03:03
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Pile of Kittens posted:Have you tried diluted pineapple juice? It's her medicine. She'll drink normal juice, but won't take her meds, and unfortunately mixing it makes it not work. So, syringe time
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Aug 20, 2014 05:04
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I'm rooting for Tokyo, Sociopastry. Did the vet talk about doing nebulizer treatments if the oral antibiotics don't clear things out? I made Pearl hide in the bathroom closet with me today. My husband was coming home, and we had a minute before he walked through the door, and so I ran with her towards the closet, and of course she flew away. Attempt number two, and we both make it in, the shelves pressing against my back in the dark with her on my shoulder, and I think to myself, "Gee, this is a great opportunity for her to bite my face off." Except Pearl does this thing whenever it's dark (like if I turn off the lights in the room just before putting her in her cage for bed). She kisses me. A bunch. And that's what she did until my husband came in, and we jumped out together, but he wasn't surprised because I do these things too much. I'm pretty sure if I had a bird one iota less calm than Pearl is, I would have needed a face transplant by now.
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Aug 20, 2014 06:21
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greypearl posted:I made Pearl hide in the bathroom closet with me today. My husband was coming home, and we had a minute before he walked through the door, and so I ran with her towards the closet, and of course she flew away. Attempt number two, and we both make it in, the shelves pressing against my back in the dark with her on my shoulder, and I think to myself, "Gee, this is a great opportunity for her to bite my face off." This is hilarious and adorable and has bird crazy written all over it
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Aug 20, 2014 06:28
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I finally got my birds and I love them already, though they don't fully trust me yet. This is citron and myrtille, Citron being the yellow and green one, myrtille being blue.   I'm curious what sex they are, if anyone can tell, though I think citron might be a girl. They're getting more trustful of me everyday. Just last night I was able to feed them millet I was holding for the first time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yagv2rl4AJs I bought them from a pet shop near notre dame, supposedly they were hand fed, but they were definitely not treated well there, the cage they were in was tiny for having 5 parakeets in it (only slightly bigger than the little cage in my second picture. Then when I bought the parakeets, they shoved the birds into boxes that weren't much bigger than the parakeets themselves.  Myrtille is the braver of the two (and also pushier, he'll force citron out of the way when they're eating their birdseed and hog the tray all for himself). I think I'll be able to get him to step up first between the two. Also, how do you guys feel about using cat litter as a liner? Condiv fucked around with this message at 15:29 on Aug 21, 2014 |
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Aug 21, 2014 15:13
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Condiv posted:I finally got my birds and I love them already. How cute! Congrats on your adorable new flock! I use cat litter, but it is a specialty, all natural brand. These days I use a kind made from green tea. It is anti bacterial and resists molding, so daily scooping keeps my cages looking nice, smell free, and bird safe. Typical cat litter is very dangerous, and should not be used! Other types, like corn cob, are prone to mold and dangerous spores, the same kinds you can get from moldy peanuts. (I used to use this, not any more!) Stick to walnut shell or green tea and you will be fine. If you don't have access to those, regular paper is the way to go. Budgie poops are so cute compared to the large birds anyway. Litter might only get you so far.
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Aug 21, 2014 15:37
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Condiv posted:I'm curious what sex they are, if anyone can tell, though I think citron might be a girl. Look like two males to me. http://www.birds-online.de/allgemein/geschlecht_en.htm
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Aug 21, 2014 16:28
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Condiv posted:I finally got my birds and I love them already, though they don't fully trust me yet. I approve of your choice of names, very clever! As for liner, personally, I just line the bottom with paper I'd throw out anyway, like old magazine pages and the like. When it's time to clean the cage, just change out the papers and done! I'd be careful with kitty litter because a lot of brands use silica and other non bird safe things.
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Aug 21, 2014 19:58
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We use a roll of brown butcher paper. Change it every day or every other day depending on amount of pooping done in the cage and how messy mealtime is. Very easy, super cheap.
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Aug 21, 2014 21:31
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Update on Tokyo: She's starting to gain weight back, which is super, super super good. For anyone in Albuquerque, I'd like to recommend the VCA on Coors as a really loving good vet. They called me again today to make sure I didn't have any questions and to check on Tokyo. They didn't have to, but they did. They're just great.
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Aug 21, 2014 21:32
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