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Battle Pigeon posted:I love their next comment: That's prime bird.txt!
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Jan 16, 2015 01:47
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| # ? Jun 8, 2024 21:07 |
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Today I made a cockatoo named Pickles very happy by feeding him fresh melon and he thanked me by biting my thumb, raising his crest (?) and jiggling his head like Quagmire. Good job Pickles. That is my bird story. E: I did not bleed. I didn't squeal either, but I did drop the melon. Made a point of giving him long skinny bits to gnash on afterwards rather than cubes. I'm a New Zealander but have no idea how much cockatoos cost here. I found him in the reception area of a hotel that was hosting a course I was at. He would sing out with "Helloooo! Hellooo Pickles!" as you came in and scream "Goodbye. GoodBYE! BYEEEEE! BYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEE" as you left down the hall to the training room. A good bird. Tamarillo fucked around with this message at 06:00 on Jan 16, 2015 |
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Jan 16, 2015 01:59
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Tamarillo posted:Today I made a cockatoo named Pickles very happy by feeding him fresh melon and he thanked me by biting my thumb, raising his crest (?) and jiggling his head like Quagmire. Good job Pickles. That is my bird story. Yup, typical cockatoo stuff. Didja bleed? If not, shut up and climb back in that crib you big baby. If you did, did you pass out and wake up screaming? Because that's how you officially join the bit-by-a-cockatoo club
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Jan 16, 2015 02:29
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You guys with cockatoos, are you Australian? How much do they cost in your countries if not?
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Jan 16, 2015 02:36
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Anyone here ever had a very young bird? Albert is like, 14 weeks (and FINALLY STARTING TO WEAN  ) and exceptionally scruffy. He's constantly loving around on his bars and preening out down feathers. He often has a hobo-esque look about him. Is this common in juvenile parrots?Also here is a happy sleepy birb vid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOx3xso-oOw
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Jan 16, 2015 02:49
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A Saucy Bratwurst posted:You guys with cockatoos, are you Australian? How much do they cost in your countries if not? North Carolina here, cockatoos go for $500 - $3000 depending on the species and age.
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Jan 16, 2015 06:14
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Taco Bird looking a wee bit derpy after a bath:
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Jan 17, 2015 03:38
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Got Rufous a new cage last week and she LOVES it. For the first time since we got her she is actually playing with toys instead of merely using them to masturbate 
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Jan 17, 2015 04:04
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This thread made me want to get another bird, especially to give my tiel a buddy. Her brother died awhile back and my dad doesn't like taking care of her (my mom had left him with her. I just moved back in after a few years very recently for easier job commute and opportunities). Anyways, I want to start giving her a better life. I'm not sure if she will ever be able to like hands as she was bitey when we first got her for free from some family that couldn't keep them (and her brother had been terrified of everything and anything, he wasnt a biter, but a runner). I hope at least talking to her and getting us another birdy friend would put more happiness in our lives. I want a small or medium sized friend. I've been leaning towards a conure (especially green cheek). Does anyone know of any good places I could get one in central Florida? I haven't ran into that much luck.
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Jan 17, 2015 10:53
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How do I tell the difference between "my bird is moulting and thus has a few patches where his feathers look funny" and "my bird is overpreening or plucking"?  Are budgies even prone to plucking in the first place?
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Jan 17, 2015 15:39
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chthonic bell posted:How do I tell the difference between "my bird is moulting and thus has a few patches where his feathers look funny" and "my bird is overpreening or plucking"? It's almost certainly molting. Budgies aren't prone to plucking anyway. My budgie looks awful every time he molts, which is every other month. If you didn't know it was molting you'd probably think he was on death's doorstep. If you see feathers all over the cage then within a week or so black-tipped little pinfeathers should start appearing.
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Jan 17, 2015 17:20
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There's feathers all over the place, but it's hard to tell which budgie they came from.  They're currently mostly down feathers.
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Jan 17, 2015 17:42
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Ellison broke a feather this morning. He bled out in my hands as I tried to stem the bleeding with pressure and stypic agents. I don't know what to do right now. I feel so incredibly guilty. I'm worried about Huxley being alone. I can't even begin to process this right now. I feel double lovely as Ellison was a rescue and I've kept in contact with his previous owner, and now I'll have to contact her... I feel like this is all my fault. He bled out in my hands. His blood is literally and figuratively on my hands... My mind isn't really working now. Hug your birbs goons. I'm so sorry Ellison. You didn't deserve to die. e: You were always the sweeter of my scifi writers. You would step up and nearly cuddle. You didn't deserve this. I wish I'd been better. I wish I could have done something better. uranium grass fucked around with this message at 22:34 on Jan 17, 2015 |
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Jan 17, 2015 22:30
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loving hell. Condolences, you clearly had much love for him, I'm sure he lived a very good life.
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Jan 17, 2015 22:46
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I'm so sorry to hear that. Ellison was a good bird, and you are a wonderful bird owner. I know it's little consolation, but you helped give him a great life. His passing wasn't your fault at all.
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Jan 18, 2015 00:09
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I'm so sorry to hear about your bird. He lived and passed on surrounded by love. You did a great thing by honoring and caring for his life, don't feel guilty. This thread has been a bit sad lately. In honor of all our feathered friends, those with us and not, I'd like to share something a bit lighthearted. It's my friend's birthday, so I made her a big cake in the style of her littlest bird- Hulk 
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Jan 18, 2015 04:24
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Lenswork posted:I'm so sorry to hear about your bird. He lived and passed on surrounded by love. You did a great thing by honoring and caring for his life, don't feel guilty. This is adorable.
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Jan 18, 2015 06:11
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  Am I paranoid or is he very skinny. E: Funfact, immediately after taking that second picture, he jumped on my shoulder and shat down my chest twice within a minute. Birds. underage at the vape shop fucked around with this message at 07:17 on Jan 18, 2015 |
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Jan 18, 2015 07:13
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Hmm ill just keep checking petfinder daily, I didn't think it would be this difficult to find a feathered friend in Florida..
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Jan 18, 2015 10:25
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I'm so sorry, Grrl Anachronism.  It sounds like Ellison was well-loved and you did your best for him, at least.I've got another panicked first-time bird owner question: Gnosis has started exploring the bottom of the cage a fair amount, foraging there for fallen food and so on. The cage doesn't have a grate we could put into place to stop him from flying all the way down to the cage bottom. He's active, healthy and loud (and still skittish and afraid of hands that don't have food in them), so I don't think he's sick, but uh, is it bad that he's tooling around at the bottom of the cage? I've been trying to discourage him from doing it, but is that unnecessary?
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Jan 18, 2015 16:12
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chthonic bell posted:I'm so sorry, Grrl Anachronism. Lol he's just having a fun time exploring his domain. You really only have to worry when they look like they can't get up or are all huddled looking.
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Jan 18, 2015 16:54
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I'm just worried, because that's where their poop is, and discarded food and dried-on poop that we haven't gotten around to cleaning off the sides, yet! I don't want him to fall ill.
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Jan 18, 2015 17:13
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A Saucy Bratwurst posted:Am I paranoid or is he very skinny. Weigh him and track his weight at least once a day. A cheap 15$ kitchen gram scale works great. As well, you can check his keel (the big long vertical bone under his crop) according to this chart:  chthonic bell posted:I'm just worried, because that's where their poop is, and discarded food and dried-on poop that we haven't gotten around to cleaning off the sides, yet! I don't want him to fall ill. Some parrots love dicking around on the cage bottom. Just clean the grate more and buy poop-off to wipe down the bars. Albert spends like 50% of the day playing with foot toys and foraging toys on the bottom of his cage, so I have to clean the grate a fair bit.
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Jan 18, 2015 17:33
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Jesus, Grrl Anachronism, I'm so sorry to hear that. What an awful way to lose a bird. Try not to stress about it or blame yourself. It sounds like you really loved him and did everything you could at the time.
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Jan 18, 2015 20:15
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I didn't see lories or lorikeets mentioned in the OP, and I think they were only brought up once in the first couple pages. Where do lories/lorikeets fall on the care difficulty scale? Do they require a lot of attention, or can they make their own fun? Are they smart? Are they normally considered talkers or singers? Do they make a lot of noise? Are they generally easy to train (or potty-train)? Are they cuddlers? I like birds and would consider getting a parrot of some sort if I ever have enough time to care for it.
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Jan 18, 2015 22:57
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Rainbow lorikeet owner checking in. Squirt is most definitely not a cuddler. He hates scratches and does not like being touched at all, but will happily sit on me and preen my beard/hair. He doesn't vocalise much, but has picked up a lot of my whistles and did so fairly quickly, but can't repeat anything longer than a few notes. We started trying to teach him the whistling section from the theme of the good, the bad and the ugly, but it morphed into a contact call where he will do the first bit and get stroppy if we don't reply. He can talk a bit, but it's not clear and recognisable language. He is smart to the point of recognising when we are getting ready to go out and if he thinks he hasn't spent enough time out of the cage, then he will try to hide under the kitchen table and not go back into his cage easily. Fortunately, he *loves* cheese, so we can get him to do nearly anything for some. If we put the time and effort in we could use this as clicker training rewards, but we don't. He did learn to poop when we say dirty bird fairly quickly. He is happy playing with himself and his toys for a while, but will come and check in every so often and have a preening session on or near us. Also, he shows affection towards my partner by pecking her face. Doesn't draw blood, but can cause a few curses. Doesn't do it with me though. He can be loud to the point where I have to get him off my shoulder when my partner comes home, otherwise my ears will hurt due to his excited yelling when she walks in the door. Also when we do mean, nasty things like have cheese and not give him some, he can get fairly screechy. Also he mimics my partners laugh which causes her to laugh which causes him to laugh which causes her to laugh which causes me to laugh at both of them.
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Jan 18, 2015 23:48
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kittycopter posted:This thread made me want to get another bird, especially to give my tiel a buddy. Her brother died awhile back and my dad doesn't like taking care of her (my mom had left him with her. I just moved back in after a few years very recently for easier job commute and opportunities). Anyways, I want to start giving her a better life. I'm not sure if she will ever be able to like hands as she was bitey when we first got her for free from some family that couldn't keep them (and her brother had been terrified of everything and anything, he wasnt a biter, but a runner). I hope at least talking to her and getting us another birdy friend would put more happiness in our lives. Two comments-one, are you okay with potentially getting a bird that doesn't like your 'tiel at all? If you definitely want her to have a friend, another cockatiel would probably be best, since they're such chilled, laid back birds. A conure wouldn't necessarily get along with her, or might just ignore her all the time instead. That's not to say it definitely won't like her-just be open to the real possibility they won't get along and be sure you're both okay with that, and can accommodate for it. Second, there's still the chance she could be tamed.  What have you tried so far, if anything yet? Is it just hands she doesn't like? Does she seem to like people otherwise, like when you talk to her?Grrl Anachronism posted:Ellison broke a feather this morning. He bled out in my hands as I tried to stem the bleeding with pressure and stypic agents. I don't know what to do right now. I feel so incredibly guilty. I'm worried about Huxley being alone. I can't even begin to process this right now. I'm so sorry to hear that. Broken blood feathers act almost like straws if not removed, and budgies are such tiny birds, that it would be very easy for that to very quickly turn into a bad situation even when everything is done correctly-it wasn't your fault and you clearly did everything you could for him.
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Jan 19, 2015 00:14
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Grraarrgghh posted:Weigh him and track his weight at least once a day. A cheap 15$ kitchen gram scale works great. We do have a scale but it's packed away somewhere. I'll have a feel off this and monitor his weight. It's really nice to see the bird go through becoming more and more settled in. He's gone from sitting on a perch to today scaring me because he was screaming like he was being attacked only to find he was picking a fight with a chew toy and getting mad because he kept slipping on the perch when trying to bite it.
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Jan 19, 2015 00:35
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Thanks for all the condolences and words of encouragement, guys. I know logically it isn't my fault and couldn't have been prevented any further- we couldn't have even gotten to an emergency vet in time- but my lizard (bird) brain still feels so incredibly guilty. I was so desperate I even tried to google how to remove the broken feather with hemostats, since I'd heard that could help in clots forming, but there was so much blood with every heartbeat I couldn't wipe it clean to see which one to remove, and was afraid to remove pressure for more than a few seconds. Right now I'm just worried about Huxley. Unlike Ellison, he's not hand tame at all, so I'm not sure I will be able to fill the void no matter how much attention I pay him. I don't know right now if I'm emotionally ready for another bird but were it for his sake I'd be willing to speed up the process a little. How do you even go about this? How long should I wait or not wait? I've lost other pets before but never one of my birbs, I feel like I have no idea what to do at this point. Looking at his empty cage is heartbreaking, but if I move it from the room Huxley's frantic flock calls for him are even more so.
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Jan 19, 2015 00:39
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Our keets buddy died and we replaced him in a week. We even started them off in separate cages but George was so desperate for company he hung on the side of the cage closest to new guy until we put them together.
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Jan 19, 2015 01:50
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Frogmanv2 posted:Rainbow lorikeet owner checking in. This is all great info to have, thank you. Are other types of lori like this as well?
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Jan 19, 2015 01:53
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I haven't owned a rainbow lorikeet, only rescued them, but all of the pets I've seen have been super super bitey. Not just to me, to their owners and generally everyone.
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Jan 19, 2015 02:06
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Battle Pigeon posted:Two comments-one, are you okay with potentially getting a bird that doesn't like your 'tiel at all? If you definitely want her to have a friend, another cockatiel would probably be best, since they're such chilled, laid back birds. A conure wouldn't necessarily get along with her, or might just ignore her all the time instead. That's not to say it definitely won't like her-just be open to the real possibility they won't get along and be sure you're both okay with that, and can accommodate for it. Yeah, I suppose it wouldn't be too bad. I was going to have them in separate cages, but next to each other. Henrietta didn't really seem to enjoy sharing a cage with her brother that much. She would attack him if he got too close, which happened a lot, but that's pretty much it. Im sure having another bird next to her would be a little comforting and less lonely, even if it doesn't like her. I've had budgies and tiels all my life, so I want to go for a new bird this time around also. Im on page 44 of this thread, and I have come to adore conures. I have been battling depression lately (and I refuse pills), so I want a buddy who has the potential to be cuddly or at least attention loving so we can hang out a lot. I haven't tried anything yet because I dont exactly know how to begin. She doesn't really like anything near her, we have had her for around ten years, and she came to us aggressive, which hasn't changed. I dont mind too much if she doesn't like being handled, as long as I can still give her a happy life. Im going to start changing her food from seeds to pellets, what brand should I look for? Are there any treats that tiels seem to go crazy for?
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Jan 19, 2015 03:12
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Harrisons, ZuPreem and Roudybush are all good pellet brands. ZuPreem might be easier to find locally, though (PetSmart and PetCo both carry it). Millet is basically bird-crack so it may be a good thing to try out. My 'tiel also really loves veggies once she figured out that they are food. Bell peppers and carrots are her favorites. Bribing her with food may be a good first step in trying to get her to be less aggressive.
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Jan 19, 2015 03:29
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Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:This is all great info to have, thank you. Are other types of lori like this as well? Wouldn't have a clue. Squirt is the only parrot I have had. What saucy bratwurst says is probably true as well. When we rescued squirt his beak was broken due to slamming head first into a window, so it's not as strong as other birds and I have heard horror stories of rainbow lories bullying black cockatoos to death. Also our previous landlords had one in an aviary with a bunch of other birds, introduced a second rainbow and they bonded and killed most of the other tiels and budgies fairly quickly.
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Jan 19, 2015 04:49
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Frogmanv2 posted:Wouldn't have a clue. Squirt is the only parrot I have had.  drat... so I guess having a couple of rainbow lories as my first birds is a bad idea, then?That's a shame. Rainbow lories are beautiful little things, and they sound like they're fairly easy to care for otherwise. I wonder if there's another type of small-medium parrot out there that has similar coloration, but is friendlier toward people and other birds? Maybe more talkative, too?
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Jan 19, 2015 05:16
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LOVEBIRDS. Seriously. I've had lovebirds a bunch of times growing up, and they're some of the most cuddly, talkative little shits. They're also master escape artists and quite loud in the mornings, though. They also need a lot of love and attention, because they tend to pine if they're left alone even for a little while.
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Jan 19, 2015 05:27
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Dr. Gitmo Moneyson posted:
Not necessarily. You just need to be aware of their behaviour and adjust accordingly. From what I have heard and experienced, they bond fairly heavily and are very protective. If you got two, expect them to bond together and after a lot of bites, they might learn to tolerate you. I probably wouldn't get two straight up. Get one, get that hand tamed, and then try introducing a second. Fyi we have had squirt for over 3 years now and I shudder at the thought of having two of him going around.
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Jan 19, 2015 05:28
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Frogmanv2 posted:Not necessarily. You just need to be aware of their behaviour and adjust accordingly. From what I have heard and experienced, they bond fairly heavily and are very protective. If you got two, expect them to bond together and after a lot of bites, they might learn to tolerate you. That actually sounds better, as I'd primarily considered getting a second bird to keep a first one company. Also I hadn't considered lovebirds. Thanks for the tip, Sociopastry.
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Jan 19, 2015 05:32
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I told my partner about your plans to get two of them as your first birds and she literally went " no. No. Nooooooooo. Hell no." So yeah maybe something else. Edit. And the poop. Oh god the poop. It cleans easyish but he is called squirt for a reason. I would seriously consider a budgie as a first bird. Much easier to clean up after, they vocalise a lot better and aren't nearly as bitey. NPR Journalizard fucked around with this message at 05:39 on Jan 19, 2015 |
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Jan 19, 2015 05:37
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