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feels weird seeing big bird in small cage 
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Dec 30, 2015 13:06
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| # ? May 27, 2024 08:10 |
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free him I had to go to petco to pick up my family's dog from grooming and had a few minutes while they finished so I wandered over to the bird section.   This little guy ran right up to the viewscreen on his enclosure and would bob his head along with me and stuff.      And these two would not stop running around together and doing that. Semi-related note, how reasonable is it to buy birds from a chain store like that? I'm not sure how many breeders would be in my area, or if they'd be any better or worse. Are there online guides for that sort of thing? Like a national association of whatever? I don't wanna support any uncouth practices when I'm finally financially stable enough to buy a bird.
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Dec 30, 2015 14:28
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I feel like it really depends on the petco/petsmart/whatever in question, at least based on my own experiences and what I've seen in the thread.
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Dec 30, 2015 15:26
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There are generally specific groups and clubs for specific birds and they can be very useful resources, bird shows and auctions in your area are your best source of information though. Fair few reputable breeders I know are older and not internet savvy and this is where they hang out. I've not met anyone from within that world who isn't happy to have a good long chat so don't have any worries about just turning up, someone very dull will see you on your own and relish the opportunity to pounce and impart wisdom. I made a very good friend who has been breeding for 40 years now via rl bird talk and he put me onto things like people who sell seed wholesale for cheap and includes me when a group goes in on a box of 100 millet and the like. I also found all about the grey breeder in our area who is farming them, chicks are fine but he's killing the poor hens, and because he's just within the law the RSPCA cant touch him even though they have tried multiple times. (If you see any advert for cheap hand reared greys going for around £400 each or £700 a pair in the UK it's this guy) So yeh, this is the kind of information you need to go out and get and as I said, it's not always on the internet.
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Dec 30, 2015 15:32
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Dreggon posted:feels weird seeing big bird in small cage Pet carriers are small, so that, if you get in an accident, your bird is protected from being flung around a car. It's like seeing a seat belt and saying "It's weird to see a big person strapped down."
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Dec 30, 2015 16:58
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Staryberry posted:Pet carriers are small, so that, if you get in an accident, your bird is protected from being flung around a car. It's like seeing a seat belt and saying "It's weird to see a big person strapped down." I call shenanigans on that. That carrier is far too small for a U2. The carrier should always be big enough so the bird can stand upright, and it should always have a perch in it as well. The perch, more than anything, will be what prevents the bird from being knocked about in a travel carrier. A bird standing on flat ground is a huge hazard.
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Dec 30, 2015 17:26
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We're bird-sitting for some friends who have a green cheek conure named Ginger and an african grey named Rachel. Ginger is pretty social, as soon as we let her out she just wants to be sitting on one of our shoulders, but Rachel is pretty skittish. I'll try and slowly move my forearm up to her chest to see if she wants to step up on it but she usually steps away from me or goes to bite. I've seen Rachel when our friends are around and she's much more social, but she's more bonded with one of them than the other. Is there anything we could be doing to try and calm Rachel down while they're gone? We'll put on music they like and give them an almond or so with with food but we don't have birds ourselves, only cats, so we don't understand their body language as well.
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Dec 30, 2015 17:57
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It's a cat carrier, there are plastic bird carriers that are much taller http://www.playfulparrot.com/ctgy/Wingabago-Bird-Carrier.html for example but it would be much cheaper to get a handyman to make you one out of wood.
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Dec 30, 2015 17:58
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Reik posted:We're bird-sitting for some friends who have a green cheek conure named Ginger and an african grey named Rachel. Ginger is pretty social, as soon as we let her out she just wants to be sitting on one of our shoulders, but Rachel is pretty skittish. I'll try and slowly move my forearm up to her chest to see if she wants to step up on it but she usually steps away from me or goes to bite. I've seen Rachel when our friends are around and she's much more social, but she's more bonded with one of them than the other. Rachel might learn that you're okay and safe friends, by seeing you and Ginger interact. How long have you been taking care of the birds so far?
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Dec 30, 2015 18:19
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Reik posted:We're bird-sitting for some friends who have a green cheek conure named Ginger and an african grey named Rachel. Ginger is pretty social, as soon as we let her out she just wants to be sitting on one of our shoulders, but Rachel is pretty skittish. I'll try and slowly move my forearm up to her chest to see if she wants to step up on it but she usually steps away from me or goes to bite. I've seen Rachel when our friends are around and she's much more social, but she's more bonded with one of them than the other. Offer the bird a treat to step-up. Approach it slowly, talk to it, say phrases it likes/knows. If it's pinning (pupils rapidly dilating), it is excited/frightened/interested. Be wary, but don't act afraid. Just be careful. Most parrots will make motions to bite without actually biting, so respecting that they can take a finger can keep you healthy. Move slowly. Don't touch the back or wings unless the bird invites you to or you know it enjoys it. Most birds prefer skritches on the head, neck, under the chin, beak, ear-holes, and cere/nares (nostrils). Start out soft. Use the pads of your fingers rather than the nails. Birds prefer pets against the feather grain strangely, so back to front usually gets the best response. If the bird is appearing standoffish, it just might not be in the mood for attention. Don't take it personally. Let the bird chill on your hand/arm without molesting it too much. The bird may have a "scratch me" phrase or noise that it makes. This is usually your best opening to bond with it. Ask it's owner if they know of this noise/phrase. Overall, be cool. Don't force it. Birds have long memories, so you can shatter their trust pretty quickly if you're rough or angry.
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Dec 30, 2015 18:20
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Where do UK goons get their bird toys? Scarlett's Parrot Essentials is good but has the terrible shipping fee, Pets at Home can have decent stuff but it's often online only, Amazon are really hit and miss, Northern Parrots is expensive, as are independent stores (not that there are any around here)
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Dec 30, 2015 20:20
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If you are anywhere near Chesterfield then http://www.brookgardencentre.co.uk/ (used to be known as the mill) is the absolute best. They have two scarlet macaws that come to work with them and it really shows in the stock that birds are their passion. Fair warning, you may go home +1 'tiel though and they are most certainly not tame.
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Dec 30, 2015 21:44
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I'm in Devon so nowhere near there-and no danger of coming home with more birds, here or home. Considering how it went with the last "oh we'll totally just foster it until its tame" one 
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Dec 30, 2015 22:01
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Bit far then. I know it's only one toy but mine absolutely love destroying the banana swing ball from wilcos, only £2.50 and you can put treats inside.
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Dec 30, 2015 22:21
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I started visiting my local bird shop near the end of October planning to socialize with their green cheeks and eventually take one home. Now I might end up with a severe macaw instead. Help. e: pictures of prospective birbs because why not. post more birds.  
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Dec 30, 2015 23:15
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oh my gosh it's that li'l guy again!
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Dec 30, 2015 23:28
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Macaw vs GCC is a huge difference in commitment but that guy is SO ADORABLE. He (or she) has such a thoughtful, warm eyes!
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Dec 30, 2015 23:53
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Those lying eyes "I'll never be an adolescent"
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Dec 31, 2015 00:18
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They say she's 9~10 months old. I wonder what she'll be like when she's not a baby anymore. Aside from very loud and chewing everything I love into fine particles, I mean. I've been visiting both birds for about an hour combined nearly every day since the end of October. The GCC was caged until recently because he kept opening up the budgie cages and letting them all out, so most of my hands-on time has been with the severe. If I try to give her scritches on the perch she grabs my finger with her beak and climbs up onto my arm, makes a ridiculously expressive "HA! I did it" face, then goes straight in to full poof mode. She's making it very hard and I can't find enough severe macaw horror stories on the internet to scare me off completely. I did catch her in a screaming contest with an umbrella, that certainly put a tick in the "nope" column.
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Dec 31, 2015 00:26
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You are going to have this bird for 30+ years, if you have the means, time, and space for either of the birds, go with your heart. I think you already know the answer 
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Dec 31, 2015 00:59
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i poop fire posted:The GCC was caged until recently because he kept opening up the budgie cages and letting them all out. gcc.txt
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Dec 31, 2015 01:14
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learnincurve posted:Bit far then. I know it's only one toy but mine absolutely love destroying the banana swing ball from wilcos, only £2.50 and you can put treats inside. Wilcos sell bird toys? I had no idea.
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Dec 31, 2015 01:24
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Very little bird stuff in store, but are online, (sunflower seeds and millet is reasonably priced as well ) they are the exact same toys that are at pets at home but half the price. http://www.wilko.com/pets+wildlife/domestic-bird-food+toys/icat/domestic-birds edit: forgot that that seed swing is amazing.
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Dec 31, 2015 01:31
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJZNjFsgieM It's super cute... and then it starts saying red rum.
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Dec 31, 2015 01:48
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i wish i had a macaw
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Dec 31, 2015 02:03
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Toast spewed up some of his/my breakfast on me, he loves me 
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Dec 31, 2015 02:24
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Isn't he a baby bird? I don't want to be all alarmist but are you sure he isn't sick?
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Dec 31, 2015 02:30
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A Saucy Bratwurst posted:Isn't he a baby bird? I don't want to be all alarmist but are you sure he isn't sick? It could also be the fact that he ate too much of my breakfast (pumpkins, spinach, and rice)  It was the head bobbing up and down spew rather than the flailing around getting spew everywhere spew, though, and he only did it once. He's definitely attempting to do sex things with my ponytail though so maybe he's just a precocious bird  e: He was born in the first week of August so he's up to about 5 months now.
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Dec 31, 2015 02:34
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This is why we should make the distinction between vomit and regurgitation.
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Dec 31, 2015 02:39
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 WARK!
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Dec 31, 2015 02:47
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CROWS EVERYWHERE posted:It could also be the fact that he ate too much of my breakfast (pumpkins, spinach, and rice) Guess he's just a very early bloomer, 5 months in a bird is like developmentally equivalent to somewhere around 8-9 in people right? penance for being alarmist:  thats my breakfast you jerk.
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Dec 31, 2015 02:54
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Welp I think we're getting a GCC tomorrow to keep Albert company/satiate my wife's lust for a bird that floofs from scritches.
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Dec 31, 2015 05:06
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Mizuti posted:
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Dec 31, 2015 06:36
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i poop fire posted:I started visiting my local bird shop near the end of October planning to socialize with their green cheeks and eventually take one home. Now I might end up with a severe macaw instead. Help. As someone else posted, the difference in commitment and cost between a Macaw (even a mini) and a GCC is a lot. Also severe macaws are, from what I have read, the most difficult to own of the mini macaws. I got Bonny some plastic chains. She had a lot of fun, well until she figured out that she can chew through them, after that she started at the end of the chain and just chewed off each and every link.  
1500 fucked around with this message at 10:24 on Dec 31, 2015 |
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Dec 31, 2015 10:22
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Grraarrgghh posted:Offer the bird a treat to step-up. Approach it slowly, talk to it, say phrases it likes/knows. If it's pinning (pupils rapidly dilating), it is excited/frightened/interested. Be wary, but don't act afraid. Just be careful. Most parrots will make motions to bite without actually biting, so respecting that they can take a finger can keep you healthy. Yesterday's visit went well, I thought I had upset Ginger because she kept biting my hair/ears a lot when she was on my shoulder but I sent my friend a video of it and he said that she was just trying to preen me. Fortunately for my ears Ginger is still recovering from Rachel taking off a big chunk of her beak a while back (Ginger stuck her face in to Rachel's cage) so she still isn't at 100% biting power. Rachel didn't get the part that grows more beak though so eventually she'll make a full recovery. We got Rachel to step up on to us without needing a treat, we had her step on to a perch from her cage door and on to our shoulders from the perch, and fed her a couple almonds while she was perched on our shoulders. The only odd behavior was she flew around towards the bathroom a bit and had to be rescued from the top of their dog's crate (dog is with them on vacation). This was after I had gone to the bathroom and she cries havoc when someone leaves the room, so when we opened the cage up I don't know if she was going on a rescue mission or what. She did cut a couple holes in my wife's sweater but no harm was done. I only really worry about her shiny earrings when Rachel is on her shoulder, we might just have her take them off before we go back, we're only watching them for 2 more days. This is probably the fourth time we've birdsat for them, a week or so each time. I was thinking with enough time Rachel would warm up but I don't know how long that'll take and wanted to make sure it wasn't my behavior preventing it.
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Dec 31, 2015 16:29
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Sounds like you're making all of the correct steps, so I wouldn't worry too much. I would definitely not wear large earrings around a gray if possible, that sounds like a recipe for disaster. Birds love shiny colorful stuff. My wife can't wear nail polish because Albert will attack the poo poo out of her hands if she does. Birds are assholes, you can't make them love you, but continued patience and exposure will make them tolerate you. If one is preening you however, I'd say you're already in good with that one.
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Dec 31, 2015 16:34
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Reik posted:Yesterday's visit went well, I thought I had upset Ginger because she kept biting my hair/ears a lot when she was on my shoulder but I sent my friend a video of it and he said that she was just trying to preen me. Fortunately for my ears Ginger is still recovering from Rachel taking off a big chunk of her beak a while back (Ginger stuck her face in to Rachel's cage) so she still isn't at 100% biting power. Rachel didn't get the part that grows more beak though so eventually she'll make a full recovery. Sounds like you are doing great. Birds can take a very very very long time to warm up to people (months to years). I had a lovebird that's favorite pastime was to pull the backs off of earrings, well that was when he didn't just latch onto them and swing. When a women with hoop earrings would come over, he would instantly fly over grab the hoop with his beak then lift his feet and swing, boy was it a pain to get him to let go. I have known people to have earrings ripped off their ears by their large parrots, so ya...
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Dec 31, 2015 18:05
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Tendai posted:This made me make this weird laughing snorting sound that woke Judah up in my hood and then he bit me Yay you're back you make the happiest posts in the thread so you aren't allowed to leave for too long okaylearnincurve posted:Very little bird stuff in store, but are online, (sunflower seeds and millet is reasonably priced as well ) they are the exact same toys that are at pets at home but half the price. http://www.wilko.com/pets+wildlife/domestic-bird-food+toys/icat/domestic-birds So they are, I went to a Pets at Home earlier (to get a Kong for a dog that's very unhappy with the weather at the moment) and those same shell perches were a pound more or so.
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Dec 31, 2015 18:29
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bf got me an iPhone skin! Battle Pigeon posted:Yay you're back yay tendai
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Dec 31, 2015 19:17
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| # ? May 27, 2024 08:10 |
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loving marry your bf.
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Dec 31, 2015 19:37
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