Stella is doing a lot better accepting Steve's presence in our house, but she still requires a bit more reassurance than she did before he arrived. Here she's soliciting head pets and kisses from Thomas, who was only too happy to oblige her:
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Comforting
Over the weekend, we found out that Rocky isn't picky when it comes to a shoe nest:
Stella is doing a lot better accepting Steve's presence in our house, but she still requires a bit more reassurance than she did before he arrived. Here she's soliciting head pets and kisses from Thomas, who was only too happy to oblige her:
Stella is doing a lot better accepting Steve's presence in our house, but she still requires a bit more reassurance than she did before he arrived. Here she's soliciting head pets and kisses from Thomas, who was only too happy to oblige her:
Indoor (and a little outdoor) birding
It was a hot weekend. We planned to get some birding in, even though this isn't the best time to see birds. But, any practice with the binoculars will help us later on. There is a pond with a swan couple and babies near the hospital where Thomas is working this month, so he took me there. There were 5 little swans:
Walking around the pond, we saw a female mallard duck with a bunch of her babies, lounging in the shade:
Then, we went to the nature center for a hike. The hike ended up being shorter than anticipated due to mosquitoes. However, the center keep bird feeders full, so we were able to do a little indoor birding at the feeders. I know, cheating. But, we saw many interesting birds, including a Rose-breasted Grosbeak family. Here's the male:
We also saw a Northern Flicker and a Red-bellied Woodpecker.
Back home, more indoor birding. This cardinal was walking around outside:
And inside, we found a congo grey:
A severe macaw:
And, from slightly further away, a timneh grey:
Those last three don't count for our life list, though!
Walking around the pond, we saw a female mallard duck with a bunch of her babies, lounging in the shade:
Then, we went to the nature center for a hike. The hike ended up being shorter than anticipated due to mosquitoes. However, the center keep bird feeders full, so we were able to do a little indoor birding at the feeders. I know, cheating. But, we saw many interesting birds, including a Rose-breasted Grosbeak family. Here's the male:
We also saw a Northern Flicker and a Red-bellied Woodpecker.Back home, more indoor birding. This cardinal was walking around outside:
And inside, we found a congo grey:
A severe macaw:
And, from slightly further away, a timneh grey:
Those last three don't count for our life list, though!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Question on flight
I received the following question in the comments of this post. Since my answer is likely to be long, I decided to turn it into a post instead of responding in the comments:
So, on to some of my ramblings in answering the first question about behavioral problems due to flight. In my house, all of my current birds (except our foster bird who has only been with us 4 days and therefore hasn't grown out his flight feathers) have the ability to fly.
Max (TAG), Stella (CAG), and Beeps (BHC) are really good flyers. They most frequently choose flight at their transportation method. Calypso (BHC) almost never flies. I do toss him to his stand or cage, and he likes that, but his preferred transportation method is leaning where he wants to go and beeping until I take him there. Rocky (severe macaw) has just begun flying down to the ground, but usually walks where he wants to go. Therefore, even having a flighted bird, does not guarantee flight! However, since the grey in question is already gliding down to the ground, I'd expect him to pick up flying quite quickly.
Since you specifically mention your grey, I will mostly restrict my observations to my own greys. We had Max for around 4-5 years before we allowed her to fly. We never even considered allowing her to fly for the first few years -- clipping was just what good parrot owners do. Plus, every time her flight feathers would grow in, and she could fly a bit, her personality would change. She got snippier, harder to control. As soon as we clipped her, we got our sweet Max back.
After Max had her feather destruction issues in 2006, I did a ton of research and allowing her to fly was one of the things we decided to try to optimize her environment so she would stop plucking. It was one of the best parrot-keeping decisions we ever made.
In the article linked to above, Pam Clark makes the following statement, and I couldn't agree more:
That being said, having a flying bird can be much more of a challenge, especially in the beginning when you're redefining behavior expectations.
Of course, there are the safety aspects. We use a double door policy to ensure that no one escapes. We make sure no one is perched on top of an open door before we close it.
There's also the potential damage to your house, which is magnified when the bird can go wherever they want.
And the poop issue, which I will touch on more later.
I think also a major mind set change needs to take place for some people when a bird can fly. At least it did for us! When your bird is clipped, generally you can put him/her on a perch and she stays there. (This isn't true for all birds -- Rocky proves that as he just climbs down from the perch and goes where he wants.) When the bird is flighted, he can go wherever he wants. So you have to work in conjunction with your bird to make sure that appropriate perching places are where the bird wants to be. The relationship becomes much more of a partnership.
Proper training is a must! I know some people who brag they have flighted birds. However, they haven't trained their birds on acceptable flighted behavior, so the birds spend almost all of their time in their cages because they get into trouble otherwise. How is it a benefit to the bird to be able to fly if they are now cage bound?
With both of our greys, the first few weeks after they realized they could fly were quite trying. In a sense, I think of it like a child with controlling parents who goes off to college and goes wild. For so long, we controlled where our greys went, and suddenly, they realized they could go wherever they want! If we wanted them to step up, they could just fly away! We just worked through this period, and after a few weeks, after the novelty of flying wore off, things were fine. I must add, though, that our bird sitter still has problems with Max just flying away instead of going in her cage. She has to use cashews to bribe Max to go inside.
We changed our approach to the parrots -- making acceptable perching places attractive and not allowing them on unacceptable places. Teaching them recall, which is a fun game, gets them off of unacceptable places, and should hopefully help us to recover them should they, despite our best efforts, ever get loose outside.
One great benefit to flying is the exercise aspect. While it's possible for non-flighted birds to get exercise, it's far easier when they're flying. We've noticed huge behavioral improvements in our birds when they get panting several times a day. I know how squirrelly I get when I don't run for a couple of days. Imagine these natural athletes, who in the wild would be flying all of the time, denied that possibility. Flying/exercising gives them a positive outlet for their energy. Max almost never squawks in displeasure anymore -- her vocalizations are pleasant. If she's unhappy, she can move somewhere else.
Looking back on things, in the short term, allowing a previously non-flighted bird to fly can be a lot of work. There's additional training, getting used to the improved safety measures, etc. But, in the long term, I think it's actually easier to live with flighted birds. They are so much more enjoyable to be around; they show off more of their personality. In addition, when we go from the kitchen to living room, instead of making a ton of trips ferrying the parrots from perches to cages, they either follow us by themselves, or we toss them into the other room.
As for your second question, our birds are not trained to poop in one place, so I'm not sure how much help I'll be here! When our greys come out of their cages, we hold them over the trash can and they both eliminate then, but subsequent eliminations happen wherever they are. That's part of the reason we don't have any carpet in the areas of the house where they are allowed! We watch them closely and try to clean them up as soon as they happen. We also wash our floors very regularly.
However, with training, a flighted bird, especially one who is already trained, could be taught to fly to a certain perch to go.
One final thing to consider, especially with regards to greys, is the issue of heart disease. If you google "african grey heart disease" many links come up. The vet at the rescue where I volunteer is generally anti-flight for parrots, as she believes that most families are not equipped to live safely with a flighted bird. Even she recommends that people with greys allow them to fly, for health reasons.
I hope this was somewhat helpful, but if I didn't answer something completely, or if you have any other questions, as always, please feel free to ask again. I'm certainly no expert, but am always happy to share my experiences!
Speaking of negative behavior, do you have any behavioral problems allowing the birds full flight? What about poop? My CAG is clipped but does take off for short flights to the ground. I've been thinking about not clipping (cats) but he is potty trained right now and I do not want to lose that. Thoughts?As always, thanks for the question! Personally, I am pro-flight as long as the situation is safe for the parrots and people in the house, so my response is likely to be biased in that direction! While I do recognize that each family needs to make the clip or not decision based on their individual circumstances and those of the bird, I feel that far too many make the clip decision. The article that made the biggest impact on me, and was the impetus for allowing Max's flight feathers to grow out is "Feathers, Flight, and Parrot Keeping" by Pam Clark.
So, on to some of my ramblings in answering the first question about behavioral problems due to flight. In my house, all of my current birds (except our foster bird who has only been with us 4 days and therefore hasn't grown out his flight feathers) have the ability to fly.
Max (TAG), Stella (CAG), and Beeps (BHC) are really good flyers. They most frequently choose flight at their transportation method. Calypso (BHC) almost never flies. I do toss him to his stand or cage, and he likes that, but his preferred transportation method is leaning where he wants to go and beeping until I take him there. Rocky (severe macaw) has just begun flying down to the ground, but usually walks where he wants to go. Therefore, even having a flighted bird, does not guarantee flight! However, since the grey in question is already gliding down to the ground, I'd expect him to pick up flying quite quickly.
Since you specifically mention your grey, I will mostly restrict my observations to my own greys. We had Max for around 4-5 years before we allowed her to fly. We never even considered allowing her to fly for the first few years -- clipping was just what good parrot owners do. Plus, every time her flight feathers would grow in, and she could fly a bit, her personality would change. She got snippier, harder to control. As soon as we clipped her, we got our sweet Max back.
After Max had her feather destruction issues in 2006, I did a ton of research and allowing her to fly was one of the things we decided to try to optimize her environment so she would stop plucking. It was one of the best parrot-keeping decisions we ever made.
In the article linked to above, Pam Clark makes the following statement, and I couldn't agree more:
From personal experience, I believe that flighted birds are more fun to have as companions. They are so much better able to reveal their personalities through movement of choice.Max's relationship with us has blossomed in ways we never could have imagined when she was clipped!
That being said, having a flying bird can be much more of a challenge, especially in the beginning when you're redefining behavior expectations.
Of course, there are the safety aspects. We use a double door policy to ensure that no one escapes. We make sure no one is perched on top of an open door before we close it.
There's also the potential damage to your house, which is magnified when the bird can go wherever they want.
And the poop issue, which I will touch on more later.
I think also a major mind set change needs to take place for some people when a bird can fly. At least it did for us! When your bird is clipped, generally you can put him/her on a perch and she stays there. (This isn't true for all birds -- Rocky proves that as he just climbs down from the perch and goes where he wants.) When the bird is flighted, he can go wherever he wants. So you have to work in conjunction with your bird to make sure that appropriate perching places are where the bird wants to be. The relationship becomes much more of a partnership.
Proper training is a must! I know some people who brag they have flighted birds. However, they haven't trained their birds on acceptable flighted behavior, so the birds spend almost all of their time in their cages because they get into trouble otherwise. How is it a benefit to the bird to be able to fly if they are now cage bound?
With both of our greys, the first few weeks after they realized they could fly were quite trying. In a sense, I think of it like a child with controlling parents who goes off to college and goes wild. For so long, we controlled where our greys went, and suddenly, they realized they could go wherever they want! If we wanted them to step up, they could just fly away! We just worked through this period, and after a few weeks, after the novelty of flying wore off, things were fine. I must add, though, that our bird sitter still has problems with Max just flying away instead of going in her cage. She has to use cashews to bribe Max to go inside.
We changed our approach to the parrots -- making acceptable perching places attractive and not allowing them on unacceptable places. Teaching them recall, which is a fun game, gets them off of unacceptable places, and should hopefully help us to recover them should they, despite our best efforts, ever get loose outside.
One great benefit to flying is the exercise aspect. While it's possible for non-flighted birds to get exercise, it's far easier when they're flying. We've noticed huge behavioral improvements in our birds when they get panting several times a day. I know how squirrelly I get when I don't run for a couple of days. Imagine these natural athletes, who in the wild would be flying all of the time, denied that possibility. Flying/exercising gives them a positive outlet for their energy. Max almost never squawks in displeasure anymore -- her vocalizations are pleasant. If she's unhappy, she can move somewhere else.
Looking back on things, in the short term, allowing a previously non-flighted bird to fly can be a lot of work. There's additional training, getting used to the improved safety measures, etc. But, in the long term, I think it's actually easier to live with flighted birds. They are so much more enjoyable to be around; they show off more of their personality. In addition, when we go from the kitchen to living room, instead of making a ton of trips ferrying the parrots from perches to cages, they either follow us by themselves, or we toss them into the other room.
As for your second question, our birds are not trained to poop in one place, so I'm not sure how much help I'll be here! When our greys come out of their cages, we hold them over the trash can and they both eliminate then, but subsequent eliminations happen wherever they are. That's part of the reason we don't have any carpet in the areas of the house where they are allowed! We watch them closely and try to clean them up as soon as they happen. We also wash our floors very regularly.
However, with training, a flighted bird, especially one who is already trained, could be taught to fly to a certain perch to go.
One final thing to consider, especially with regards to greys, is the issue of heart disease. If you google "african grey heart disease" many links come up. The vet at the rescue where I volunteer is generally anti-flight for parrots, as she believes that most families are not equipped to live safely with a flighted bird. Even she recommends that people with greys allow them to fly, for health reasons.
I hope this was somewhat helpful, but if I didn't answer something completely, or if you have any other questions, as always, please feel free to ask again. I'm certainly no expert, but am always happy to share my experiences!
Max wants in on that
I mentioned in my previous post that Thomas was able to quickly distract Rocky from his displeasure that Steve was on Thomas's hand. How? By diverting his attention to a nest, of course! There were a couple of towels placed on the table, Rocky burrowed under and, lacking wood slices, started ripping up a magazine (which Thomas hadn't yet read) and some newspaper.
As Thomas put it, "Max wants in on that!" and she came over to nest with Rocky. As usual, he gave a half-hearted attempt to drive her off, but when it became apparent she was there to stay, they nested side by side for a while.
Later, he found a new place to nest. This chair is pushed in under the table, and with Thomas's flannel hanging off of the back, it provides a nice, dark spot for him.
As always, I feel the need for a disclaimer. In some birds, nesting opportunities must be eliminated, as they could have a negative behavioral or physical impact on the parrot. We are lucky in that it is just something to occupy our parrots' time. If they became more aggressive or we noticed any other signs that things were amiss, we wouldn't allow this. The key is knowing your bird(s) and making appropriate choices for each individual.
As Thomas put it, "Max wants in on that!" and she came over to nest with Rocky. As usual, he gave a half-hearted attempt to drive her off, but when it became apparent she was there to stay, they nested side by side for a while.
Later, he found a new place to nest. This chair is pushed in under the table, and with Thomas's flannel hanging off of the back, it provides a nice, dark spot for him.
As always, I feel the need for a disclaimer. In some birds, nesting opportunities must be eliminated, as they could have a negative behavioral or physical impact on the parrot. We are lucky in that it is just something to occupy our parrots' time. If they became more aggressive or we noticed any other signs that things were amiss, we wouldn't allow this. The key is knowing your bird(s) and making appropriate choices for each individual.
Day 4 with Steve
Yesterday was day 4 with Steve. It's been such a short time, but I've already seen slight improvements in his mental state. When we first got him, he was pretty much like a statue. He didn't make noise (unless he was on our arm, in which case he was making horrible noises) and he barely moved. He's been making soft grey noises, and this morning a rather loud grey noise! He's also been exploring his cage a bit, and I found evidence of a bit of wood chipping at the bottom of his cage!
Since he's so frightened, our number one goal is to show him that we're not scary. We move slowly around him, and I frequently give him a favorite treat when I pass his cage (pistachio, cedar nut, or banana chip). He takes the food so gently from my hand. He will be a perfect clicker training candidate once he's settled in.
However, yesterday, Thomas walked a little too quickly near his cage, which sent him flying out of his cage. He ran over to the shoes in front of our door and sat there. Thomas picked him up. Only one scream! Progress!
So, Thomas sat down with Steve on his hand as he read the paper.
As you might imagine, certain jealous parrots were not pleased with this. Max flew over to Thomas's head and started preening him roughly.
This doesn't actually hurt, but she only does it when she wants to show us how displeased she is with us. We find it funny, which only encourages her.
So Thomas had her step up on his other hand. This made turning the pages of the paper difficult, but made her happy:
He started giving Max kisses, and Steve made a kiss sound! So Steve got a few beak kisses as well (he's actually leaning his head toward Thomas for a kiss):
Rocky also came up, but was quickly distracted, which I will show in my next post.
After a few minutes, Thomas placed Steve back on his cage. We don't want to overwhelm him.
It is quite hard for me to have him here. I know that I need to leave him alone, let him observe things, and work at his pace. But I want to grab him and hug him and make everything better. Even though that will just make everything worse! Patience is not one of my strong points, but it's essential when dealing with these guys, especially the greys. I haven't had to exercise patience of this sort with my own birds in so long, since Stella came to us.
Despite what I just said, I am very happy that we finally brought him home! I feel like we have a real chance of getting him healed up, physically and mentally, so that he can find a good home.
Thomas said to me on Monday, "You know, you're not going to fix him. Max and Stella will do all of your work for you." I completely agree. As I've said before, I believe a big reason why Stella improved so much is due to having Max around. She observed how we interact with Max, and how Max interacts with us, and mirrored that. I'm hoping the magic will work again.
Since he's so frightened, our number one goal is to show him that we're not scary. We move slowly around him, and I frequently give him a favorite treat when I pass his cage (pistachio, cedar nut, or banana chip). He takes the food so gently from my hand. He will be a perfect clicker training candidate once he's settled in.
However, yesterday, Thomas walked a little too quickly near his cage, which sent him flying out of his cage. He ran over to the shoes in front of our door and sat there. Thomas picked him up. Only one scream! Progress!
So, Thomas sat down with Steve on his hand as he read the paper.
As you might imagine, certain jealous parrots were not pleased with this. Max flew over to Thomas's head and started preening him roughly.This doesn't actually hurt, but she only does it when she wants to show us how displeased she is with us. We find it funny, which only encourages her.
So Thomas had her step up on his other hand. This made turning the pages of the paper difficult, but made her happy:
He started giving Max kisses, and Steve made a kiss sound! So Steve got a few beak kisses as well (he's actually leaning his head toward Thomas for a kiss):
Rocky also came up, but was quickly distracted, which I will show in my next post.
After a few minutes, Thomas placed Steve back on his cage. We don't want to overwhelm him.It is quite hard for me to have him here. I know that I need to leave him alone, let him observe things, and work at his pace. But I want to grab him and hug him and make everything better. Even though that will just make everything worse! Patience is not one of my strong points, but it's essential when dealing with these guys, especially the greys. I haven't had to exercise patience of this sort with my own birds in so long, since Stella came to us.
Despite what I just said, I am very happy that we finally brought him home! I feel like we have a real chance of getting him healed up, physically and mentally, so that he can find a good home.
Thomas said to me on Monday, "You know, you're not going to fix him. Max and Stella will do all of your work for you." I completely agree. As I've said before, I believe a big reason why Stella improved so much is due to having Max around. She observed how we interact with Max, and how Max interacts with us, and mirrored that. I'm hoping the magic will work again.
Dessert
For dessert last night, Thomas made himself a bowl of homemade granola in almond milk. The parrots love homemade granola and they love almond milk, so they were very happy about Thomas's dessert decision!
He gave everyone some granola, and this satisfied most of the parrots. It wasn't enough for Rocky, though. He came up to help himself to more:
Beeps flew over to Thomas's shoulder and quickly grabbed some granola. He acted like he was trying to be sneaky. Since Rocky also had his beak in the bowl, this was probably a good decision on Beeps's part! He immediately ran up to Thomas's shoulder to eat his prize:
As I've written before, the parrots are generally not allowed on our shoulders. Especially not unpredictable caiques who are prone to getting overexcited when they have good food! Thomas immediately tried to get Beeps to step up so he could be moved to a more appropriate location.
But, we think Beeps was afraid Thomas was going to try to take his food, so instead of stepping up, he flew over to his cage:
He gave everyone some granola, and this satisfied most of the parrots. It wasn't enough for Rocky, though. He came up to help himself to more:
Beeps flew over to Thomas's shoulder and quickly grabbed some granola. He acted like he was trying to be sneaky. Since Rocky also had his beak in the bowl, this was probably a good decision on Beeps's part! He immediately ran up to Thomas's shoulder to eat his prize:
As I've written before, the parrots are generally not allowed on our shoulders. Especially not unpredictable caiques who are prone to getting overexcited when they have good food! Thomas immediately tried to get Beeps to step up so he could be moved to a more appropriate location.But, we think Beeps was afraid Thomas was going to try to take his food, so instead of stepping up, he flew over to his cage:
More nesting
I know, this is probably getting old. Enough with the nesting pictures! But this is what they've been doing every single day. Rocky, who'd partially hidden himself for more secluded chipping:
Stella is also chipping like mad. This was all done in one day when I was at work. Her drawers had been filled with wood slices; I returned to find several inches of wood chips at the bottom of her cage.
But that's Rocky! Oh, yes. He climbed in her cage to finish up some of the chipping she'd overlooked. He actually had his entire body crammed into her drawer, but by the time I'd gotten the camera ready, he was in this position.
Stella is also chipping like mad. This was all done in one day when I was at work. Her drawers had been filled with wood slices; I returned to find several inches of wood chips at the bottom of her cage.
But that's Rocky! Oh, yes. He climbed in her cage to finish up some of the chipping she'd overlooked. He actually had his entire body crammed into her drawer, but by the time I'd gotten the camera ready, he was in this position.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Max and a toy
I had originally placed this blue toy in Steve's cage, but he was frightened of it, so I placed it on the stand instead. It had been in Max's cage a few years ago, and she was happy to see it again!
It is a foraging toy -- I can put something inside and then the parrot is supposed to make the item go through a little maze. I hadn't done that, though. She was happy to play with it as is!
She is one of the most playful parrots I have ever seen, and it makes me so happy to see her so excited over a new toy!
This is especially clear to me now, as her behavior is in direct opposition to Steve's. I have not yet seen him play with a toy, and he spends his time perched on one perch. I know it will take time to get him to love to play with toys, but he'll get there!
After Max's toy exertion, she recharged herself with some peas:
It is a foraging toy -- I can put something inside and then the parrot is supposed to make the item go through a little maze. I hadn't done that, though. She was happy to play with it as is!
She is one of the most playful parrots I have ever seen, and it makes me so happy to see her so excited over a new toy!This is especially clear to me now, as her behavior is in direct opposition to Steve's. I have not yet seen him play with a toy, and he spends his time perched on one perch. I know it will take time to get him to love to play with toys, but he'll get there!
After Max's toy exertion, she recharged herself with some peas:
Calypso berries
Calypso likes to eat berries, too. He's got it safely tucked in to his foot. You can't see this from the picture, but he has several raspberry stains on his chest and the yellow around his face. We joked about a berry bloodbath.
Joint nesting
Thomas had placed a towel on the kitchen table. Never one to resist temptation, Rocky climbed up immediately to nest. Max also flew over to do some nesting of her own. She never initiates this -- she only comes over when Rocky's already nesting. You kind of have to look closely to see Rocky:
As long as she stays a few inches from him, Rocky seems fine to have them both lifting the towel up and then slam it on the ground.
Some newspaper was destroyed during nesting:
I don't think that Max realizes any nesting urges from this -- it appears to just be a game.
As long as she stays a few inches from him, Rocky seems fine to have them both lifting the towel up and then slam it on the ground.
Some newspaper was destroyed during nesting:
I don't think that Max realizes any nesting urges from this -- it appears to just be a game.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
