Inara

When you become inured to poop, other than to give it a cursory examination before doing a quick wipe up. Bird poop that is. Certainly, we'd still be completely abashed if we were snuggled with our dog or cat, and they just casually let it drop. Just the thought cracks me up! Nancy's post above made me think of this one.

WHeee!!!!!! That is so nice. I always forget to enter. You've renewed my resolve!

It just cracks me up that Sophie raps! haha

So loved catching up on the latest Miss Gilbert news!! I still have so much to read, in chrono order, to completely catch up on your little charmer. She was just meant for you, and you for her. It's so exciting to know that Miss G appears to be turning a major corner. It's only going to get better from here. What a character!! As for the cranky days, I don't know about Miss G, but HRH Inara will cranky down when a storm is approaching and/or is here. She reverts to natural behaviors and wants to just be safe in her cage on her favorite roosting perch. She prefers to be quiet and unbothered, with an extra food supply close at hand in her dish. Once the weather passes, HRH is back to a picture of sunshine and sweetness. I'm wondering if you've seen any similar connections with the lovely Miss Gilbert? Or perhaps may now begin to see connections now that she is turning a corner and those days are not simply blending in with the others. Now, off to read more posts closer to the beginning of the thread so that I can get completely caught up with this special gal.

Some birds really enjoy watching and listening to others on the screen. My thoughts are that as long as he seems interested that it wouldn't hurt. You could try playing it at the time you usually are eating fresh fruits and veggies and have him near with some of his own. It may or may not work, but stranger things have happened Just keep offering the fruits and veggies, and eventually he will try them. Inara loves hers if they are freshly rinsed with water and still have droplets of water clinging to them. She has been with us now for 5 months and when she first came to live with us wouldn't touch a bite of fresh anything. Now she says, "Oh boy!" and excitedly scoots down my arm to get to them in my hand as I''m washing them. So just keep trying, and one day he will surprise you. Keep us posted on how the video goes, I'm sincerely interested.

Well how cool is that?! Never a dull moment, with our fids is there? Loved reading this post this morning, started my day off with a smile. I could just picture the entire scenario and how fun it must have been to watch!

Took HRH Inara in this morning to have her talons done by our Avian Vet. We could/can take her to the shop where her first people bought her as a hatchling, and they will do it for free for her lifetime. They are very nice, and it's a nice offer, but I look at a grooming session as one more opportunity for Inara to become comfortable with her Vet, for the Vet to be able to give Inara a great hands on once over, and to perhaps notice something early that I might miss. That way, in the future, heaven forbid, if we have an unforseen emergency, Inara is used to the surroundings, and her Doc. So is it a bit spendier to take her in yes, compared to free. But the value is great. Today was her 2nd trip to Dr. Marty, and Inara was so calm in the office, gave out a few of her "happy" whistles, and sailed through the grooming processes without holding a grudge. This also allowed her Vet to see that her beak still had the red mark from the "toy of doom" incident, and she (the vet) reassured me that it was/is just fine and will continue growing out until it eventually disappears. She also cleaned up Inara's beak a bit, and said that HRH is a picture of health. This week, instead of putting her on her play perch, I would put Inara into her travel cage and take her with me into my studio daily to sit in the sun while i was working. So this trip to the Vet, she was completely relaxed in her travel cage, did not get carsick, and was cool as a cucumber. NOTE: I specifically asked her Avian Vet about a pumice or cement perch for beak and talon smoothing. There always seem to be mixed messages about them. Her opinion (and she keeps them in supply at her clinic and sent us home with one today) is this: If you have several other types of perches in your bird's cage; and if you put it in a position in the cage where the bird will only intermittently be upon it --i.e., in front of the food dish or water dish, they are OK to use. Also that it must be large enough so that the bird's talons will make a lot of contact with it, and that the soles of the feet are not forced to curl around it to really grip on, thus leading to possible abrasions of the bottom of the feet over time. In other words, comfortable more for standing upon for short periods as in eating and/or drinking, but not meant for actual perching/gripping upon. So that was a good take away from today's visit. That, and peace of mind knowing that her beak continues to be fine, that she's in great shape, no more pincushion arms and shoulders for me, that the visit appeared to cause her little if any stress, and that she and her Vet continue to build a good relationship. Inara has been enjoying me handling her toes when she is hanging onto the side of her cage, and I do that daily. This next week, I'll begin introducing a small emery board to her, and will work incrementally towards getting her to accept light buffs over time. When we got home, HRH gave me a ton of snuggles and kisses and happy chirps, whistles and fluffs before happily going into her home where she is now contentedly snoozing. Feelin' groovy, Inara's human

LOVE Dr. Marty! She is HRH Inara's avian vet and is outstanding. She is calm, kind, patient, has several birds of her own, and her fees are incredibly reasonable. She is a certified avian Vet and is listed at AAV.org. She hosts a full lab at her clinic so all bloodwork, microbe, etc. diagnoses can be done in house by her personally. Can't recommend her highly enough. For northern CO Springs area, she's north on Rollercoaster, well worth the drive from any part of El Paso County.

What beautiful companions you have. So great that you have been able to stop lurking and join back in.

When you're on a diet and you swear you smell oatmeal cookies baking -- you contemplate for a half-second, tasting the branch that you just pulled out of the oven. (yesterday, while deep cleaning/sanitizing HRH's cage). When shouting "Shut the front door!!" is not a substitute for swearing, it actually means: Shut the front door!

It really is amazing how sensitive/empathic and yet how resilient our feathered companions can be. As murf and Judy have said, planning for the unexpected really does help in the long run, and I'm sure you already grok that Jeff. It sounds like it's going to be a tough time, with long hours, but you and Gracie will do fine. You've made good plans, and as Judygram said - take time to shake off the courtroom stressors before you head home (easier said than done with some cases, but certainly you'll give it a good try). Thanks for this post, as it is a great reminder to us all to plan ahead for those times when schedules are disrupted.

Dear Lamya, my heart breaks for you this morning. The more a companion or friend enriches our lives, the harder this type of sadness is to bear. You loved your baby so deeply, and that love was reciprocated. The deep, deep bonds that we develop with our birds are indescribable to people who have never experienced them. All those here understand that while your time together was short, your bond was for his lifetime, and that bond is eternal. You accepted the stewardship of his little life, and you did a wonderful job of caring for him. We all understand, but cannot truly know your own, personal heartache. Though, through understanding the depth of your bond and the magnitude of your loss, we join you in your sadness.

Hmmmm.....may I suggest jewelry? A necklace made out of Baby's favorite treats.... :D Just kidding! (sorta) haha

Lamya, thank you for the update. These types of situations are never easy, and are so stress filled. Know that you are surrounded by people who sincerely care, even if many of us are a half world away. There is a lot of positive energy being sent your baby's way with each thought and prayer. Stay strong.

Am so very sorry to hear about your beautiful companion's illness. You must feel frantic and frightened. You have been given some very good information, and your vet sounds very competent. Know that our thoughts and prayers are with you both. Please keep giving us updates when you can.

Like Vstar Mama, I use: 2 cups baking soda, 1 cup distilled vinegar and ½ cup dawn dish soap It works like a charm. Got the recipe from this video: I never use my self cleaning oven, because I can't stand the fumes myself. I put off cleaning it and put off cleaning it, and it was a mess. Did this right before xmas and it was and is sparkling! Tip: Wear gloves if you need to scrub a lot, easier on your hands. Don't use a green super scrubbie as it can scratch your oven interior -- just use a regular plastic scrubbie, and use a plastic knife or spoon to scrape any really hard baked on stuff. I used to use a 1/4 cup of amonia in bowl of boiling water and shut the door in a cool oven overnight -- but this is much safer and works fantastic.

You subscribe to your local newspaper -- but not for the news. You shut the door to the TV room if you are going to watch *anything* that might have a lot of screaming (murder mysteries, horror movies, thrillers, etc) and/or swearing. You start sounding like a two-year-old with repeated bouts of saying, "No, mine!" You explain to your friends that you were not attacked by a porcupine nor did you wrestle a cactus, the week before a much needed talon trim.

Very cute! HRH Inara would bang it around and swing from it. She loves to shred, untie knots, swing, and swing upside down while attacking the toy, but is not much of a chewer. Where did you find this one?

HRH Inara weighs between 287 and 292 grams depending on the day, at 2.5 years old. She seems so light and little to me compared to my (r.i.p.) amazon and CAG. But I'm finally used to her being my "little bird." She's very active, plays a lot in her cage, loves to practice flying indoors, and is a busy girl. When she first came to live with us she was between 299-300 grams, then lost weight as we switched her to a healthier diet and after she learned to fly.

Welcome, and you've found the right place for a wealth of information and fun. My companion, HRH Inara, does do a blood curdling scatchysqawkyscreech that is an imitation of the jays outside only amplified to parrot level. She does this only when attacking one of her toys. She also is quite the cheerful talker and noise maker, but she is very settled in and relaxed. I wouldn't worry if your companion is quieter for now, as six days is not long at all. Really looking forward to hearing more about how you came to find each other, and to see some photos

(just happened) -- You see a quarter-sized, fresh, wayward all white splotch on the wood floor and stop dead in your tracks, with a bit of a panicky feeling and thoughts of, "That looks bad, bad, bad, bad......oh, whew! It's *not* unhealthy droppings, it's Blue Cheese Dressing!!!" You're it.

Yes, you can leave the solution in the bottle. I just use a small bottle for bird only, then I have a larger bottle that I use for household cleaning. After about a month it may begin to lose a bit of potency, so you'll want to use it up. (Michigan State University Extension Office)

As usual, I'm late to the party, but I love the decorating!!!

I use either. Daily, when I'm boiling water for my husband's tea in the morning, I just pour some of the boiling water on a paper towel then spray a spritz of vinegar on it from a small spray bottle (about the size of a perfume bottle) and use that as an "instant wipe" to wipe down the grate in Inara's cage before I change the papers. The heat from the boiling water cuts through any debri that has dried on since the previous morning and makes clean up a breeze. I keep a bottle of poop-off around, but rarely use it as hot water and vinegar really do the trick. I also spray her water and food dishes with pure vinegar then fill them with boiling water, let them sit for a few minutes, then rinse them out thoroughly with boiling water from the kettle before wiping them out and refilling. It's an easy morning routine and only takes a few minutes. Then once a week, I do a deep clean from top to bottom (every bar, nook, cranny) of her cage using a basic vinegar water solution of about 4 parts water to 1 part vinegar. Come summer, I'll also set her cage (without her in it) in the hot sunshine once a week after cleaning -- used to do this with my birds in the earlier part of my life, and my avian vet also does this with her cages. EDIT: As a side note, I set up Inara's perches so that she doesn't drop poop on lower ones from the higher ones -- this keeps her from stepping in any or accidentally wiping her beak on any dried smears. It's also a good idea to be sure to never use a wipe you've used on poop areas to then wipe areas with which their mouths and feet will come into contact. It's common sense but often something someone might not think about when cleaning a cage.

How exciting for you! Isn't it just amazing how they will pop out with something so clear? Listening to them practice is lots of fun too along the way. Your Breezy is going to be so much fun to hear about as he continues to grow!