Inara

hahahahaha!! I almost choked on my coffee! Consider this entire thread "thanked" !!! :D

This is one of those forehead slapping moments for me, as I never thought of turning pellets into balls. Great idea for another way to add variety and/or to use pellets. Thanks for this post.

Great reminder, and how stressful for you all until your sweet Toulouse was freed. It speaks a lot to your bond, that you noticed something was amiss even though Toulouse was not giving any audio signals or overt physical signals that something was wrong. So glad that all ended well, and am appreciative of the reminder to take a periodic look over of toys, cages, etc.

Age 28 months Weight 284g 11 weeks since our gotcha day Nose/beak scratch still apparent but no longer angry red. Since last update, we've been working on flight capability. Inara never learned how to fly, so would just dive bomb to the ground and didn't know how to stop or maneuver. So I began assisting her in the development of her flight muscles by my holding a ¾ “ diameter cotton rope with large knots in it, and swaying it so that she could feel her balance, then swaying it a bit higher with a little drop that would trigger her instinct to flap her wings. This was an extention of our “Swing swing, hang on!” game. She has now figured out that while I'm gently swaying the rope, she can initiate her wing flapping and drive the rope in a forward direction. She really enjoys this, and it's great wing and chest exercise. Inara really enjoys playing on her small PVC perch that I made. It sits close to wherever I am at the time. The other day, I was “occupied,” with my laptop, heard a flurry of wings, and then felt two little feet land on m lap! This was the first time that she initiated a very short flight without coaxing or encouragement and naturally I was delighted that it was to come to be with me. Yesterday Inara figured out that she can leap from her little play perch onto the floor by using her wings. She intitiated contact with Joe while he was on the floor by doing so a couple of times. She has yet to figure out how to fly up from the floor once down there, but has tried hopping and adding a little flap. She did take flight from the floor and head for her cage when she was startled by the arrival of “the package man,” so it's apparent that she can by instinct. We're now working on counting 1,2,3. She can say all of the words, and she appears to grasp the concept of one and of two when I ask her, “How many toes?” as I hold up my fingers. She now will say three after two, but is unsure of three fingers vs. two fingers. She does hold up her toes, though, and says “tee” when she wants to play 1,2,3. She appears to really enjoy it, and gives lots of fluffs, and excited tail wags when I ask her, “Are you ready?” Inara will “tell on Dezi,” by giving a couple of barks if Dezi is heading into the kitchen or going to Inara's cage to scavange for dropped tidbits. She also will give a little bark as a warning if she is feeling beaky – so she understands that barking means warnings. She was nippy with Joe when she first arrived, and had bitten one of her previous people hard enough where they will have a scar. Other than the initial nippiness with Joe, she has not displayed any biting behaviors. She is now very comfortable with Joe and will give him a happy whistle, fluff, and tail wag whenever she steps up for him, or when he comes home from work, and has not evidenced any nippiness with him for several weeks. Whenever Joe laughs at something on his computer, she will join in laughter mimicing him, which makes me laugh, which makes her laugh all the more. I usually say, “That's funny!” Now she will say, “Thats fun!” She now will say, “Just Joe,” when Joe is coming up the stairs after exercising. She also is great (unfortunately)at imitating his belches, and his “oomph” type of sigh as he sits down after exercising. Inara has at appropriate times said, “Thank you,” to me: when I've given her food, or when I've brought fresh water. She is now in the habit of telling me, “Good girl,” when I change her water in the morning and in the evening, and when I'm cleaning her cage. She loves her new cage, and twice now has flown towards it when startled. A good sign that she feels secure there. She enjoys being busy on her small PVC table perch that I made for her. I change up the toys and I stuff paper to shred and dried out toast with a bit of palm oil on it, and a precracked almond into a piece of paper towel tubing that is fitted over one of the uprights on it. She likes to forage around in there and get some shredding time in. She now actually chews and preens the block/knot toy that I got her a few weeks ago, she enjoys the wicker ball/knot/yucca toy, she enjoys swinging on her new rope toy and using it to maneuver her way from her roosting perch down to her lower rope perch, and she is liking her new leather/cardboard bagel/balsa hanging toy. Inara's confidence is so much greater! She can now bank left and right when she flies, and can now execute two point landings that are predetermined by her. All are short, and happen when she's been startled by a loud noise (doorbell, dog bellowing at the package man – she joins in the barking for that one!) something different (Quaker Oat Man!). She also appears to have the layout of the main floor mapped out in her brain. She is not nearly as jumpy now, though, as since the beginning, when I'd see her body language “alert,” I'd simply say, “It's OK, just a noise, or just Joe, or Just Dezi.” It takes a major noise (or the Quaker Oat Man0 to startle her into taking flight. Inara adjusted to her new cage without incident, especially once she became used to the enclosed feeders, and realized that she could not flip the dishes in them. The one shown in the photo above is not one of the enclosed ones, and is simply an extra water dish. She continues to chat up a storm, and I love listening to her when she's having what sounds like a one sided Grey T&T phone conversation. I take time daily as she's practicing alone, to jot down in a log what she's saying both in English and assorted sounds that I've begun to match up with things like a floorboard squeak in the kitchen, etc. She will reproduce the noise that my throat makes as I swallow my coffee, when she sees me filling the teapot with water. So I say to her, “Yes, that's water to drink, like my coffee.” Inara and Dezi (our Rhodesian Ridgeback) are completely relaxed with one another now, and neither pays much attention to the other, unless Inara is tattletaling on Dezi. Inara will now eat nearly anything presented to her, and has come a loooooong way in the food department compared to her arrival. She has been going through a normal molt, and as her new feathers appear they are in excellent shape and her newest tail feather is so much brighter in color, likely due to the increase in vitamin A in her diet over the last 11 weeks. She can be a bit of a rough preener, and I'm wondering if this is true of other birds who were not raised by bird parents, or if it's just her young age. Inara continues to add her own special kind of magic to our family, and we just can't imagine life without her! Until next update, Inara's human.

Interesting question, MK, and great links, danmcq. I've always wondered if the sometimes ESP-like interactions between birds and their humans can be attributed to the bird somehow sensing electromagnetic waves/patterns from their human's brain. Sounds very sci-fi, I know, but as we learn more about the cryptochrome protein in both humans and birds, perhaps we will discover that we "sense" each other more than we are currently aware consciously.

JanMarie, that is too funny!! Dolly is a scamp and was just holding out until exactly the right moment! I've not tried cold water with Inara, I leave her mister out near her cage and so the water is room temp. She has always had two water dishes inside of her cage and she likes to bathe in one. She usually bathes about once a week, and oddly usually on Sundays. Guess she's freshening up before getting off to a rolling start on Mondays. Maybe because their body temperature is higher than ours, the cooler water feels refreshing and soothing? In any event, they are fascinating companions and always ready to make us eat our own words. LOL

Walter looks like he is enjoying himself, and I enjoyed this sweet video!

Adorable, and I agree, that little "bottom up" pic is too darned cute!!

LOVED the photos!! Such beautiful fids, and wonderful photography to boot! Pumpkins for all!

Right now I have fresh bread baking, which will be followed by pumpkin pie. Am listening to HRH Inara chattering away in what sounds as if someone called her on Grey T&T. She has brought her own kind spirit into our holiday and for this we are thankful.

I'm no expert in the toy department (as we know). I don't give Inara egg cartons to play with because if they are used, I just consider the possibility of disease transmission. The foam ones, you could probably wash really well, and if Timber doesn't eat the pieces maybe they'd be OK? I bet some of the more experienced members who make toys, etc would know.

Shane, you have a great T-Day yourself! Hope you get in lots of play time with your new companion. Inara and I echo your sentiments. I'm very thankful that we landed on the best Grey Forum ever.

The first step is admitting you are powerless over Cockatoos.... :D Seriously though, if they were your first love and are still your super love, then I do know and understand that feeling, as does probably everyone else here. I believe that the right one will come to you and you to the 'too as well. That seems to be the way of the Universe, according to beaks.

Hi JanMarie, am glad everything was fine when you returned home, and that you and your husband survived! I'm wondering if Nutriberries may be a good intermediate way to move her away from seeds and on toward pellets? They have a much more 'seedy' look and feel, and you can break them apart easily enough. Be sure to get one of the flavors that are not the popcorn, which is a snack rather than a meal. Inara loves them, and they were a big help in weaning her off of her southern comfort food (loaded with cheese and processed human foods) table diet. She still will not eat any extruded pellets, and frankly I don't blame her. My own opinion is that our birds need variety. Inara gets a homemade mash made with cooked sweetpotato as the base, then I add in chopped up organic carrots, broccoli, apple, a few nuts, a little corn, and various cooked legumes. At the end, I add in some pellets, and let those soften, then blend it all in my food processor until finely chopped, crumble in some nutriberries and freeze in daily portions. She gets a warmed portion for either breakfast or supper, and at whichever the opposite meal is, she gets fresh fruits and veggies. Inara is a Timneh and so some of the parrot pellets are big for her. So I give her Roudybush crumble size (get it from my Avian Vet) mixed in with about 4 crumbled Nutriberries, and some Hagen Tropimix in her dish, dry, all day long so that she can free feed from that. I don't know if any of the above is helpful, but the long and short may be: 1) mix 3/4 of her seed with 1/4 Nutriberries crumbled up mixed with some Roudybush small crumbles -- for about a week. Also see if she will eat a warm mash of yummy things. 2) reduce her seed to 1/2 and increase the rest to 1/2 for about a week 3) reduce her seed to 1/4 and increase the rest to 3/4s for about a week 4) by this time, you should know how Dolly is doing with it all and can just toss a sprinkle of her seeds into the other mixture If you're not into Nutriberries, you can easily wean those down as you increase whichever pellet brand you prefer. Inara loves a shot of Louisianna hot sauce (cayenne pepper sauce) on her food, or I put red pepper flakes in with her dry food and will sometimes sprinkle it with cumin or a curry powder to give it some zazz for her. Be sure to weigh her, while you are doing any food changes, as she may lose a bit of weight but should never ever be allowed to drop more than 10%, I'd err on the conservative side and find something tasty and fattening to give her (other than her seed) if you see her dropping past 5%. Inara lost some weight while I was weaning her off of table food, but she actually is the better and likely much more healthy for it. It took a couple of weeks for her to really make the changeover, and now after 10 weeks, she will sell her soul for almost any fresh fruit and vegetable and her mash, and enjoys foraging around in her dry dish intermittently during the day. I'm sure there are some great threads in the Nutrition section.

Some great advice above ^^. I would add, remember to reinforce the behaviors you *want*. For example, when Luna is on his perch, spend some time near him and say something like "perch perch" in a cheerful tone and give him lots of attention and a few small bites of one of his favorite treats. When he is not going after your glasses, keyboard, etc. pick a word (I use "calm") and say, "Nice calm, " snuggle and reward. When in doubt, always go back to something Luna can do successfully like "step up" and then praise and reward and have him do it several times with praise and reward. Make the praise exciting and fun! I like to say to Inara when she's done something a few times in a row, "Rock and roll! Very good Inara!" With enthusiasm. It's easy to get into the habit of just saying, "good" or other too oft repeated word and it becomes lackluster after awhile, so choose a word or phrase that you can put some juice behind. After doing this, then ask Luna to do something a little harder, like "perch," and over time gradually extend the time that you want him to stay there. Inara will now hang out on her play perch for about 60 -90 minutes happily. It sits within arm's distance from me, and has lots of little things on it that keep her busy. I periodically tell her how great she is for "perch perch," and give her an intermittent mixture of verbal praise, tidbits, and scritches. Do you move Luna's perch near you and do you change up doodads and toys on it so that Luna has some fun things to do while hanging out? I place Inara back in her cage after major play sessions, when I know she is getting hungry, and for just plain old quiet time for her. She enjoys her quiet time in her cage and that's when she does her practice talking and bird napping. When we first got her, she'd try all sorts of stunts to stay out. Now she cheerfully goes back as we have built up a good rhythm, and she knows she gets lots of "out" time with direct one-on-one time with me, not just hanging out in the same room time (which she gets on her play perch).

Well these were/are quite blurry as HRH Inara is generally a moving target, and I was using my small hand held digital cam, and apparently was not doing a great job of it! However, we do have several tender moments per day/hour/minute, she's not a snuggler but she is very affectionate. While I generally don't plant major lip locks on her beak, she does drop a few kisses near my lips and sometimes will say in a near whisper: kisskiss, then make the kissing sound. Will have to try to land better quality ones soon.

Care.com is a website that lists local area caretakers for animals, people, and homes. Very light preliminary background checks have been done, and more in depth can be done for an added fee. I have used their site, and we love the gal whom we wound up hiring. You might find it helpful to just browse the providers listed for your area.

Looks like you've come to the solution. It is so frustrating when the other parent refuses to share the load. As for his suggestion to "Put the dog down!" I'm sure there are a lot of us here who would have a few choice words with which to bend his ear. Ryan sounds like he takes after his mama in the compassion department, and I'm sure he will do everything he can to help ensure that both you and Sophie have a peaceful time while he and Callie visit. You certainly won't, as you've said, have time to work out bird/dog trust due to the limited amount of time, and especially if Callie is going to be in discomfort. Ryan's emotional response speaks well to who he is as a person, and to the example you have set for him, Nancy. I'm confident that you all will work it out and the worry will probably far outweigh the reality. {{HUGS}}

Django is so sweet! how wonderful that he is piping up with sounds, laughter, words, and whistles. Isn't it fun eavesdropping? Thanks for the wonderful update, and I can't wait to see a new video clip.

Just stopping in to see how many times you've looked in the papers.....

:D : D la la la i can't see this!!! no no no can't see the major cuteness. not looking, not even looking....must_not_become_entrapped_in_MBS!! la la la :D OK, I peeked, then peeked again! Toby is a little doll. Must resist!

So delighted to catch up on this thread and to discover how nicely Delilah is doing. You gave me a great morning smile with my coffee, on a Monday no less

KimKim, it is a Featherland, model 3624 (24” deep x 36” wide x 65” high--actual cage size-(usable inside height space 42”), 304 grade stainless. I had found a great deal on a barely used Animal Enviromments, but the bar spacing was their standard 1.5" so had to pass it up. The enclosed feeders took her aback a little bit, but after I dropped a few of her favorite treats into one, and splashed around the water in the other, she decided they were OK after trying unsuccessfully to flip the ceramic dishes several times.

No sleep tent here either. Inara has a favorite branch that she likes to sleep upon.

The old Macaw cage that arrived with her: It's hard to see in this photo, but even when I put several branches in it, the cage really overwhelmed her size-wise. The bar spacing on this is 1" (actually less between the bars themselves) and she never had a problem with it. The problem was that the powder coat was so scratched up and worn out and chipped up -- it looked very thinly applied. Her new Stainless Steel: Only a little bit smaller, but definitely more fitting for her size, and not so far to fall (although since we've been working on flying and balance, she rarely tumbles any more). It is the same width, a little smaller in depth, and same height, but the bottom is now closer to her. The bar spacing is 1" but again, actually smaller between the bars, so basically the same as the one above in which she lived most of her life so far. Her head cannot fit between the bars. Inara loving the new set up! Having fun! Although, I've moved the extra water dish that you see in this photo, so that the likelihood of poopage in the water is drastically reduced. Loving life! Inara happily moved into her new cage today, and played and played, and chatted and chatted, and is now peacefully sleeping atop her favorite roosting perch that moved in with her. I didn't want to put too many things into her new home until she gets really comfortable maneuvering around it, and gets really settled in. She was a bit "Up, up, up" and restless before bedtime, but we just kept to her basic routine, talked to her matter of factly and sat in our usual places where she could see us (open floor plan) and she settled down in no time. I have left the light on near her dimmed very low, so that if she wakes up in the middle of the night, she can see her way around in the new layout. The cage is a Featherland stainless steel, and while so far so good I did insist that Joe use a fine metal file to smooth out the exposed ends of the door latch mechanisms as they felt sharp to me. Other than that, very pleased.