Inara

Thanks, Karen. I will look into it (no pun intended). I do love being able to check in on Inara from my phone, but agree that the security cam video is not so shiny.

Happy New Year, Kevin! So very glad that Sukei appears to be well and no worse for wear, and is teaching his bunk mates a few new things. Safe home to you, and we'll look forward to hearing that all is well. Soooo looking forward to the two of you being reunited!

Happy New Year to you and your Rosie. Love her little red petticoat! Like many gals, she may become fickle and decide that her red petticoat is no longer fashionable and will trade it in for a new outfit, or she may decide it will be her signature style feature forever. Either way she is a beauty, and it's apparent that you already love her to pieces. If her talons are a bit too sharp and are scratching through your clothing pricking your skin or begin to get caught in your clothing's threads, find an avian veterinarian or a groomer or her breeder and ask to have just the wee tips of her talons buffed down a bit. Take care to ask that they not take them down too short as this can adversely affect her ability to balance and hang on to perches -- talons are there for a reason and many a bird has taken many a tumble from talons taken down too short. My gal will let me use an emery board on the tips of hers, and that does the trick. Also, a "grooming" perch that is made for that purpose can be helpful. Inara uses hers, but occasionally she still needs a light buff.

Yikes indeed. I considered getting one of those at one time after seeing one at a friend's home, and honestly did not think about a teflon coating as did not see it listed in the description. Thanks for the warning!!!

Awwwww...what a sweet vid! Cute cute cute voice. HRH mimics my cough and several months ago when I had a really rough bout, she would cough and then say, "Oh my got!" (apparently I would say Oh my god after some fits of coughing LOL). She also becomes instantly mute and semi invisible when a camera or phone comes out, and often when strangers come to visit. Great idea on the sound activated security cam video. I have one of those, am wondering how would one go about uploading the recording? Any suggestions out there? Zoe is so sweet and such fun to watch! Loved what sounded like the beginning of a Popeye whistle.

Oh for crying out loud! I would like to believe that the bean counter was/is well intentioned and is keeping a close eye on incoming species. However, often that is not the case and it can just be someone who is flexing what little authority they may have. If you do run into issues, here is a phone number for Dave Remple -- (US) 970-635-1850. He is an internationally well known avian vet, who set up the world's first falconry/raptor hospital in Dubai many years ago and is a board certified Diplomat in the European College of Avian Medicine and Surgery. He actually had a caseload of nearly 20K raptors throughout the Middle East after having set up the hospital and over his long tenure there. He was also personal vet to my wild caught rescue 'zon and Congo back in the 70's and 80's before he left to set up the hospital in Dubai. He is a great guy, has forgotten more about birds than most people will ever learn in a lifetime and is well versed in the comings and goings between the Middle East and the US. A phone call to him, if you run into a snag, may be helpful as far as having a savvy US avian vet be able to walk through any CITES issues over the phone with the bean counter. Let's X our fingers that this is just a speed bump and that Sukei and you will be reunited seamlessly!!

Fingers X'd and best wishes for a safe journey for Sukei!!

Lovely video! Professional quality there.

A very tough decision, and one we all know you did not make lightly nor without a lot of soul searching. The others have said it all, and much more eloquently than I ever could. CC will find the right home, and good information was gathered.

Adorable!!! And so deep and jolly sounding! This could be the start of a whole new career for Sully; I could see an xmas commercial in his future... :D

Thanks for the good wishes, Dave, and same to you and yours. Agree about the Christmas morning mess being a fun one. Love to have coffee, and just enjoy it all. Neoow, enjoy catching up with your family, wishing you a great time! Best wishes to all, Jane and HRH Inara

Really nice news! You have the rest of your lives to continue to allow your bond to grow and develop into one that is comfortable for you both. Keep relaxing into it, and allow it to be whatever it shall be.

Kevin, will keep fingers X'd for your beloved Sukei and let's hope that the "invisible piper," pipes Sukei safely home.

You and Alvin were in my thoughts this morning. I hope that you will not be a stranger to our little online flock here, and that your future visits will bring us good news about your quest for a new companion or companions and your dedication to reducing the purchase of wild caught birds. With warmth and best wishes to you.

Very good topic, Chezron. HRH Inara is a very sweet 5.5 year old TAG who absolutely loves to hang out for short periods on my knee or shoulder. She is very affectionate in her own way, and will give and ask for kisses. She also recently just began giving and asking for scritch-scritchies as she calls them, but she does not like prolonged petting, scritching, or contact. She allows me to emery board her beak and talons and actually enjoys it. She comes running when she sees the file come out, and then clings to the side of her home's bars so that I can work on each toe, and then will turn and switch position so that I can get her other foot. She will hang onto a crossbar with her beak so that I can get her beak. She likes to "beak-bump," her equivalent of a fist-bump. By this I mean, she loves to reach out with her beak and just lightly touch the tip of my finger in a little bump/nudge. We also play a "getchyou-getchyou" game -- where i move my hand back and forth sideways on the back of the sofa (she loves to sit up there on a sheepskin fleece in the morning and stretch her toes and feet) and she puts her head down and moves her neck back and forth until one of us "getchyous" the other -- meaning a light grab of either me getting her beak, or her getting my finger. This is all very fun and all done very gently on both sides. She will ask to play it, by hopping up there after breakfast, putting her beak down into the sheepskin and saying, "I will getchyou getchyou." She lets me handle her feet with ease, and this came in really really handy a couple of weeks ago. We have a huge flokati rug in the living room which she usually walks around rather than on. Well she was startled by a noise, took flight from the top of her home, and landed in the middle of the flokati. As I was going over to fetch her, I could see that one of her talons had become caught up in the long strands of the flokati and that she was about to panic. So I told her, "I will come help you," which is a phrase that I have always used with her and that she knows truly does mean "help." So she calmed herself, and then she said, "Toes," held up one foot set it back down and tried to lift the snagged foot showing me that it was stuck. She allowed me to sit on the floor next to her and carefully extract her talon from the wool in the rug without a squawk or bluff or panic. This episode was immediately followed with a brief filing of that particular talon. She is not big on having her wings touched, she prefers that all contact with her head comes from the front not from overhead or behind, and while she loves short periods of perching upon me, she is not one to hang out for long. She prefers to perch on one of her mobile perches or her big tree. her favorite place truly is her home/cage. She loves it there but is in no way "cage bound." It is just simply her home, and that's that. She has recently begun to enjoy taking showers with me, while perched on my shoulder after I have rinsed all of the soap off of myself. I envy Sterling and Elvinking, and others whose companions love being handled and snuggled. Alas, HRH Inara lives up to her title of Her Royal Highness -- she prefers her subjects' adulation to come more from afar or only on her terms. Much like Acappella, I allow HRH, and always allowed my (now departed) wild-caught rescued 'zon and CAG to call their own shots when it came to contact. They both grew to be very trusting and affectionate over many years and I believe it is because I never forced the issue when it came to being physical with them. Just giving them a peaceful, safe, home was my only goal with both of them. When we think of it, birds don't naturally perch upon one another in their daily lives for any length of time unless they are in the act of either mating, or are a raptor stooping upon a prey bird in flight or if they are the prey being stooped upon. So for them to seek out and initiate *any* consistent contact with us hoomans is a thing of wonder, and (imho) should never be forced, demanded, (barring emergencies and necessary vet attention of course) and ought never be taken for granted. That being said, encouraging a relationship with patience and gentle efforts at physical contact in order to allow a companion to know that it is safe and that contact is a positive thing is all part of establishing a relationship (Dee and Miss Gilbert are a great example of this). As Jeff said about his Gracie, that he wonders if certain contact is more for him, than for his companion. To me, that is the best question to ask oneself. Rambled on here, and appreciate the food for thought.

Oh no! What heartbreaking news. You must feel devastated. Alvin was so very precious to you and your dedication to him was so deep. My heart aches for you at the loss of your sweet little companion.

Just beeee--ooooo---deee--ful! Both of 'em!!!

What a sweetheart the Captain is! He's apparently landed in the right place.

So wonderful to see little Alvin continuing to improve! The photos of him are so sweet. It is nice that he is wanting to eat on his own now, and we will keep fingers crossed that he keeps getting better and better!

What wonderful news! I know it is still a time to feel cautious but it does sound as if your sweet little fellow is making a turn for the better. You have been doing an outstanding job of caring for him! It was such a relief to sign in and know that brave little Alvin is holding on like a champion. We will keep sending good thoughts your way. With warmest wishes for another day of healing improvement, your flock friends on the other side of the world.

It sounds as if you are doing everything possible! So glad that you will be able to chat with an online avian vet. And the food you are giving sounds good also. Smetimes the human baby vegetables food in the jar is easy to use. But do not give infant liquid formula (milk type) because those are loaded with iron. Just the soft veggie baby food from the jar. Am typing this from my phone so please forgive any mistakes or if it is unclear. You are doing a wonderful job, and Alvin is a lucky little one to have someone who loves him so much!

So very sorry to hear that Alvin is not well! This is awful for you and so worrisome. Can you get human baby food in the jar at your shops? If so, you could try gently warming some and seeing if Alvin will eat it either from your fingers or from a spoon. It will be easy for Alvin to swallow. Also you can try mixing some baby food (vegetables or any mixture that Alvin will eat) with some cooked oatmeal and offering with a spoon or pinched between your fingers and held up to his beak. And if you can find Gatorade or Pedialyte, see if Alvin will drink a few drops from an eyedropper, as keeping him hydrated is important. Sick birds often don't want to drink out of a dish when they feel weak. Often their weight loss is due to water loss and dehydration. This also causes weakness. So make sure that his water is available down low and easy for him to reach also, and try to get him to sip the Gatorade and water. Try doing a web search for any local Falconry clubs or organizations or Falcon souks near you-- Falconers are great resources for finding vets who are good at treating birds, and they also love their birds the way we love ours and should be happy to help you. Have you tried calling the Animal House Hospital in Beruit? +961-1-890 001 Maybe someone there can direct you to a vet who is familiar with birds. Also http://www.spnl.org/contact-us/ which is a preservation society and they might have vets that they work with. I also saw on a forum a referral for Dr. Gabi Hilan who treats birds, number: 05454007 I wish there was more that we could do for you from here. Keep Alvin warm (but not too hot) and hydrated, and definitely find another veterinarian to speak with. Will hold good thoughts in my heart for you both.

Jara is beautiful! Looks like the new cage gives plenty of room, and apparently Jara has plenty of other things with which to keep occupied. Lucky Jara!

HRH Inara loves to hang out with my when I'm doing paperwork at my desk, also. I put a newspaper on the floor, and a free standing perch next to my desk and then I slip a section of empty paper towel tube onto one arm of the perch, and also have a thick cotton rope tied to the other arm in a huge knot. She parks herself there and pecks and shreds while I am working. Occasionally, she will ask for a cookie so I get up and give her a tidbit and a scritch and then go back to my own stuff. When she is ready to go home to her cage she either flies over to me to get a lift back, or she slides down the pole of her perch and walks home. Maybe giving Dorian a similar set up so that he is not right upon your desk might be helpful? Dorian might just be in a lovey dovey time of year mood and/or is just letting you know that he's so happy that he could just ......erm.... kiss ya! :D

YAY!!!! CC and Sadie -- great names! I am thrilled for you and for them! Can't wait to see photos and am really looking forward to hearing all about their personalities as they settle in. You're giving me 'zon envy.....oy!!!! *sigh* love love love 'zons and when I close my eyes, let my mind wander back a few decades, I can feel the weight of my Elliot on my shoulder and hear his favorite sound which is like if you ppurrrrr with a higher pitched sound. awwwwww..... can I be their feather godmother?!! xoxo