sandra902

well i think merlin does NOT like the salsa y merengue channel. i had the upper hatch open yesterday and thought for a little change of pace i'd put on the salsa channel. well after i sat down at my desk, old merlin found his way out onto the upper hatch, gave me his customary big wing-flappin with those skrabbly wings (with my response that he is a very good flapper) and then proceeded to turn his tail and land a Great Huge Splaatt onto the floor. at that point he went back in the cage and took his place and said 'ooot'. so my conclusion is that he either: 1. does not like the salsa channel or 2. did not like the little dance i did when i put the channel on. so today we are back to the blues channel which big daddy insists merlin likes best anyway. -s

oh man, well done! i vote for ollie. and i agree, new home, new name. all our little ones got new names when they came home to the monkey house. i can't wait to hear ollie reports - i will be watching for them! bless you and a big blessing on mr ollie. he will surely blossom in your flock. -s

here is my oatmeal secret: toast the dry oats in a cast iron pan before preparing. you can then put them in a slow-cooker on low and they will be ready in the AM and your home will have the most lovely toasty aroma. the pre-toasting adds a wonderful nutty flavor. -s

yes many thanks for not only the warm welcome, but for the good and kind guidance as well as the careful administration of this site. really when comparing the members here with other sites i have been a member of, the knucklehead factor is quite low. so thanks again not only admins and mods, but fellow members! and of course to you, mr joe for starting this thread. -s

hey mr dan merlin has been home a month and we have all had our ups and downs. mostly mamma has had her ups and downs learning that birds are not cats nor are they dogs. so i've really slowed down and backed off and things are more peaceful. we have our children (grown) more involved also so he is getting more stimulation from people who will love him. he still does not step up but i am learning where his limits are so he has not hurled himself to the floor in days and days. so now that i am learning his limits, i can push them a little. i thought i'd have him stepping up by one month but that is the dog person in me so i have to change my mind on that one. he WILL step up though and it won't be that much longer. merly loves big daddy and even rubs his beak on BD's finger when he gets his grapes. he is in my very large home office so he keeps a watchful eye on me while i work. and we vocalize throughout the day. i got the mother lode of wooden beads and toy makin' stuff this weekend so i'm going to get going and replenish his toys. i found a suitable birdy basket that he and i will have fun decorating. at his foster mum's house he HATED the basket she offered him, but we'll see if he might reconsider. so we'll see what he thinks of the basket he'll watch me decorate for him. he is a pretty curious little guy. as for the feather plucking he is pretty bare and scrabbly-looking. i do tell him how handsome he is and i ask him if he is preening or plucking when i see him grooming himself. i think it is about 50/50 by the way he responds to my question. sometimes he seems a little startled and guilty but that could just be me anthropomorphizing the situation. but i am going to get some aloe vera juice and start spraying him so that ought to really alienate bhim from our already fragile truce ha ha ha. he does like to please me in one way though; when he would lift his wings i would always say "ooHHhh handsome wings merlin" so when we have observation time in the morning he lifts his wings often for me. plus when i am at my desk and am surreptitiously watching him in the mirror, he will lift his wings and say to himself "ooHHhh..." so that makes me happy that there is a morsel of acceptance between him and me. oh yes and i have heard him say "hello merlin" when he thinks he is not being watched. i do answer him and tell him he is a very smart young parrot. so that is the merlin report! thanks for asking! every day is a new set of wonders. -s

i thought merlin would like the classical channel but big daddy told me merlin preferred the blues channel. i thought BD was just being pushy (being a bluesman and all) but it's true! merl likes the blues channel better. and if he hears a harmonica he really gets happy. there was a trumpet solo where they were using that mute shaped like a derby and wowee did merl get happy then too. now i don't know if i will play christmas music, i think i draw the line at that...

wow hannibal i am happily envious of you and edgar! he sounds like one happy guy. my merlin is a rescue bird as well but didn't come from such happy and loving experiences as your edgar did. you are way ahead of me on the path! it is very encouraging to know that merl will not be stuck where he is at (well i intend for him to not be stuck where he is at anyway). and everyone is right, as we are each different people, we will each have a different relationship with our companion animals. i'm the enforcer, and big daddy is the softy. even in our family, our grown children call us santa claus and the dragon queen. ha ha ha ha ha except for fraulein inga, all the critters love daddy best. i'm the utility person: cage cleaner, bowl filler, tray sifter & the like. big daddy ia All Fun And Games. ah well. anyway good for you and edgar! i'm going to go back and read your other posts about him and perhaps learn something i can apply to ol' merlin.

i was just at the thrift store and in the craft section scored a whole bunch of wooden beads and such. so i've made merlin some fun toys we'll see what he thinks of them!

thank you dave that is exactly the information i need! although merlin will more than likely strenuously object, but hey on the optimistic side he might surprise me and actually like it? now that i understand the materials, i shall have to reflect upon technique. hmmm merl adores big daddy maybe he should be the one to spray him down...

merlin loves grapes and blueberries. cheese is also very welcome. gee whiz jane i wish merly thought of me as a treat! he thinks i am his oppressor ha ha ha i shall have to try pomegranates and report back what his verdict is.

i am learning with other merlin to Slow Down. i am a cat and dog person and you have to be quick with those little rascals. but with other merlin (he's 3 and came from parrot rescue), i am learning about the gift of time. when you consider that they live 50+ years, what is a day or week one way or the other? merl has a different relationship with big daddy than with me. but all our animals do; he and i are two different people. it sounds like your bobby is settling in nicely and right on schedule testing his limits and learning who you are. enjoy him! and come often to the forum, i have been learning lots and lots every day from these nice and helpful people. welcome!

i'm a market day lady and other merlin loves the gemelli pasta/veg blend as well as the spectrum fruit singles. both all natural, no sugar or salt added. you should see the look he gives me when i lick the spoon after giving him his fruit blend - very accusatory. and he picks out the blueberries first so now we know another thing he likes!

so do you guys water down the aloe vera juice or use it straight? i have seen the AV juice at sam's club. suppose you only found the gel you could mix it with sterile water to make your mist?

Your House Your Rules. i will not claim to have had the best behaved children in the world, but i told them that each house has its own rules and it was their job to figure out what the rules were and to abide by them. but on the other side if the house had more lax rules than my own house the stricter of the two shall apply. they are now both grown and gone and i am happy to say that they are observant of their surroundings and they also remember that children do not get to call the shots. your friend, as a guest in your home, is responsible for her children and for being sure you are paid the respect that you deserve as Host. i would say shame on you for rolling over and playing dead all this time but that was then and this is now. you are responsible for the way your house is run and i sense you'll now be taking a more leadership role in that matter. good for you for asking the question, that makes it clear that you know things were out of order and that you are ready to put things right for your own home. PS define "best friend"! to me a friend is the person that wants the best FOR you, not the person that wants the best FROM you. thought for the day. -s

welcome aboard glad to have you! love those rotties! i wouldn't turn down a newfie either. -s

victoria. she has a very royal look about her. even a little imperious like her namesake!

set a nice timetable miss laurie, it should only take a few paychecks til he has escrow + first month's rent.

briansmum a 25 lb bag of harrisons? how do you store that without it going off? i bought the 5-lb bag for $27.99 and i'm worried about other merlin getting through that. i did talk to a knowledgeable friend who assured me i could freeze it with no ill effects. i have some of those glass storage jars that i have half of it in and the other half i have in the bag and i portion that out daily. and that is the only kibble other merlin likes even though i give him some other stuff that his foster mum brought with but he generally uses that for foot exercise ha ha ha rooking it out of the dish and hurling it to the floor.

other merlin used to get a bang out of snow peas until he decided i was the Devil's Daughter.

oh brother what a day! neither of us is getting along. the squawking and the hurling of oneself to the cage floor is becoming very tiresome. we have both retreated to neutral corners til the next round. <sigh>

oh my gosh you guys thank you for the good advice! i will try the towel on the hand, a glove definitely did not work. but yes i will try a towel. i did take away the sandy perch after finding 5 feathers in the bottom of the cage today. i left the hatches open but he did not come out. that was before reading your good advice. thank you so much for letting me expect things from him, i was afraid i was being too much a dog person ("NILIF": Nothing In Life Is Free is a big philosophy out here in GSD-land) and not accepting his "sensitivity" that The Book goes on at length about. today i fed him scrambled eggs from my hand, his ultimate uber-favorite treat so i am hoping to get a little ground re-gained and with your good advice i am much more confident about expecting things from him. i want him to learn that all good things come from mamma and daddy and The Hand holds good things. I do place my open hand in the cage for a time and increase the time each time and praise him so i am hoping that is a step in the right direction. he is fretful when i do it but he hasn't growled at me since that first episode early on. i will give my report tomorrow and i am hoping for a good one! thanks again

so i am thinking this is normal, the strong will? other merlin has been home about 3 weeks now and i am very happy with his progress. he comes out of his cage and happily climbs around all over it chattering all the while. plays with his toys, eats his food, all the things a good birdy should do... except! step up on The Hand. he will step up on a piece of sandy perch but not without a big fuss and bother and lots of noise. so the other evening he was clambering all over his cage and i needed to leave the office to go do some other things. for safety's sake i decided he should go back in the cage and thought (yeah right) that a try with the sandy perch would be a good idea. NOT. young blockhead threw himself to the floor as only a three year old can do and he and i proceeded to go round the room like wimpy chasing the duck with the meat grinder. and you would think i had a meat grinder in my hand too the way he went on and on. finally with a lot of squawking and fuss he stepped up on to the sandy perch and with lots of praise i put him back in his cage. and for a peace offering i gave him a grape which PUI! went to the floor of the cage. and he didn't even go and get it after lights-out so i knew i was in trouble. well maybe this is the Dog Person in me, but i will not be gotten over on by the animals so the next day merl and i had i nice little chat and i told him he'd better make friends with the sandy perch one way or another so i put it on the upper hatch and told him if he wanted to come out of the cage he'd just have to figure it out. since he is smart and brave (which i remind him of often) i figured it'd be no big deal. day one: sulked in cage. stood in kibble dish and threw kibble to the floor. gave mamma the silent treatment. day two: sulking in cage. threw tantrum hanging upside down from rope perch. currently sulking with both main door and upper hatch open. giving the odd hoot and PEEP. maybe we are getting somewhere? i do get a little beak-grinding and a little reptile beak in response to my voice so maybe he is coming along? or maybe lulling me into a false sense of security... so that is the news from the monkey house. we shall see what day 3 brings. now don't think i'm as big a knucklehead as merlin, i got a nice ladder for him that he decided Eats Little Birdys and on day one i figured get everything contended with in One Day so i hung that Bird Eating Ladder on the cage as well as the sandy perch on the upper hatch. but today i relented and took the Bird Eating Ladder off the cage. perhaps that was a moment of weakness or i hope compassion?

does this guy work? time to take your house back.

that is wonderful news! and i'm a rescue mum as well and each of our little knuckleheads are perfect. perfect fit for us, perfect fit for them. i do know what you mean by "perfect" and i appreciate your use of the "". because so-called "perfect" and reality so very seldom connect. thanks for hanging in there for your merlin and i hope you have many happy years of discovery together!

cohesive bandaging - is that vet wrap? just wondering because i heard vet wrap was the thing to use. but if it leaves behind a residue then i can see why it wouldn't be what you want. i like the idea of wrapping it with rope. do you drill a hole in the pipe and make a knot to get the wrapping started?