sandra902

a gift basket with wet wipes, pine nuts and raw macadamias, toys and a gift certificate would be so very nice. hey sgt i see that is your first post. hope we were easy to find. get your friends signed up here too willya??? judygram will be wanting photos ASAP. welcome to the family. -s

oh my goodness, nims, i am so proud of you! your mr ice has come much farther in such a short time than my merlin has in a year. they certainly are little individuals that is for sure. you are doing a great job with him, keep up the good work!

my beloved merlin prefers big daddy far more than he does me. he even adores our daughter more than he does me! at times i feel a bit sad, but considering how far merlin has come in the past year he has been with us, i get it back into perspective right quick. it is not about me, it is about merlin. and he is happy and confident, he has a sweet life and a big daddy he adores. what more do we really want for our companion animals? so the place merly has carved out for me as Utility Person, i accept and build upon every day. we have our own little games we play during the day, it is my voice he speaks in so i know i am having a good influence on him. he is learning right from wrong and as long as i keep the focus off of myself, i am delighted every day. we used to call his hurling himself to the floor "going spud" because he sounded like a baked potato hitting the floor. but that behaviour is gone, and he even approaches me now. he'll go down his little ladder and shuffle over to my desk to see what i am doing and to get a little treat. i will say he seemed to really come leaps and bounds when little milly came home. there is something about her that he finds irresistable. and since she prefers me to all others, perhaps he is learning that mamma is not so bad after all. not to say you should get another bird, but at the start we had agreed the magic number for us was 3 birdies and that is what we have. merlin gets to be #1 bird among birds and be a part of a flock. so, fellow Utility Person, keep up the good work and remember Parrot Time is next to the eternal.

here is a little piece from Nat Geo regarding the New Madrid seismic zone in the midwest. very interesting reading for us midwesterners! http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/04/0412_060412_earthquake.html

miss talon, i have a friend who lives in FL that is looking to adopt a grey. he is a fabulous pet owner, is familiar with birds (used to keep finches), has done loads of research and has bird-loving support nearby. i would not hesitate to place any animal into his care. IF you are interested, i would be willing to contact my friend and see if he is interested as well. i am affiliated with an FDA-approved pet hauler, i mentioned to her the possibility of adding birds to her repertoire. perhaps this would be an answer should you and my friend reach an agreement. this pet gal services the east cost primarily and loops up the mississippi. i used to do dog runs for her when she volunteered for a GSD rescue organization. anyway, i know you have a full house but feel compelled to help this bird in need. if you should find my proposal something you would like to pursue, please feel free to PM me and we can discuss it further. but thank you anyway for rising to the occasion, your big heart will be rewarded no matter what direction this matter takes. -s

mr mike THANK YOU for taking in this older grey! har har har in grey years 7 is not so old. what a joy and a wonder he will be for you. can't wait to hear all about him, they are each such individuals. -s<br><br>Post edited by: sandra902, at: 2008/11/04 16:19

like i told my children: 'i don't care who you vote for just be sure you get out and vote' yes sadly, it is truly the lesser of 2 evils, that's the way it's been for a long long time. it hardly helps but i've found the best way to learn the success or the failure of a president is only historically. doesn't help make a decision today however unless one can make a connection between a current candidate and an historical figure.

hey mr T my merlin is a rescue bird, 4 yrs old, that we have had for 1 year now. i heartily commend you for considering rescue and hope you do not rule it out as you continue your research. there are so many worthy birds out there that could flourish under your care. that being said, yes indeedy i did a lot of research too before merlin came home. but that is kind of like parenthood, you don't REALLY know until labor and delivery and you come home as a family. so of course in my zeal i had a list as long as your arm of the goals i had for merl and when i expected to reach them. haw haw haw! little did i know that parrot time is next to the eternal. being a cat and dog person, goals with rescue animals are much more quickly reached. our merlin has taught me much more than i have taught him. you seem to have an open mind, and that will carry you to new depths of wonder should you find that perfect match. so good luck to you, keep us posted as to your progress, won't you?

my understanding is that since birds do not salivate the way mammals do, capsaicin does not have the same effect on them as it does on mammals. years ago i'd bought some 'squirrel-away' which you mix with your birdseed to keep the squirrels out of your feeders. silly me for spending that money, i could have bought the industrial size chili powder at sam's for the same price!

wow -- what a difference! WELL DONE

thank you miss lisa for giving brodie his forever and loving home! my merlin is a rescue also and he's been with us a year now (CAN YOU BELIEVE IT) and your brodie is way farther along the socialization path than ol' merl. but they all have different backgrounds and it sounds like the past owners at least interacted with him early on. 2 weeks is just the blink of an eye in Parrot Time. i had set milestones in my mind for merlin when he came home that he just blew right out of the water! that's what i get for trying to translate Dog Time to Parrot Time. but i have become very trainable in merlin's world so progress is being made haw haw haw! i guess the best advice i can give you is to enjoy mr brodie every day. he will be a joy and a wonder to you just as mr merl is to us. he chose big daddy as his preferred person and i am the Devil's Daughter. but that is OK, he and i interact on a lot of levels but 'no touchy birdy'. now he thinks it is funny to reach for my finger and instead of a gentle mouthing like he gives to daddy, i get a good hard snapper. then he says 'whoa-oh' as if it were an accident. sheesh! closet talking: yes indeedy, i sit outside the office where the birds are and before i open the door i just listen to merlin chattering away. it was pretty spooky at first hearing my voice and big daddy's voice too coming from merlin but it is a wonder the things he will pick up and conjure with. i find he likes phrases with the 'w' sound in them. he has learned that certain actions on his part will elicit a verbal response from me so we play those games all day while i'm in the office. toys: merlin was afraid of EVERYTHING but i would sit in front of his cage (at a respectful distance) and make toys under his watchful eye. now he is a toy monster and if it has a bell in it look out. you can get good ideas for toys if you browse the birdy store or go to bird shows. lots of fun things you can do with drinking straws and little paper portion cups and pony beads. straws through a little whiffle ball are great fun. i didn't spring these things on him though, i would either hang them well away from his cage where he could see them and study them to satisfy himself they were not a trick to kill a little birdy, or i would construct them right in front of him for the same reason. well enough of my rambling, enjoy your brodie and we all look forward to photos and reports.

hey all my daughter and i were just in DC and there is an african grey/parrot seminar on 12/10 at the smithsonian. irene pepperberg will be there among other presenters. as i have friends in the city i am seriously considering attending this event. anyone else interested? -s

howdy neighbor! welcome to the forum. i'm just north of kenosha. i'll read this thread more carefully a bit later as i'm rushing out the door soon. may i give a shameless plug to my favorite birdy store? jo's exotic birds / sheridan rd / kenosha. i have found a number of IL people who make the trip there and it might not be too far for you. happy friday and again, welcome! -s

i was at a bird seminar last year and lots of the parrot owners had birdy baskets. they had a sturdy handbasket that they lined with paper and then they tied toys along the rim. the birdy could perch on the handle and play with the toys tied to the rim of the basket. you can get nice baskets at the thrift store and i saw that the toys they tied to the rim were ABC blocks and dominoes and such. plus at the bird store you can get plastic buckets full of wooden pieces that are vegetable-dyed which are perfect for tying to the rim. some bird stores or bird clubs will have craft day where you can make your own birdy basket and interact with other parronts. and yes indeedy, the fun things you can do with drinking straws! i poke them thru the holes in whiffle balls (looks kind of like a sputnik-y satellite) and then thread string through the straws and tie pony beads to the ends of each string. big fun! edited to add: oh my! i was just looking at one of those clothes-drying racks and imagining how to dress it up for the birdies! i will get right to work on one. i am wondering if it is too tippy and maybe i should put some longer pieces at the base some lath maybe. and i have also found that if you also have your bird observing your crafting it will intensify his acceptance of the toys.<br><br>Post edited by: sandra902, at: 2008/09/15 16:19

oh you wascally wabbit miss judygram! and the GP are never off duty by the way. happy monday!

think about joining your local bird club or volunteer to foster for your local parrot rescue?

THANK YOU FOR THE RESCUE ROOM! it will be a valuable resource from which i intend to draw frequently! thanks again -s (edited to correct grammar - !)<br><br>Post edited by: sandra902, at: 2008/09/14 18:05

thank you dan, it will be a wonderful resource and a huge service to our extended flock! and dave, wonderful story on jazz! i am hoping mr merl will come as far. he's on the right track bless him. you are a great example for us newbies and i thank you for your generous advice you so freely give. -s

big daddy and i took little milly (i decided i liked that spelling better) to the avian vet yesterday and to my relief she has a clean bill of health! they remarked at how lovely her feet were, and the skin under her feathers was great. yes it seems we have another feather-plucker here. her twitches, too, he chalked up to being in the too-small cage with not enough toys. so with the changes we have made for our little gal, we got a big gold star from the vet. now we just have to let time do its work. she was absolutely enchanting and the best little sport you could imagine. big daddy and i marveled at that and postulated as to how HRH would have acted had it been his vet visit...we shudder to think. just the thought of getting him into a carrier makes me flinch. but that will wait for another day. Dr Vet seemed to think after hearing about our flock and how they all came about, that perhaps we had more room than for just the three birds. we had to shut that idea down in a big fat hurry ha ha ha ! i wonder if he put some sort of note on our file and i might be getting a call. but we were very clear that we set our limit at three and there it must stay. do any of you worry about having enough attention to give? sometimes i do even though they are all happy. thinking back i probably felt the same way when my children were small. so it is another bright day at the monkey house!

wow did i miss a thread here or something? how old is this fine gentleman? what a wonderful homecoming!

well who'd have thought it? merl actually adores a FEMALE! our daughter came by the other day to see miss millie and merlin went crazy for her! he actually initiated a touching game wherein he gently took her finger in his beak and pulled it towards him. he then tasted each finger and rubbed his beak and head on her hand. and he did this more than once. each time she turned away to do something he would rush towards her and step from foot to foot until she came back to him. he tried to regurgitate for her but she told him that would not be necessary she got the message. a big week for our young merly-man. -s

oh my gosh i thought i was watching merlin! thanks dan for sharing that link. animal rescue is so very rewarding. it breaks your heart sometimes but it is so very worth it. mods, i have been hoping for a Rescue Room on this site. perhaps this is a good time to discuss it further? have a great day -s

thanks everyone for your support. she is a dear little thing and a wonderful example for her uncle merl as to how mamma might not be the devil's daughter. he watches us closely as she gets her skritches and tickles. i do not blame her poppa for the cage. looking at it you can see all the trouble he took to make this thing. it really is a fine job too bad about the zinc. we are going to take the zinc fabric off (it just lifts off) and use the base and the stand downstairs for when miss millie comes to watch TV at nite. and oh boy did i get merly his bell toy. it is one of those spherical kongs with the bell inside. he is really going to have to earn the privelege of disabling THIS bell! but he is up to the task no matter how long it will take. my next day off is monday so i will call today and see if i can get missy into the avian vet. here is a little funny. wee peetey decided to have a fly-round which he knows gets merlin stirred up. so away he went round and round and landed on the floor under millie's cage. at which point merlin said 'Wow'. so far so good. the aviary is happy. next up is seeing if miss millie likes a proper bath. the conure book i bought said they often do. so i'll run a shallow bath and see what she thinks. maybe i'll put a dollop of aloe in it while i'm at it. just made a little batch of beak appetit (TIP: i use the little tiny crock pot so i do not scorch it) and added frozen veg to ramp it up a bit. i'll try it out tonite and see what she thinks. so far she accepts everything she's been offered. off to work have a great day -s

i was assured by merlin's foster mum that my office would happily house 3 birds. so now i am at 3 with little millie and that is that. millie is a mitred conure that was offered to us by a man that big daddy knows. we were of the understanding that she was being rehomed as the product of a divorce but now that she is here i am thinking differently. her former poppa had built her cage for her (still not sure how old she is) which to my horror appears to be zinc hardware fabric! he did a very fine job but i am afraid she's been adversely affected by this. her chest is nearly bare and she troubles her feet almost obsessively. my opinion is her chest and feet were most in contact with the cage material. she also seems to have some strange neurological traits. sometimes she will do the same cluck and head twitch for minutes at a time. she is very dear and sweet and will actually step up and down and shows and wants a lot of affection. she has a great appetite and readily accepted a change in diet. she plays with her toys and is active and interested in her surroundings. of course we went out and got her a brand new cage and some really premium food. but i noticed that her lower jaw does not meet her upper beak for her to properly grind the roudybush small pellets. so i am going to start feeding her some beak appetit so she can get her nutritional levels up a little faster. i am reading up on zinc toxicity and think a trip to the vet is in short order. i'm also going to start spritzing her with aloe and gave a try today with plain water which went a lot better than the spritzing trial went with merlin. and speaking of mr merlin -- he has been shameless in attracting millie's attention! he has been an absolute marvel since millie came home. he shows off for her, he keeps a very close eye on her as she steps up and down on mamma. he initiates more play with me and i'm looking forward to him stepping up for big daddy soon. he will put one foot on daddy's arm but that is as close as he gets (for now). so now we are at our pre-determined limit of 3 birdies. i'm hopeful we can get little millie more healthy very soon. she seems to be less manic in the new cage which is also bigger with lots of toys. merlin disabled his last toy that had a bell and now has his beady little eye on millie's toy that has a bell. so i have to now go out and get merly a toy with a bell. His Royal Highness!

an eclectus?