katana600

I especially like the repurposed egg carton. Great ideas and fun toys you have put together. One of the very best parts I love about your photos is that you are showing the cherished, well loved, used toys that have already proven successful. Great job on the toys and thanks for sharing your ideas with us.

It must have been wrenching to have to leave her but necessary for your education. You have been gone for almost half her life. Also, she has gone from a baby to a juvenile during this time and would have made changes from the cuddly hands-on stage to more independence and a will of her own regardless of if you were with her every day. I agree with everyone else, time and patience will bring her back around to remember her first love. Don't take it personally, just be yourself and she will come toward you and you will know when she is ready.

He just needed the proper incentive to initiate flight. I think the food was just a distraction and he wanted to come to you. Okay, well maybe the food and parrotlet were part of it too. But I know he loves his mama.

I am also very sorry for your loss. Your pictures are wonderful. Of course that sleeping baby with her beak open is precious. The one of her in the big cage makes her look like a minature or a photoshop of a tiny bird. I love that cage with the grid pattern. Rocky is beautiful and your little quaker is a cutie too. Good to have you back and to see your home graced with the energy of three lovely parrots.

Exactly, back to Zons! You know in my secret heart of hearts, a zon is in my future. My distant future perhaps, but nonetheless, I know from reading about Cricket, Louie, Talon and Salsa and from seeing just one of these energetic little characters up close and personal, I need to read and see some more to nudge me over the edge into full blown MBS.

Now that is a gnarly toy in every sense of the word. I love how she scratched her head like she was puzzled by it. It is one of the most interesting pieces I have ever seen, I love it!

We use the same pellets, it could be they are a little big for him to crunch up as well as being unfamiliar. I am wondering if you can either break them up a little or put something tasty on them to wet them and mush them up a bit first thing in the morning. It is very common for them to drop food and waste quite a bit. It is a lot harder after paying premium prices to see it land in the trash. The way I think it is better than mixed seed is because much like our kids, if we leave them to choose their own diet, they will eat the junk food. Then they will become very vocal about refusing to eat what they need nutritionally. If you keep the pellets in his dish he will soon eat them when he is hungry. Once that is established and he is eating vegetables, sprouts and trying new things, then the sunflower seeds, pine nuts, almonds and things like that are treats that you give him to supplement his diet and he will know the difference. When ours were young, we cut up zucchini, spinach, carrots, cooked sweet potatoes and other veggies in about a 1/4 inch dice. We kept pellets in one dish always, then put the veggies in the cage in a separate dish in the morning and took them out a couple of hours later to avoid spoilage. We also buy a "soak and simmer" bean and grain mix. I will soak that overnight and then rinse and simmer for a couple of hours the next day. Our parrots like a little palm oil so I use about a quarter cup in a two pound bag of the dried bean mix once it is cooked. Then I package it in the tiny zip lock snack sized bags. I put a week's worth in a heavy duty freezer zip lock and freeze a month's worth at a time. When I take one out of the refrigerator, I get a new one from the freezer to replace it and it is thawed by the time we use it the next day. I heat it in the microwave for about 15 to 20 seconds. Stir it to make sure there are no hot spots and check to see that it isn't too hot for him. When ours were little, this warm mix was what I liked to give them right before bed time and it would hold them over for the night. The pellets are a mainstay, but variety is good to teach your little one and seeds have a place in that variety too.

She is so beautiful. You probably wouldn't be thinking about changing her name unless the one she has doesn't seem to fit. I am guessing it is all a matter of time. Once she gets acclimated and feels secure, she will help you make that decision. We didn't change Gilbert's name because he used it so much and knows it is him. It fits him and we kind of liked it too because of the way he gets scared then announces "Gilbert okay" in a quavering sing song voice. But as Kallie has learned, if you talk to her and tell her your name and tell her you are going to call her by a new name, then start calling her that, it probably won't take long before she lets you know if she accepts it or if you will have to work on it. I am thinking it is kind of like an endearing nickname, one of our human daughters loved to pretend to be a new character on a weekly basis. The other one would not even accept terms of endearment such as calling her sweetheart, she would insist on only being called by her first name, no deriviatives. It is all in the individual choice and your new friend will let you know, so if you want to change her name, give it a go!

This will be an interesting transfer with two at a time. I am really looking forward to hearing how they do coming in a pair. Perhaps having a familiar buddy along it will give them confidence. They will probably talk about you behind your back. LOL, just kidding there. It was intimidating to me to bring home our first grey at twenty weeks, but after a day or two he was just fine. We have a little red bellied parrot about the size of your senegal and she has quite the can opener for a beak, in fact, I have seen her do more damage than any of the African greys. Good that you have some experience, this is going to be a wonderful match. You are as ready for them as they are for you. Some things are just meant to be.

Java was about two years old before I heard her speak. We were living in the south and had a rare snowstorm. It had been nearly ten years since I had seen snow falling in the great big flakes that stack up about four inches in an hour. I was enthralled. I called to my daughter to come see and she was on the computer and sighed "Mom, I have seen snow before." She wouldn't even come to look. Second daughter ditto. Devoted hubby was in the attic putting down a floor. He would not come see the snow either. So, I took Java to the window and we watched the snow. I was making a point to all my family and said "See the snow Java, isn't it beautiful?" She stook up straight and stretched her neck and said "Boy oh boy!" Her voice sounded a little like one of the three stooges, high and excited. Later when my family was gathered together I was telling them how she talked and I could tell they didn't believe me and were rolling their eyes about my snow excitement. Then Java piped up and said "Boy oh boy" again and we were all laughing and she kept saying it over and over again. That was the last day she said it and we didn't hear her speak again for almost a year.

Thanks Ray, until I met Java, I had never heard of a red bellied parrot either. Since bringing her home, I have only seen one breeder at the bird fair and I go about four times a year. There is minimal information out there. I do find the information on the African grey to be very similar to handling this little hen. One of the first books I bought was called the Parrot Problem Solver and it was instrumental in learning how to avoid creating life long problems for the parrot because of what we might be inclined to do with a baby bird that they will expect for a lifetime and we can't sustain that kind of attention forever. She had to be taught to play independently even though she was so cute and I just wanted to put her in my pocket and keep her with me all day long. She is a resilient little bird. She has been quarantined from new birds in the house four times for up to sixty days each time. I would divide my time and give her the first attention so I could shower and go to bed before coming to her again in the morning to avoid any cross contamination. She weathers every storm and gets along with our entire family and all our other animals. At first she was a little tyrant. She tried to drive everyone away and keep me all to herself. We had to work really hard to keep her from getting on the floor to attack the cats. She has big big attitude for such a tiny little bird. She weighs 136 grams but you would think she was a territorial adult silverback gorilla the way she strikes fear in any adversary. She has a particular stance she takes as she goes after a newcomer. My husband calls it the bull rush. She puts her head down, beak on the floor or table and her little legs are a blur she comes with such a flurry. It took a year for her feathers to grow in so she could fly and she has been flight since then. She was much more argumentative and defensive before she could fly. Early on, I read they will tend to be one person birds unless you work to help them accept others. Since she was technically my husband's bird, I was intent to make sure he could handle her. I would always have him give her treats and do the bed time routine. Our girls were in college at the time so they would come and go. The first day she would be relentless. It took a lot of time and effort to help them learn how to call her bluff and be permitted flock status by her royal highness. All the hard work payed off because when I had to be gone for four months last summer, my husband and girls were able to take care of her and she happily accepted me back home when I returned.

That little fellow rode home in style. He looks relaxed even in the car. He surely has had some tender loving care to prepare him for your life together. I am impressed that you even found time to get pictures on the forum. He is so beautiful, of course you already knew that. Your happiness is contagious, thanks for sharing.

So, six years ago, moving to a new home, both daughters off in college, I had way too much time on my hands. Java and Bella spent a lot of time in my sewing room which was in an upstairs bedroom. I decided to train a new act. My daughter had a knee brace she had long discarded so I made a makeshift saddle for our Italian greyhound. It was a poor decision. When they say "Don't try this at home," from this day forward I will listen. Day after day, we had training sessions and the dog and bird were my willing accomplices. Finally, I was going to reveal my clever plan to my husband. I opened the bedroom door and told Bella to find daddy. Well. In my defense, every day, Bella would walk gingerly around the small room, Java would have a ride in a closely supervised manner and they both enjoyed it. When that door opened, Bella saw her chance to escape. I was reminded that they race greyhounds for a reason. Java held on for a second or two, but Bella took off like a rocket and thankfully we had a carpeted floor for Java to land before they hit the stairsteps. We retired from the trick training and although Java and Bella are still closely supervised friends, once she regained her flight ability, she stays up high and Bella stays down low.

We were told Java was about four months old. I have my suspicion she was older because her eyes had already changed from black to red. I haven't been able to confirm what age they might change in the red bellied parrot. While my husband and daughters set off to find a cage, I stayed home with her. When I took her out of her box, we were alone in a quiet room. I was still naive where parrots are concerned, I thought she might fly away. So, when she got on my shoulder, I covered my head with a fleece blanket and we both napped for a couple of hours. Then I started reading and trying to find out what to feed her and how to take care of her. Lucky for me, I had read a billboard that a bird fair was coming to Atlanta. That is where I met some wonderful people who helped me set up a home for this little parrot. Once she settled in, she had attitude. She would get right on the floor and terrorize our Italian greyhound and both cats. She came after everyone but me and she was sassy to me too. She was a handful. It was soon evident that this little bird has a depth of intelligence we had never seen in a companion animal and we have had some clever critters. We were in the den watching television and having junk food. Java made her way from my shoulder, across the sofa and down to my husband's shoulder. She wanted a french fry. She navigated down his arm and he let her have a piece of a french fry and I scolded him because I didn't think the salt and grease would be a good idea. So, he took the french fry from his right hand where she was trying to take it away to his left hand. Up his arm, across his shoulder and down the other arm she went. Just as she got there, he passed the fry to his right hand. She retraced her steps and got to his right hand and he did it again. She was determined to get to the french fry but this time she stopped on his shoulder. She grabbed the top of his ear and bent it down and all the joking was over at that point. He was yelling for help but she wasn't actually biting him, just holding on as ransom for a french fry, and she got one. Hahahahaa.. A few days later she was trying to get to my laptop as I was in a recliner with my feet up. I kept moving her to the backside of the laptop to my knee because she was intent to chew off the keys from my keyboard. I felt her rooting around between my knees and just waited to see what she was doing. She got on her back between my knees and she wriggled until she got to the front of the keyboard to find a path under the laptop! When she reached her goal of getting to the keyboard side, she found the little notch where the lid would latch when it closes and she promptly shut down my computer. From that time on, when she wanted attention she would quietly get closer and closer and when I wasn't vigilant she would shut off the computer and then coo and turn her head in the cutest way to get a scratch. I glued some acrylic pieces together to make a little box I could set over my keyboard so I could still type and she couldn't get to the keys but she was very patient and all it would take was a phone call for me to get distracted and she would pull off ten keys and it would take me hours to get them put back on.

One person's description of a screech is a chirp to the next person. We fostered a cockatiel for five months after a neighbor's family pleaded. He was afraid of everthing and they had five kids and a couple of dogs. When they brought in a boxer as a rescue dog, it attacked the bird cage, tipped it over and scared little Milo out of his mind and that is when he came to our house. In the first three weeks, I can positively say he screeched. He also hissed and was as close as I have seen to a bird gone insane. My sewing room was in an upstairs bedroom and he stayed up there where it was quiet and predictable. In three weeks, he was coming out and sitting on my shoulder and in five months, I never heard another screech. His home was to be with a friend my age with no kids at home. We kept him while they were preparing for a move from Texas to Virginia and transferred ownership when they moved to their new home. So, screeching could be an interpretation or it could be he really is in an upsetting environment.

My family went to the big box pet store to get holiday stocking stuffers for our dog and cats for the first Christmas in our new home. We had lived apart waiting for our youngest to graduate from high school in Houston and were all coming back together in our new home in the northeastern suburbs of Atlanta. I refuse to go into the pet store because they were having an adoption and I knew I was weak. After I finished in the department store I sat in the car in the cold and sent text messages for a half hour to plead with my family to come out with no new pets. Then came a cryptic text, "you have to see dad with this little bird". That was new, he loved our pets but he never ever sought out a new one. Curiousity got the best of me. When I went into the glass enclosed bird room, this little grey bird was pressing her head against his finger that he was poking between the bars of her cage. When I say cage, that is all she had, no toys, no food or water, just a barren cage stacked under a few others. Her wings were brutally clipped, I have never seen anything like it and hope to never see such a thing the rest of my life. From the tip to the place her wing joined her body, it looked as if she only had an inch of feather, if that. When we talked and decided we had to take her home, the manager said if you want her, you have to get her out yourself. They said she is vicious and no one can get near her. They gave us a little cardboard box and said if you can get her in it, you can take her. I just reached in and offered her a finger and she hopped right on it and then went into the box as if she knew she was going to a real home. So, we traded in what was going to be our Christmas present of Chatterbox motorcycle helmet communications for a chatterbox of another sort. As much as I hate to admit this, the emotions of the time took all our common sense right out of our minds. She cost as much as an African grey from a breeder, but we knew nothing about parrots and off we went to learn.

Aww what beautiful baby pictures. Were all the babies you saw from the same clutch? I am just wondering if they are, what is the hatch order? This little sweetheart is destined to be a great companion for you, I am looking forward to learning more as you bring her home.

Dan, I couldn't nag you for a post on Jake because I haven't gotten Java's done yet. This was the highlight of my day to see Jake in his private waterfall, well, except for Dayo pestering him. I know that Jake has pestered Dayo often, so I guess that is to be expected. You were getting Jake at just about the same time we were getting our parrot intro with Java. What a difference a llittle fluff of feathers and down makes in our lives. I love Jake! Today I hit the jackpot and got a two for one with Athena's story too. And if I had the chance to fly, chances are I would be excited and say every word I ever heard too.

Wow, what a beautiful parrot. I love those red eyes. I want one now too. Thank goodness for a forum where I can live vicariously through pictures and experiences of others. I so look forward to learning more about all these wonderful parrots. This new room is awesome.

Congratulations on finding this little guy. I find it amazing that Sam is so willing to share your introduction to a new flock member. It is wonderful to know you are opening your heart and home to another feathered friend. It has been really hard for your family to lose your little buddy and a testament to your love that you are giving it another go. When you are settled and have Filbert home, you will have some interesting stories to share with us. I look forward to learning more about the galah.

What a testament to his care and his will to have overcome his health issues and be such a social butterfly. Xandir has something to teach us all, I am glad you are here with us while we discover what that message means to all of us.

Wow, great intro Dan. Who knew there were so many variations of conure? I look forward to reading a lot more about conures.

What gorgeous pictures. I am glad you mentioned the bright red tail feathers because I noticed my nose was just about to touch my screen as I was trying to see the familiar bone color on her beak but can't see that Timneh confirmation. I'm sure it is the angle of the photo and the way the light is shining. It is a great idea to provide toys that will come home with you to keep a familiar tie to his caretakers. We also bought a little snuggle tent and that was our Juno's little security blanket when he needed it most. Omigoodness you are getting a baby!

And off I go to see photos and read more about the caique. Thanks for the phonetics, I have wondered how to pronounce their name. I love this new sub species room addition. Thanks for unlocking the caique. I can tell you all that you are doing nothing to quell the rising of my latent MBS. I keep telling myself, two parrots are a handful. Two parrots are just perfect for our house. But to be honest, I was saying one parrot is plenty for several years and somehow I doubled my flock even with my brain trying to outwit and conquer my heart with logic.

Oh my goodness what an exciting time for you and Marco. To have a creature so intelligent and exquisite grace you with choosing to come to you is exhilarating. I felt like I was right there in the room watching your amazement and delight. Thanks for sharing your moment with us.