thenabrd

my peach front athena knew my work clothes and let me know she knew!!! i'd uncover her in the mornings before heading to work (over 8 years, i'd had various jobs, all with uniforms) and she'd go biting crazy. she'd lunge at the bars at the front of her cage, if she didn't do that, she'd wait until i'd try to give her a little scratch then bite the snot out of my finger. once i was home and out of my work clothes, she'd be her loving self! but on weekends, in my pjs and doing the same morning routine, she'd be just as nice and friendly as can be and even allow those little scratches! i only worked about a month or so after we got kallie. she was still settling in and didn't seem to care much one way or the other. but she'd also been through the death of her owner, the family coming and going every day, along with different folks coming to see the birds, at infrequent intervals to become familiar with them before any rehoming (the last 2, kallie and a cockatoo had never been only birds, so we waited until there was a home for the other bird and both went to their new homes the same day/different times) it's neat and fascinating that they know the things they do sometimes! it took me a while to figure out it was my clothes making athena so angry. i had thought that maybe she just wasn't a "morning bird"!

thanks danmcq!!! i've searched on line and it's about a 50-50 split in opinion on that!!! after trying for a few years, i finally got a pumpkin to make it to harvest!

can you serve the pumpkin raw or if it must be cooked, does is have to be thorough like with beans? also, can other squash and the seeds be served raw? currently i bake any squash and their seeds, thoroughly, for the girls. they're not very thrilled with it like this and was wondering so i can try these in a less mushy way, lol!

lol, i'm glad to hear i'm not the only one that's done this!!! i was convinced athena was a girl, she just seemed so "female". well 2 years in and all the "big girl, good girl, prettiest girl, etc" she says, she plucked her chest feathers. so the vet said it'd be a good idea to determine the sex, in case this was a breeding thing. well athena is a boy!! he's still a "she" in our minds and hers and according to her, she's still the "prettiest girl in the wholest world"!!!

quite a compliment for your boyfriend! i know it's disappointing when you think they're "your" bird and your're their "person" and it doesn't always work out that way. but still, it's awesome that sidney likes your boyfriend this way. its much better than sidney hating and attacking him! kallie is almost 3 yrs old. we are her forever home, we got her this past spring. i've been the bird person, my husband has always gone along, so to speak. athena our peach front conure is my bird, we've had her since she was weened and she's 8 yrs old now. she "feeds" a knuckle on one of my fingers, lol. well we had a chance to rehome kallie, i'd always wanted a grey and this was an awesome opportunity. kallie thinks my husband is the be all, end all of all people!!! yes, i get to scratch her head, i feed/clean/rearrange her cage/etc. she likes me just fine, but its my husband she really, really likes. she does that baby sound, tries to regurg for him, etc. i've told him to tell her thanks, but no thanks and divert her attention to a toy since she'll just get frustrated with all of this when she's a bit older, and more "mature"! its ok, i'm extremely happy she's found her "person" and so is the gal we got her from. she was owned by an elderly woman, who had kallie since she was weaned. she passed away and this woman's family wasn't in a position to keep kallie or the other birds that were there. i love my girls no matter what, even if i'm not the be all, end all person of their dreams, lol

not sure, but great question! i've tried searching on here and on web as well and haven't found a straight answer either! what about raw pumpkin/seeds, zucchini, other squashes/seeds in general? thanks in advance!!

you are rightfully frustrated and upset!!! unfortunately more and more people feel they have the "right" to break rules, that they're "owed" something/everything for nothing. you're at the receiving end of this as well as the landlord. it's not right, it's not fair, but this seems to be the growing "entitlement" mentality that is sweeping not just your town, but everywhere! hang in there as best as you can. i know people say things happen for a reason, and maybe this is one of those times, only time will tell. i'm sorry its turned out like this for you but i'll keep my fingers crossed that either this gets resolved sooner rather than later or that an even better opportunity comes along for you!

our girls are both into phone books right now! for athena, who plucks her pretty bright green "shirt" this has been wonderful! she has her "shirt" back, lol! she usually makes little pieces like confetti, but once in a while she goes crazy and pulls off big strips. kallie, likes to pull off different sizes then hang upside down from the top of the cage and watch them fall and spin to the bottom of her cage. sometimes, she'll "comment" on it, she'll go, ummmmm, then if she really likes it she'll make her clicking cluck type sound, kind of like her stamp of approval!

i have a peach front conure, athena, who just loves her bells. bells are her favorite toys! (when not playing with her bells, she loves to destroy paper and phone books) she sticks her head/beak in them, lets them rub her back, plays with them, etc. she rings one of them in particular, in an "excuse me, attention, please, over here" manner. i think she's got at least 12 bells in various toys/configurations in her cage. like i said, she just LOVES bells! this past weekend we went to a renaissance festival and there was an act called "cast in bronze". its a traveling carillon and it was wonderful! my husband recorded the performance on his phone and down loaded it to the computer today. we played the video our the girls, thinking it'd be different for them. well, kallie our grey, listened for about 5 minutes then went about chatting and playing. but athena, stopped everything, sat on her perch, listening very intently, and made her sound of "wonderment" over and over for the whole 20 minutes of the video!!! does any one else's conure love their bell(s) this much? sometimes i think athena must have been a bird living in a bell tower in a previous life, lol!!

i have something similar to this that i've used. http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=5059+5950+5995&pcatid=5995 i've found them at local pet supply stores. they're nice, i can put them wherever in the cage and the bowl twists on/off of the "pedestal". a grey might eventually figure out how to twist them off, but it could buy you some time!

kallie is almost 3 now. she has very little vocabulary but lots of sounds. she does play with "word" sounds, the latest are blah blah blue (with blue being a "higher note") and hoo hoo haaa (the same way, with "notes"). i repeat then change it up ex. blue blue blah or laa laa loo, etc. she's still "speaking" in athena, our conure's voice, imitating everything she says, so i respond to that the same as i do when athena says those things. there are times kallie will say some of the few things she was saying when we got her and i respond then too. she still "practices" with her back to us, speaking, mumbling quietly, it's cute! the closest we've come to a "proper" response is only one time when she said, ok after my husband asked me a question, and we both stopped, looked at her and told her what a good girl she is and that she was right! i'm hoping she'll continue to increase her vocabulary and speak more in her own voice, not just in athena's so much. we ask her if she will speak "in" kallie instead of "in" athena, but the connection is slow to come. but it doesn't really matter, we love them both no matter what!

our grey does the same thing. we really only get to hear what she's learned/learning in words and sounds when we're not in view! it's not a contact type of thing, she just gets verbal when we're out of the room. when she does make sounds or says words when we're in the room, she has her back to us, lol! we just figure she's "shy" or practicing!

i have an 8 year old peach front conure who plucks and has on and off for years. we've had her since she was weened. she's always had her vet checks on time, so we know its not a health issue. it's just something she does regardless of the amount of attention she gets or things she has to shred and destroy and play with. she leaves the grey down on her chest and belly and just takes off the bright green feathers. i tease her about being in her underwear when she's "grey" and compliment her on her beautiful shirt when she's "green". our cag is almost 3 years old, we've had her about 6 months now. she gets her vet checks on time as well. she has a small area on her neck that she plucks and has since we met her to start the adoption process. it's something she always did, even in her 1st home which was a loving one. i know plucking can freak people out, i did the 1st time i saw my conure in her "underwear"! however, they are both the greatest, most fun, interesting, entertaining companions ever. we love them whether they're in their "underwear" or fully "clothed". and yes, i tried meds for our conure, but they only helped for a short time so we stopped. the girls are healthy and happy, we're happy with them, and to me, that's what's important. shoot, i bite my finger nails and have most of my life so i'm not in the best position to "judge" so to speak, lol! i'm just trying to say, yes it's distressing but it isn't the end of the world at least in our experience. we don't bring attention to it or dramatize it in anyway if we catch them plucking. we just love them, for themselves, with all that it implies and with all of their little quirks included.

both of our girls will talk fluffed up and normal, even slicked down. when they have something to say, they just say it. i figure the feathers are the equivalent of "emotions" or their "version" of our facial expressions, lol! athena loves pistachios and most other nuts, kallie only likes peanuts.

lmao, i thought i was the only one to do that!!!! i also use sports pictures if its a team/person i don't "like"! hahahaha, thanks so much for the laugh!

you're welcome. i'm sure with the stress of all this you are on mental overload and can't see the forest for the trees so to speak. we're still in touch with the familty we got kallie from. her owner passed away and the daughters weren't in a position to keep the birds this woman had. we were very fortunate that kallie was so loved and cared for. it was hard for the family to give the birds up, it was a process for them and was emotional. what you're feeling is perfectly normal and understandable. anyone having to give up a much loved family member that happens to be furred or feathered goes through this. i've had to give up dogs in the past for changing circumstances in my life and i was devastated both times. life happens unfortunately. you'll find someone wonderful for him i just know it!

try your vet, or even vets you don't utilize and search for rescue agencies in your area. look for bird clubs in your area as well, they may have connections/answers for you. we got our grey through our avian vet. i had mentioned i'd always wanted a grey and would love to rehome a grey and sure enough, now we have kallie.

when i was visiting with kallie in her home before we could bring her home to our house i used my phone to film athena. i'd play those for kallie when i'd visit, so this way she could hear athena and see her. i did the same with athena, i'd film kallie then play it for her to hear kallie and see kallie. they both seemed interested in it when i'd play it for them. they still had their jealous moments (still do but not as often) and might always have them. but with the big size difference, we've still not let them both out at the same time. it's something we're considering, but it's going to be a while before it happens. we've only had kallie about 6 months so far. their cages are close to each other in the living room, so they interact all day, lol!!

hahaha!!! i'm so sorry you aren't getting your mommy props! my conure athena learned to say daddy bird, hey daddy bird and used it like an obsessed green monster for the longest time. now she says it once in a while. but will she learn momma bird, absolutely not, hahahaha!!! we've both tried to teach her momma bird, or mommy bird, but her response is always pretty bird! my husband says i must be pretty bird since that's all she'll respond with. sometimes she'll even ask, where'd he go? when my husband leaves but she never asks where'd she go!!! oh well, i guess it's all part of that mommy thing we go through and don't go through with our kids and fids!

we have a peach front conure, who's now 8 years old and have had her from the beginning. we got kallie, our grey late last winter, she's almost 3 years old. she's a rehome, her owner had passed away. we don't let the girls out together at the same time. their cages are on either side of a big window so they can look outside and also see each other and "talk" to each other. we do things with our conure first, since she's the "1st" bird, then do things with our grey. so far they don't seem to mind the arrangements. it did take a month or so for our conure to understand she's still the number 1 bird and sometimes they'll get anxious waiting for their "turn" for attention. we choose to do this for their safety since there's such a big size difference, they've not tried to get at each other through the cage bars when they've been out but our conure thinks she's the absolute biggest bird ever created, lol!! we're hoping in time that maybe they'll be able to be out together, but for the moment we don't let that happen. if we do get them out at the same time, i'll take our conure upstairs or outside and my husband spends time with our grey (he's the be all, end all for her, hahaha). they both seem perfectly fine with this type of arrangement. they get to watch each other, talk to each other, etc from the safety of their own cages and still get individual attention and time when out of their cages. it works for us. i hope this helps!

i think since she knows your dad, she should do pretty good. we took a 4 day trip not long ago and had 2 people help out with the girls (one am's, one pm's). i set up in the refrigerator all kinds of "yummies" for the girls nightly "dinner". that way, they were getting items they were used to and enjoyed. we left the tv station on one they are used to and the radio on a station they're used to. maybe you're dad can start spending more time at your house and start giving her special treats (just from him) so you're grey gets to know him better than she does now. i hope this helps. have fun on your trip!

my conure HATED my work uniforms!! she'd start doing her "big bad bird" moves and wouldn't let me touch her, even through the bars of her cage. she'd bite me then ignore me. she knew i was going to be leaving and she wouldn't be the center of the universe, lol!! we always leave the tv and/or radio on whenever we're not home so it's not total silence. now, if she sees me grab my purse, i get the same treatment, hahaha!! she's such a smart girl and quite the character. our grey, well she just calmly watches the goings on from her favorite perch in her cage. so far, she hasn't shown any interest in our clothes, hats, etc.

when i got athena, i was convinced she was a she. well 2 years in we got her dna done and she's really a he. but she was saying all the big girl, good girl, etc things. so we just left her name alone. kallie is a different story. we are her new forever home. her original name was honey, and i just couldn't get into liking it. so we decided her new name would be kalliope (kallie for short). she is a she, as the dna proved. we started calling her kallie honey in the beginning and slowly dropped off the honey until we just call her kallie now. her new big thing to do now when you enter the room is, she'll say "hi kallie"! right now we're all kallie, lol!!! i don't think it matters if the gender of the name matches the gender of the bird. i think its a bigger issue for us humans. athena has no "identity" issues having a female name and still being referred to as a she even though she is really a he. i say follow your heart.

we've had kallie for a few months now. we are her new forever home and she's just over 2 1/2. she was raised by an older woman, no men living in the household. this woman's daughter cared for kallie and the other birds in her former home while finding new homes for them (the older woman passed away). kallie likes me well enough, lets me give her head rubs, cheek rubs, clean and care for her food/water and cage. BUT she's "discovered" my husband and at this point he's her "one and only". yes it hurt for a bit, but i was thrilled that she chose him at all and so quickly and still allows me to care for her. we may choose our birds, but they are the ones that choose us. i'm sorry but that's the way it is. i know it's "hurtful" when they want someone else more than us, but at least you are favored in that he lets you do things for him. even though my husband is her true heart's desire, i still love her to pieces and wouldn't change a thing!

kallie's is a bit different but that's probably it! lol, they are very funny sometimes. the first time she did it after we got her, i thought she was stuck on a toy or had hurt herself, went over to check and she just looked at me like, "what - can i help you with something?" hahahaha