Butttaxi

Sweet that actually helps a lot! I don't have hardwood floors so I am ok there. I can't believe I forgot about vinegar, that makes too much sense. I love he lemon idea, thank you SOOO much for that tip!! I will need to use that.

haha yeah like their constant trying to maneuver their way out of the cage!! all but one of ours is completely ok with the cats we have even had one hanging out on the cats back. The cat loved it because her nails was scratching the cats back. For the most part ours are just snuggly, they like to burrow under my hair and sleep and they giggle when you tickle their belly

Unfortunately I have to wash our cage by hand which isn't an easy task... I am not sure if our building has a hoes which would make it easier when the weather warms up. While we are on the subject of cleaning, do you guys have any recommendations of cleaners that is safe to use around the house? (not on the cage) I mean for doing floors and whatnot

Rorschach doesn't even bob his head... he either tries to regurgitate or gets hot and bothered. He is about 2 so it could still happen I guess. I see you also have rats, we have 4 female rats, they are not named though. My niece named them one day but I can't remember what she named them. We usually refer to them by colour or size... the dark brown one, the fat one, the one that's afraid of the cats... you get the point. They are super cute and cuddly.

What a cutie I don't have a tiel but I know what you mean about the music. Rorschach my CAG likes all music but he is more vocal when listening to the Glee soundtracks or anything you can really sing along too So metal and rock are out... I do prefer punk and rock but I will embarrassingly admit that I watch Glee and enjoy it as well as the bf (questions sexuality jk) so it isn't that horrible. Rorschach does hate Pantera, not sure what is going on there but when we played them one day he kind of freaked out so we had to turn it off. I sadly can't get him to dance, I was really hoping he would, I have tried all types of music especially with strong beat but if I dance around he tries to regurgitate for me. I guess he is more a singer then a dancer

I love the little tricks they do learn on their own. Like I previously said, Rorschach will wave and he done this one day when sitting on the couch with me. He also does the bat, again something he started doing on his own when I tried to put him to bed for the night. Rather then stepping up he collapsed it was the cutest and funniest thing ever. He doesn't go on his back very often, he isn't completely comfortable with laying on his back yet but we are working on it because he LOVES to snuggle. As long as he is holding on to my fingers he will allow me to support his back with my hand. Since we just got him in August I don't want to push him but I am glad at how quickly comfortable he is with me. He is just starting now to allow David scratch his head, something that I was able to do with no effort is taking longer for David. It just proved that it can take a really long time for our babes to warm up to someone... I do know how lucky I am to have the friendship I do have with him. I was worried that I would be a horrible owner and eventually lose interest or something (you know what I mean) but makes me laugh everyday and it is hard to not go to him and chat with him or scratch him. I have read the stories about parrots/birds being moved away from the family into a room on their own with no interaction, after having Rorschach for the past few months I just can't understand what kind of person could do that. How can someone not be drawn to their awesomeness? I guess there are other factors like health problems or just having a super busy schedule but I'm sure all of you have busy days and you all seem to still find time to interact, play and love your little feathered friends... so what gives? I guess it takes a special kind of person to share their lives fully with these beautiful creatures!! You all rock!

Oh my god that is brilliant, now all this time I thought parrots couldn't swim!

oh I feel your pain and I wish I had any advice... you probably have more experience with birds then I do. We re-homed Rorschach back in August and the more comfortable and confident he gets with flying the more trouble he seeks. The last few weeks he has been flying above the cupboard, we had a globe sitting there and at first he started to kiss it and then a few days he was biting it and then he broke the world, the globe rolled off and landed on the floor... I was glad it didn't roll on him. The other day he started chewing on the moulding... I wouldn't care about this so much if I wasn't renting... eek! We can hide it, the damage is not that bad.... Time to go toy shopping I think!! Good luck

I was wondering what everyone here thought about trick training and I am glad I am not the only one who is ok with their bird as they are. I really didn't want to pay like $200+ for videos and clickers to have a novelty pet I can entertain my friends with. Rorschach has learned things on his own without me sitting with him trying to train him, like he will wave his foot for me, he did it today as I walked by his cage it was way too cute. I think if you spend time with your fids, play with them and love them they will do their own little tricks which will make you love them even more and their own personalities will shine

hahaha so cute, I love when they grab the toy and throw it. I call it "gimme go get" because Rorschach expects me to go get it lol He would play that game for hours if i didn't give up after a while.

oh wow that is totally awesome I have read stories about plucking being a hard habit to break but he has healed so fast and beautifully. I think you did a fabulous job!!! My guy has red feathers and from what I read it could be either red factor, a health issue or sometimes young greys will have them on their legs which they can lose during a moult. I don't know if bad health has actually been proven to be the cause of the stray red feather so if your Rocky has had a vet visit and a clean bill of health then I wouldn't stress about that.

tee hee Rorschach makes fart noises all the time but we think it's pretty hilarious and mimic him which he then responds with the noise again. It's a very entertaining sound in our house so we don't really mind if he ever stops. I would enjoy the time off too if I were you, it would be so awesome to be able to spend extra time with your friend and the summer off with family would be top notch. The boyfriend is off from work til summer so he gets to stay home with Rorschach all day while I am either at work or school. It's great to know they don't have to spend the day alone We actually feel bad if we are both gone for the day and until the weather warms up and we get him a harness we can't really take him with us.

thanks guys for your comments and advice. He really has put me in my place and the sad part is I read about this before the behavior started. I just got so carried away with how cute it is that he would want to be with me so much. Since he started getting more comfortable with flying he won't let me out of his sight for one second... if I walk down the hall to the bathroom he is right there. He was just on my head and I asked him to come "up" onto my hand and he always steps up when on my head. The I put him on my shoulder and asked him up. I put some enthusiastim in my voice to encourage it and he , like always, grabbed my hand. So I continued to cheer him on and then I could feel he started shifting his weight to my hand and then eventually stepped up. He only did it twice and then started to use my hand as a chew toy. I think it may be a height thing too, if he is lower then me like on the couch and I am standing he will step up fine. David thinks it's funny and calls Rorschach a traitor when I get home. He is pretty cool with it I think the only thing that really upset him was when Rorschach bit him bad enough to break the skin, I said it was because he pulled away causing him to bite harder and the sharp parts of his beak sliced. David does have more authority when it comes to Rorschach it's like as soon as he gets up Rorschach stands at attention lol he has often ran around my head to get away because he is afraid he is going to be taken away from me. He will also give David a kiss EVERY time he asks which he didn't do for me... he does now. I am also lucky enough to get random kisses which are the best kind. I am super glad that he is bonding with David though, it was a slower process then it was with me but it's coming along nicely. David usually gives me a daily update when I get home. He was very excited when he was allowed to scratch his head and he can do this even when Im home and in the room now. A few weeks ago the flying after him started, so now if I'm not home Rorschach will fly after David when he leaves the room.

From what I have read here and other sites a lot of parrots seem to pick one favorite person. Rorschach has picked me as his favorite but I have noticed that he has a “type”. He prefers short females and I fall in that category. Friends and family have come to visit and for the most part they sit back check him out. I warn them that he can bite so they fear that (probably not a good idea if I want to socialize my bird but I don’t want anyone to be taken off guard if they do decide to hold him) About a month after we got Rorschach my friends Lisa and Christa came over for a bit before we ventured out again, as I was in the bathroom Rorschach stepped up on Christa (she must have been standing a little close to the cage) When I came out she was standing there all tensed up and looking completely freaked out. I could only laugh really; I mean how funny it is that these little fellas can intimidate someone. When she relaxed a bit she snapped a few pictures and actually got to scratch his head. This was the only other person other then me that he just stepped up on without being asked and even David wasn’t allowed to scratch his head yet. Last Monday Christa and I made plans to go for coffee, so she met me at my place before going. Rorschach was in his cage when she showed up; when she started talking to him he started flirting with her by dropping his wings and looking handsome. I have never seen him do this to anyone but me so I was a bit excited that he would be attracted to someone else. I did let him out so he could be included in our conversation and he decided to fly to her, get all up in her hair and undid her hair clip. When I would try to get him to step up, because she wasn’t that comfortable, he would take my fingers in his mouth and push them away. I finally got him off and onto his perch, when I tried to scratch his head he would bite me… showing off for Christa. It was pretty cute and funny, I wonder if it would be a good idea to have Christa over more to help him get socialized with more people beginning with someone he likes. This makes me feel a bit bad for David because he is with Rorschach all day every day and he is just starting to be allowed to scratch his head. Him and I share the feeding, clean up and quality time with Rorschach. I know Rorschach trusts him because when I’m not home he will fly over to the back of David’s computer chair and chill with him all day until I get home. When I get home it’s a whole new ballgame, he will then fly to me and not want anything to do with David. He even bites him and has drawn blood, only when I’m around. Does this sound like a territorial issue? Since I am posting this I wanted to ask a question on behavior. Rorschach will not step up when I ask; if David asks he will step up every time. If I want to get him into his cage I have to ask David to put him in or if he is on the cage I walk out of the room so he will fly to my hand. I can’t get him off my shoulder unless David gets him or I can distract him onto the top of the cage. Does anyone have any advice on how I can take control again? He wasn’t always like this I did something that now makes him in control. It’s cute but can be very frustrating when I am either trying to leave for work or put him to bed at night.

It makes me sad that people who have birds as a "trinket" as you called it, they truly don't know what they are missing. I am glad to see that fids and kids can live in harmony. I don't have children but hopes that maybe I will someday so seeing the picture of your son and Prince chillin' together shows that it may not be traumatic for my Rorschach. When my niece and nephew are over Rorschach behaves different every time, the first time he met them he seemed to love them. I think it was because I was spraying the kids with his spray bottle so I guess he related to them in some way. (I'm not a mean aunt, it was hot that day and they loved it) He even made a lot of noises when they were there which he usually doesn't do when new people are around. Last time they were over I think he growled, I had my face close to him and I swear I heard a growl. They don't bother him and Rorschach just seems to sit on his perch and watch the show. it's great that Rudy doesn't have to be a trinket anymore and will now be part of a family he deserves.

I am in Nova Scotia but the cage I have came with Rorschach. I am not sure where the previous owner had purchased the cage but there is a Pet Unlimited near by. I will eventually want to upgrade the cage we have, the one is large enough but he broke the latches on the food dish doors (we had to jimmy them shut so he wouldn't climb out at night) the cages are pretty expensive at the store ranging from $1000 and up which I can't afford at the moment. PS Love the cat lol I want to snuggle him so much! I have a soft spot for fat orange cats. I have 2 cats and Kitkat had actually got pretty fat after I had her fixed, she has since lost all the weight but stull has a hanging belly pouch.

hahaha I saw this a while ago but it never gets old. I was humped by a pigeon once, my friends mom had a pet pigeon and his name was Harry. Every time I went over to visit my friend would take him out and he would hump my arm. The crazy thing about Harry was the mom would let him go in the spring to go find a mate and he would always come back.

I hope you can see the red feathers in this. He has his wings dropped so i was able to get his back so you can see the red on his back and the second you can see on his belly.

Rorschach has the red factor. He has red feathers on his belly and his back. The vet never said anything about it being a health issue but I also wondered if it was caused by his spine problem. He has a hump (crooked spine) on his back and the vet says he wouldn't be able to fly up. This has since been proven wrong and the hump doesn't seem to bother him or affect him, he seems to be a pretty happy bird and he enjoys flying around the apartment. When I get home from work I will upload some pictures where you can see his red feathers.

hehe I guess this is normal. Rorschach does it all the time unless it's a nut he LOVES like almonds. I have to retract my comment about him loving peppers because the past week I have been finding them on the floor. Just shows how picky they can be, loves something one day and then the next it ends up on the floor. So far the only veggie he has not tossed away is corn

wow how awful so sad and really stupid it makes me really angry. I'm a new owner and I think it would be common sense to not put a bird in the cage with the harness... freaking out or not. I am sure all of our babies love to do the occasional flip and dangle acrobatics in the cage, a dangling harness would just be in the way and snag then wrap around stuff... ugh would she have ignored the little warnings on window blinds that tell you not to put a babies crib close enough so the baby can't reach them? I am really grateful for this post and the fact that someone commented recently so I actually noticed it. I am planning on getting a harness for Rorschach and rest assure I will be taking proper precautions to make it the most pleasant experience for everyone. Thanks again for this post.

Rorschach isn't big on peanuts either, he loves cracking them, nibbles a bit but throws them away. He does love almonds and prefers his pasta bland. I find he likes frozen veggies more then fresh but we try to keep the variety. Fresh peppers he will gobble up too... my the food is endless, as long as you keep away from bad stuff anything else should be fine. Apples are one of the foods that he may like one day but not another, he eats it best if I am eating it... I find if I am eating it then he is way more interested. Bananas are the exception, I have yet to get him to eat bananas

Rorschach also loves to share my food he insists on it actually, I will share as long as there is nothing in it that he is not supposed to have. I agree with Ray, keep trying different foods even if they don't like it, he may not like it one day but love it the next. Also preparing differently, like Rorschach doesn't like raw carrots too much but will eat them when they are cooked. I have 2 water dishes and 3 food dishes in and out of his cage, they are too small and shallow for him to drown in. ALso some parrots love to bath in their water dishes, just keep the water shallow to ensure safety. For diets I personally like to keep a variety he has his fresh veggies and fruit along with pellets nuts and seeds. If he is being a fussy gus then he has options. My trick is to get him to eat as much veggies first by withholding the others for a bit. I don't have to do this anymore he goes right for his veggies first and cleans the bowel (a lot will end on the floor or bottom of the cage) I don't give Rorschach a lot of juice because he will get juice from his fruit but if I am having some juice he will help himself to my glass. Oh and I wouldn't fuss so much on the amount of water he drinks, Rorschach doesn't drink a lot of his water either just be sure to keep it clean and available, if your guy is a bather then you will obviously have to change it more often. Also sometimes they will dip their food in the water before eating. Rorschach has done this with crackers... but you should expect food in their water dish, some days more then other days.

I have seen Rorschach do this when I soaked him down with just water... his wings will drop and sometimes he pants. One time he actually laid on his back on his own and started grabbing his tail I really have no idea why he did this and he normally hates being on his back. I have not used aloe yet so I can't say if that is the cause but I can say I have seen my guy act like this with only water. From what I can tell it seems like he had such an awesome time and he is still excited. Rorschach does shiver if he gets excited like if me and David were gone out for a few hours he will shiver when we come home. Unless he gets spooked because he is alone, he isn't home alone very often so when we do both go out it's not normal. Anyway I totally got off topic... from my experience with Rorschach when he acts like this he is usually overly excited and at times he will do his mating stance. This probably didn't help because of my lack of experience with the product. Hope someone else has something else to offer.

these are beautiful I too love the one with the closed eye and the one with the sun peeking through the trees.