shanlung

Glad to know Zak ok now. Never would have happened with good old Tinkerbell Mash !

Morana, Only knowledge of what to do, and what can go wrong , will allow you to safely go outdoors with your parrot, leash or no leash. NEVER EVER THINK THAT WITH HARNESS AND LEASH THAT YOUR BIRDIE WILL BE SAFE ALL THE TIME OUTDOORS WITH YOU. What I write in this forum is literally the tip of the iceberg with the bulk of the important stuff in the URLs that point to either my Livejournal entries or Geocities entries. Even that http://shanlung.livejournal.com/8284.html , much as that might seem to you, is the iceberg among a sea of icebergs. There are many extremetly important URLs inside. Such as 'playing music to ducks' and 'spooking zones'. Unlike most others who think harness and leash is all that is needed to bring a birdie outdoor safely, the dangers that can be encountered outdoors are real. I took great care to record and reported ruthlessly all the mistakes I made and forensically dissected them, and my solutions. I was lucky to have 'escaped' from them all. Believe me, you do not ever want to make the same mistakes that I did and take the chance that you be as lucky as I was. Why find and trip into the pitholes on this road when my stumbling about already revealed them to you? You think you have the strength and luck to withstand that horror at http://shanlung.livejournal.com/71760.html ? So do take the time and the efforts to read as much as you can (if not all) all that I have written. I likely have provided answers even to questions that you have not thought of asking. Then you can chose to use the useful and discard the useless (such as smoking and giving wine/beer to birdie).

Its never ever going to be easy to give up a birdie, or beastie for that matter. The only true solace that can bring peace to the heart is that the birdie will be cared for and loved by his/her next family.

Judygram, Talon, Luvparrot, I am so aware of the real possibility that people read what they want to read with vision constricted by what they want to read and do. That from basis of a few photos, go and do what I have done with fatal effect on their birdies. Even with my very explicit details of stuff that can go wrong, and did went wrong with me, the fear remain that that particular writings be overlooked and glossed over. You have seen the way I shouted and screamed and repeated postings of my fiascos (and luckily, the recoveries except for poor Katie) Even so, I sometimes wonder if I wrote too much and mislead people who want to mislead themselves. As said by them, THE RELATIONSHIP THAT I HAVE WITH MY BIRDIES ARE UNIQUE AND PARAMOUNT TO ALL I HAVE DONE. WITHOUT SUCH RELATIONSHIP, EVEN SIMPLE THINGS CAN HAVE FATAL CONSEQUENCES. ONE VITAL KEY FOR YOU TO FORM RELATIONSHIP OF THE SAME MAGNITUDE IS IN UNDERSTANDING THE MIND OF YOUR GREY AND PARROT But sadly, how many bothered to read above? Very few. And perhaps even fewer would chose to walk that path. Morana, Tinkerbell is with the Yu family, the family that found Tinkerbell and then gave her back to me when I lost her the first time when I took her out for free flight. When I realised I might not be able to take Tink with me, I prepared Yu family for a year how to look after Tinkerbell. Avian flu was on that year and no countries would allow birds to be imported. I was touched when I did not realised the number of friends all over the world that could not bear the thought of me separated from Tinkerbell wrote to me and tried to help me. From a shipping magnate that offered me smuggling of Tinkerbell onto one of his container ship to route to me. From a USA general suggesting Tinkerbell be taken up on USA Army cargo plane to fly to Germany and then routed back to me. I dared not accept any of those schemes as discovery would be death for Tinkerbell and decided Yu family will be the caregiver to Tinkerbell. This is a summary of that first period with Tinkerbell including links to that first lost and recovery as well as a summary of the training for harnessing that we did. It will do you very well to read it. And if you are serious in taking your birdie out safely in harness, it is essential http://shanlung.livejournal.com/8284.html When you click on my webpage in the signature, you might have noticed the webpage is in parts. Part 1 is on that earlier period when I was first with Tinkerbell. The happiness of a first love found, and blossoming, and then to the pain of departure in mid Oct 2004. Almost every year since then, I and my wife would fly back to Taiwan for 2-4 weeks to be with Tinkerbell, in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009. The only entity that I fly half way around the world to see and be with. I always have this dispute with the Yu family. I considered Tinkerbell to be theirs. The Yu family considered Tinkerbell to be mine and I could never changed their minds. Those visits were recorded and could be found in my webpage as Part 3, 4, 5, etc etc

You can see yummy crickets now in http://public.fotki.com/Shimmertje/best_of_taiwan/alishan_taiwan_/kuanzhuling-liujia-/ I also fixed that link in above. Tinkerbell was that first love. To this date, Tinkerbell remains my main love. I will fly back to Taiwan to see her and be with her. It is unlikely I fly back to Oman to see and be with Riamfada. Much as I love Riam, I love Tink much more. To see Riamfada meant I would not have the time to see Tinkerbell. Below different shots showing how Tink Mobile is like and you can see the carrier cage and backpack . I wrote somewhere of the explicit harnessing details to maximise the safety when Tink was on the bike. But I could not find it as my writings during the time of Tinkerbell were haphazard unlike the reports on Riamfada. DO NOT JUST TIE A STICK LIKE YOU SEE IN THE PHOTO AND POP YOUR BIRDIE ON TOP! A lot of thoughts on safety aspects and worse case scenarios went behind what you see above.

LOL at this too! No offense meant by me and I hope no offense taken by anyone. I did not realised TOP is a brand of pellets as you all know I have been away from that pellet world so many years already. I recently came from a bird forum somewhere in South East Asia where people there took so much pride in how much $$$$ that they pay for pellets. Where the more $$$ that they pay, the higher up in prestige that they felt. On that scale , of course Tinkerbell Mash rank low as Tink Mash is so inexpensive to make. Even if that was the best ever food, the people there felt they lose face unless they pay huge $$$$ It seems the revolution started by Mike Burton my friend (of Mike's Manna Mash) and continued on by me and others benefitted even those sticking to the pellet world. The reply from TOP that you tagged on above seemed almost a direct reply to my castigation of pellets. But why was such ickky additives in the pellets in the first place when they knew the damage inflicted on the organs and tissue of the birdie and beasties? Making mash is a work of love to me, and I know for a fact that nothing but the best will go into the mash. A year or so ago, you read of the cats and dogs dieing of failed kidneys because of a bad batch from suppliers, and of melamine contamination. With the mash you make, frm ingredients that you chose, you know your birdie is guaranteed the best and nothing but the best. Instead of depending on commercial pellet makers and the suppliers that they source at the cheapest price to themselves. And charging folks so much in that process for something which is not the best.

Jeffnok, Thinking is good, but thinking too much is not good. So go get that grey and do not think. Go and see greys, until you see one that hit you with a thunderbolt in your heart, regardless of age or appearance or what others say. That will be the one for you. Your life never be the same again.

I thought I better answer in this new thread to avoid hijacking that thread Question about newly adopted CAG It was a motor scooter 150cc and not a motor bike even though I often wrote of it as motor bike. But enough photos were taken to show that. The reason why it was a motor scooter was that there was this space between the handle bar and the seat where her carrier cage could be kept between my feet in case of bad weather. I actually yearned for a Harley Davidson that the roads of Taiwan begged me to buy and I wanted to buy. But the scooter was the ideal Tink Mobile that the three of us were on almost daily. And in the weekends, were on rides that lasted for hours. I knew I never would ride without Tinkerbell, and so I nyet that Harley that I set my heart on and stuck with the little scooter. The placing of toe in beak in the case of Tinkerbell was never a nervous reflex. Perhaps it might be in the case of your birdie, but definately not in the case of Tinkerbell. If Tink was nervous and did not like it, she would not have wanted to be on that bike. I believe all who have a grey knew of the impossibility of having a grey do what it is nervous of and did not like. The photos you took exception to such as reproduced below were static shots. She was doing the above for her amusement. She flipped from one to the other and back again repeatedly. Perhaps video would have shown that much better. Except 7-8 years ago, digital cameras were not video oriented and neither were forums , and neither the internet for that matter oriented to video sharing. So video were not taken. The towel that you see above was not just to catch the poop. The towel acted as a ladder for her to climb down to the space between my leg onto my backback , and even into the carrier cage as she chose and as she wished. When I was riding very fast, that towel down to out of the wind area was meant for Tinkerbell. I thought that when I rode very slowly and sedately, Tink might like to be on the perch. Instead , it was the other way around. When I rode slowly, Tink moved down as if it was too boring for her to be up there. And when I rode very fast, Tink loved to be up to feel the wind on her face and body and do her antics up there. That was so irritating to me until I learned not to be irritated at the perverseness of Tinkerbell. That after all, she is a female and regardless of beastie or birdies or spouse, females all have this perverse streak running through all of them. You might like to see even more photos of Tink on the bike in the Flickr folder Tinkerbell - Reunion And even to read the story behind those photos in that particular saga when we went back to see her beasties, Halftail the Bimbo (cat) and Zorro (the ferret) that I gave to the wonderful families that adopted them when I had to leave Taiwan. And talking of Tink on her bike, there was this photo that I liked, and wrote on in a forum about that time that I reproduce below. Taking that photo from my wife collection. She took all the photos anyway and only some photos were hijacked by me into my Flickr. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Wings of an angel May 20, 2004 Last weekend over the 15/16 of May, we went up Alishan again to escape the heat. Tinkerbell is now so accustomed to riding on the motorbike that she faces all kind of direction when on that perch including with her back to the front. The on-rushing wind on her back lifted tufts of feathers giving her the look of one of those tufted back bird of paradise (name escaped me). Or as Joy liked to described, the wings of angel. That URL http://public.fotki.com/Shimmertje/best_of_taiwan/alishan_taiwan_/tataka_yushan_off/ Now and then, Tink doze off on that perch with her eyes closed. I lamented that Tink took to ripping off the towel velcro from the bike velcro to amuse herself, especially when the bike is moving fast which is not so amusing to me. I found a new distraction that seems to work. I buy a corn on the cob and cut that to small pieces. Now and then, those pieces are offered to Tink for her to eat and tear to shreds when on the bike. While browsing through my wife's album, I found some photos of food taken last year that may fascinate some of you. Fancy some deep fried crickets folks to go with frog legs? http://public.fotki.com/Shimmertje/best_of_taiwan/alishan_taiwan_/kuanzhuling-liujia-/ They are yummy!

To avoid hijacking this thread, my answer is in Tinkerbell and motor bike

Even more relaxed! Strangely, she never put her foot in mouth at other times when she was not on bike. she might do this or this or this and everything in between all the above

Why? Why so happy about paying TOP price for pellets with all the ethoxyquin, BHA/BHT and other icckky addtives? Is paying TOP price the way to happiness? when your birdies kidneys and livers get wonderfully preserved with ethoxyquin or BHA or BHT or propylene glycol? You birdie not worth the effort to feed the birdie the best food ever for them? As long as your pocket can continue to pay TOP prices? See how Tinkerbell mash is made, and think seriously if your birdie is worth the love and effort that go into that mash. Tinkerbell Mash - Best food by far for your Grey

Seems like you benefited more from what I said then the original poster. My tilting at windmills yet again as those who do not wish to know will never get to know. And sadly hammco, you probably did not need what I wrote as you likely been doing what I have done anyway. Go and have fun and magic with your birdie as life meant you to have. While others will continue to run scared and chomped on.

I am undecided if I can join this prestigious club too. I have not remained chomped free as I had confessed in earlier emails. But those had been I want your attention nips from Tinkerbell to her requests for water or other stuff. I was day dreaming and with her on my shoulder, I could hardly be in position to see her signals. My wife could and did. But she kept quiet out of her own puerile curiosity to see the outcome. And even when she already knew the outcome, she wanted to see encore repeats. Riamfada chomped hard on me once , in Riamfada gave me her first painful bite . But that was from mistaken identity in that she thought the finger she was chomping on belonged to my dear wife. Maybe I can be considered as honorary member at the very least.

Good to hear that. By not being in a hurry, you will get to where you want a lot faster than folks who think they are in a race with the clock. When a CAG can live for 50-60-70 years, will time at the beginning in bonding and understanding each other really matter?

Yardley, I do not understand your hurry for training before you even understand your grey. To the point you have not even established what kind of treats that she likes in the first place. How do you then condition that clicker which to my dim mind, is the precursor to target training? And knowing her favourite treats must be the precursor to conditioning that clicker. Considering that 10 days or so should be set for conditioning the clicker, target training should not even be on the horizon not to talk of doing that now. And you are doing 15 solid minutes of target training with her now? Or perhaps what is important is what you want and not what the grey can go along with? In the training, I am not even certain in my case as to who trained whom, more often the birdie is training me. And the training sessions carried out never exceed 1 1/2 mins to 2 mins, normally the TV commercials. And the sessions consisted more of head rubs and beak rubs than mindless repeats of target touching. I think the total training per day hardly exceeded 6-8 minutes. That faded to a single session when I felt she understood me well enough. More important would be what my birdie would do for me, as a friend to a friend rather than a trainee to a trainer. That came from my efforts to understand her than standing and lording over her. She by the way, was a wild caught, and a rescue given to my care when she was maybe 4 -5 years old. Such as this, where she flew around the building in a sight unseen recall to me on the other side of the villa. Hand of Clod //3 hour and day old Mash // Outdoor hide& seek recalls or here across the parapet of Rustaq castle. Harry Potter // Rustaq // Sorry. Do it your way and excuse my forlorn tilting at windmills.

Ah yes! I should have mentioned too that what I wrote should hopefully lead to a lot less chomping from your birdie as well.

Relax! What is wrong with putting foot in mouth? Like this? Thats a problem more associated with humans than with birdies. Its better to enjoy her and understand her as you just gotten her instead of being gung ho as a Marine Drill Instructor intent on training and training. Training will come in good time later on, and that will be so much better when you understand her in the first place. Go to training and read Understanding the mentality of your grey and perhaps it will be that much easier for the both of you

Sound like you are frightened of him! DON"T! I do not even think he was trying to bite you, more of reaching out to you. Your own fear inteprete that reach out as attempt to bite you. Maybe " Understanding the mentality of your grey" might be of help to you. What I wrote in that thread is only the tip of the iceberg. The iceberg will be the URLs embedded there. May that led you to a more fun filled and magical relationship with your grey. It helps too if you give him a name and let us know.

I thought I add into here the reports of the last few months of my time with Riamfada kind of continued on in the thread here in this forum. Understanding the mentality of your grey and other parrots I noticed a lot of new folks in the forum. That perhaps the stuff I did with my birdies might help them to much more fun and a better understanding with their birdies and less chomping from them too.

I am so frightened that people want to read what they want to see. You recalled in that report of the first free flight I did with Riamfada in Buwah, so many comments were made on duplicating what I have done. I got so frigthened for them that I had to make very strong rebuts even of the complimentary things they wrote of me. As much as I wrote, I could not have written on everything. Some factors I might have taken for granted and had not thought of writing on. And that can be so very important Some I know but cannot write on. How can I write of mental connection made with Tinkerbell or Riamfada? I alluded to that in the free flight hide & seek I did in my villa compound with Riam. Tinkerbell had done free flights with me too. But that was nearing the end of that glorious first chapter of our lives together. And I had too many unfinished reports of stuff that we did, and also, I was chronicling the last few days, and my heart was too broken then. I never felt free flight to be that important until folks make such a fuss on that. Everything done for the birdie MUST have the birdie as primary focus and MUST be for good of birdie. Free flight might give 0.1% of flight benefit to birdie (provided birdie allowed to fly freely at home and taken out on harness to fly (AND ALWAYS CARABINERED LEASH TO BELT OR BACKPACK - NEVER EVER HOLD LEASH BY HAND) With such little benefit to birdie, why do free flight? The risk are real so so high and a nightmare so horrendous that you just cannot ever imagine.

This was from another thread here on free flight. But I think what I wrote there should be in this thread as well especially as talk of free flights occur here as well. Be safe with your bird. 88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 shanlung: Chile // Riamfada free flights at the edge of Rub Al Khali If you have gone on into that URL above, then you would have read my dire warnings not to do what I have done. And you would have read the years that I aged and aged as Riamfada winged to a grey speck on the horizon and disappeared. Not once, not tiwce, but 3 times. Luckily she came back each time as if she was playing a huge joke on me. Also if you have followed my accounts, it was a series of tiny step by tiny step, with lots of observations followed by lots of deep thoughts. I thought about eagles and hawks, not just taking her in. From my earlier experiences with Tinkerbell and later with Riam, I knew her flight to be swift and evasive enough to survive. In above you can read of the fear I had that even with survival, she might be chased so far away that she might not have been able to know how return to me. I anguished over that in the next writing shanlung: Reflections on Riamfada at edge of the Empty Quarter and some rants . You might like to read that to see the measure that I adopted and if you take your parrot outdoors on harness, you might want to do what I have done in case Murphy comes knocking. I will be much more explict. FREE FLIGHT IS LIFE AND DEATH PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS YOURSELF UNLESS YOU DO KNOW. NEVER EVER FREE FLY WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE AS THIS CAN LEAD TO LOSS AND DEATH OF YOUR BIRD. I hope you do not mind my being hypocritical in doing what I warned all not to do. Unless you do have kitty and your kitty go for walk with you without leash up in mountains and the sea and will come to you through tidepools in the ocean when you called them like in the case of Dommie and me. shanlung: 9-11//Dommie final visit to ocean Ramadan 2010 & unsheduled Riamfada free flight//The Day Approaches Accept that I am different enough from most others to do what I have done, and I urge you all not to try to duplicate because you see those photos. Just like you will not do BASE jumping from edge of building and cliff because you see others do that. Or be a fire eater because you seen photos of that being done. A lot of knowledge and understanding is behind what I have done. I will be more explict as in another writing shanlung: Riamfada free flights in villa // And around neighbourhood I extract a portion below in italics from above that you and others might want to read. Riamfada free flights in villa more photos in flickr folder 'Riamfada free flights and around neighbourhood ' Riamfada free flights and around neighbourhood - a set on Flickr Please do not do what you see me do. FREE FLIGHT IS LIFE AND DEATH PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS YOURSELF UNLESS YOU DO KNOW. NEVER EVER FREE FLY WITHOUT THE KNOWLEDGE AS THIS CAN LEAD TO LOSS AND DEATH OF YOUR BIRD. I have been thinking. Of free flights with Riamfada. But the last few times when I thought of it, my dear wife screamed. She screamed and cried loud enough to frighten the wits out of me , or back into me , which ever way that you choose. A parrot truely need not do any freeflights. Allowing him/her to fly inside your home made safe for that will give 95% of all the benefits from flying. Allowing your parrot to fly in harness and leash, might add 4.9% more. But that being said, the sheer pleasure to you of taking your parrot outdoors with you and to fly cannot be imagined. If you have prepared yourself by first letting your parrot fly in semi free flight conditions (flying in big enclosed space eg gym or in big hall) , and then taking careful small steps outside in harness and short leash, that should be safe enough. Long distance harnessed flights should be after you and your parrot thoroughly trained together, flying your parrot in head winds, tail winds, cross winds, shifty wind conditions, from high to low, and low to high. Do not do free flights. That 0.1% benefit to your parrot is not worth the nightmare if things go wrong. You know Riamfada had been on deliberate free flights. Free flight is dangerous, extremely dangerous with any kind of parrot, and especially a grey. Free flight might add 0.1% to the benefits of flight to your parrot. But the adrenaline rush to you is immense. That comes from living dangerously, knowing Murphy might just turn up. I know with the coming departure, my mood might not be good. But I felt I could control that enough. I also thought back to Riamfada flights with me. She clearly shown she could think on her wings. The videos of her turning back to my wife when she could not first find me was heartening. And of her flying and turning back to the wall , and then heading to me was heartening as well. Pakistan again// more on mind & tofu // Dommie at Omer//kitties// Riamfada and 3 turns on dime shanlung: Pakistan again// more on mind & tofu // Dommie at Omer//kitties// Riamfada and 3 turns on dime Then that unscheduled free flight at the beach when that knot to that swivel joint unravelled and she did that glorious freeflight and returned to me had to be considered too. Her spooking got even more controlled in the villa, just a short flight away before returning to me. In the villa, Riamfada would so often fly to me uncalled, went back to her many perch to do her thing, and fly again to me. In all our walks in last couple of months, she never showed any desire to leave me. And if she decided on parroty jokes, how many more parroty jokes could she play on me. I decided I could accept her parroty jokes. And she knew our neighbourhood so well now from all the neighbourhood walks we had done. I decided to go on neighbourhood walks earlier today. I noticed the light faded too much by time we went out at 530pm. So today, we went out of the house at 5pm. Riam was harnessed and leashed as we went around the mulberry bush. Thoughts of free flight hit my mind. Hit it hard today 24 September. I decided my wife screamed too much. Before she opened her mouth to scream, I premptively told her to shut up. Got her to hold the rod/reel. I then took the leash off Riamfada's harness. I saw from corner of my eye my wife opened her mouth, as to scream. I told her screaming might well spook Riam, and to my satisfaction, saw her closing her mouth Warmest regards Shanlung 山 龍 http://www.geocities.com/shanlung9/

I cringed so many times. I tried talking in my innocence at the beginning. I now walk away and draw mental blinkers and focused on reaching out to those that can be reached. And accept that there are people who never will be reached. Sadly, its always the birdie that will pay the price.

Harness for flighted parrots - To Nick and folks Harry Potter // Rustaq // You start by reading this first. Tinkerbell Legacy - - Rant 03 (a flighted parrot mentality) & Understanding the mind of your grey Everything else is of superfluos and much lesser importance. Warmest regards Shanlung 山龍 http://www.geocities.com/shanlung9

Morana, Go directly to Pakistan//mind of parrot//Tinkerbell Mash Batch 9//Riamfada pulling up cup//Villa walkabout http://shanlung.livejournal.com/119016.html If your freezer is small, I suggest you do a quarter portion, using a quarter of everything. Even if you do not get all the ingredients, go on ahead with all the beans and cereals that you can get in your country. The mash that you make will still be much better than the commercial pellets, any commercial pellets. Riamfada is now with the Jabri family and that whole family from grandmother to Jabri and wife to daughters and baby all in love with her. She flown to all of them and nice to all and especially nice to Mrs Jabri and Aseeyah. I made many visits to the Jabri family to ensure the transition to them will be good and they in turn, came often to my place as well. Read Riamfada around neighbourhood // Mrs Jabri harnessing Riamfada // Riamfada as perch maker http://shanlung.livejournal.com/120555.html The final handling over and goodbye here. Riamfada freeflight hide&seek // When I am with her, am I with her? // Handing over sequence http://shanlung.livejournal.com/121091.html Riamfada last few neighbourhood walks //Riamfada at home on perches// Dommie last neighbourhood walk http://shanlung.livejournal.com/121502.html Paw prints in the sand http://shanlung.livejournal.com/121818.html Final handover http://shanlung.livejournal.com/122016.html

Relax and enjoy your grey. Do check bottle type water dispenser regularly as the tube can be choke up over time. Press that ball to test if water will run. Water in water bowl is fine. A grey is so smart you will not believe it even later when you see and know for yourself how clever he can me. You will see him drinking soon enough. Think of giving him the best food ever that you can feed to a grey. The best food by far for your parrot will be Tinkerbell mash, a food that you make with love and care for your parrot. No additives or shelf life extenders in it. Morning with Harry & the decision// Sultan of Oman Palace// Tinkerbell Mash Batch 7 http://shanlung.livejournal.com/109957.html Warmest regards Shanlung 山 龍 http://www.geocities.com/shanlung9/