Richardsmommy

hveusnthbrige wrote: "Pinky, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" "Yes, Brain! Paper plates ARE too flimsy to wash!" "No Pinky. I'm thinking Tomorrow were going to TAKE OVER the WORLD!"

FairY wrote: Oh...like "here, Kitty, kitty, kitty"? I call Richard a Shoulder Rat sometimes. Yesterday he said, "come here, you Shoulder Rat!" LOL!

danmcq wrote: I was calling you a turkey. Get your facts right! [Grin] FairY wrote: I enjoy listening to other people's opinions and tastes. As long as we aren't trying to change anyone's opinion and/or take it personal that someone doesn't agree, we could have some pretty decent conversations. But it takes a lot of maturity to pull that off. (and, no, I'm not calling anyone immature)

Thank you Judygram. It takes me forever to get around to these threads. LOL!

Can I ask a favor for everone in here? Before you get your feathers ruffled over a post, please take time to slowly read the post a second time and perhaps take into consideration the poster's overall personality, if necessary. I've seen a LOT of threads (not in here, but in other forums I've joined in the past) go haywire because someone misunderstood something in the post, misunderstood what whould have been voice fluctuations if spoken, misunderstood the meaning, or even the poster himself. So MANY times a heated fight could have been avoided if the reactor had slowly read the post, but by then, his comments were added, then others, etc. I'm always amazed how many subsequent posts are needed to clear it all up, but by then, the damage is done. I'm even afraid to post THIS post, because I'm afraid it's going to be misunderstood. LOL!

HEY! DON'T KNOCK THE NAME 'FLUFFY'! That's what we named our turtle. I've named all our pets and they were all animaly type names like Butterscotch, Hickory (named after where we got him), Patches, etc. I'd always liked the idea of naming a pet with a human name, and since I'm not going to have any more children, my bird got my dad's name.<br><br>Post edited by: Richardsmommy, at: 2007/07/06 01:33

By the way, I love the name "Skittles" for a colorful parrot. If I had one of those colorful parrots, that's what I think I'd name him...that or "rainbow".

I hear the name "Charley" so many times given to parots. My mother even named her CAG "Charley". Any ideas why that name is so popular? Anyway, I named Richard after my father. If it'd turned out that Richard was a girl, I would have kept the name, anyway since he's learned to articulate it so well and sys it all the time. So, why did you name your bird what you named him/her?

I'm sorry to hear what you went through, Lydia. I've lost so many parakeets that my husband decided it would be better to get one for me that would live longer. I don't handle the losses very well. I have a pomeranian who's life span is 13 years and he's there right now. He's very healthy for his age, but I keep bracing myself and watching for the slightest ailment. As for the CAG vs TAG, I had a choice to get one or the other. I was told that the CAG was smarter and lived longer, but the TAG was more affectionate and bonded to more than one person (the CAG was a one-human bird, from what I was told). I paid extra for the CAG, and don't regret it for a minute. They were wrong about one thing (at least)...Richard is VERY affectionate.

I don't know what causes the 2x posting. I'm thinking by backspacing to get back to the forum. Sorry 'bout that.<br><br>Post edited by: Richardsmommy, at: 2007/07/05 20:26

I tried the syringe, but the needle kept poking his throat. Just kidding.

Hi, Lidia...Our posts crossed in the mail. I think it's very cute. He usually does this when he's in a very playful mood.

Why not encourage it? I mean, I don't cheer him on. You know what I mean. But, what harm can it do if he continues it? I didn't know it had to do with feeding. I thought he was just playing, but hoping it wasn't a male-instinct thing, if you know what I mean. I wouldn't say he's a baby...he's a little over a year old. I guess you could call him a baby, seeing he has the same lifespan as us.

Ever since Richard has become comfortable with me the first week he was home, he does a strange thing, and I was wondering if anyone else experiences it: He takes two of my fingers in his beak and bobs his head violently up and down. Sometimes he does it so much his wings start flapping. Anyone else experience this with their bird?

If this were Richard's problem, I'd walk out of the room and ignore him every time he picked up the toothpick, making a big deal of it..."Good-bye, Richard!" But then play with him when he's not holding a toothpick. It worked for my kids when they cried, anyway (it wasn't as barbaric as it sounds...you'd have to be there). I'd try giving him paper, since it also comes from trees. Maybe try rolling them up to look like toothpicks. These are just suggestions, but I have to say it sounded a lot worse until I saw it on video. It looks like he's chewing them up into itsy bitsy teeny pieces, unlike the large jabbing pieces I was visualizing. I would think the wood would soften up and disolve in his tummy and he'd pass it on through. Have you tried soaking the toothpicks before offering them to him so they would be softer when he ingested them?

Richard strikes at everyone in our family except me. Problem is, hubby and the two kids are at work all day, so they don't see him much. I try to encourage them to try to pet him every chance they can get, but it's not very often. In Richard's case, I think he gets jealous because he has me all day and then when they get home, they get my attention and Richard has to share. So, I don't think he strikes out because he's mad at them, he's jealous that they are the reason he doesn't get my attention at night. Usually when I'm on the computer, he waits for me to reach for the mouse and climbs up my arm to my shoulder and starts pulling my hair and biting my ears. I think this is another example of jealousy-driven aggression. He's not doing it right now, but about 15 minutes ago he climbed on my lap and I began snuggling with him without even realizing it. He loves being petted and loves snuggling. If he doesn't get it when he wants it, he gets mad.

Sorry about dragging an old thread back to the top, but what about yogurt? Is there a list somewhere that we can review so I don't have to keep asking these questions?

Sorry about dragging an old thread back to the top, but what about yogurt? Is there a list somewhere that we can review so I don't have to keep asking these questions?

I forgot about this post. Thank you for your input. I'm glad I asked, first.

Can CAGs eat mushrooms? I mean, I know they CAN, but is it safe for them seeing that mushrooms are fungusses...or "fungi", for the intellectually annoyed? And while we're on the subject, what about grapefruit? I was eating grapefruit today and strangely, Richard went nuts. He just HAD to have some and it had never occured to me in the past to give him any due to its high acidic content. But I gave him some against my better judgment and he loved it. You know how their pupils open and close when they eat things they love? Richard was doing that and now I regret giving him any because I feel like I'm depriving him when I don't share.

Thanks for the feedback. I've definately seen a lot better pics, so I just stuck it up there for a little laugh. I think he was chewing his nails when I took it but to me it looks like he's telling me a secret. It was a tossup between the caption above and "Pssst! Under all these feathers, I'm naked!"

Here's my submission (so far)

Caspersmum, can you show us a picture of Casper's clip?

Caspersmum, can you show us a picture of Casper's clip?

Hi, Bronxboomer My eighteen month-old son only rides his two-wheeler when I'm not watching him. Just giving you an idea of what you sound like to me (and I don't have an 18 month old son). 4 months is pretty early to be talking, so if your bird is saying ANYTHING-alone or among company-that's a real bonus. Richard is chatting up a storm now, and he just turned one year old in May. We got him in January and I feel we got a little "ripped off" because we missed so many precious baby months with him. But, he's definately made up for it by talking, laughing, whistling, barking, growling... As for the CDs, my father did the same thing. He purchased some CDs that were made specifically for birds... and then he gave me one. I love him to death for thinking of me, but I don't want Richard saying phrases I don't normally say...and in a voice that isn't mine. One statement is "I'm a wiiillld and crazzzy gal!" HOWEVER, it did give me the idea of making MY OWN CD recording of my voice and saying things I would say. I wrote down everything I wanted to record, first; and then I recorded it on my laptop using Goldwave, saved it in MP3 format and burned it to a disk. When we go out, I pop it in the DVD player. I also made recordings of Richard talking and whistling, and continue to record him every few weeks to keep up with his progress.