pikachu

Those are really cute pictures!

Okay, that made me laugh out loud!

Whenever Maui whistles/sings, I positively reinforce her and tell her that I love when she sings & that it is very pretty. Then, when she starts the loud smoke detector sound, I tell her that it is very loud and I ask her to sing something pretty. Believe it or not, it usually does the trick & she switches to the whistling. Of course, this wasn't an overnight thing. I have been reinforcing the good behavior since she came home.

Maggie/Jay - thanks for the advice. The rooms that will be painted are not rooms that the birds go in. Ever. But, I'm worried about the smell being in my house. I'm thinking about bringing the tiel to my mom's house & the CAG to my daughter's for a couple days. The weather is getting milder now. If I air the two rooms out, & bring the birds back after a couple days, do you think that would be okay?

After some construction, I need to repaint some walls. What is the safe way to do this? How long will the fumes linger & be dangerous? Will the danger be gone once the paint is dried? Can the birds be put down in the basement, away from the rooms being painted? Or will they need to leave the house totally? And, if so, for how long? I want to plan this out so that they stay safe. Thanks for any info you can give me!

There is a traveling avian vet who comes to my area. He holds a clinic where he does a routine exam under anesthesia as well as beak trimming, wings & nail clipping. When I first became a bird owner, I brought my cockatiel...until I started noticing that he didn't seem "right" after the procedures. It made me wonder if the anesthesia was affecting him neurologically. I brought my two other parrots once and then made the decision that it just wasn't right for us, based on the way that the cockatiel reacted. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying anything bad about this vet. I just don't want to take the risk anymore.

Jeff, I asked this same question a few months ago & didn't get very many responses. Maui started out like that - very robotic. She turned one in April. And talks very "human" now. She has different voices for all of us & I can usually tell the difference between them. I agree - she'll say things & I think that it doesn't sound like me, until I say it back & realize it is a dead ringer.

Yesterday she learned "It's okay!" Today it is, "You want some?" She'll practice her new phrase all day long.

Yesterday, all day, was "Go git it!" (yes, it was pronounced as 'git').

So, Judy, I want to be clear - you have an exterminator spray the outside of your house and it doesn't affect the birds? We usually do this every year, except this one because now we have birds. I've been afraid to have them come out. It smells.

Mine's been whistling the theme song all day.

She looks like a baby - is she? If so, give her time. She is just taking it all in; learning how to move around. My girl is one & she finally is brave enough to hang upside down & swing. She pulls her toys up to her when they are hanging from the perch. Give her time...she WILL destroy.

Dan, if you direct the mist upwards, like you are supposed to, and let it fall down on their head and not spray it in their face, how in the world can you get the spray on their belly/chest? I must be stoopid, because I can't figure this out. My girl seems so itchy on her chest. Yet, if i spray there, I will be spraying into her face. Help!

She's very pretty. I have heard that you can transition by combining her name with the new one & then gradually dropping the old one. Good luck!

Glad to hear it. I hope you are happy. They are good people.

I would also worry about some type of illness or injury that would not be responded to in a timely manner if she isn't in the company of someone.

Doug's a fibber!

I am so sorry for your loss. I can't even imagine. Please msg me your address as well.

They love their boings!

bumpin this up

The serving size will vary from bird to bird. Maui is almost a year old and will eat fresh food, but not a lot. I think that the amount that fits into an individual cell of an ice tray is a good amount to start with. That's probably a little more than a Tbsp? If you are talking about beans like navy beans, etc. that are hard and come in a bag, follow the directions. They must be cooked. Other beans (like grean beans) & peas can be given raw & in the pod. Maui loves pea pods. I'd be careful about giving canned peas. Too much sodium & preservatives. Check out a product called "Bean Cuisine". You boil it for a few minutes in water. It comes with different legumes & pasta, which the birds love. You can boil up a bunch & freeze it into portions in an ice cube tray. Then you can pull out individual portions & thaw to serve.

I use a 3:1 ratio, with the bulk being the fine. I think it keeps the pellets from becoming monotonous and helps exercise her beak when each bite is a different consistensy. The fine she goes through so fast & the coarse she wastes a lot when they are put in her bowl separately.

We tried unsuccessfully to switch our Tiel to Harrison's. Wouldn't touch one. We got samples of different pellets from our vet - I know the companies will send some out as well - and the Tiel immediately started eating Zupreem. I don't think one is better than another, just what the bird prefers.

Thanks Judy. She does "practice" flapping in her cage every day. I hope she'll be able to fly some time.

Like my kids, right?