Wingy

I leave the radio on to reduce stress. I read somewhere that the silence can put our parrots on alert because in the wild when it goes quiet something is wrong. I have noticed that if I leave the room to take a nap Jake is perfectly silent and if I don't return he will start to call out for me and get agitated. If the radio is on he chatters away while I nap.

Jake likes metal or plastic toys and things that he can take apart or shred.

I had a 12 year old amazon that came into my home. He was mostly a closet talker. One morning I heard very loud and very clear bedroom noises complete with a squeaky bed spring coming from the dining room. Thank goodness he mainly vocalized when he thought no one was home. I would have had a difficult time explaining that to young children. I was told he knew several curse words but I only heard him use the F bomb once. He told the little birds to shut the f up. I ran to the bathroom so the Amazon wouldn't hear me laughing.

I get a lot of toys from Two Bird Lovers http://www.twobirdlovers.com/ and Naturesbirdperchantoys http://www.naturesbirdperchantoys.com/ I try and stock up at bird fairs but sometimes order toy parts off of Amazon.

I leave the radio on for Jake when I am not home and oftentimes when I am. I leave it on the soft rock station.

Ah yes substitute a sound that really can't be loud and grating. How about this....

Having the grandbirdie here for a week cured me of MBS. I do not have enough time or energy for 2 demanding birds. I felt like I was short changing them both and I was exhausted. Both Jake and the grandbirdie are onlies and are used to getting all the attention and to a degree are spoiled because they don't have to share resources or personal time.

Chances are the phrase "harm themselves" is not what you think. They need to be able to get around, eat, play, and be comfortable in it. If they get a toe stuck while trying to pull it off, or can't maneuver around playing like they normally do that would be dangerous hence the harming themselves.

Your story had me in tears and left me with a stitch in my side. Thank you for sharing it.

I tried swapping Jakes water and food bowls. I came home to find birdie soup in the water bowl. I don't know how long it took him but he moved almost everything from the food bowl to the water bowl because I obviously made a mistake lol. I found a good half inch of seed, Rowdybush pellets, dried pasta, and dehydrated vegies at the bottom of the water bowl. There was almost none on the bottom of the cage which leads me to believe that he did it patiently one beakful at a time. I am going to try moving the food bowl across the long side of the cage from the water bowl one day next week to see if he does that again.

How about hanging a net or very thin sheer around Koko's area so that Paco cannot get to it easily.

That perch might be stuck in place by poop or food bits. Try getting the sides around the screws and cage bars wet with warm water and letting it sit to soften up any "natural glue". Unscrew the wing nuts on each side and reach your hand in and pull on one side nearest the cage bars lifting up toward the cage top. You might need to put a bit of muscle in it. When it gives the other side might fall down and land with a thud so place a newspaper section or towel on the bottom so it doesn't land with a BANG!. Once you get it out you can clean the cage bars and perch. To put it back in tilt one side high, align each side and slowly bring it level. It sounds like it will be tight so you might be able to let go to place the wing nuts back on.

Covered or uncovered at bed time. Use of a night light. When is wake up, nap and bed times. What kind of music does he/she like. What household sounds frighten or stress the bird. How much cage time and out of cage time each day. Does the bird eat fresh/cooked food from fingers, plate, crock or food bowl. Does the bird eat with the family in cage or out. How does the bird come out of its cage and where does it usually go. What is the routine.

It is nice to see TAGS gaining some popularity. I think they are wonderful but I am a bit bias.

Was that a growl or should Misty say excuse me?