murfchck

I had bird on head day yesterday. Not on shoulder, not on wrist, on my head and not just one bird! Three of them yesterday decided it would be much funner to be there than anywhere, Bongo, Gus and Chacho. Monkey see, monkey do. Which reminds me, Chacho needs his nails trimmed. I am afraid to wash my hair this morning with all the little puncture wounds.

Lol. Nope cuz he knows them already. Plus he gets extra attention when the others are eating their night time nuts, lol

A little back ground on these two. Mary Anne is the scarlet who was in a cage with Oliver and who is who picked him bald. Now Oliver, in return, picked her also but as bad since she actually has a head full of feathers and several that could come in on her body, she just picks them out. She is 14. https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ie7OzNtVD1I/VNeolAvnOSI/AAAAAAAABEs/ZwwJFfrEf3I/w326-h579-no/20150208_121640.jpg She is a mans bird and that did worry us, we have heard stories about how she chases feet and won't stay on a stand bites and is just mean. So far none of that. She let me get her out of the cage yesterday, I put her on the stand and other that falling off of it on accident and listening to me when I told her she needed to get back up, it wasn't floor time yet but that she would get it soon, and then letting me help her back up she has been great. She has let me touch every part of her and I even got to groom some of her tail feathers. She use to get her tail tapped or jerked on so her letting me touch her tail was exciting. Marley is the military, I met her when she was just a baby who was starving because the owner had no idea how to feed. She was eventually taken to a breeder to finish the weaning. She has never learned to step up, because I was told she didn't want to force her to do something she didn't want to do. OR maybe she was scared of Marley and since she didn't spend time with her anyway, just never taught her. Marley though is smart as crap at 1 year old. In just a few simple training moments, she will come to me and hit a target. She refused to go back in her cage but last night on our 3rd target training, I had her coming down to the door perch so I could close it and she could eat. Awesome. She does have a few weird ticks, first one is that she hangs from a toe on top of the cage, even to sleep. The second one is she opens her beak very wide, sticks out her tongue and licks your fingers. Not sure at all what that is. lol https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3ewYJRAws_0/VNgVLgOvLYI/AAAAAAAABFk/R8zmX8A5e8k/w326-h579-no/20150208_170550.jpg These two did not come from a happy home, lots of yelling and the f work is used in almost every sentence. Just bringing them to our house, they wore large welding gloves if that paints a picture of the fear they had of them. It is a big shock to them to get to be out with everyone and hear laughing. We joke because its like the Kevin Bacon, 7 degrees. Almost half of our birds have crossed paths somewhere in their past. I should say, Marley's name is actually Harley but I tend to say my Harley and it comes out Marley and since we are not fans of the name Harley for her, it seemed natural to just go with it. lol Mary Anne's name was Mary Anne before she moved in with the neighbor, but since it was her husbands old girlfriends name, they called her Little Girl. She is now Mary Anne again and responds to with much more ease than little girl. She use to say Mary Anne but I have not heard it in years, I hope it comes back to her.

I am actually pretty darn lucky that hubby helps a lot! We have a pretty natural system for the cleaning and bowl changes and also the play time for each. Not sure how we came up with it but i am happy we did! Lol

LOL, human space is getting smaller and smaller. Hubs and I are having an on going battle about the couch in the living room. I refuse to get rid of it for more bird cage space. It isn't that anyone sits in it except the dogs, but I will not give it up. It is my last piece of furniture that says, yeah, okay people do live here. There is a couch in the living room and a small and also unused table in the kitchen. lol We took out a wall between the two spare rooms and made one room our bedroom and the other is our living/dining room. We have a two year plan now to move to the country, maybe have a little elbow room!

10...12...15 Our Dearest Babies, I am so sorry that you didn't get the time outside that we promised you yesterday. Yesterday was a whirlwind and I am sorry that you were up so late because of us. Yes, two more macaws moved in. We thought it would be okay since it looked like the other 5 we told you about were not coming, so when the call came about these 2, we said okay. Right after the cages were set up and Harley (military) and MaryAnne (scarlet) moved in we got the call. 3 more need to move in asap. Daddy and I walked around in a haze and honestly a little fear trying to figure everything out. Today we will have our heads on and things will get back to normal! I love, Lisa

If a baby is the direction you want to go then here is something to think about also, most good breeders have waiting lists. So when you do decide your ready, 9 out of 10 times, you will have to wait months. A local person would be Wendy Craig, would trust her completely! (wendysparrots.com)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-r-h0jQB6_dQ/VNQGG5wyYTI/AAAAAAAAA8k/4UfpoHtNGOI/w326-h579-no/20150205_180655.jpg https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-3XBX4_njF1A/VNQGd-5R3WI/AAAAAAAAA88/y5-P8Vc1KfE/w326-h579-no/20150205_180817.jpg The first picture is the pepper one with the hummus, broccoli, kale and nuts, the second is of the mixture with wacky mac. (yeah, it doesn't look pretty but they really liked it a lot)

Oliver has had seizures and the vomit came right after then he zoned out for an hour or so. We have had 2 dogs that had epilepsy and they would do the same. Why do you say definitely not a seizure? Sorry, missed that next page. Got what you said now.

You can use decaf. They are ideas to build from! I love the tea ideas!

The pepper one or the noodle one? I can show the pepper one, they ate all of the noodle one. Lol

My first thought was allergies. Olivers nose gets really red with card board, paper is okay though.

LOL, I did not steal GreycieMae's sister, boy i wanted to though! Such a cute little butt she had! Lol I know of a few greys in sanctuaries, but no babies are around from any breeders that i am aware of. Check out Wings of Love Bird Haven. De is the founder and is awesome with the birds. I think she has some greys and is located in RedOak, not to far.

We tried the sweet pepper one a few days ago also, with the black bean hummus mixture. When we found the peppers on the floor we realized that they were not as much of a hit as we thought except with Oliver, but the mix sure was, so I ended up mixing it with the wacky mac shapes last night and the flock was quiet for a whole 30 minutes just eating away! https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-bGRX63ijbb8/VNFnugXnl9I/AAAAAAAAA6E/Ulv8RrxeE6A/w326-h579-no/20150203_182623.jpg It is a mixture of black bean hummus, broccoli, kale, baked sweet potato and walnuts all chopped and mixed to a peanut better consistency. You then cut the top off of a sweet pepper and stuff the mixture in it leaving the seeds in, replace the top on the pepper stem side into it (keeps the top on). Since they didn't eat it that way, the next day I cut it in slices for them, some ate it that way but most didn't. That is when I decided to mix it with their wacky mac and they loved it!

Welcome to you and Isaac! You will find many stories here so you have come to the right place. With all of us here, there isn't much we have not heard, seen or gone through personally.

We still don't know how it happened, I plan on asking a kid next time I see one! lol If anyone will know, it will be a kid.

I found this on the Felix Facebook and it was a hit last night with all the birds. It was kinda fun making them too! Pasghetti Worms Delights! . Because eating should be ridiculously fun! You can save this in a bowl in the frig for a week of silly. You'll need: Veggie Spaghetti Pasta Veggie Penne Pasta *optional: Sesame Seeds, Flax Seeds, or Hemp Seeds BEFORE cooking pasta el dante, break spaghetti pasta sticks in half, thread penne pasta pieces with enough pasta sticks so the penne is full. Kinda tricky not to break the spaghetti, but you want the penne to be as full of spaghetti sticks as possible. Bring water to boil with a little Olive Oil to keep things from sticking while cooking. Carefully lower Pasghetti Worm Delights you built into the water with a pasta fork or other tool. You don't want the spaghetti to fall out. Drain, rinse then roll in seeds of choice (optional) Let cool and serve your Pasghetti Worm Delights.

Has something to do with Goggle +photo backup, so far that is as far as we have gotten on this mystery.

Last night I went to plug my phone in for its nightly charge and there was a notification there was a new video ready to share. I had taken a few videos of Chacho and Koko that day so I opened it up to watch them. It had taken snippets of a few of the videos and put it together, also took some pictures I had taken and put them in it. I have no clue how this happened and hubby and I looked through every app so we could make some like that ourselves but couldn't find anything. It is pretty cute though so here it what my phone made for me all on its own: https://plus.google.com/photos/114465133822281657696/albums/6110348644407588961?authkey=CKi185_R_PuR2gE

That is a tough question for many reasons. 1- It would all depend on the type of aviary you build. I do not leave mine out 24-7 and rule of thumb for us is 65 degree is okay with the sun out and no heavy winds, but a Texas 65 would be a different 65 in the UK. Would Ruby be protected from the predators, could they dig under and get to her, would you be putting in a stone or concrete footing? Would there be an area she could go to to get out of winds and rain? 2- Other birds, each bird is different where they may or may not tolerate another bird in their territory. I have 1 grey who hates anyone near her so when outside she has to be in a cage by herself, she just doesn't play well with others. Then I have another who use to be best friends with a macaw but that has ended. He isn't an active grey, he finds a place and will stay there so if no one messes with him the other greys are okay together. Now though, there is a recently arrived fourth grey in the picture who is pretty active, she has not been outside yet since it has been cold here so we don't know yet if she will be able to be with the flock, it is trial and error but always be ready to separate them if the need arises.

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-3eOnE2tqD0Y/VMQBgFX_FHI/AAAAAAAAA0Y/Pvt3Q18XhSg/w326-h579-no/20150124_130926.jpg This was last Saturday, these two are growing up quick! There were also 3 more eggs found the night before, Blue Throats. lol These were not expected but what else is there to do when the weather is cold in Texas?? lol

Chacho purrs. I tried to get him out to the living room yesterday, first sight of Pat and he tried to fly to get him and eat him. I had his foot so he ended up doing a summersault. After he bit my finger slightly (yeah) and uprighted himself, I got the kissy noises and a purr. He was so happy and proud.

Phone books work for almost every bird here and the beloved bells. I am going to try the Felix one of a toilet paper roll stuffed with paper, just waiting to get 10 rolls. (funny that you can go through toilet paper so fast, but when you want to finish it, it become the endless roll) With Bongos plucking, we were told to offer him coconut shell and fiber, we also found that he loves sisal rope. I got a cheap coconut toy at Petsmart years ago, I put it in his cage and he loves it, preens that a lot.

There are 5. I had to take a friend to work yesterday morning and knew we would be a little late getting there to his house so I asked Pat to call and let him know. He said his neighbor was taking him to lunch at noon. he hoped we would make it. About 30 minutes later he cancelled saying he didn't want to go out and we shouldn't come. He is mad at us, I think. Last night Chacho had a big episode, he was screaming his amazon scream which we have not heard before. Hanging on the side of the cage and even letting Pat touch him. When he started coming out of it he just kept repeating, "Are you okay?" this went on for close to an hour. He wouldn't let me hold him then he took off and did a few flights around the room before he crashed hard into the wall. Our first thought was that something happened to him and Chacho is just so in tune that this was his reaction. We tried calling him and his neighbor but still have not heard back. How the mind wanders. Oh well, we really can't help those who refuse it so onward we go.

Hi my darling babies, Oh has this been a rough few weeks with emotions around here and you all have held up just great. I am sure if I didn't have all of you to come home to, I would have run away. Each of you should know that I love you and that you are my life and main priority! Our friend has been told he needs 24 hr care, a social worker came by and tried to get him to sign Medicaid paperwork so "they" could take care of him, thank God he refused to sign anything. But now they said they are going to turn it over to the county. They want him to get rid of everything he owns and that is dear to him, give them all his money and they will give him $60 a month to live on. They are even telling him that they will have someone come take his birds away and he really is only still with us because of his birds. We don't know what we can do to help him, but we are sure going to try. I feel like the worlds biggest ass, he asked if he could live with us and we had to say no. There just isn't enough room at our house and I wouldn't know how to care for him down the road. We will get this figured out guys, just hang tight a little more for me! Bongo, you just crack me up. The little guy who is staying with us, Banda, his mommy is coming home today to pick him up. You can stop stressing and pulling your feathers out. You are still my boy! Every time I even look in his direction, you get so stressed. When she dropped him off and he ran to me you saw that and after finally getting all your feathers back from Chacho moving in, you had 5 feathers out before he was here an hour. Gesh buddy, we are just babysitting. Chacho butt! I am sorry we had to chain up your cage last night but you are to smart (and dumb) for your own good. You opened the cage door that had not one but two locks on it and got on top of Bubbas cage. He was trying to eat your toes silly, not teaching you how to play hopscotch. You can fly, why didn't you? And then to run from me. Daddy was so sad that he had to come in there and let you attack his arm just to get your focus off Bubba. Bubba and Ollie, Of my dears. Oliver really, please stop pushing Bubba off the stand, that is a hard fall and you know that, play nice. Bubba, stop letting him pick on you! lol Gabby, I know you like to play in the cubby hole under the cabinet but when I need to get something out from the cabinet, please stop biting mommy's tummy. I always thought it was weird that my washer was putting holes in my shirts in just about the same places. You sneaky devil, when you made contact with skin last night and I smacked my head into the cabinet door, I looked down to see that the holes were coming from you! On the bright side, I can stop trying to figure a new washer into our budget! Cotay, I have nothing for you. You tolerate me and use me as your taxi and cook and maid. I love you anyway! I am glad you have found your own personal space though when you are out and I promise to keep it clean for you! Ixta, you love your daddy so much. Please stop screaming that very high pitched chirp though when you see him in the mornings. You wake everyone up! My Too's. You all have been so good with our house guest, I will make you something special for dinner to show you how much I love you! Banda, aka Layla. You are just the cutest thing we have ever met and I am glad we got to meet you and that you could stay with us. If daddy had his way, you would be here forever! As it is Pat has told your mom that the pictures we send her are not of you, but of a girl goffin named Layla. Sorry that that name has kinda stuck and that we are calling you that now. :-) If Pat had his way you would be on his shoulder all the time, and you didn't suicide jump once, good job! You fit in so well here that you are welcome back anytime! I know Pat loves the heck out of you, I have never seen him take so many selfies with you in his life! He doesn't keep pictures on his phone, he always delets them but I swear there are close to 20 pictures of the two of you on there right now. You will be missed! Okay guys, off to start the day! I love! Lisa