murfchck

Oh the suffering, night after night now. Ice cream and rootbeer, not... sure... i can... drink... one... more.. Eh, who am i kidding, bring em on! I was pleasantly surprised today to get a call from our vet. I had to reschedule Bubbas appointment to next Monday and all he knew was that Bubba didn't come in today. It is refreshing to know that he thinks beyond an appointment. Bubba is doing great though and i can't wait to ask him when he had time to put a voice box in Bubba. Today instead of barking, he actually said arf arf, not the sound, just said arf! Since last Wednesday, i have been working full time, just thru this week so the owner could take a vacation. It is killing me being away from the kiddos like this! I am in bed with my 7 yr old puppy trying to figure out how to bring them all in here with us to cuddle. I feel guilty, like i am not spending enough time with them. Bongo wouldn't come out of his cage tonight for over an hour.

His weight yesterday was 812. That is only 3 grams less than it was Sept. 2, about one week after this all began. He seems to be feeling okay, still strains when he poops but nothing like he use to. He was supposed to go back to the vet today but we have to wait till next Monday. He is really talking up a storm lately. It was major clean cages day yesterday so while the vaccuum was on he was yelling "help, ouch". That got hubby running to him only to have him say "pretty bird, hello" when he got to him! It is so funny to have him just talking all the time now. When i put them to bed last night he said "bye" 4 times to me. Gotta work on getting him to say good night cuz i don't like hearing bye at night! We got our books Friday, Parrot Problem Solver, and Clicker Training as suggested. It rained all weekend here so we got to read them. Hubby wanted to start the problem one so i read the clicker book. Great book, gave so many suggestions that really seem like they will help us out. What is sticking out most right now is the hint on stick training your bird, since he was on a stick when i got one of my bad bites from him. It said to use a 2 liter soda bottle and cut off the bottom and slip it on the stick, like a fencing sword, to protect your hand. Thats a winning idea to me so off I went and got ice cream and rootbeer to make floats so i would have a bottle! Lol oh what we do for our birds!

We really are trying. Lol A friend was over yesterday and brought Budweiser beer in a can shaped like a bottle. Gabby was not leaving this guy alone. She knew what she wanted and wasn't going to give up, so I took his empty can and rinsed it out really good and gave it to her in hopes she would leave his alone, it worked, she just wanted the can. Too bad the noise level from her smacking it against the table caused us to have to change rooms! This poor guy wants to be friends with our birds so bad and really, they see him as a chicken bone! He is afraid of them and they know it. We did put Bongo on his arm and let him put him back on his stand, to build some trust no matter how small. It worked, he was able to pick him up after that on his own. I would only trust Bongo with him as Bongo is way more relaxed and laid back. His bites, few as they are are just pressure bites, he isn't out for blood as the others are. He gives your hand a push if he doesn't want to do something and we will leave him alone and not force anything, he usually will give his contact call as we are turning away and then he is ready. It is like he is testing us, i assume we pass!

I love that! It says it all!

Yup, and i am a clutz! I gotta tell you guys about Oliver. I have not been talking much about him because Bubba issues came up but tonight he got so excited about his dinner, he leapt from his stand to my arm for it! His weight keeps going up each week too! He is now almost 1000 grams! PDD my butt! Now we gotta get Bubba back up, his last weigh in was 830. He is a smaller macaw, but thats a big loss since his butt issue started up.

Great, Bubba is on the mend now i have noticed something that could become an issue with Gabby. She has that bum leg, today however when i went to pick her up from her cage, i noticed her good leg looked funny. She was limp toed in the front tootsies. I had her step back up onto her door and restep up onto my hand and it seemed okay then. Gesh, really? Will my kiddos ever catch a break??? She seemed just fine after that, good enough in fact, to chew my antique victrola record cases ( that were originals ) into little bitty spit balls! Hubby had a little panic saying he couldn't find her, i laughed and looked over to my collection and said, well, thank heavens we were not counting on any money those could have brought in! My fault, she had already gotten one and i didn't move them. Having a busy bird like her is sooooo new to us! All the boys are quiet and just hang out and play with what they have, she is into everything! I actually love it and wish Bongo had half her energy. But that energy can be used one bird at a time!

Oh yeah, all the fids will be getting harnesses when we go the the bird show on the 20th! ( our first one in over 20 yrs, i am so excited ) The run that bubba and i do is from their aviary to the door or from his stand to their bedroom! ( with a wide berth from point a to point b! Lol but yes, we are very watchful! )

Hey Nancy! We told Gabby she shouldn't be on our shoulder, she agreed! Lol, i am just kidding, she took a flight tonight and thats where she landed! I thought it was cute! She is doing great with me, things are moving along at a good pace. Tonight she let me give her skritches without a puff up so baby steps for us both!

You said it Judygram and Timbersmom! I have a 20yr old and one almost 6 yr old grey, both rehomed so i have to trust what i was told. I also have 5 and 7 yr old macaws!

I spoke with his previous owner yesterday. She sent me a list of words they say he says. Thank heavens he has only said the good ones. Wow, if he really says these things... She said he got it from HBO but i am not to sure about that,lol. I went outside with him yesterday and he was so excited. We do this thing where i hold him up and he spreads his wings and tries to flap while i walk fast or trot. I really think if he lets his wing feathers grow he could catch some wind! He can't fly because of the joint thing but if he keeps practicing he may go a little distance with a smoother landing. I was trying to bring him back inside and when i would get near the door, he would open his wings up where we didn't fit thru! Lil stinker, i loved it!

Congrats! Now the fun begins! Relax and enjoy!

Lol, yes she is a smartie pants! Regaurding the bites she has given me, she has not even been on my arm when it happens. The lip bite, Pat was holding her, the arm bite was when we first got her and didn't know the extent of the "fondness" she has for cell phones! Her getting my earring was my fault as i am not use to have a bird on my shoulder. She didn't even pull at it, i just didn't want it to become a game to her. She also gets the shoulder status with her leg being the way it is, she has no grip on the wrist, maybe in the winter when we wear long sleeves for her to grab onto but until then, she is good on the shoulder. I found a teething mobile telephone today at Walgreens for her. It is wrapped in that rubber stuff for teething babies and has one button that makes noises but looks like a phone, she loves loves loves it and so do i since i don't have to worry about her pulling little plastic buttons off now! I got to give her head a tickle tonight, yeah! Here Pat can flip her around and over like a rag doll and she runs back to him saying do it again, and i get excited when she lets me just touch her! Even when she flies to me, i don't get to touch! She does step up for me, but big whip i wanna give her skritches darn it! Lol

Yuup, thats seems about right!

I have no doubt that Burt will over come this, after all he has you guiding him! It is sad to hear things birds bring with them. Bubba has started saying Shut up, which is something we do not say here, hush maybe, but i think how many times did he hear that said to be able to repeat it so clearly. We are luck, knock on wood, they said he knows cuss words but we have not heard that. I mean, i am no angel but i am 44 and he is seven, if i go before him, i wouldn't want anyone hearing that! I live by the "never say anything in front of your parrot that you wouldn't mind your neighbors knowing" rule!

I took my extra pumpkin to the scarlett macaw across the street. She shredded it but didn't eat a bite! She loved ripping it to pieces!

Gabby here, you all are not going to believe what happened to me tonight! Mom was on the phone while she was making our dinner so i just flew to her and got on her shoulder. Then it happened, i spotted her shiny earring. I just wanted to play with it but she kinda yelled to daddy to come help her. He came and got me but then big mouth Bubba started yelling, "what happened?" After daddy told him what i had done he started yelling at me! Long run on sentences, i can't repeat what he was saying cuz it was in our parrot language but man did he give me the what for! I DIDN'T DO NOTHING!!

Only Gabby is allowed on our shoulder, her decision to be there, not ours. Lol. And she only gets on mine when i am in the kitchen putting their bowls together. Her and Pat totally have the trust thing down. It is really very funny to see them when he tries to get her off his shoulder to walk out side. She throws herself backwards everytime, to that spot that is unreachable. To see her hanging upside down on her back on his back with him trying everything to get her until he finally stretches his shirt to get her within reach. I shouldn't laugh, but i do and hope she keeps on doing it, cuz it gets Pat laughing too and then Bongo then Bubba.

Okay, we gave it a shot. Gabby loved it, Bongo was scared to death of it and the macaws were more interested in what was under Olivers wing! It was still alot of fun though! I put the tops back on them and Gabby kept flying to it taking the top off, getting a few more nibbles and then flying back to the couch to wipe her beak off, good times! Lol

I am so sorry that happened. Please do not blame yourself, 2 of our guys can get out of their cages too, they are just to smart and very brave.

I had him today on my hand and we went for a trot around the room making our weird motor boat sounds as he pretends to fly, so all is good with us. Gabby flew to my shoulder tonight and i had to get Pat to come remove her from my earring in my ear. When he did, Bubba started yelling loudly, "What happened? " It was really funny, i was on the phone and the person i was talking to was laughing so hard. Bubba kept asking so Pat is explaining to him what Gabby did and after the second explanation Bubba just started yelling something we couldn't understand but he was sure scolding Gabby in full sentences. The woman on the phone could only say my, my, my.

The step up perch is how he got my thumb the first time. He stepped right up then ran right down it and grabbed hold. I will get over it, the fear that is. Hubby asked why he doesn't get bit like i do, it is simple, i handle him more than he does. Odds are i would have more wounds. Then his little girl, Gabby, bit him about an hour later. She has bit me twice that has really hurt, him about 10 times easy because he handles her much more than i do. He then understood the answer to his question, why?! Lol Her little grey bites are more painful than Bubbas, she has a thick needle for a beak, each time she has pierced my skin i get a knot under my skin. Bubba just bites and he could do way more damage than he ever has but actually can control himself some. I mean he could have removed my thumb both times but he hasn't even broken a bone in there. I feel these have been just a warning bite, which i heed! I found a huge double macaw cage on CL we are going to go look at today. I am not sure about it bc these two get aggressive when they are together. It is divided but still... Eh, we'll see i guess. Lol

To be honest, i stressed alot when we first homed our nudist, Oliver. Now, i couldn't picture him with feathers! Being bald is who he is. It isn't medical, it could have been in the begining but he also was plucked by another bird. His folicals are damaged now so nothing much will ever grow on his belly, legs or top of his wings. His back does get little pin feathers but he pulls them out as soon as he can.

I think Gabby would pick it up then teach the others, then our home could become a movie called Parrot Wars! Lol I never noticed how many cop shows i watch like Criminal Minds, Cold Case and Bones until Bongo started doing their police sirens. Yikes! Add that to the girl scream that Bubba taught him and now my house is like another tv show, Criminal Parrots! I gotta say this morning when i got Bubba out to bring him to his stand i was scared to death. I tried to play it cool but by the time we got to his stand my entire body was shaking and there was heat flush from head to toe. But i did it! I am thinking pretty hard about biting the big one and giving up food to afford medical insurance again! Lol

Wow. How heartbraking and exciting at the same time. Heartbreaking that your friend my be leaving you, yet exciting that your efforts paid off. You could have removed your ads when they said she was yours but you didn't, I commend you for that.

Welper, got another bite yesterday. We had them outside and Bubba climbed up a wall and couldn't get back down. He raised his foot for me to pick him up so i did, as i was turning to set him back down he latched on my thumb and started grinding. Having a disagreement now with hubby bc he was there and says i am not reading him correctly. Lol really so the foot up means come here and let me bite you now? Hmm, when did that universal language change? Now, don't get me wrong, he was stressed a bit bc he couldn't get down from the wall, so i am not really upset with him, we just need to figure out how to change his stress from biting to something less painful! Lol