neoow

Hello all, I'm really tempted to get an IP camera set up in my house so I can try and capture some of Alfie's sounds and mumblings throughout the day whilst I'm at work. I've had a quick search but can't easily find sound activated IP cameras - most are motion activated but mention nothing about sound activation. I don't think it would be sensitive to pick up Alfie's beak moving! Do any of you have anything like this set up and if so, what do you use? Thanks!

Aaand another quick one

I managed to get a video of Alfie's quack today. He kept quacking so I encouraged him and managed to get him to do it for the camera.

I love that you let the groomer be the "bad guy" and you were able to go in and "rescue" him from it all haha. I took Alfie to the vet last month to have his beak and talons sorted. His beak seems to grow wonky somehow and it was getting quite bad. He didn't seem bothered by it (could still eat drink and play just fine) but I wanted to get it sorted before it got out of hand and caused any problems. I worried the whole way to the vets (I take him to a vet who is in a different town- about 30 mins drive away because the "avian specialist" in my town is hopeless) about how he would react and whether he would be frightened etc. Turns out, he was a little superstar. The vet was really pleased with him and said he was as good as gold. Just sat there and put up with it all, no screams or anything! The only thing he did do was fly away from the vet at the first opportunity and landed on two different nurses- the vet assumed he just wanted to get away from him as soon as he could so he couldn't do anything else! Hehe.

Great advice, thank you. I never stop talking to him. Since I moved into my house, I have a great set up as I was able to have my PC downstairs, so we're together all the time when I'm home except for when I go to sleep. I'll quite often chat to him, ask him what/how he's doing etc. I know he picks up more than he lets on. He just chooses to voice sounds rather than words most of the time. Which is fine, as that's obviously what he prefers! He does have sessions where he mumbles to himself in different voices- I always think he might be practicing new words or phrases- or just trying to come up with his own! He's 11 years old now and still comes out with new things all the time.... like the dog bark, for instance.

Awesome stuff, thanks all! Great to hear how clever all your parrots are! Thanks for the video, Jeff! That's amazing! Alfie isn't a big talker, so I doubt he'll learn the questions along with the sounds. But I'll be super pleased if he learns to associate the sounds to the words and replies!

I've had to leave Alfie behind on several occasions throughout his life (holidays, training courses etc). Fortunately these days, I have a housemate who will look after Alfie (and the cats) for me whilst I'm away. He wouldn't ever let Alfie out of the cage for me (and I wouldn't want him too, as Alfie can be a handful for those that aren't used to parrots... or Alfie!!), but is happy to change food and water etc. Previously, when I lived with my parents (and usually went away with them) I had nobody who could come and look after Alfie for me at the house. So he had to go away on his own little birdy holiday. I used to take him back to the pet shop where I got him from. It was a family run place and the woman who originally owned/ran it was lovely. He would have to stay in a smaller cage (until they allowed me to bring his cage with him) and he used to recognise her and the shop. Unfortunately one year, I turned up and she was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was a youngish man in charge (probably late teens, thinking about it). I was a bit skeptical but had no choice at that point but to leave him there. However, when I came back, Alfie had food and water in his bowls, but they had put nothing in the bottom of his cage for the duration I was away, so all his food and droppings had fallen to the bottom and been left there. The boy was very rude and obviously didn't care about anything- let alone how to run the business, so I shoved the money in his hand, took Alfie home and never went back. My mum looked after him once (when I didn't have a housemate). He stayed at my parents house for two weeks (so was still in a familiar environment) and seemed to have a good time. Again, he wasn't let out for the duration but he was in his own cage in a familiar environment so was fine. I'd always recommend getting someone to "parrot sit" for you if you can- instead of sending them to a different environment. At least that way, everything is familiar to them. It's also less stress for you, in my opinion. I always worried when I had to drop him off somewhere. I now don't have to worry about it because I know my housemate is looking after him in his own cage and home and Alfie will be ok with that. However, if you can take your parrot with you- that's probably even better, as they get to experience the trip away too!

Hello all! Alfie amused me greatly today, so I thought I would share it with everyone and ask about similar stories. I've been trying to teach Alfie to respond to a question- what noise does a [insert animal here] make? He can make a quack quack quack sound, he can meow and he recently started learning to bark like the little dogs from over the road. So I'm thinking my first three should be duck, cat and then dog (once he's mastered his bark). This can then be a fun little game that we play... particularly as Alfie likes to learn new noises (rather than words). So if this works, I can try and teach him new sounds like chickens etc. So today he was practicing his quack noise (as well as saying 'good day' and some whistles). So I quacked back at him a few times. I then said: "Alfie- what noise does a DUCK make?" and waited a few moments. I then quacked a few times, to show him. I repeated myself, always giving him a few seconds to respond before quacking myself. (I must sound like a right nut haha!) I repeated myself a couple more times... before finally: "quack quack quack"!! I praised him highly for this. Then I asked again... QUACK QUACK QUACK!! Awesome! More praise... and then he did a dance for me haha. A victory dance, I'm sure. I tried again a few minutes later, but he wasn't interested anymore. That's fine, he's not a performing monkey. I quacked to myself instead and then went back to whistling to him, which he joined in with wholeheartedly. (He loves whistling) I'll keep at it. He'll only respond when he feels like it, I'm sure. But I was very pleased that I got the right response from him twice in a row. He looked very pleased with the praise he got for it too. I'm sure it will take him a while to learn the associations between the words and the sounds. But it gives me another way to interact with him and gives him something to think about. So- what questions do your parrots respond to?

I would love to take Alfie to work with me. I work in a school in the ICT dept and so I'd only ever want to take him in during the holidays (as otherwise it would be too busy and too noisy). I don't think my work colleagues would like it though and I'm not sure if there are any rules against bringing pets in. I'm assuming there are in case of allergies etc. Someone else who used to work there used to bring her dog in all the time- but got asked not to when the headteacher changed over. So I'm not sure Alfie would be too welcome. Plus, I doubt I'd get too much work done!!

Hah, I read that comic yesterday. I'm pretty sure that's how my housemate (and possibly some family members... such as my sister) feels about Alfie.

Oh man. Your post brought me to tears. I can only imagine the pain and hurt you are going through right now. I'm so very sorry for your loss.

Alfie occassionally regurgitates for me... but he eats it straight away. Not sure what to take away from that... perhaps he thinks he loves me then changes his mind?

So happy that Brutus is home!

Oh no! I can't even begin to imagine what you're going through. I hope you find him very soon.

Thanks Nancy. I'll have to have a look out when I next go to a hardware shop. Food isn't too much of an issue as it's easy to sweep/clean up. It's just that the water sits there for so long. Alfie has been busy exploring the whole bath. He's been throwing water around in it but I don't think he's gotten his feet wet yet. He mostly leans in and throws some water around. But he's very interested in it- which is good. Hopefully he'll get the idea soon and maybe he'll even dip a toe in!

Alfie is a funny one. He sometimes lets me mist him with water, other times he gets in a right grump about it and tries to get away. So if he's in one of those moods, I don't force the issue and try again later. Most of the time though, he tries to bath in his water bowl. Which is all very well and good, except he doesn't fit in it and ends up throwing more on the floor than he does himself. I also noticed that the wooden floor underneath his cage is starting to warp a bit because of the amount of water he tips on it. Generally he does this whilst I'm out at work too, so it's left sitting there all day. I was browsing round the Northern Parrots website and saw this: http://www.northernparrots.com/savic-splash-extra-large-parrot-bath-prod476055/ It's a big bird bath which fits inside or outside the cage and is plenty big enough for African Greys! Fantastic! So I waited until I had some spare money and ordered on earlier this month. I wasn't sure what Alfie would make of it. Thankfully, he's not normally too change adverse, so long as I give him plenty of time to check the new object(s) out. So I got it home, unpacked it in front of him and made a big fuss about it whilst I put it together, telling him it was a bath and that it would be great fun once he got used to it. I left it on the table next to his cage and I tried hanging it on the outside of his cage a few times. No freak outs or awful reactions... great start! I was then able to put it in his cage, with some water in it. He kept his distance but was not showing signs of fear or agression to it. Great! I did this a few times- leaving it in there for half an hour and building it up. I then left it in his cage all day whilst I was at home. It took about a week before he actually touched it. The rest of the time was spent watching it and moving around it- but not touching it. On Tuesday this week I came home and found water all over the floor from his water bowl... even though the bath was in there too. I had to laugh, as obviously he hadn't figured it out yet. I came home Wednesday, and I saw that there were splash marks inside the bath- he'd actually thrown some water about inside it! I have no idea if he actually stood in it (though there was some dander in there) but he had at least thrown the water about. Great stuff! Since then he's been very interested in it, checking it out all over (and standing on top of it). Testing all the screws (which I have to keep tightening) and flicking some more water about. I'm really happy I decided to purchase the bird bath. I'm sure once he gets brave enough he'll step right into it (if he hasn't done already) and have a proper bath. But it's a fantastic start already... and just in time for the little heatwave we're having at the moment!

I used to have a cat carrier for Alfie and I had to do the bathroom trick to get him in it. Put the cage in the bathroom with a cloth or towel over it to try and hide it then take him in the bathroom and shut the door. As soon as he realised what was going on he would try and get away from the carrier. But with the bathroom being such a small space, he had nowhere to go except to try and sit on my arms/hands/shoulders/head. It didn't take me too long to get him in there, as once he realised he didn't have an escape route, he'd give up and let me put him in. (though I did have to close the door as quickly as possible so he didn't dart out). Now, I've got a Kings travel cage. I love it. Makes it so much easier. I set it down on the table and get Alfie out of his cage. I let them spy the cage from a distance and leave the door open. Then I get him to either step up or fly to me and we go over to the cage. He goes in straight away. Sometimes he does try to dart out again, but generally he's pretty good these days. So much easier than the cat carrier and bathroom trick! Today he got to go to my parents house. He hates the travelling part though and constantly climbs round the cage in circles. I have to remind him to hold on tight when I go round corners etc because he's always climbing and I'm worried about him slipping off. But once he gets to where we're going (generally my parents house or the vet) he's ok and settles down nicely. It's just being in the car that's the problem.

Ah well. 1 outta 3 ain't bad?

I tried these on Alfie previously and he wasn't impressed. When I left the jelly in the plastic cups he threw them around the cage. I had better luck by taking the jelly out, breaking it up and putting it over food but he still wasn't overly impressed and most of them got wasted. Hopefully you will have better luck than I did!

Thanks Birdhouse. I always have a spare towell or sheet with me when I take him out and about in case it's needed. He's generally ok though. When I start taking him in the garden I'll make sure he has a cover over half of the cage so he can retreat away from the elements. It is a Kings Cage- might have helped if I'd included that in the post. I'm not sure if I'll actually be allowed to take him to work or not. I haven't asked the question just yet. But I'd like to, if I can... only ever in school holidays though, else it would be way too intimidating. I also don't want him to learn to swear if I can help it and I'm sure he'd learn a few new words from students that I wouldn't like him to!

Blimey! So sorry to hear of all your troubles. I hope Cotay heals quickly.

Evening all, I finally managed to save up enough spare money to get Alfie a new travel cage. Previously I was using an old cat carrier... but getting him in it was a pain and there was no room for a perch. So I got him one of these instead: I'm REALLY happy with it. It's lovely, really well built and exactly what I wanted. Alfie wasn't so sure of it at first, but I managed to get him in it last week and took him with me to visit my parents. I'm planning to take him there semi-regularly... I have to take him when my sister isn't visiting at the same time because she has a 8 month old baby (who could pull himself up on furniture and potentially tip the cage over) and a rambunctious Staffordshire Bull Terrier who would frighten the heck out of Alfie. Alfie settled amazingly well once we got to my parents house. He's not great at travelling and constantly moved round the cage- mainly because in the past he's only ever been in the car to visit the vet or go "on holiday" (as the carrier wasn't big enough to leave him in for longer periods of time and couldn't fit two food/water bowls in). So this is a new adventure for him. He knows my parents as he grew up in the house around them before I moved out with him. So once he recognised where he was and who they were he was ok. A little on the quiet side but he did start chirping and whistling later. He also met my uncle and my uncle's friend who were round to have a band practice. So my mum had some company from Alfie whilst we were out in the garage practicing some songs. I haven't asked my boss yet but I was thinking about maybe taking him into work a couple of times with me too- I work in a school so it would have to be during the holidays so there's not thousands of kids running riot round the place. The whole idea of getting the cage was to try and let Alfie do more things with me and let him have a change of scenery every so often. Once we finally get some better weather (hah!) then he'll also be able to come and sit outside with me in the garden. Except now he'll actually be able to see more of it and stay outside for longer because he won't be stuck in his little cat carrier anymore.

Do you ship to the UK?

Thank you for this. I lost my nan almost a year ago now (it will be a year on 29th August) and it is the hardest thing I have ever had to deal with. She had dementia so it was difficult to see her deteriorating but her old self was still there and still shone through from time to time. She suffered from a minor stroke and had to stay in hospital for a few weeks. It was then that she had to be moved to a home as she was no longer able to look after herself. It was a heartbreaking journey but we made sure that she felt loved, safe and secure at all times. When the dementia caused her to see things or hear things we just rode it out, let her talk and waited patiently. There was no point trying to tell her that she was wrong or that whatever it was she was seeing wasn't there because to her it was. It was all real for her. She then suffered another stroke and ended up in hospital again. This time it was worse. I still kept hoping beyond all hope that she would fight back the way she had from the first incident. She moved to another home- they knew another stroke was coming and thankfully managed to get her into a lovely recently opened home. The staff were fantastic but it was just a matter of time before the next and last stroke. It was difficult to comprehend that someone I had loved and respected was in this situation- just a shadow of her former self. Yet still- her true personality would shine through. We had some moments where her sense of humour came flooding back, even if only for a few seconds. Or that smile. Oh that smile. We were all there for her after the last stroke. She held on long enough for all of her children and two of her grandchildren (myself and my sister) to be with her. She was a stubborn old soul at the best of times and proved it then!! Her three children didn't normally get on. But oddly enough, they were fine that day. For the first time in years they were able to sit in the same room and laugh and joke (even at such a rough time). She held on and she waited for that. Family was so important to her. She did everything for family. This was no exception. She only passed when she knew that they would be ok. That they would get on. When we all said we loved her, were so proud of her and that she was free to go because we would all be fine- that was when she passed. As if somehow she knew. It was the hardest day of my life. I have struggled to deal with it- watching a loved one pass away. I bought my first house this year and I would have loved for her to see it. She would have loved the garden- she always loved gardening and my garden is lovely. My sister fell pregnant at the beginning of the year, due September and I know my nan would have loved to be involved- to see her great grand-son. The only way I can carry on is because I hope that she is able to see how we are doing and that she is proud of what we have achieved. I know she is at peace now. I know she hasn't got to battle anymore. But it's still hard to know she has gone. I'm sorry. Your words struck a chord with me. I haven't really spoken to anyone in depth about this before. I guess I'm not quite ready yet. I haven't allowed myself the time needed to grieve. I threw myself straight back into everything after my nan passed and sometimes, when things slow down, it sneaks up on me and catches me out. Like now. So thank you for these words. And apologies for my ramblings above! I just started typing and couldn't stop.

Alfie learned the sound of my housemates phone when he gets messages. It's a Samsung one which makes a sort of water drop noise. Alfie seems to associate that noise with my housemate as he will start making it whenever my housemate enters the house/room. Alfie is very good with noises. Picks them up extremely quickly. He also likes having phone conversations. When I'm on the phone he sometimes joins in saying "hello?" "Yep" "Alright then" alongside lots of mumbling and then "byee!" I find it hilarious. When I was living with my family Alfie unfortunately learned burps and uh... other windy sounds... from my sister (she was terrible for it). Now that's the type of sound he associates with my sister. Whenever she visits he starts burping at her!! My mum wasn't impressed when Alfie started associating the smoke alarm sound with her. She went through a week and set it off about three times whilst cooking. Whenever she passed his cage Alfie would then mimic the smoke alarm! Needless to say, she didn't find it as amusing as the rest of us did hehe.