Sarasota

Awwww! She wanted her Papa!!! I was watching my webcam from work one day....and watched as Sondheim wiggled open his food bowl door and squeezed out. Little Stinky!

My female aracari, Mollie, is the Queen. Being the only female in the house....she lets everyone know it!!! Even the birds in the mirror are to be eliminated. I'm surprised she allows me to stay.

I can't imagine what they actually absorb. Blueberry in - out the backside 30 seconds later! Usually on my white shirt or hair, BTW.

I dd I quick search...these people look lovely. I would check with them and see if they can come up with something. I know how hard this decision must be. I hope everything turns out for the best for you and your birds! http://www.africangreyparrotcentre.co.uk/parrot-rescue-centre/rehoming-coordinators.html

We need a competition. I'll betcha my toucans can out poop all birds on this board!

Pictures, please!

Food processors are awesome. You can get an inexpensive one at Walmart or Target. That really helped me with daily prep. You can also use a kabob to hold the carrots - it's great for enrichment too. I chop my veggies pretty small and mix in a small amount of seed, grains and beans. It helps to lessen the "tossing" of the veggies. Or, sometimes it just takes some time for the bird to get used to them (and parrot "time" can be days, weeks or months!)

If it's Bob's Red Mill, it's good stuff. Can't go wrong there.

I second that!

Sondheim is a little Congo, between 390-420 grams (depending on poops). But he's just fine, healthwise. Just petite.

I'm so getting a Whacky Whirly this weekend.

You bet I ate one of those nasty things! Still no go.

Well, thank you! But it's mostly Burt. Those are unshelled, unsalted (raw) sunflower seeds. He's only getting about 1/3 of a seed. I trained everything by shaping (at times you can see me giving him cues off to the side). The turn took about two sessions, 5-10 minutes a piece. With Sondheim, it took double the time. Sondhi is less motivated and younger. I used a clicker and shaped tiny movements. Looking over shoulder, click. Moving feet to the left, click. I also used the seed as a tiny "lure" (holding it under him and having him follow it) And so on and so on until he was turning in a full circle. During that, I added the hand cue. It can be difficult to hold the clicker in one hand and seed in the other. I only use the clicker when training new behaviors. It's phased out pretty quick once the bird gets the cue. The next behavior I train, I'll record the sessions.

A tree trimmer was taking down a palm across the street from my house. I've seen the wild parrots feeding on the nuts. So I had him bring the fruit to me. My birds looked at me like I was insane - not interested at all. It's obviously not an oil palm, not sure what type(s) we grow in Southern California!

I just painted some walls in my living room. I used Kilz primer and Behr paint. Both are no odor, low (or no) VOCs. Surprisingly, there was barely any smell. I put the birds in the aviary while I was painting. You could put them in outdoor cages, keep all the windows open, use fans, etc. If you have a Home Depot near you, they carry both. Here's the link to Kilz: http://www.kilz.com/masterchem/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=c05f90033f9ff110VgnVCM1000008a05d103RCRD

Awwwww! We love you, Dave!!! Speaking of Palm Oil, Palm nuts, etc. Has anyone tried the products from The Cozy Nestbox? They aren't shipping until October, but I've heard good things about them. My guys are so odd with their likes and dislikes, I'm not sure if they would go for it. http://www.thecozynestbox.com/The_Cozy_Nestbox/Welcome.html

Congrats on your baby boy!!!

He's absolutely beautiful. And I think you are doing a great job. Don't worry about over doing it on treats...now is the time. When Burt got nervous about me in his cage, I would offer him an almond (his favorite). This is Burt now (sorry, video is kinda lame). He's a trooper!

Sitting at my desk, pretending to work. Listening to my boss drone and and on (conference call). Whenever he jumps on a conference call (all day long) I quickly dash to the Boards. That's why my posts make no sense sometimes....my fingers work faster than my brain!

Great idea Greywings. I'm sure a sanctuary or rehab would jump at the chance to have something like this. I'm so sorry to hear about you and your wife losing your birds. I hope everything worked out for the best!

He is hysterical. I just love his voice!

I love it! Your parrots are so much like my toucans....they love their huts and playing in drawers. I've honestly never tried it with the parrots - I will now!

First thing I do when I get home from work is put on my "parrot friendly" t-shirt. It's pretty tattered with holes and poop stains. You can try and offer another thing to chew on while the bird is on your arm. Forewarning, though, this could frustrate the bird and lead to biting. I learned that one the hard way!

You are awesome! Perfect training for a gun shy grey.