Cinnyminis

And he just asked me ; "Going to school?" !!!!!!!!

In teh past week, Radar has added at least a dozen new words. It is CRAZY! He said to me the other day, " Hey Radar, hey Echo.. Wanna study? Good good good!" Some of his new words this week: wanna scratch, wanna study, let's go!, c'mere, I want up, and good. Also, while stepping up onto my hand, he now almost consistently says "Wanna step up?" And while I am typing this, he just said "wanna sit down?" And I have NO CLUE where that came from! He keeps this up, and my goal of teaching him Bohemian Rhapsody looks more and more likely! :cool: Beth

I have 7 children, all of whom talk to Radar constantly. What's funny is that Radar can speak in four distinct voices, with inflections. It's a hoot because he will go from my 16 year old son's voice and inflections to mine in the same sentence. For example, " Hey buddy, whatchya doin... You're SUCH a PRETTY baby."

Radar is almost 11 months old. Here is a quick video of his afternoon monologue with a sleepy Echo. Beth

Nancy, Radar is enamored with Echo, especially the orange on his wing. But the poor baby is afraid of Radar because he is so much smaller than him. They have in the past day developed communication with each other. Last night they spent 20 minutes or so chattering and making noises at each other. It really seemed like they were talking. I am hoping Echo comes around and accepts Radar's friendship!

Score 1 for the baby bird mommy! After a half hour of screeching because he was hungry, I fed Echo (9 week old orange wing amazon) his formula. Then I served both birdies hot mixed organic veggies. I left water in Echo's, and next thing I know, he is eating the veggies! Yay! That is the first non bird food I have gotten him to eat and it's a good start! Beth

Radar is now giving kisses on demand, and for other things. Most noticeably...... he knows he is NOT allowed on the new baby's cage when Echo is out, mostly because Echo is afraid of him. He LOVES the new bird and wants to smother him, and always looks taken aback when Echo yells at him. Anyways, a few days ago he started doing something funny. He crosses over the jungle gym and puts one foot out in midair, but stops to find me and make sure I am looking. He then blows kisses at me, pauses again, and climbs onto Echo's cage. When he gets there, every two-three steps he stops and blows kisses in my direction. It's almost as if he is saying, "Hey mom, I'm gonna blow you kisses.. and as long as I am showing you love, I can get away with this right?" Just like a typical toddler!!! Also, Radar loves to take showers with family members, but only to perch on the shower curtain rod. If you dare get him wet, he will flip out and fly away. He takes baths regularly in his water dish. Anyways, I have a spray bottle with water in it that I wanted to use to mist him. He was terrified of it! It has just been sitting there collecting dust until one of my kids decided that in order to keep Radar off of Echo's cage when I was unavailable to move him away, they would hold up the water bottle. It worked at first as Radar would move the other way as fast as he could. Until the other day... Sarah held up the water bottle and he fluffed out at her challenging her. He wanted to see Echo! I came into the room and he looked like he was in a playful mood, so I spritzed him and he just stood there. I wound up giving him a total soaking before he decided to go back to his own cage. He allowed me to spray him down again today. Needless to say, the spray bottle is now a fun thing for him. Beth

Nancy, I've been praying for you to find Kiki!

A 40 lb amazon?!!!!! Holy smokes!!!!!!!!!!!! I am feeding Echo Kaytee formula, and offering fresh fruits and veggies. Radar gets fresh food everyday in addition to his pellets. My birds get plenty of exercise. Radar (and now Echo) are out of their cage at least 7-10 hours a day and have plenty of toys and things to climb on. I also take Radar outside on a harness and will do the same when Echo is a bit older. NEW THIS MORNING!!!!! After I posted, Echo started making all sorts of sounds under his breath, including one whistle. It is mostly when he is sleepy, but he chirped at a toy too! It is so exciting to hear something different other than the baby cheep!

Wow! I had no clue that orange wings were so LOUD! Echo is constantly making this loud sound, in groups of three or four. When I walk in the room or look at him, it gets even louder! He makes the same sound, with variations for everything he wants. This is a typical morning in our house. Echo was just getting warmed up! <iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/video/embed?video_id=10201187442987057" width="568" height="320" frameborder="0"></iframe> Also, do baby birds go through growth spurts the same was human babies do? Echo has doubled his formula intake in the past day, but he also looks bigger and is eating pellets too. When we brought him home, he was on two feedings and only two syringe fulls each feeding. He is now on 3 feedings a day and three- four syringe fulls. He does seem like a very happy bird, and is very comfortable around everyone with the exception of Radar! Beth Beth

Tonight he spent almost a half hour shrieking and puffing out his feathers and showing some personality! I really hope this means he is settling in.

It's been three days since we brought Echo home. I am no longer super nervous about caring for such a small baby (8weeks). We are still figuring out the feeding thing. It seems like Echo likes a little formula in the morning, a huge feeding in the afternoon, and a slightly smaller one before bedtime. When he starts to get hungry, he makes the cutest cheepy sounds that turn into full blown LOUD cheeps if I put him off. Today, he actually try to fly to me to get my attention because he thought he was starving. I was gone for a few hours today and when I got home and Echo heard the keys in the door, he started cheeping very loudly. I did figure out that Echo is not too good at moving around on his perches yet, and basically stays on the same place in his cage where I put him until I come get him again. That would explain why he was so hungry earlier as he couldn't get to his food. I rearranged some perches to make it easier for him to access the food. We will see how long it takes for him to figure out where to find the food! Radar thinks the new baby is awesome. He is enamored by the orange on Echo's wing. Unfortunately, the baby is not that into Radar and yells at him when he gets close. Radar then looks taken aback and chastised. It's quite funny. I have had to make sure to keep the two separated though because Radar tried to bite Echo's leg. A few minutes ago my oldest son, age 16, tried to talk to the baby, and Radar, who does NOT like Andrew too much charged him because he was too close to the baby. It was funny! Radar ran across the jungle gym and the top of Echo's cage at Andrew and tried to snap at him. I think it's cool he feel protective of Echo. I will just keep my eye on him to make sure the protectiveness doesn't get out of hand! So, anyways, We are still getting to know all the little sounds and personality of our new baby. I figure it'll get easier as we go. Also, Echo is so different than Radar was as a baby. It's like a whole new world all over again. I'm glad I am out of school for a few weeks to work on helping Echo settle in. Beth

I am kinda concerned that Echo is very young. I got him from a bird store who also has an aviary. I knew that he wasn't as cared for as Radar, who had cuddles and story time and stuff everyday. Echo, a age 8 weeks, according to the lady I bought him from, is only on 2 feedings a day and only because she was concerned the babies were not drinking enough water. She said he should be weaned very soon. Last night and this morning he wasn't all that into the formula, but when we got home from church this afternoon, he was HUNGRY! and he let everyone know. He took double the amount the lady at the store said he usually does, and then proceeded to eat more pellets. I have yet to see him drink water though. I think I will offer him three feedings a day unless he says otherwise. Echo seems so very young compared to Radar. It's like having a newborn again! I am glad I am able to feed him at home here because I feel like he will get way more love and attention here than in a cage at a bird store. Beth

Here are the first few pics of Echo! Hatch date 6/2/13

We brought home our new orange wing today! He is 8 weeks old and on two feedings a day. He is beautiful! Introductions to Radar (CAG 10 months) have gone well. They were both curious, and Radar seemed excited to see another bird. I have them separated at the moment, but in the same room. I do have one question though: Should I quarantine the new baby? Beth

We went to go visit Echo, our 8 week old orange winged amazon earlier today. Much to our surprise, although he is on two feedings a day still, we were able to bring him home today! So, my question is this: I have read elsewhere that you should quarantine new birds when you bring them home. Is this true in every situation? Radar (10mo CAG) has been introduced and I hung a new toy in between the cages to discourage him from wanting to go over there for awhile. Can I leave them in the same room now, or should I move the new baby to my room for a few weeks? Beth

My mother has this exact fan in her living room! It is safe to use around birds too as the blades are all enclosed. It is pricey though! Beth

Thanks Dave. Radar has a TON of stuff to chew on, but he also chews on his toenails as well as the tips of his wing. I will keep an eye on it though.

Radar has a mini clip, only first three feathers on each side. He's been clipped like that since he was about 8 weeks old. Lately, I have noticed that the tips of those clipped wings are ratty looking and he has been chewing on them. Should I be concerned? Beth

Can I give Radar, (CAG), honey? Specifically, homemade bread with honey drizzled on top in very small amounts? What about a Zon? Thanks Beth

Well today, I sorta trained Radar (CAG age 10 months) to fly to me from his cage. We have been halfheartedly working on it, but he expressed a desire today, so I went with it. I first used some flower treats and stood about four feet away from the cage. After 5 aborted attempts, his curiosity won over and he flew to me, and quickly decided he did not want the flower pieces. Next up, I used a cashew. He came more readily and chose once again, no food. I figured out that his motivation is more praise and scratches than anything else. After the first few times, I walked away, but in the course of the evenings, I was able to get him to come to me about 6 times. The only issue I had was I decided I was done, and he wanted to keep going! All I have to do is hold my forearm up and say, "come here", and he will. Not sure what tomorrow will bring, or if today was a fluke, but we shall see! Beth

AAAANNNNDDDD>. our baby is a BOY. His name is Echo! He will be home in about three weeks!

I'm hoping she's a girl, because we want to name her Calliope. She will be coming home in 4 weeks. We are so excited to add to our flock! Beth

Jeff, I have decided to go with the orange winged amazon. I already have the grey. The main reason, after speaking with the eclectus breeder- I really would prefer a boy, but there are none available in my area at this time, and the girl, while beautiful, I am worried about the hormonal issues, and also, the breeder mentioned the eclectus needs a special diet and may actually be allergic to the pellets I feed my grey. It's too much for me to think about at the moment! Plus, the amazon is local and the eclectus is 3 hours away. It's a shame too, we were thinking of naming the female eclectus Liberty. So.... orange winged amazon it is!!

Wow! He scratched himself and said he had an itch, and he sneezed and said bless you, biscotti had to sneeze. Now that is impressive!!!!