Nice Weekend With Issac

[Elvenking]

Well I had a great weekend with my baby. (Yes....he is still my baby). I had a lot of time to spend at home with him and hang out. I was doing work in the house and on the computer and chatting with my lil guy. He is definitely getting the idea that when he talks, daddy gets crazy happy about this. Seems he is stepping the efforts up. I realised it required extra praise and not just my regular 'good boy'. So I started clapping my hands and putting a little more into telling what a good boy he is. Now he will say "Hello" right after I say 'Hello' to him and make an effort to make it sound more like what I am saying. He also is refining how he say 'Boy' too...experimenting with lower rumbles in his voice. It's super cute.

 

Another thing I realized is he loves to spend time in either one of my bathrooms and just be vocal. I will set him on the door top in one of the bathrooms, and he will sit there for a good half hour or more making every sound I have ever heard him make. I could also swear I heard a few clear phrases of "Hello Boy" and maybe "whatcha doin" and what might have been "I love you". We'll just say I am "hearing things" for now and keep my fingers crossed.

 

When I get to spend that extra bit of time on the weekend with him, it's somewhat magical. He gets anywhere from really playful to really loving. This weekend, I mean REALLY loving. Twice he landed on my shoulder and started panting then pumping his neck to 'share' his food with me. This morning I was regurgitated on again. Then another time he drooped his wings waayyyy low and started panting in my ear and I was like, "Ohhhhkay boy thank you so much but this isn't gonna work out". LOL. Lots of rubbing his head against my neck and face and just being the bird I love him so much for.

 

His confidence is very, very good. The reason I say that is because he is not afraid at all to communicate the good with me, as well as any displeasures. He is so nice about it most of the time though...picking my finger up and moving it away. If he is really passionate he will clamp down a little harder. If I have just gone too far for his taste...BITE. He's not afraid...and I like to know that.

 

I also changed the way I do one thing. I started getting impatient with the time it took to get him into his cage, so I would trick him or just get my hands around him in order to get him in. As I kept doing this, he would get a bit more stand-offish and not let me cuddle him as much because he thought it might be a trick. So I talked to him and made a deal that if he would just eventually go in, I would not trick him with my hand covering him up anymore. (Which is the way I had it before). I value being able to approach him and kiss and cuddle him a bit so I think its a good choice. The run around usually never goes over 5 minutes and is almost always much less. If you can ever give your bird a choice in a situation, I think it's a good thing. He seems to respect my desires after a while.

 

Anyway, that's all for now. Just though I would share a bit about my little friend with you all. I hope some observations are helpful. Take care and love up your birds.

[Ray P]

It`s great to have one of those weekends to enjoy each other and just hang out together(smell the rosses kind of thing).

After 10 years Corky still likes to cuddle and lay back and get her head rubs.

As far as the bathroom goes he may like the echoing that a small room withn tile makes to try new words.

My amazon has a large brass bucket that she puts her head in and makes noises and she realy enjoys doing that and it`s fun to watch.

[Elvenking]

It`s great to have one of those weekends to enjoy each other and just hang out together(smell the rosses kind of thing).

After 10 years Corky still likes to cuddle and lay back and get her head rubs.

As far as the bathroom goes he may like the echoing that a small room withn tile makes to try new words.

My amazon has a large brass bucket that she puts her head in and makes noises and she realy enjoys doing that and it`s fun to watch.

 

Oh yes, I believe it is the acoustics he enjoys. Here is another one. I have this little area of my desk where there is about 5" of clearance between the desk surface, and the platform over the monitor and its comeone enclosed. He crawled under the over hang and began doing his little 'boop boop boop' sound. It sounded really boomy and louder and i could tell he was enjoying the effect there as well. I was crackin up.

[Ray P]

Yah They can come up with some strange things and places to do things.

We or my wife has a tall close basket that she has for laundry and when the wife is done with it Corky and Cricket will spend hours going up and down the inside of the basket just having a great time and it`s fun to watch.

[judygram]

I think Issac will always be your baby and rightly so, he sounds like an absolute delight to have around and he loves to please you as much as you love to please him. He is one special bird in my opinion and I know he is the light of your life, you both have each other figured out and don't you love it when a plan comes together. Love that Issac.

[Elvenking]

I think Issac will always be your baby and rightly so, he sounds like an absolute delight to have around and he loves to please you as much as you love to please him. He is one special bird in my opinion and I know he is the light of your life, you both have each other figured out and don't you love it when a plan comes together. Love that Issac.

 

He certainly is. And yes I do. He gets more interactive all the time....and I can see his little thoughts sometimes.

 

Yah They can come up with some strange things and places to do things.

We or my wife has a tall close basket that she has for laundry and when the wife is done with it Corky and Cricket will spend hours going up and down the inside of the basket just having a great time and it`s fun to watch.

 

It can be quite entertaining to watch them play.

 

 

One other thing that is going on with Issac is that he has been molting for the past couple months...and is down to only 3 baby red tail feathers left...the big bright beautiful new red ones are coming is and its awesome. I will have to take photos of his butt for all.

[katana600]

It is always good to read updates on your life with Isaac. I am in awe (or perhaps awwww) of the way you communicate and listen to him and consider his best interest always. Your observations and technique changes to gain his cooperation in returning to his cage are as much about him learning new ways to challenge and negotiate with you as it is about the practical aspects. It just brings me to a happy place to know you are so caring and considerate with him. You are his astute protege. LOL. In a similar way as young children, our greys like to know what to anticipate and to be able to predict the outcome, it keeps them trusting and cooperative to have a routine with some changes occasionally just to keep it interesting. You have a lot of great ideas, thanks for keeping us always tuned in to your life with your wonderful little companion. You always make my day.

[Elvenking]

It is always good to read updates on your life with Isaac. I am in awe (or perhaps awwww) of the way you communicate and listen to him and consider his best interest always. Your observations and technique changes to gain his cooperation in returning to his cage are as much about him learning new ways to challenge and negotiate with you as it is about the practical aspects. It just brings me to a happy place to know you are so caring and considerate with him. You are his astute protege. LOL. In a similar way as young children, our greys like to know what to anticipate and to be able to predict the outcome, it keeps them trusting and cooperative to have a routine with some changes occasionally just to keep it interesting. You have a lot of great ideas, thanks for keeping us always tuned in to your life with your wonderful little companion. You always make my day.

 

Wow, I am glad you like the updates on my little friend. When I brought Issac home, I vowed to make his life as wonderful as possible. He is a dream come true. I got him after my girlfriend and I parted ways and kind of dropped out of the dating scene for a while. So I pour all my heart into my daughter and Issac. My face lights up every time I think about the lil guy. I have never had a pet with such distinct moods. Patience can be hard to have sometimes, but I try to keep in mind that losing them is so destructive and keeping them pays major dividends. I always try to put myself in his...well...talons to see what it would be like to look through his eyes as I am doing something with him. This morning it was a very short little chase to get him back in. When I say chase I don’t mean me running around franticly and getting him. I just casually walk back to him and get him again for another try...talking and negotiating with him. "C'mon, be a good boy. I will be back soon but I have to go to work to make money so I can get you treats." I can tell he appreciates not being grabbed or held back in any manner. It's quite an adventure learning about just how deep their little minds go. After a while, it becomes very hard to miss what they are trying to tell you.

 

Thanks again for reading about Issac and responding with such wonderful comments. I will be sure to keep you informed about Issac.

[danmcq]

Nice update on Issac!

 

He is such a character and is very entertaining to read of. I know that being there in his presence is more than you can even begin to describe, barring writing a book.

 

They are so smart, trick em once and the next time they normally won't fall for it. Been there, done that myself and got the same results. It took a while, but we got a ritual down that when it's bedtime, we turn out the lights, ask him to step-up and then gently place our hand over his back as we walk to the family room where his cage resides. If we need to cage him during the day, we get some fruit he loves in a bowl like apples, grapes or mango and carry him and the bowl together to his cage, which he is then divided between wanting back out and eating his favorite fruits.

 

I know your busy, but I sure enjoy the updates on Issac!

[MarcusCAG]

That is a sweet post, thanks for sharing. At least with what I can see with our Marcus, like your Isaac, it does seem important that they are allowed to show that they are unhappy as well as glad, pertaining to the biting behavior. Marcus was a little cranky last night, I think because I kept telling him he couldn't chew on the doorstop, and so when I got close enough he kind of latched on my finger. Didn't break the skin at all, but it was a definite message, especially since it was repeated. I didn't make a big deal out of it, just acknowledged that he was mad he couldn't chew on the door, but did he want a toy instead? He didn't, but he calmed down soon after, and then he let me tickle his head a bit (we both love that!). It's like with a person, really, if you're really friends you can show them your good days as well as your bad days. Who wants a friend you have to pretend in front of all the time?