The fun but frustrating dance with Spencer.

[oblivion]

A little video of Spencer from today. Can NOT catch the little turkey in action. This combination of boing and bell - his all-time favorite hasn't been up on his play top in a while since I had the bell in his travel cage and the boing in his main cage, but he had a riot with it today. [video=youtube;ypRdtGYM-T4]

 

A little after this, he fluttered oddly in the shower and lost a brand new blood feather from his 'bad' wing. Ugh. Can't ever get them to come in whether he picks them or not. Oh well, the bleeding was minor. He had a lot of outside time by the pool with us today and many treats.

 

BTW, Kat, I was a BAD finger-chewer as a kid and sometimes revert as well, so that totally hit home. Also, my wife just got braces a year ago. Funny. But she could NEVER whistle. And yeah, that was me with the bottles - still the best way to entice him in or out of a cage when he's being grumpy.

[katana600]

Oh wow, that was a good video of Spencer. I like what you did to the cage top to make a play area where you have the boing and the bell and all. He is fifty times more active and outgoing as Gilbert is so far. His feathers look better than Gil's too. Does Spencer have a little red feather on his left cheek? He was moving quite a bit in video so I couldn't really see well enough that it may just have been a fleck of his food or something. If it is a tiny little red feather, that is kind of like he has a birthmark or identifying mark. When I could see the results of his play, the torn up cardboard or whatever on the cage top, he is eons ahead of Gilbert for his play and confidence. Spencer is thriving in your care. Thanks for posting his video debut. I love it.

[oblivion]

Credit where credit is due, the PVC 'play top' came with him from his previous home, as did the boing/bell arrangement - which is probably why he likes it so much - a bit of old familiarity. The truth is that he's really not up there much, he's much more inclined to roam around on the floor, which I allow, since it's 'The Pet Room.' All of the chewed up stuff is up there because I'd just vacuumed the floor and it had to go somewhere. But yes, he does a good job destroying cardboard and the like. I just threw out two mangled oatmeal containers. I would like him to spend more time 'up top,' but he doesn't. And well-spotted on the red mark - it's just food. He does have some stray red on his rump/legs, though.

 

I wish I could get a good video of him abusing that bell. For only having a couple toenails, he's amazingly daring in how he hangs off that boing.

[katana600]

I went back to watch Spencer again, he just is getting around with such vibrance and relish. Gilbert is so efficient with motion that Spencer moved more on that short clip than Gilbert moves in a week. Gilbert has a stray fleck of red on his "thigh" and I thought it would be way cool if Spencer had a "beauty mark" on his cheek. Your postings with your work with Spencer is encouraging, I am sure, absolutely sure, that in due time Gilbert will play and gain the confidence that I see in Spencer and others. There are days I see glimpses and there are small breakthroughs in his bravery that seem lasting, so I am going to keep watching Spencer and show his videos to Gilbert for incentive.

[birdhouse]

Very cute. Don't feel bad. Phenix never cooperates whenever I have the camera out, either. He usually puts on his best bad attitude & disappears. At least Spencer's looking really happy & pretty darned handsome. You'd never know to watch him up there that he had any problems at all. Pretty impressive!!

[oblivion]

I'm on a roll grabbing vids of him now. I JUST missed him really beating up the hanging bottle in this vid, but this is kind of interesting to watch how carefully he has to choose his footing with no talons on one entire foot. This whole video is kind of noteworthy, because the only times he's used that swing since I put it up 2 years ago were when I put him on it. Today, he got up there off of his cage by himself.

 

Enjoy:

[Greywings]

He is looking happy and I love to see them play, good work!

[oblivion]

Thanks, Greywings.

 

I FINALLY caught the snot really abusing his bell this morning.

 

[Sarasota]

Adorable videos! Mine usually go silent when they see the camera.

[katana600]

Wow, first I watched the kitchen video and it brought tears to my eyes to see him climbing and bouncing and even though he was cautiously reaching with a foot and holding tight with his beak, he was moving with great spirit. I appreciate that you noted that it has taken him two years to reach this point. It gives me an uplift and great hope for Gilbert too. Then I watched the one where he was really getting the bell going. It looked to me like he was hanging on the the boing with his beak and had his feet on the bell, that is awesome! I was wondering how he got his feet over there and how he thought of doing it the first time. I am amazed at your videos and how far Spencer has come with you. Great job on everyone's part to bring him to this place. He is a lucky boy to have landed with your family. Thanks for the videos, this was a really good lift right when I needed one.

[oblivion]

Kat, the funny thing is that he's done the bell thing the whole time I've had him, I just could never get a video and usually he'd stop when I got in the room. Then, just this morning, as I was standing right in front of the cage, he went into full-on bell-abuse. I think it shows a great deal of trust to let himself get into such a position with me right there. He reaches for the bell ring with his beak first, then transfers to one of his feet (I think he uses the gimpier one on bell first), grabs the boing with his beak, then grabs the bell with the other foot, too. I'm glad the videos give you some hope.

 

Initially, he seemed to take Anya's death and/or my reaction to it kind of hard, but the last few days have been really good bonding between us. Last night, I'd actually decided to put the breaks on finding another bird too soon since we both seem to be doing pretty well. Of course, as fate would have it, I got a call about a 'perfect' Quaker, so we're at least going to go visit tonight. Heh. Life's funny.

[oblivion]

So, now there's a new-to-us Quaker in the house. Being careful not to cut into Spencer time, I had him out of his cage this morning, and he was up on his boing harassing his bell. It came time for me to go to work and I can often, but not always, get him to 'put himself away' on request. And even if he doesn't go right into his big cage, I can USUALLY get him onto the door of his travel cage, which he loves, and THEN get him into 'home.' Today, he wasn't having it. HE wanted his bell time. I tried luring him with treats, the pointer we use for 'touch,' and even tried a step-up or two, but he just kept climbing up the boing to get his bell. I though I could thwart the little snot by holding the bell away from him, off to the side. That "gimpy" little booger climbed ALL the way up the boing, across the grated top, and down the bell itself to ring it as I held it. FAKER!!!! At that point, I broke and had to laugh. I let him have a few more good rings and then tried the travel cage again, which he eventually climbed onto. He took his sweet time going from there into his big cage, but he eventually did to a shower of "Good birds!" and a safflower seed.

 

Turk-ey. I really wish I'd gotten a picture of him hanging from the ceiling by his 4 little nubs on one foot. Amazing.

[katana600]

I guess he showed you how little you can thwart him unless he wants to let you get away with it. Gotta love Spencer's determination.

[Greywings]

Smart little boy you have there, your taking his training very well. Good job Spencer! lol

[birdhouse]

Spencer's a strong willed little character. Even by grey standards. lol But I love the way you interact w/each other. It will be interesting to see what if any chance in dynamics happens once Navarone settles in.

[oblivion]

Ha, Greywings, I really never know who is training whom! I am glad that we've figured each other's quirks out fairly well. Of course the only times I have 'trouble' with him are when I don't have time - he was stubborn about going back this morning before work as well, but this time from the floor. It's a little frustrating in the moment, but it ALWAYS ends on a good note, and I appreciate the fact that he's got that character and isn't cage-bound in a corner.

 

Birdhouse, I know it's early to tell, and may only be temporary, but so far Spencer seems to be taking many opportunities to remind me we're buddies. On Saturday morning, he came out of his room and climbed up on our bed where my daughter and I were watching Scoobie Doo. That's only the second time he's done that. Yesterday I was sitting on the floor of their room, and he was never much more than a foot or so from me. He doesn't like contact, but he does like to be close. I also see that, as with Anya, after a session of fun with Navaro, Spencer seems even more interested in me. I like to think he's thinking, "Hey, that looks like fun! Maybe _I_ could try that . . . some day." It's like jealousy that hasn't gotten ugly yet. I'll be careful to watch for signs of going over that line. He still gets plenty of time of my just looking at/talking to him and our night-time routine is unchanged. We're still buds. So far.

 

The only time he gave Navaro any notice was yesterday when in a lime-green flash, Navaro stormed Spencer's open travel cage's food bowl. That was too much for Spencer and luckily I was right there to intervene. If they want to work out stuff out on a play gym, that's one thing, but they are NOT going to tangle in a tiny cage which belongs to the bigger bird. I was willing to get bit to break them up, but luckily it didn't come to that. I will be more vigilant about when I have them both out, though, and make sure Nav knows where HIS food is.