kins2321@yahoo.com Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 Gabby sounds amazing! I am sooo proud of you guys and her. Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greywings Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 Put the misters on a timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 12, 2012 Author Share Posted August 12, 2012 Yepper, misters it will be and we are thinking about bannana leaves under the misters to make some rain drops and water trickels. We got the frame work up today so tomorrow is the extra supports and the welded wire. Hubby did a great job, he designed it around a tree! We are trying to figure out a way to add some flat flagstone in there for Gabby. Thinking just a pedistool with it on top but who knows! She was talking up a storm today, sentences and phrases in two voices one being a little girls voice saying "do it again". It was so cute when she said that, Pat had her in his arms kissing her down the back. She came to me tonight too, both Pat and i got so excited, then that ended when i put my hand out to her and she bit my finger drawing blood...again! Lol I will post some pictures tomorrow when we finish their avairy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aerial.2000 Posted August 12, 2012 Share Posted August 12, 2012 cant wait to see the pics and be jealous lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 13, 2012 Author Share Posted August 13, 2012 Our cool front ended, it was 105 still at 5 pm. We still have the top to do but ran out of steam. Got everything put up tool wise and a bad storm hit bringing 70 mile an hour winds. We got the tail of it here so all is good and we will be back at it Tuesday as tomorrow is vet day for Bubba and a weight check for Oliver. Fingers and toes crossed he is still gaining or maintaining! Gabby was really cranky today and Pat is sporting 2 bandaids as proof! He got less battered building her avairy than holding her! Both bites were when he tried to set her down, she wouldn't let go. Even flipped herself over to keep from stepping off! I shouldn't laugh at him but he took her both times to her home explaining time out to her. When she bit me he would just baby talk to her asking why she bit! Lol We have a mutual respect now, i can pick her up, feed her even move her when i need to, just nothing more right now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 Ruff day here. Actually thought about getting her wings clipped a wee bit. Then after i had my pity party laughed at the thought! Getting use to a flighted 20 yr old is not for the faint of heart! Cooking dinner tonight she flew onto my shoulder twice and she wasn't even in the kitchen! We don't let her in there when the stove is in use, or to even fly in the kitchen because of her thinking it will always be safe. There was no stopping her, she even bit hubby pretty bad when he tried to put her up until dinner was cooked. High stress day ( here we go again thread started in "other birds" ) and i am sure they all felt it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I imagine she is pretty "set in her ways!" Kudos for your willingness to work with her. Also read about the vet visit. My thought was the same... "herpes???" Wow, who would think of something like that with a bird. Hemorrhoids either for that matter. At least there is an explanation for the behavior you noticed and possibly the crop issue. I'd say that is progress anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I was actually thinking Gabby may be a little over-excited by her new & pretty wonderful home. Hopefully, she'll get better after a while. Honestly, my guys all stopped most of the non-stop craziness somewhere along the way. I was also thinking maybe the new aviary might help slow Gabby down some, too. No denying it though, keeping flighted parrots is not for the faint of heart! And a whole ton of love & patience is required, too. Good thing you & hubby are such excellent sports about everything! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarasota Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 Getting use to a flighted 20 yr old is not for the faint of heart! I feel ya! My TAG is fully flighted and he's 30. He flies great....landing, not so good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 15, 2012 Author Share Posted August 15, 2012 She flys and lands with perfection, my 5 yr old is getting better at flying but unless i am in front of him to put my arm out, it is always a crash landing. Gabby did great today, only one time out for biting me when she was getting into something she shouldn't. She gets so mad, steps up without a fight but then clamps down on your hand when you try to set her down. I think she really thinks that if she does that, we will stop picking her up! Ha! I covered all my wooden tables today with glass, a day late but it won't get worse until she finds the legs! Lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kave70 Posted August 15, 2012 Share Posted August 15, 2012 This thread made my morning. I'm so happy that she found you. You have a good husband to have intervened on her behalf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 17, 2012 Author Share Posted August 17, 2012 I think the last 8 months of her being bounced from house to house just took a toll on her. Lol She is calming down for me, hasn't nipped me and stays on her stand mostly all day until daddy gets home, then she makes weird noises and flys to him and won't leave his side. It is cute and Pat adores it, it makes him so proud! She scared my neice yesterday. Gabby has a little girls voice she uses sometimes, which in a childless household is in itself creepy to hear. She was just repeating dad, dad, dad very softly. So with her old man voice and her little girls voice, we can't wait to hear the voices in between! I don'know if you guys remember Olivers obsession with snap peas but she has it too. Food that requires her to hold it doesn't do well with her but if i set it on the kitchen table she can step on it and work it that way. Huge mess but goodness it makes her so happy to do these type of things by herself. Her stand will have a perch, a ledge area and now a little countertop area big enough to allow her to do these things on her own! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted August 17, 2012 Share Posted August 17, 2012 Drill a hole through, screw down and secure a peg style clothes pin (I used zip ties around the end nub to secure it so it doesn't turn or twist) to a branch or even the side of the cage. They make great holders for things like snap peas, dried vegie slices and millet. It is also a good holder for stringy type toys like beads or wood pieces threaded onto a strip of rawhide. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 18, 2012 Author Share Posted August 18, 2012 Ah, great idea! We will try that for sure! : ( ,i had to join the " bite me club" tonight. Dang she can bite. Half my hand is covered in bandaids! I really don't think the damage would be bad as the pressure isn't strong as much as her beak is to a point! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted August 18, 2012 Share Posted August 18, 2012 Ah, great idea! We will try that for sure! : ( ,i had to join the " bite me club" tonight. Dang she can bite. Half my hand is covered in bandaids! I really don't think the damage would be bad as the pressure isn't strong as much as her beak is to a point! How about getting something she can dig into to dull the point a bit? Jake loves ears of dried corn. He pulls all the kernels off, flinging them across the room, then digs and shreds the cob. The cob is soft enough so you could drill through it and hang it on a kabob. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 19, 2012 Author Share Posted August 19, 2012 That corn would be way better than the bone in my hand she is trying to use to dull it! This little girl needs dinner manners! Any advice on how to do this would be welcome. We have to lock her in her cage when we eat and i hate it. We keep trying but she will pull all the food off the plate, then she tries to dump your drink then she starts picking up and pushing the plates off the table. Even Bongo tried to stop her! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 Here is a thought. Eat the main part of your meal without the feather babies, mostly clean off the table, bring the feather babies in so they can eat while you and hubby enjoy a salad or fruit. Less plates, less stuff, less opportunity to get into trouble. I don't know if pine cones are parrot safe but if they are that might be an idea. I do know that coconut shells are ok so maybe a coconut shell toy that she could pick at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdhouse Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 You have a somewhat better chance of defending your plate. But it only takes a second to dump a cup. Which is why we use travel mugs for anything we don't want to share w/the fids. Poor Gabby's been starved & stuffed in a tiny cage for months, at least. I still think right now she's over the top w/all the available stimulus. Likely the food in particular since it's a primal need. So my suggestion is maybe try a slightly lower fid's table next to the dining table? I'm just hoping that if it's lower, the food on the main table may be a little less visible. Theoretically one less attraction, even though they can smell it. You guys seem to be pretty handy at building things. Maybe you can make some kind of stand setup w/locked down bowls for it. Then again, you could use paper plates or just dump piles on the table. Might be good foraging to put food in unwaxed paper cups, also. I don't see any way to do it that's not going to get messy. So might as well plan on letting them have some fun. I think I'd try to bring out everyone's food. Then bring Gabby to the fid's table before everyone sits down so she can hopefully get focused on her food at least for a while. And, just like w/children, it might be helpful if one of the parronts sat w/them. Try to keep them corralled some, at least to start with. They usually want anything anyone else has got. So I don't know whether it might be more effective if they got served anything that's good for them from your dinner or their personal favs. Or it might keep Gabby's attention better if you gave her ears of un-shucked corn, bananas, squash & such that they love to tear apart. But you can experiment if you thought any of this was a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted August 19, 2012 Share Posted August 19, 2012 I LOVE birdhouse's suggestion. It will take several months to develop the trust. Until then, let Gabby understand, " you are for reaL".... are NOT going to desert her. Follow a routine as much as possible. Biting, no! Return to cage over and over for a bite, BUT.... make sure you come back five minutes later for another chance. Remove Gabby again.I am no expert, but have a rescue. I never let Sunny ( none of my birds really), go beyond my wrist, until we had a true relationship of trust. I also never let them be taller than me. Sunny was out of " forever" homes, when we got him. He would fly out, and attack any prospective new owner, and attack their jugular! Can you imagine how I felt, when my friend asked me to take him. We never had a bird, never considered a bird. You want me to do WHAT? She told me, Sunny had picked Ryan as his " soulmate"( she was a foster mom). I couldn't deny a relationship, that was meant by destiny!( I'm a destiny believer!) Or... a pushover! LOL! Hence... Sunny has been with us, never bites anyone's jugular anymore ( thats just NOT nice, or tolerated!) Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 20, 2012 Author Share Posted August 20, 2012 We have tried the stand with the lock down bowls, unless we chain her to it though (totally kidding, would never do that) she is right in hubbys plate. We have done the her own plate of food thing, not good enough for her, must be in ours. We are going try the we eat method, then toward the end bring the fids out for their share, try and ease her in that way. I am so shocked Gabby hasn't said time out, no bite to me yet! I do this every time she bites. She has gotten so much better with me. She even let me pet her last night while Pat was in her sight, that is a big step as she normally would just bite me. After reading a thread about a bird showing signs of sexual arousal, we noted that is exactly how she acts with Pat, so he has stopped the full body pets and is just petting her head and neck right now to see if her dispostion changes any. Lol she does keep rolling onto her back for him to give belly rubs to her and he does slip sometimes cuz it is so darn cute! Baby steps and as long as she feels safe with Pat, i am happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Agreed... baby steps. You're doing everything right. Before you know it... Gabby will be an angel!Not just for Pat, but you too. Nancy PS I wasn't suppose to use the chain? LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 Lol. (chain) We got the coconut for her tonight and her own cell phone. She loved the play phone. Pat acted like he was talking on it, set it down and there she was, right on it. Didn't take her long to figure out it wasn't real! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarasota Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 I do my best to time my dinner with the birds' dinner so they are caged - but in full sight of me while I eat. It encourages them to eat out of their own bowls. Occasionally, I'll let Sondhi sit on my arm and I'll give him some Grape Nuts off the spoon - but that is a very special treat for good behavior. 98% of the time - in the cage while people eat. I think the fussing, stress level and trying to get the bird to stop is too much drama for everyone (including the bird). Trust me, you'll feel awful the first few times....and then you'll appreciate eating in peace! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistyparrot Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Misty has his main meal when I have mine. I share my food with him by putting it on his own plate, a little pasta, or fish, potatoes, maybe green beans, broccoli together with apple slices, orange and a little low salt malt bread with unsalted peanut butter. I bring our plates in together and he flies direct to his feeding station in anticipation. Then we tuck in. He never comes over to steal from my plate but as I usually finish well before he does. What he will do is pick up an apple slice or broccoli frond and fly over to me so he can eat it sitting on my knee! Unless I am in a mood to get covered in ice cream or custard I avoid sharing my desert although that can lead to arguments! Steve n Misty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 murfchck.. I thought you would get a kick of Sophie on her imaginary phone. She makes the sound of a seven digit dialed number. She say's " hello? Oh, how are you? Then she giggles, breaks out in gibberish, laughing in between. Then she say's okay, alright, bye.CLICK! I told her once she forgot to say bye... she started all over again, got her bye in that time! LOL! It is amazing! Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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