Greetings from Evansville, WI

[Merideth]

Hello,

My name is Merideth. I share a house with a 3.25 yr old CAG named Myrrhdoch, an 11 year old Cockatiel named Lillian, a 12 year old Sun Conure named Razzy, a 23 yr old Blue and Gold Macaw named Bert, and a fiancée named Steve. I am a nurse & I work 12 hr night shifts. Steve is a respiratory therapist who also works 12 hr night shifts. If one of the humans is awake, the house is noisy. The birds seem to feel it is their job to make sure the floors are NEVER clean for longer than an hour. My favorite time is when I come home from work and am greeted loudly by the flock. I join in and on occasion, so does Steve.

[Timbersmom]

Hello Merideth and welcome to you and your flock! You have a house full. We'd love to hear more about your birds and see some pics!

[Ray P]

Hi Merideth and welcome to you your flock and your fiancée to the grey forum.

Sounds like you have a nice flock.

We love pictures.

Edited November 21, 2013 by Ray P

[danmcq]

Welcome Merideth and Flock. It's GreYt having you here. With the number and types of parrots you have, I can imagine the chorus you come home to as all welcome you home. We love hearing about others parrots and also seeing photos and videos of them. I look forward to hearing more.

[MKparrot]

OMG, what a wonderful flock you have there!!!!! Welcome to the forum!!!!!!

[Brat Birds]

Welcome!! Your flock sounded so much like mine - until you mentioned the B&G. I stopped at my TAG - he is big enough for my house! LOL

Looking forward to hearing more about your babies.

[JeffNOK]

Glad you joined us. I'm also glad to hear that "Parrot Cacophony" is music to your ears. With a Sun Conure and a B&G I'm sure your walls literally reverberate with sound. I have a quiet little CAG, but I love the sounds of happy parrots--both the loud and soft voices. Welcome!

Edited November 22, 2013 by JeffNOK

[Merideth]

Thank you all for such a nice welcome. Sorry for the delay in answering. I had to have a wisdom tooth removed and finding someone to do it before Dec 9th took the better part of 2 days. However, the tooth is gone now and I can get on with being social. I will work on pictures. Bert LOVES having his picture taken and will "model" for as long as I will take pics. Razzy feels the need to protect me from the camera. It has gotten bloody. She also, after 9 years of living with me, laid her first egg tonight. I am afraid I would lose a finger or the cell phone if I tried to take her pic. Myrrhdoch would like nothing better than to get his beak on my camera or phone and take them both apart. Lillian, just gets wigged out by the phone and camera. He (yes, Lillian is a boy. My SIL didn't know to look at his tail) does the tiel alarm call over and over if I get too close. If I ignore him, he either climbs over me or flies to my shoulder gets in my face and I swear, he annunciates his alarm call until I put the phone or camera or phone down.

 

I have loved birds since I was a child. I lived on a farm until I was 13 and we had free range chickens. When I was 6 I found a hatchling that had been stepped on and killed by one of our cows. After that I would collect the hatchlings and raise them in my bedroom until they were big enough to be seen by the cows and or old enough/smart enough to know to get out of the way around cattle.

 

From 13 until 35 I didn't live with birds. Then one day I was in a mom & pop pet store and met Bert. This store sold birds on consignment and someone dropped off Bert. He was around 12, friendly and gentle. He stepped up on me, sat on my shoulder and explored my face with his tongue. It never dawned on me that any of that was dangerous. My now ex-husband wanted nothing to do with having a bird. I went home did some basic research on B&G Macaws and resigned myself to not having a bird. 6 months later, I stopped by the same pet store to pick up hamster food. Bert was still there. I walked up to his cage to say hello and the store people came running up to me to tell me to stay away from him because he bit. I asked if this was the same Bert from 6 months ago. The person said yes. I asked what they had done to him to make him bite, because 6 months ago he wasn't a biter. Nobody could answer me. However, after spending an hour in the store I knew what the problem was. These people had no clue about B&G behavior. Bert had no toys because "he just throws them on the floor." For entertainment, he peeled the paper off the wall behind his cage and dug a hole in the drywall. Every time he went near the wall, someone would yell at him and throw something at him. The owner and her children would walk by his cage with a stick, swing it at him and yell "Back!" They said he was trying to bite them. He wasn't. He was so desperate for attention that he was trying to grab the shirt of the person walking by. I bought him some toys, spent some time with him and then headed out to go talk to my now ex-husband. As I walked away Bert yelled "Come back!" The store staff were amazed, as was I. I talked to Rick and Bert came home with me in June of 2002. He only had 1 perch in his cage and had bumble foot. I got the dubious pleasure of giving a macaw oral antibiotics with all of 2 days worth of large parrot experience.

 

Bert is an amazing boy! He doesn't scream or even vocalize excessively. He usually doesn't get off of his cage (twice since 2002), he has NEVER destroyed my furniture, wood work or walls. he is friendly and is not a biter. I have been bitten by him 3 times since 2002. The last time was 2008. The birds and I were living in my brother's basement early on in my divorce. One night I was cleaning cages and feeding them and he, Razzy and Lillian all bit me that night. Can't say as I blame any of the.

 

In 2004 I was in the same pet store picking up cat food and bird food. I was looking at bird toys and felt something tugging on my jeans. I looked down and there was a sun conjure climbing up my leg. I watched to see what would happen and this little bird climbed all the way up to my shoulder and snuggled up to my head. BTW, I am 6' 3/4" tall so that was quite a climb. I took her back to her cage and went back to looking at toys. Several minutes later, I felt something tugging at my jeans. I looked down and there was the same Sun Conure. I stepped her up and took her back to her cage. I went over to the cat food section and watched her out of the corner of my eye. She threw herself off of her cage and onto the floor because she didn't know how to fly. She walked across the pet shop floor to me and started to climb up my jeans again. I let her climb up to my shoulder where she snuggled up to my head, said "errrrrf" and fell a sleep. She came home with me the following day. She got the name Razzy because every time Rick would talk to her she' d give him a raspberry.

 

Razzy is your typical Sun Conure. She is loud, loves to hang out under my shirts and chew her way out, and is cage protective with everybody but me. She protects me from coffee cups, cell phones, brooms, the dryer, loads of laundry, white plastic cups, and 12 oz bottles of diet dew. The bigger diet dew is deemed safe by her as is diet Pepsi. She has bitten everyone in my family and pierced my fiancée's lower lip. I am the only one who can touch her or put my hand in her cage. She let me pick her up tonight and examine her after I found the egg. She let me handle the egg. She even let's me "sit" on the egg by putting it under my chin while she is out and on me. She was desperate to be on me but looking at the cage and fluttering. So, I took the egg out in front of her and put it on my chest. She pushed it over to my face, I put it under my chin & she snuggled up to my head for 20 min. Then she flew to her cage and I brought the egg over and put it back. She didn't even scold me.

 

Lillian initially lived with my SIL. When Bert came to live with me, she bought Lillian and she bought my oldest niece a parakeet. Well, my SIL didn't spend time with Lili and my oldest niece didn't get along with her parakeet. Both birds got noisy so my SIL put them in the same cage. Lili was still noisy, and wound up in the basement with a lamp on 24/7. My youngest niece felt sorry for him and brought the bird cage and birds into her room and put them in her closet. They got 3 hours of actual light a day b/c my brother kept turning off the closet light in the morning and couldn't remember to put a bulb in the bird lamp. I tried educating my youngest niece about what the birds would need during Thanksgiving 2006. My SIL asked me to adopt the birds in May of 2007. In July of 2007, Lili came home with me. The parakeet died the night before I picked them up.

 

Lillian is pretty resilient. He wasn't cage bound and learned to step up with no problem. He has learned to fly and gets better at it every time he flies. He converted to pellets and gets a huge kick out of sharing what's on my plate. Lili loves to be on me, but his time has to be really limited because he will screech for hours after I put him down from stepping up. Lili has what I refer to as a "song of joy" which he greets the day with. If I'm not sleeping, I love it and whistle with him. He also wolf whistles, which I really appreciate when I walk thru the living room in my underwear. My SIL used to sing "Lilian I love you" to him. He whistles that tune to me when he first sees me in the morning. He even let's me give him scritches and preen his crest. It took 3 years to get to this point, but we got here.

 

Myrrhdoch came to live with Steve and me in January of 2011. There was an add on craigslist saying this woman was going to be having a baby in April and would no longer have time for her 1.5 yr old CAG. I had wanted to have a CAG in my life so I responded. She and her fiancée brought him home when he was 3 months old. They were told he was weaned. He cried nonstop for 2 weeks. The perches in his cage were too big for his feet, as was the portable perch. The woman was his primary care taker. She let him out of his cage for 2 hrs a day during the week and 4 hrs a a day on weekends. Before he could fly he would climb off his cage, climb up the stairs and then walk down the hall knocking on the doors looking for her. At night she would hold him for abt 30 minutes and put him in his cage. She didn't want him and hadn't since shortly after she brought him home. I went to visit him and he stepped up on me without a problem, which according to this woman NEVER happened. So, the next day, Myrrhdoch, his cage, his portable perch and several bags of food came home with me and Steve for $250.00. The only toys they gave him were treated pegs from a hardware store. He had such a chewing deficit that he chewed thru $350.00 worth of toys the first week.

 

Now, he lives to take things apart. The latest was the door to his cage. He is a good boy and a smart boy, but he is also a handful! He is full of love and kisses. His previous people named him Murdock. Apparently the male in the relationship had a cockatiel named Murdock when he was a teenager. Since this bird was gray like his tiel and he couldn't think of any other name he named him Mudock. I changed the spelling of his name to Myrrhdoch because Myrrh is something precious and one of the many meanings of doch in German is "is it not". His name has been changed from a second hand name on a throwaway bird to mean "Something precious isn't he." I know he doesn't know the difference, but it makes me feel better.

 

So, that is a bit about me and my flock. When I find the right place to post my questions about Myrrhdoch, I'll be posting those. I will also work on pics.

Edited November 23, 2013 by Merideth
typos

[Merideth]

Hello Merideth and welcome to you and your flock! You have a house full. We'd love to hear more about your birds and see some pics!

 

Hi Timbersmom!

Nice to meet you. The living room is full (that's where the birds live), I still have a bedroom downstairs and all of upstairs that are empty! No, I'm not going to add another bird to the flock unless someone I know tells me they have a bird that they will turn loose if they can't re-home it in the next couple of days. Now, if I could just win a major lottery, I'd buy a place in the country and start a parrot rescue/sanctuary.

[Merideth]

Hi Merideth and welcome to you your flock and your fiancée to the grey forum.

Sounds like you have a nice flock.

We love pictures.

 

Good morning Ray P,

Nice to meet you! Thank you, I think I have a nice flock (fiancée included) too. :cool: They make me smile (& pull my hair) Pics are on their way.

[Merideth]

Welcome Merideth and Flock. It's GreYt having you here. With the number and types of parrots you have, I can imagine the chorus you come home to as all welcome you home. We love hearing about others parrots and also seeing photos and videos of them. I look forward to hearing more.

 

Greetings Danmcq!

It can get quite loud at times. Even on the quiet days with the windows closed they can be heard across the street. When I moved in I made sure to quickly introduce myself to my neighbors and let them know that Bert sounded like a woman being hatchet murdered when he screamed and please don't be alarmed. Pics are on their way. BTW "greyt" is totally cool!

Edited November 23, 2013 by Merideth
adding on

[Merideth]

OMG, what a wonderful flock you have there!!!!! Welcome to the forum!!!!!!

 

Howdy MKparrot!

I concur, my flock is wonderful. Thanks for noticing and thanks for the welcome!

[Merideth]

Welcome!! Your flock sounded so much like mine - until you mentioned the B&G. I stopped at my TAG - he is big enough for my house! LOL

Looking forward to hearing more about your babies.

 

Hi Brat Birds!

I love your pic! I wish I could get Razzy to tolerate the presence of another bird that close. She is unconcerned with the size difference and goes after the B&G as readily as the teil if she is on me and invite another bird onto me. Not only do I not want her hurt, it is an hour drive to an avian vet so I try to avoid situations where an emergency could arise. I will gladly exchange stories.

[Merideth]

Glad you joined us. I'm also glad to hear that "Parrot Cacophony" is music to your ears. With a Sun Conure and a B&G I'm sure your walls literally reverberate with sound. I have a quiet little CAG, but I love the sounds of happy parrots--both the loud and soft voices. Welcome!

 

Hello Jeff NOK!

The only time I find the sound of the flock less than delightful is if I have a headache or when I have to sleep between shifts. They are generally pretty good about letting me sleep though and seem to understand that my head hurts. I bought a couple of DVDs from World Parrot Trust that are nothing but different species of birds in the wild. I put it on and turn up the volume. It's weird, but the stress just dissolves and my flock is spellbound by it.

 

Myrrhdoch, the CAG, is the noisiest of all of my birds and once he starts you are in for 3-4 hours of vocalizations. It is pretty darn amazing! How is it that your CAG is quiet? I agree with you, happy bird sounds are wonderful.

[judygram]

Hello Merideth and welcome to our family.

I also have a sun conure and a cockatiel along with my grey and I can attest to the fact that suns are a lot of bird in a smaller package and my tiel is a real sweetheart but then my grey Josey is too, wonderful companions to share my life with. I look forward to seeing some pictures of your flock.

[JeffNOK]

How is it that your CAG is quiet? I agree with you, happy bird sounds are wonderful.

 

I think CAGs tend to rise to level of volume that is around them. Since I live alone without other birds, Gracie is quiet. That is not to say she isn't vocal. She talks and chatters and sings a lot, but it isn't loud.

[Inara]

His name has been changed from a second hand name on a throwaway bird to mean "Something precious isn't he." I know he doesn't know the difference, but it makes me feel better.

Oh Merideth, what a lovely intro. I could just envision every step of the way to where you are now with your wonderful flock. I've routinely given all of my non-human (and a few human) companions new names. I'm a firm believer that unless a name belongs to an aged creature whose name is very attached to them, that a fresh name and a fresh start are a wonderful way to move forward. Names are so important: the sound, the cadence, the emotion behind them. When we bestow a name, that we think is beautiful or that resonates with us, upon a companion (or a pet name for a human) then we are likely to say and/or call their name with a love in our voice or in subtle tones that can be felt by the recipient. My TAG, Inara, named me "Woo," and she says it so beautifully and at times she even whispers it near my ear. What could be more lovely?

 

Myrrdoch is a beautiful name.

 

Looking forward to becoming better acquainted with you and your flock. Warm welcome!

 

Inara's human

[Merideth]

Hello Merideth and welcome to our family.

I also have a sun conure and a cockatiel along with my grey and I can attest to the fact that suns are a lot of bird in a smaller package and my tiel is a real sweetheart but then my grey Josey is too, wonderful companions to share my life with. I look forward to seeing some pictures of your flock.

 

Hi Judygram,

 

I can honestly say that even at my most frustrated moments with the flock I can't Imagine life without them. All of the flock members are sweet and they let me I am well loved by them with regular regurge attempts & spontaneous kisses.

 

I think when God was giving out personality, Sun Conures must have found their way thru the line at least 10 times! They certainly a force to be reckoned with. When Razzy is interacting with me, she is sweet. Even now, when she is sitting on her egg, I can reach in and scritch her and she says "Hi" and makes her kiss sound to me. However she is not at all nice to anyone else.

 

Thank you for the warm welcome to the family. It is nice to be here. I am working on the pics.

[Merideth]

How is it that your CAG is quiet? I agree with you, happy bird sounds are wonderful.

 

I think CAGs tend to rise to level of volume that is around them. Since I live alone without other birds, Gracie is quiet. That is not to say she isn't vocal. She talks and chatters and sings a lot, but it isn't loud.

 

I think all birds rise to the noise around them. However, Myrrhdoch is the one who sets the volume for the flock. He is the only bird in the flock to hear "Shhhh! Use your inside voice please." He also vocalizes for hours at a time, talking, singing, beeping, imitating the whistle of the junior high band leader, imitating every bodily sound he has heard, and imitating all of the other birds too. His preferred volume is loud, which is fine most of the time. I am amazed at his immense need to vocalize almost non stop and equally amazed that Greycie is not loud.

[Merideth]

Names are so important: the sound, the cadence, the emotion behind them. When we bestow a name, that we think is beautiful or that resonates with us, upon a companion (or a pet name for a human) then we are likely to say and/or call their name with a love in our voice or in subtle tones that can be felt by the recipient.

 

Hi Inara's human!

 

I never thought about the way I say his name and that he would hear the love. At least once a day I tell he is "My little grey bird with the red tail feathers" and give him beak kisses. About a 6 months ago, I addressed him as Myrrhdoch and got told "No, Grey Bird! Grey, Grey Bird. Greygrey Bird!" Some days he wants to be called Myrrhdoch, some days he wants to be Grey Bird.

 

Unless my non-human friends have a bad reaction to their name or their name doesn't fit them I tend to not change their name. Razzy was the exception because I really didn't like her name and it didn't fit her. Razzy works on so many levels!

 

I think Woo is a wonderful name! How did that come about? I just realized last week that Myrrhdoch was calling me "Bird" and not Bert. I couldn't figure out why he was calling me Bert. One day, as he stepped onto my shoulder he said "Hi Bird" and gave me a kiss. Since it was softer than normal for him, I actually heard the "d." Bert calls me Mom or Ma so I find it interesting that Myrrhdoch calls me something different.

 

I look forward to getting to know you and Inara better as well. Her name is so beautiful. Does it mean something? How is it pronounced? Do you have a name other than Inara's Human?

[Brat Birds]

I sooo agree that the Suns must have gone through the personality line a few times!! I fell in love with Skittles (he was already named) the minute I saw him. I think the feeling was mutual. He also does not like anyone else and has to stay in his cage when my daughter and granddaughter come over. The only time I have had a bad bite from him was during his first hormonal season. He right now is sleeping inside my shirt. My TAG is sitting on the arm of my chair. They do tolerate each other very well. Peanut (TAG) can sometime be a bully, but never any serious attacks to Skittles.