Alexandrines

[bettyboop]

Oh, so you have a TAG , mine is a Cag .I owned a Tag once.He died in the middle of the night from a toy accident .It was awful .....The Tags are so much more laid back to me .Our CAG , who we have now is a bully.

He hates bath time , goes nuts when I tell him it is bath time .Now Zsa Zsa loves water, she goes to the kitchen sink and sits there and waits for us to come over and shower her , yes she gets into it .She really enjoys her bath.There is a pic of her taking a bath in her water bowl you can look at on an old contest , The wet bird contest .

Boy that excites me that someone actually charged $650 and got it for an Alexandrine.Wow , you know that is a lot of money , but they are worth it .

I think both of you live in Canada,right?You may be neighbors.

Yes , they do preen a lot and their feathers are so important to them .Since Zsa Zsa molted she is sweeter , but I think she is older also , she loves to be on my shoulder but has more of a I'll do what I want attitude .Remember I have the female .I would love a male but I can't do three birds .Two is like a zoo. I do not understand how some can have so many birds . Pat , you have 6 , how do you take such good care of so many ? Do you ever get a break ?LOL.....

Why do you think Tiago's talking slowed down ?Zsa Zsa spoke more also and has slowed down .I have even heard of some saying theirs have said a few words and never spoke again .My husband has a funny thought on that subject."He says , why should they , they have everything they need , including attention, ".So I wonder why do they actually stop or slow down ?We are their flock and comunication with the flock is important so I wonder what the deal is ?I do handle her as much , maybe more than when she was younger.Who knows?

That is funny about kissing with the tongue out , Zsa Zsa just puts her beak to my cheek and then she makes a little smack noise.

Last night when she was on my shoulder , I noticed a smell , do your birds have sort of a sweet smell or maybe it is the female scent ?

[zooman]

I do believe what i paid was worth it compared to many pets out there. With good health they will live up to 30 years for the alexandrine and 50 i think for AG. People pay $1000 for dogs and get 10years. I am sorry that your TAG died like that, that would be terrible for me if that happened. I know it happens and sometimes we cant be careful enough. My TAG is very high strung but personality yes very laid back.

 

As for the talking i dunno why he stopped learning new words my TAG hasnt but my theory is that once i got the TAG thats when it slowed, we also moved to a new apartment so that had to effect it also.

 

The smell only time im like you guys are stinky is right after bath time, when they are all wet.

[Tycos_mom]

All my birds get along quite well so many times I have 3 at a time on me one on each shoulder and one on my left arm, I have to keep my right hand free so I can do other things while I play with my birds. I also have a very good job so I only work 3 days a week 6 hours a day and those hours are from 4 pm til 11pm tues, fri, sat. so I have tons of time to spend with them. They go to bed at 8:pm so when I work it like 3 hours that they are by themselves. The hardly notice I'm gone. I don't go out much because I live in the middle of nowhere its 20 mile to the nearest town so I only go out when I have to. I usually can get everything done while I'm working so when I'm off I can be home with them. I don't have anything else todo except play with my birds. I don't think I could handle anymore than I have now though I'm at my limit.

[bettyboop]

Zooman , that is exactly when Zsa Zsa slowed down talking .When we brought our CAG home , I didnt want to say that I wanted to know what your opinion was.My husband and I have said that over and over , she slowed down when he came.I wonder what that is all about.....

 

My TAG who played very rough with his toys got a rope toy wrapped around his neck .So, you know how they chew the top toys first , which leaves a heavy weight on the bottom of the rope, when this happens remove the toy .I still miss him , Zsa Zsa has just about chewed up all of his toys that were left over .Sammy is in his cage , which was weird at first , but now it seems natural.

 

The smell doesnt stink , like when they are wet , it's like a sweet almond smell .Maybe it's just her , LOL....<br><br>Post edited by: bettyboop, at: 2008/09/06 23:02

[bettyboop]

Pat , they are lucky little birds to have you .

Sounds like a wonderful home , and I am glad it is filled with love .You are a good Bird Mama.It does sound as though you are at your limit , or maybe you should get an Alexandrine to go with the IRN ....

[zooman]

Wow bettyboop that must have been so rough to have to see i will def look at their toys much more than before because Zuri is a big clown and enjoys hanging off his toys upside down and now that you mentioned that ill look closer at his toys in his cage.

 

I figure he slowed his talking over the two facts but i think its competition for love maybe at a bird level and maybe he's sad. I spend equal time with them i def get more cuddly with Zuri only cause he'll let me. I know zuri is very much jealous when i have tiago i couldnt do what tycosmom does with both on me at the same time zuri puffs up as soon as he sees Tiago on me. The move didnt help either i used to take the birds outdoors all the time last summer and i cant anymore im on the 6th floor and tiago hates the harness well id have no chance of getting it on him anyways. so a perch in a window is the best he gets. Im trying to find a good carrier case that doesnt have wild flower colours on it im not mr.macho man but thats pushing it with those cases of what ill be seen carrying lol. does anyone seen ones that werent like that?

 

No offence but id go crazy with the amount of brids you have my 2 are enough work but hey if i could i would like you do. I work night shift from 8pm-4am and im up usually at 1pm so they are alone just the morning and im here til bedtime. Atleast i miss the morning poop. Well unfortunately for Zuri i dont he saves it till i get him out well 99% of the time he hates pooping in his cage i heard its normal. Tiago will poop on command but the grey is having probs learning have you guys trained yours?

[Tycos_mom]

I have most of my birds toilet trained the only 2 that aren't are Tyco and Bandit. Tyco isn't because its only been this past 6 weeks that she has alowed me to touch her I rescued her almost a year ago now. I'll be starting her training soon. Bandit is my newest bird my daughter thought Spike needed a friend my birthday was Aug 10th so thats when I got him. He was parent raised and in a petfood store where they don't handle the birds since he fledged and he's 10 months old. I had to tame him first which I have now. I had to take a few good blood drawing bites without reacting but He's pretty good now.I was really quite suprised how fast he tamed I'll post some pics at the end of this so you can see.

<br><br>Post edited by: Tycos_mom, at: 2008/09/07 11:40

[bettyboop]

ZooMan,

Yes , I found him that morning and I promise it was bad. So yes , check the toys for frayed ends , heavy wooden things at the bottom of a cord or string .I take all toys out of my birds cages at night. Nothing but perches and food , water bowls.

 

I agree about the jealousy between my Alex and CAG,she does show jealousy when I have him , however I don't really allow him on me except to transport him to playstand or off of certain pieces of furniture.He really likes to bite me as I have said before.So basically , he is my husbands bird.It breaks my heart to think , I have made her feel unloved by bringing another bird in .How sad.

 

In my Bird Talk magazine there is an ad for carriers to take birds outside that look normal , LOL...the company calls these neat looking things "Pak-O=Bird, the website is www. celltei.com, there is also one on www.sandyperch.com that is a back pack that looks like something a guy would carry .

 

My birds are not potty trained , I give Pat a THUMBS UP, on that one .I was told the CAG was at one time , however he doesnt seem to remember it.LOL....

They give us clear indications when it is going to happen before it does.So usually they have returned to the playstands or cage before , I have a thing I bought at a bird show that goes around my shoulder and down my back to catch an accident, it also keeps nails from digging into my shoulder as well.

 

Pat , thanks for the pics.I am not sure , but it looks as though your IRN has a much smaller beak than our Alex's .Is this a characteristic of the IRN ?<br><br>Post edited by: bettyboop, at: 2008/09/07 13:25

[Tycos_mom]

I don't know for the size of his face his beak is pretty big I think he's so cute when he get mad and puffs up all his feathers on his little head the picture of him on my shoulder he wasn't very happy about getting his picture taken. I thought it was funny. he does the same thing when I play gonna get your tail with him and I laugh every time he's such a hoot.

[zooman]

yeah def thumbs up to you for training them. I still get the occasional suprise from Tiago but hes 99% good. I notice both birds if they get spooked and fly off somewhere they poop as soon as they stop, is that normal? urgh thats the only time tiago does it in bad places. Zuri i had him half way but hes losing it the last few months i dunno why.

 

Bettyboop thanks soo much for the links ill look into it, hopefully no flower patterns. Like i mentioned i like the idea of the plaxiglass one but not the idea of the airflow. Hes a shoulder perching bird the grey so i hate when we go outside and he demands the shoulder and gets spooked and leaves a gift on me. I find the greys beak to be much sharper pointed and the alex's have this biggg upper but its the bottom part that hurts when they get into your finger..maybe it'll get bigger as she ages i cant remember a diff when i first got him other that got stronger..lol

[Tycos_mom]

If a bird gets spooked they will poop right away to get rid of any access weight. Its a stress thing. If you notice those poops will also be more watery than normal its because it hasn't gome through the normal process.

[Tycos_mom]

oops pushed the summit button twice so I edited this one out:blush:<br><br>Post edited by: Tycos_mom, at: 2008/09/08 11:46

[bettyboop]

Yes , you are correct about the pooping thing when they get spooked , perhaps they also fly away to keep from pooping on you .I have read if they bond with a person as they mature they won't poop on you as they wouldnt poop on a mate in the wild......

I havent been bitten in a long time .KNOCK ON WOOD...My Alex body language is so easy to read , not the TAGS , but I do watch them very carefully and it does prevent bites.

The carriers , in the links had no flowers on them , so hopefully they will be somethiong you find helpful.Not sure if this is what you are looking for . I have a small wire cage I use for travel , that my birds go in when they go in the car .When at home I am fortunate to just roll their cages outside .I have a huge patio and they love it out there .

Mary

[bettyboop]

I don't mess with Zsa Zsa's tail , I learned the hard way . I also read how in the wild that tail really attracts prey ,and they are very protective of it , so I stopped out of respect .I don't mean this remark to be rude , I just try to understand as much as I can about them in our homes as their life would be in the wild .Another reason that they naturally do not like petting is because they do not preen each other in the wild . Yes, some Alexandrines do cuddle and like to be petted , however this is because they have had this since they were hatched .Learned behavior....My bird does not like petting , and she really hates it when I touch her tail .She is also a female , which makes her a little more touchy than the male . I think , with our Grey who is 3 ,he is crazy sometimes maybe due to hormones , he wants us to touch him and he wants to be touched where we know not to touch , so then he gets pissy and bites.

 

Our Alex's beak appears as big as it is now when she was 3 months old , I don't think it has grown ....I looked at some of her baby pics , it looks the same .

 

Pat,I think he is really sweet , and the picture was really cute....His head does look a bit fluffed , aren't they cute when they do that?Zsa Zsa cracks me up , with the head fluffed and those pinning eyes. I can read her so much easier than the Grey.

Mary<br><br>Post edited by: bettyboop, at: 2008/09/08 13:31

[zooman]

Yeah i figured as much with pooping i notice in the wild birds do it before flight or during flight. Well they never fly off of me its always drop a pot or they are doing something taking a thought and something spooks them from behind sort of. Tiago the alex is much more prone to this than the grey.

 

I had read that too about that they dont preen each other and being protective of their tail. When i take him back to see my parents my mom does the same game with him and the same results he hates it. She ony does it like once or twice so its like when i tickle zuri as soon as he sees my finger going under his wing he says "tickle tickle" so im havent realy seen negative results. I looked at the carriers and if they werent so expensive i would love one but $200 is a bit much for me right now. I have like a small dog hard shell one that i screwed in a perch inside but he loves hanging off the front instead its the door and a better view. I dunno ill keep looking...I guess they market these things for women more than men.

Sometimes i feel bad with some of these toys Zuri is working on this acrylic toy that has a bell inside thats impossible to get out but he'l be there for hours trying. and gets frustrated and beat it up. Do you guys have toys like that? and feel bad? that they never will succeed?

[bettyboop]

I understand about the toy thing , however I just think it keeps them busy , which is good.It is really kind of cute , to me when they get mad at the toy. However , everything can't be easy or they would get bored with it .Look at all the toys they destroy in just minutes . They are just too cute .

Zsa Zsa was loving on my face a few minutes ago , she hates for me to touch her but she will rub her face and head on my face .She is so sweet....Makes me want 10 more just like her , ha ha.Yeah right??????

$200 DOLLARS is insane , I will be looking for a less expensive one .As I said earlier , mine is just a small cage , works fine .Do you ever go to yard sells?Also , the Bird shows might have some good prices on stuff like that .

Look at the Perch Store , they have sales every week and also Drs.FosterandSmith.com .Hope you find one .

 

That is really cute about Zuri saying , tickle tickle .I think the males must talk more than the females, or at least it seems that way .

What is Zuri's favorite food and how often do you bathe him ?

M

M

[zooman]

Thats true being busy means less destroying other stuff. I just feel bad when they are working so hard and i know they have no chance of ever getting what they want. I thought of the yard sales and ebay etc. but im scared of buying a cage that is a toxic metal and he somehow ingests it, you know?

 

Zuris fav food hmm he loves his peanuts and almonds is his fave he switches alot guess gets tired of a certain treat last year it was walnuts this year he leaves them totally. How about your grey?

 

Baths i give them both once a week during molts twice a week. Zuri as a grey he likes them alot will flap and shake etc, now tiago the alex hes a clown upside down so i get his armpits, sings whistles flaps. he gets water eveywhere but i guess its water. I use a mist bottle, how about you how do you bathe them?

[bettyboop]

Some of the stuff on ebay is new .A lot of vendors peddle their goods out of their stores on ebay.I bought my playstand on ebay for a fraction of what it cost everwhere else.It was still sealed in the box , just as it came from the factory.My Alex loves it , the Grey won't go near it .So we purchased a wooden one for him .He went on it after about two or three days , for about a month .Now he won't go on it at all.He is so stubborn.

 

His favorite food is almonds and apples .He will also do anything for a cheeto.So I bribe him with cheeto's. He eats apples like they are going out of style.They both want what we eat , dinner time is crazy , they come and sit real nice when we are eating...

Zsa Zsa loves her seeds , she will hold out untill I give her some , she eats good stuff , broccoli, squash , collard greens , apples , sweet potato's, but she demands her seeds.Especially in the eve.I don't give her many , just enough to satisfy.

 

My birds get a bath usually every other day .I also use a mister, Sammy (CAG) hates his bath , so it is not fun .He has so much dander , he has to have a bath at least every other day .His previous owner said she never bathed him .You have never seen so much fluff flying in the air when we first got him . Our air cleaner couldnt handle all of that stuff. Our shirts were white after he was off of us.He has perfect feather condition , I don't understand her not introducing him to a bath .She purchased him as a baby and ran into financial problems . How sad ? Gosh my animals would have to be the last to go ....Zsa Zsa loves it and like you say , she opens her wings , gets in the water bowl and has a blast. Now she has started going to the kitchen sink , she sits there and squawks till we turn the water on . She plays in it, actually gets down into the sink and sometimes soaks pretty much all of herself .Then she flies off and water goes everwhere .Oh what a mess .

They are a lot of work , but worth it . LOL...

 

How is Tiago's beak ?

M

[zooman]

Ive bought a lot off ebay over the years but shipping would hurt me on something like that i would think. I really like the carriers off the one site. Ill save up i guess, after the vet visit this saturday and thanks for asking about tiago well one side seems better its kinda even offed but the ohter side still doesnt look right ill find out saturday to be sure. I read sometimes they can damage it during play and i noticed today he plays hard with this toy made of acrylic that i stuff peanuts into and he has to maneuver them out. Its kinda sharper i took it away just in case.

 

wow your guys love just about everything in foods which is good makes life easier i tried giving them rice today but it was plain rice guess it wasnt fun enough for them..lol. What is your alex's fav toy? do you make your own or buy them? any luck in getting your grey to like you?

[bettyboop]

I make some toys and buy some . They are so expensive , I usually go to Bird Shows and load up . Actually they are like little kids , you buy presents for Christmas and they want to play with the boxes.So they like bottle caps , off water bottles , cereal boxes , plastic tubs etc.... They love paper also , when the mail comes , I can't just lay it down , Zsa Zsa goes to it as soon as she can and starts ripping it up , which she has done many times.LOL....

I change out toys everyday , so I don't know exactly which is their favorite, they explore many different ones . I try to mix textures a lot , paper , wood , plastic etc...

 

I work with him all the time , it's really not as bad as I make it out , he just has such an arrogant attitude, it will work out , Just takes time .

I do hope his beak is OK .Let me know .

Mary

[zooman]

Wish we had bird shows up here and if we do i never hear of them. Are the prices good at these shows?

 

I know what you mean about they can make toys out of anything one very cheap toy i make is used toilet paper rolls i stuff them with nuts and use string to tighten it up and Zuri has a 20 min toy. He also loves bells any kind and always finds a way to take out the little thing inside the bell i always have to watch him when i give him a toy with one. I cant write with anything in my hand with them the pens like a magnet if they are on me its straight to try and get my pen.

I know im working on Tiago again since since his molt he lost a bit of his lovey doveyness. How and What did you do to soften yours up?, my old techniques arent working.

[bettyboop]

I find great deals at the bird shows . I will look in my Bird Talk Magazine , which is a great magazine if you don't subscribe to it and see if there are any shows in Canada.

 

As far as Zsa Zsa softening up , I don't know what the trick was .I just spend as much one on one with her , and play with her as much as I can .Remember our birds have another bird in the house which is competition and they are growing up .

I spend time with Sammy but at a different time , away where she doesnt see us together .

She does not like him , she flies over and picks fights , it's just too scary knowing he is bigger and I am afraid one day he will fight back .She is jealous. I try to always feed her first , speak to her first and have put them in different rooms , rather than being in the same room .....It has helped . In the evening they are in the family room with us together, but my Husband is playing with Sammy. She seems to accept this and always stays with me .

That is a great idea about the toy you make for Zuri , they love to forage . I will try that on our birds , I bet they will love it .

 

M<br><br>Post edited by: bettyboop, at: 2008/09/11 13:41

[Tycos_mom]

I have lots of toys like that for Tyco she absolutly loves those kind of toys I do have to watch her though because she is a big Grey she weigh 585 gr and she can and does break them open with her beak. I prefer the wood ones with the walnut inside she like them just as much anything that makes noise when the shake it is ok with them heres a picture of the wood toy with the walnut its a much better choice than the acrilic ones

[Tycos_mom]

I cannot inagine someone selling their bird because they have finacial problems that woulds be like getting rid of your kids because their to expensive. I've always said kids and fids don't live on money they live on love and if you love them enough you will find a way to get them the things they need. Selling your bird because you need money is the coldest most heartless thing I have ever heard. what the hell is with people these days. makes me sick

[Gaevren]

My husband's mother gave him up to her parents because she could not give him the care she felt he deserved. She was recovering from a very bad divorce (his stepfather), had not a penny to her name, and was working several jobs. She wanted him to have better than she knew she could give him for the next few years. She loved him, and still does, and it broke her heart to do it and was something she agonized over for a long time, but he was able to eat and be decently clothed, and grew into a wonderful person. He loves her as well, and he thanked her for that decision.

 

It's not exactly the same circumstances and I'm sure that there are people who get rid of their pets because they're too "expensive" (read: inconvenient) but I'm sure that's not always the case. Although someone who really cares about their pets will try to find them a good, appropriate home as opposed to selling them to the first person with enough money and interest.