Gizmo update

[Tycos_mom]

Gizmo is coming along very nicely he come out of his cage on his own now. He just love to play if I walk by his cage without stopping you will hear him say hey commere come and play with me. He's a little nippy right now because he's molting and has a ton of pin feathers everywhere. I try to help him by giving him lot of baths and I would love to be able to pinch off the caratin but he won't allow my to give him any scritches at all right now. I guess all the pin feathers are just to irratating and sore. His favorite game is tug o war with a rolled up peice of news paper or a peice of rope. he just love to shread and news paper and rope are the things he likes to shread. He's getting better at eating different things now. I got him to eat sweet potatos and broccoli and even got him to eat a couple of peas the other day. I hope he gets over this molt quickly I can't pick him up right now because he won't let me get close enough. Before this molt started he was stepping up and comeing with me everyday but now he just won't. Any ideas beside lots of baths that will help would be greatly appreciated. I guess nature has to take its course I just wish I could have settled him down a bit more before it started. Fergie must have read my mind while I was talking about giving Gizmo lots of baths because she just did a nose dive into her water dish she's haveing a great time splashing around. I wish Gizmo would give himself a bath but he doesn't seem to know how. I have arthritis in my fingers and to pump the spray bottle for any length of time makes my fingers cramp up. so I have to change hand three or four times while bathing him. Tyco and Fergie like the shower but I haven't tryed Gizmo in the shower yet because he won't allow me to pick him up now that he's molting. After this molt I'm going to introduce him to the shower so I don't have to have sore hands for hours and hours. I would add a new picture but he looks a bit shabby due to the molt so as soon as he finishes I wll take a picture so you can all see how trully wonderful and healthy he is since he's been here. Oh I almost forgot to mention him and Fergie have become friends she will sit on the fridge which is 5 ft away from his cage and they will talk back and forth for hours its really quite sweet.

[judygram]

Pat I am so glad to hear an update on Gizmo and he is doing great, I knew he would in your care but some birds do get grouchy and don't want to be touched when they are full of pin feathers but soon he will be back to himself.

 

He probably would appreciate a shower with you when the molt is over and please do post some more pictures of him when he is looking his fine self.

 

That is sweet to hear him and Fergie are chatting with each other, who knows what they are talking about but its good to hear they get along.

[Lyric]

What a great update! Poor Gizmo will get through this molt and just think how pretty he'll be with a set of new feathers. I know what you mean about squeezing those spray bottles- even without arthritis it gets my hand to aching pretty quick. Could you give him a little dish of water to play in? Maybe that would help.

[LindaMary]

Hey there, Pat - I've been wondering how Gizmo's been getting along! Thanks for the great update! I am so glad to hear that he has found a friend in Fergie (she sounds like SUCH a sweetheart from everything you say about her...). Maybe they are sharing race memories of South American rain forests... I wish Tanner had a friend like that: he'd obviously like to be closer friends with Maxi, but she's just not interested. In fact, she likes to nip at his tail if she gets half a chance. I do think they keep each other some company in spite of that (they tend to copy each other's mischief!) - but I can't say I've really heard them chatting back and forth.

 

I am looking forward to seeing pictures of Gizmo in his new suit of feathers, too!B) I think Tanner may be going into a molt, too: I'm starting to see little grey down feathers here and there. I have been lucky with him in that so far, given a choice of being on me or off me, his choice is ON about 99% of the time, even if it means I take him into the bathroom and try to put him on the shower perch. The other day he would NOT get on the shower perch, and I really needed a shower myself, so I just turned the water a bit cooler and got under it with him on my shoulder. Amazingly, he managed to hang onto my bare shoulder tightly enough to stay on, but not tightly enough to hurt, and it didn't seem to bother him at ALL to be under the water as long as he got to sit on me.

 

Do you use a humidifier around your birds at all? I am wondering because I know that even when I don't actually get mine under the water, I often will take them in and set them on the shower perch while I am showering, and they seem to enjoy the moisture in the air.

[she]

Pat, thanks for the update on Gizmo.He seems to be doing fine.I have not really had much trouble with Charlie or Cracker when they molt.Cracker is a grouch most of the time anyway and Charlie may become less inclined for scritches but no real problem.

[Luvparrots]

What a great update on Gizmo; it was so nice to hear about him. Can't wait to see his new plumage once this molt is over.

[Tycos_mom]

Linda I was wondering how Tanner was doing it sounds like he's turned into quite the sweetheart. Gizmo was getting really good at wanting to be on my shoulder also and then this molt started and he just doesn't want to be touched in any way.

[LindaMary]

Yes, Pat, I have to say Tanner has become quite the mama's boy. He prefers to be out of his cage now rather than in - IF the right people (i.e.: me, Mary or my mother) are in the room - but he still doesn't readily go to anyone but me, especially not if I'm in the room, too. Mary had "evening duty" with the birds a week or so ago while I took my mom to a doctor's appointment in CT - and to my surprise she was apparently able to get him to come out of his cage and sit on her and do the whole lullaby routine I usually do - with her instead of me. Now that I know he WILL do that for her if I'm not around, I'm trying to get her to share it with me a bit more - for all of our sakes!:evil:

 

He's still very spooky, tho - and prone to nip - if anyone else approaches him, so I have to be really mindful when anyone else is around. He still nabs me occasionally, too :pinch: - I've obviously not yet reached the stage where it is second nature to me to know what is going to set him off. I am sure that when he gets into the kind of molt that Gizmo is in, he's probably going to be a buzzsaw for a while! NOt looking forward to that! I don't know how he is going to reconcile pinfeather discomfort with being the Velcro bird he wants to be with me all the time lately. As always - your experience with Gizmo is a good foreshadowing for me - I thank you!