Bladesmith
New member
Another Jarvis Update
Well it's been a few weeks since I last spoke to y'all, and it's been a busy, busy time.
Jarvis is now very much part of the family. In fact, I'm pretty sure he thinks the rest of us are here on HIS sufferance. He has adjusted to the two cats, who have gotten the idea that the top of Jarvis' cage is the place to be. Until Jarvis charges them, beak gaping, to teach them otherwise. Other times, if he's in the mood, he tolerates their presence, one at a time, and if sleeping, he gently preens them. Unless the cat wakes up, whereupon Jarvis acts like he wasn't doing anything at all. It's hysterical.
I also took him out on my screened in porch the other day, when all the local birds were singing their Springtime hearts out. He was nervous (Doesn't like finger sitting, but will ride on my shoulder like a champ) being out doors, but in moments was copying and singing back to the wild birds.
His wings, bless his tiny little heart, are healing. Repeated cleanings and applications of aloe (to soften his skin, promote healing, and encourage new feathering), and Neosporin (To fight the small amount of infection I found and accelerate his healing) are working. I'm seeing new pinfeathers bursting out all over his plucked areas. At times, he kinda looks like a bright green dandelion. A week ago, I found an old parakeet birdbath they never used and put it out on his play area. After he assaulted it and taught it who was in charge, I dabbled my fingers in it and made splashy noises. Intrigued, he came over and was soon playing in his personal penthouse pool. Water everywhere! But he had fun, if his chirping and singing were any indication.
Every morning, he shares my breakfast of Cheerios. Woe unto me if I DON'T share, because he will march down off his cage and help himself. He started to help himself to my coffee (Decaf, sugar free, getting old sucks....), but I put an end to that in a hurry., not knowing if the ingredients, real or artificial might hurt him.
He spends his days climbing around his cage, mostly watching me and calling out when I leave the room at times. (Dude....I have GOT to go pee, ok?) I call back to him to let him know I'm around, but he continues until he can see me. When sitting on the couch, he has free access in and out and frequently comes out to climb onto my shoulder and sit. He gets many pets and scritches, all day long. In fact, he gets metric tons of attention and affection.
He is prone to nipping me if I don't give him attention when he thinks he should have it, but putting him in time out when he does has curtailed that. We often forgo watching tv to listen to Pandora, so He loves to sing and dance and whistle along with my daughter and I. I also noticed he's not banded, but I've no idea what that means, if anything.
But I have two concerns. One, he doesn't seem to be inclined to play with his toys. Now, he came with a bunch of toys, but I figured he'd been stuck in his cage with them for almost 2 years, and they probably hold no thrill for him anymore. So I'd bought him a new toy when I got him, and he doesn't play with that, either. I've provided him with smaller toys, jungle balls, milk jug caps, things he can easily manipulate, but he doesn't play with those either. I know quakers in general, are supposed to be active little clown heads, but so far, nothing.
Two, while he's gotten better around her, he's not warming up to my daughter as well as I thought he might. She sings to him, and whistles, and will spend hours just talking in his direction, but he's bitten her twice now when she misjudged his reach and gotten too close. She's 10, and is very good with animals. Both bites, she never lashed out at him in pain or fear. She's just upset he doesn't like her as much as he does me. I've reminded her that it takes time, and the only reason he's attached to me so quickly is A) he was desperate for attention, and B) my daughter isn't here full time. (I'm divorced. Yes, it sucks, for a multitude of reasons. My ex and I have joint custody and live close together, by design, so my daughter spends one week on and one off with each of us.) So it'll take twice as long to get him close to her. But she's not mad at Jarvis and keeps on trying. I'm proud at how hard she's working to be his friend. Given my health issues, should I pass away suddenly, she'd become Jarvis' primary care giver, so I want them to be friends.
I'm open to suggestions.
I'm working on more pictures, but he's afraid of the camera. And paper towels, sheets of paper, towels in general......
Still and all, he's my buddy, and I adore him.
Well it's been a few weeks since I last spoke to y'all, and it's been a busy, busy time.
Jarvis is now very much part of the family. In fact, I'm pretty sure he thinks the rest of us are here on HIS sufferance. He has adjusted to the two cats, who have gotten the idea that the top of Jarvis' cage is the place to be. Until Jarvis charges them, beak gaping, to teach them otherwise. Other times, if he's in the mood, he tolerates their presence, one at a time, and if sleeping, he gently preens them. Unless the cat wakes up, whereupon Jarvis acts like he wasn't doing anything at all. It's hysterical.
I also took him out on my screened in porch the other day, when all the local birds were singing their Springtime hearts out. He was nervous (Doesn't like finger sitting, but will ride on my shoulder like a champ) being out doors, but in moments was copying and singing back to the wild birds.
His wings, bless his tiny little heart, are healing. Repeated cleanings and applications of aloe (to soften his skin, promote healing, and encourage new feathering), and Neosporin (To fight the small amount of infection I found and accelerate his healing) are working. I'm seeing new pinfeathers bursting out all over his plucked areas. At times, he kinda looks like a bright green dandelion. A week ago, I found an old parakeet birdbath they never used and put it out on his play area. After he assaulted it and taught it who was in charge, I dabbled my fingers in it and made splashy noises. Intrigued, he came over and was soon playing in his personal penthouse pool. Water everywhere! But he had fun, if his chirping and singing were any indication.
Every morning, he shares my breakfast of Cheerios. Woe unto me if I DON'T share, because he will march down off his cage and help himself. He started to help himself to my coffee (Decaf, sugar free, getting old sucks....), but I put an end to that in a hurry., not knowing if the ingredients, real or artificial might hurt him.
He spends his days climbing around his cage, mostly watching me and calling out when I leave the room at times. (Dude....I have GOT to go pee, ok?) I call back to him to let him know I'm around, but he continues until he can see me. When sitting on the couch, he has free access in and out and frequently comes out to climb onto my shoulder and sit. He gets many pets and scritches, all day long. In fact, he gets metric tons of attention and affection.
He is prone to nipping me if I don't give him attention when he thinks he should have it, but putting him in time out when he does has curtailed that. We often forgo watching tv to listen to Pandora, so He loves to sing and dance and whistle along with my daughter and I. I also noticed he's not banded, but I've no idea what that means, if anything.
But I have two concerns. One, he doesn't seem to be inclined to play with his toys. Now, he came with a bunch of toys, but I figured he'd been stuck in his cage with them for almost 2 years, and they probably hold no thrill for him anymore. So I'd bought him a new toy when I got him, and he doesn't play with that, either. I've provided him with smaller toys, jungle balls, milk jug caps, things he can easily manipulate, but he doesn't play with those either. I know quakers in general, are supposed to be active little clown heads, but so far, nothing.
Two, while he's gotten better around her, he's not warming up to my daughter as well as I thought he might. She sings to him, and whistles, and will spend hours just talking in his direction, but he's bitten her twice now when she misjudged his reach and gotten too close. She's 10, and is very good with animals. Both bites, she never lashed out at him in pain or fear. She's just upset he doesn't like her as much as he does me. I've reminded her that it takes time, and the only reason he's attached to me so quickly is A) he was desperate for attention, and B) my daughter isn't here full time. (I'm divorced. Yes, it sucks, for a multitude of reasons. My ex and I have joint custody and live close together, by design, so my daughter spends one week on and one off with each of us.) So it'll take twice as long to get him close to her. But she's not mad at Jarvis and keeps on trying. I'm proud at how hard she's working to be his friend. Given my health issues, should I pass away suddenly, she'd become Jarvis' primary care giver, so I want them to be friends.
I'm open to suggestions.
I'm working on more pictures, but he's afraid of the camera. And paper towels, sheets of paper, towels in general......
Still and all, he's my buddy, and I adore him.
