Adventures in Bird-Sitting

[noodles123]

I like this thread----it is interesting.

 

[Laurasea]

HELP. I've fallen in love, and not with a sweet, cuddly bird. I've fallen in love with a bitey little Indian ringneck who is very nervous around people. I always fall for the shy/scared ones. I'm told that she'll probably still be there next year. :'(

How CUTE is she?! Because her alarm call sounds exactly like a TIE fighter shooting, I have privately nicknamed her after a female TIE fighter pilot who became a Rebel Alliance hero: Juno Eclipse.

Not the best picture, but it does show her coloring well. She goes from true yellow on her head, to soft yellow-green on her body, and shades down to pale turquoise on slivers of her tail. She's stunning.

I noticed that she loves to pull up and shred the newspaper below the grate in her cage. I've begun leaving twists of paper.for her to shred (I clear them out the next day), and today I brought a brightly-colored popsicle box and hung it up on a metal skewer with some other shreddable items. (See picture above.) Juno had already gotten a good start on the box after just three hours.

I am NOT getting a parrot. I am not, I am not, I am not.

There is something awfully special about her, though.

She is w beauty! Maybe she's the one for you!

 

[Snapdragon]

She is w beauty! Maybe she's the one for you!

You are NOT helping. LOL!

I can't see how I could make it work, especially right now. I have three cats, one of whom is a former feral and has a strong prey drive, and the other two are geriatric. They all go to a cats-only vet, which can get pricey. An appropriately-sized cage for a big-ish parrot like her would cost a small fortune. Food is expensive. Avian vets are expensive.

Sigh. I could definitely give her a loving home and would happily accept her for whoever she is, but money is definitely an issue. I don't think it's going to happen.

 

[Snapdragon]

In other news, C the M2 and I had a great time dancing today. I finished changing out the cage papers and invited him out. He decided to stand with a foot on each hand. I brought him up to eye level.

"Helloooo," he said sweetly, cocking his head to gaze at me adoringly.

"WUBBA WUBBA WUBBA!" I replied in a silly voice.

His crest rose, and he stared at me in mixed amusement and confusion. After a long pause, C laughed.

"Wubba wubba wubba?" I said in a normal tone. He laughed again, so I pulled up Monster in the Mirror from Sesame Street on my phone and began to sing it to him.

C went into full Popcorn Mode and headbanged along gleefully. "Wooooo!" he exclaimed.

I began to dance around the room with him. The other parrots in the room watched as we sang and danced. Some of them yelled gleefully. Others stared. One thing is for sure: we had EVERYBIRDY'S attention.

I am so glad that none of my coworkers walked in on our shenanigans.

 

[Snapdragon]

I love meeting new birds, and the past week has been full of not only new birds but new-to-me species. Over the last week, the new species I've met include a Pacific parrotlet (he was a Bumble-bird!), Alexandrine parakeet, and a Salty-bird Amazon.

When I met this parrotlet, he hopped right from his mom's finger onto my finger, regarded me thoughtfully for a moment, then turned and flew straight into the cage his mom had just finished setting up. His mom and I both burst out laughing. This little guy had THE cutest cage setup I've ever seen. He loved to attack the toothbrush bristles, and absolutely had a fit when I reached in to try to set a toothbrush back in the holder. (I remember reading that Pacific parrotlets are usually very defensive of their cages!) While I didn't like upsetting him, I did have to laugh at how fierce this tiny bird was!

Ranger is a super-sweet Alexandrine parakeet. This sweet boy was always happy to come out and supervise my work from my shoulder. He would occasionally make whistle-comments, and spent a good deal of time mumbling under his breath and grinding his beak. Occasionally he'd fly off to check things out, but he would always return if I held up a hand and called, "Heeeeere, BIRDIE BIRDIE BIRDIE!" He had a cute habit of asking for head strokes by suddenly pitching his head down to bonk my shoulder with his beak, and waiting in that position for a pet or two. I love this guy!

There was also a slightly grumpy Salty-bird. He didn't want to eat much at first, so I ate my lunch right next to him to try to encourage him to eat. Thankfully, it worked. He was also a real chatterbox and had the cutest voice you've ever heard! When C the M2 was being silly and making loud happy noises ("WOOHOO! HA HA HA HA HA! WHEE! WOOOOOOOOO!"), this goofball Amazon decided to join in by imitating a baby crying. Silly bird.

Also, I wore my hair down (held back with my usual bandana) today, and you should've seen C the M2's reaction when I copied him headbanging. His eyes got big, he went into Popcorn Mode, and turned his head nearly upside-down... then after a long pause, he started laughing and headbanging too. I love my silly bird friends.

 

[Cagzo]

Really enjoying your Parrot tales Snapdragon. I dont think my Conure will speak,but Ive gotten to know what all her different noises mean. When she "quacks" shes very happy and approachable,I love her to bits.

 

[Snapdragon]

Well, I may be a goner. I've been chosen by the "most difficult" (supposedly) parrot in the store, a juvenile male mustache parakeet. I am the only person working there (including the person who hand-fed him) who can handle him. I've taught him to target using my finger, to give a kiss, and we've pretty much finished bite pressure training. One of the things we do at the store to help tame babies is put them inside our shirts and keep working with the bird in the shirt; my little friend likes to poke his head out, look around, then begin preening my neck, hair, and the inevitable finger I'll reach out to stroke his head. Plus lots of beak grinding.

The manager says I have the touch with ringnecks, and insists that I've been chosen. He told me that as far as he's concerned, if I want my little mustachioed friend, he's mine. Sigh. Yep, I most definitely want the little guy; I've even secretly named him. But right now, I need to save for an apartment and then FIND an apartment in my price range that will allow three cats and perhaps a parakeet. Not sure if that's possible.

Darn his little green-feathered butt. I was NOT planning on getting a parrot! :smile015:

 

[Jen5200]

I love it, being chosen is tough . You are toast my friend!

Bindi picked me a year before I brought her home, I pretended I wasn’t going to do it - but she knew better. I already had Baby and Tango - and had no plans on adding to the flock - but Bindi had other ideas. She rode around in my shirt at the rescue for a year....and then she followed me home.

 

[saxguy64]

Hahahaha, welcome to my world! They're very persuasive when they know what they want. Denying it is futile. Thank you my Patches, the one who taught me what it means to be chosen, what a true bond feels like, Tucker, my amazing little Ekkie boy, and Baxter, the sweetest, most perfect Amazon I never planned on.

Good luck! ;-)

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

 

[Snapdragon]

I finally admitted to my boss today that I am seriously considering getting my mustachioed little friend. He laughed and said that he wasn't surprised; apparently I am the only employee they've had who hasn't yet gotten a bird from his store. He quoted me what I think is a very fair price too. (Employee discount!)

I came up with a name for my little buddy that fits him beautifully: Tashi. It's a Tibetan name that means "good fortune" or "auspiciousness". Since part of the mustache parakeet's natural range includes Tibet at up to an elevation of 3300 feet, and it's my VERY good fortune to have met this little guy, I think it's perfect. I also knew a householder lama named Tashi, and he was one of the kindest, funniest people I've met.

Tashi is a rather opinionated and bossy little parrot, but SO gentle with me. Occasionally I'll put my hand into his cage, and the moment my fingers get too close in his opinion, he'll gently but firmly take a finger in his beak and shove it away with all his strength. (It's a good show of how much he likes me: if anyone else tried it, they'd be pulling back a bloody stump.) When he beaks me too hard, I turn my back on him and count to four, then turn back as if nothing happened, which works well with him. Hilariously, he's picked this up and has started turning HIS back on ME for a count of four if I offend HIM. Little stinker also likes to destroy things, including the little supposedly-bird-safe ninja duck I put in his cage. He played with it for several days, and then I came in this morning to find that he'd chewed poor Ninja Duck's face off. (The intern and I had a good laugh over that.) I removed the duck but kept it, and I'll post pictures of the duck as well as Tashi tomorrow night.

Tashi may have a bit of an attitude, but he is also a huge sweetie with me. The moment I arrive at the store, he rushes to the front of his cage and clings to the bars in the corner closest to me. He also does this any time I walk by, any time he thinks I might walk by, and any time we make eye contact (even if it's from across the store). Today, he started making occasional soft, happy little squeaks as we interacted. I am still the only person in the store who can get him to target or to give a kiss. For a while now he's been making hilarious little annoyed grumbles when I ask him to target my finger and place it in a location where he has to climb upside down on the cage roof. A couple of days ago I started imitating his annoyed noises when he forgets and beaks my finger too hard, and he immediately jumps back, looks at me with concern and tilts his head as he thinks, then reaches out and touches my finger again (without my asking) with a far gentler beak. He is also shockingly smart and figured out "touch" (target) and "kiss" in only THREE tries.

Ugh, I tell ya, he has SO clearly chosen me. And I am completely in love with this silly boy.

 

[Snapdragon]

Also, I met a rare Cape parrot today. They are critically endangered, and the store owner hasn't been able to find anyone in the US who breeds then any more. Oscar came in for a nail trim today, and he was incredibly sweet. Stepped up beautifully, let me pet his head, and was very pleasant... until my boss got to the nail trim. Oscar held his own quite well! He managed to escape my boss several times as the intern and I both smothered gales of laughter (not at Oscar but at how silly our boss looked and how easily Oscar evaded him). Oscar made it very clear that if he could get to my boss, he'd rip him a new one rather than allow anyone to mess with his nails. Boss finally caught him with a towel matador-style. Oscar was fussy as he was gently restrained, so my boss had me very gently blow repeatedly toward his face; nothing hissy, mind you, just enough to distract him. Sounded weird, but it worked nicely, and he settled right down.

Oscar's dad laughed as I later explained why he heard us cracking up. "Oh, that doesn't surprise me, he's like that! Hates having his nails trimmed. He'll generally pout for a bit, but then he's back to his usual self." Dad showed me some hilarious videos of Oscar attacking a dowel perch while lying on his back, and regaled me with some fun stories. This is one well-loved and spoiled bird! His dad gave me permission to post photos, so here you all go. (I only thought to get pics after the trim, so he's obviously not happy.)

 

[Snapdragon]

Meet Tashi! I am so proud of this brave little boy.

Today we reached a special milestone. My coworker was helping me take out Tashi's perches so I could wash them. He doesn't like my coworker, and he immediately climbed over to the side of the cage I was on, huddling up close to me and wanting my reassurance. He settled down for a bit, but when the perches were taken out, it spooked him to the point of flying out of his cage. After a couple of frantic laps around the store, he bumped into the wall and landed awkwardly atop a stack of cages. He was still pretty freaked out, so after picking him up I put him in my shirt to help him calm down. After some nice snuggles, he decided he wanted out. I unbuttoned my collar for him, and for the first time EVER, he climbed up and rode around on my shoulder. He snuggled up to my cheek, nestled under my hair, and rested his beak on my cheek.

My sweet boy also began contact-calling me today! I was scrubbing cage grates and couldn't help smiling when I heard his funny little call. I didn't respond or turn around, though. Then I heard him make his little "I'm kind of annoyed by this" grumble. I turned around to see him hanging from the roof of his cage and staring straight at me. "Oh, you were talking to ME! Hi, Tashi!" His head feathers rose happily.

Little boy loves walnuts!

Tashi is too cute for words. I am head over heels in love with this silly, sweet, bossy, opinionated boy.

 

[Snapdragon]

I've been sick lately, so apologies for the lack of posting. I will give you a brief update on my little mustache parakeet friend, Tashi.

Tashi spent two hours hanging out on my shoulder yesterday while I cleaned cages, changed out papers, scrubbed dishes, and loaded the dishwasher. (And the back of my shirt has the racing stripes to prove it!) He's never stayed so long before. Tashi was a very good little supervisor, interrupting only occasionally to preen my hair or my ear, or to fluff up his feathers briefly and shake his tail. He got scared when I turned on the kitchen sink faucet, so he turned his back on the sink and huddled up against my cheek. It is so humbling to receive that kind of trust from him.

Tashi was very annoyed when I eventually had to put him back in his cage. He kept making his adorable annoyed grumbly noises, climbing back onto me, and getting a deathgrip on my shirt. I offered him his favorite treats once I closed the door, and he very carefully took them one by one, looked me straight in the eye, and then dropped them. Oh the attitude! :18: I love it SO much.

Love this sweetie!

 

[Snapdragon]

My coworker's caique has a broken wing, and he's been bringing her to work so he can keep an eye on her and try to distract her from chewing on her splinted wing. This is one happy, spoiled little bird! She gets dosed with CBD oil to help with the pain, so she tends to be a bit loopy. She has her own cage (door is left open) atop some others on the central island, and patrols the entire island jealously. We use the end of the island as a collection area for dishes, or as a tray-cleaning station. My coworker's silly bird will occasionally get possessive of that end, too; I've gotten a nasty bite once or twice because she decided I was too close to her cage and clambered down to run me off! Stinker. Gotta love the sheer audacity.

I was rinsing dishes in the kitchen yesterday when I heard a loud, hollow THUMP! from the vicinity of the central island. My coworker and I both converged upon the area.

"What the heck was that?" I asked.

He shook his head in confusion. "I have NO idea."

I looked around a bit. My coworker turned back to some customers. Oddly, my coworker's bird was nowhere to be seen. I noticed that an empty dish by the newly-emptied garbage can was missing. Oh no. I peered into the garbage can and snorted.

"Hey. You might wanna come take a look at this," I called. My coworker turned back. "Your bird is in the trash."

He stared at me blankly for a moment. Every customer in the store stopped and stared. I pointed into the garbage can. Looks of horror and oh-poor-bird crossed customers' faces, and I burst out laughing. My coworker looked at me hard for a moment as if he thought I was joking, then came over and looked for himself.

In the bottom of the garbage can was his very confused, more-than-slightly stoned, completely unhurt little caique. She chirped at him cheerfully. He laughed and got her out, playfully scolding her for going dumpster diving.

 

[Snapdragon]

Another milestone with Tashi the mustache parakeet yesterday!

It was just before closing, and it was just my coworkers and me in the store. I grabbed a chair and settled down to do some more target training drills with my feathered friend. Tashi climbed down to the bottom of his cage so we could be at eye level with each other. After a bit, I was distracted by some conversation up front. Eventually I turned back to Tashi, and realized that he was almost dancing in anticipation.

"What?" I moved over a bit, and he followed me. "Oh, do you want something?" I took a bit of walnut and put a finger into the opposite side of the cage. "Touch!"

Tashi RAN over at full speed, tripped over the grate as he tried to put on the brakes, and lunged at my finger. It looked like I was about to be bitten, but thankfully he just grabbed me gently! I gave him his treat.

Next, I asked his neighbor on the other end of the cage to touch my finger. Tashi raced back over excitedly as we did this. I gave his neighbor her reward. Then I looked at my excited, happy-feet boy.

"What?" I "hid" behind a column formed by the cage's door and door frame. He poked his head around the column. "You found me!" I ducked back behind the column, and he scurried back around and gleefully chomped the bars. "Oh no!" Once again I ducked around to the other side. He popped around and happily beaked my nose. "HALP MY NOSE IS BEING EATEN BY A FEROCIOUS VELOCIRAPTOR!" When he let go, I ducked straight down, waited a moment, then burst back up. "Boo!"

Tashi stared for a moment, and then the feathers on his head raised slightly and he dashed forward to gleefully chomp on my nose.

"Oh no, you've got me! Somebody do something!"

We went back to me "hiding" behind the column, him finding me, and me pretending to be scared. Suddenly it dawned on me that all conversation in the room had stopped. I glanced toward my coworkers as Tashi once again grabbed my nose and chewed on it happily.

Yup. Everyone was watching and stifling laughter.

"What? It's the first time he's actually played WITH me! I'm allowed to be ridiculous."

 

[Laurasea]

Great stories. I hope this Tashi will be yours.

 

[Snapdragon]

I fall harder and harder for this little dude every day.

Tashi still isn't comfortable stepping up onto hands, but I've found that he will usually step up happily onto my shoulder. (Especially if I wear my softest flannel shirt.)

Our newest game is beak wrestling: he gets up to eye level and attempts to grab my nose, and I playfully push his beak from side to side with my nose. I dramatically pretend to be oh so scared, and he eats it up. This will go on for a good ten minutes, until he decides to run off to bug his IRN neighbor.

He figured out that he could use my glasses as a ladder to get atop my head. This was the first time he did it.

"RAWR! I is fierce velociraptor; submit to my will, chunk of wood!"

He was SO pleased with himself for climbing across the ceiling and discovering this toy.

Hanging out in the kitchen at work with my boy, after a shift. We were watching videos together and scrolling through r/parrot, and he climbed down onto my chest. When I lifted a hand to steady him, he snuggled into the curve of my hand and yawned. I love the little stinker so much!

 

[Snapdragon]

My coworker is VERY determined to make sure I am the one who gets Tashi. Apparently someone came in today and was very interested in mustache parakeets. My coworker finally managed to dissuade this person from Tashi the hard way. He put his hand in the cage and subtly and deliberately provoked Tashi to bite the s**t out of his hand. I saw the towel he used to staunch the blood, and it was drenched.

I kept alternating between thanking my coworker profusely and apologizing profusely. He just shrugged. "Eh," he said casually, "it's just part of the process. Merry Christmas!"

Apparently Tashi is still REALLY mad at my coworker. My coworker keeps trying to make up with the poor bird by offering him sprouted garbanzos and corn, and Tashi absolutely would not take them. And he loves those!

I am so very lucky to have this guy as my coworker.

Also, I discovered that Tashi seems to like the Lilo and Stitch soundtrack. That's fitting, as my two 15-year-old cats are named Lilo and Stitch.

 

[Jen5200]

That brings new meaning to taking one for the team

 

[Snapdragon]

That brings new meaning to taking one for the team

Right?! I mean, yes, I've done major stuff to help him out too, but these were BAD bites. I will be shocked if they don't scar.

I will probably put down a small deposit on Tashi tomorrow. It's a gamble -- I'm still looking for a place to move -- but it would break my heart if I lost him.