It's crunch time! It's time to wean, fledge and get used to a cage. Wow! That's a tall order for a petite baby blue front. We're both worn out! I just tucked her into the cardboard box in the 20 gallon long, which she only uses for sleeping now. I'm dog tired!
I had planned to clip Kizzy's wings, but now we're doing flight training three times a day. How in the world did this happen?
My short list for a new bird was 1) a Congo African grey or 2) a blue-fronted Amazon. I decided not to get a CAG because I didn't want to deal with feather-picking. Still, I had an idea based on the baby greys I sold. This is highly unscientific, but I noticed that the babies allowed to fly did not pick their feathers. I've been thinking about this for a long time. I know that some of the plucking is due to physical ailments, but there's a huge psychological component, too. Greys are very sensitive birds, so they're sort of the canary in the coal mine when it comes to feather-picking and its root causes.
My theory is this: If you clip a grey, you take away one of his options in a flight or fight scenario. Add any stressor and the bird feels helpless. He probably can't fight whatever it is that is making him upset and now he can't fly away from it either. In frustration, he resorts to feather picking. This makes sense. I would love to see the data on this. I'm sure some flighted birds pluck, too, but I have a hunch they don't do so as often as flightless greys.
If I got a grey, I planned to allow him or her to fly, but if I got an Amazon, I would clip for safety. Well, that changed when I saw how sensitive Kizzy is. I took just the tiniest bit off her toenails and we both ended up crying. Later that same day, at just seven-and-a-half weeks old, she took her first short flight. She was so happy with herself! She waggled her little tail, made a happy noise and looked up at me as if to say, "Wasn't I just a BIG eagle, mommy?"
Oh, geez.
All this time, I've been telling her "big eagle" when she flaps her wings and now that she was able to do the very thing all that flapping was for, I was going to take it away from her.
I had to think about it for a couple of days. Every time she flew, it scared me half to death, but clipping her would ground her during the time she was supposed to learn to fly. And it can't be undone, at least not for a very long time.
I sought information from prominent people who fly their birds. They assured me Kizzy was learning from the crash landings. At her age her bones are flexible and her mind is ready. If she is ever going to learn how to fly, now is the time to take that risk...and it is risky. I know that. I've seen how risky it is first-hand. I still can't deny Kizzy her right to fly.
So Kizzy and I are doing flight training three times a day in the relatively safe bedroom, which I pad with blankets every morning to keep her safe. At first I tried very short flights from a close perch or person, but she kept taking off in various directions, so I canned that idea. Now I stand on the opposite end of the small bedroom and try to gently catch her when she checks against the wall. She hasn't quite learned to stick her landings. She keeps trying to perch up high where there's nowhere to perch. Still, she's a good candidate for flight training. She's lighter and more aerodynamic than Gabby. She was getting lift from her wings before she turned eight weeks old. Her tail feathers are still growing and she might need a couple more days on the flights and still she flies with relative ease.
In the living room and kitchen, she tries to fly to a perch I set up in the place I hand-feed her. She stuck the landing once and landed in the nearby sink twice. Once she overshot the perch and landed on her hand-feeding supplies. Even though it scares me to death, I keep encouraging her.
Kizzy is so sensitive I have to be careful about everything. I made a mess of introducing her to her cage. I thought she would amuse herself with the toys inside, so I just put her in and when she got upset, I let her fuss for too long. That was the wrong way to go about teaching her. Now I have to take two steps backward so we can go forward together. Today, I set her down and immediately picked her up from every perch in the cage. I let her hang out on top. She's picking at solid foods so if she settles down on one of the inside perches, maybe I can feed her bits of something yummy and pet her head.
She still loves to be petted and snuggled. Today my nephew and his friend dropped by and Kizzy let both of them pet her. She let them touch her because I said it was OK and she trusts me.
I have never raised a parrot this sensitive. Perhaps it's because she was the only bird in the clutch. Perhaps it's genetic. Perhaps it's both. Perhaps it's due to something of which I'm unaware. At any rate, we're both learning Kizzy 101 and I broke one of the most important rules: "Thou shalt not freak out the Kizzy bird!" I think I can undo the damage, but it may take some time. I guess I fall firmly in the "comfort them; don't let them cry" camp of parenting. Kizzy will become more independent when she's ready, but only if she feels confident in me and the decisions I make for her.
"May luck protect fools [me?], small children [baby Kizzy?] and ships named Enterprise." - Commander Riker, "Contagion," Star Trek: The Next Generation
My geek is showing. :22: :smile004:
P.S. I hope those who clip will respect my decision. Those who do not clip: Can you point me toward resources that will help me keep Kizzy safe and teach her what she needs to know. We are working on getting her used to the Aviator Harness, but I'm going slowly because Kizzy is so very sensitive. We can usually get her head in the harness with no fuss, but I don't want to move to the next step until I can do it 100% of the time. I got a small, which is suggested for blue fronts. It will fit, but the hole for the head is a bit of a tight fit. I am thinking about getting the next size up and then when she is trained, trading it in for another small (backup).
Can't believe she is already perching. It's such a wonderful thing you've let us all watch her grow up from a tiny little thing.
Just wait until those pupils turn pumpkin orange. Then they really pop against the black!!!
She's been watching me heat formula since she was three weeks old. Now that she's flighted, there's no other way to keep her out of danger. Sorry, Kizzy. Safety, first. 
