Kizzy: the Flying Toddler Stage

[Ladyhawk]

Socializing her well early on is a good move on your part. Makes for a much happier and well-adjusted/well-traveled bird later on. Remember to do the glass tapping thing repeatedly at first, especially since this is outside of your home and her sense of the familiar. Any bird is more likely to get spooked outside of the home, so you want to take extra precautions in that regard.

Thanks. Kizzy reminded me in a way that nearly stopped my heart. I prefer your way, but Kizzy's accident made a bigger impression. A window between rooms is still a window and I feel pretty stupid that it didn't even register. I need to take a fresh look at all rooms, asking myself if anything I see looks dangerous. Right now, I'm simply thankful Kizzy wasn't hurt.

I've been calling anything transparent "glass" and tapping on it, but probably not as many times as I should. I try to put her next to it, but she usually isn't too keen on touching it herself, which is fine as long as she understands the concept. She leans away from it, so she must know it's solid. Still, I think you're right about doing it repeatedly. I'll repeat the lesson more often at home.

 

[Anansi]

You're welcome!

I always make sure their beaks touch the glass every time. I tap it too, but the tactile experience is important for the association. I just never take chances when it comes to glass.

 

[Ladyhawk]

You're welcome!

I always make sure their beaks touch the glass every time. I tap it too, but the tactile experience is important for the association. I just never take chances when it comes to glass.

OK, I'll be more insistent next time I show her glass.

 

[Ladyhawk]

Kizzy is doing pretty well when I put her in the cage now. She complains for a couple of minutes and then usually starts talking. Right now she's saying, "Peek-a-boo!" and "Hi!!!" XD She also started eating out of cage dishes. I had to put sunflower seeds and Avi-Cake in them, but it's a start. I also saw her playing with a toy earlier today.

Now I need to get those streamers around the ceiling fan. Unfortunately, I've done a really good job of teaching her to adapt to change. She may simply fly under the streamers, ignoring them the same way she ignores the broom I use to physically push her off the blades. I do it so gently, I don't think she really minds. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ If the streamers don't work, I'm going to have to find another solution.

My eventual plan is to move our base of operations to another room where she won't be tempted so often by the ceiling fan.

 

[Ladyhawk]

Boy have I ever been busy! I thought the baby stage was time-consuming. I've never had an unclipped baby parrot before, so I'm learning on the fly (pun most definitely intended) and it's not easy material. I finally got the streamers put up around my ceiling fan and today? No Kizzification of the ceiling fan. I really hope the streamers continue to work, but this is one smart and persistent little parrot. I may have to think of something else. Arrgh!

Kizzy is currently ambidextrous, while somewhat favoring the right foot. We'll see how it all washes out in the end.

Here are some photos from today:

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Kizzy's Pak-o-Bird:

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"Mom! Let's play ball!" (Don't worry about the electrical cords. I keep an eye on her every second. The long-term plan is to make a more permanent "Kizzy Zone" where everything is chompable.)

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Is Kizzy left-footed?

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Or right-footed?

 

[Kentuckienne]

She's beautiful!

 

[Ladyhawk]

Kizzy being Kizzy.

[ame="https://youtu.be/8grsGDH0j1Y"]Kizzy the Baby Blue-Fronted Amazon Parrot: August 5, 2017 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Ladyhawk]

Blast from the recent past: July 11, 2017. Scroll up for pics and videos I took today.

Irridescent feathers and long, black eyelashes...

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Kizzy and the Amazing Levitating Snow Pea:

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Om nom...om nom nom...

 

[SailBoat]

She has really filled in nicely! Great coloration and feathering!

 

[Ladyhawk]

Kizzy is developing so fast I'm having trouble keeping up with her. Today she learned how to give kisses on command (more tongue please XD) and started learning how to be a "big eagle" as well. She gets so wound up, she boomerangs all over the place. She needs to learn she has to stay on my hand and flap in order to get the treat. Regardless, we had a very good time.

She's also learning how to crow like a rooster. If I get my video software installed, I can post a short video of me catching her in the act. She says a few other things during the video. Her enunciation isn't very clear yet, but she's only three-and-a-half months old!

Also, I found someone who has a male blue front from the same breeder. It's possible he's Kizzy's brother...yet another thing to ask Kizzy's breeder along with whether he knows what subspecies Kizzy's parents are.

Here's the BFA in question, singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider." According to his owner, he's quite a bit bigger than Kizzy, but that could be at least partly attributable to a difference in genders. No, I still don't know 100% for sure Kizzy's a girl.

[ame="https://youtu.be/4xGzzBlLrqo"]Itsy Bitsy Spider by Rodney Parrot - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Ladyhawk]

Well, Kizzy found her own solution for the "big eagle" trick. She flew in a circle and came back to me. That's a lot better than the trick I had in mind. XD I hope she remembers and keeps on doing it.

 

[Ladyhawk]

Some of this will be repeated from previous posts, but I decided it was a good summation:

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Kizzy is developing so fast I can't keep up with her. I decided to hide a bunch of her toys under her little fleece blanket so that they would seem new again after a couple of weeks. She saw me do it. Later in the day she flew over to the spot and extricated them. Does she already have the concept of object permanence?

She goes nuts if I play a video of her or if she hears my voice coming from a smartphone or computer screen. Today she tried to go through my computer screen and I had to tell her it was "glass." She tapped on it a couple of times and then leaned as far as she could to the right so she could see behind the monitor. What sorcery was this???

She likes videos of other birds, too, but not as much as videos of herself with my voice.

Today she learned to give kisses on command in less than fifteen minutes. We proceeded to being a "big eagle." For Gabby, this meant spreading his wings. Kizzy, being flighted, has a different approach. She is so exuberant that when I tell her to be a big eagle, she just can't help but fly. If she flies away, she can't get the treat. She solved this dilemma by flying in a circle and coming back to my hand. XD I like this trick much better, so I hope she remembers it tomorrow.

Her latest craze is crowing like a rooster. She hasn't quite got it right yet. Her enunciation of words isn't very clear yet, either, but she's only three-and-a-half months old! She's been weaned for all of two days. Let's hope it holds.

I plan to give her a syringe feeding once a week so she remembers how. Medicating her will be easier if I hide the medicine in a batch of handfeeding formula. I'm going to have to figure out how to dose properly, given that a catheter-tip syringe doesn't empty completely...have to think about that one.
Anyway, here's a video of Kizzy practicing her rooster imitation. Enjoy!

[ame="https://youtu.be/SCJJk9eAlEE"]Kizzy Practicing Her Rooster Imitation - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Anansi]

She really is developing very rapidly. Awesome video! The rooster imitation is spot on!

 

[Ladyhawk]

Sometimes Kizzy flies for the sheer joy of it. Yesterday, she started saying, "Wheeeeeee!" while flying laps. I must say it unconsciously because I don't know how else she could have picked it up.

 

[Anansi]

Hahahahaha! That's awesome!

 

[Ladyhawk]

I bit the bullet and let Kizzy bite me a bit to get her harness all the way on, but yes, we finally went out today. As soon as it was on, I had her out the door. She was suddenly so meek. Big stuff inside; terrified two feet out the door.

She spent a lot of time sitting behind my head at first. I came in once to get her water bottle mister (it was hot out there) and once to find my keys (couldn't find them). I walked around the neighborhood, getting her used to seeing various people and pets (luckily the dogs were on leashes). One little toddler kept getting too close and couldn't understand that Kizzy was afraid. I tried asking the little girl if she'd ever been afraid, but that got me nowhere. When I finally got the kid to back off, she asked me, "Why do you have her?" I replied (honestly), "Because I'm crazy." XD

Kizzy finally loosened up while meeting my neighbor, who she has seen a couple of times before. She freaked out once and started to fly off, but came back when I called and landed on my neighbor's head. She went to my neighbor several times, twice by landing on her head. I'm trying to get her to go to the shoulder instead, but she has a thing for the top of people's heads. She got rewarded for it the other day when she found a bobby pin in my mom's hair and took off with it. She's into birdy archaeology, I guess.

I knew she'd get pissy when we went back into her territory, so I pulled all the slack through one half of the buckle just before going in. The other half would have held her in a pinch. Yes, she was pissy, but taking it off is easier than putting it on. I got it off her wings and gave the "off" command for the headstall when it was ready and she's fine...in the bathroom doing her repertoire, which means checking on her every couple of minutes. She's never flown to anyplace but the shower curtain, but if she's quiet for too long, I need to see what's up. She wants to chew off the rubber tips on the shower curtain rod, so I'm going to have to figure out a way to keep her away from them.

Next time I go to put her harness on, I'll know whether this set me back or not. If she seems like she wants to train one more time tonight, I might try tonight. If she isn't in the mood, I'll skip it.

 

[Ladyhawk]

I made this video for anyone who wants to watch a baby parrot grow up and teach their bird to sing a snippet from The Magic Flute by W. A. Mozart. Kizzy is just beginning to learn. Her technique isn't very good yet, but I can already tell she has a sense of pitch, unlike my much-missed Gabby bird, who sang off-key when he was a youngster.

[ame="https://youtu.be/OXoI6KJAcx4"]Teach Your Parrot Opera - Mozart's The Magic Flute - Queen of the Night - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Ladyhawk]

Notice the connection between raised wings and the word, "Whe-e-e-e-e-e-e-ee!"

[ame="https://youtu.be/Gw7DezR8VHI"]Four-month-old Baby Parrot Learning to Talk and Sing - YouTube[/ame]

 

[AmyMyBlueFront]

Dang! Kizzy grew up so fast!! You're doing an awesome job with her,Ms Hawk




Jim

 

[Inger]

She's wonderful [emoji170][emoji170][emoji170]


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