Munch: Exposed!

[DallyTsuka]

Many of you see photos and videos of Munch, and you see how adorably cute she is and how hilariously funny she can be. She's a hoot! Many also hear about how she can be one little dragon of a bird!

Here is the good, the bad, and i can't quite call her her ugly.....


All with a fond sense of humour, she is our little demon bird.


First let me paint you this picture of a perfect bird.

This is Munch:



I think we can all agree that you don't get cuter than her innocent little face...




If Munch can reach it, she's going to check it out. Usually involves her beak. And something getting broken.




This bird outsmarts us on a daily basis. She knows how to unhook her food dishes from the side of the cage. She knows how to open sliding cage doors (why she now has a latched door). She knows how to pry lids off of those plastic cups she loves to stick on her head. She knows how to get attention. She knows how to take apart almost any toy we give her. Foraging is EASY for her.

Video proof of the intelligence:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEwro1KjzqI]Munch Foraging - YouTube[/ame]

She had the drawer in the above video figured out within an hour of first giving it to her. She eventually learned how to completely take APART the toy. That was a story and a half, and I will tell it later for those who haven't heard it!



She is a very hearty eater, loooooves her veggies with lots of enthusiasm. The messier it is for mom to clean up, all the better!




This bird is like the Energizer Bunny, she just never stops. She plays ROUGH! She tumbles and rolls with her toys, she beats them up until they fall apart, she must make NOISE. Noisy toys are her absolute favourite. We never catch a break from her noisy toys. Stainless steel pipe bells are a favourite to bash against the cage sides. Especially during temper tantrums!

Video for those interested.... 5-6 minutes of nonstop toy beating. This is just a few minutes out of our day, which she starts before she's even uncovered! Haha

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Npc21KCet8]Five Minutes of Munch Madness - YouTube[/ame]




this photo speaks for itself....





It's taken 2 years to get to this point with her. And yet, she demands it. And kisses, she demands kisses. If you ignore her when she asks for one (she puts her head against yours and chirps) she will grab you with her beak and PULL. So, you best kiss her lol Anytime she sees us, she demands us to pet her. She is miss spoiled! She is like this with both mom and dad!

Doesn't that sound like the most perfect bird? Cuddly, adorable, playful, smart, sociable, funny, and not a picky eater? Ah.... but there are some very steep catches to all of this adorableness!

 

[DallyTsuka]

She holds grudges. Change her cage and she don't like it, she throws herself a fit, which includes unhooking her food dishes and dumping them into her water dish, beating up her toys, and pacing!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvXx4hrcagw]Munch's Tantrum Tactics - YouTube[/ame]





Munch shares with no one. Not even her brother. Never mess with her veggies. She will KILL for those veggies. Not kidding either. She had attempted to kill Mango over veggies, which is why they no longer share a cage! If she wants a perch that is being used, too bad, she throws the other bird off and takes it for herself. A toy she wants? It's hers. She'll screech and lunge if you say otherwise. Rule one with Munch, everything belongs to her if she wants it!




Eggs are now expected every winter (for some reason, that is her breeding mode!). Nothing stops her. Good luck trying. Under food bowls, in food bowls, cage corners.... Everything becomes a nest, and anything gets turned into nest material. Including her own feathers. She plucks and uses the feathers to make nests. She even uses the shells of her seeds. She is that determined.




And, with hormones, comes the aggression! She has a BAD bite. She means business, and if she is in a mood, steer clear. She has gotten me down the the bone a few times in my fingers, and she does NOT let go. She may even grind her beak as she's biting you if she's in the mood. So watch out!





Not much stands up to her beak. Plastic chainlink? Give it a day if she's in the mood. She'll chew through it. Leather? Unties it. Houseplants? Goodbye! Several oregano plants and basil plants have been killed off by her beak. Only our aloes ever seem to live, and only after they look like they're about to die too. Posters on the walls, they NEVER last long. She'll get them.





Imagine having to clean that up? How about every day, AND make sure to know, she likes to take baths while it's like that too. It's cute, but it can get very old because you go through newspaper like crazy... BUT, we use blankets now for her liners. Problem solved. Since the grate did nothing lol




My husband and I went on vacation. We had switched Munch into the single cage before we had left, she had no grate at the time. We made one out of heavy duty plastic mesh. She was fine. We left for vacation, my mother in law caring for the fids while we were away. We came home the Monday. My mother in law had left our place only two hours before our train arrived home. Everything was fine, everything was intact. Get home, look in Munch's cage. We didn't see her. So of course I worry something happened and she escaped! And then I saw her.... There she was, UNDER the grate. She chewed a tiny 1"x 2" hole and squeezed herself in. And made a nest under it using the cage papers. She had taken apart her foraging drawer toy, FLIPPED IT OVER, and chewed the hole under it! Luckily we had just got home, because she could not get back out, we had to take off the grate lol But, she chewed through the thick mesh in a matter of two hours and made that much of a mess.



She is a funny little bird, frustrating at times, but it just would not be the same without her. Even with all their complications, I think female lovebirds still make amazing pets. They just offer a lot of challenges to their owners at times, but the frustration dealing with the hormones is well worth their companionship.

 

[tab_xo]

I always love your photos, you need to submit them in bird competitions!

Lovebirds are adorable, especially munth :09: Very under rated little birdies! They have such pretty colouring, with all bird species, my favourites are ones which are blue !

I had to laugh when she is eating her fruit, the strawberry is the size of her head, shes so tiny :09:

and getting under her cage mesh.. Wow.. :54:

I couldnt watch the videos because my internet is super slow, but thank you for the pictures! The one in your profile pic is my favourite

 

[bonbon_182]

OMG that is sooo awesome! I hope mine gets like yours too! I am taking things very slooooowwwwww lol!
LOVE your pics and vids

 

[crimson]

Dally...all I can say is you have a one in a million bird!!

I can only imagine every day is full of surprises, and always love your photos.

She is priceless.

 

[MarciaLove]

shes such a cutie and so smart!!

 

[aliray]

You have your hands full. Great pics and videos. Thanks for posting them