Right now Salty is.....

[Cottonoid]

AAaahhhhh - just rubbed my eye and it's burning like the doors of Hell opened up! When will i remember how hot Salty's chop is ???

Oh nooooooo!!

A friend once not only rubbed his eye but then discovered after he went to the bathroom to try to rinse his eye that he also had a cut in a not great place to feel a burn

 

[wrench13]

Here is an audio clip of Salty when he is in a chatty mood.

Chatty Salty

 

[Cottonoid]

That is fantastic!! I love it so much! Cotton started chatting back after the first "Hi Salty!"


I've played it a couple times now today and he also looks directly at my computer and FLUFFS UP when he hears you say "You're a good bird" and "You're a very good boy"

 

[HeatherG]

That is fantastic!! I love it so much! Cotton started chatting back after the first "Hi Salty!"


I've played it a couple times now today and he also looks directly at my computer and FLUFFS UP when he hears you say "You're a good bird" and "You're a very good boy"

Jasper thought the clip was VERY exciting and let out some ear piercing whistles. I read some early Salty thread: you are such a good bird dad, wrench!

 

[GaleriaGila]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh... memory goes back to Salty's first birthday party and Skype. He and the Rb traded some thoughts. It's one of the fondest online moments ever... Wrenchie, I was searching for my video in vain. I know it's SOMEWHERE. I need to fire the Rb's secretary. Oh wait, that would be me.I'll find it!

 

[onamom]

Awe chatty Salty! Fun to read about other bird’s reactions to listening. I’ll have to play this for Ona to see what she does

 

[wrench13]

For our new friends who have not waded through Salty's admittedly long thread, he loves to listen and watch Indian Ringneck parrots on youtube, in fact much of what he has learned to say is from those videos. Its really funny for me to read that new members, with Ringnecks, are sort of letting him pay it forward. He comes up with his own stuff too, like asking "Are you a bird?". He does that every time we start watching some videos. Oddly, watching Amazon videos mostly get him singing, not talking. THats where he learned that opera piece from THe Magic Flute.

Auntie Gail, we do remember that birthday video, somewhat bitter sweet though, since Jim and Amy were supposed to join in, but Jim, ever the Luddite, couldn't figure out how to upload Skype. I still miss him, a lot.

 

[Cottonoid]

Its really funny for me to read that new members, with Ringnecks, are sort of letting him pay it forward

I was laughing about this a while ago when Cotton and I were watching some of Salty's trick training sessions! Cotton doesn't really respond to IRN talking; the only ringneck videos he gets excited about are one of a clutch of babies and then a few of a female ARN just making happy ARN noises But he always has liked Salty's videos! Or maybe he just likes you and your voice!

 

[GaleriaGila]

For our new friends who have not waded through Salty's admittedly long thread, he loves to listen and watch Indian Ringneck parrots on youtube, in fact much of what he has learned to say is from those videos. Its really funny for me to read that new members, with Ringnecks, are sort of letting him pay it forward. He comes up with his own stuff too, like asking "Are you a bird?". He does that every time we start watching some videos. Oddly, watching Amazon videos mostly get him singing, not talking. THats where he learned that opera piece from THe Magic Flute.

Auntie Gail, we do remember that birthday video, somewhat bitter sweet though, since Jim and Amy were supposed to join in, but Jim, ever the Luddite, couldn't figure out how to upload Skype. I still miss him, a lot.

I miss him, too, always will.

Hey... Salty is bilingual. Speaks Ringneck!

 

[SailBoat]

I was laughing about this a while ago when Cotton and I were watching some of Salty's trick training sessions! Cotton doesn't really respond to IRN talking; the only ringneck videos he gets excited about are one of a clutch of babies and then a few of a female ARN just making happy ARN noises But he always has liked Salty's videos! Or maybe he just likes you and your voice!

I am going with he just likes both of them doing their thing, while watching /listening to Salty's list of activities.

Today, our Julio was making very loud Amazon and Human language comments at a gathering of Turkey that were flowing Into his backyard from three different directions. Likely none of them had made an appointment as he was very unhappy. It was his vocalizations that used a mix of Amazon and Human words and statements that amazed me, many we had not heard before. It never seems to amaze me what gets them going.

 

[wrench13]

Man o man, judging by the number of feathers of all types that we are finding in and around Salty's cage and boing, this molting season is going to be a real humdinger. He is just covered with pin feathers of all sizes. Must be why Salty has been uncharacteristically grumpy. Even during training sessions, he is not a happy camper. I've been giving him spray baths almost daily now to help that itchy little ball of fedders!

For some of the many new members, who haven't seen Salty when he is in his usual happy, cooperative state of mind, I attach here one of his shorter training sessions, edited for brevity. I hope everyone is keeping their parrots nice and hydrated as we go into home heating season!
Anyway - Enjoy the video!

 

[GaleriaGila]

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, what price beauty!?

In his first 30 years or so, the Rb molted a perfect set of wing and tail once a year, and then there was a separate molt of contour/body feathers. Gradually it has all become erratic, but he manages to stay pretty. He's such an imperious, self-centered ill-tempered character that it's hard to notice if he's worse during heavy molts!!!!

Geez, Al. Salty is a stud. He has one of those Barrymore profiles.

 

[wrench13]

Just a link to the report on my visit to the Hong Kong bird street. I haven't been back to China since 2019 and I miss my friends and collegues there. And it doesn't look like I will ever going back, my Dr's do not want me traveling overseas, especially to China. They worry about the medical care I would receive if I ever had more issues with my heart while on the mainland.

Report on Hong Kong Bird street

 

[HeatherG]

Just a link to the report on my visit to the Hong Kong bird street. I haven't been back to China since 2019 and I miss my friends and collegues there. And it doesn't look like I will ever going back, my Dr's do not want me traveling overseas, especially to China. They worry about the medical care I would receive if I ever had more issues with my heart while on the mainland.

Report on Hong Kong Bird street

I would love to see all those birds, but not like that.

Imagine how valuable a little cage with ten galah cockatoos would be in the US?

Which I guess reminds me that life is cheap in many places. And yet these people probably DO love their birds…maybe the sellers don’t but I’m sure the owners do.

 

[Rival_of_the_Rickeybird]

Sorry to hear your wings are clipped, Wrench (see what i did there?) but i'm glad you're staying put and staying safe.

 

[wrench13]

Ah Christmas time is here and Salty is eying the tree with trepidation. We go an especially small one this year for several reasons, least of which is a smaller target for him to fly into. Mrs Wrench even put up a stocking for Salty and has several toys for it! He might even be the big winner this year!

I got a small Santa figurine to try and introduce it in our training sessions as a prop, but no dice - Salty flies away from Ol St Nick, so maybe coal for the stocking?

 

[HeatherG]

Ah Christmas time is here and Salty is eying the tree with trepidation. We go an especially small one this year for several reasons, least of which is a smaller target for him to fly into. Mrs Wrench even put up a stocking for Salty and has several toys for it! He might even be the big winner this year!

I got a small Santa figurine to try and introduce it in our training sessions as a prop, but no dice - Salty flies away from Ol St Nick, so maybe coal for the stocking?

You could train Salty to load or pull a little sleigh? Or to deliver small gifts.

The red of the Santa figurine might be scary. Could take a while to get around that.

I bet Salty would learn to pull treats out of a stocking.

I don’t have stockings for my (current) birds. Maybe I will make one for each of them.

 

[bonitabird59]

ah, my old amazon bonita, learned to drag around a small wooden sleigh by threading some popcorn on the reigns. in her older years she just wore a small santa hat. merry birdmas salty!

 

[wrench13]

@bonitabird59, That IS a good idea. Let me put together a small sleigh and see how long it takes Salty to learn this one. Knowing him, either it will be his usual 1 or 2 tries to get new tricks or he will just flat out refuse to do it. Like the wearing of hats. I have a really cool parrot sized pirate tricorn hat, all Jack Sparrowed out, but he will not let me have it on him for 1 picosecond before he gets it off him.

Game On!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and yours.

AL and Salty

 

[wrench13]

No progress on the sleigh idea, but that will be coming some day.

We had a great training session tonight, where Salty played an awesome game of reverse, mini Jenga. I know odd, but that's how he plays it, carefully stacking the Jenga blocks on top of one another. Drop one or cause it to make another block fall - no treat. He got 5 blocks high! He is also getting the idea of regular Jenga, of picking out a block without making others fall, but thats a much harder idea to get across to him.

Some folks here have read about me stating that parrots are fully aware of the concept of cheating, ie: doing less for the same reward. Salty cheats on this mini-ring toss game we have. He gets a reward for placing each of the five rings on the post, and one when he gives them all back to me. He figured out a way to take 2 to 4 of the rings off in one swoop, doing less for the same reward. Oh Yes - he fully understands the concept of cheating! Another example - I have 2 6 inch rings that are placed on opposite ends of our training table, and he has to go thru one to the other and back to get his treat. Sometimes though he runs thru the first one and then stops short of going thru the second one and then running back to the first. He will do this and look up expectantly at me for his treat. But he gets the buzzer on that ("BBRraaack"), and has to do it again, correctly now, to get his treat.

Salty has started saying something really cute and funny, don't know where he picked this one up from, who knows! He will pace back and forth on the top of his cage, and quickly saying in a cute little parrot voice "Doot, doot, doot!" . Reminds me of how John Fogarty of Creedence Clearwater used to sing "Lookin Out My Back Door". A buddy of mine used to sing that tune "Doot, Doot, Doot, Hanging Out My Back Door", a scatological reference that never failed to get laughs from the audience, those who caught it anyways.