Skitty gets an update!

[TiredOldMan]

Also if you are worried about it being secured the Aviator is much more secure than the flight suit. The leash is attached to the Aviator permanently. The Flight suit leash is attached via a velcro sandwich.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing Sunny. It just seems VERY constraining and while the video on their website says the material is designed to push away from a birds vent after they go, I'm not sure I believe that.

Skittles is potty trained too and he has NEVER pooped on me. I didn't potty train him though, so I've no idea how people do that. I just happened to notice shortly after I got him he would only poop in certain places and there were several times he was on my shoulder and flew to his cage, pooped, and then came back. When I saw him doing that I called the pet store and thats when I found out the clerk had potty trained him. That clerk wanted to buy him, the only reason she didn't is because of her work hours.

Anyways, those flight suits are also held together with velcro, I don't trust that. I was just curious since my vet mentioned them. But I like the Aviator much better, its far less constricting.

I actually think it'll probably only take me a couple of days to get Skittles in the harness. We may have some hot days coming up in the next week or two and I may try.

I think I'm a lot more likely to be firm in my training since you said they don't hold grudges. lol. I always worry Skittles will be mad at me, but there are times he's been mad before and he seems to forget rather easily. If only people were the same way. lol. Of course if people were just like birds, well, the world would be a wonderful place! We just wouldn't be able to walk around barefoot.

 

[Sunnyclover]

Well... I'm not sure if Ollie sat the other 2 down and said "First of all never talk...(lol none of them really even make noises unless in the car or away from Ollie and Ollie has 2 noises... screaming and silence) 2ndly if mommy ever does something scary or weird, she isn't trying to hurt us, whatever it is it's because she is trying to help us, so don't bite and don't be mad at her.". So yeah even Finley who may bite me if I try to pet him or if I ask him to step up won't ever bite me if I'm man handling him to file his nails and beak or put his harness on...so weird. I'm guessing it's Ollie's doing...

So yeah a 3 of mine totally could care less after I put on the harness or file their beak or something equally as annoying or scary. I do always give them a treat when the harness is on successfully and off successfully so that might have helped. I also always put the harness on Ollie in front of them when I'm training so they know what's happening before but happens but you don't have that luxury unfortunately. Lucky for me Ollie is an extremely obedient and perfect bird so I never had an issue with him and to this day at 2 years old has never bitten me.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

I wish I could say the same about Skittles, lol. Its SOOO much better now, but back when I first got him- the first few years were VERY difficult. He was consistently misbehaving and screeching non-stop. So I would give in and give him whatever he wanted just to keep him quiet and it just accelerate from there. eBut the only time he used to bite me was when he felt threatened by what he saw as a threat OR a predator.

Now there have been numerous situations recently where he was in such a situation BUT he didn't bite me once. I'm not sure why. Maybe its the persistent "no biting" boundary. Who knows. Even when we went to the vet and he hid inside my shirt and wouldn't come out, I had to grab him and hand him to the vet and he didn't bite me then either. Even if I grab him and hold him, he won't bite, he'll just 'wiggle' his way out of my hand (which is rather easy to do given his size, lol).

I am just soooo proud of how far he's come. He really is an obedient bird now. He tests the limits every so often, but for the most part, he obeys. When he doesn't, I let him know it. I have noticed he does NOT like my stern voice, but he loves my birdy voice. While my stern voice is louder, my birdy voice is more animated. But getting him to associate what gets him treats and rewards and what gets the 'stern voice' has made a world of difference.

 

[Kiwibird]

Just going to chime in with best of luck with harness training! Be prepared to have your last thread of patience, um, "tested" I'm sure all the hard work will pay off next summer when Skittles can go out safely!

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

OLLIE HAS A CHALLENGER!!!

LOL, so I went to show Skittles the harness again tonight and he was sitting on the desk perch. I actually had the collar on his head and I think he actually would have let me put it on (IF it would have just slid on), but I'm gonna have to hold him to put the collar through his head cause the collar hole is small. I'm HOPING its not too small for him.

 

[Sunnyclover]

There is noooooooo way it's too small if it's a X-Small because Finley is a beast and his and Ollie's are the same size. Paris wears a size down from them for comparison. It does need to be snug..just make sure you can sort of stick a finger under it in various places so it's not too tight. The head bit is not that easy to get over Finley face beak lol but it's definitely not too small.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Okay, I was just worried since it won't slide right on easily, but I'm new to these harness things.



I don't think I'm going to bother going the slow route, its obviously not going to be necessary. Once I am sure I know how to do it right, I'm just gonna put it on him. I'm gonna keep re-watching those YT videos and practicing with my hands.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Well, we had a bit of a setback today. It was in the 80s out here, so I thought of trying the harness to see it I could get it right.

Like I had expected (based on his previous reaction) Skittles let me put the collar on and I thought I was home-free. But when I went to go put the rest of it on, ie the wings, he freaked right out and started thrashing about. Luckily, I had him held down enough to prevent injury, but he almost got loose. He wasn't calming down and started making panting noises, so I moved as fast as I could to get him untangled. Once he was loose, he flew right up my chest, darted down my shirt and wouldn't come out. At least he isn't hold any grudges.

I showed him the harness again later on and he did NOT freak out at the sight of it, which is good. I think I just tried to rush it and it backfired. I was incredibly concerned about the noises he was making, I think he was aspirating (which is what Peaches used to do when the vet held her).

I'm gonna start over from scratch and go slower this time. Not going to worry about this year, but focus on next year. Luckily, Skittles trusts me immensely and sees me as his 'safety zone' (even safer than his own cage). BUT, I don't want to damage that either. I'll continue to try and harness train him, but if he continues to freak out like that, I'll give up on it. Skittles is incredibly obedient. He doesn't fight me on anything, so this was a big surprise. Again, I think I rushed it and hopefully, I can start from scratch. But if he continues to be in that much distress each time I try to train him, I won't do it anymore. Its not like him to react like that and honestly, I can't cope with seeing him like that, its too much for me.

 

[Sunnyclover]

Hmm well I'm sorry to hear that. I personally think the wing part is the hardest part. How can a bird aspirate from stress? That does not make sense..I can see him panting but I'm not sure that it's a reason not to continue to put on the harness. Just put it on...you saw my video..Fin had only been getting harnessed for the 2nd time ever and he freaked out a bit and we both lived to tell the tale. I wasn't there so it might have been really bad or something and I just can't see it in my mind. Don't let Skittles take control of you! You're the boss!! I don't know if it will help but don't approach him like "oh can I please put this on you Skittles?" More like "I'm putting this on you and we're going for a walk! You're welcome in advance Skittles." Lol.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Thanks for the advice. I'm certainly well aware of how sunnies will look for weaknesses that will let them take control, lol. I am actually quite firm and disciplined with Skittles and he does NOT have the control I used to let him have. I put an end to that.


But this was totally different. He didn't bite me (at least not what I consider bites-ie they didn't hurt or pinch). I was just terrified when I saw him thrashing around and making that wheezing noise. I'm not sure what it was, but it scared the crap out of me. He was also clapping his beak and sneezing, I thought he was choking.

The thing is, I wasn't prepared. I didn't expect the thrashing. It just came out of nowhere. He was fine with the collar, didn't fight me much, so I let my guard down. But once I tried lifting the wings it just set him off.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Just wanted to give you folks an update on Skittles. Several promising developments have occurred in recent days as well as a few challenges.


So there you have it. Exciting isn't it?

 

[ChristaNL]

Very exciting, now come and give us the details/ full story (with pictures and songsteksts )? Pretty plze?

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Greetings ChristaNL,


My name is Jonathan and I will be assisting you today. Here at SkittyCorp customer satisfaction is our top priority and we value your interest. I have made a note of your concern and have forwarded it to level 2 support. You should hear back from them within the next 48hrs. Feel free to contact us if you don't hear back.


Sincerely,
Jonathan
Chief Executive Slave to the Master of SkittyCorp.

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

Sorry, I just couldn't resist. lol. I'll keep it short and sweet.

First off, Skittles is back at a healthy weight. He is now just under 120gr. His diet is no longer split between Harrisons HP pellets and Harrisons Power treats. It used to be 50/50. He still receives human "healthy" food, but that amount has not changed. I just cut back on the bread, pizza crust and pasta. I actually virtually eliminated it, its now a very RARE treat and truth be told I don't think he even noticed the difference. I cut back on the power treats by getting him the 'coarse' food pellets cause they look the same. He actually likes them better than the power treats now and I think I know why. I can split the coarse pellets with my fingers. The power treats I have to use a knife or a pill-cutter. The pitfall now is that I can't seem to get him to eat the HP Fine, I got some just in case he wouldn't eat the coarse. So now, I have to get creative and see if theres a way I can get him to eat the rest of the HP Fine to use it up.

Second, not sure if I mentioned this before- but there was only ONE place in my apartment where I could sit and he avoided flying or climbing onto me. That is my recliner. He'd land on the arm of the chair instead. It was because he could not sit on my shoulder in a comfortable way due to his tail and my recliner having a high back. He's not allowed to sit on top of my recliner so he doesn't go there. Its one of daddy's "no-no" places.

Service interruption. Signal lost. We apologize but we are unable to find a signal for short and sweet. Reverting back to long and boring.

After I got injured, he started flying over to me when I was in my recliner. He will actually go get food and fly back onto my shoulder, set his pellets (they are big ones now) on my shirt (I sit back at an angle) and he will eat and make a mess all over my chair. I bought a chair cover to make it easier to clean up the crumbs. Skittles has always been a "velcro bird" but since my injury its more like we are conjoined. I've had several other injuries since, so is probably why he is still doing it. But the eating thing is new. As is another new behavior. He's climbed into my shirt plenty of times and "napped". But now, he will do it outside my shirt sitting on my shoulder. It frightened me cause his eyes were closed and he wasn't moving, he looked limp and when I moved he almost fell off. But its nice because I will be watching tv in my recliner and he'll just nap on my shoulder.

There have been plenty of times he's bugged me for a treat (sometimes I make him wait because he gets impatient.) But the funny thing is, if I give him a treat hes been bugging me for and then step out of the room. He drops his treat and follows me. That particular behavior is not new.

Now that I have bored you all to tears with little developments (aside from the diet update) and made you wait, I will share the most important development. Something that while its certainly nothing shockingly new among sunnies- its something I never thought he'd be capable of and its so very exciting to me.

Stay tuned...we will be right back after these messages...

 

[Skittys_Daddy]

We now return to the regularly scheduled program.

Some of you may already know (as its never been much of a secret, lol) that Skittles and I are attached at the hip and that has resulted in a lot of possession issues. By that I mean he won't let anyone near me and will attack anyone (or anything) that moves. Except for the vet and thats only cause I hold Skittles and hand him to the vet so he doesn't even have the opportunity.

I've had Skittles almost eight years and I can say with confidence that the person he hates the most (OR acts like he does) is my best friend (and my neighbor). The other day she called me and asked me to come look at something. I said I'd be right over not realizing I had boxes blocking my living room exit. This meant I had to leave through the bedroom (where it was dark and the light was on the other side of the room. I couldn't get Skittles to stay in the bedroom. So I grabbed him and held him in my hand and went over. At first she thought there was something wrong, but I told her the scenario and anyways. He used to fight me (and bite me hard) when I tried to remove him from what he perceived as a threat. My neighbor told me I could let go of him (we were in her apt by that time). I didn't want too because last time I did that, he attacked her in her own apt, this was several years ago. But the other night he just climbed onto my shoulder and straightened out his feathers. He went inside my shirt a few times too. I was over her house for a good 45min and the ENTIRE time he stayed right on me (with one exception, he took off and flew in a circle when my friend sneezed cause it startled him). My friend didn't stay in one spot for that entire time, but rather went to different parts of the room and nothing from him.

My friend extended her finger out for him to land on and he started getting mad and screeching so I told her to put it away and lets not push it. When I first got Skittles, he was VERY friendly with everyone. My friend used to wag her finger and he'd move his head in unison with it. Once he got super-bonded to me- no one and nothing was safe. She tried the finger wagging the other night as well and same response. He got angry and so she stopped.

This is a HUGE development for him. He has NEVER (save for the vets) stayed that "calm and cool" around anyone else when out of his cage. It doesn't matter if we are in the hall or in this case in my friends apartment. He will attack them. Granted, my friend was always about 10ft away from me, but there have been many times she's been over 20ft away and he's always attacked her. She tried to give him some juice (same juice, same exact cap, only her juice and he wouldn't drink it. BUT he didn't attack her, he just didn't show interest) He got a HUGE treat when we came back home in addition to constant praise while I was over my friends house.

For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why the sudden change. I wanted to know because I wanted to reinforce on a regular basis in the hopes that he'd no longer be so aggressively defensive. There is ONLY one thing that has changed since then. I'm going to get to see my mother this Christmas (a few days after) because my sister is bringing her to Maine (they live in CT) and is making arrangements for me to go down to see them. I'll leave on a Saturday morning and be back Sunday evening. Won't even be gone 48hrs. I haven't seen my mom since 2010 because I couldn't bear to leave Skittles and going down to CT and coming back the next day was never an option for me. Needless to say, what is my biggest worry? "Is Skittles going to be okay?" My friend (the same one he and I visited) is going to check in on him. My sister, who is picking me up from the bus station said I can use her cell phone to call my friend when I want to check in on him. In the event he won't take food and water from her, I won't be gone long enough for him to starve. I've actually told her not to touch the food or water UNLESS its filthy. Hes going to have several food dishes with plenty of food an three water dishes (small enough that he cant bathe in them, lol).

My mom was diagnosed with a non-lethal rare blood cancer awhile back and shes 76y/o and has lots of other health issues.

The only explanation is this: Skittles must sense I want to see my mom before she passes. She and I have almost always been very close. My biggest worry was his reactions to my friend over the years. Complete and utter hatred of her. I couldn't leave him without knowing there was someone who could safely look in on him. Now, suddenly he's fine with her being in the same room as him? I was in her apt for almost an hour, it was no a one-off. Somethings changed. Is he trying to let me know he'll be fine while I'm gone by showing tolerance of her cause he knows how much my mom means to me? I know parrots are smart, but come on, how on earth could he possibly know that. Either its some sort of emotional "sensor" that they possess and we don't OR hes hacked my emails and spied on my phone calls. I wouldn't put either past him. lol.