What a cuddly day :p

[Freespin]

He is way too cute!!!

Ah I miss jumping! It's been over a year now since I last jumped (not including Andys brave moments leaping in the air to get away from monsters!). Even last time I jumped which was the first proper jumping I had done in years, after a few jumps it felt like I had never had a break but it did help my horse was an amazing jumper. Are you competing much over winter?

 

[Macawlover12]

Fargo is such a goofball! He looks like he could keep you entertained all day everyday. He gets more and mote handsome every time you post

 

[Betrisher]

Hey Tab! Great pics of Fargo as always. He's growing up, the gorgeous boy. I think you should give him this opportunity to do without for a day or two. It's good for him and helps him begin to cope with unforeseen stuff in the future. The LAST place I'd put Fargo is a boarding place - he'd probably come home with eleventeen different viruses!

Kyros seems to be doing absolutely perfectly. You're so lucky to have your Mum to keep an eye on your posture and seat - she's taught you very well indeed. I have a feeling our Kyros has only shown you a fraction of his talent yet. Keep up the good work and let's just see how he develops.

I'm SO proud of you tackling Uni head-on the way you have! Congratulations on your successes so far and I can't wait to see how you continue to excel. You're a hard worker, Tab, and that's the reason all these things are working out so well for you.

 

[tab_xo]

Well, that's hogwash. At age 2, you tend to have the control problems that come with a headstrong bird who finds out he can get his way by misbehaving. (So he does!) When you train them to bite you - they will be much less cuddly, and much more unpleasantly demanding. People inadvertently train their birds to do this. It's more a bird handling thing than a personality trait. ALL macaws test. Not just the two year olds. At 2, they begin the birdie manipulation stuff, if you haven't already passed that test. If he can't get his way by misbehaving, they don't do it, and you really don't have to deal with this much...

To me the hard age with macaws are the initial hormonal years 7 to 12... where they are learning to adjust to "birdie puberty." I had a brief problem with Sweapea becoming territorial at age 7 - right on schedule - and broke her of that completely within about 4-6 months. She acts up every now and again at the onset of breeding season, but nothing too out of control.

I actually just left mine for a week. My father is day to day on Hospice and is dying of Cancer, so it was just drop everything and go. I left my birds in the bird room, with their cage doors open, and left detailed instructions with my daughter on how, how much, and what to feed. I was gone a week.

They did fine.

My daughter has grown up with birds, and can handle them, though.

Fargo reminds me of Maggie. Chances are he won't miss a beat. If he's prone to search and destroy missions while you are gone, close the cage door. If not, he should be just fine if someone comes in and gives him food and water everyday. And perhaps Mom can sit down with him for a spell...

Haha i think i may have passed the test already without me knowing.. The only thing he tries to do is eat the walls every now and then.. He knows he is doing wrong..

You know that look you get ? He will be heading towards the wall, and i say Fargo dont... and he looks back... and i swear he just does this cheeky grin and continues heading over there As soon as i step up out of the couch he quickly flies back over.. 'I wasn't doing anything i promise' :54:

My room has alot of electrical things in my section (xbox, laptop, computer, tablets, gaming things) so i won't be able to leave him out.. I would think mum could just sit on the couch for an hour or so and just let him flap about the room, and just use nuts to get him back to his cage!




So sorry to hear about your father!! I completely understand with the whole suffering thing, it is better that they go instead of suffering for so long..

My nana passed away 2 months ago!

She had been in hospital for 3 months, with the doctors saying she could go any day.. But she kept holding on

She had a very strong bond to my brother.. and everyone kept saying she was just waiting for his 21st birthday, and that is all she made it to! The next day she became unresponsive!

They couldn't believe how strong she was! and then when she finally became unresponsive, so they said she should go tonight... THREE DAYS!!!!

Very strong lady


My brother had cancer when he was 17 as well, but he went through many chemo treatments! It is unfortunate that cancer is just such a common thing


I hope your father doesn't suffer too much longer!!

 

[tab_xo]

Hey Tab, I always love seeing your updates and photos of your darlings. I hope you are enjoying every minute of your hard earned break. Relaxing with your fids and catching up on movies sounds great.
I know you must be concerned about leaving Fargo for three days. Your mom sounds like an amazing woman and I know she understands how important Fargo is to you. I would suggest discussing all your concerns with her in advance, I think he would be happier in his familiar, comfortable room with his own things than at a boarding facility. I have faith you'll make the best decision for your boy. Skype is a wonderful idea and Fargo is certainly tech savy enough to enjoy it. Enjoy your vacation, Sweet Girl.

Thank you!!!

I am kinda enjoying my break, but i also want to get started already :09:

It is weird studying every day for 3 months, and then suddenly you have 3-4 weeks break!

Atleast it gave my brain a rest after exams.. The 2 exam weeks i was just a walking zombie by the end of it, naming muscle contraction cycles and nerve impulses


I will definitely talk to mum about it, maybe give her a quick 'how to handle fargo' lesson She is fine when i am in the room with her.. So i might have to leave them be for a bit and see how they go

 

[tab_xo]

Hey, Sunshine! Great pics! (Well, except for the fact that your camera seems to have some kind of inexplicable vendetta against your face!!! Stop hiding, woman! Lol!)

Kyros is truly gorgeous! You know how you'll often read vivid descriptions of magnificent horses in novels? And in describing their coats you'll always see the words "lustrous sheen"? Well, looking at Kyros, I think that's pretty much the image those authors had in mind. He's practically reflective! Hahaha!

And as for your boarding question, I'm with Richard. I'd say last resort. I know you're worried about how much your mom will play with him, but I doubt he'd be getting much, if any, playtime at a boarding facility. So I doubt it would be worth the additional disruption to his life of being displaced every week for a few days, you know? Not unless you truly had no other choice.

Oh gosh, i didn't even realise the camera had cut my face out Darn thing.. I will work out that problem stat!

Hahaha Thank you.. Kyros is definitely one of those dream horses.. Huge and pitch black! Definitely lucky to have him.. I still look at horses for sale, just for fun, and can't find any like Kyros.. Isn't it lucky that i sit online all day every day, so i saw his ad and got in first! haha

That is true!! I don't know how the boarding places work anyway... If only i lived in America, i could let Fargo go for a holiday to all of you guys!!

 

[tab_xo]

Great pics! I agree with no boarding, maybe you could find a really big new toy to give him before you leave that might keep him busy destroying it while you are gone.
If he is used to Skype it may work to ease your worries as much as his. I know when we tried it for my dog it drove him crazy..(I can see and hear mom but can't get to her, sort of thing.) Not good, my husband said he searched the house for HOURS looking and crying for me!

Ok thank you!! I still have a 75 dollar voucher for my safe bird store, so next month i will make a big order and he can wait until i leave to have them all and mum can put new ones in!! That should keep him occupied hopefully..

I am just worried that he won't get much fly time? Considering his whole life he gets to have a fly around!


Awwww really!!! Might have to have an experiment with that as well then! That is a good point though, if he can hear my voice, he might get upset because he won't know where i am!

 

[Anansi]

That is true!! I don't know how the boarding places work anyway... If only i lived in America, i could let Fargo go for a holiday to all of you guys!!

I'd bird-sit for Fargo in a heartbeat! Then your only problem would be getting him back!

"Are you SUUUUUUURE you brought the bird to me, Tab? I'm certain I'd have remembered a big blue and gold macaw in my home! Maybe you've been studying too hard? Poor thing, let's get you home."

 

[tab_xo]

He is way too cute!!!

Ah I miss jumping! It's been over a year now since I last jumped (not including Andys brave moments leaping in the air to get away from monsters!). Even last time I jumped which was the first proper jumping I had done in years, after a few jumps it felt like I had never had a break but it did help my horse was an amazing jumper. Are you competing much over winter?

Oh really!! Why not get back into jumping?

I love jumping, we only do it once a week, we don't exactly have great jumps yet.. But hopefully soon will have a proper course to set up in the arena!

Kyros comes from a line of jumpers, so he has the natural talent, his last owners just couldn't control him and said he was too dangerous to jump, because when he saw a jump, he would just bolt at it..

So we started tiny, and worked our way up, getting him to listen and concentrate! Which is why they just can't believe what he is doing now!

But he is such an easy jumper? You know how some horses, if they get a bad take off, it is just terrible, and you just land horribly?

If Kyros gets a bad take off, he still manages to land perfectly and he never jumps awkwardly.. Incredibly smooth!!!


We did a dressage competition in May.. and the last jumping we did was end of April!

End of may/beginning of june was my exam weeks, so didn't get time to do anything then.. and i wanted to go to a jumping comp tomorrow, but it is pouring down with rain now.. So i think it might be cancelled :54:

These are some pics from the dressage of him and Klaatu (It was his first ever outing)






and jumping- That wassss 75cm and 85cm rounds i believe..

 

[tab_xo]

Hey Tab! Great pics of Fargo as always. He's growing up, the gorgeous boy. I think you should give him this opportunity to do without for a day or two. It's good for him and helps him begin to cope with unforeseen stuff in the future. The LAST place I'd put Fargo is a boarding place - he'd probably come home with eleventeen different viruses!

Kyros seems to be doing absolutely perfectly. You're so lucky to have your Mum to keep an eye on your posture and seat - she's taught you very well indeed. I have a feeling our Kyros has only shown you a fraction of his talent yet. Keep up the good work and let's just see how he develops.

I'm SO proud of you tackling Uni head-on the way you have! Congratulations on your successes so far and I can't wait to see how you continue to excel. You're a hard worker, Tab, and that's the reason all these things are working out so well for you.

Hahaha i know he should get used to me being away, but i dont want to :09:

Yes mum was always one for putting my shoulders back so i never slumped in the saddle!

You know when we were jumping on monday, i was like ok, we will do our 1m like always.. Yep, he was clearing it perfectly.. So i took it to 1.10m, and sometimes he knocks the pole, but he just flew over them with ease!!

So i thought hmmm, ok, lets just put this to 1.20m and see how we go...

First time we have ever done it.. and he just flew over it.. I looked back like- WE DID IT?!?! SERIOUSLY!! hahaha


Funny thing is with Kyros, he will never ever over jump something? Do you know why that is?

You know some horses, you put a 50cm jump in front of them, and they will jump 1m in the air...

Kyros will only jump, the height he needs to.. I am not sure if that is a good or bad thing :20:



and thank you

Next term will be SO much better, because first term was just basic introducing everything? and now we are actually going to learn about proper health training!

My four courses are-
Foundations of Biochemistry
Medical Professional Practice
Foundations of Paramedic Clinical Practice
Human Body Systems 2


Everyone is saying Biochemistry is easier and funner than basic chemistry!

Human Body Systems 1 was my favourite course last term... It is strange how i think about everything now.. When i walk or touch, i think about nerves and muscles :09:

 

[tab_xo]

I'd bird-sit for Fargo in a heartbeat! Then your only problem would be getting him back!

"Are you SUUUUUUURE you brought the bird to me, Tab? I'm certain I'd have remembered a big blue and gold macaw in my home! Maybe you've been studying too hard? Poor thing, let's get you home."

HAHAHAHAHA You sure you won't get sick of him saying - Hello? Hello? Hello? Tabitha? Mum? Mum? Mum ? HELLLOOOOOOOOOOO :09::54:

 

[Anansi]

Lol! Not even a little bit. And it would divert my mother, who is always asking when Bixby will start talking more. Fargo would take the spotlight off my poor boy. Lol!

 

[tab_xo]

Uhhhh everyone in my family always says- Why can't he say anything else?

Don't you just love how people assume a parrot should talk!

-_- I just say it is lucky he even says anything at all, i didn't choose a macaw because of their talking ability.. So be happy with his random words and sounds!

 

[Anansi]

Uhhhh everyone in my family always says- Why can't he say anything else?

Don't you just love how people assume a parrot should talk!

-_- I just say it is lucky he even says anything at all, i didn't choose a macaw because of their talking ability.. So be happy with his random words and sounds!

EXACTLY! People always either look at me strange or assume it's just lip service when I say that I truly don't care whether or not Bixby becomes a big talker. Don't get me wrong, it would be pretty cool! And it makes for lots of cute moments. But I'm much more impressed by bird socialization, and the dynamics of a bird's interaction and communication with his/her adopted flock. And that communication does not necessarily have to include talking.

For example, the cockatiel I had before Bixby had learned to communicate with me very well by associating certain actions or sounds with mutually understood corresponding desires or emotions. We had both come to associate that clucking sound we can make with the tongue with a desire to help calm or soothe each other in times of distress. So if something happened to startle Suzie, I would make that sound to calm him. Or if he would somehow fall and I came over all worried, he would make the sound to let me know that he was okay.

THAT'S the kind of interaction that truly interests me! Parrots speaking literally in context also fits this category, but it's not the only thing there. Know what I mean?

 

[tab_xo]

EXACTLY! People always either look at me strange or assume it's just lip service when I say that I truly don't care whether or not Bixby becomes a big talker. Don't get me wrong, it would be pretty cool! And it makes for lots of cute moments. But I'm much more impressed by bird socialization, and the dynamics of a bird's interaction and communication with his/her adopted flock. And that communication does not necessarily have to include talking.

For example, the cockatiel I had before Bixby had learned to communicate with me very well by associating certain actions or sounds with mutually understood corresponding desires or emotions. We had both come to associate that clucking sound we can make with the tongue with a desire to help calm or soothe each other in times of distress. So if something happened to startle Suzie, I would make that sound to calm him. Or if he would somehow fall and I came over all worried, he would make the sound to let me know that he was okay.

THAT'S the kind of interaction that truly interests me! Parrots speaking literally in context also fits this category, but it's not the only thing there. Know what I mean?

Definitely!!!!!!!!!!!! If you wanted a good talker you would get an amazon or grey... I loved macaws because of how cuddly and childlike they were.. I didn't even know they could learn to talk like Fargo has! So that was just a bonus!

Josh always thinks Fargo is stupid because he only says a few different words... I find it amusing because his 2 and a half year old son still can't even say a proper word.. So Fargo has a better vocabulary, yet he is the 'stupid' one :54:


That is adorable!!!!!! You had such a strong bond with Suzie!

It is incredible how they learn to communicate without words, well i guess it is like that saying, about how all animals talk to us, it is just if we choose to listen or not !

I love reading horse body language, it is very easy to tell how a horse is feeling because they communicate along with their body movements.. We were always taught to listen to a horses ears when we ride, and we can see how they feel!


You can actually see in the pictures i posted at the dressage comp, how their ears are kinda tilted back, which means they are listening and concentrating on everything i am saying... If they are flat back, they are grumpy, if they are forward and perked then they are paying attention to everything around them instead!

I talk ALOT when i ride, well i usually sing at home to them :54: But when i am out at competitions, just talking to them in a calming voice, it makes them relax and only focus on what i am saying..

 

[Freespin]

Im sure i have told you before but i LOVE your jacket

One day i will jump again, i sold my jumper as i just wasnt riding enough. My first job i was able to ride and compete as part of my work days but when i moved i just found it really hard to go and get my horse in to ride after i had spent all day working with horses. I would go through phases where i would ride for a month or so at a time. As i was selling him, one of my horses from work broke down for a second time so he was retired from racing to be a riding horse. I couldnt part with him so now he is mine (Andy). I only have a dressage saddle at the moment and he is still very green. One day i would love to get another jump saddle and jump again!

Today i went for a big hack and found out there are actually a heap of XC jumps all around our farm near my house so that could come in handy one day.

 

[tab_xo]

Haha thank you!

Awww really!! Life does get in the way a bit hey Luckily i get to have a break from study each day and ride.. The last 2 weeks of term was a bit intense and i only rode a few times though! Still hard to keep up three horses in full work though!

Oh you work with standardbreds? Is that right, if i recall from my memory of reading about it in one of your threads!

I think you could give jumping in a dressage saddle a go!!! :09: hehe
It isn't quite as good, but still manageable!


That is so lucky!!!! A few years ago we got a new neighbour, he just purchased all the land around us, and then locked everything and told us we could never ride on the trails.. Even though i grew up riding along those trails with the old owners :31:

and our property is just a mountain, so no flat sections to have a cool cross country course!

 

[Freespin]

I was with the standardbreds but recently move to work on a thoroughbred stud =) I am very lucky, we are on 4000 acres now although we don't have an arena. The last place had a big all weather arena, stables and a track but it was only about 250 acres I think and flat as a pancake.

 

[JerseyWendy]

Awesome, awesome photos, Tab, each and every one of them.

I'm totally with Stephen about the issues you have with the camera and your pretty face.

I'd write down a to-do list for mum. She'll be able to take care of Fargo just fine, no doubt in my mind. And what about Sam? He can help, too. He could play video games in YOUR room instead of his, and that way Fargo would have company.

 

[tab_xo]

Awesome, awesome photos, Tab, each and every one of them.

I'm totally with Stephen about the issues you have with the camera and your pretty face.

I'd write down a to-do list for mum. She'll be able to take care of Fargo just fine, no doubt in my mind. And what about Sam? He can help, too. He could play video games in YOUR room instead of his, and that way Fargo would have company.

Haha thank you!


No wayyy! Sam has never come within 5 meters of Fargo.. He won't come into my room, and if Fargo is out in the house he just stays in his room.. He is terrified