Living With More Than One Bird… More Like… 11!

Jeannie July 2nd, 2009

My name is Jeanne Harrington. I am 45 years old. I have owned and raised parrots since I was 20. I have also raised, bred and trained dogs since I was 18.

As for the dogs, I raised and bred Labs for 10 years and trained them for hunting and obedience. I currently own, breed, train and show three different types of terriers. I am working on training a dog for therapy/assistance. Currently I own a kennel of my own and I work for another. I have 15 dogs and I work with another 22 dogs. I also care for 4 live stock guardian dogs.

Now, for the birds. I currently own two blue front amazons, a blue & gold macaw and a parakeet. I live with a total of 11 birds all together. I feed and care for all the birds here.

The list of birds is one amazon that lives with my mother, a parakeet, mitred conure, yellowed collar mini macaw, male eclectus, yellow nape amazon. The macaws are blue & gold, blue throat, harlequin, greenwing and hyacinth.

The other bird is one you may have heard of here on bird tricks, his name is Storm. He is a blue front amazon that is 35 years old.

There is so much I could say about each bird, but, let’s save that for later.

I have worked in three different locations caring for and hand feeding birds. I have worked with problem birds and sick birds. Luckily most of the illness I have dealt with has been environmentally caused and I was able to correct it with time.

Living with all these birds and dogs is constantly entertaining and challenging. Most of the birds have and have had problems that have been worked on and some that need a lot of work yet to come.

Due to an illness I was disabled about 9 years ago. I have not worked a “regular” job since. My life has totally gone to the dogs and birds! When I got sick all of my animals suffered along with me. As does any person, my life is constantly adjusting to what is going on.

I was incapable of taking care of my animals for quite some time. My own birds suffered tremendously. The youngest of my own birds is a 12 year old blue front amazon named Petrie. Then there is Niko, he is my blue & gold macaw he is about 18, and then the old man Storm. All three have problems and all 3 are getting help, finally.

With the help of computers and friends I could never replace I am once again on a path of success, along with the inevitable set-backs with my birds and those I care for. I hope we all can learn from these new experiences. And I hope we have a great time doing it.

Thank you for listening and learning along with me.

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Posted in Housing Environment and Cages | No Comments »

Tips on How to Fit Your Parrots In With a Busy Schedule

Liz July 2nd, 2009

If anyone would have told me 5 years ago that today I would have amazing but totally unique companionships with 3 different birds, I would have quickly let them know that they were crazy! But the fact is, it is very true and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

So. Who am I and how did I get here? My name is Liz. I am 23 years old, living in Raleigh, NC. I am a senior in college with a job, friends, a boyfriend, and just a generally busy life. So where do my parrots fit in? Well, that’s one reason why I am here- to talk about that. I currently have a 3 ½ year old male sun conure (Skittle) , 2 ½ year old female blue and gold macaw (Charlie), and a 10 year old female congo African grey (Roxanne) that I have adopted in the past few months.

The main focus of my writing here will be about Roxanne. You see, I hand-fed and trained my conure and macaw from when both were just over 2 months old. My bonds with Skittle and Charlie are strong, they are some of my best friends! They are by no means perfect angels, but in each of those bonds I have a trust and companionship that comparably, is just non-existent with Roxanne.

When Roxanne came into my home, I realized that on rare occasions she had been outside of her cage for very short periods of time. Roxanne had rarely been handled and by her vocabulary of “OW that hurt!” or “Don’t bite me!” she had no plans of being handled either.

I found this very puzzling since Skittle and Charlie always want to be around the humans of the house playing, cuddling, just whatever to have human interaction. But Roxanne, she is content sitting on one side of her cage all day and not being bothered and is quick to those blood-drawing bites if you have anything BUT the same notion.

So. Here I am living the typical busy life meanwhile trying to maintain and keep the two birds I am bonded with content, as well as, trying to develop a relationship with a 10 year old grouchy bird! What can I do to simultaneously continue fortifying the relationship I have with my bonded birds and grow the relationship I have with Roxanne? These are just 2 of many simple things that I have noticed that help both of those needs along.

1. Give me some LOVE!

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Charlie and Skittle love human interaction. First thing in the morning or whenever I get home, they are ready to jump out and into my arms. Roxanne, not so much. If the first thing I do is head straight for Roxanne, she shakes and puffs up larger than a blowfish . As soon as I open her cage door, she poses for a strike. I have found if I go onto to Skittle and Charlie first, give them both a few minutes playing and loving each within sight of Roxanne and then approach Roxanne, she is much more inclined to step-up onto my hand.

I will keep her on my hand for maybe a ¼ of the time I was with my other 2, give her a sunflower seed, and put her back into her cage to reward her for not biting me. I also don’t keep her out as long because the longer she is out, the more nervous she gets. I am definitely taking it slow with her for now.

2. Calling in back-up!

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I could not imagine living in a multi-parrot home by myself. The feeding, clean-up, entertainment, and time spent is never-ending. I am sure that there are many out there that succeed quite nicely on their own, but I can admit that I don’t think I could do it right now. I have 4 other family members that I presently live with that enjoy being around the birds. Each of them have some kind of relationship with either Charlie or Skittle.

My boyfriend that does not live here happens to have a great relationship with both of them. So far Roxanne is the most responsive with me. Having others in the home that are able to give time towards Skittle and Charlie not only help them by socializing them, but help Roxanne so she can spend time with me while I earn her trust. With Roxanne seeing the others interact with Charlie and Skittle, it encourages her that us humans are not out to scare or hurt her! I strongly believe that having frequent and different human interaction is not only vital in keeping your own sanity, but it’s also good for the well-being of the bird.

I look forward to writing again and tracking Roxanne’s progress in her new home!

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Posted in African Greys, Blue and Gold Macaws, Conures, Parrot Behavior, Socializing and Interaction | No Comments »

DNA Sexing Your Birds

Patty June 29th, 2009

There are reasons besides appropriately naming your parrots to have them DNA sexed.  I’m pretty sure that DeeDee, my male cockatiel, has no objections to his effeminate name, and Theo, my female goffins cockatoo, seems to be comfortable with hers as well. I know the sex of all of my parrots except my quaker.  I decided to have her (I think of her as a girl) DNA sexed.

Why should I bother, what difference does it make? If you’re a breeder, this is pretty important.   If you are not a breeder, it’s still pretty important because you may find out that your pair of assumed female parrots have just produced a chick, and, well, now you are a breeder.

There are other reason as well.  Most parrots are monomorphic, meaning that you can’t tell the sexes apart by visual means. You can tell cockatiels apart by their feathering, cockatoos, less reliably so, by their eye color, and the male and female eclectus are different colors altogether (dimorphic).  But, for the most part, you can’t tell unless it has laid an egg, and that it hasn’t laid an egg doesn’t make it male; Theo is 23 and has never produced an egg.

Knowing the sex of your parrot can help you assess and prevent some behavioral and health issues.  For instance, you can be certain that egg binding is out when your known male parrot is not pooping.  There might be intestinal blockage.  Also, male cockatoos, for example, can get a little feisty when they are hormonal.  Knowing this in advance can help you prepare his environment for the upcoming breeding season and prepare you emotionally for behaviors to come.

DNA sexing is very simple and inexpensive.  It can be done through blood, feather or eggshell (immediately following hatching) testing. Feathers would be the simplest, least invasive, way to go. The company that I found that is most commonly used, and the one I selected, is Avian Biotech International and it will cost under $25 per bird.

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Posted in Diet Health and Nutrition | 2 Comments »

Do People Pick Their Parrots, Or The Other Way Around?

Patty June 27th, 2009

I rehome or rescue my parrots.  It’s something that I strongly believe in.  Healthy baby parrots will almost always find a home, but the ones that have been given up, often because of behavioral problems, might not be so lucky.  The feeling of accomplishment and pride I have felt when the parrot finally gives in to trust is unlike any other.  Still, there have been a couple of babies that have more than caught my eye.

The pet store where I get some of my supplies specializes in parrots.  They are locally owned so I try to support them.  Every now and again I walk in and hear:   “Patty, we have some babies.  Come see!”   I can feel myself tense up, wondering if this will be the day that I give in and drop my rent money on a down payment for a new parrot.  I’m pretty good at resisting.

About a year ago, I went in and was introduced to a baby greenwing macaw.  He was a ball of flesh and prickly new feathers.  There was just something about him.  I went in to see him every couple of days.  After a few weeks he was feathering out into the most glorious parrot and was beginning to show his personality.  He would call to greet me as soon as I walked in the shop.  He would make a baby-like “grrrp” sound apparently only for me. I was completely taken with him, and he was with me.  When I was with him and someone entered the room, he would hide his little head under his wing until they left and he would start “grrrp-ing” again.  I found myself pricing their macaw cages.

Around this same time my umbrella cockatoo, Linus, became ill.  Since we weren’t sure of the nature of his illness or its contagiousness, and because the vet bill were piling up, I decided that it was not right to bring another bird into my home.  He was eventually sold and I worried for him, hoping that he’d found a good home.  About two months ago, I was in the shop and a lady came in wearing a beautiful green wing on her arm.  I noticed him watching everything I did.  I heard a “grrrp” and I almost fell over.  After quizzing the lady, I found out that she had bought him there and the dates matched up. He had found a wonderful, doting home and I was very happy for him (and her).  She said she had never heard him make that sound before, he remembered me.

I have a friend who runs a rescue in New Mexico.  One of her greatest talents, aside from rehabbing and socializing her rescues, is the knack for finding just the right home for them.   She, in part, leaves the decision to the parrot.  They have their likes and dislikes just as we do.  She will carefully screen her clients, try to get a feel for the type person they are and what their homelife is like so she can match a parrot’s personality to the lifestyle of the client, but if the parrot doesn’t like the person, it’s a deal breaker. I know a number of people that go to see her planning on taking, say,  an african grey, and wind up leaving with a macaw just because the macaw fell in love with them.  How do you say no to a needy parrot that is doing cartwheels to get you to take him home?

This is not to say that you can’t have a wonderful relationship with an initially indifferent parrot.  But what better way to start a relationship than love at first sight?

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Posted in Socializing and Interaction | 2 Comments »

$1,027 Bonus Package Explained…

Chet June 26th, 2009

In this video I breakdown the $1,027 in bonuses that you’ll receive when you order our Seminar DVD series that’s being released this Monday, June 29th at 9am PST or 12 noon EST.

Make sure you watch the last part of the video as I have a HUGE surprise for you!

*2 IMPORTANT Things*

#1) If you’re having problems watching the video, I’m Sorry! Our servers are getting hammered right now and we’re having problems making our videos play fast enough for you. But you should be able to get the video to play correctly if you’ll hit pause and give it about 3-4 minutes to load, depending on your internet connection.

And if that still doesn’t work click here to see a written list of these bonuses: Click Here To See The $1,027 In Bonuses

#2) Here’s the webpage you need to go to on Monday where you can get your copy of our Seminar DVD series when it’s released:

http://www.birdtricks.com/seminarvideos

If you want to qualify for these ‘Fast-Movers’ bonuses you should probably make sure you go to the link above about 5 minutes before we release this course on Monday, and refresh the page at exactly 9am (Pacific Time).

If you’re wondering what timezone that is in YOUR neck of the woods, here’s a good website that will tell you:
http://time.gov

There are currently 4,978 who’ve asked to be on my pre-notification list to get a copy of this new DVD series when it’s released on Monday and I only have 500 available.

And the last time we offered these ‘Fast Movers’ Bonuses we sold out in 15 minutes. So act fast, because the bonuses get snatched up in a hurry.

Feel free to leave any comments or questions about this video below, and I’ll do my best to go through them before we launch on Monday.

Cheers!

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Posted in Parrot Behavior | 30 Comments »

Training Multiple Tricks at Once

Mike June 26th, 2009

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I noticed that my birds learn certain tricks better in a certain order. For instance, it was very easy to teach the budgie to go through a toilet paper tube after he’s already learned to go through a ring. Also, we taught him the toilet paper roll trick just a few days after teaching turn around but the tricks did not interfere. To me it seems like there are 3 types of tricks (and basically one of each can be taught simultaneously as they do not interfere):

- Taming (handling, touching, petting, etc)
- Prop induced tricks (fetch, jump through hoop, bowling, etc.)
- Cue induced tricks (wave, turn around, wings, etc.)

I have found it very effective to teach a bird several tricks at a time if they are in separate categories as above. I don’t mean literally at once but interlaced in the same weeks as each is taught. I can only teach about one to two cue induced tricks per month or else my Senegal parrot gets the cues mixed up or one trick overwhelms the other. On the other hand, the prop induced tricks are very memorable to the birds and the props look different so they don’t get confused on those. If the tricks are different enough, they can learn several at a time. And finally taming just takes a long time and a certain type of taming like holding on back in hand take a long time to teach so the bird gets comfortable. A good routine for a month might be to handle the bird and progress toward getting it on its back. Teach going through a hoop with the prop. And teaching to turn around. These three tricks being completely different do not cause any interference and can make a good routine. Of course target training and training diet are prerequisites to it all.

Parrots in the wild have to learn to deal with many different situations on a daily basis. And like humans they learn to adapt to their surroundings. But also, like humans they forget things as well. This is why you can’t train too many things at once. However, it seems that they remember tricks differently. A taming routine is something they slowly get used to over time so this is mostly taught through calm and continuous repetition over a long period of time. The prop tricks on the other hand, the birds seem to remember exceptionally well because each prop looks unique. The cue tricks are harder for them to discern because the prop is almost always your hand or a verbal cue so just the sign of a hand vs a prop is not enough to determine what trick it is. The bird has to look at the hand motion or position to understand what trick is being asked. What happens with these cued tricks is that you might teach the bird how to do the trick in just a few training sessions and then spend weeks practicing the cue so that it remembers that that exact cue goes with that trick.

So the point of this post is that you should consider what set of tricks you would like to train your bird in the upcoming month. You can think of a taming exercise, prop trick, and cue trick to work on and then span that training out over the necessary period of time. But at the end, you will have taught your bird 3 things in parallel rather than taking 3 months to teach these in a series. The more tricks your bird knows, the better it can learn more tricks. You should still emphasize one trick at a time for introductory training sessions, but you can definitely teach multiple tricks this way in the span of days and weeks.

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Posted in Parrot Training | No Comments »

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