Sunday, December 19, 2010
Friday, December 10, 2010
Jolly Ball and Foraging
I got my new Jolly Ball (from Jan at Blu's Bird Toys) hung today. I am using possitive association to get Kei used to it. I've been putting treats inside for him to forage for.
I make foraging pouches with paper condiment cups or muffin paper with treats or their dry food mix inside. I normally hide a few around the bird room for Kei to look for during the day. He loves them.
Toady has never been interested in them so I've started to add toy parts and fun little things in his food dish for him to play with and forage through.
And of course I can't forget about Harper and Beau who were not happy with having their picture taken. LOL
I make foraging pouches with paper condiment cups or muffin paper with treats or their dry food mix inside. I normally hide a few around the bird room for Kei to look for during the day. He loves them.
Monday, December 6, 2010
Toady's Story
Toady is my most recent addition.
In August 2010 I saw an ad for an 11 year old ex breeder dusky male. It spoke to me, but I figured it wasn't a good time to add to my flock.
A few weeks later, I was doing a search for coral billed pionus. I was looking at breeders website and clicked on "available" knowing very well that I would not be getting another bird any time soon. The very first think I saw was the very same ad for that ex breeder male dusky. I figured it must be fate, and decided to email her. I told her that I still had to talk with my family (and was sure that my dad was going to nix the idea) but was able to get some more information about him and talk with the breeder a bit. She was extremely nice and friendly and sent me a few videos of Toady and told me more about him.
Toady's mate had died a year before and he was living in a large aviary with an African Grey and another male pionus. He was origionally a "pet" but had been a breeder for several years and was only handled with a perch. Here is the first photo I saw of him.
I talked with my dad, and to my austonishment, he actually agreed to let me get Toady.
Toady was flown to me from Indiana. I was completely terrified. I thought that something would go wrong, but it was actually a very smooth trip.
He stepped up right out of his carrier, which I was suprised about and continued stepping up regularly.
In August 2010 I saw an ad for an 11 year old ex breeder dusky male. It spoke to me, but I figured it wasn't a good time to add to my flock.
A few weeks later, I was doing a search for coral billed pionus. I was looking at breeders website and clicked on "available" knowing very well that I would not be getting another bird any time soon. The very first think I saw was the very same ad for that ex breeder male dusky. I figured it must be fate, and decided to email her. I told her that I still had to talk with my family (and was sure that my dad was going to nix the idea) but was able to get some more information about him and talk with the breeder a bit. She was extremely nice and friendly and sent me a few videos of Toady and told me more about him.
Toady's mate had died a year before and he was living in a large aviary with an African Grey and another male pionus. He was origionally a "pet" but had been a breeder for several years and was only handled with a perch. Here is the first photo I saw of him.
I talked with my dad, and to my austonishment, he actually agreed to let me get Toady.
Toady was flown to me from Indiana. I was completely terrified. I thought that something would go wrong, but it was actually a very smooth trip.
He stepped up right out of his carrier, which I was suprised about and continued stepping up regularly.
Eventually he showed me what characters pionus can really be. Kei is lazy in comparison. Toady loves to dance and sing and bob his head. He is a real ham.
He eventually got to know me and even began to become affectionate. He loves to sit on my shoulder and preen my hair. He is a real sweetheart.
And I have never met a bird that loves fresh veggies as much as Toady does.
He and Kei are not quite friends, but they respect each other for the most part. I think they both think of me as their "mate" which is very surprising for Toady, who I thought would never really like me.
I really hope Toady has many more years with me. Our bond grows day by day, and I feel lucky to be chosen by him.
Harper's Story
In 2008 I was working for a bird rescue at an adoption program in a Petsmart. I had just lost two of my budgies and just had Kei and my special needs budgie Miracle.
I wanted to get Miracle a friend but wasn't keen on the idea of another budgie because they didn't seem to live long and I was still very sad over the loss of my budgies Sunshine and Maggio, I just couldn't stand the idea of getting another one. I was trying to decide what kind of bird would be a good match for Miracle. I was thinking about Linneolated parakeets or bourkes, but wasn't really searching just yet.
One day I was at work and was talking to one of the dog trainers when it came up that she was looking for a home for her parrotlet (then named Mabel). I had heard about parrotlet's being aggressive but the more she told me about her the more I felt led to take her. She had gotten her believing her to be tame, but later found out that she was pretty skittish and scared. She then left her in her cage all the time because she had to chase her to get her out and she sometimes bit her out of fear.
She had a budgie as well, but kept it in another room. She said that the budgie and her had been calling back and forth and it was getting annoying.
She cared about her, but just didn't have the time or patience to keep her anymore, so she gave her to me.
When I got her her wings were severely clipped so she couldn't fly at all. She was afraid to come out of her cage on her own, but after I got her out, she would allow me to scratch her head but always seemed nervous of me.
After quarantine, she moved into the bird room where she fell instantly in love with Miracle and decided that she no longer wanted anything to do with me (which was fine with me).
One day Miracle sustained a wing injury which kept her from flying, and a few months later, she was diagnosed with gout and liver disease which made it very difficult for her to get around. Harper would diligently visit with her and comfort her in her times of pain. I believe she was a huge comfort for her, and even though they weren't friend's for long, I believed that Harper helped her live comfortably for her last few months of life.
Miracle eventually passed away, and I could see that it really effected Harper. She tried desperately to make friends with Kei, but he was not interested. I then decided to get Harper another friend. I obviously should have done more research, as if I knew then what I do now, I would never have gotten another female parrotlet.
Harper was interested in friendship, but Maddie was definitely not. She would fight with Harper every chance she got. Eventually I think the fighting got to Harper and she started plucking her feathers.
I decided that maybe she'd be happier if she had another bird to be her friend, but I thought perhaps a parrotlet was not the way to go. I decided that she might enjoy the company of another budgie instead, so I got Beau in November 2009. I was correct. It was love at first sight. She was so much happier with him.
Tragically, Maddie's life was cut short in April 2010. I thought maybe this would diminish Harper's plucking, but she was too far into the habit. Today she is still plucking off and on, and still head over heals in love with her Beau.
I wanted to get Miracle a friend but wasn't keen on the idea of another budgie because they didn't seem to live long and I was still very sad over the loss of my budgies Sunshine and Maggio, I just couldn't stand the idea of getting another one. I was trying to decide what kind of bird would be a good match for Miracle. I was thinking about Linneolated parakeets or bourkes, but wasn't really searching just yet.
One day I was at work and was talking to one of the dog trainers when it came up that she was looking for a home for her parrotlet (then named Mabel). I had heard about parrotlet's being aggressive but the more she told me about her the more I felt led to take her. She had gotten her believing her to be tame, but later found out that she was pretty skittish and scared. She then left her in her cage all the time because she had to chase her to get her out and she sometimes bit her out of fear.
She had a budgie as well, but kept it in another room. She said that the budgie and her had been calling back and forth and it was getting annoying.
She cared about her, but just didn't have the time or patience to keep her anymore, so she gave her to me.
When I got her her wings were severely clipped so she couldn't fly at all. She was afraid to come out of her cage on her own, but after I got her out, she would allow me to scratch her head but always seemed nervous of me.
Kei's Story
In 2004, at age 14, I decided that I wanted to get a parrot. At first I thought I wanted a cockatoo. After some research I decided I wanted a conure...After more research, I finally decided that a pionus would be the perfect bird for me.
After this revelation, I started my search for the perfect pionus. In the summer of 2004 I found an ad in a newspaper for a baby white capped pionus. After several calls to the breeder, we were finally able to go and visit the not-yet-weaned baby.
It was so sweet and cute, we just could not resist it. At first the breeder tried to talk us (my dad and I) into finishing the hand-feeding (a bad sign), but I had done research, and read that that was not such a good idea, so we agreed to let the breeder finish the hand-feeding and wait patiently.
After a couple of visits, we knew this was the bird for us. I decided to name him Kyba. We got a big cage, toys, and perches, and were eagerly awaiting for it to be weaned.
One day, the breeder stopped returning our phone calls. We were concerned that she had sold him to someone else as we hadn't put a down payment on him, but the reality was much worse. A few days passed and we finally got a call back, with some bad news. The baby had gotten it's foot caught in a toy and died from stress on the way to the vet.
I was heartbroken. I had only known the baby for a few weeks, but I felt a connection to it all the same. I decided that perhaps, it just wasn't meant to be and put my search on hold for a few months.
After a short break, I decided that it was time to fill that empty cage of mine.Some friends on a parrot forum helped me look for some available birds. We found an ad for a 9 month old baby dusky pionus in Arkansas. We emailed them, and planned to get the baby over Thangsgiving break while visiting my Grandma in Missouri. Unfortunately, my dad was robbed and we were unable to make the Thanksgiving trip and decided to postpone it until Christmas. I was heartbroken again, and worried that they would sell him to someone else because I knew how rare duskies were and I thought they would have a lot of interest in him; but luckilly, when Christmas came around, he was still available.
So we drove from Minnesota to the very Southern tip of Missouri where they met us to pick him up. It was about a 15 hour drive each way, but we stopped in Columbia Missouri to spend Christmas and New Years with my grandma on the way back. Kei was so well behaved throughout all of this new stress, he was such a perfect pionus, and I fell in love instantly.
It was a learning experience. I had owned budgies and held parrots a handfull of times, but owning one was different. I have to admit that I didn't care for Kei like I should have at first, but he was happy; and our bond grew strong.
Kei and I have a very special relationship. We have been best friends for nearly 6 years now and I wouldn't give him up for the world.
He's so special and smart, and I'm so lucky to have him. I love my Kei bird.
After this revelation, I started my search for the perfect pionus. In the summer of 2004 I found an ad in a newspaper for a baby white capped pionus. After several calls to the breeder, we were finally able to go and visit the not-yet-weaned baby.
It was so sweet and cute, we just could not resist it. At first the breeder tried to talk us (my dad and I) into finishing the hand-feeding (a bad sign), but I had done research, and read that that was not such a good idea, so we agreed to let the breeder finish the hand-feeding and wait patiently.
After a couple of visits, we knew this was the bird for us. I decided to name him Kyba. We got a big cage, toys, and perches, and were eagerly awaiting for it to be weaned.
One day, the breeder stopped returning our phone calls. We were concerned that she had sold him to someone else as we hadn't put a down payment on him, but the reality was much worse. A few days passed and we finally got a call back, with some bad news. The baby had gotten it's foot caught in a toy and died from stress on the way to the vet.
I was heartbroken. I had only known the baby for a few weeks, but I felt a connection to it all the same. I decided that perhaps, it just wasn't meant to be and put my search on hold for a few months.
After a short break, I decided that it was time to fill that empty cage of mine.Some friends on a parrot forum helped me look for some available birds. We found an ad for a 9 month old baby dusky pionus in Arkansas. We emailed them, and planned to get the baby over Thangsgiving break while visiting my Grandma in Missouri. Unfortunately, my dad was robbed and we were unable to make the Thanksgiving trip and decided to postpone it until Christmas. I was heartbroken again, and worried that they would sell him to someone else because I knew how rare duskies were and I thought they would have a lot of interest in him; but luckilly, when Christmas came around, he was still available.
So we drove from Minnesota to the very Southern tip of Missouri where they met us to pick him up. It was about a 15 hour drive each way, but we stopped in Columbia Missouri to spend Christmas and New Years with my grandma on the way back. Kei was so well behaved throughout all of this new stress, he was such a perfect pionus, and I fell in love instantly.
It was a learning experience. I had owned budgies and held parrots a handfull of times, but owning one was different. I have to admit that I didn't care for Kei like I should have at first, but he was happy; and our bond grew strong.
Kei and I have a very special relationship. We have been best friends for nearly 6 years now and I wouldn't give him up for the world.
He's so special and smart, and I'm so lucky to have him. I love my Kei bird.
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