Sapphires progress

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 5:02 am

Hey,

I thought it was time for an update on how Sapphire is adapting to being a house parrot.
She is really getting the hang of it!
We did a little bit of practise at going in and out of the travel cage, she was more than happy to climb in and hang out.
She had her first shower this week.
Because we live in a big, open plan house, with curtains on the doorways to keep her in the parrot rooms, she has been using the travel cage so I can transport her to the shower. Nila came along to show her the ropes.
Apart from freaking out when I showed her the big mirror, she took to the bathroom like a duck to water. She watched Nila for a minute, then she chased him off so she could try this
shower thing. Eventually I did convince her to share the water stream and they both got drenched!
After a nice long shower, they sat in the sun in their travel cages to dry out.

She has the sharpest nails, she has managed to take skin of my fingers when she has trouble balancing! I have started getting her accustomed to having her feet played with, but we are still a few weeks away from her sitting on a perch while I trim her nails...

Here's a video of what we are working on. I think it is essential for my birds to be comfortable with being restrained, just in case we ever need to grab them in an emergency.
http://youtu.be/bOGjb83bddE I even managed to cut the video down to about a minute!
We only started on this trick this evening, it wasn't very daunting for her. She is naturally quite pushy

ellieelectrons · Post by **ellieelectrons** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 5:18 am

Wow Claire. You've done really well! Good work.

Ellie.

AlphaWolf · Post by **AlphaWolf** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 5:20 am

Oh his nice is Sapphi Makes me green with envy . Btw, I think this is the perfect time to introduce the Aviator harness. Maybe the training in the video could be used in aviator training. Wish me luck with Aero .

MissK · Post by **MissK** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 7:01 am

Adorable video.

Doodlebug · Post by **Doodlebug** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 10:49 am

Wow am I ever jealous!

You are such a natural with birds, the next Barbara Heidenreich

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 1:02 pm

Thanks for the support guys.
Alpha, you are right about that being good harness preparation, but I doubt she will be ready for a harness for a long time!
I was trying to keep the video a watchable length, so I cut out the bit where I forgot which bird I was working with and kissed her on the forehead. She was not impressed at all

she got a huge fright and almost flew away.

I think we might have beginners luck in choosing birds, we have managed to get 2 really easy going birds!

Little Buttercup · Post by **Little Buttercup** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 10:06 pm

Wonderful, Claire

Ash

Skyes_crew · Post by **Skyes_crew** » Tue Dec 03, 2013 11:50 pm

I still think you're the bird whisperer

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 12:42 am

Skyes_crew wrote:I still think you're the bird whisperer

Have you ever heard a parrot whisper? Mine shout!

Anyway, I happen to know there's someone else on this forum with a violet aviary raised bird, she whispered in it's ear and it decided humans are great....

Skyes_crew · Post by **Skyes_crew** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 2:38 am

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Wed Dec 04, 2013 11:52 pm

Wow, I am so angry right now! I called a local vet, asked on the phone if they would be happy to do a nail clip the way I ask, just dull the point not shorten the nail as length was ok. They said they would.
We got there, explained again what I wanted and why. Vet starts clipping away to the quick. I reiterated that I only wanted the point trimmed, vet trims next nail even further, right into the quick so it bleeds. I swore a bit and explained again that I have several reasons why I only want the points taken off, if you trim too much bird falls off shower screen and slippery perches.
The nails weren't long anyway, just a bit pointy. On top of that, you can see where the vein is on her nails, even a simpleton should be able to do it. The nurse started telling me they would have trim them more often if they don't chop them short. I explained again that in a few weeks time the bird will be happy to hold out her nails to be clipped, so that is a moot point anyway. It is more important to me that my bird has long enough nails to get around properly on any surface.
After that the vet followed my instructions.
After I paid, I mentioned that I was very disappointed in the service, that I had asked them several times to trim them the way I had asked and had explained why I wanted it done that way.
Lucky I didn't let them take her into the room without me like they wanted me to, they probably would have chopped off her wings too or something barbaric like that.

It probably would have been less traumatic to do it myself! Sapphire sulked for about half an hour. She's got horribly uneven nails now!

On the way home, we visited Dave at work. Nila was in his harness the whole time, he hopped onto Daves shoulder and helped put a gear box in a van. After about 10 minutes Nila started looking very worried. I had forgotten to take him to the bathroom after seeing the vet! Poor Nila, as soon as he got off Daves shoulder he dropped the biggest bomb I've ever seen!

Skyes_crew · Post by **Skyes_crew** » Thu Dec 05, 2013 12:17 am

Wow...I would have flipped out. I don't like the points on baby nails either, my hands look like I'm into playing with thorn bushes. But jeez...doesn't anybody listen anymore??? Why don't we take off a couple of the vets toes and see how great he walks....

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Thu Dec 05, 2013 12:26 am

I did use some very strong language, including a word we don't want Nila to learn.... I also pointed out that I will not be using their services again nor recommending them and that I had asked over the phone if they were happy to follow my instructions!

Skyes_crew · Post by **Skyes_crew** » Thu Dec 05, 2013 12:30 am

Speaking of words we don't want our parrots to learn...how often does Nila have to hear a word to repeat it???

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Thu Dec 05, 2013 2:57 am

I have no idea. Probably hundreds of times. Most words he says are ones that we use on a daily basis, quite a few not even things we have tried to teach to him.
He learns bird sounds really quickly!

MissK · Post by **MissK** » Thu Dec 05, 2013 7:15 am

That vet experience sounds like it was the actual opposite of what anybody wants. I would have had to remove my bird on the second nail and storm out. Did that person speak the same English you do?

I also never leave my pet in the hands of a vet or staff unless something extreme is going on. It's like taking that elderly relative to the "home" - you assume they will take good care of them, but bad experiences are a reality.

Too bad Dave had to take one for the team, but I bet he understood.

Doodlebug · Post by **Doodlebug** » Thu Dec 05, 2013 10:49 am

InTheAir wrote:Vet starts clipping away to the quick. I reiterated that I only wanted the point trimmed, vet trims next nail even further, right into the quick so it bleeds.

I had this done to my first IRN, it makes you so mad doesn't it? They had to use a pen to stop the bleed and it didn't stop for ages. Makes you wonder how they passed their vetinary exams doesn't it.

InTheAir wrote:he dropped the biggest bomb I've ever seen!

Pity it wasn't on the vet.

Skyes_crew · Post by **Skyes_crew** » Thu Dec 05, 2013 11:43 am

InTheAir wrote:I have no idea. Probably hundreds of times. Most words he says are ones that we use on a daily basis, quite a few not even things we have tried to teach to him.
He learns bird sounds really quickly!

Interesting...hamlet seems to have decided he's learned enough words lol. No new ones in forever. But Cyrano, he can learn a new word in a day or two and just keeps rotating them into his vocabulary. I wish there were more Alex owners I could ask about their birds vocabulary. It just seems unbelievable to me that he learns so quick. I had a cold last weekend. One of the days I couldn't stop sneezing...he now imitates my sneeze perfectly. Sounds are easier for him, but I really have to record a new session of him going through his words and sounds. To me it's amazing

electronegative · Post by **electronegative** » Thu Dec 05, 2013 3:51 pm

That sounds terrible... sorry you and Sapphire had to experience that. I'm astonished they still made you pay for it.

ranechild · Post by **ranechild** » Thu Dec 05, 2013 4:26 pm

Yeah, pointy baby bird nails are terrible for the skin...
My bfriend and I use the cuticle cutters that they use in the nail salon. We haven't found anything else that we like as much. They cut through finger nails and have an angled tip. they have thin blades so it allows me to just clip the very tip of the nail-that last shredding milimeter. Boyfriend hold Fats in a towel, I clip.

BUT, if Fats held his little birdie foot out for his clippings--that would be way better!!!

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Thu Dec 05, 2013 6:49 pm

Poor Sapphire has one foot with no grip! She slides all over my hand with that foot. She is a bit unco at the best of times, with her huge chicken feet, so I'm feeling extra guilty.
I usually do nails myself, I just didn't want to be the one toweling her at this stage. I regret that decision now.
Nila holds his little tootsies up for us to trim them. It was really easy to teach! Every bird should learn it.

Missk, he waited until he was off Dave, poor boy must have been holding on for ages!

Loo, great suggestion! Next time I have to go to a vet I will ensure Nila is loaded and ready to go! I wish I had a lorikeet, you can aim them!

We have Janey and Charlie staying for a couple days, so Sapphire has had a few short, sharp lessons in etiquette!
She introduced herself by growling at them and trying to chase them. Really dumb idea, Saph. Janey was not interested in being intimated by a little upstart and told her firmly to lost. Even when Sapphire puts her aggressive face on at one of the boys within a metre of Janey, Janey starts getting her hackles up.
Charlie just ignores her until she is just about touching him, then he tells her where to go. She hasn't approached anyone nicely, but her demeanour when she is near Janey is a lot more pleasant already.
Nila took one look at Janeys expression when she arrived and decided it was wise to leave her alone. He has been following Charlie around like a puppy. He can't stop touching him and trying to preen his head. Charlie shuffles away when he gets fed up or sometimes opens his beak in a threat.
In the time it has taken me to write this, Sapphire has discovered she can go near j&c without being aggressive and they leave her alone! She is still trying to get Janey to back down and almost got bitten for her efforts.

Melissa: Nila greeted Charlie with all the noises he knows from charlie's vocabulary! It was quite impressive.
Cyrano must be a genius!

Redzone · Post by **Redzone** » Thu Dec 05, 2013 9:31 pm

The silliest thing about that vet visit, is that the vet just down the road (who we didnt want to back to for other reasons) who trimmed nila's nails when he was a baby, did a MUCH better job of it, even showing how he tested with light pressure on the nail to see if it was the part that could be cut or the part that hurts & bleeds!

Here are some pics of the visit so far:

MissK · Post by **MissK** » Thu Dec 05, 2013 9:36 pm

I might be a little jealous........

Skyes_crew · Post by **Skyes_crew** » Fri Dec 06, 2013 12:12 am

Awww...it's the ringneck crew

I see Nila is getting his new pretty boy tail feathers

he also looks to be sporting a bit of the white part of his ring...or is it just the angle?

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Fri Dec 06, 2013 1:40 am

Missk: there's a spare beanbag in front of the home entertainment system

Mel: it's just the lighting, he's got slightly darker eyebrows after moulting. He's very handsome. I can't believe he dropped both tail feathers within days of each other. He looked like a little baby.

I had all 4 on my arm for a minute, then Sapphire tried to go for Janey really nastily and I pushed her off with the passion fruit they were eating! That scared Janey and Charlie, so Nila was left eating passion fruit. I think he wants Janey and Charlie to stay forever!

Nila and Charlie played basketball, but then Sapphire came over to throw her weight around.

I think my bird has socialisation issues....

Skyes_crew · Post by **Skyes_crew** » Fri Dec 06, 2013 1:48 am

She's testing the pecking order lol.

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Fri Dec 06, 2013 5:12 am

Yeah, that's it. She knows not to mess with me, cos I'm tough (Raaah!). And Dave, cos he's even tougher.

In hindsight, I think I should have asked the breeder to put her in with the other weaned birds for a few weeks before taking her home. The cock was acting very aggressive when she had left the nest and her brother left a week or two before her, so she didn't get as much social interaction as Nila, who was put with a younger clutch after his siblings were sold.
Watching bens young birds interacting really highlighted that flock dynamic that she missed out on. We had so much fun watching them. I might have to keep Janey and Charlie for a bit longer.... I'm sure Ellie and Mr Ellie need a holiday

*edit*
Interestingly, Nila displayed baby behaviour to j&c when he first met them. Especially to j. He wasn't that young at the time either.

ellieelectrons · Post by **ellieelectrons** » Fri Dec 06, 2013 5:32 am

Looks like J&C are having fun. Thanks for looking after them. It seems Charlie has abandoned Janey to hang out with Nila?

I find it interesting that J will stand up to Sapphy as at home Charlie is more likely to be aggressive to
Janey than the other way around.

Ellie.

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Fri Dec 06, 2013 5:57 am

Neither of your birds are going out of their way to tell Sapphire off, it's only when she approaches them the wrong way.
Janey is less comfortable at our house, so sticks to certain perches and won't give them up. Charlie has been exploring. I also think he can't get away from Nila to hang out with Janey! Nila thinks Charlie is great. Charlie did fly to the kitchen to play basketball with Nila and was the one who dropped the ball when Nila looked at it.
Nila has tried a couple cautious approaches to Janey and been rebuffed. He spent about 15 minutes trying to get closer to her, inching up and using his cutest body language. Sapphire tends to charge in, so Janey pushes her straight off the perch.

Btw, Nila found out the shopping trolley falls over when you climb on the handle. ... 3 times so far. ... he has been putting the balls and counters in it when we aren't paying attention to him, and climbing the handle when he wants to get them out

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Fri Dec 06, 2013 6:02 am

I think the pecking order is who ever feels grumpy at that moment. Charlie and Nila seldom do, Janey when someone wants to get in her space (besides Charlie) and Sapphire is trying to bully everyone.
She has been better with Nila, especially when Janey is looking at her.

electronegative · Post by **electronegative** » Fri Dec 06, 2013 8:12 am

Do you all live close to each other? I wish I had friends with ringnecks. I have friends with birds, but they're all conure/quaker sized or even smaller, so I'm afraid my bird will attack them or something.

ellieelectrons · Post by **ellieelectrons** » Fri Dec 06, 2013 1:46 pm

Claire and I met on this forum and found we live in the same suburb. We hadn't met before that. It is good to have someone who shares your passion for birds to talk to.

Ellie.

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Fri Dec 06, 2013 2:01 pm

We got lucky. Ellie also introduced us to the parrot clubs in the area. Are there any parrot societies in your area, electro? I have learnt so much from them.

electronegative · Post by **electronegative** » Fri Dec 06, 2013 2:26 pm

Hmm, just did a quick google search, and apparently I do! I'll definitely look into them, thanks. It's crazy that you found out you live in the same suburb btw. Once while playing a video game (starcraft) I was randomly matched with someone who went to my high school, but was a few years younger than me... it was so weird!

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Fri Dec 06, 2013 3:48 pm

Yeah, it's always funny when that happens.
I hope your parrot club is a good one. We joined the bird club here. There are a lot of knowledgeable members, but if you are ever after unparalleled boredom most of the meetings are the place to be.

Skyes_crew · Post by **Skyes_crew** » Fri Dec 06, 2013 4:01 pm

Yeah Claire...you're super tough

Sapphire will learn her lesson...eventually

It's a shame your bird club meetings are so boring Claire. There's so much drama at our former club, it should have been a daytime drama show

Little Buttercup · Post by **Little Buttercup** » Fri Dec 06, 2013 9:43 pm

Poor Sapphire, how could they do that to her nails! It makes me angry to hear that. And how could they expect you to pay them for hurting your bird? Afterall they didn't give you what you wanted so you are not entitled to pay them, imo.

Ash

electronegative · Post by **electronegative** » Sat Dec 07, 2013 12:36 am

Many practices have you sign a consent form before they do anything, so their own screw-ups were probably already covered... but it's bad business practice regardless.

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Sat Dec 07, 2013 4:54 am

Mel, I think it's an age thing. Ellie and I are the youngest by about 50 years or so.

It's a whole different culture. Dave refuses to attend the meetings, he prefers to watch grass grow.

If anyone is looking for a vet in the sunshine coast pm me and I will let you know who I don't recommend!

Sapphire is resilient, she climbed into the travel cage when I was at work and waited there for Dave to take her and Nila for a shower. I was worried she would have some anxiety about the travel cage after the vet trip, but she's fine with it.

I am so astounded with how confident she is with Dave and I. I actually do very minimal handling and most of the day she is free to roam the play trees and the big rooms she had access to. I do ask her to step up and return to her cage any time I have to leave the room, but other than that it is her choice to hang out with me or not.
She also flew to Ellies hand to eat treats today! She was exhibiting very nervous posture and didn't stay there long. We are still very pleased with her.

We think she is almost ready to go to work with Nila and Dave on the days I'm working. I have taken her for a couple short trips to his work with Nila and she was cautious, but not freaking out. She just follows Nilas lead on everything, Nila can sleep through a rattle gun being used right next to him!

Skyes_crew · Post by **Skyes_crew** » Sat Dec 07, 2013 7:05 am

Claire, believe it or not, it's the "older" crowd at the club causing all the drama. It's like they're regressing or something

I think you have proven at this point that your methods of training work. With Nila we all declared that he was a genius. But I think we had it wrong...it's you who have the natural ability. You've proven that with proper handling, taming methods and respect for the wild creatures they are, that anything is possible.

AlphaWolf · Post by **AlphaWolf** » Sat Dec 07, 2013 7:15 am

And where does that put me, at 15 years old

Skyes_crew · Post by **Skyes_crew** » Sat Dec 07, 2013 7:39 am

Anyone can "own" a bird. But to truly live with one is an accomplishment. No matter what the age

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Sat Dec 07, 2013 1:30 pm

Mel, I just noticed the word "former". Did you club disband? I can imagine a lot of companion parrot folks could be a bit opinionated. .... I know I am

We went to the other parrot club meeting yesterday, we were late and had to sit at the back, so we couldn't hear what they were talking about. After the break I remembered I had a pa and mic in the back of my car, so we ran and got it as the guest speaker has a lovely, soft voice. I can't believe they didn't think of having one there already!

I still think Nila is a genius! He does seem quite a bit brighter than Sapphire. At her age, he would pause to inspect a new foraging toy then solve it immediately. Sapphire just gets frustrated and bites them. She looked so annoyed when I put her seed in the foraging wheel yesterday!

Janey has really sorted Sapphs attitude out! Sapphire now tolerates other birds being quite close and has started approaching them nicely. She doesn't share food well. I find that strange because the other 3 do, they even take bits that are sticking out of other birds mouths with no repercussions or even warnings.

I am glad I proved my point, I did know it could be done because of that person with a violet bird called Hamlet though. Maybe we should write a book "How to get your wild parrot annoyingly tame"? Chapter one can be about how to get rid of most furniture from the rooms the birds have access to and to replace it with play trees... This reduces damage to human furniture and keeps destructobeak busy! It doesn't stop her eating the carpet though. ...

Skyes_crew · Post by **Skyes_crew** » Sat Dec 07, 2013 11:22 pm

Yes...our former club disbanded. It was a messy ordeal. The former board members pushed me and another friend to start a new club. Most of the 140 members of the other club are now in my club. The old president is fuming lol. She was such a witch anyway. And she knows nothing about birds at all. Her poor grey and amazon. I personally would not let her own a cockroach.

Haha...a book. Maybe we can teach our annoyingly tame birds to write

We had our winter carnival today in our housing development. They make snow for the event. Real snow!!! I thought it was a great opportunity to socialize Cyrano and Hamlet. I had a crowd around me with people wanting to pet them and take pictures with them. I figured they'd be climbing my neck to get away. They were really good though as long as the kids didn't grab at them. The two did their little wave trick and the kids thought it was great. Poor Santa had a short line

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 4:11 am

Wow, that sounds intense. I try to avoid the politics completely.

Great work with your boys! They sound very confident.

Any tips on conversion to pellets? Sapphire only likes the ones in Nilas cage and is fiending for seeds. She eats her pellet and veggie mash in the mornings, but only wants seed in the evenings. She didn't even eat her greens or carrot... Only her berries and fruit.

AlphaWolf · Post by **AlphaWolf** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 4:28 am

Claire,Melissa and MissK should make a book together.{I'am writing this whilst Aero is bathing } What pellets do you feed your birds Claire, you have a drama going there, Definatley going to follow this thread

MissK · Post by **MissK** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 6:10 am

I don't think I have anything to contribute to the tricky parrot club there.....

What will Sapphire do if you put the pellets in a bowl on the outside of the cage so she has to reach through to get one? Is there a grass is greener on the other side thing going on here?

Skyes_crew · Post by **Skyes_crew** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 8:51 am

Try adding a bit of apple juice to the pellets at first. Then just reduce the amount over time. Grape juice works too

InTheAir · Post by **InTheAir** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 2:24 pm

MissK wrote:I don't think I have anything to contribute to the tricky parrot club there.....

What will Sapphire do if you put the pellets in a bowl on the outside of the cage so she has to reach through to get one? Is there a grass is greener on the other side thing going on here?

Tip the bowl over

it's her speciality! She does eat them best from Nilas cage (and then tips his bowl over). I usually have a bowl of pellets on the bench, but she tipped it into my handbag that was on the floor below it, so I haven't refilled that one.

I'll pick up some pure juice today and see if that helps the flavour!

In case anyone is curious, the Apple flavour in Roudybush doesn't come through at all. It just tastes mostly like maize. It's not actually very nice, but it is way nicer than coloured vetafarm pellets. They taste really weird!

electronegative · Post by **electronegative** » Mon Dec 09, 2013 9:36 am

Isn't apple juice, even organic, potentially dangerous to birds? I heard that juicers will just throw in the entire apple, and there's cyanide in the seeds...