Tonight R and I had sat down to eat dinner, but before I started eating, I decided to check my cellphone. Kai was on his dinner stand next to me, but he hadn't started eating yet. R had started eating already. Kai looked over at me while I was tinkering with my phone and said, "Eat your food."
I wasn't paying attention, but R said, "I think your bird is saying, "Eat your din?"
So, we sat and listened for a while as Kai proceeded to scold me, demanding I, "Eat your food. Eat your din. Kai, Kai, be a good boy! Eat your food, Kai! Eat your food!" LOL!
I told him, "Okayyy, okay! Look, I'm eating!" Once I started eating, he finally stepped down off his dish and started eating with us. He cracks me up so bad. Be glad your cats and dogs aren't capable of scolding you, folks.
Another moment of cuteness: while I was at the sink deboning the turkey for dinner, I grunted and went, "Nnnnngh!!" due to difficulty with removing tendons. Kai, who was perched upon the faucet, looked over at me, wingflipped, and said, "It's okay!"
♥ Kai ♥
Showing posts with label special. Show all posts
Showing posts with label special. Show all posts
Saturday, March 31, 2012
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Kai: I can feed myself!
Kai enjoys red palm oil and coconut oil straight from the spoon. I give him a small portion off of a tiny condiment spoon each night after supper.
Tonight, I decided I would let him hold the spoon and eat the oil from it at his leisure. He spent several minutes licking every last bit of oil from the spoon, then played with the spoon itself for several more minutes. He had a wonderful time and eventually dropped the spoon into my hand so he could clean his beak off.
I wonder if he would eat other things using a spoon? :) It was quite precious!
Tonight, I decided I would let him hold the spoon and eat the oil from it at his leisure. He spent several minutes licking every last bit of oil from the spoon, then played with the spoon itself for several more minutes. He had a wonderful time and eventually dropped the spoon into my hand so he could clean his beak off.
I wonder if he would eat other things using a spoon? :) It was quite precious!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Garden Time!
So...all of my perennials from last year survived! They were pretty scrawny for a while...then NY weather brought in the rain, and everything leapt right up again! The exception is my various artemesias...urgh. I think I may need to fertilize them a bit.
My three little dwarf Golden Princess Spirea are doing great, too! I was so happy to see that they were back after the winter! I call them my Yoshi Bushes. Yoshi, the green dinosaur from Mario, that is. Mikari, my Magnolia tree, is doing fantastic, as well! The blasted rain took out all my beautiful blossoms, but not before I was able to give Peaches one for her birthday in a bouquet I made for her!
We just got back from Grossman's today and brought home an entire trunkload of beautiful, wonderful plants!! I had snuck off to Agway earlier this week and brought home my own carload of greenage, too...
Well, that's it for my garden until I hit up more garden shops -- and only after I get all of these guys planted!! I'm pretty sure I'm gardening outside, because I'm trying to avoid cleaning the inside of my house. Argh.... Alright, it's midnight, time for bed!
Wildflowers carpet a good part of our wooded turnabout, which B is more than happy not to mow. We both love the touch of wilderness that it lends the wooded side of our driveway!
I've discovered that the yellow flowers that are everywhere are an invasive species from Europe called Chelidonium majus forma, Greater Celandine. The sap is bright yellow and will stain your hands if you're not wearing gloves...It breaks so easily, but it pulls up with relative ease.
Dead Nettle is also everywhere, but it's so cute! B and I thought it was some sort of mint, but it has no minty smell, though it IS in the mint family!
Our front steps are now adorned with beautiful tree stump-like pots, which I planted with Pansies, wild Violets, Lemon Verbena, and Creeping Jenny.
I love the scent of Lemon Verbena...it smells like moist towelettes you use to wipe your fingers after eating BBQ or shellfish!
B and I picked out two gorgeous hanging baskets this year for the beginning of our walkway from the south driveway. Purple and pink Fuchsia and adorable Chenille Cattails are enchanting! The cattails look and feel like caterpillars!! They're so soft....There was a little boy at Grossman's who was staring at them forever. I finally told him it was okay to pet them, and showed him that he could touch them if he liked. He finally did and we giggled and pet the cattails for several minutes, then he trotted off bubbling joyously to his mother about how soft and fun they were to pet.
As you can see, my Red Columbine and Dark Blue Tower Columbine are bursting with life! Hopefully my Artemesia will catch up and spill over the rocks again like they did so splendidly last year. I forget what the pink plant is mixed in with the Columbine...
We've had random tulips pop up all over the place, thanks to the squirrels, no doubt. We even had daffodils pop up in the wooded area compost pile!
Both my species of Astilbe (above and below) are back and faring well! I had to pull them up and relocate them so I could plant my herb garden this year, but they went easily without a fuss and settled right in again.
All three of my Coppertina Ninebarks -- Thalia, Aglaia, and Euphosyne -- are doing great! Their colours vary so drastically, I'm not sure why -- maybe it's the amount of sunlight they get? I finally planted the one below beside Kenna (my Crimson Queene Japanese maple) beside front of the north-facing garage door.
My Full Moon Japanese Maple, Sachi, is also back!! I was so happy to see that she wasn't dead after I failed to put her into shade last year (and she burned), that I cried. I watered her plentifully and moved her into a shady spot near the kitchen birdfeeder area and I'm going to plant her this week in front of the house! Sachi is absolutely glorious....
Guess what massive plant this is (above)! If you guessed, "Catnip", you're right!!! No, I kid you not, that's my Catnip!! The leaves are 3-4 inches long, longer than my middle finger! I've pinched the buds to help it bush out and expand this year so we'll have lots of happy cats. It's really strong, too, all of the cats reared away from the buds as I crushed them and took off running with their lips peeled back from their teeth! They came back to roll around eventually, then much mischief ensued!
My Peonies have yet to bloom, but they're almost there!
What I've designated as my Wildflower Zone is currently filled with Rocket, Dandelions, Johnny Jump Ups, wild Violets, and who knows what else! This is going to be my work in progress...We were going to smash the barbeque up, but we kept it, because it's kind of like a throne on the other side...
We just got back from Grossman's today and brought home an entire trunkload of beautiful, wonderful plants!! I had snuck off to Agway earlier this week and brought home my own carload of greenage, too...
The coppery black Vertigo grass (above) is going to be gorgeous against the house by the birdfeeder! Escargot Begonias (below) will be going into Gnome Woods. The spiraling pattern of their leaves is absolutely enchanting!!
Blue and Black Salvia will look stunning.....uhm, where ever I wind up putting them...I have no idea where some of these plants will go, but I'll figure something out! They may go into my Wildflower Zone!
Celosia was a pick for B, because he always remarks on how cute they look, so I finally caved in and brought a flat of mixed colours home with us.
Forget-Me-Nots!!!! These are really cute, because occasionally, there are weird little lavender guys in with the blues! These are definitely going into my Wildflower Zone!
The Magic Carpet Spirea is new to my garden from Agway, and it will likely be going into my Wildflower Zone, too! I plan on planting it across from the Coppertina on the north-facing garage door side so it gets enough sun.
I laughed when I saw this marked as "Lil Kim Lilac" (above), then came home and looked it up, only to find it's called "MISS Kim Lilac". Maybe I should call the nursery and let them know...The scent is incredible!! It's a dwarf species, so it will only grow 4-6 feet tall. I can also keep it trimmed shorter, if need be, I imagine. Our lilac bushes around the property are blooming right now, also, and the scent is heavenly.
Miss Kim Lilac (background), Sand Cherry, and Magic Carpet Spirea awaiting planting! The Sand Cherry is cool! It'll grow to be 7-10 feet tall, so it's very manageable. I plan on planting her opposite of Kenna beside the bay window. Aside from having beautiful purple-red foliage, it will also produce black berries to feed the birds!
Shoshoni Doublefile Viburnum, who I've named Aiyana, is going to go just beneath the cover of the maple trees along the wooded area between our house and F & M's house. It'll be covered in berries for the birds to eat after it's done flowering! I can't wait to get it established, it'll be wonderful to have more foodsources for the birds!!
Spitfire Coleus is another incredible addition to my garden this year! I'm not sure where I'll put it yet, but B thinks it looks like it's dead.... T_T I'm starting to think I want a Fall Garden year round... B said he thinks we should have bright spring flowers for spring and summer, because everything will go red in fall. Sigh.
Well, that's it for my garden until I hit up more garden shops -- and only after I get all of these guys planted!! I'm pretty sure I'm gardening outside, because I'm trying to avoid cleaning the inside of my house. Argh.... Alright, it's midnight, time for bed!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Warm, soggy moment with Kai. (Bathtime)
I had an incredibly cute, warm, soggy (fuzzy) moment today in the shower with Kai today in the shower. Some people may ask, "Why was Kai in the shower??" Well, whenever I take showers, I take Kai with me so we can shower together. He gets showers in the shower, but also over the kitchen sink while sitting on the faucet with the hand sprayer. I give him a bath that soaks him completely three days a week, and he gets light spritzes in between. It keeps him happy and softens up any pinfeathers that he may have so he can work them free easier, especially during his molt.
I was rinsing my face off with my back towards Kai, and I hear him try to fly from his perch onto my head. My shoulders are too small, and he doesn't like to slap me in the face, because I squeaked the first time he tried. He doesn't like to hurt me on accident. Kai landed on the bottom of the tub, instead, and when I turned around to make sure he was okay, he waddled right over and perched on my toe, looking up at me. Some of the water from the showerhead sprinkled down on him, and he spread his wings and tail out and started to bathe right there on my foot! It was so adorable, I sang to him and he continued to bathe until he gave me his, "I'm done!" honk, then I picked him up and finished showering.
It was a super adorable moment...Afterwards, we ate a bit of lunch together, and now he's here with me in the computer room. I close both my doors up so it stays warmer and he can dry off faster. Brrrrr......it's 43F here right now. Go figure that NY still thinks it's winter well into spring....
I was rinsing my face off with my back towards Kai, and I hear him try to fly from his perch onto my head. My shoulders are too small, and he doesn't like to slap me in the face, because I squeaked the first time he tried. He doesn't like to hurt me on accident. Kai landed on the bottom of the tub, instead, and when I turned around to make sure he was okay, he waddled right over and perched on my toe, looking up at me. Some of the water from the showerhead sprinkled down on him, and he spread his wings and tail out and started to bathe right there on my foot! It was so adorable, I sang to him and he continued to bathe until he gave me his, "I'm done!" honk, then I picked him up and finished showering.
It was a super adorable moment...Afterwards, we ate a bit of lunch together, and now he's here with me in the computer room. I close both my doors up so it stays warmer and he can dry off faster. Brrrrr......it's 43F here right now. Go figure that NY still thinks it's winter well into spring....
Thursday, February 17, 2011
You're So Cute! (and moderately hormonal....)
The weird, warm/sunny winter weather here in Upstate NY is causing Kai's spring hormones to come early. I worry about birds down south taking the warmer weather as a cue to begin migrating back up to Canada prematurely, then having a sudden cold snap come through to wipe them out. It would be horrible...!
Kai has been very talkative lately and still enjoys singing along to metal music the best! I was stretching the other day, and he told me, "You're so cute!" Last month, he told me, "(I) love you," also. I hope he never stops learning words, he's such a smart little guy! Who knows how long he was practicing before he found the courage to speak above his little Pionus mumble?
Kai turned one this past summer, but it would appear that he's growing up and becoming an adult, which makes me a little teary-eyed. It's not that he's changed all that much, but there have been slight differences in his behavior. Even if he stopped wanting to be with me and decided to pick R, instead, I would still love him! His hormones don't appear to be that dramatic, not like some of the nightmarish attack birds that some people report, at least. He's just been mouthier, enjoys biting his shreddables more, and attacks his perches more aggressively during play. Since he's been able to fly, he's been much more confident and happy! There's still minor, occasional territorial aggression when it comes to his house in my craft room if R comes near, but half the time, he's content to sit still and not clamber to his drawbridge to appear all 230 grams of menacing, threatening, blue-and-green fluff. I had been worried that since he can fly, he would be flying around assaulting everyone in sight, but that hasn't been the case, thankfully.
I've been giving him lots of foraging containers and materials to look through to keep him busy. The only receptacle that I leave in his cage in the same place every day is his water bowl, which I've been having to clean more like three times a day. He seems to like soaking food more this month!
Kai really enjoys the mixed nuts that I give him, too. Almonds have fallen out of favor since I introduced him to pecans and walnuts! I partially crack the shells for him, since Pionus beaks aren't as strong as other parrots' beaks. He still loves "chio" (pistachio), though. I feel it's important to give one's parrot a couple nuts each day, as the oils and fat in them are probably needed. Kai is also going through a minor molt right now, so I have given him a bit more protein to help him through. I seriously worried that he was going bald at one point, because a pinky-finger-tip sized bald spot turned up right above his cere! I watched to see if his skin was irritated, and in a couple days, teeny little pinfeathers started poking through. I felt so bad for him, he was absolutely miserable for a week while they grew in. I just kept soaking him to soften up those itchy bits and to give him some relief. When he's molting like this, I bathe him ever other day, at least.
I'm not sure if it's just that he's in much better health since I've switched him mostly off of artificially colored, sugar-filled pellets and onto 20% TOP pellets, 10% Lafaeber's, and 65% veggies/fruits, and 5% nuts/other (including a scrape of coconut oil and red palm oil), but his feathers look much better! He's also much more active and healthy since he's been able to fly around to get exercise, also. When he was younger, he tended to just hang out in one spot, but now he climbs around much more and enjoys being able to fly from room to room following me. I'll tell him, "I'm going kitchen," and he'll know to fly to me in the kitchen after I've gotten a head start. He also knows, "Let's go house!" as meaning we should go to my craft room where his house is. "Let's go perch and eat dindin," well, he knows that one really well, too! The only thing is, since I'm so small, my shoulder makes a horrid landing pad. Kai really really dislikes hitting me in the face, I think because I made a sound when he accidentally slapped me, so he's taken to landing on my head instead. He's very considerate like that.
I don't really mind if he lands on my head, because he steps down onto either my hand or another spot, like the counter or the faucet, if I ask him to. R gets annoyed if Kai lands on his hoodie, mostly because he doesn't want to get pooped on or bitten. (Poop from any species is a huge deal to R for some reason, I forget that he didn't grow up with a lot of animals like I did much of the time.) Since Kai has been able to fly, though, every time that he's landed on R, there has been absolutely no aggression whatsoever. In the past, he liked to try to give R nips, and R REALLY wasn't helping as he'd do all kinds of "fun" things to encourage that behaviour in Kai. (You bet I scolded R for it...though I'd do it where Kai couldn't see me.) If we hear Kai flying into the kitchen, R knows to duck, because chances are, he's wanting to land on the sink faucet, which is his favourite place to hang out so he can "help" me prep to cook dinner.
We had a "visitor" in early February, also! My friend's daughter, Cailey, had an (awesome!!) school project where they mailed the "flat" versions of themselves to family/friends! It's based on a book called Flat Stanley, where a little boy is flattened and is able to go on adventures, because he can slip under doors or be mailed in envelopes. I took Flat Cailey all over the city one weekend. We visited the adoption clinic at PetsMart, had lunch at our favorite Korean BBQ restaurant, went to a bunch of other shops, had dinner at our favourite Thai restaurant, and she got to meet all our animals. The next day, we took her to Lollypop Farm, and she got to meet a MASSIVE 180 lb Great Pyrenees dog! I had never seen one before in real life, and flashbacks of Mr. Tadakichi (of Azumanga Daioh fame) instantly sprung to mind! I was also fortunate enough to get Cailey in time for one of the few winter craft shows going on. We got to see Kira, Casey and Amanda, as well as Robert at the show, so we got pictures with them, and I was able to give Cailey samples of their crafts!
R was a bit exasperated with me by the time I finally sent Flat Cailey back home, but I told him that if we ever had kids, he would understand. I printed out about seventy-five photographs and wrote descriptions for Cailey's mom to read to her on the back. My hand was just about dead by the time I packed her away into a box with goodies in it. I also packed some cute paintable ceramic stuff in for Cailey and her brother to play with. It's really cute, because apparently I "already live at Cailey's house", and Cailey "has me over to play in her room" often. Does this make me an imaginary friend? I wonder what Cailey imagines me as being? (I'm kind of scared to ask!) Either way, it's sheer adorableness. I wish kids didn't grow out of stuff like that so fast...
I'm starting to do things early so I'll have stuff to sell at this year's Mayday Underground, also. More samples of what I'm making will come later. Nanaa's begun planning to make things for our shop, too, so I'm excited to see what she comes up with. I'm a little worried that my portion of stuff will have mostly to do with birds and not kitties at all, but they're just so much fun to draw cutely. I really need to remember to have my banner printed out, too, urghh...
Well, I should get back to the drawing board now. I'm also due to go to my doctor's appointment in two and a half hours - joy of joys. I guess I figured out (half a year ago!) that I would still be awake at 8am. At least I'll be avoiding traffic, too, because the city traffic trying to get home is insane and I can never get back home, because I'm (terrified!!) not an aggressive driver at all.
Kai has been very talkative lately and still enjoys singing along to metal music the best! I was stretching the other day, and he told me, "You're so cute!" Last month, he told me, "(I) love you," also. I hope he never stops learning words, he's such a smart little guy! Who knows how long he was practicing before he found the courage to speak above his little Pionus mumble?
(Kai's Pionus mumblings below!)
Kai turned one this past summer, but it would appear that he's growing up and becoming an adult, which makes me a little teary-eyed. It's not that he's changed all that much, but there have been slight differences in his behavior. Even if he stopped wanting to be with me and decided to pick R, instead, I would still love him! His hormones don't appear to be that dramatic, not like some of the nightmarish attack birds that some people report, at least. He's just been mouthier, enjoys biting his shreddables more, and attacks his perches more aggressively during play. Since he's been able to fly, he's been much more confident and happy! There's still minor, occasional territorial aggression when it comes to his house in my craft room if R comes near, but half the time, he's content to sit still and not clamber to his drawbridge to appear all 230 grams of menacing, threatening, blue-and-green fluff. I had been worried that since he can fly, he would be flying around assaulting everyone in sight, but that hasn't been the case, thankfully.
I've been giving him lots of foraging containers and materials to look through to keep him busy. The only receptacle that I leave in his cage in the same place every day is his water bowl, which I've been having to clean more like three times a day. He seems to like soaking food more this month!
Kai really enjoys the mixed nuts that I give him, too. Almonds have fallen out of favor since I introduced him to pecans and walnuts! I partially crack the shells for him, since Pionus beaks aren't as strong as other parrots' beaks. He still loves "chio" (pistachio), though. I feel it's important to give one's parrot a couple nuts each day, as the oils and fat in them are probably needed. Kai is also going through a minor molt right now, so I have given him a bit more protein to help him through. I seriously worried that he was going bald at one point, because a pinky-finger-tip sized bald spot turned up right above his cere! I watched to see if his skin was irritated, and in a couple days, teeny little pinfeathers started poking through. I felt so bad for him, he was absolutely miserable for a week while they grew in. I just kept soaking him to soften up those itchy bits and to give him some relief. When he's molting like this, I bathe him ever other day, at least.
I'm not sure if it's just that he's in much better health since I've switched him mostly off of artificially colored, sugar-filled pellets and onto 20% TOP pellets, 10% Lafaeber's, and 65% veggies/fruits, and 5% nuts/other (including a scrape of coconut oil and red palm oil), but his feathers look much better! He's also much more active and healthy since he's been able to fly around to get exercise, also. When he was younger, he tended to just hang out in one spot, but now he climbs around much more and enjoys being able to fly from room to room following me. I'll tell him, "I'm going kitchen," and he'll know to fly to me in the kitchen after I've gotten a head start. He also knows, "Let's go house!" as meaning we should go to my craft room where his house is. "Let's go perch and eat dindin," well, he knows that one really well, too! The only thing is, since I'm so small, my shoulder makes a horrid landing pad. Kai really really dislikes hitting me in the face, I think because I made a sound when he accidentally slapped me, so he's taken to landing on my head instead. He's very considerate like that.
Well, I should get back to the drawing board now. I'm also due to go to my doctor's appointment in two and a half hours - joy of joys. I guess I figured out (half a year ago!) that I would still be awake at 8am. At least I'll be avoiding traffic, too, because the city traffic trying to get home is insane and I can never get back home, because I'm (terrified!!) not an aggressive driver at all.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Someone's instant messaging me! Wait, no they're not!
Earlier, I was chatting on Skype IMs.
When someone sends an IM, it goes, PWOOP! Well, I keep hearing multiple PWOOP!s like someone has messaged me, but there's nothing new added to the conversation! What the heck?
Then, I realize that the extra PWOOP!s are coming after someone actually sends me a message. I look to the right...
LO AND BEHOLD, Kai is mimicking the sound...and is calling back, PWOOP!, after someone IMs! Augh, it's so unbearably cute!!
The forum post I submitted to the Bird Channel forum.
I did hours of research before I brought home my very first parrot, a blue-headed Pionus, January of 2009. Based on my research, I had also been considering a Senegal, but it was Kai who stole my heart. I wanted to make certain that whichever species I brought home would match my own personal temperament and lifestyle, which is calm, quiet, and peaceful for the most part. It was very important to me that the parrots I looked at wanted to be with me, because in my experience, if an animal isn't interested in you, then it may not be a good match when you bring them home. Kai was the only one who marched right over to me for head scratches, cried when I walked away, then stepped up onto me when I put my hand out. The thing that clinched the decision for me was when he tried to regurgitate food for me... Kai chose me, so I chose him, and it has been a wonderful relationship since!
Pionus are well-known for being wonderful beginner's parrots, because they tend to be quieter, quite amicable, level-headed, very good about socializing with other people, are independent, and are very affectionate. Obviously, every pi is different, though, and it varies by individual. It seems that Pionus are rarely rehomed, because they're such wonderful birds and they don't tend to have some of the less favourable traits and behaviours of other parrots.
Noise-wise, Kai is chattier during the morning when he first wakes up, then again before it's bedtime, which is normal for most parrots, I've read. If we're listening to music together, he loves to sing along, or if we're watching a music-oriented television show together (he LOVES watching Metalocalpyse with my husband and I), he also talks up a storm/sings. His chit-chat is generally on the rambling, quiet side, on a conversational level. His natural parrot sounds are very pleasant to listen to, varying between a rolling chitter to chirps to crackles to popping peeps. If you were in a room talking to someone else, you might not even notice your pionus talking, they're so quiet. That being said, when they want to be heard...a pionus WILL be heard!
I remember the first day that Kai came down off his perch by the couch, because I had told him, "BRB", which means that I would be back in a second. Well, I took a little longer than a few minutes, so he came looking for me. My dog came over to say hello, and I heard this totally unfamiliar, LOUD, startling honk from the living room. It sounded like a bicycle horn, except with a honk. My dog took off in the other direction, terrified, and I stood there in the doorway staring at Kai in disbelief. It was so funny when he strutted over, because he gave me an exasperated look and huffed as if to say, "Look what you made me do! I had to walk all the way over here looking for you! What's taking so long?" He understands the difference between "BRB" (minutes) and "I'll be back later" (hours).
Kai has also learned the shrill, single note whistle that I use to call the dog and cats (unfortunately....I didn't realize that I was doing it until he mimicked me!). So...if he wants me to come downstairs, he dog-whistles for me. I've been working with him on this so that he'll say a softer word. I think it also helps that I never yell around him and always speak quietly to him. He knows several words and phrases, knows how to ask for things, and picks up new words after a week or two of working with him.
I really love that he doesn't have to be on my arm constantly, or that he needs my attention all the time. My friends say that some birds will scream if they're not on you all the time. He's perfectly content to sit on his drawbridge door to his house and play with toys or chewies, or perch on the branch sticking out closer to me. Kai really loves foot toys, which I tie to his drawbridge to prevent from falling onto the floor. He likes to pull them back up to play with them again, too. He isn't much of a chewer, but he does love the thin wooden discs and small clothing pins, which he breaks and snaps for fun. He really loves vine balls, which I stuff with treats. After we've eaten dinner, he's very happy to step up onto my arm for head kissies, head scratches, and allopreening. I like that he's also not a tiny bird, but a good, stocky, solid size that can defend himself if need be.
Where size is concerned, because he is also a decent size, this means that he is capable of powerful bites, which can tear skin. Kai has bitten me two times before I learned exactly why he bit me at all. Please respect your pi's personal space and do not force them to step-up, bother them if they appear to be aggravated, physically grab them, or stick your hand into their home. Imagine the world from their perspective, envision yourself from their point of view, and empathize with how small they are, versus how large a human is. A human can be very formidable and threatening. It's always best to use positive reinforcement, but it's even better to give them a choice. They should step up and down, because they want to. It took me at least two months to show Kai that he could trust me, and I never forced him to do anything he didn't want to do. After he bit me the first time, I realized that he didn't want to come out, so I let him come out on his own. Once I proved to him that I wasn't going to grab him out of his cage, push against his chest to make him step up, he began to step up onto me if he felt like it. If he didn't/doesn't feel like stepping up, he will politely turn his beak away from me and give me his back. (The other bite was because he was startled.)
My husband complains that he doesn't like Kai, because Kai always tries to bite him if he comes close to the cage. I explained to him that that is Kai's sanctuary and home, so of course he feels protective of it. I told him that it's like a dog's kennel, and how once a dog goes into his kennel, you should never try to pull him back out again, especially if he's feeling upset or defensive. I'm trying to encourage Kai and my husband to bond in neutral ways that do not involve physical contact, such as showering together and having my husband give him treats on a spoon so he can't be bitten. I also remind my husband that if Kai does bite him, he can't scream and do other entertaining things that Kai might enjoy...
So it's very important that you socialize your Pi with everyone in the family, because you don't want a situation where your Pi doesn't like certain people. I find that Kai is more than happy to step up onto complete strangers, also, though he becomes almost silent until he's comfortable with them. He can be passed around to a whole room full of people and not show the slightest bit of aggression, which is wonderful. Kai is also tolerant of my other cats and dog, as well. He loves my fluffy white cat, Murmur, going so far as to lower his head and fluff up for head scratches if Murmur approaches him. (Mur doesn't know what to do, so he just sniffs him.)
When Kai is excited, he emits his unusual Pi scent, which my husband says smells like burned honey. It's quite sweet, and I find it rather pleasant. He's really cute and lets me know that it's bedtime by whining at me and telling me, "Let's go!". When I put him onto his drawbridge, he goes inside onto his favourite sleeping perch, and I draw the blanket over. I've never had to close his drawbridge, because once he's on his house, he stays there unless I take him with me.
As another note, Kai doesn't want to poop on me. I'm not sure if that's common with all parrots, but he lets me know that he needs to go back to his perch to potty by either telling me "Potty!" or "Poop" or by whining at me if he's on my arm. If I don't put him down, he makes a burbling sound and mouthes/beaks me. If, for some reason, I'm totally not paying attention, he'll nip me a little harder. If he's on my knee or leg, he'll just back up as far as he can and poop on whatever's below. It was really cute this one time, because he shook his tail before he pooped while he was standing over his food dish, and I squeaked and pushed him back a little with my finger so he wasn't over the dish. He got defensive, opened his mouth to nip me - then paused to poop, closed his beak, looked a little embarrassed, and uttered, "Thank you."
Another thing that Kai does, which absolutely tickles me, is that he exclaims, "OOoo!!" if I give him something that he really likes - like a piece of papaya, a sunflower seed, or bellpepper.
I have my own organic garden that I grow during the summer, so Kai always gets fresh veggies and fruits from the garden, but during cold months, I buy organic produce from the store. In the mornings and at dinner time, he gets his SSG mush. I call it SSG, because when I cook it, my husband always comes home and remarks, "What is that? It smells so good." It's a mixture of organic ingredients, including azuki beans, mung beans, split peas, spinach and bellpepper rotini, white quinoa, barley, steel cut oats, forbidden rice, wild rice, green, red, and yellow lentils, dried fruit (nothing with sulfites or sugar), chopped almonds, edamame, chopped carrots, flax, sesame, pumpkin, and millet seeds, ground cinnamon, and a sprinkle of dulse. I simmer it for about 25 minutes, then store it in the fridge. When it's time to feed him, I mix in a little hot Bolthouse Farms fruit juice (carrot, mango, berry, and the new holiday flavour are his favourites), stir it, and serve it warm. I've also begun supplementing his diet with a tiny little condiment spoon sized dab of coconut oil and red palm oil. When there is ample sunlight, I also sprout a variety of seeds for Kai (and wheat/rye grass for the cats) and he gets to graze on the plantlife that grows from them.
I like to make carrot "pasta" by steaming ribbons of carrot that I've peeled off with a peeler. This also works with zucchini, squash, pumpkin, and any other firm veggie/fruit. Kai also gets a fair amount of parrot safe table food, but he absolutely adores: bellpeppers, grapes, snap peas, edamame, apples, pears, baguettes. At lunch time, he gets Roudybush's Orchard Harvest and Totally Organic pellets soaked in warm water along with a sprinkle of Zupreem pellets. There is a cuttle bone in his house that he enjoys. He wouldn't so much as touch the mineral block, so I took that out. I like to tie little baskets to the sides of his house in various places and add pinches of food and treats so he can forage. He also has a couple other foraging devices in his house that he checks regularly for goodies, a kebab feeder, and I'll tie bits of veggies and fruit to the bars.
I'm looking into getting an air filter soon, but I'm doing a bit of research, first. For these darker winter months, I have a full-spectrum light for both of us, because it helps me, too! Kai absolutely adores showers, whether by the spray mister in the shower with me, or with the hand spray nozzle in the kitchen sink. He absolutely burbles and babbles and sings when he's in a place with running water, the computer fan, or oddly enough, the vacuum cleaner running.
It seems like a lot of people like to teach their parrots tricks, but I'm happy to just have Kai act like his normal parrot self. He knows basic things like step up please, step down please, switch fingers/arms, and stay there. I'm wanting him to learn to fly, but I'm not having much luck there in that department so I'm going to do more reading. He has grown in all of his flight feathers and looks absolutely stunning! I've been working with him on learning to flap his wings, but I'm not sure if it's enough to exercise him, and he doesn't seem to enjoy it very much. If anyone has tips on teaching their parrot to fly, I would love to hear their advice.
Kai has taught me so much about parrots in our first year together, and my life is richer for it! While I enrich my parrot's life, he also enriches mine. It's really kind of funny, because the girls at Birds Unlimited said that he was one of the nastiest little birds at the store! Hee hee.....he's come such a long way. I love Kai so much.
Pionus are well-known for being wonderful beginner's parrots, because they tend to be quieter, quite amicable, level-headed, very good about socializing with other people, are independent, and are very affectionate. Obviously, every pi is different, though, and it varies by individual. It seems that Pionus are rarely rehomed, because they're such wonderful birds and they don't tend to have some of the less favourable traits and behaviours of other parrots.
Noise-wise, Kai is chattier during the morning when he first wakes up, then again before it's bedtime, which is normal for most parrots, I've read. If we're listening to music together, he loves to sing along, or if we're watching a music-oriented television show together (he LOVES watching Metalocalpyse with my husband and I), he also talks up a storm/sings. His chit-chat is generally on the rambling, quiet side, on a conversational level. His natural parrot sounds are very pleasant to listen to, varying between a rolling chitter to chirps to crackles to popping peeps. If you were in a room talking to someone else, you might not even notice your pionus talking, they're so quiet. That being said, when they want to be heard...a pionus WILL be heard!
I remember the first day that Kai came down off his perch by the couch, because I had told him, "BRB", which means that I would be back in a second. Well, I took a little longer than a few minutes, so he came looking for me. My dog came over to say hello, and I heard this totally unfamiliar, LOUD, startling honk from the living room. It sounded like a bicycle horn, except with a honk. My dog took off in the other direction, terrified, and I stood there in the doorway staring at Kai in disbelief. It was so funny when he strutted over, because he gave me an exasperated look and huffed as if to say, "Look what you made me do! I had to walk all the way over here looking for you! What's taking so long?" He understands the difference between "BRB" (minutes) and "I'll be back later" (hours).
Kai has also learned the shrill, single note whistle that I use to call the dog and cats (unfortunately....I didn't realize that I was doing it until he mimicked me!). So...if he wants me to come downstairs, he dog-whistles for me. I've been working with him on this so that he'll say a softer word. I think it also helps that I never yell around him and always speak quietly to him. He knows several words and phrases, knows how to ask for things, and picks up new words after a week or two of working with him.
I really love that he doesn't have to be on my arm constantly, or that he needs my attention all the time. My friends say that some birds will scream if they're not on you all the time. He's perfectly content to sit on his drawbridge door to his house and play with toys or chewies, or perch on the branch sticking out closer to me. Kai really loves foot toys, which I tie to his drawbridge to prevent from falling onto the floor. He likes to pull them back up to play with them again, too. He isn't much of a chewer, but he does love the thin wooden discs and small clothing pins, which he breaks and snaps for fun. He really loves vine balls, which I stuff with treats. After we've eaten dinner, he's very happy to step up onto my arm for head kissies, head scratches, and allopreening. I like that he's also not a tiny bird, but a good, stocky, solid size that can defend himself if need be.
Where size is concerned, because he is also a decent size, this means that he is capable of powerful bites, which can tear skin. Kai has bitten me two times before I learned exactly why he bit me at all. Please respect your pi's personal space and do not force them to step-up, bother them if they appear to be aggravated, physically grab them, or stick your hand into their home. Imagine the world from their perspective, envision yourself from their point of view, and empathize with how small they are, versus how large a human is. A human can be very formidable and threatening. It's always best to use positive reinforcement, but it's even better to give them a choice. They should step up and down, because they want to. It took me at least two months to show Kai that he could trust me, and I never forced him to do anything he didn't want to do. After he bit me the first time, I realized that he didn't want to come out, so I let him come out on his own. Once I proved to him that I wasn't going to grab him out of his cage, push against his chest to make him step up, he began to step up onto me if he felt like it. If he didn't/doesn't feel like stepping up, he will politely turn his beak away from me and give me his back. (The other bite was because he was startled.)
My husband complains that he doesn't like Kai, because Kai always tries to bite him if he comes close to the cage. I explained to him that that is Kai's sanctuary and home, so of course he feels protective of it. I told him that it's like a dog's kennel, and how once a dog goes into his kennel, you should never try to pull him back out again, especially if he's feeling upset or defensive. I'm trying to encourage Kai and my husband to bond in neutral ways that do not involve physical contact, such as showering together and having my husband give him treats on a spoon so he can't be bitten. I also remind my husband that if Kai does bite him, he can't scream and do other entertaining things that Kai might enjoy...
So it's very important that you socialize your Pi with everyone in the family, because you don't want a situation where your Pi doesn't like certain people. I find that Kai is more than happy to step up onto complete strangers, also, though he becomes almost silent until he's comfortable with them. He can be passed around to a whole room full of people and not show the slightest bit of aggression, which is wonderful. Kai is also tolerant of my other cats and dog, as well. He loves my fluffy white cat, Murmur, going so far as to lower his head and fluff up for head scratches if Murmur approaches him. (Mur doesn't know what to do, so he just sniffs him.)
When Kai is excited, he emits his unusual Pi scent, which my husband says smells like burned honey. It's quite sweet, and I find it rather pleasant. He's really cute and lets me know that it's bedtime by whining at me and telling me, "Let's go!". When I put him onto his drawbridge, he goes inside onto his favourite sleeping perch, and I draw the blanket over. I've never had to close his drawbridge, because once he's on his house, he stays there unless I take him with me.
As another note, Kai doesn't want to poop on me. I'm not sure if that's common with all parrots, but he lets me know that he needs to go back to his perch to potty by either telling me "Potty!" or "Poop" or by whining at me if he's on my arm. If I don't put him down, he makes a burbling sound and mouthes/beaks me. If, for some reason, I'm totally not paying attention, he'll nip me a little harder. If he's on my knee or leg, he'll just back up as far as he can and poop on whatever's below. It was really cute this one time, because he shook his tail before he pooped while he was standing over his food dish, and I squeaked and pushed him back a little with my finger so he wasn't over the dish. He got defensive, opened his mouth to nip me - then paused to poop, closed his beak, looked a little embarrassed, and uttered, "Thank you."
Another thing that Kai does, which absolutely tickles me, is that he exclaims, "OOoo!!" if I give him something that he really likes - like a piece of papaya, a sunflower seed, or bellpepper.
I have my own organic garden that I grow during the summer, so Kai always gets fresh veggies and fruits from the garden, but during cold months, I buy organic produce from the store. In the mornings and at dinner time, he gets his SSG mush. I call it SSG, because when I cook it, my husband always comes home and remarks, "What is that? It smells so good." It's a mixture of organic ingredients, including azuki beans, mung beans, split peas, spinach and bellpepper rotini, white quinoa, barley, steel cut oats, forbidden rice, wild rice, green, red, and yellow lentils, dried fruit (nothing with sulfites or sugar), chopped almonds, edamame, chopped carrots, flax, sesame, pumpkin, and millet seeds, ground cinnamon, and a sprinkle of dulse. I simmer it for about 25 minutes, then store it in the fridge. When it's time to feed him, I mix in a little hot Bolthouse Farms fruit juice (carrot, mango, berry, and the new holiday flavour are his favourites), stir it, and serve it warm. I've also begun supplementing his diet with a tiny little condiment spoon sized dab of coconut oil and red palm oil. When there is ample sunlight, I also sprout a variety of seeds for Kai (and wheat/rye grass for the cats) and he gets to graze on the plantlife that grows from them.
I like to make carrot "pasta" by steaming ribbons of carrot that I've peeled off with a peeler. This also works with zucchini, squash, pumpkin, and any other firm veggie/fruit. Kai also gets a fair amount of parrot safe table food, but he absolutely adores: bellpeppers, grapes, snap peas, edamame, apples, pears, baguettes. At lunch time, he gets Roudybush's Orchard Harvest and Totally Organic pellets soaked in warm water along with a sprinkle of Zupreem pellets. There is a cuttle bone in his house that he enjoys. He wouldn't so much as touch the mineral block, so I took that out. I like to tie little baskets to the sides of his house in various places and add pinches of food and treats so he can forage. He also has a couple other foraging devices in his house that he checks regularly for goodies, a kebab feeder, and I'll tie bits of veggies and fruit to the bars.
I'm looking into getting an air filter soon, but I'm doing a bit of research, first. For these darker winter months, I have a full-spectrum light for both of us, because it helps me, too! Kai absolutely adores showers, whether by the spray mister in the shower with me, or with the hand spray nozzle in the kitchen sink. He absolutely burbles and babbles and sings when he's in a place with running water, the computer fan, or oddly enough, the vacuum cleaner running.
It seems like a lot of people like to teach their parrots tricks, but I'm happy to just have Kai act like his normal parrot self. He knows basic things like step up please, step down please, switch fingers/arms, and stay there. I'm wanting him to learn to fly, but I'm not having much luck there in that department so I'm going to do more reading. He has grown in all of his flight feathers and looks absolutely stunning! I've been working with him on learning to flap his wings, but I'm not sure if it's enough to exercise him, and he doesn't seem to enjoy it very much. If anyone has tips on teaching their parrot to fly, I would love to hear their advice.
Kai has taught me so much about parrots in our first year together, and my life is richer for it! While I enrich my parrot's life, he also enriches mine. It's really kind of funny, because the girls at Birds Unlimited said that he was one of the nastiest little birds at the store! Hee hee.....he's come such a long way. I love Kai so much.
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
A Special Friend.
Yipes...I've been really distracted with various things, cleaning especially, this past week. I meant to write little updates on the activity at my feeders, but at the end of the day, I was just too tired or feeling too blah to write anything. I'm working on resizing all of the photographs I take, because I realized that when I clicked on the photographs in my posts, they were ENORMOUS.... Yikes!
I also have something to confess....
I bought a special little bird...
It isn't so much crow that I'm eating as it is a Blue-headed Pionus Parrot...! I thought that since I've been wanting to have a little birdie friend for so long, it might be time to give another one a chance. I did a lot of research on the birds that were available at the shop here in town. I read up on everything from Cockatoos to Cockatiels, Macaws to Caiques, Finches to Lorys. I was enchanted with the idea of having a Pacific Parrotlet, but I was afraid of accidentally killing it. I needed something sturdier and larger, which looked intimidating enough to the cats that would make them think twice about going up to sniff it. (My cats are all very much scaredy-cats, the biggest thing they'll eat is spiders.)
I ruled out any parrot that I thought could be accidentally knocked off the desk and killed while reaching for a glass of water (Parrotlets), was known for lots of screaming (Cockatoos, Macaws, Conures, etc), was known to need lots of attention (Cockatoos, Macaws, Conures, etc), had super watery, projectile poop (Duyvenbodes Lory), was too hyperactive (Caiques), and of course, with the little birds like Finches, were very skittish and were unable to be handled.
After ruling many birds out, there were two possibilities: Pionus and Senegal. I thought something that was quiet in temperament, calmer, more independent, yet still playful and affectionate would suit me best. When Peaches asked me what I was going to get, I first said a Parrotlet or a Budgie, but that was before I did my research. When she asked again, I had thought about it for a while, and I had decided that I would go after I had read up on everything and see if anyone was attracted to me. I would rather an animal choose me, rather than me choosing someone who might not suit my personality in the end.
When we got to the bird store, we were both very excited. We mingled and said hello to all the birds. Wellllll, after lingering at the adorable little Cockatiels, who were all bobbing their heads and making hungry sounds as they begged for food. I stopped by the Lesser Sulphur Cockatoo, who was reported as being very sweet, but he didn't appear to be interested in me. I stopped by the Parrotlets and realized, WOW, they ARE tiny! I didn't trust my clumsy hands at all with something so petite and fragile. The Caiques were adorable as they played with toys on their backs, but watching them again, I realized they're just too active for me. I glazed over the Canaries, Budgies, and Finches, which always manage to provoke my prey drive (I want to eat them....*cough*). We talked with the Conures a little bit, and marveled over their beautiful colours...and at long last, I finally arrived at the Pionus' cage.
To my surprise and delight, he came right over to me as I crouched in front of his cage. (Note: for the purpose of less confusion, I'm going to refer to the Pionus as a boy :) ) When I meet new birds, I like to hook my index finger over my thumb like a bird's beak, and move it slightly, as if it's a bird. If a bird is interested in having its head scratched, it may come up and investigate, staring at me from the side to get a good look, then offer its head. He came over and inspected me, but was hesitant to have his head scratched, which is understandable! Peaches and I talked to him and I wiggled my finger, then touched his cage to see if he was approachable or not. After a few minutes, he leaned against the bars and I got to scratch him gently!
My world kind of went tunnel-vision on the birdie after that. I wandered around the store in a bird-induced daze...and eventually Mr. Lewis came back to us and asked if we were needing anything. I thought it must be getting late, so I asked about the Pionus. He brought him out and put him on my hand, and I stared at the Pionus as he stared right back at me! I've never really held a bigger bird on my hand like that before, the weight was a little surprising! He's very solid, which is reassuring! Carefully, I brought my hand to the side and up along his back, because I know I would be startled if someone waved their hand over my head! Dogs tend to look up and raise their heads when people do this, some may even find it threatening, but I wasn't taking any chances with a bird, either. I would like very much for him to trust me right from the beginning.
I scratched his head for a long time with my left hand, then Mr. Lewis put him on my left instead when he wouldn't step up onto my left hand. He laughed and said the bird knew how to step up, but he was just nervous, which is understandable. My arm got tired after a while and I put him down onto the playstand, but he stayed very close to me the whole time. At one point, he started regurgitating seed for me, which made me, Peaches, and another employee go, "Awwwwwww!!" (Later, when I explained this to Lauren, she laughed and made a face. We all agreed not to barf up food for each other, even though we loved one another...)
Still in my daze, I realized it must be getting really late! I didn't want to keep everyone waiting, so I asked Mr. Lewis to show me around to purchase the other things that my bird would need. As I started to walk away, the bird made a soft sound, and I felt that yes, we definitely had made a connection. I picked out a handsome cage with an antiqued bronze finish, some toys, and a stand perch. I didn't want to bring him home without a cage, so I told them I would pick everything up the next day (which is now "today"). He/she will also be DNA sexed, so I'll know for certain what sex he/she is, and I'll be able to name him/her appropriately!
I wanted to finish writing this before it gets much later. It's almost 9am, and I still have my room to clean and prepare for my new, special friend...argh!
Pretty soon, we'll be able to watch and photograph birds together in front of the kitchen sink :)
I'm so excited...I could barely sleep! This is him/her...He's so handsome!
I also have something to confess....
I bought a special little bird...
It isn't so much crow that I'm eating as it is a Blue-headed Pionus Parrot...! I thought that since I've been wanting to have a little birdie friend for so long, it might be time to give another one a chance. I did a lot of research on the birds that were available at the shop here in town. I read up on everything from Cockatoos to Cockatiels, Macaws to Caiques, Finches to Lorys. I was enchanted with the idea of having a Pacific Parrotlet, but I was afraid of accidentally killing it. I needed something sturdier and larger, which looked intimidating enough to the cats that would make them think twice about going up to sniff it. (My cats are all very much scaredy-cats, the biggest thing they'll eat is spiders.)
I ruled out any parrot that I thought could be accidentally knocked off the desk and killed while reaching for a glass of water (Parrotlets), was known for lots of screaming (Cockatoos, Macaws, Conures, etc), was known to need lots of attention (Cockatoos, Macaws, Conures, etc), had super watery, projectile poop (Duyvenbodes Lory), was too hyperactive (Caiques), and of course, with the little birds like Finches, were very skittish and were unable to be handled.
After ruling many birds out, there were two possibilities: Pionus and Senegal. I thought something that was quiet in temperament, calmer, more independent, yet still playful and affectionate would suit me best. When Peaches asked me what I was going to get, I first said a Parrotlet or a Budgie, but that was before I did my research. When she asked again, I had thought about it for a while, and I had decided that I would go after I had read up on everything and see if anyone was attracted to me. I would rather an animal choose me, rather than me choosing someone who might not suit my personality in the end.
When we got to the bird store, we were both very excited. We mingled and said hello to all the birds. Wellllll, after lingering at the adorable little Cockatiels, who were all bobbing their heads and making hungry sounds as they begged for food. I stopped by the Lesser Sulphur Cockatoo, who was reported as being very sweet, but he didn't appear to be interested in me. I stopped by the Parrotlets and realized, WOW, they ARE tiny! I didn't trust my clumsy hands at all with something so petite and fragile. The Caiques were adorable as they played with toys on their backs, but watching them again, I realized they're just too active for me. I glazed over the Canaries, Budgies, and Finches, which always manage to provoke my prey drive (I want to eat them....*cough*). We talked with the Conures a little bit, and marveled over their beautiful colours...and at long last, I finally arrived at the Pionus' cage.
To my surprise and delight, he came right over to me as I crouched in front of his cage. (Note: for the purpose of less confusion, I'm going to refer to the Pionus as a boy :) ) When I meet new birds, I like to hook my index finger over my thumb like a bird's beak, and move it slightly, as if it's a bird. If a bird is interested in having its head scratched, it may come up and investigate, staring at me from the side to get a good look, then offer its head. He came over and inspected me, but was hesitant to have his head scratched, which is understandable! Peaches and I talked to him and I wiggled my finger, then touched his cage to see if he was approachable or not. After a few minutes, he leaned against the bars and I got to scratch him gently!
My world kind of went tunnel-vision on the birdie after that. I wandered around the store in a bird-induced daze...and eventually Mr. Lewis came back to us and asked if we were needing anything. I thought it must be getting late, so I asked about the Pionus. He brought him out and put him on my hand, and I stared at the Pionus as he stared right back at me! I've never really held a bigger bird on my hand like that before, the weight was a little surprising! He's very solid, which is reassuring! Carefully, I brought my hand to the side and up along his back, because I know I would be startled if someone waved their hand over my head! Dogs tend to look up and raise their heads when people do this, some may even find it threatening, but I wasn't taking any chances with a bird, either. I would like very much for him to trust me right from the beginning.
I scratched his head for a long time with my left hand, then Mr. Lewis put him on my left instead when he wouldn't step up onto my left hand. He laughed and said the bird knew how to step up, but he was just nervous, which is understandable. My arm got tired after a while and I put him down onto the playstand, but he stayed very close to me the whole time. At one point, he started regurgitating seed for me, which made me, Peaches, and another employee go, "Awwwwwww!!" (Later, when I explained this to Lauren, she laughed and made a face. We all agreed not to barf up food for each other, even though we loved one another...)
Still in my daze, I realized it must be getting really late! I didn't want to keep everyone waiting, so I asked Mr. Lewis to show me around to purchase the other things that my bird would need. As I started to walk away, the bird made a soft sound, and I felt that yes, we definitely had made a connection. I picked out a handsome cage with an antiqued bronze finish, some toys, and a stand perch. I didn't want to bring him home without a cage, so I told them I would pick everything up the next day (which is now "today"). He/she will also be DNA sexed, so I'll know for certain what sex he/she is, and I'll be able to name him/her appropriately!
I wanted to finish writing this before it gets much later. It's almost 9am, and I still have my room to clean and prepare for my new, special friend...argh!
Pretty soon, we'll be able to watch and photograph birds together in front of the kitchen sink :)
I'm so excited...I could barely sleep! This is him/her...He's so handsome!
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