Teaching Our Parrots Independence, with Mattie Sue Athan

Back around 2006 I produced a series of podcasts about parrots. I would interview various people in the parrot world and post the podcasts on a special website.

Most of those podcasts are just as relevant today as they were ten years ago, so I'm going to post one every once in awhile.

The one I'm posting today is with Mattie Sue Athan, author of the best-selling Guide to a Well-Behaved Parrot. We had a fascinating discussion about encouraging independence in our parrots.

Enjoy!

PS: Mention is made of the website Scritches.com; that site has changed its purpose since then. The e-mail mentioned at the end of the podcast no longer exists.

Teaching Our Parrots Independence, with Mattie Sue Athan

Some Bizzaro Moments

I love the Bizarro comics by Dan Piraro, especially the ones with parrots.  So, with his permission, here are several of my most favorite ones.

The Joys of Foraging

The store was having a big sale on fresh organic broccoli; the kind of broccoli that comes on those huge stalks.

I personally like raw broccoli and all my birdies like raw broccoli, so I try to keep some in the house, when I think of it.

I couldn't pass up this deal, so I came home with two huge stalks of broccoli and some organic apples.

Now Charli loves "helping" me work on the computer, even going so far as to attack my fingers for not giving her scritches, as is her due. Anything that can keep Charli busy while I'm working is a good thing, and one of these stalks was a very good thing.

This is the simplest of foraging toys.  A bit of apple around both ends of the broccoli.  Charli not only enjoys eating apples and broccoli, I think she loves the chomping and dropping from the beak even more. Since she's in her cage, I don't mind a bit how much of a mess she makes.

I hope you can tell from the pictures that the stalk of broccoli is longer than she is.

If I'm lucky this will keep her busy all morning and then encourage her to take a little nap before deciding she must get out and "help" me!

The Evil Telephone

A frightened phone peeks out from its protective cover.

Charli hates the phone. Whenever I have to use it she becomes enraged at the attention I seem forced to give it, rather than giving my attention to her.

Sometimes she'll bite me if I'm on the phone too long. I like to think she bites me to make me move away from the Evil Phone lest it eat me up altogether. Of course, that's a prime example of anthropomorphism -- in reality she's just jealous.

When I'm finished with the phone, I place it back in its cradle and then cover the unit with a dish towel. My theory was that if Charli can't see it she won't attack it.

This worked well for a few months, but now Charli delights in pulling off the dish towel and attacking the defenseless phone.

Some parrot-crazed person somewhere wrote in some parrot publication that she'd begun treating her phone like a "bad" bird.  She would shake her finger and scold it while her parrot looked on.

Naturally, as soon as I remembered this I tried it. If it worked for her, surely it would work for me, too. When I would finish a call, I began putting the phone in the cradle and then shaking my finger at it.

"Bad phone!" I would say. "Bad, bad phone!"  Charli would always watch this with great interest.

"I'm going to cover you up," I continued, "so you can think about what you've done!" Then I would drape the dish towel over the phone, frowning through the entire process.

Has it helped ease Charli's jealousy? Not really. After several weeks of "punishing" the "bad, bad" phone, Charli remains unfooled. 

She also takes spells where she attacks the computer keyboard, especially if my fingers are "playing" with it. All parrots know that fingers are to only play with parrot feathers and nothing else, and all parrot slaves should know that, too.

Is your parrot jealous of the telephone or the computer.? Or both? Have you been able to solve the issues?  Please tell us how!  My poor phone is beginning to have an inferiority complex.

Allergies in Parrots

Charli grabs a tissue to deal with her allergies.

Several months ago, back in the spring, I noticed a slight congested sound from Charli when she was on my shoulder. Not all the time, certainly not loud, but it was definite congestion. Her nares were clear, and her behavior was in all other ways normal.

I figured I was imagining things.

The next evening I heard it again, and it was not my imagination. She also sneezed a couple of times. I immediately called a new (to me and Charli) avian veterinarian for an appointment, up in southern Ohio.

Charli was well-behaved during the exam by a stranger, though she did not appreciate having said stranger peer down her throat. She also didn't appreciate the stranger taking blood, but she didn't care that he also took a bit of her discarded poop.

The results? All the results were normal for an extremely healthy well cared for parrot who just happened to have seasonal allergies.

Allergies? Parrots get allergies?

Oh yes, the vet explained. They're quite common. You know we're right in the middle of the Ohio Valley, and all the allergens settle around here.

It was true that our region of the US has had the highest rate of allergy sufferers for years. From about April to November allergy treatments and medications get added to my regular every day vitamin regime, so I am well-acquainted with allergies.

So now my sweet little Charli had allergies, too.  What could I do for her?

The veterinarian gave her an injection of antihistimines and said that would help. If not, he said, we could try various drugs that were used to treat allergies in parrots.

This vet was so good that he gave Charli the injection before she realized she'd been stuck. She turned her head to bite him, but it was already over.

After about a week, there was still some congestion. It ended up with the vet sending me a medication to give Charli by mouth, which was so much fun I can't begin to talk about it yet.

But the good news is that she is evidently only allergic to spring time allergies and not summer or autumn ones.

I'll take what good news I can get.

Are your parrots allergic to things? How did you find out?

Yet Another Hoarding Crisis

I've seen too many of these notices on Facebook lately -- another hoard of birds locked up in some dark dangerous place, starving, dead, sick, all victims of someone with a serious mental illness.

This time it happened in Connecticut on September 15, 2016. Reports of a foul odor led to the discovery of over 200 animals, over 150 of them parrots. The Rhode Island Parrot Rescue has been working non-stop to get the animals out and into safe, clean environments. Of course they are not prepared for such an emergency; what rescue is? Of course, they need donations and supplies and hands.

http://fox61.com/2016/09/16/hundreds-of-animals-found-in-weston-home/

Where is the line between being mentally and emotionally healthy and being a hoarder who causes pain?

When I fell in love with parrots I thought it would be a fine thing to have one or two of each species, or at least a few more of one species. Lucky for me and for all the parrots I will never have, common sense reared its head to remind me that I have limited space, a low tolerance for noise, a job I had to pay attention to, a social life, and not nearly enough money to feed and care for more parrots.

Even though there are hoarders are both sides of my family, I have managed to keep it at bay, though it isn't always easy.

But what of those who can't keep it at bay, those who know things are out of control but continue to take in more and more and more? I don't know the statistics, but I think most animal hoarders know they have too many animals and that they cannot care for them. What of their friends and neighbors who suspect a problem -- how do they broach the subject with alienating the hoarder or losing contact altogether?

I don't think I know any animal hoarders -- or rather, I've never seen evidence of animal hoarding. Do you know an animal hoarder? Have you reported them and how did it turn out? If you didn't report them, were you able to help the animals?

Unanimous Decision About Kale

We have a lot of farmers' markets here and throughout the state, so there's always something fresh and delicious to choose from nearly any day of the week.

I keep seeing pictures on Facebook of happy little birds chomping away on clumps of kale and lettuce and other various greens, so I decided I should give my birds some, too. I stopped by one of the stalls that offered only the finest organic vegetables. I at least knew better than to buy one of their big bags of kale or collard greens because if the birds didn't like them I wouldn't eat them.

So I asked as politely as possible if I could buy just a small handful of kale and collard greens. "Just to see if my birds like them," I explained.

"Your birds eat collard greens?" the staff person seemed incredulous.

"Well," I said, "it's worth a try."

She let me pick out a few leaves but refused my money.

"If they like it, you can buy a bag next week," she told me and hurried away to help the next customer, who probably had a more reasonable request.

I took the greens home and washed and drained them. I used an old wooden clothes pin to attach one leaf of kale and one leaf of collard greens to each cage. The birds eyed this new development with much suspicion, so I told them it was a treat.

I had tried giving the cockatiels a shallow bowl of water last week with some fresh spinach in it to bathe in, but they were having none of it.

Then I went off to do non-avian chores, certain the leaves would be thoroughly chewed up and eaten within minutes.

About ten minutes later I stopped by the cages. Cheb and Flash had pulled down both the kale and collard greens, leaving the clothes pin intact. They  were stomping on the leaves, perhaps thinking they were area rugs for their cage. I did not see any beak marks.

Charli, on the other hand, had not pulled down either leaf, but had clearly chewed some holes in the collard greens leaf.  Big holes.

In this video (I apologize for the poor quality) she is hanging upside down, performing one of her favorite acts -- making a hole in something then using her beak to make the hole bigger and bigger. I suppose it must feel good to her beak. I learned long ago not to let her get started on any of my favorite tee-shirts. (The leaf looks brown in the video, but it was as green as the rest of it in real life.)

I may or may not give it another try this weekend, maybe presenting the leaves in a different shape (chopped up).

Either way, I suspect I won't be able to post cute pictures of my birds wrestling healthy green plants into their little beaks anytime soon.

The Beloved Parrot is coming back!

It feels like forever since I've updated this blog, but that's going to change soon.

I'm moving things to Word Press and writing some new posts -- just as soon as I get the details worked out I plan to publish on a regular basis. I'll be opening up comments and inviting other bloggers to post.

Stay tuned!

Cheb stops to admire himself in the mirror on the wall opposite the cage before determining what havoc to wreck on the house today.

Cheb and Toys

Another change Cheb has brought into the house is the debris from chewed up, gnawed on, and broken toy bits.  When I change the cage papers there are the usual feathers and poop and food, plus now the colorful leftovers of toys well loved.

Charli's Newest New Toy

I had an extra roll of toilet paper set out in the bathroom, and before I knew it Charli had hopped onto it and began shredding.

It was a struggle to get her away from it, but I finally relocated it to her area of the coffee table.

Yes, it makes a dreadful mess, but watching Charli work at it is well worth the effort.

That dark spot on top of the roll is cardboard; in the video it looks suspiciously like poop.

Cheb, on Top of the World

I couldn't resist.

And no birds sing . . . .

I took this picture yesterday; it's the wild bird feeder outside by the deck.  In early winter I keep it filled with safflower, to attract the small birds.

It's been full for three days now. 

The past two weeks we've had snow, rain, ice, and cold, but no birds have come to feed. 

I've seen one cat roaming the neighborhood this season, so perhaps word has gotten out about the predator.  Or, worse, numbers of wild birds have dwindled so much there aren't any left.

A few doves still come to drink from the bird bath, but I haven't seen any of my favorite cardinals or finches flitting around.

Coffee & Cruellers

Cold and wet this morning; big storm out west headed this way, we're told.  I've got coffee and pastries and a million things to do -- all indoors -- so I'm not too worried about the weather.


The birds are, as always, busy, busy, busy.  Charli is chewing up a nice thick paperback book that cost me $1.00, and the two cockatiels have come out of the cage in order to climb up to the top and then down to the bottom and then back up to the top and down to the bottom.  If something startles them, they'll fly into the kitchen and land on top of the cabinets.

Here is a picture of them just as I opened the cage door this morning.










And here Flash demonstrates how to leave the cage and climb around to the back of the cage where he likes to hide behind the cage cover so that I can't see him and immediately freak out, thinking he's gotten out and is in trouble somewhere . . . . with Cheb supervising and encouraging him on.

Obedience

Here Flash and Cheb demonstrate how well they obey me.  Flash is the one on the left.

Good Day for Cheb

It was a very good day for Cheb, though he doesn't know it.  It was a good day because I emptied out the box of mixed seed he's probably been eating all his life.  Of course, we don't know how old he is or what his life was like before his other mom found him, but I'm going to assume he's always eaten mixed seed.

The number one cause of death of pet parrots is STILL malnutrition from seed-only diets.  Still!  Why?  I think because people don't really know enough about parrots when they bring them into their homes.   Parrots need good quality pellets and vegetables, fruits, a nut or two once in awhile.  Sure, parrots like seeds -- humans like chocolate, too -- but it shouldn't be the only item on the menu.

Cheb made it very clear from the start that he was not interested in pellets. Most likely, he didn't even recognize them as food, though I did eat a few in front of him to demonstrate.  So I began crumbling Nutriberries over his seed mix, and was thrilled to see that he actually ate a bite or two of that.  I reduced the amount of seed and keep supplying the crumbled Nutriberries.

After quarantine, I warmed up a small bit of Harrison's birdie bread and put it in a food dish for both Flash and Cheb.  Flash went right to work, eating his fill of the bread.  Cheb watched for a few seconds then dug in himself!  I was so happy to stand there and watch Cheb pick up a bit of the bread, chew it, and swallow.  He ate a lot of it, too.

I tried for a day or two to just offer pellets during the day, and then give the cockatiels Nutriberries in the evening, but then I decided I might be rushing things.  Now I offer pellets with Nutriberries mixed in.  Both birds eat up the Nutriberries, of course, but I'm hoping that Flash does eat a pellet or two (he's always liked them) and that Cheb finally realizes that pellets are good, too.

Cheb's been here a bit over a month -- he's eating Nutriberries and Harrison's birdie bread, which are both much more nutritious for him than a seed mix.  There's no rush now.

I didn't throw out the seed mix.  Instead, I tossed it out on the ground under the bird feeder because there are plenty of wild birds out there that need it.  I'm so happy to report that Cheb no longer does.

Inseperable

Quarantine is over.

Someone else's food is always better than yours; even if it's the same food.

I worried that Flash might not like Cheb or that Cheb might not like Flash; I needn't have worried at all.  I was prepared for Cheb to say in his own cage for as long as he wanted, which turned out to be less than one day.

Cheb moved right in with Flash, and Flash let him.  They eat together, they fly around the house together and hang out on top of the kitchen cabinets together, pretending I don't know where they are. (No, I don't let them stay up there long, and they are not allowed out when I'm cooking.)

When they're in the cage they are both busy all the time.  Walking back and forth, climbing up and down, chewing on toys.  They are quite devoted to walking the perimeter of the cage and to keeping the toys under control -- well, Cheb keeps the toys under control; Flash has never seemed interested in toys.

I'm not sure who's "dominant" yet.  I'm not sure Cheb knows how to preen or be preened by another bird, though Flash keeps pushing his head at Cheb.  Sometimes Flash follows Cheb around; sometimes Cheb follows Flash.  I have yet to hear any hissing or any disagreement of any kind.

Flash went into Cheb's cage to welcome him to the house.

Cheb continues to chat incessantly, and I think he's practicing some new words, which I can't wait to hear.

I am so lucky to have Cheb; I don't know how his ex-mom could have given him up but if she ever comes across this blog I want her to know that Cheb is happy, he's good friends with Flash, he's healthy and is slowly eating better, and is in all ways quite full of himself.

"Bookish" Toys

Believe it or not, it can be difficult to sate Charli's desire for more paper things to chew on.  She's gone through phone books, envelopes, note pads -- anything anywhere.

I was browsing the clearance section at Books for Half the other day and came upon several books of a very healthy thickness. They weren't books I was interested in reading, but I knew that Charli would enjoy them.

Better yet -- they were either half a dollar or a dollar each!  You can't buy much of a bird toy for that little these days.

Charli has approved of these purchases. I only have three left, but I'm confident Books for Half will be able to supply many more.

I am pleased to announce that my book, Cockatiel Lessons, is now available as an audio book, narrated by Gale Cruz.

Yes -- just in time for the holidays!

Now you have your choice of three versions of Cockatiel Lessons:

paperback from Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble

e-reader form from Smashwords

audio book from Audible.com

And don't forget
The Parrot Reckonings: A Look at Real Life with Parrots

Other Toys

Charli is a paper chewer. She'll chew on wood once in awhile, but she much prefers paper. She adores chewing on my personal and valuable books, so it's a constant battle keeping her away from my bookshelves.

 Her most favorite toy is a simple roll of blank adding machine tape. I buy it in boxes of 12 rolls, and stick one roll on a pencil, which I then thread through the bars of her cage. Immediately she begins chewing on it.

 Slowly and methodically, she chews and gnaws on the roll until the paper begins to fall in long drapes of ribbon down to the floor of the cage.

Of course, there are always lots and lots of little bits of paper that fall outside the cage, which I cannot avoid walking in and tracking all over the house so that within a day or so my entire house looks like it has been in a snow storm.

No matter. The tightly wound paper rolls make Charli happy. 

And that makes me happy.