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Post by aaron on Apr 24, 2017 22:12:29 GMT -5
Haha wow, that's hilarious! I'm having a hard time imagining what a bird trying to imitate that sound would sound like, but I feel fairly certain that however it sounded, it would be quite shocking to hear suddenly come out of your bird
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Post by aaron on Apr 24, 2017 22:08:07 GMT -5
Glad to hear things are going so well... She sounds like an extremely sweet little girl. It's funny how they fixate on certain objects like a water bottle... for Cupcake it is one of my two beard trimmers. I cannot even turn it on in the room when she is present without getting a bite that breaks the skin. She's not like that with anything else. My other beard trimmer doesn't bother her at all. Who knows! To be honest, I have not used the technique you describe for this kind of biting situation, so I can't say if it works, although it seems like it is likely to. We've been lucky enough that she doesn't feel this way about anything that we can't easily avoid her seeing. But I've had success with reducing her tendency to bite when she is trying to tell us that she really wants something we have (food) while we are in the kitchen.
Cupcake loves to chew on her feet, especially when getting rubs and laying back in one of our hands. She likes foot rubs too. Those feet are pretty good.
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Post by aaron on Apr 22, 2017 22:35:37 GMT -5
Wow! Happy gotcha day, Scooter!! Sounds like you're doing a great job with her, Gary.
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Post by aaron on Apr 21, 2017 23:31:23 GMT -5
Glad to hear things are going well with Maya. I think your plan is a great one. I saw the jacket cover and blurb for your book on your blog! I think it sounds great and will gladly purchase a copy when it is available And I love those little dinosaur toes! They have the best feet!
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Post by aaron on Apr 20, 2017 22:38:51 GMT -5
It took us several years of working with Cupcake as a flighted young bird to get her to at least somewhat respect the rules about where she is and is not supposed to go. Worth noting that we really had no idea what we were doing, but even now, at nearly six years old, she still has many days where she expends a fair amount of energy sneakily attempting to break rules she is very aware of. I think they are very exploration-inclined creatures, so it's a hard tendency to curb. That said, I wouldn't have it any other way, as far as her being flighted goes (although I do recognize that clipping is in some cases the best or most appropriate option). We use a wooden spoon to poke at her (gently) to get her off the top of the cupboards. She doesn't go there too often, and even if she does go she usually doesn't stay because she knows the spoon is coming if she does. Early on, she went up there relentlessly at times. Give him lots of opportunity to observe cause and effect. If you are going to punish him, keep punishment extremely brief (1-2 mins), then return him to a situation where he will be given the opportunity to make a mistake again, and repeat until he changes his behavior... Sometimes if he's relentless, you might decide to give him a longer break in the cage. Combining this with praise/treats when he behaves in a desirable manner should help a lot. This approach definitely works with Cupcake-- it doesn't work miracles, but it definitely works. Behavior change can be really slow and gradual, and progress often fluctuates to some degree. Sometimes it happens quickly. They are complicated Cupcake always gets a treat when she goes in her cage willingly. We've been reinforcing that for a long time, and she basically never refuses to go in her cage unless she is genuinely angry or feels slighted by a situation in some manner. Even in those cases she'll generally go after a bit of hesitation, although she will usually refuse the treat to make a statement Good luck. These little guys can be really frustrating... Patience pays off. It ends up being well worth it
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Post by aaron on Apr 18, 2017 21:59:40 GMT -5
Wow, that's fantastic! So glad to hear Elsie has come out of her shell! Great news.
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Post by aaron on Apr 18, 2017 0:47:02 GMT -5
Glad to hear she has become accustomed to the nails! Great new avatar photo by the way
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Post by aaron on Apr 10, 2017 0:00:36 GMT -5
Glad to hear things are back to normal! Cupcake loves her lentil sprouts. They are a highly beneficial part of a parrot diet, so definitely a good thing!
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Post by aaron on Apr 9, 2017 20:19:13 GMT -5
Haha oh yeah, she laughs all the time. Mostly joins in when we are laughing, or if something happens that she finds particularly funny... but also when she is nervous, which is adorable. Especially when there are people that she feels uncomfortable with that are in the house, she will laugh a lot, unprompted. Strangely she doesn't do it when she's being mischievous... maybe doesn't want to give herself away
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Post by aaron on Apr 9, 2017 0:29:32 GMT -5
They are definitely very sneaky. Cupcake is frequently waiting for us to stop paying attention or to leave the area so she can try to sneak into places we don't let her go. It is a constant battle! We don't let her on the floor at all.. Too many opportunities for sneaking around and danger She still tries to go there sometimes though. Gotta love that mischevous little Quaker laugh!
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Post by aaron on Apr 9, 2017 0:25:01 GMT -5
I think if she's doing this well at 20 months, you have a darn good chance of maintaining this sort of behavior long term. It sounds like you are doing a wonderful job with her!! Gotta love these experiences where they really make you proud. Cupcake has been doing that for us quite a bit lately and it has been great. Always a great feeling. So glad things are going so well for you!
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Post by aaron on Apr 5, 2017 23:52:42 GMT -5
We're certainly guilty of similar things. It's fairly often that we have to keep Cupcake up past her bedtime. It seems like if we keep her up too late she gets all wonky and doesn't realize she wants to go to bed any more. Although right now she's got an issue with bedtime and makes sure it is very clear to me that she doesn't want to go to bed, even though she is complaining and tired... but will go anyhow, after I talk her into it. I feel like she's telling me she doesn't like her sleep situation but I'm not sure what to do about it.
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Post by aaron on Apr 5, 2017 23:45:44 GMT -5
Welcome Ellie and Tin Tin!
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Post by aaron on Apr 5, 2017 23:38:20 GMT -5
Hey, a bird-friend is a bird-friend. They come in all shapes and sizes, but they are all quite adept at capturing our hearts Sometimes you just know. And any single one of them finding a loving forever home is a reason to celebrate, regardless of variety Glad you and little Sebastian found each other.
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Post by aaron on Apr 4, 2017 22:41:03 GMT -5
Welcome Sebastian!
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