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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 5, 2014 15:06:07 GMT -5
If you want you can post some pictures of his beak and nails. If his nails feel extra long/sharp you can take him to the vet and they will show you how to trim them if you don't already know how. It sounds like he may be testing his boundaries with your family, to see what you'll put up with. Parrots are like children...they like to test the rules, to see if you really mean it. LOL And YES, quakers are very different from other species. If he's "tasting" your clothes, you can make a birdie necklace with fun plastic beads strung on a cotton or hemp cord for him to play with while he's on you. I think it's adorable that he buries stuff in your hair, but if you don't like it you can discourage it. Since he's biting your mom and brother, I would not allow him to be higher than your chest, unless he's on your hand and you're snuggling him under your chin or something (most love that). Being on your shoulder or head is a privilege, not a right. He has to earn that privilege by being nice. Clipping the wings is a personal preference. Our birds aren't clipped most of the time, but whenever my cockatiel needs an attitude adjustment I clip him. It really does help, by making them more dependent on you. They sulk for awhile, but get over it fairly quickly. Good luck!!
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 5, 2014 2:20:22 GMT -5
How long have you had Romeo?
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 5, 2014 2:19:52 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum! If you don't have them already, I would buy the "Guide to the Well-Behaved Parrot" and "Guide to the Quaker Parrot" by Mattie Sue Athan. Some quakers have a tendency toward being one-person birds, but most will learn to tolerate other family members. Have your mom and brother feed Romeo special treats through the cage bars. If he's out of his cage you can put him down on the floor and have them pick him up. This is called the "rescue scenario"...parrots don't like being down low to the ground, they feel vulnerable...so YOU put them on the floor (in a vulnerable place), and the less desired person gets to "rescue" the bird. Keep in mind that Romeo may nip once he's been rescued, but if you do this on a regular basis he should start to accept them. Make sure they give him a treat when he steps up for them without biting. I hope this helps!
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 4, 2014 18:24:21 GMT -5
Yup, she sounds like a very well adjusted birdy.
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 4, 2014 16:20:06 GMT -5
Awww, I'm so happy for her and for you! Makes me miss Conan...and (almost - don't worry, Jan!) makes me want to go out and get us another canary. LOL
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 3, 2014 19:16:31 GMT -5
Oh, my....so much has happened since I posted here last! First, at the end of August we had a scare where we thought Cami was pregnant. I had posted some pictures on the Auction Horses forum, and some of the members were like "Ummm.....has she been checked? " LOL So, I had her palpated (the vet came and sedated her, then put her arm up Cami's rear to feel inside). Hooray for no baby!!! Second, in October Cami must have fallen in her pasture because she came up dead lame in her right hind leg, and it was swollen. So, had the vet out again and all he could say was "Yup, her right hock hurts." Duh, we already knew that....that's why I called you, expecting you to take x-rays. So, the next weekend a friend of mine hauled Cami to the vet clinic where he sedated her and took x-rays of her hock, and didn't see much arthritis (which was good), but didn't see much else, either. The injury was similar to us spraining our ankle. So, she's been on complete rest for about a month and a half, and is doing extremely well. She's not limping at all anymore when she walks (I haven't seen her trot, but I don't want to see her trot yet...she still needs to take it easy, and now that the ground is frozen it could set her back). I'll be able to ride her again come spring. What I was going to say when I opened this thread to begin with, is that you would never know that Cami was so thin when she came to me last year. She needs conditioning, but other than that she looks marvelous! I don't have any recent pictures, but here are a couple from August, that made some people go "Hmmmmmmm.......is there a baby in there?" Here's a comparison...the first was from April, and the second was from August.
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 3, 2014 18:44:20 GMT -5
No, no, Siobhan! No buying babies from breeders (say that three times fast!) for you! We need you to keep SOME space open for the rescue/rehomes who may need you in the future!
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Post by msdani1981 on Dec 2, 2014 19:00:41 GMT -5
Pico is MUCH better about stepping up from his cage without biting. Yay! He also has started to figure out that he can fly! The tree is normally used by Taz, but sometimes we'll put Pico on it because we're his jungle gyms and he is constantly running and climbing all over us when we have him out. He really hates being seperated from us, though, so he often jumps to the floor and runs across the room so we'll pick him up, or he'll sit there bobbing his head and weaving back and forth, begging for one of us to come rescue him. Well, last night he figured out how to climb to the VERY top of the tree and sat there begging for awhile, and then when we wouldn't come get him he jumped off, flapped his wings and flew across the room and landed on the curtain rod. I must say, he looked quite stunned but rather pleased with himself. Zach climbed up on the couch to get him down. We're so happy to have Pico in our flock! He's hilarious! LOL
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Post by msdani1981 on Nov 29, 2014 19:39:04 GMT -5
Great news! There is definitely something to be said for social networking.
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Rebel
Nov 29, 2014 11:54:04 GMT -5
Post by msdani1981 on Nov 29, 2014 11:54:04 GMT -5
Oh, I'm so sorry for your flock's loss, Jan! How sad!
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Post by msdani1981 on Nov 29, 2014 11:51:53 GMT -5
My goodness, I'm so sorry for your troubles, Gary and Jan! Take good care of yourselves!
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Post by msdani1981 on Nov 23, 2014 0:24:41 GMT -5
She's doing great! Hardly limping at all now!
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Post by msdani1981 on Nov 22, 2014 14:34:11 GMT -5
That's wonderful, Jan! Cami is doing fantastically well, too. I need to take some new pictures to show you.
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Post by msdani1981 on Nov 19, 2014 19:58:57 GMT -5
Welcome to the forum family, Trixie! Sounds like she's doing wonderful!
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Greta
Nov 14, 2014 14:00:52 GMT -5
Post by msdani1981 on Nov 14, 2014 14:00:52 GMT -5
I read about Greta on Facebook a few days ago, I'm so sorry for your loss.
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