Today 1/24/07

[memmey]

Her Serene Royal Highness Bitsey Jo...tadah!!!!...tasted one tee tiny bite of ..........SCRAMBLED EGG. One taste ....:D Wiped her beak... called it good.

[Sally]

YUM! Chipper loves scrambled egg!!! That is great!:D http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Sally11/aratag.jpg

[Kathy]

Yayyy! That's EXCELLENT to hear, Mem, considering the fact that I know she's just so picky. :D

[ArtS]

CONGRATULATIONS!!

You've met your goal for this year. Do you think she's on a roll?

Regards,

Art S.

[Azale]

YAY THAT IS GREAT!!

One small step at a time, soon you'll have trouble getting her off your dinner plate :)

[memmey]

CONGRATULATIONS!!

You've met your goal for this year. Do you think she's on a roll?

Regards,

Art S.


2007 apiece of apple?:(

[ArtS]

Set reasonable goals, then you may exceed them...;)

Regards,

Art S.

[bean]

That is good news.
You might try switching her dishes around. I do that with Bean so that he has to "go foraging" so to speak. I think he might be more apt to try something if he is surprised to find it there. He has some special little dishes just for treats that I place in various spots plus his regular dishes which I rotate. I found that bean loves hard boiled egg too. Also, you can microwave egg shells to dry them up and then crush them and stick them in a treat cup with red pepper flakes. Bean sometimes likes this.

[ArtS]

Karen,

Great suggestion! I'm guessing that parrotlets do this in the wild. Ours absolutely LOVE foraging - my wife will put shredded newspaper on the bottom of the cage and they just dive into it looking for goodies! I think it's both a game and it occupies their minds.

Note: in our case newspaper works because that is what they have had in their cages since they were babies. We tried shreded brown paper bags and you would have thought that we put snakes in the bottom of their cage by the reaction - sheer terror! So, if you do this, work with what they are used to and expand their reality in small steps.

Regards,

Art S.

[alicia]

congrats to her finaly eating an egg :D

[candi33]

YAY!!!! woo hoo!! Yipee!!

Congratulations Mem, that is great. one baby step at a time right?

I agree with Art, if you set certain expectations that aren't too hard to reach, it's easier to exceed and be doubly proud of yourself.

You should be so proud right now, this is a fantastic start for her. Keep it up.

[memmey]

I can't tell her I'm proud she won't do it again for 2 more years. She's holding me hostage.....help me........http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o243/memmey/11d71c65.jpg

[ArtS]

So, Memmey, what's the news on the Bitsey Jo front?

Regards,

Art S.

[memmey]

Well today Jo and I have been reading all day I'm about half way through "the woman in white". I let her out to read with me and she was sweet. I put her cage on the bed and we have had a lazy day. I gave her broccoli, squash and zucchinni(sp?) and hazel nuts...ate none of it. If I went to the kichen she started the bell ringing for me to come back. She's chirping now I guess I need to put her to bed. You know the same ole same ole. She won't eat and calls me constantly>>LOL

[ArtS]

Memmey,

I like the fact that she has a bell to call you with and that you are trained to respond appropriately...:D

A suggestion on food - hot pepper flakes - apparently the things that taste hot to us taste sweet to them.

Regards,

Art S.

[memmey]

shut up....

[ArtS]

Hey now...

Did you read the second part of the note about the pepper flakes, that was for real.

Regards,

Art S.

[Kathy]

Umm, I think I better get more clarification on this hot thing before I give Nemo any of it! Heh, kidding. But I never knew that.

[memmey]

Here is a close up of " the bell" .:rolleyes: the bell, the bell...I'm coming , I'm coming....

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o243/memmey/feb_07120.jpg

[ArtS]

Memmey,

It might just be the angle of the picture, but from that shot, it looks like Bitsey's beak is a bit overgrown. Next time you go to the vet, I'd get their opinion on possibly get it filed down a bit.

Otherwise, cute picture!

Regards,

Art S.

[memmey]

It does that all the time and then one day it will be gone. It's like it does that all the time. remember the post about abnormal beak issues? It's been doing that for 8 years. The tip is thin and I breaks off and a new little beak is there. Why does her beak do that????? I read that in the wild they forgage for clay and they have no beak issues. I'm going out in a minute and I'll go see what I can get her but she probably won't touch it. There is a avian vet about 6 miles from me she knows Jo, I guess I could take her but it happens over and over and she seems to manage it herself?????

[memmey]

I wrote an epic and it didn't post...Sort version Art her beak has done that for 8 years grow get thin on the end and come off and there is a new beak there I have a avian vet about 6 miles from my house who knows B'jo so I could take her but she has always managed it herself. I may go get her a wooden toy to see if she will chew it but I doubt it. I read in the wild that they forage for clay and they do not have beak issues. In captivity they do. I always watch it and if it doesn't seem to do as it has always done I will for sure take her. It is a common thing in green rumps and that's why I have never panicked and as you know I can panic.

It did post oh well now a really long story

[ArtS]

Memmey,

I do remember the other thread, that's why I mentioned it. To me the whole structure of the beak looks elongated, not just the tip. If she's been this way for years, she's probobly fine.

Regards,

Art S.

[memmey]

She got a new wooden toy thingy and she actually was curious! If she chews on it ,it will manage the beak. She has beak issues poor thing.. The parrotlet ranch lady says its common..were just common what can I say.

When she loses the tip she will have a somewhat regular beak for a while remember the notch I told you about?

[memmey]

Update: B'Jo managed her beak herself and she lost the thin part and now she has a regular beak, I don't get it but maybe I never will. She looks cute now . I would love to read about the whole beak thing. Have you ever read about it?

[musicjan]

I have read about it, but can't remember what I've read - lol. Did you do a Google search?

[memmey]

Hey jan I did at the parrotlet ranch site and I felt better when I read that it is common. I have had her for a long time and she has done this for years but it always worried me. When I posted her picture you can see how long it is but now it's gone.It will come back though. I don't know anything about her life before I rescued her. I'm not at all sure about her age. She's a horrible eater and that's probably from what she got used to eating and I cannot get her to change, When I read the threads where everyone is feeding millet dailey well I don't want to fuss them but they're making a big mistake and will end up like me and Jo in an eternal battle over eating. I'm straying off subject but I can't be the only one with beak issues, just not any here on this site .

[Azale]

I agree about the millet thing. The breeder told me to feed it to him daily, but it's getting waaay out of control. So I cut them into tiny pieces, and am going to give him one twice a day, and slowly ween him off of it. Cause he much rather eat ANYTHING than his pellets, and most of all millet. He just won't stop crying for it. It's really concerning :confused:

[memmey]

Poor baby, Azale why don't you call the vet and just ask what they might recommend so that he gets enough nutrition. You may have to offer a bunch of stuff to him so he will eat something. Give him everything you can think of that is safe for him to eat. Now I'm gonna worry he's hungry. Poor you Azale, I am the queen Mother of birds with a eating problem. I would not wish that on any one. Let us know OK?

[musicjan]

Azale, I forget how old your baby is. I've heard that yes, you can wean them off the millet. Bitsy gets it only on his playground - that's something you might try. Also, have you baked birdie bread? i think not many birds can refuse it, and you can hide all sorts of nutrition in it. One thing I started doing with Bitsy one I first got him was offering him all different kinds of food several times a day. He does best with them cut into little pieces - maybe use a food processor if you have one. Also, stick baby carrots, leaf lettuce, romaine, broccoli (so he can eat the flowerets), etc. through the cage bars. It's a game. Like Memmey says, try everything you can think of, and he'll probably eat part of it. Good luck! Let us know how it goes!

[memmey]

Miss Bitsey Jo update: Jo and I were outside on my porch ,I was sweeping and she was in her cage. The swoosh of the broom and the leaves on the porch sent her wild. She puffed up and chereped and cherped constantly as I swept. I swear she was exhausted when I finnished sweeping. The temp here is in the 70's and my yard is full of birds, I'm filling my feeder once a day. I've been sitting her cage by the window so she can watch them. They see her also. When they eating she will go and eat too. I have wrens, chickadees,cardinals, 2 doves, robins and some little brown birds with three brown stripes on their heads. The only bird that gets her upset is the wren, she can imitate it perfectly. Do your birds notice the outside birds?

[ArtS]

Memmey,

Great post - I wish I was there!

My birds definately respond to other birds - especially when hawks fly by! They instinctively dive for cover.

Speaking of birds, we explored the Delaware bay this past Saturday. Even though it is not birding season (an we aren't really birders), we saw a pretty good assortment: Fields of Snow Geese; Great Blue Herrons; Red Winged Black Birds; Hooded merganzers; Bald Eagles; Wild Turkeys; Turkey Vultures; and many more.

Regards,

Art S.

[Pado]

Thats really awesome that Bitsey Jo has her outdoor bird friends - I love that :p

Although even with Mr. Peepers cage being by the back yard window I haven't noticed him paying attention to the outside birds yet. We have two resident doves that frequent the yard but haven't seen any reaction from him yet. We also have a few Hawks but again haven't as yet noticed reaction from him. So far he's too focused on us when people are present. So when he's alone he might be paying more attention the them. Although he does go into a frenzy when anyone [person] is in the back yard :D

I need to give the outside bird feeder another try. I removed it last winter and didn't set it up this year as we had the neighborhood cats abound because of the birds congregating.

[ArtS]

Pado,

You just have to attract the right kind of birds to deal with the cat problem ;) .

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/n10/Suckewer/baldeagleandcat.jpg

Regards,

Art S.

[Pado]

OMG that is UNREAL - What a fantastic picture.

I couldn't imagine seeing a Bald Eagle in my back yard :eek: :eek: :eek:

I hope that cat hadn't used up 8 of its lives already :D

[Sally]

Chipper hears the cardinals and chirps to them! I feed the wild birds every day in two feeders. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Sally11/cardinalsm.jpg

[memmey]

Art where did you get that OMG is that for real, wouldn't an eagle eat a cat? My neighbor lost all her female cats to hawks..swooped down and picked up their dinner..horrible.
That looks like a baby eagle.

[Sally]

You do have to be careful of hawks. There was a story on the local news about a lady who was right inside the house and her little Chi was killed by a hawk. Just landed on the doggie! I always go outside with my little dog.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v492/Sally11/Dragonflyhattiny.jpg

[ArtS]

Memmey,

I believe it is a real picture. It is not a baby eagle, bald eagles do not get white heads and tails until they are 7 years old.

Regards,

Art S.

[Pado]

I'm starting to get a white head myself - I must be growing up :rolleyes:

[memmey]

Bitsey Jo and I went on the porch again yesterday, I was having company for dinner. We boil crawfish outside on Saturday during the crawfish season. I was once again sweeping the porch before my friends came and she once again went CRAZY..LOL. This time she was turning flips on her perch. It was the cutest thing I ever saw. Jo had fuffed all her feathers out really really puffy and was fipping forward round and round on the perch. It must have been a happy day for her. I had let her out to fly in my bedroom and then back in her cage on the porch to watch me sweep.Miss Bitsey jo had a great day and then my friends came who flatter her. I think she has a crush on my friend Mae's husband Richard, the little huzzey puts her head down when he gets close to have it scratched. I believe she knows when I put a tablecloth on the table that it's Saturday and that they are all coming. I think it is very interesting how smart they are and how they learn thier little routines and learn to anticipate what goes on in their home. I feel bad for the ones who have owners that aren't aware that they are aware...


lol... have you ever eaten these???

http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o243/memmey/Xenomorf_1153877299_571_tn.jpg

[ArtS]

Memmey,

Nice write-up. When did Bitsey get her flight feather back?

RE: crawfish - mmm...lunch! Love them and their big, salt water, cousins.

Regards,

Art S.

[memmey]

Art ,Bitsey Jo has never been clipped by me, if the Nun had it done all those years ago I don't know but I doubt it, she was cage bound by her.