My parrot is so funny. :)

[Ladyhawk]

He turned eighteen this year and has been grounded most of his life. Avian behaviorists say owners should keep their bird's wings clipped for safety and behavioral reasons, but I know owners that let their perpetual toddlers fly and it seems to work out (cross fingers).

Gabby has seemed bored lately, so I thought I would teach him how to fly and set up safe perches to land on. I've finally got him flapping his wings while he's on my hand. I ask him, "Are you ready?" and he puts his wings up. Then I say, "Fly! Fly! Fly!" and he flaps as I rush toward his cage.

He isn't flapping hard enough to get any lift. :) He's a little on the tubby side, so full flight is going to be hard on him...plus he doesn't have any control. I'm trying to introduce him to a harness for when we go to actual flight, but he seems to remember a bad experience with the harness (my fault) and absolutely hates the sight of the thing. I may have to go to a different style for that reason. I have to bribe him to get him to even "kiss" the damn thing.

But teaching him a new "trick" has been fun. He knows what I want him to do (flap his wings) and anticipates it. :) It's cute. :)

[BrklynLiberal]

1. I had not known that parrots were such social animals until I saw a show

about them on PBS. They are truly amazing.
It sounds like you guys are having a ball.

[Ladyhawk]

2. Yes, he also helped me "read" tonight.

I wanted to do a bit of reading, so I got the bird and, as usual, let him run all over the bed. Usually, he bites my toes or wants a scratch. This time, he perched on the book and got very playful, even sticking his head between his legs. :) That's hard to do when you're a dumpy Amazon parrot.

Was the program you saw called Parrots: Look Who's Talking? I have a copy of it. It's remarkable.

Check out The Alex Foundation and this video from Scientific American called Entertaining Parrots. It's with Alan Alda and Dr. Irene Pepperberg: a real eye opener.

[BrklynLiberal]

4. Dr. Irene PepperBerg rings a bell(excuse the expression) with me.

I believe that must be the one I saw. It included some footage of emotionally (and physically) abandoned parrots and how they react..and how long it takes them to recover. I had no idea how sensitive and reactive they were.
It really opened my eyes.

[Ladyhawk]

12. Yes. Raising baby African greys was very challenging.

There's something about those birds we don't know. They often become feather-pluckers. Something is missing and I don't know exactly what it is. Even Alex, with as much attention as he gets, is a feather-plucker. I don't know if there is one single "answer," but it's obvious that the birds are not getting something vital to their well-being. There's a lot of speculation, but no real cure.

[Ladyhawk]

3. Here's a picture of Gabby ringing his copper bell.

He loves that bell. When I first gave it to him, he didn't stop ringing it for about six weeks. He rang it and rang it and rang it and rang it, then fed it, then rang it and rang it and rang it. I thought he had a case of birdie OCD.

[BrklynLiberal]

5. He is beautiful. Can I ask a REALLY stupid question?

When you let him loose and allow him the freedom of the house, does he poop all over the place? Can he be trained to go back into his cage to poop?

[Ladyhawk]

10. You CAN potty-train parrots.

Gabby potty-trained himself to some degree. He learned that I don't like being pooped on, so when he is with me he holds it until he can't hold it anymore. I can take him with me to my bed--I spend a lot of time there because I'm still recuperating from neck surgery--and he never poops. If he gets antsy, I know he has to go, so I take him back to his cage. :)

[Clintmax]

6. He IS beautiful!

Can he talk at all?

[Ladyhawk]

11. He had a larger vocabulary when he was younger,

but I didn't encourage him to keep it, so he doesn't say some things he used to say as a youngster. :shrug: But yes, he does talk. He calls me by name, for one thing. It goes like this:

Gabby: Laura!?
(pause)
Gabby: LAURA!?
(pause)
Gabby: LAURA!?
Gabby (to himself): Where's that Laura?

If I answer, it continues like this:

Laura: What?
Gabby: How are you?
Laura: I'm fine, and you?
Gabby: I'm fine.

Then if I'm quiet, it starts all over again:

Gabby: Laura!

:D :D :D :D :D :D

Here are some mp3 files of Gabby talking:

MP3 of Gabby Burping

MP3 of Gabby Saying Hello

MP3 of Gabby Saying My Name

[LynzM]

14. LOL, cool!

Neat to hear that, thanks for sharing them! :)

[Rising Phoenix]

7. My friends and I "broke" a parrot in high school

her parents bought a very expensive parrot that talked very well. We got drunk one night and taught it a bunch of swear words. Her parents were so pissed, I feel bad now, but at the time it was a riot

[Reverend_Smitty]

8. a foul mouthed parrot

man that must have been a hoot, but I can see how its owners would be pissed

[I_Make_Mistakes]

9. I have been having my parrot flap her wings (FLY)

since she was a baby. I read somewhere that even though their wings are clipped, they still need to exercise those muscles. When she wants to stop she bails onto my shoulder. I have to be careful, it really hurts when those wings swat your face. Also, does Gabby pant heavily after a short time of flapping, Afrika does. I don't know if this is normal or not?


Aren't you afraid of an accident? I've heard that one reason to not let a bird fly freely in a home is that they may fly into a window and break their neck or God forbid out the door. That is why I clip Afrika's wings.

As for the poop issue, my parrot poops on command before I take her out of the cage. The problem is birds poop very little but very often ( I read somewhere like every 25 minutes). It is strongly advised to not teach a bird to poop only on command, because if they hold it too long and there could be problems.

[Ladyhawk]

13. I used to work in a pet store. We got several second-hand parrots

that had learned to swear effectively...and of course, they taught it to the rest of the flock. A favorite of macaws is: "SHIT!!!!" Macaws like loud, boisterous language. :D