Plugging along... waiting for Spring

Why no update for such a long time?  Easy.  I've been lazy. 

Here's what we've been doing:  We train a little "here and there" throughout the day on some days, train heavily at cage cleaning time on some days, and do very light training on other days.  I've had to mix it up so that my flock isn't sitting there, hungry, waiting for me to show up with the goodies... and them skipping that dry bird food all day long.

I got new foraging toys for all 4 birds.  Bobby was too scared for the first two weeks to have it in the cage.  It's in the cage now, but still untouched.  His phobia comes and goes, but the hormonal season takes it's toll on him.  He's cut off two or three tail feathers, but his chest feathers are growing back in.

Coco's been ok, but not great.  He's hormonal, too.  He chews a lot of cardboard and sometimes will not train at all in spite of the fact that he hasn't been given any sunflower seeds all day long.  I've decided to "try" and if he's not in the mood, just back off.  Three days in a row he wouldn't train, but by last night he was STARVING for some seeds and complied eagerly.  (: 

Lucy shakes her head vigorously up and down for "Are you a bird," and Gracie shakes hers in a "no" for the same question.  This new trick seems easy and fun for the girls.

So, as I said, it's been hit and miss these past weeks, but we aren't joining the circus and there isn't any deadline.  I enjoy interacting with them when they're up for it and try not to be too disappointed when they want to just do their own thing.

No bites.  No screaming. No extreme phobia.  Lucy is getting to like head pets. 

What's new?

Lucy

There are a few small new things going on with the flock.  First, they've been a little less hormonal the past week, thank goodness!  Bobby is slightly less paranoid and Gracie less "panting and wing-fluttering" also.

Gracie is learning, reluctantly, to lay in my left hand and release her feet from my right hand.  It's frightening for her, so we have gone slowly.  She is releasing ONE foot currently for a nut.  Maybe we'll get to TWO feet released next week.

I've been teaching Gracie and Lucy to answer Yes and No.  It started with asking them, "Are you a bird?"  To this I wag my forefinger horizontally and puff a little air in their faces... creating a head shake.  LUCY decided that the answer to "Are you a bird" was a YES head shake before I blew on her... so a YES head shake is being rewarded with a nut.  Might as well go with the bird's natural response, right?  Gracie is slow on the uptake with shaking her head no and the hand signal.  She sees the hand signal and thinks I want her to turn around or flap her wings.  Occasionally, she does get it right, though... and what more can you ask for?

Coco is doing the same stuff for sunflower seeds and is in the groove with the whole business.   I purchased a foraging wheel where I can put lots of kibble and sunflower seeds for him to forage for.  It took a few minutes, but he got it and spends quite a lot of time fishing out those seeds.  He has a cardboard box in his cage to chew on as well, but still manages to shred his chest feathers.

We purchased a few more preening toys and a couple of talking boxes for the birds.  Most of that stuff is hanging on the outside of their cages until the birds are no longer threatened by their evil presence.

Weight:  The birds have actually gained a few grams from the switch to kibble plus training.  They aren't fat, but nicely filled out.

Lucy is the only one that is eating fruit, but she is being picky.  Coco won't eat much of anything other than my homemade birdie bread and scrambled eggs... if I hold them while he eats.  So, I pulled out some of my mom's home canned black berry juice and offer all the birds a little bit during the day.  It isn't sweetened, but they love it... except Coco.

I did notice that the birds were, in general, not eating much during the day as if they knew they would get nuts at training time and so were not motivated to that birdie kibble.  Therefore, I've been switching up the training now and then so they don't "EXPECT" nuts at any given time.  At times, I give them just a few seeds/nuts at training and quit while they're still hungry.

Bobby and Gracie got a shower today and Lucy got one yesterday.  Coco didn't want to come out, so he's a dusty mess.  {:  We