To Catch A Thief!

Humans might call me a Pack Rat! I beg your pardon!!! A hoarder? I don’t think so! Me? Stealing? A Thief! Never!!!! But officer, it was a misunderstanding, I was just BORROWING IT!!!

Marcia uses a dish drainer in addition to the dishwasher. Items we use everyday get put in the dish drainer. Other things go into the dishwasher. One item that Jeff uses everyday is his coffee mug. He fills it up every morning as he gets ready to leave the house for work. He puts on the special lid so that it doesn’t slop and spill everywhere. (I understand this is an act performed by many people in their need to satisfy their caffeine addition.) In the evening, he or Marcia washes the mug and lid and places it in the dish drainer to be used the next morning. I’m quite smitten with the lid too! I like to take it out of the dish drainer and throw it on the floor, just like the rest of my toys.

This particular day, I had other plans. I never intended to enter a life of crime, but the coffee lid treasure was just too hard to resist! There it was in all of its radiant black plastic loveliness!!!!

Watch the video and pay attention to my quick thinking and stealth action!

Fast forward, the next morning. Jeff gets ready for work, time to fill his mug… no lid? Where’s the lid? “Marcia, have you seen my lid?” he asks. “No, it should be in the drainer” she replies. Just so happens there is another similar type container in the cupboard (not his favorite) and he reluctantly fills it up and off to work he goes. I secretly hoped that loosing the lid would keep him home with me, alas that idea did not work. Several days go by, searching for the lid continues. Jeff concludes it was the best coffee mug lid he had ever had and will just have to go and buy a replacement.

Then, one day Marcia decides it was time to clean my toy drawer. (A chore she does about every other week.) This is the drawer in the kitchen, next to my cabinet where I go to shred my toys. A nice dark place and perfect for hiding things. Guess what she found!!! OH! MY! The coffee mug lid!!! HOW DID IT GET IN THERE??? She gave me three guesses and the first two didn’t count!

Mystery solved! I had enjoyed quite a few chews in seclusion and the rubber gasket necessary to keep the liquid contents from spilling had been totally shredded. Those humans! They really should take better care of their prized possessions, otherwise they become MINE!!! Lesson Learned AGAIN!

Color My World!

A friend is doing a school science project, and asked me to help. I love science! (After all my name is Einstein!!!)

She is trying to determine if parrots prefer a certain colors over other colors.  She asked me these questions.

1. Do I have a favorite color? Green.
I can say green and salad is green. I love to eat salad! Most vegetables are green.

2. Do I prefer to play with toys of a certain color?
My favorite toy is a bell. They are shiny and usually silver.

3. Do I eat food pellets that are a certain color?
My pellet parrot food is all one color. It is natural yellow sort of color. I used to eat colored pellets many years ago and the color I preferred was… Green!!!

I can say Green, Red, Orange, and Purple. Green was the first color word I learned.

Marcia decided to do an experiment with me. Watch!

The results: Green was chosen first, followed by Orange, Red, and Purple. (These are all words that I can say. However, I do not say them when they are shown to me.) Yellow and Blue were last. (Words I have not learned to say.)

Now, this was not a very scientific study. Marcia tried to repeat the experiment, but I was not in the mood. You know… Scientists are very temperamental!

I hope this helps my friend and gets an A+ on her project!!!

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Update of the school science fair project: 5/11/2011
My friend won first place and got a Blue Ribbon! YAY!!!!  WAY TO GO!!!  CONGRATS!!!!

To Buy a Baby Parrot or Adopt an Older Parrot? – That is the Question!

I’ve been asked this question so many times! The answer is not easy, even for me, “Einstein”! Before I give you my opinion, let me tell you my story.

I was hatched in a closed aviary (A closed aviary restricts the introduction of new birds to prevent infectious diseases.) located in Garland, Texas in June of 1997. The breeder raised the chicks in her home, so my first months of life were in a home environment. The home was clean and well kept. I was held by humans and fed by the breeder’s grandchildren. I learned about the sounds of a vacuum cleaner, a dog barking, children playing, and all the other sounds and activities of a home life! By the time I was old enough to go to my new home with Jeff and Marcia, I was ready! The breeder was responsible! She made sure that Jeff and Marcia knew what getting a parrot was about! Before she accepted their down payment she told us about books to read and she told them it was like having a 2 year old child for the rest of their life!!! She did not paint a rosy picture and told Jeff and Marcia to go home and think about it! They started to read everything they could find! Remember this was 1997, and the internet was still in its early days! There was not a lot of information to be found on the internet! The rest is history; I came to live with Jeff and Marcia. To this day, they continued to read and learn about parrots and how they should be trained and raised.

It was a couple of years later that Marcia and Jeff learned about parrot rescues. These are places that are filled with birds that were not as lucky as I was! The parrots were purchased as babies and then for some reason or another, the owner did not have time for them or they developed behavior problems. It was heartbreaking to hear stories about people who could not spend time or make a commitment to their feathered friend! It was then that Marcia began my website in 2001 to educate people. To let people know that parrots need interaction and companionship to thrive in captivity! Given that, we make pretty entertaining and wonderful companions!

My opinion…
80% For the adoption of older (re-homed) parrots
20% For the purchase of baby parrots from RESPONSIBLE Breeders
100% Against the capture and importation of wild caught parrots.

It’s a fact, everyone loves baby kittens, puppies, and parrots. We live in a free society and we cannot stop people from going into business and breeding parrots. However, we can decide who to purchase those parrots from, and we should only do business with those breeders who are responsible and who look out for the welfare of the parrot. Breeders should screen prospective owners, educate the buyer, and refuse to sell to someone who is not suitable. Prospective owners should do their homework and be prepared for parrot ownership. If you are making your baby parrot purchase in an informed and responsible manner, I congratulate you!!!

Unfortunately, parrots will continue to be placed into rescues due to the irresponsible decision to purchase a baby parrot. These birds need your help! Here is a list of Rescue Organizations. If you own parrots, like parrots, or thinking about getting a parrot you have a responsibility to support a rescue organization. Go visit a rescue, ask questions! You may find that the parrot of YOUR DREAMS will be right there waiting for you!!!

Sponsor a parrot! This is a terrific idea if you don’t have time in your life for a parrot right now! Did you know many parrot rescues have programs where you can donate toward a particular parrot while it is being kept at the shelter until it is adopted? People don’t think twice about donating to a dog or cat shelter, parrot shelters need donations too! (I donate to several organizations, and whenever I’m in a contest, all my winnings will always go to a parrot rescue!)

More importantly, my opinion doesn’t really matter! People need to make their own decision. It must be an educated and researched decision. Be a responsible pet owner! There are Pros and Cons to owning both a new baby and an older parrot. (There are plenty of websites that address these Pros and Cons*.) Let it be said, a parrot is not the right pet for ALL people! We live in a busy society and people should realize that owning a parrot is a commitment for the rest of your life!

Lastly, I’d like to share a quote by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, “Many have forgotten this truth but you must not forget it. We remain responsible forever for what we have tamed."


*Pros and Cons: Baby vs. Older Parrots
http://www.petparrots101.com/buy-adobt-parrot.asp

Still wondering if you should own a parrot? Read This

My Play Perches

Ever Since I was in the DVD and CD ROM combination set entitled, “Train Your Parrot To Talk”, a lot of you have been asking me about my play perches.  I really like them and if you're crafty you can probably build them yourself.

The pictures are in thumbnail,

so click on them to see the "BIGGER" Picture!

My Kitchen Perch

My human, Jeff made this perch for me when I was a little chick.

It is made from an unfinished bar stool (24" tall) and a plastic plant saucer (22" diameter).  Marcia bought the toy hook from a company that is now out of business and she can't find anyone who makes one like it these days.  It mainly stays in the kitchen but can be rolled into other parts of the house.  The saucer is bolted to the stool, so it can be taken apart.  This is the perch we take to the bird sitter and when we go for a road trip in the car.  

My PVC Perch

This perch purchased at a Bird Mart in May of 1998.  It was built by the man who was selling them.  He had a whole bunch.  Marcia has never seen him at the show again, so I guess he went out of business too. 
 
I hope these pictures and measurements help you build one.  1" PVC pipe and fittings were used.  The measurements indicated are the cut lengths of the PVC pipe before you glue the fittings on.  I don't know what kind of glue was used.  Just be safe and be sure it doesn't "off-gas" and hurt your birdies. The measurements are close, but not exact. For example, I measured the poop tray as 17" x 25" and it's really 18" x 26".  The poop tray is a baking sheet and can be purchased from any restaurant supply. They can also be found on Amazon.com Click Here I suggest starting with the tray and build everything out from there.

 

   

Underside of Bowl

Tray and Tray Frame

Tray frame rests on intersecting supports



 

To make the PVC pipe less slippery, it looks like it has grooves gouged into it.  Most likely done with a Dremel tool.  All of the perches that I use are textured like this and I have no trouble getting around on them.



There are 10 stainless steel screw-eyes for hanging toys.  They are indicated with a red dot in this picture.



Have fun with this project and send me a picture of the perch you build!







The Drawer

This is my all time, new, favorite activity in the whole world! I LOVE TO PLAY IN THE KITCHEN DRAWERS! I will beg every day after lunch to go to the drawer! I get very noisy when I beg! Lots of bird sounds and I also say "I Love You!" ... Sweet-talking Marcia works every time!

Here is a picture of me begging!

When Marcia finally gets tired of me acting this way, she clears off the kitchen counter and empties a drawer next to the drawer where she keeps the kitchen towels. (She puts toys in the empty drawer for me to play with. You'll see what happens later!) I'm soooooo happy when I sit on the kitchen towel drawer! Then when she goes into another room, I crawl down and open the cabinet below. There's not much in the cabinet except boxes of dishes that she only uses at Christmas time.

Here I am, about to go into the cabinet! THIS IS SO FUN! When I'm in the dark cabinet, I pretend that it is a hollow in an old tree! A perfect place to build a nest if I lived in the wilds of Africa! I climb in and close the door behind me! Then I climb up and onto the side of the closed drawer that has a bunch of toys just for me. I perch myself on the edge of the drawer and have the best time shedding paper and all my toys! Then when Marcia comes back into the room, I crawl out of the cabinet via the towel drawer. In this picture, she opened up the other drawer to take a picture of what I had done! I'm so proud of my accomplishment!

I'm I building a nest? I dunno, but it sure is fun!

Watch this movie of me and my kitchen cabinet exploration:

I hope you enjoyed my drawer adventure as much as I do! See ya next time!