Gigi update

[Dona]

Gigi is doing great! She is busy, busy, busy, moving around, playing with toys, hanging upside down, navigating her cage well. She takes a few naps during the day and sleeps well at night about 8:30PM-7:30AM. Hard to believe that I didn't even know what a Linnie was a month ago.

After having many noisy birds over the last 40 years, it's amazing how quiet she is. She gets so excited when I wake her up and does chirp a little loud a few times but then during the day she just chortles and tweets and buzzes in such a sweet way. I love how she quietly sings herself to bed. Great bird for a condo.

She is eating Roudybush pellets with enthusiasm. She checks out the people food I offer each day but hasn't taken a bite yet. I've offered small pieces of chicken, salmon, carrots, apple and green beans. I'll just keep trying and will consider giving her fresh food first thing in the morning and hold off on pellets for an hour just to get her to give it a chance. The breeder said 70-75% pellets, rest should be veggies and protein, mostly cooked for now and fruit.

I am able to put my hands in the cage to change out food and water (she sometimes jumps on my arm) and pet her. But as I take her out I need to be really patient. She did bite a few days ago but not again. Once outside she is super sweet, happily practices step up, and likes to be on my shoulder, especially under my hair. I bought a play gym that I will get soon. I'm also looking forward to her first bath/shower. Breeder said wait one week. I was showing her herself in the mirror over a sink and she pooped. When I ran the water to clean the sink, she got very excited.

My grandchildren (9, 6 and 3) visited on Sunday and spent a lot of time watching her. She was super excited, showing off and coming as close to them as she could in her cage. We will wait a bit till they touch her. But I'm thinking if I hold her against me she will be very happy to get a little pet on her back. They are super sweet girls and will follow all my rules carefully. They are here at least a few times a week and I'm thinking that Gigi will really like the action.

All in all, it's going great. I'm a very experienced bird owner but will need to learn the particular needs of Linnies and specific needs of my Gigi. But most birds seem to know that I like them and then they like me. I think this is going to be a great relationship!

 

[sunnysmom]

I'm glad to hear things are going so well!

 

[Dona]

Thanks sunnysmom! What a dear pic of your cockateil. 20 years, so sweet. I've been watching cockateil youtubes lately. My gosh, there are some talented singing cockateils! Many years ago when my husband and I were both still in school, we had a cockateil named Echo Boy who spent many a day on our shoulders while we studied. All my school papers had little bite marks.

 

[lotus15]

What a lovely update! Sounds like your relationship is off to a great start!

 

[WallyLoopey]

Wonderful update!

 

[Katnap]

Thanks for the update Dona.
Sounds like she is settling in really well. Linnie bath time is a highlight for us. We use a warm water spray bottle and just squirt until they are soaked (usually on cage cleaning days since everything gets wet). They hang upside-down and fluff their wings and feathers out to catch the droplets just like they would in a rainstorm in the rain forest. The wacky thing is that my turquoise Jazz used to show this behavior whenever I would vacuum too....we always thought it was an instinctual behavior because the vacuum sounds like a thunder storm.
Keep the updates and pictures coming!
Kat

 

[Dona]

Thanks everybody!

Kat, I can't wait to see that! So cute about the vacuum! I did spray Gigi a little today and she was not enthusiastic. She clambered up my arm acting like "I'm so glad you were there when that happened to me!" But she's just a little lady. I'm sure in time we will have fun bath times!

 

[Katnap]

Hopefully she will warm up to spraying, my cobalt never did.....she runs from water like she's made of sugar and will melt. She prefers the faucet but I have to really coax her until she sits still on my finger and gives me the eye while I do the work and move her around under the water stream. When she is wet enough she gets to burrow into a warm towel and complain.