New Additions 2022

[Sparkles!]

Bad Chewie!! Hahaha. He sounds wonderful and I love him already.

 

[BrianB]

Chewie is home. We spent all day cleaning cages and moving stuff around so I decided to bring him home today. He’s in a large cage next to Poppy and she immediately started flirting with him. That’s why I call her Pop-Tart. Here’s Chewie in his new cage.

 

[April]

Chewie is home. We spent all day cleaning cages and moving stuff around so I decided to bring him home today. He’s in a large cage next to Poppy and she immediately started flirting with him. That’s why I call her Pop-Tart. Here’s Chewie in his new cage.

View attachment 402523

I just can't get over how absolutely stunning he is! Welcome home big guy!

 

[BrianB]

Christopher and I play this game. I spread my arms out and say Big Bird. In return, she spreads her wings and tries to look as intimidating as possible. This evening I put her on the sofa with the true love of her life and when I stood behind them she did this to me every time I moved. All I could do was laugh because she is so serious in her attempt to scare me away.

Chewie is loving his big cage. He won't even come out of it for me. He knows I can't reach him if he backs up, but if he leans forward far enough he will still let me scratch his head. It's his second new home in the last 6 weeks but he's getting settled in. Poppy is still flirting with him, but when I'm there she only wants my attention.

Chichi is heading home this coming Tuesday. I think it's a good fit and the woman has really put in the time and effort to meet my expectations. He will go for a final beak and nail trim tomorrow. The crew at the store will get to fuss over him one more time before he goes. Rubie went home today. It was nice for her to visit but nice for her to go home too. Her mom is hopefully doing better and taking control of her health. Victor, Chichi's father is going in for a nail trim tomorrow. He avoids the concrete perch in his cage and now his nails are a bit too long. I've tried but he's just too much for me and I need someone with more experience to do it for me. I'm going to take him in at the same time Chichi goes in. Hopefully, no one will be bloodied by the experience. He is a complete beast and beyond my ability to trim.

 

[Sparkles!]

@BrianB

Have we gotten to see Victor yet!?

 

[SumitaSinh]

Who's Christopher's true love??

 

[BrianB]

Christopher's true love is my other half, Felix. It was love at first sight and I think Felix looks a lot like Christopher's first owner. From the moment Christopher came in the door, he could do anything with her. It took months of work for me to be able to do anything other than move her from the cage to her stand. Even now, 8 months after she arrived, she can still be rude to me when she doesn't want to do something. Last summer, just a month or so after Christopher arrives, my oldest step-son Felix came to visit. We put Christopher on the island counter and she walked right over to him and leaned up against him like it was nothing. Both Felix's look a lot alike and she adores them both. We figure she's a little over 2 years old now, so we hope that a younger version of Felix can take her when the time comes.

I went looking for a good picture of Victor but didn't find one. This is from when they went into their flight cages and I was fitting the nest box to the back of it. He was very angry and ruffled because he had been wrapped in a towel to move from one cage to the other, and he couldn't get into the nest box. Victor and Valentina are a riot. He's a beast and rips things apart with his beak. I give them coconuts and pomegranates to play with, and they don't last long. Valentina, being a green wing is bigger than he is and when he gets to be too much for her, she just pushes him away with one of her feet. Of all the breeding pairs, these guys are the quietest. They only make noise in the morning when I'm feeding everyone. I'm going to try to get some better pictures of everyone. I expect they will breed soon so maybe there will be another baby Chichi or two this spring.

 

[BrianB]

Victor and Valentina

 

[April]

Victor and Valentina

View attachment 402685

Aww oh what a lovely pair! They are even holding hands!

 

[BrianB]

The nail trimming went well. Victor didn't bite anyone, nor did he scream once we got him into the carrier. I pulled a bait and switch on him. I rotate the dry and wet food dish between the bottom of the cage and the shelf in the cage. I filled the dry dish with nuts and put it on the shelf. He climbed over and started to grab a walnut, and when he did, I threw a towel over him and snatched him out of the cage. Valentina started screaming and then ALL of the other macaws joined in. We got him into the carrier and off to have his nails trimmed. He barely made any noise at all. Instead of the typical macaw scream during grooming, he made a very low "woof" sound. He behaved himself really well and didn't bite anyone. His lady was happy to see him when we got home. All I had to do was open the door to their cage and open the carrier. He crawled right out and up onto the perch next to her. They started preening each other right away and she gave me a lot of dirty looks.

Chichi got his last beak and nail trim, then I let the crew at the store spoil him for a bit before I took them home. Chichi goes home to California on Tuesday. We have grandbaby number 6 who is supposed to arrive on March 21st. Hopefully, the baby macaws start coming after that. A good 2-month break with no babies will be nice.

I've been getting updates on Penny. She's doing great in her new home and has discovered she loves the shower. I miss that little girl.

 

[BrianB]

I've been invited to bring one of the birds to a nearby senior center. When I spoke to the event coordinator she said they are having "Havana Days" to celebrate the Latin community that lives there. I'm going to bring Poppy because she's the easiest for me to handle, and she doesn't fly. I might bring Sandy from the store as well. She can fly but rarely does because of her age. I don't relish the idea of chasing a bird all over a room full of elderly people. Way too much of a chance that someone can get hurt. Poppy is the most colorful bird I have, but she can be nippy. My suggestion was that residents can have their picture taken with her, but they can't hold her. Maybe we'll use a stand or I'll stand there with her on my arm. There is another blue & gold at the store that came from the same home as Chewie. She's very sweet so she might be a possibility as well. It sounds like a fun way to bring some joy to older people who can't get out any longer.

 

[BrianB]

Our Chichi heads home this morning. The couple that is taking him are really nice people and he has enjoyed spending time with them during their visits. I'm sad to see him go, just like I was with Freya, but happy he is going to a great home. It's been a journey for him from the moment he entered our lives to the day he moved on. I'm going to miss this little man.

 

[April]

Our Chichi heads home this morning. The couple that is taking him are really nice people and he has enjoyed spending time with them during their visits. I'm sad to see him go, just like I was with Freya, but happy he is going to a great home. It's been a journey for him from the moment he entered our lives to the day he moved on. I'm going to miss this little man.

View attachment 403007
View attachment 403006

Best of luck in your new home. You absolutely gorgeous handsome boy!

 

[BrianB]

Chichi arrived home safe and sound last night after a 12 - 14 hour drive. His mom said he was very well behaved for the entire journey. He saw an avian vet this morning at U.C. Davis. She said he was beautiful and she felt no need for any additional testing aside from a physical. Everyone at the office wanted to hold him and take pictures. The house is very quiet today, but I'm satisfied that another healthy and happy baby has made its way into the world.

Poppy was featured on the Instagram page for Mazuri Exotic Animal Nutrition. You can see her here - http://instagr.am/p/CaC0oPMOu3p/
Speaking of Poppy. I'm about to take her out for her trip to the senior center. I'm taking a stand with me. I figure this is a good way for people to get pictures with her, and not have to hold her. The weather is overcast and windy today and that tends to make her grumpy. One of my coworkers is going to bring a cockatoo and a sun conure that's really sweet. This should be fun.

 

[April]

Chichi arrived home safe and sound last night after a 12 - 14 hour drive. His mom said he was very well behaved for the entire journey. He saw an avian vet this morning at U.C. Davis. She said he was beautiful and she felt no need for any additional testing aside from a physical. Everyone at the office wanted to hold him and take pictures. The house is very quiet today, but I'm satisfied that another healthy and happy baby has made its way into the world.

Poppy was featured on the Instagram page for Mazuri Exotic Animal Nutrition. You can see her here - http://instagr.am/p/CaC0oPMOu3p/
Speaking of Poppy. I'm about to take her out for her trip to the senior center. I'm taking a stand with me. I figure this is a good way for people to get pictures with her, and not have to hold her. The weather is overcast and windy today and that tends to make her grumpy. One of my coworkers is going to bring a cockatoo and a sun conure that's really sweet. This should be fun.

How exciting! I hope everything goes well and everyone human and feathered has a wonderful time.

 

[BrianB]

The trip to the senior center was a success for the residents. They all enjoyed being able to get their picture taken with Poppy. One of my coworkers brought Kookie, the Moluccan with her. Kookie was a dream. Poppy was grumpy and bit me 4 times while we were there. Twice she managed to break the skin. Taking the stand was a good choice. She stayed there and the residents were able to get pictures without any danger of her getting close to delicate skin. I would much rather she bite me than an elderly person. I suggested they call again later in the spring and I could bring a baby macaw or two with me. All those free cuddles for baby birds.

 

[April]

The trip to the senior center was a success for the residents. They all enjoyed being able to get their picture taken with Poppy. One of my coworkers brought Kookie, the Moluccan with her. Kookie was a dream. Poppy was grumpy and bit me 4 times while we were there. Twice she managed to break the skin. Taking the stand was a good choice. She stayed there and the residents were able to get pictures without any danger of her getting close to delicate skin. I would much rather she bite me than an elderly person. I suggested they call again later in the spring and I could bring a baby macaw or two with me. All those free cuddles for baby birds.

View attachment 403106

She's so breathtakingly gorgeous! What lucky folks they were to get to meet her.

 

[BrianB]

I got a message from Chichi's mom & dad asking if he's normally grumpy in the morning. We're up early and get the feeding done by 7 am, so now that he's in a new place he hasn't adjusted to the new schedule yet. I would be grumpy too if I had to wait a few hours for my morning coffee He's doing just fine though. They have adjusted their schedule a little to accommodate him. He's got a huge play stand to hang out on as well and he's started flying more.

I was spending some one-on-one time with Christopher because her other daddy is out of town for a funeral. We were sitting on the floor and she was dancing. I recorded her dancing to a few songs and then when one of them ended, she turned and gave me a really shady look, like it was my fault. Silly girl.

 

[April]

I got a message from Chichi's mom & dad asking if he's normally grumpy in the morning. We're up early and get the feeding done by 7 am, so now that he's in a new place he hasn't adjusted to the new schedule yet. I would be grumpy too if I had to wait a few hours for my morning coffee He's doing just fine though. They have adjusted their schedule a little to accommodate him. He's got a huge play stand to hang out on as well and he's started flying more.

I was spending some one-on-one time with Christopher because her other daddy is out of town for a funeral. We were sitting on the floor and she was dancing. I recorded her dancing to a few songs and then when one of them ended, she turned and gave me a really shady look, like it was my fault. Silly girl.

View attachment 403493 View attachment 403494

That's great that Chichi is doing so well in his new home,he's such a handsome boy! And Christopher is so precious too

 

[BrianB]

Chichi has his own TikTok, well, his mom does and it looks like he's going to be the star. I've been getting a lot of pictures and it looks like he's blossoming there with his new family.
https://www.tiktok.com/@deidredell
deidredell (@deidredell) TikTok | Watch deidredell's Newest TikTok Videos