Tell me about your linnies

[thewateroflife]

I would just like some more input please. I want to make the most informed decision. Do they eat much the same as a gcc? Do you have a play gym for your linnies (I would love to see a picture)? What are they like in general just some personal experience. Is it easy to add more once you have one or two? What are there favorite kinds of toys? How are they to train as far as any nippiness goes? Anything you think is note worthy. Thank you

 

[BraveheartDogs]

My Linnie and GCC (and all of my parrots, in fact) eat the same. They have pellets available at all times, they get fresh food, usually a mash mix in the morning and some nutriberries in the evening. My linnie doesn't play too much with toys, but he does like the small shreddy ones. He loves his sleeping hut. He loves to fly around. He always goes to my GCC cage first but he also enjoys flying around and landing on the highest spots. I have nets and boings up high and he goes up on those a lot.

 

[thewateroflife]

Thanks! So cute! Love both there little faces!!

 

[jmfleish]

My guys eat Roudybush pellets and a variety of seed mixes that I buy here and there from Goldenfeast mixes to TOPs Napoleon seed and a few others I've tried. I give them about 50/50 of the pellets and the seeds every day and they also get fresh raw foods, mostly veggies daily or near daily.

As for playing, my guys LOVE to play. Having them is like having a fish tank...I could sit around all day and just watch them. I'll post some pictures of their cage. They really like Molly's Bird Toys (Molly's Bird Toys | Hand-made bird toys that are fun and unique) as well as just about anything that is shreddable and size doesn't seem to matter to them. They'll play with toys 10 times as big as they are!

I also have a playground that we created just for them and we have a grapevine tree that was meant for our medium sized birds that they love to hang out on. Our guys are pretty easy going and fun to be around. We didn't do a whole lot of training...they're just really easy birds I think. Like I said in the other thread, we got five babies all at once and they had grown up together at the breeders, so they all pretty much got along all the time. We call them the Hillbillies because they're kind of rough around the edges. A few months later we added Pyp and Winnie who are unrelated but came from the same breeder that Crystal's Smooches and Sampson came from. A week later, we were going to add just one more, Calvin Butters Fleishman, our Creamino but at the last second, I decided to take home one of his friends as well that he grew up with because I didn't want him getting overwhelmed with all the other guys.

They're extremely flock oriented parrots, much more so than my medium sized guys (three greys, two Amazons, two Cockatoos, and two Eclectus) and it's fun to see them play together. I think it's easiest to get a pair at the same time but others have added as they've gone. My guys still sleep together in the original groups they joined us in.

Here are some pictures:

Winnie and Pyp


The Hillbillies




The grapevine stand with a huge toy on it meant for my Amazons


Calvin, Winnie, and Sophie


Calvin aka Butters


Eli, Noah, and Ollie


Calvin and Hobbes


A view of their cage


Their playground

 

[BraveheartDogs]

I love your Linnie army. It makes me want a linnie army crawling all over everything, but I can't cause Argyle + Autumn =

 

[thewateroflife]

Thanks for the pictures there great! Awesome cage! Do they like to chew up wood and what kind? Looks like in most of the pictures they are chewing up paper stuff. Is that what they like the best? Do you sprout the seeds. How do you do the sprouting. I have a bag of tops seeds all in one seed mix. I would love to know how to sprout them.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

Argyle is kind of picky with toys but when he plays he likes shreddy stuff.

Thanks for the pictures there great! Awesome cage! Do they like to chew up wood and what kind? Looks like in most of the pictures they are chewing up paper stuff. Is that what they like the best? Do you sprout the seeds. How do you do the sprouting. I have a bag of tops seeds all in one seed mix. I would love to know how to sprout them.

 

[jmfleish]

Thanks for the pictures there great! Awesome cage! Do they like to chew up wood and what kind? Looks like in most of the pictures they are chewing up paper stuff. Is that what they like the best? Do you sprout the seeds. How do you do the sprouting. I have a bag of tops seeds all in one seed mix. I would love to know how to sprout them.

My guys do chew up wood, mostly balsa and pine. Balsa doesn't last too long. I just put a balsa toy in their cage last night and was amazed to see it ravaged this morning! The pine lasts a longer but they do chew on it. I just got some mini bites from Mother Plucking and put those on a skewer for them with little beads in between and they love that. They also love chewing on cotton rope and anything they can shred. I have a number of toys and beds and such that they like to crowd into as well such as the beta bed, the Jolly Ball, and various coconuts that have been hollowed out. My guys will crawl all over stuff too and I have plenty of toys from Grey Feather that they really enjoy. Honestly, my guys will literally play with anything.

 

[jmfleish]

As far as sprouting for them, yes, I do when I'm not totally lazy. It's very nutritious for them. There are lots of threads on AA on how to do it. I would just do a search on the site for that.

 

[BraveheartDogs]

This is Argie's favorite toy Fanteriffic by Bagel Toy Creations - X-SMALL- SMALL BIRD TOYS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE

 

[Meatball]

My linnies are not huge players like Jens! I wish they would play, but Smooches my baby is the only one that likes to play and he is a light player. Doesn't really destroy anything, just beaks it. He seems to like shreddable stuff, loves to preen the bird safe cotton rope on toys and sisal.

They eat the same fresh foods and mash as my other birds. I feed them smaller pellets and a smaller Bountiful Harvest blend from My Safe Bird Store.

I really love linnies, they are pretty quiet, very gentle and thoughtful parrots. They are clowns too, love to hang upside down like bats and love spray baths. They have an easy going nature and like Jen mentioned if you get them from a good breeder the fear of hands is minimal if any. Both my Sampson and Smooches have no fear, but they came to me as babies.

On the flip side, they can be bratty and willful! My Sampson is a total turd and tells me off if he doesn't get his way! He has to be in my business all the time, if I have food it becomes his! But he is my love and also the sweetest little boy when he sits on me and wants kisses all night! He used to love scritches too but after I got Napoleon he no longer needs me for that. But he is still a total love and insists on sitting on my chest and resting his beak against my mouth forever getting kisses.
Smooches is a scritch lover too! They like to burrow under blankets and in your shirt. Also love to be on your shoulder in your hair.

I do want to put the disclaimer in here that although my linnies are sweet and cuddly, not all linnies will be. I also have a very untame linnie that I can not handle at all. But he was a rehome.
They are all individuals and you may get a more independant or bratty linnie. Or a linnie who loves to play or a perch potato etc.
I love to tell people about my birds but also feel the need to put that out there because to many people (including myself when I got my first bird) read about how awesome a particular species is and then are disappointed when they are not exactly like someone elses bird they were told about.
It took me a while to realize and appreciate how individual Parrots are.

Can't wait to see what you decide!

 

[Meatball]

This is Argie's favorite toy Fanteriffic by Bagel Toy Creations - X-SMALL- SMALL BIRD TOYS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE

Liam just destroyed that toy in a day! I had it in the linnies cage and nothing, put it in Liam's cage and gone~

 

[Meatball]

My guys do chew up wood, mostly balsa and pine. Balsa doesn't last too long. I just put a balsa toy in their cage last night and was amazed to see it ravaged this morning! The pine lasts a longer but they do chew on it. I just got some mini bites from Mother Plucking and put those on a skewer for them with little beads in between and they love that. They also love chewing on cotton rope and anything they can shred. I have a number of toys and beds and such that they like to crowd into as well such as the beta bed, the Jolly Ball, and various coconuts that have been hollowed out. My guys will crawl all over stuff too and I have plenty of toys from Grey Feather that they really enjoy. Honestly, my guys will literally play with anything.

Your linnies are awesome!! Do all the linnies play like that or is it mostly the hillbillies? Smooches plays but never shreds anything, he mostly beaks stuff and preens cotton and sisal. he is very gentle with the toys. The other 2 well you know, bums!

 

[jmfleish]

This is Argie's favorite toy Fanteriffic by Bagel Toy Creations - X-SMALL- SMALL BIRD TOYS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE

Oooohhhh! That one looks like a winner for my guys too. Here are some of my guy's favorites:

Things For Wings:
Things for Wings Original Parrot Toys
Dominican Dingle from Things for Wings Original Bird and Parrot Toys
Valentine's Day Bird and Parrot Toys from Things for Wings

Molly's Bird Toys:
Bunch-O-Shreds | Molly's Bird Toys
Cheesy | Molly's Bird Toys
Coco Clusters | Molly's Bird Toys
Kissing Hats | Molly's Bird Toys

Oliver's Garden:
Oliver’s Garden Bird Toys - Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada
Small Bird Toys - Buy Online
Oliver’s Garden Bird Toys - Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada
Oliver’s Garden Bird Toys - Chester, Nova Scotia, Canada

Big Beaks Bird Toys:
Big Beaks Bird Toys
- small roller coaster swing http://bigbeaksbirdtoys.com/DSC02293.JPG
- pretty bird http://bigbeaksbirdtoys.com/images/pretty-bird-new.jpg
- small tiki hut http://bigbeaksbirdtoys.com/images/small-tiki-hut-new.jpg

Mother Pluckin Bird Toys
Button Crazy
leather and beads
avian tiny wafers
avian small cork stuffers

Grey Feather Bird Toys:
Parrot toys, bird toys, bird food at Grey Feather Toys s
Parrot toys, bird toys, bird food at Grey Feather Toys s
Parrot toys, bird toys, bird food at Grey Feather Toys s
Parrot toys, bird toys, bird food at Grey Feather Toys s
Parrot toys, bird toys, bird food at Grey Feather Toys s

Super Bird Creations:
Super Bird Creations Mini Starburst
Super Bird Creations Busy Birdie Play Perch - SUPER BIRD CREATIONS by MY SAFE BIRD STORE

And of course all sorts of perches from The Little Perch Company, T4W, Bird on the Rock...etc. They love platform perches, especially the small ones from The Little Perch Company.

 

[jmfleish]

Your linnies are awesome!! Do all the linnies play like that or is it mostly the hillbillies? Smooches plays but never shreds anything, he mostly beaks stuff and preens cotton and sisal. he is very gentle with the toys. The other 2 well you know, bums!

All nine play with complete gusto! They are just so much fun to watch and I can't stress enough that I honestly don't think any toy is too big. Although they can all fly, they love to climb and will use the bigger toys as jungle gyms. I'll have to get some video of them...very rarely are they ever just sitting somewhere...they're always into something. I love the Molly's Bird Toys as well and did just get an order for them, so you will be getting a little extra in your SWS order when it's ready. I think we can turn your perch potatoes into players yet!

 

[Meatball]

All nine play with complete gusto! They are just so much fun to watch and I can't stress enough that I honestly don't think any toy is too big. Although they can all fly, they love to climb and will use the bigger toys as jungle gyms. I'll have to get some video of them...very rarely are they ever just sitting somewhere...they're always into something. I love the Molly's Bird Toys as well and did just get an order for them, so you will be getting a little extra in your SWS order when it's ready. I think we can turn your perch potatoes into players yet!

I would love to get them playing! Right now their favorite past times are eating and sleeping!