Willow’s thread

[WillowQ]

Willow and I got Friday doughnut and had a long visit. (Willow was busy with his avicake and didn’t have any doughnut.). He had a nice head scratch, and I put him on my shirt to get used to being off a perch. He was not sure he liked that at first.

I presumed to read my book. Willow didn’t like the loss of attention and ran and got the Scary New Ball for me. Surprise, surprise. I think that took about two weeks of watching the scary new ball before he determined it wouldn’t eat him.

It is amazingly warm today- maybe 80 F- when we had a good covering of snow two weeks ago. What a change!

 

[WillowQ]

Today both birds were out alternating most of the day. Willow seems most happy when he’s on his perching basket on my lap. He puffs up and crunches his beak and seems serene.

 

[WillowQ]

I made split pea soup last night. Today I’m having it for lunch. Willow and jasper both got a little cup of peas porridge. But Willow refuses to eat out of his cup. He must eat out of my bowl or off my spoon. He also doesn’t like the texture and shakes his head after every bite to get it off his beak. So I’m getting tiny splotches of peas porridge all over.

here is Willow eating my peas porridge instead of his own dish. (Granted, those tiny ramekins get cold quickly.)

 

[cnyguy]

I think it's the parrots' variation on the old saying " the grass is always greener in the other fellow's yard." In this situation, it's "the food is always tastier from someone else's dish."

 

[Pixiebeak]

I made split pea soup last night. Today I’m having it for lunch. Willow and jasper both got a little cup of peas porridge. But Willow refuses to eat out of his cup. He must eat out of my bowl or off my spoon. He also doesn’t like the texture and shakes his head after every bite to get it off his beak. So I’m getting tiny splotches of peas porridge all over.

here is Willow eating my peas porridge instead of his own dish. (Granted, those tiny ramekins get cold quickly.)
View attachment 427571

Same!!!
I set mine up right next to me with exact food I'm eating. They like wow this is great! Then as soon as I start eating mine they are on my head trying to steal bites on the way to my mouth, hanging of my hand , one staged in my chest to steal and somebody climbing in the bowl or plate! Monsters!
Now if I want to eat in peace , they all get caged with a portion, and I est my portion alone!

 

[Xoetix]

Same!!!
I set mine up right next to me with exact food I'm eating. They like wow this is great! Then as soon as I start eating mine they are on my head trying to steal bites on the way to my mouth, hanging of my hand , one staged in my chest to steal and somebody climbing in the bowl or plate! Monsters!
Now if I want to eat in peace , they all get caged with a portion, and I est my portion alone!

I had to do the same with mine Tteok runs from my shoulder down to the utensils to steal food, and Isadora just gets six inches away from my head and screams at me because she wants a bite.

 

[Pixiebeak]

I had to do the same with mine Tteok runs from my shoulder down to the utensils to steal food, and Isadora just gets six inches away from my head and screams at me because she wants a bite.

Yes!
Plus they out number me!

 

[WillowQ]

It didn’t really matter to me to have Willow hanging off the side of my bowl, but the flying beakfuls of pea soup were not the greatest.

i can say he’s getting louder and louder, which at this point is good. I hear the ack acks and whistles from my living room in the morning and I am comforted that SOMEBODY is glad I’m awake.

 

[WillowQ]

Willow had his morning out time and has been exploring more. He is no longer content to sit nicely on his basket, but was walking around on my bed looking at things and standing on them. That’s good.

Willow has been such a quiet inhibited bird that I’m happy he now feels secure enough to be naughty. Lucy was so entirely full of naughty until she was very very old; it’s been a change not to buy a new toy and have the bird launch himself into the air to attack it. Willow usually runs away!!

He has started yelling in the morning as soon as he hears me move. He’s no longer waiting quietly; he tells me off if I don’t move fast enough. Unfortunately today I have a cold so I think they will get less out time than I might like.

i think I really need to get both birds used to the play tree in my bedroom so they can be near me without my absolute attention. It’s very nice and climbable and I’ve added lots of neat toys. I’d like them to be able to hang out nearby and not need to be cuddled all the time.

 

[WillowQ]

Willow is having a nice long snuggle and out time today. He is in a nice mood and enjoying his evening. An avicake helps make the world brighter.

 

[Kassiani]

Willow is really blossoming!

 

[WillowQ]

Yes, Willow’s been coming out of his timid shell and Jasper has been more friendly in the last few months.

 

[WillowQ]

Willow and I had a long scritching time today. Jasper was also out for nearly as long but got antsy so went back in her house earlier.

I just dyed the greying hair in my forelock and around my ears a mix of blue purple and aqua tones. I’m hoping the change will be small enough that birds don’t decide they’re living with a stranger! I figure I don’t need to bleach the white wisps growing in and I am too young for grey. So why not try some colors? It is still wet and I won’t be able to tell juice much it shows up until tomorrow, when my hair is dry.

I think Willow will be fine with it but Jasper might not. Kinda like the face masks.

 

[WillowQ]

Hi- Jasper got out today while I was sleeping off a migraine and perched RIGHT next to Willows cage (on an attached branch) for a couple hours. I’m pretty sure willow was scared as when I found and returned Jasper I had a Velcro bird for an hour. He didn’t even want to eat his avicake. I had to actually HOLD HIM between hands or hand and face.
My poor boy.

in other news, the birds didn’t really notice my blue and aqua and purple highlights (grey lights?) in the front of my hair. I dyed my greying streak. But it looks really cool! And it was easy to do since all the grey (white) is right in front.

I kinda look like a crow or grackle. And the hair is past my butt now so looks cool and otherworldly.

i will try again tomorrow with both birds (jasper was just fine with her supervisory position). It’s warmer out but our backyard is under construction so there’s not anywhere to sit with a bird. And both find the construction fence and banners and tape to be scary.

new pic of me and Willow: the highlights didn’t show up too well here.

 

[justqltin]

Does Willow come out of her cage voluntarily? I'm still struggling to lure Coney out. She is a sweet baby when she is but she resists leaving her cage....

 

[WillowQ]

Willow will come out onto his cage door. Sometimes I need to step him up onto a towel from his closest perch. I usually shake his treat jar while asking him to “come on, step up) and give him a little fruit treat upon stepping up.
He gets excited when I come near his cage, I think because he wants to come out but also wants to defend his cage and his sleeping spot, which I must not touch. So I might need to back away a step but still ask him to come out and step up.
He knows he gets a treat when he comes out and usually gets an avicake when chilling out on his basket.

 

[WillowQ]

Does Willow come out of her cage voluntarily? I'm still struggling to lure Coney out. She is a sweet baby when she is but she resists leaving her cage....

Coney is a beautiful girl! The yellow is so pretty.

 

[WillowQ]

Willow is calm and happy today and has quite recovered from yesterday’s Bird Stalking incident.

Willow is so pretty and sleek and sitting right next to me crunching away. If I pet him more than he wants, he will beak me and give a slight pinch. He and Lucy have both been very aware of beak pressure and not biting in general.

Willow also likes me to rub his head neck and beak and kiss his cheek. He is basically potty trained and knows that he’s supposed to go over paper, garbage cans, or while perched on his cage or basket ALTHOUGH if I forget to give him a potty break I will get ‘blessed’ by him.

He is such a gentleman. I have been fortunate to happen upon two such amazing Quakers. If I had my druthers I would hire my brother to build me a completely bird oriented house with bird stations in most rooms for them to hang out safely.

 

[WillowQ]

Willow and I have been having a long snuggle time today and I kissed Willows head, saying, “kiss, kiss.” He replied with a breathy, “kish kish”! He doesn’t talk often and definitely not away from his cage. But his perching basket is on my lap and he sits on the handle by my face.
I end up typing in lower case a lot because the other hand is busy petting bird. He will peck me if I’m not attentive.

 

[WillowQ]

Willow was especially snuggly today; unfortunately part of it was that he was scared of Jaspers new toy and needed to hide behind my neck.

He is such a good boy though and was whispering at me when I came to get him from his cage. But he gets so excited when I’m by his house; I have to stand the perfect distance so he doesn’t get weird that I’m trying to invade but close enough that he understands I want him to come out. And then he chews on his favorite toy while saying “c’mere c’mere” which gets tiresome.

but we had a lovely long time out and then a shorter time out with Jasper before she wanted to go home. She is just not as into being pet or cuddling.