esoo-hoo@BONNIE.ICS.UCI.EDU (10/30/89)
I've had my little Bud (hehe...found out Bud's actually a girl) for eight years now. I've finger-trained her and she's even trained to fly around just the kitchen area (easier to clean up and she won't get lost in the rest of the house). She's real sweet, but every time I attempt to pet her, she bites me. It wasn't this hard to get even the meanest macaw to let me pet him...any suggestions? --Elaine! :)
nora@cbnewsl.ATT.COM (nora.y.mclaughlin) (10/31/89)
In article <8910291210.aa15790@BONNIE.ICS.UCI.EDU>, esoo-hoo@BONNIE.ICS.UCI.EDU writes: > > I've had my little Bud (hehe...found out Bud's actually a girl) for eight > years now. I've finger-trained her and she's even trained to fly around > just the kitchen area (easier to clean up and she won't get lost in the > rest of the house). She's real sweet, but every time I attempt to pet her, > she bites me. It wasn't this hard to get even the meanest macaw to let me > pet him...any suggestions? > > > --Elaine! :) From my experience, there are some birds that like to have their heads scratched and some that don't like it. And Parakeets are those that don't like it. I understand Cockatiels love it, my Blue Front Amazon loves it, especially when he is getting new feathers. By the way, does anyone know what that is called? (getting new feathers). Nora
rcb33483@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (R C. Buchmann) (10/31/89)
In article <2494@cbnewsl.ATT.COM> nora@cbnewsl.ATT.COM (nora.y.mclaughlin) writes: >loves it, especially when he is getting new feathers. By the way, does >anyone know what that is called? (getting new feathers). Every bird goes thru a period at least once a year called the _molt_, where a birds sheds it's original plumage and grows a new plumage. Some birds, such as ducks, do this in large sections--they lose all their flight feathers at once. Others, such as songbirds (and budgies) shed their feathers more gradually. Generally the molt is like growing permanent teeth--the new feathers force the old out of the follicles of the skin. The effect is something akin to a rash. In the wild, some birds, such as the house sparrow, take dust baths to help this along. However, you apparently serve the same function to your pet. To your budgie, this is the same as a deep massage or a loving back-scratch, because for some birds, the skin gets quite irritated during the molt. Note: some pet birds feel the molt more than others--some pets don't like to be scratched even during their molt, as you indicated. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- R. Cody Buchmann ^.^ "Kehaar" email: rcb33483@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu "Now I fly for you..." - Watership Down ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
noonan@cbnews.ATT.COM (D. J. Noonan) (11/01/89)
In article <2494@cbnewsl.ATT.COM>, nora@cbnewsl.ATT.COM (nora.y.mclaughlin) writes: > In article <8910291210.aa15790@BONNIE.ICS.UCI.EDU>, esoo-hoo@BONNIE.ICS.UCI.EDU writes: > > > > I've had my little Bud (hehe...found out Bud's actually a girl) for eight > > years now. I've finger-trained her and she's even trained to fly around > > just the kitchen area (easier to clean up and she won't get lost in the > > rest of the house). She's real sweet, but every time I attempt to pet her, > > she bites me. It wasn't this hard to get even the meanest macaw to let me > > pet him...any suggestions? > > > > > > --Elaine! :) > > From my experience, there are some birds that like to have their heads > scratched and some that don't like it. And Parakeets are those that > don't like it. I understand Cockatiels love it, my Blue Front Amazon > loves it, especially when he is getting new feathers. By the way, does > anyone know what that is called? (getting new feathers). > > Nora Some budgies *do* like to have their heads scratched. It depends on the personality of the bird. My wife and I are budgie breeders and I have noticed over a large number of budgies that we have (and have had) that hens have a tendancy to bite and in general do not like to be handled. Every time I have to catch a bird in the aviary I first determine whether it is a hen or cock. If it is a hen I prepare myself for the possibility of getting bitten. Some have drawn blood!. Obviously your pet bird is much more tame than these birds. But I would still bet that your bird since she is a hen may not want to be handled in the manner your talking about. I don't know if the same is true for all hook-billed birds. These comments are based on my own experiences with our budgies (which we have over 150 of) and from discussions with other budgie and hookbilled breeders. We have one budgie that is a pet and she does not liked to be petted (although she did when she was very young) she is also very terratorial of her cage and does not like anyone reaching in her cage or placing their hands near it. She is however very friendly once she is out of her cage and happily sit on your shoulder or finger and whistles. (We also have to watch her around our miniature dachsund. She like to preen her! However the dog doesn't take very well to preening.) Something to keep in mind when you are choosing a budgie for a pet is to consider a male, they seem to be a bit more friendlier. Dennis Noonan, Columbus OH
richman@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu (11/03/89)
}To your budgie, this is the same as a deep massage or a loving back-scratch, }because for some birds, the skin gets quite irritated during the molt. Note: }some pet birds feel the molt more than others--some pets don't like to be }scratched even during their molt, as you indicated. } } }-- }------------------------------------------------------------------------------- }R. Cody Buchmann ^.^ } "Kehaar" } }email: rcb33483@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu "Now I fly for you..." - Watership Down }------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Just to add a comment to the above thread, some birds, notably Cockatiels seem to enjoy having their pin feathers "popped" gently. Many parrots become much more affectionate when moulting for this reason. However, a bird in moult needs to have good hygene and lots of food, vegetables, fruits and calcium (or a subset, depending on the bird). -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Mike Richman internet: richman@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu bitnet: richman@uiucuxe.bitnet or richman%uxe.bitnet@uiucvmd uucp: {puree,convex,uunet,...}!uiucuxc!uxe!richman -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
stewartw@warpdrive.UUCP (Stewart Winter) (11/03/89)
In article <10827@cbnews.ATT.COM> noonan@cbnews.ATT.COM (D. J. Noonan) writes: >bet that your bird since she is a hen may not want to be handled in the manner >your talking about. I don't know if the same is true for all hook-billed >birds. These comments are based on my own experiences with our budgies >(which we have over 150 of) and from discussions with other budgie and >hookbilled breeders. I don't have budgies, but I had heard many times that females were more aggressive than males ... this would confirm it. Now, of the ones that I know females are more aggressive in lovebirds and eclectus parrots. Males are more aggressive in cockatiels (although you seldom see real aggression). Large non-dimorphic parrots, I have less information on. Certainly during breeding season a male macaw becomes the aggressor, but I don't really know what the situation would be with pets. Since you have 150 budgies, I would be really interested in knowing what kind of a set up you have to manage so many birds. I suspect others might too. Stewart -- Stewart Winter Cognos Incorporated S-mail: P.O. Box 9707 VOICE: (613) 738-1338 x3830 FAX: (613) 738-0002 3755 Riverside Drive UUCP: uunet!cognos!stewartw Ottawa, Ontario "The bird for the day is .... parrotlet." CANADA K1G 3Z4
noonan@cbnews.ATT.COM (D. J. Noonan) (11/10/89)
In article <7405@warpdrive.UUCP>, stewartw@warpdrive.UUCP (Stewart Winter) writes: > >birds. These comments are based on my own experiences with our budgies > >(which we have over 150 of) and from discussions with other budgie and > >hookbilled breeders. > > Since you have 150 budgies, I would be really interested in knowing > what kind of a set up you have to manage so many birds. I suspect others > might too. We have in our basement an aviary (approx half of the basement). We have 3 large indoor 'flight' cages. These are large cages (from floor to ceiling) which the birds are free to fly in. The smallest of these cages is approximately 6 feet by 6 feet. The largest is about 6 feet by 20 feet long. A fourth cage (~6 feet by 10 feet) is an outdoor flight that adjoins the largest indoor flight through a basement walkout door. The majority of the budgies are in these cages. The birds are separated based on various reasons depending on the season. Typically young birds that have not had their first moult ('bar heads') are kept in a separate flight. Breeder hens are kept in another and the remaining birds that are not being bred remain in the largest flight (and outdoor flight in fair weather). In addition to these 4 flight cages, we have about 24 breeding cages. These are cages that are approximately 24 by 18 by 18 inches high. Attached to each of these cages is a nest box (~8 by 8 by 8 inches) in which the hen lays eggs. Controlled lighting is used to simulate normal outdoor conditions. Special (i.e. expensive) flourescent lights are used which produce light which is practically just like indirect sunlight. (Vita-light) (Plus there is light which comes in through the windows) To identify birds, they are all banded using bands obtained through the American Budgerigar Society, which we are members. My wife keeps records on all birds on a computer database. She can keep track of breeding records, traits, etc. and produce pedigrees to examine individual birds' lineage. Well that's probably more than you wanted to know, but you asked. Dennis Noonan