The Doodle Bird Blog

Nani and Piper: The Dynamic Duo

2011-08-22T19:58:00.000-05:00

Over the Summer months the birdbrains have been progressively getting along more and more. They are at the point now where they spend all day together in or on the play cage and preen each other without too much complaining. Both now initiate play (verses before when Piper always went after Nani only to be promptly reprimanded), and they share nicely at the same food/water bowls. What a difference from those first few trying weeks!

Below is a quick video of their typical antics (it gets interesting after the first 20 seconds):

Possible Proof - Why some Black-Headed Caiques have black skin around the eyes

2011-08-02T22:16:00.001-05:00

I made a post a few months ago on a parrot-related message board and I thought I would share it here...

05-25-2011 I've often wondered why some BH Caiques appear to have dark black skin around the eyes while others have light grey skin. Usually the wild BH's have dark black skin verses most of the pets I come across have light grey. But I may have a possible answer...take a look at these two photos of Nani...

This one was taken about 6-8 weeks ago when I took her outside for the first time this year:

And this one was taken only a few days ago:

Why the change? Well I can't say for sure, but I'm thinking it has something to do with sunlight. She has been getting about 2+ hours a day of direct sunlight either with me outside or in the south-facing window I leave open for them in the afternoons. I think it is similar to how we get tan in the sun. Could I be right?

We Are FRIENDS!

2011-08-02T22:03:00.000-05:00

Yes it has finally happened! I can safely say Nani and Piper are true friends. They spend every day (from dawn till dusk) together. If I try to separate them they frantically call to each other from room to room. Granted I think Piper is more attached to Nani than Nani is to Piper, but they have even started preening one another. I am so grateful that my two sweet babies get along.

One other fun bit of news is that they were featured in this months issue of Bird Talk magazine. I sent in the one of them in their little harnesses from this Spring and they printed it!

The Hardest Bite To Date!

2011-07-05T06:23:00.000-05:00

Nani has bit me in the past for various reasons and even drawn blood once or twice but today's bite takes the cake! The only consolation is that the bite wasn't meant for me.

You see, she hates the cat. When I say hate I mean it's all out WAR. The cat is deathly afraid of Nani (and Piper but he seems to know that Nani is the one that means business). Well tonight when I got home I let the birds out and was playing with them on the living room floor. The cat wanted my attention too but didn't dare get too close. Since Nani was preoccupied with a toy I called the cat over for a scratch (my bad). As I was petting the cat Nani ran over and attacked him. Unfortunately for me what she latched onto was my hand! As soon as I lifted my hand it Was like she realised it was me and let go. But her lower mandible dug in so far it will not stop bleeding! It hurts SO BAD. I wasn't upset with her because I know she didn't mean to get me but wow! In a weird way I see her former bites as not so bad knowing now that she could have done far more damage if she really wanted to.

Then and Now

2011-05-17T00:56:00.002-05:00

Nani Then: Fall of 2008...

Nani Now: Spring of 2011...

Fast Friends

2011-05-01T15:09:00.003-05:00

As you all know Nani wasn't thrilled about the new addition to the flock a few weeks ago. When Piper first got here Nani wanted nothing more than to gouge out her eyes and hang her limp body out as a warning to any other feathered intruders. So for the past 17 days I've been working with them, slowly letting them spend time together. To my delight they have become great friends! All they want to do is play and if I have them separated they will call to each other. They both constantly mirror what the other is doing whether it be eating, preening, or hopping around like a crazed maniac. They love to pounce on one another and roll around squealing in true Caique fashion.

Above: Nani happily lets Piper into her territory.
Below: A bit of good old play.

Caiques are known to be rough when they play. Watch how they chase each other around and gleefully instigate attacks:

Watch on Youtube: Video 1 & Video 2

First Day Outside

2011-04-25T14:22:00.006-05:00

Today is a beautiful 60° and sunny day here in Minnesota. The wild birds are singing, trees are in bud, and a chorus of Gray Tree Frogs serenades us from the pond down the hill. It is the perfect day for bringing little feather-butts outside for the first time this year. Nani, being an old pro, demonstrated to Piper how one sits patiently while getting the aviator harness put on. Being it was her first time Piper had a few choice words for me as I coerced her into hers, but in the end it was a success and out we went!

The airplanes overhead were scary...

...but we soon got over it...

...don't we look pretty together?!

Watch video here

Super Sneaky Spy Girl

2011-04-19T21:29:00.003-05:00

When Nani has her nightly playtime there is always major cuteness overload. But I rarely can get it on tape because the minute I do she stops what she's doing and wants to come out of her cage. So last night I was trying to be super sneaky and get undercover video of her playing with her toys. Unfortunately I was caught red-handed!

Watch on YouTube

Peek-a-boo!

2011-04-19T21:18:00.003-05:00

Tonight while my daughter was showering I heard cute noises coming from the bathroom. Can you tell which one is Nani?

Watch on YouTube

Piper's Playtime Video

2011-04-15T12:10:00.002-05:00

Piper is a real sweetheart and just wants to snuggle all the time. As much as I love that I want her to learn to play on her own. Babies that are snuggled or carried around constantly tend to demand the same when they are adults and scream/bite to get their way. So today I set out to show Piper some of her toys...

Meet Baby Piper

2011-04-13T21:25:00.008-05:00

I've been waiting for weeks! Finally today I went to see the three baby White-bellied Caiques over at Platinum Parrot, the same breeder I got Nani from. Two of the chicks were just a few weeks old and the other was about 4 1/2 months old...ready to go to a loving home. Well how could I resist taking one home today?!

She (pending the DNA results) is such a little clown. While I was there she jumped off the table to the floor to pounce on the cat. The cat was so gentle, poor little fur ball, despite it's tail being chewed on. I'm giggling just thinking about it. But it was all in good fun, no one was doing any serious damage. After they wrestled around a bit little Piper came to sit on my finger.

The first thing she did was the classic Caique "beak rub". If you have one you know what I'm talking about. It's a cross between a greeting and declaring you as theirs. They rub their beak on your hand vigorously for a few seconds followed much of the time by a growl of approval. Well of course I fell for her immediately and home she came!

Next came the nerve wracking task of introductions. I had a feeling Nani would be less than thrilled about the invasion, and I was right. Although she seemed calm at first, just staring in shock at my audacity to bring in another feather butt into HER house, it soon became clear she wanted Piper dead. After placing the baby in her portion of the double cage I purchased a few months back Nani viciously attacked the bars. So she had to spend a "cooling off" period in the bedroom cage. But no worries, that's more of a reward than a punishment. Nani likes to go there and growl at the wild birds as she looks outside.

Things have calmed down for the night and both birdies are sleeping away at the moment. I hope they can eventually be friends...or at least acquaintances. Here are a few shots of my new baby Piper:

Nummy sprouts.

Time for a Mandarin...or two.

Nani in "time out" a.k.a. Jail Bird:

Sometimes The Best Toys In Life Are Free...

2011-04-11T15:54:00.003-05:00

video link

Just A Quick Note...Pop Art Nani

2011-04-11T00:38:00.004-05:00

The other day I was going through my saved web pages and came across Foto Flexer. I did some fooling around and thought I'd share this one:

Baby Pictures!

2011-03-23T19:58:00.004-05:00

Today I received the first baby pictures of our new White Bellied Caique from the breeder! These two feather-butts are so adorable! I'm not sure which one will be Nani's new friend...I want them both! Just look at those little faces....

Oh Happy Day!

2011-03-21T12:17:00.004-05:00

I have gotten lots of good advice after my last blog entry. It seems almost unanimous that Nani is most likely suffering from hormonal overload. The breeder I got her from suggested that although she may be a bit young to be going through full-blown sexual maturity, this year's many snow storms and changes in barometric pressure send birds into a tizzy. Animals can certainly sense things we lowly humans cannot, and such climatic disturbances make them...well...more "twitterpated" than usual. In March we've also gained several hours of sunlight here in Minnesota along with warmer weather.

It was also suggested that I take a look at her diet. Nani can be quite finicky when it comes to healthy foods. I have her on a mix of Harrisons, Zupreme, and Roudybush pellets as well as occasional fresh fruits and veggies. I've tried in vain to get her to eat sprouted seed/legumes. These have a high nutritional value but are apparently not very appetizing to her. She shakes her head in disgust at the mere sight of them. But sprouting will be a topic of another day...I haven't given up yet!

The good news is that I haven't been bitten for several days now and she got up on the right side of the bed this morning. She's been singing and generally cheery all day. I changed some of her toys around and she started hopping around the couch to show her appreciation. She's also been very playful!

I've posted a video on my blog of the happy occasion. This is typical Caique play wrestling. Although it may appear otherwise I am being very gentle as is she.

See video here.

Who are you and what have you done with my bird?

2011-03-17T16:07:00.002-05:00

I can admit when I need help and now is one of those times. For some time now, perhaps the past 1-2 months or so, Nani hasn't been herself. Normally she entertains herself for hours and rarely screams. But lately it seems as if she doesn't know what she wants or needs. Screaming has become a real problem. She loses interest in new toys almost immediately, usually within a day or two. I have purchased numerous new toys of various types and nothing seems to do the trick in the long run. I thought perhaps she needed more one on one time but she gets bored with me as well. I'd say about 75% of the time she just beeps desperately. Beeping has been her way of saying she wants something whether it be food, to be let out of her cage, or general displeasure with where she is at the moment. Trouble is, no matter what I try it doesn't seem to be what she wants. It's like trying to figure out why a baby is crying even though it's been fed and changed.

To make matters worse she has started being more aggressive than normal. In the past few days I have been bitten several times. Usually it's when I try to remove her from some sort of trouble she's getting into. I will not go so far as to say the bites are for no reason. Each time I can identify why she's bitten but the strange thing is the frequency of these incidents. Usually she will do "warning bites" which consist of a soft nip and an annoyed noise. These don't hurt at all or break the skin. If you insist with whatever you're doing that she doesn't like it is only then that she actually bites to do damage. (there are a few exceptions when she will bite right away but her behavior lately in uncharacteristic) It is possible the aggression is related to the new cage but it doesn't explain her other behavioral changes over the past few months. Are the two even related?

I can't figure out why her behavior has changed. She's healthy, eats well, and has plenty of stimulating toys. Could it be the change in weather/daylight? Is this just a new personality trait? Is it something that Caiques go through at 3 years of age? How will she react the the new Caique? Does she need a friend to play with? Will it make matters worse? I'm at a loss and need answers.

All Moved In!

2011-03-15T17:01:00.002-05:00

After several days of the new cage being in the same room to get her used to it, Nani has finally moved in to the top apartment! She seems to like it although she's terrified of the bottom half. That's ok though being that space is reserved for the new birdie. Here's a few photos from the first few minutes in the new place:

Old Cage, New Cage

2011-03-05T15:57:00.003-06:00

The new cage arrived yesterday and I'm so excited! I'd like to do an unveiling:

Yes you're seeing correctly, it's a double cage with one compartment on the top and another on the bottom. We are getting another Caique! It will be a White-bellied Caique this time. The baby has just hatched and won't be ready to bring home for several months, but at least it's official. Nani's old cage, seen in the background, is about half the size of the new one. She's a bit weary of it still and hasn't gone exploring yet but hopefully soon will be over her fears. That's her atop the old cage in the photo, she's been comfortable enough with it in the same room. I'm not quite sure when we'll do the switch but the old cage will be going on Craig's List after a good cleaning (not looking forward to that...yuk).

So, I need to start compiling a list of baby names...anyone have suggestions? Nani's name (pronounced Nah-nee) means "beautiful" in Hawaiian. I liked it because it is unique and worked for a girl or a boy. I won't know the sex of the new baby until after it's here.

School's Out!

2011-03-03T13:38:00.002-06:00

Lately Nani has been a lot more noisy than she used to be. It's a bit disconcerting because she can be quite loud when she wants to be and in an apartment that can mean trouble. Luckily we haven't had any complaints (thank you awesome neighbors!) but it is still hard on the ears.

One of my theories is that she has Spring fever. Winters are LONG in Minnesota and we all start feeling it about this time of year. Still buried under snow, dreams of green leaves and warm breeze can drive a person (insert "bird") mad. Nani acts as if she doesn't know what she wants and just screeches for what seems like forever. I think she's stir crazy.

However, I have figured out that at least at one specific time of day there is a reason for her noise. It has become a custom in our house for Nani to accompany me to the front door to wait for my daughter to get home from school every day. I have noticed that she starts to screech about 5 minutes before head out the door. Then the whole trip down the hallway she chirps in excitement (this is a much more pleasant noise than the screeching). Once we reach the front door she growls until the bus arrives. (For those of you that read my blog regularly you know that Nani growls for many reasons including excitement.)

Hopefully once Spring finally arrives Nani will mellow out a little. But in the meantime I don't mind having a little alarm clock to remind me when to go meet my daughter's bus.

Does It Taste Better On The Floor?

2011-02-21T15:42:00.006-06:00

Today I made Nani a delicious medley consisting of brown rice, wild rice, corn, peas, carrots, broccoli sprouts, and dried cranberries with a hint of chili powder. At the sight of it she growled in approval and immediately rushed over to her bowl. But what happened next is the curious part. After just a few bites she delightfully started flinging bits and pieces to the floor. Oh what fun! Immediately she raced down the side of her cage and jumped to the floor where she started foraging with gusto. Now I asked myself, why go through all the trouble? I mean, doesn't this bowl look worthy of at least 15 full minutes of culinary enjoyment? Does it taste better on the floor?

But perhaps I've answered my own question. I think the keyword is "foraging". Since parrots in the wild must forage (foraging: the act of looking or searching for food or provisions) there must be a certain need for this behavior. Actually, it keeps their little brains busy and is enjoyable for them. Check out this cute and informative site on foraging: http://foragingforparrots.com/

(just look at those beady eyes pinning in excitement!)

So maybe the answer to the question is a resounding YES. It really does taste better on the floor.

♫♪♪

You're Just Yellow-Belly!

2011-02-19T13:45:00.002-06:00

I've been going through old albums and came across one of the first pictures I ever took on Nani as a baby back in 2008. Boy has she ever changed! She was only 2 months old at the time and was just a wee thing. She had the yellowest belly I'd ever seen and dark maroon-colored eye rings. It took 2 full molts for her to go from sunny yellow to bright white belly feathers and her eyes had turned tomato red by the time she was 2 years old. She's still a little on the small side as far as Caiques go; my little peanut.

Looking through these photos has made me nostalgic and there just may be a new baby in our future.

Nani, Just Another Happy Customer

2010-11-27T01:52:00.003-06:00

Yes, I admit it. I've been spoiling Nani lately. I ordered a toy from a new shop I found through facebook and Nani loves it! They even sent a free toy which she has since happily dismantled. We sent in a photo for the "customer's pets" page and they put it up! See it here, that's my beautiful birdie all the way at the bottom!

First Snow Day

2010-11-15T13:36:00.005-06:00

Yes, it's happened. My worst nightmare. There is a blanket of snow covering the ground and fall is officially over. Last week it was in the upper 60's and today we're at 38° as a high. I really don't care for winter as you may be able to discern, but the snow is pretty. Nani has been enjoying the nice weather lately. She likes to sit in the window and growl at the goings on outside. So I placed her there again to look at what had happened and she seemed shocked. Her eyes got big and started pinning right away. The growling noises were much louder than usual too. But nonetheless she sat there for several hours watching the neighbor kids make a snowman.

Fall Photo Shoot 2010

2010-11-15T13:29:00.004-06:00

Bird Tested, Bird Approved

2010-10-31T14:13:00.004-05:00

As some of you already know I have a shop on Etsy.com. I absolutely love Etsy, not only as a shop owner but also as a purchasing connoisseur (see how fancy that sounds?).
Nani has been in desperate need of toys lately. On one miserable day she was getting into everything; chewing on cords, flying to my head only to poop there, screaming constantly, and generally being a little menace. I had had enough! I happened to be working on my shop and decided to take a quick look to see if anyone made affordable handmade parrot toys. Sure enough there were several shops to choose from. I placed an order with Zeek's Beak and within days I received my order. Nani loves her new toys:

They were packaged so adorably with pink tissue paper and little bows. Not only that but I got 2 (count them) TWO free gifts with my order!

I have also ordered from Wysper Creations and was equally impressed. She's a Caique owner and fellow Minnesotan as well.