Happy Holidays To All

[Shaman]

Ian,
Happy Holidays to you. Thank you for the website and the information you make available to us that feeds our interests. Wishing you and your family and the subscribers to the forum a healthy (affordable too) and happy holiday and New Year.
Best,
Richard

[Ian]

Thanks Shaman. Happy holidays to youself and everyone else as well.

[eliminator]

Merry holidays to all !

[Ian]

My kids made out like bandits again this year. I don't know where we're gonna put it all.

I really didn't get much. I thought I cured my mom of this, but she went and bought me clothes.. dress clothes at that. I hope she kept the receipts.

[Dartman]

My Christmas was about as interesting as the rest of this year for me. Last Sunday my Parrot Nerd that I've had for 31 years died after being sick for about a week
Everyone in the family felt bad about him and decided to pool their money and my little sister found another bird an hour away that was the exact same breed and everything as Nerd was and he was reasonably priced and really needed a new home.
Christmas eve my step dad and I went to see him and he mostly took right to me after battling the poor lady who's been looking after him since his previous owner was no longer able to care for him.
He was letting me scritch his head and touch him and everything when he would attack her whenever she tried to deal with him so I bought him and brought him home. He later bit me a couple of times but now I know his particular warning signs and will work with him till he comes around.
So I loose one great friend of a bird, then gain another right when I figured Christmas was kinda spoiled.
I also got some cool shirts, another one of those cheap auto wire strippers, some really nice work/boot socks and a good dinner and family time, the rest of the family got some good things as well and were happy me and the new bird are working on a understanding with each other.

[Ian]

I'm sorry to hear about your parrot Dartman. I couldn't imagine losing a pet that I had for 30+ years. What did you name the new one?

[Dartman]

I/we haven't decided yet as we're still getting to know each other. It seems he can also talk which is sorta rare for a Pionus Maximilian parrot but occasionally you can kinda understand something he says while muttering and chortling to himself. He was VERY quiet and a bit scared /shy first day but now he's starting to make noises and react to us more like normal, but he hasn't figured out his cage door is open for now and he can come out any time he likes.
He hasn't tried to bite today and seems pretty calm but I'm watching him while I scratch him so I don't loose any more skin.
The family has called a few times to see how he's doing and I even got a nice sympathy card from the vet who tried their best to save Nerdel the 2 times I brought him in.
I hope everyone else's Christmas wasn't quite as interesting as mine turned out.

[Shaman]

My wife and I experienced the loss of two of our pet cats after 18 years within a year of one another. They were family to us and losing them was extremely painful. We had to put each one down and that was hard. I can imagine the feelings of loss after thirty years. Don't know if this thought is intrusive, but might we see a photograph of your new Pionus Maximilian parrot, if you care to show us. Good fortune with him.
Best,
Richard

[Dartman]

Sure, I'll post one of Nerd bird, then the new guy who I heard trying to talk a bit earlier today. He still refuses to come out of the cage but he's making noises a lot and reacting to us and is not quite as quick to bite, although I now know what his bite mode looks like.

[Shaman]

Dartman: A handsome Maximilian with lovely coloration. Thank you for showing us New Bird. Sulking or pensive? In any case, imagining treats from you and maybe music might make the transition easy. Let us know how he's adjusting. Happy New Year to you and your family and New Bird.
Best,
Richard

[Dartman]

He's getting more attached to us now and starting to say even more words and phrases he's picked up but he's still hard to understand.
He sometimes strikes at me when I reach in to try and scratch him, sometimes he bows his head and lets me scratch away. I guess he's still deciding if he should defend his new home and trying to assert some pecking order. If I reach in through the bars though he'll go right to scratch mode and he's starting to get upset when we leave the room, still wont come out though and it's funny to try and entice him out with a peanut becuase he stretches out as far as he can and wiggles his tongue trying to reach it before I finally give it to him. Trying not to be threatening so he gets the idea we're OK and he can trust us and doesn't have to be on guard or bite. Also handing him lots of food and treats and he takes them nicely enough.
Now Nerd always made basically wild bird noises and was always quite skinny, even when he was in great health, never much heavier then 214 grams. But he hung in there for 31 years with me so with any luck this guy should do at least as well, I'd bet he's at 225 or 230, he's a big boy and eats like a tiny horse.
Nerd had happy bird noises and erks and whistles, this guy mumbles, talks, and chirps so a bit different critter seeing how he was hand raised and not wild caught.
I'd say that first night he was kinda pensive and didn't know what was going to happen, he's had a lot of things happen to him lately so not surprising.

[Shaman]

Sounds like New Bird is in excellent hands with a thoughtful and sensitive companion in you. I used a similar strategy to get a Sea Gull to come up to me and take food from my hand on vacation in Bar Harbor Maine. There's definitely the potential to make a connection even with a wild Sea Gull. In time, Stating the obvious and appreciating 31 years experience with Nerd, I am imagining you and New Bird will become close friends. I maybe reading into the photograph, but he looks like he's feeling the vibes you are getting from him matched by his behavior. Sounds like you have a good strategy to earn his trust. Thank you again for the update. Hope Ian doesn't mind using the forum this way. I'll just keep sending good vibrations and wish everyone the best.
Richard

[Ian]

I'll probably be sleeping well before midnight so Happy New Year folks!

[Dartman]

Well we usually stay up late enough to hear all the ruckus and gunfire as the clock turns over, and listen to the police scanner which can be quite entertaining on holiday nights like this. If your outside it might be a good idea to stand under something substantial as the hour turns so you don't get hit by any stray bullets.