#thegrotesquerie

[pixelonline]

Soup: Summer squash and leek / Salad: Mesclun Tomato and Mozzarella with Raspberry Vinaigrette / Entrée: London Broil Pineapple Honey Glaze, Red Potatoes, and Sautéed Vegetable Medley / Dessert: Rustic Pear Pie, Caramel Sauce, and Vanilla Ice Cream (I FUCKIN LOVE PEAR PIE)

Thanks! ^_^ I also really, really like pear pie. It’s, like, the best pie out of all of them.

[horatioandalice]

Is it typical for birds to get really skittish during puberty? Everything I'm reading talks about aggression rather than skittishness but I can't figure out why else my sweet loving baby (green cheek) has suddenly started acting so afraid of me. He'll step up and sit on my shoulder but acts like I'm trying to kill him otherwise. He's 2 years old now, but this started sometime last summer. I don't know what to do and I miss my baby. :(

Oh, no!  :(  Puberty can do weird things to birds.  First off, are you sure he's actually scared and not just asserting his independence?  Running away from your hand might not be a sign of fear, but rather a "I DO WHAT I WANT" gesture of defiance (which is also not great, but is better than fear)--Spencer does this sometimes.  It's not unusual for birds to get a little standoffish during puberty, especially if they see their owner as a parent, because just like human teenagers, they're trying to establish themselves as individuals by distancing themselves from their parents.  If this is the case, a little persistence on your part can help--for example, when Spencer runs away or bites when we try to get him to step up, we just keep on having him step up until he behaves to let him know that he's not going to change our behavior by being a brat.

On the other hand, if your bird actually IS afraid of you for some reason, I think the best thing to do would be to act almost as if your bird were completely untame so you can win back his trust.  Birds are weird and moody and can be freaked out by the smallest thing sometimes (I once had to start retaming my budgies because I accidentally dropped my glasses case while they were out and it scared the bejeesus out of them and they were suddenly terrified of me again -_- ).  Have him sit on your shoulder or hang out with you, but don't try to pet him or play with him unless he initiates it.  Give him treats every now and then to show him that hanging out with you is rewarding.  Try to find a way to keep him occupied when he's out so he doesn't get bored or freak himself out--if you have a playgym, putting it near you and then putting him on it with a foot toy or some treats can help keep him occupied--and then just sort of let him do his thing.  Eventually he should start to understand you're not a threat, and might start getting interested in you again and come over to investigate.

I hope this helps!  It's so frustrating when your bird starts behaving in a way you don't understand and you can't figure out why, but unfortunately that's part of being a bird owner.  Please don't hesitate to ask if you have more questions--I'm happy to try to help you get to the bottom of this!

[horatioandalice]

Hi there! Where did you get that flat wood perch Violet was napping on? :D

Hello!  :D  It's actually a "small animal" perch, so we got it in the hamster/guinea pig/rodent section of our local Petco!  Our late budgie hen randomly got a foot infection and lost a couple of toes despite the vet's attempts to save them, so we got a couple of flat wood perches because we thought they'd be easier for her to stand on.  She did seem to appreciate them, and although she's no longer with us (she died of causes unrelated to the foot infection), the other budgies seem to appreciate the opportunity to stretch out their feet on the plank perch, too.  The only downside is that they do tend to be very effective poop collection devices and can be tricky to clean--I tend to spray ours down with a solution that's about 50% white vinegar/50% water, let it soak for ten or fifteen minutes, and then use a paper towel to scrub it under hot running water, which is the easiest way I've found to clean it.

[horatioandalice]

How did you teach Spencer the "gentle beak" thing?

Trial and error!  :D  Unfortunately, the learning process did involve a lot of getting bitten, and even now it doesn't work all the time (like if he's feeling particularly food aggressive or if he gets carried away while playing).  But it's cut down a LOT of the amount of biting he does, which is important because green cheeks have a tendency to be kind of nippy, especially as adolescents.

I started out by gently pulling my hand away and saying, "Gentle beak," when he would start biting too hard.  At this point he clearly didn't understand the command, since I had just started using it, but he would always pause and look at me, and I would wait a minute before giving my hand back to him.  Usually he seemed to get the idea and would play more gently.  Over time as he got better at adjusting his beak pressure in response to the command, I implemented the "three strikes" rule: he got a maximum of three "gentle beak" warnings, and then the next time he bit too hard, he got a five-minute time-out, during which he not only went into his cage, but got totally ignored.  If he bit me when I went to let him out, he got another five minute time-out.  Since Spencer LOVES attention, the time-outs were very quickly effective.

As we developed our relationship and he let me start petting his beak, I started doing what I think was the most helpful thing: I would pet his beak gently while saying in a praising tone, "Gentle beak," accompanied by other praise (e. g., "What a good bird, nice bird, who's a sweet bird," etc.).  This way he came to associate "gentle beak" with gentle beak pressure and mellow, cuddly-type interactions.

Now, I would say the "gentle beak" command works about 85% of the time, and I rarely have to put him on time out for biting anymore.  I've been able to get him to let up in the middle of a bite by saying, "Gentle beak," and then gently petting his beak, at which point he usually starts doing the gentle "mutual beaking" (where I gently pet his beak by holding it between my thumb and forefinger while he gently beaks my fingers) thing instead of biting.

I would say one of the most important components of getting the "gentle beak" thing to work, though, is that I pay attention to Spencer's body language so I know to back off BEFORE he feels like he has to resort to biting.  Biting usually is the result of a bird trying to convey, "No, I don't want to do that," in the only language he has available to him (posturing, angry/irritated vocalizations, retreating, etc.), and feeling like those warnings have been ignored.  In order to cut down on the amount of biting, therefore, it's important for the bird to know he can trust you to respect his boundaries BEFORE the point at which he has to resort to biting.  A bird whose boundaries are ignored too often can start skipping over the "warning" body language and just going straight to biting.

Obviously there are times when I have to get Spencer to do things he doesn't want to do, like if I need to move him somewhere and he doesn't want to go, or if I need to towel him to clip his claws, and these are the times I still tend to get bitten, but in this case it's important for me to continue to have him step up even if he bites so he understands that he can't control my behavior by biting.  I know this seems contradictory, and it IS kind of complicated, so I guess to summarize: respect your bird's boundaries as much as you can, and if you have to get him to do something he doesn't want to do, don't let his biting affect your behavior.

I hope this helps!  It took the better part of about four months to get Spencer to really respond to "gentle beak", so patience and the willingness to let yourself get bitten a few times are necessary.  :D  Let me know if you have other questions!

[horatioandalice]

Hi! I noticed you had a water bottle in Spencer's cage and I was just wondering where you got it? Is it just like a regular rabbit/hamster/whatever bottle? I want to get those for my birds but wasn't sure if the metal on them was safe or not. Thanks!

Hi!  :D  We got them at Petco, I think, in the bird section, so they should be bird-safe.  (I don't know that the ones in the small animal section are really any different, but it's probably best to stick with the ones in the bird section, just in case.)  He likes it, and of all the water dishes we've tried with him, this is the one he's been least able to contaminate with food, lol.  (He had a silo waterer for awhile, but he kept dunking/dropping his food in it, so it got really disgusting really quickly and was very difficult to clean.)

[mossbelly]

thegrotesquerie replied to your post:thegrotesquerie replied to your...

Sorry to be such a downer!! lol but I’d rather people be prepared for what they get into. I definitely miss mine, but I do think once was enough, lol.

no it's good! i'd rather know in advance and evaluate if it's still something i really want...

i'm already particularly prone to crusties on most of my piercings so i can't even imagine dealing with super extra crusty nipples all the time

[mossbelly]

thegrotesquerie replied to your post:thegrotesquerie answered your question:nipples or...

I really loved mine while I had them, but ultimately they just refused to heal completely so I ended up removing them. You’ll want to wear at least 2 sportsbras the first few weeks because the less your boobs move, the less they hurt.

lol this idea is sounding less and less awesome

[mossbelly]

thegrotesquerie answered your question:nipples or double-nostril piercing first??

nipples take an absurdly long time to heal, if that factors into your decision at all. :)

ohhhh noooo! i do have a job that involves a bit of running about, and that could be a problem (i imagine issues with chafing/soreness would be inevitable).  miiiiight go for it anyway...