Chatterbox

Filmed and edited a video of Sarabi chattering away, saying some things that are understandable and other things that are... not so much, haha! Enjoy:

Performance, Agility and Obediance competition

I entered Sarabi in a "Christmas Performing Pets" competition on Interdressage.com. It is a charity competition where the entry fee will be donated to two different animal trust funds in the UK, so it's a fun thing and for a good cause! The entry will be judged on performance, agility and obediance. I decided to show the moves, that demonstrate the three mentioned categories: Step Up, Step Down, Upside down, Fly to the cage, Climb, Stretch and Kiss. Unfortunately Sarabi is not the "performance kind of bird", haha, so I had to take countless retakes before she finally - sort of - cooperated. She was reluctant to do the stretch move (which I found quite strange, considering the fact that I tell her that command every day, at least once a day - when she is picked out of the cage). The Upside down move was no problem, even though it is the most recent command I've taught her. Anyway, I am happy that we managed to get some sort of entry program filmed anyway. Grey's sure do have a mind of their own! Maybe I should get myself a caique or some other bird, more willing to be trick trained? No, I think I will stick to my stubborn little CAG, she does have her charm! :)

A Grey on reindeer Christmas!

It's been ages since I posted an entry in Sarabi's blog, so I thought it was time to write an update on Sarabi's progress in speech and training and at the same time wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Sarabi seems to learn something new every day (or so it feels, she is very quick in picking up on new things). Additions to her vocabulary include:
- Open up (When she wants me to open the top of her cage, so that she can come outside).
- There you go! (Praise for when she's told herself to do something and then done it, like Step up).
- Look!
- Let's go in the bag (When she wants to go into her travel bag).
- Let's go in the car (When she wants to go in the car to go visit my parent's house and their CAG Malaika).
- Malaika (The name of my parent's CAG).
- It's bedtime!
- Want some (When she wants something eatable, it can be used for any kind of food that she wants).
- Where's the toy?
- Goodbye!
- Be a good girl!

I've also taught her a new trick that I call: "Upside down". It is simply her hanging upside down from my hand, like a bat. I've told her this before, since I always turn her upside down when I give her a shower (to reach underneath), but I haven't given her the command in other contexts until now. Since she was already familiar with the command and its meaning it took her very little time to catch up on it.

I have also taken a few "Christmas themed" photos, for a pet photo competition on Interdressage.com, so hopefully she will win at least one rosette. One of the photos you can see here in this post - Sarabi riding one of Santa's reindeer.

Bird muffin recipe

While in the States I bought The Healthy Bird Cookbook - A lifesaving nutritional guide and recipe collection by Robin Deutsch and today I decided to give one of the recipes a try. Here is the recipe, with a few moderations:

Broccoli Cheese Muffins

1 cup flour

1 cup multi-grain flour2 tbs. baking powder

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup chopped broccoli (use the tops)

1/4 cup grated carrots

1/4 cup shredded cheese (cheddar, in the recipe, but I used Gouda)

1 tsp. ground nutmeg (I lacked this ingredient so did not use it)

1 tbs. salt

1 egg with shell (washed)

1/2 cup yoghurt (I used vanilla flavored yoghurt)

1 cup milk1 tsp lemon juice (lacked this ingredient aswell so I added a few drops of lime juice)

1/4 cup honey

1 cup corn (ingredient that I decided to add into the mix)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (I heated the oven to 175 degrees celcius). Grease or line muffin tins. In a large bowl, mix the flours together. Add the other dry ingredients and mix together. In another bowl, beat together the egg, yoghurt, honey, milk, and lemon (lime) juice. Pour into the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the broccoli and carrots (and corn), mixing well. Bake for 35-40 minutes (I needed about 20-25 minutes) or until a toothpick, stuck into a muffin and pulled out, comes out clean (Deutsch, 2004).

Result:

When I first introduced a muffin to Sarabi she was extremely suspicious and even tried to attack it, so I put it in her food bowl instead of trying to feed it to her "by hand." After a while I noticed that she had decided to go for it and within a few minutes the muffin was totally devoured. In other words, this first attempt at baking for a bird was a success! I can definately recommend Robin's book for all bird owners out there who want their bird(s) to be healthy, get the varied diet they need and to make it fun, in the process! The book does not only contain recipes but also lots of important information about bird nutrition.

Travel checklist!

Are you thinking of traveling somewhere for the first time since you became an African grey owner? Here is a brief checklist of things that can be good to think about, and prepare, before travel:

- Find a person that you can trust to care for your bird while you are away (in some places they have bird boarding, for example at Omar's Exotic Birds in the U.S., which can be an option). Introduce this person to your bird in advance, before you leave, a few times (if the bird hasn't met this person before it is extra important!). Use these introductions to show the caretaker how you handle your bird, tell him/her what routines are used, if the bird has any special fears or behaviors etcetera.

- Write down instructions of the daily routines, food preparation and such. Also write down your avian veterinarians number and make insurance papers easily accessed (preferably, all bird things and papers should be collected at one place so they are easy for the caretaker to find, if neccessary).

- If your bird will be staying at the caretaker's home, and not your home, make sure that your birds favorite toys are in the cage and that the bird can be introduced to the new home a few days before you travel, in your company, so that everything won't be completely new once you've left (African greys can be very easily stressed, especially when facing new objects and situations).

- Record a CD or tape of your own voice, talking to your bird or talking to someone else, and give the caretaker instructions to play the recording once a day. This way your bird will still think that you are in "the jungle", just farther away and not visible.

- Inform the caretaker that your bird can become sad and seem depressed the first couple of days from being parted from you (especially if your grey has "chosen" you) and this can show in, for example, refusal to eat. If your bird does not resume eating after a couple of days the caretaker should be told to contact the vet (your bird could be sick)!

- Be prepared that your bird could be mad at you, after you've come home from traveling. African greys can sometimes hold a grudge and there is a chance that your bird will be angry at you for leaving, but this will usually pass rather quickly.
I recently came home from a three week trip to the USA. Sarabi had become so sad that she refused to eat the first couple of days. This passed after a while though, to my (and the caretaker's) great relief. The person (my grandmother) who took care of Sarabi, and also my parents' grey Malaika, played a CD that we had recorded everytime she went to take care of the birds. When I got home from the trip Sarabi was shocked and couldn't quite believe her eyes (she was a bit restricted), but she wasn't mad, luckily enough. The day after I could scratch her neck and handle her just as usual, without a problem. Malaika was a bit more mad and didn't want to come out of the cage the first coupe of days. A few years back, when I'd been away in France for a month and we'd then gone on a trip to the U.S. for a month right after(before I bought Sarabi), Malaika stayed mad at me for almost two months (the length of time that I had been away). So how your grey will react at your sudden disappearing is an individual reaction that can differ, from bird to bird. Following the presented checklist could maybe help making the seperation a bit easier for your bird, when the birds known routines are kept the same even in your absence.

Stand for playing

Buying (or making) a portable play stand for your avian friend is a great way to make spending time with your bird a little bit easier (and more fun!). It gives your bird a mobile place to sit, eat and enjoy your company - in every room of the house (without having to buy extra cages, carry around heavy playtops or risk any damage to furniture - at least minimizing the risk). Sarabi absolutely loves her new playstand, where she can sit and make as big of a mess as she likes (to her owners joy). It is also a great stand that can be used for bird training, for example training the command "step up" or teaching the bird to do "the eagle" (stretching its wings on command). This morning Sarabi was given a slice of watermelon to eat in the food bowl attached to her playstand. She took the word water-melon a little bit too literal though and tried to bird bathe on it. I could not stop laughing! She kept hunching into the bowl, ruffled her feathers, flapped her wings, did the crazy chicken dance and threw chewed off pieces of watermelon around the entire room (see pics).

Observe: If you are going to construct your own playstand and tend to use sticks and branches from outside as material, don't forget to clean and sanitize the branches well (to remove potentially harmful germs) and remove any pointed or sharp parts that could injure your bird!

Avian regurgitation - an act of love?

If your parrot, all of a sudden, starts making strange noices and stretches or "pumps" its neck; don't be alarmed! It is probably on its way to regurgitate (throw up) on you. "Eeeew, that is disgusting!" you might think but in the avian world regurgitation is seen as a "true act of love."

"Regurgitation, perhaps one of the most perplexing bird behaviors, occurs when a bird throws up small amounts of food with the intention of feeding it to a loved one. Gross? Perhaps, to those who don't understand avian behavior. Normal? Absolutely" (http://www.birds.about.com/).

If your avian friend regurgitates on you then you should feel very honored because that means that you have built a bond of trust and that your bird really loves you! Often the bird regurgitates one or more seeds or "pellets", depending on the diet, into your hand while the bird arches its wings and "beaks" your finger (or ear or whatever part of you is nearest) gently. Here is a video of Sarabi "showing her love":


It is important to note the difference between regurgitation as a sign of affection and actual vomiting from some type of illness. If your bird starts to "flick its head" so that the regurgitated food is flung away all over the place it may indicate that your bird is actually sick. If you notice this type of behavior it is best to consult a veterinarian immediately!