Like most parrots, cockatoos can live a very long time. Joey is probably not yet middle-aged. But now he can rent a car :)
Showing posts with label resident. Show all posts
Showing posts with label resident. Show all posts
Monday, February 14, 2011
Joey turns 25!
Today, February 14, 2011, Joey turned 25! Here he is with Lori, his favorite person.
Like most parrots, cockatoos can live a very long time. Joey is probably not yet middle-aged. But now he can rent a car :)
Like most parrots, cockatoos can live a very long time. Joey is probably not yet middle-aged. But now he can rent a car :)
Friday, January 21, 2011
Daisy Packer Fever
Last week, just in time for the playoffs, we introduced Sam. This week, we're showing Daisy, our resident amazon.
Daisy doesn't verbally cheer on the Packers -- she's more likely to ask for a kiss or to come out of her cage -- but she is the right color!
Daisy doesn't verbally cheer on the Packers -- she's more likely to ask for a kiss or to come out of her cage -- but she is the right color!
Friday, July 02, 2010
Katie Update
We recently told you that long-term resident Katie was preparing to move into a home -- a milestone we weren't sure would ever happen.
She spent her last day at the Center making an impressive wood pile. This is what $300 in toys looks like when it's been reduced to matchsticks:
It's so important to provide parrots with destructible toys. They have a need to chew, and if they don't have an appropriate outlet, like toys, they will seize whatever they can find. Like baseboards, cupboard doors, or antique desks. All of which can be toxic to parrots depending on how the wood was treated.
We are going to miss Katie, but are so happy for her that she has this wonderful opportunity!
She spent her last day at the Center making an impressive wood pile. This is what $300 in toys looks like when it's been reduced to matchsticks:
It's so important to provide parrots with destructible toys. They have a need to chew, and if they don't have an appropriate outlet, like toys, they will seize whatever they can find. Like baseboards, cupboard doors, or antique desks. All of which can be toxic to parrots depending on how the wood was treated.We are going to miss Katie, but are so happy for her that she has this wonderful opportunity!
Monday, June 28, 2010
Daisy Update
Daisy is doing really well at the Center! she is such a joy to be around. Is it possible to be in a bad mood around one of these bubbly creatures?
As she settles in, she's allowing us to see more and more of her personality. She frequently serenades her favorite people.
She loves meeting new people and all of the attention she receives at the Center.
As she settles in, she's allowing us to see more and more of her personality. She frequently serenades her favorite people.
She loves meeting new people and all of the attention she receives at the Center.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Katie Update
Katie is an approximately 15 year old Moluccan Cockatoo. She's been with us for 8 years; even before we moved into our current location, so if you've visited the Center, there's a good chance you've seen her.
When Katie was surrendered to us, she was 7 years old and had already been in 7 different homes. Her last owner had taken her to a vet clinic to be euthanized. The vet was able to talk to her owner and convince them to surrender her to us instead.
When we first met Katie, she was a mess. She hadn't experienced stability in her life. Large cockatoos are very difficult (if not impossible) to keep properly in captivity. Their needs are so complex that they need to be in the wild.
However, we do our best with the cockatoos who are in captivity, and try to provide them with the best captive environment that we can. With a lot of patience, love, and care, Katie began to trust humans again. It took years, but she ultimately began to find joy again in life.
We thought she'd be a resident forever, given her beginning with us. However, sometimes life throws us curveballs, and one just arrived for Katie!
One of our former volunteers, who had a fantastic relationship with Katie, recently lost her Moluccan Cockatoo, freeing up a space for Katie in her home. We couldn't hope for a better home for her -- a flock environment with owners who really give their all for these amazing creatures.
We are, of course, sad that Katie will be leaving us. She has been a constant presence at the Center for almost 8 years! She was used extensively in our education programs, and did a lot of PR with us as she loved it.
However, with this new beginning, Katie has such an opportunity. We hope to keep you updated on her progress!
When Katie was surrendered to us, she was 7 years old and had already been in 7 different homes. Her last owner had taken her to a vet clinic to be euthanized. The vet was able to talk to her owner and convince them to surrender her to us instead.
When we first met Katie, she was a mess. She hadn't experienced stability in her life. Large cockatoos are very difficult (if not impossible) to keep properly in captivity. Their needs are so complex that they need to be in the wild.
However, we do our best with the cockatoos who are in captivity, and try to provide them with the best captive environment that we can. With a lot of patience, love, and care, Katie began to trust humans again. It took years, but she ultimately began to find joy again in life.We thought she'd be a resident forever, given her beginning with us. However, sometimes life throws us curveballs, and one just arrived for Katie!
One of our former volunteers, who had a fantastic relationship with Katie, recently lost her Moluccan Cockatoo, freeing up a space for Katie in her home. We couldn't hope for a better home for her -- a flock environment with owners who really give their all for these amazing creatures.
We are, of course, sad that Katie will be leaving us. She has been a constant presence at the Center for almost 8 years! She was used extensively in our education programs, and did a lot of PR with us as she loved it.However, with this new beginning, Katie has such an opportunity. We hope to keep you updated on her progress!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Residents Sasha and Kellie: up to their old tricks!
Over the years, we've provided updates on Sasha and Kellie, our adorable resident aratinga conures.
They are still doing incredibly well. They were both in bad shape when they were surrendered to us that we didn't think they'd live long. But these guys might be the definition of resiliency. They not only have survived, but they have thrived!
Sasha has been with us for 8 years now, and Kellie has been here almost as long. They show no signs of slowing down as they prepare to enter their 20s.
For them, happiness is each other and a new soda box or egg carton!
They are still doing incredibly well. They were both in bad shape when they were surrendered to us that we didn't think they'd live long. But these guys might be the definition of resiliency. They not only have survived, but they have thrived!
Sasha has been with us for 8 years now, and Kellie has been here almost as long. They show no signs of slowing down as they prepare to enter their 20s.
For them, happiness is each other and a new soda box or egg carton!
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
More Lineolated Parakeets
Some cute pictures taken of one of our resident lineolated parakeets, Heather.
She knows just how to pose:
Playing in the hair of one of our volunteers:
She knows just how to pose:
Playing in the hair of one of our volunteers:
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Meet Daisy
Daisy is a yellow crowned amazon who is in her mid-20s. She is very personable and loves attention. In particular, she loves being the center of attention! She is very intelligent and loves learning new things.
Daisy is our newest resident parrot. She will do educational events with CARE, so you may see her around.
Daisy's owner realized she wasn't getting the attention and stimulation she needed, which is why she came to us. Isn't she gorgeous?
Daisy is our newest resident parrot. She will do educational events with CARE, so you may see her around.
Daisy's owner realized she wasn't getting the attention and stimulation she needed, which is why she came to us. Isn't she gorgeous?
Friday, April 23, 2010
Joey performs
Joey, our mascot and resident umbrella cockatoo, frequently brings laughter to our lives. One of our favorite things is when he starts talking about "the puppies."
In his previous home, Joey lived with a dog breeder who frequently had puppies in the house. Even though he hasn't lived with a dog breeder in almost a decade, he will still occasionally talk about the puppies. This is something we've hoped to get on video for a long time!
It's hard to hear on the video, but he's saying "get the puppies" and says that the puppies are "in the chichen (kitchen)" Sometimes he'll call the puppies, or tell us that the puppies want to go outside (though not in this video). It's a bit hard to hear, but he also pants like a dog in between talking about the puppies.
In his previous home, Joey lived with a dog breeder who frequently had puppies in the house. Even though he hasn't lived with a dog breeder in almost a decade, he will still occasionally talk about the puppies. This is something we've hoped to get on video for a long time!
It's hard to hear on the video, but he's saying "get the puppies" and says that the puppies are "in the chichen (kitchen)" Sometimes he'll call the puppies, or tell us that the puppies want to go outside (though not in this video). It's a bit hard to hear, but he also pants like a dog in between talking about the puppies.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
The supervisor
We have some amazing volunteers who buy, cut, and drill the wood we use in many of the toys we make. Other volunteers dye the wood and assemble the toys. These toys are sold to help support the Center, and also are given to birds who are (temporarily or permanently) staying with us. (And, if any of you are reading this, thanks again!)
Joey, the Center's mascot, was supervising wood dying last week:
Parrots love to be part of the action! They are flock animals. In the wild, a lone bird is often a dead bird, as they are more susceptible to predator attacks. Frequently being left alone and unable to communicate with their flock is one reason why many companion birds develop behavior problems, including screaming (for attention) or plucking (from frustration).
One way to deepen your bond with your parrot is to have him "help" you with your day-to-day activities. It can be helpful to have perches or playstands in various rooms of the house for this purpose.
Of course, you have to be sure that the activity is parrot-safe, and that the parrot can't escape or be injured by the activity (be careful of chemicals)! But, if you're taking a shower, let your parrot perch on the shower curtain. Doing laundry? Mine love to come downstairs and perch on the dryer. Reading the paper? There's a parrot on my lap!
It may take longer to get the task accomplished -- having to stop and acknowledge the parrot is a given! -- but it will help to make your bond even stronger.
Joey, the Center's mascot, was supervising wood dying last week:
Parrots love to be part of the action! They are flock animals. In the wild, a lone bird is often a dead bird, as they are more susceptible to predator attacks. Frequently being left alone and unable to communicate with their flock is one reason why many companion birds develop behavior problems, including screaming (for attention) or plucking (from frustration).One way to deepen your bond with your parrot is to have him "help" you with your day-to-day activities. It can be helpful to have perches or playstands in various rooms of the house for this purpose.
Of course, you have to be sure that the activity is parrot-safe, and that the parrot can't escape or be injured by the activity (be careful of chemicals)! But, if you're taking a shower, let your parrot perch on the shower curtain. Doing laundry? Mine love to come downstairs and perch on the dryer. Reading the paper? There's a parrot on my lap!
It may take longer to get the task accomplished -- having to stop and acknowledge the parrot is a given! -- but it will help to make your bond even stronger.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Lineolated Parakeets
These lineolated parakeets are residents of the Center. They are very playful and this picture was too cute not to post!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Another cage mess
Following in the footsteps of a post from last week, guess what species of parrot made this mess in less than 8 hours:
Cockatoo!
It becomes pretty apparent how toys can become a major expense for parrot owners! Parrots are meant to chew things, and if not provided toys, will often start to chew on unacceptable things, like walls, molding, or themselves. Sometimes even with proper toys they will chew on unacceptable places, but it's less likely when they have plenty of things they can destroy!
Cockatoo!
It becomes pretty apparent how toys can become a major expense for parrot owners! Parrots are meant to chew things, and if not provided toys, will often start to chew on unacceptable things, like walls, molding, or themselves. Sometimes even with proper toys they will chew on unacceptable places, but it's less likely when they have plenty of things they can destroy!Queenie is a male rose-breasted cockatoo who is a resident at the Center. He is a very happy bird and loves to destroy wood. However, Queenie is a bit of a wood snob. He will not chew undyed wood; he requires color in his life!
Last week, I was going around taking pictures of various parrots. When I got to Queenie's cage, he started showing off for me. Look at that beautiful crest!
And then he decided to play in his foraging bucket for a bit:
We love foraging buckets here at the Center. You can put them near your bird's favorite perch (in Queenie's case, this boing). Then, you can fill it with foot toys, pieces of toys that the parrot destroyed, crumpled paper, maybe a small treat or two. Pretty much anything that is parrot-safe. If used regularly, it can become a bit of a fun treasure hunt for your bird -- she never knows what she's going to find!
And then he decided to play in his foraging bucket for a bit:We love foraging buckets here at the Center. You can put them near your bird's favorite perch (in Queenie's case, this boing). Then, you can fill it with foot toys, pieces of toys that the parrot destroyed, crumpled paper, maybe a small treat or two. Pretty much anything that is parrot-safe. If used regularly, it can become a bit of a fun treasure hunt for your bird -- she never knows what she's going to find!We sell stainless steel foraging buckets, and our volunteers would be more than happy to discuss ways of increasing your parrots' foraging opportunities.
Friday, July 03, 2009
Sasha & Kellie's new home
Sasha and Kellie, two of our resident aratinga conures that we've written about before, have a new cage. They were very happy to be moved into a new home with slightly larger floor space since that means room for more boxes! You can see them hanging out on the floor in this picture.
When the Center is closed, they like to hang out on the play gym on the left side of their cage. These guys are little clowns with a zest for life. Some of their favorite things to do include chewing up egg cartons, chewing up soda boxes, and playing peek-a-boo with volunteers.
Sasha actually has quite the vocabulary, though he usually talks only when no people are in the aviary. When people are around, he prefers to squawk!
As we've written before, when Sasha was surrendered to us, about 7 years ago now, he was in such bad shape that we didn't think he'd survive to see the end of the year. But he's surprised us all with his spirit! Vet care, proper diet, and perhaps most importantly, a friend, have improved his life immensely. He shows no signs of slowing down and brings joy to many visitors and volunteers.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Here are Lester (cockatiel) and Phyllis (budgie), two of our permanent residents. Lester was surrendered to us because his owner didn't want to deal with his problems anymore. You can't tell from this photo, but his chest is completely plucked. He has some sort of medical problem, but it's nothing that vet tests have been able to find. However, whenever we've tried having him live in an aviary with other cockatiels, they start ganging up on him and attack him. We assume he has some sort of illness that the other cockatiels can sense, and they try to drive him out of the flock so that he doesn't become a liability (these are still wild, prey animals).And then Phyllis entered his life! This little budgie helps Lester out. They preen each other, and she follows him around, making sure that he eats, even on his roughest days. He is much happier since she entered his life; incredibly, he seems to be doing a lot better physically as well.
Friday, May 11, 2007
Friday, May 04, 2007
Resident Profile: Sasha (Mitred Conure) & Kellie (White-Eyed Conure)Visitors to our shelter may recognize Kellie (left) and Sasha (right). These teenagers are very entertaining! When Sasha was released to us about 5 years ago, we didn't think he'd make it through the end of the month. He was in horrible shape, having spent the majority of his captive life in a cage that was so small he couldn't turn around. We improved his diet & environment, and have been rewarded with an entertaining fellow! Sasha prefers birds to people, and found his soulmate in Kellie a few years ago. Both are males. Kellie is tame, but prefers spending his days with Sasha.
These guys have a zest for life! When they see someone they like pass their cage, they run to the front of their cage and begin begging for attention. They love to play peek-a-boo with visitors. They absolutely love destroying egg cartons and soda boxes.
In the following video, a volunteer was trying to capture their happy reaction to egg carton destruction. However, once they realized they were being watched, they came over and started showing off for the camera!
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Today is Joey's birthday and he's 21, not 22. How could I forget his finally turning legal! He got a special toy today, with lots of corn on it - that's his favorite but he doesn't get it very often, so it's still a treat for him. I am using the corn as his reinforcement with his clicker training so he only gets it for special occasions. His eyes lit up when he saw the toy - I'm sure it will be gone by morning, but it's worth seeing the expression on his face. Stop by soon and say hi to Joe.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Wednesday, February 14th, is Joey's 22nd birthday! As most of you know, Joey the Umbrella Cockatoo is our mascot and Lori's bird. He has been with the Center for almost seven years and Lori adopted him over five years ago.
Joey was surrendered to the Center in October 2000. Lori's sister-in-law ran into a friend of hers at Tosafest that year and asked if she wanted another cockatoo. At the time, Carmen was being fostered by Lori's brother's family. Deb said no, but that Lori was running an exotic bird rescue if they had a bird that they needed to surrender. It was this person's aunt's bird. The aunt called the Center and asked if we could come and pick up her "naughty bird". We took and van over so we could also pick up his cage. Lori told her she's have to sign a release form - and the woman said she would sign it and have Lori sign a form to say she'd never bring the bird back.
What we found out from this woman's caretaker was that Joey's cage was just out of sight of the kitchen, and this woman spent most of her time in the kitchen. Joey would scream for attention and when she couldn't stand it anymore, she would beat him with a fly swatter.
When Joey came to us, you could pet him but he didn't know how to step up and did not trust people at all. It took Lori 1-1/2 years to get him to that point. As soon as he could step up, Lori started taking him everywhere with her, always telling him "it's okay Joey" if he got scared. (To this day, he still says "it's okay Joey" if he gets scared.)
When Lori finally decided that he was adoptable, she found a nice home for him. What Lori didn't realize what how much she loved him and how adopting him out was a horrible mistake. Luckily for Lori, Joey didn't like his new home either. After about a month, the new owner called and said it wasn't working out with Joey. Luckily, there was another really nice male umbrella cockatoo at the Center ready for adoption, so Joey came back and the other cockatoo went to his new home. Lori adopted Joey and they've been together ever since.
Joey has a huge vocabulary and can put words into sentences by himself. He's always asking "puppies, want to go outside? Okay, let's go." He loves to be the center of attention and he's great at our PR events.
If you happen to come in this weekend, remember to say "Happy Birthday" to Joey.
Joey was surrendered to the Center in October 2000. Lori's sister-in-law ran into a friend of hers at Tosafest that year and asked if she wanted another cockatoo. At the time, Carmen was being fostered by Lori's brother's family. Deb said no, but that Lori was running an exotic bird rescue if they had a bird that they needed to surrender. It was this person's aunt's bird. The aunt called the Center and asked if we could come and pick up her "naughty bird". We took and van over so we could also pick up his cage. Lori told her she's have to sign a release form - and the woman said she would sign it and have Lori sign a form to say she'd never bring the bird back.
What we found out from this woman's caretaker was that Joey's cage was just out of sight of the kitchen, and this woman spent most of her time in the kitchen. Joey would scream for attention and when she couldn't stand it anymore, she would beat him with a fly swatter.
When Joey came to us, you could pet him but he didn't know how to step up and did not trust people at all. It took Lori 1-1/2 years to get him to that point. As soon as he could step up, Lori started taking him everywhere with her, always telling him "it's okay Joey" if he got scared. (To this day, he still says "it's okay Joey" if he gets scared.)
When Lori finally decided that he was adoptable, she found a nice home for him. What Lori didn't realize what how much she loved him and how adopting him out was a horrible mistake. Luckily for Lori, Joey didn't like his new home either. After about a month, the new owner called and said it wasn't working out with Joey. Luckily, there was another really nice male umbrella cockatoo at the Center ready for adoption, so Joey came back and the other cockatoo went to his new home. Lori adopted Joey and they've been together ever since.
Joey has a huge vocabulary and can put words into sentences by himself. He's always asking "puppies, want to go outside? Okay, let's go." He loves to be the center of attention and he's great at our PR events.
If you happen to come in this weekend, remember to say "Happy Birthday" to Joey.
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