bentley dancing...
Saturday, April 7, 2007
Thursday, April 5, 2007
BREAKTHROUGH
i was FINALLY given the honor to scratch sir bentley on the head! and under the most interesting circumstances...
i just finished cleaning his cage and i put him in. i was talking and singing to him as usual, and i started to play peek-a-boo with him. he really liked that! i think he also likes the word "peek-a-boo" he tried to say different parts of the word while i said it. anyways, i started making kissing noises - the pecking kind - and he starts to act very differently...he started to push himself against the cage where i was closest to, he would start to try and make the pecking noises himself over and over again with me, but he would also back himself up away from me and then come slowly back toward me, again pushing himself up against the cage bars closest to me. it was really strange. i then put my finger up close to his head (while i continued to make the kissing noises) and he just bowed down, wanting a head scritch! bentley knows EXACTLY what kisses are and he definitely sees them as something wonderful! he allowed me to scratch his head and i stopped after a while (i didnt want to accidentally rub over a new feather and irritate him) so i stay on his good side. i didnt want to push it! :-)
it was just awesome! for the past week, i have been spending more time with bentley just singing and talking to him. i was also giving him small pieces of almond or peanut every once in a while to make him look forward to seeing me. what i also started with bentley is target training. he loves to chew so it wasn't too hard to get him to touch the target. once he did, i praised him with verbal praises and a small piece of nut. he has been doing so well with it. i think all of this has paid off to this very night when i got to scratch his head! (not to mention that he likes the kissing noises...that helped tons!)
he still needs a ways to go to learn to trust me and i am only taking it at his pace. you can't change behaviors overnight. thats why it is so motivating and rewarding when a positive step forward is made. its just so amazing how quickly bentley has gone through so many wonderful improvements!
i was FINALLY given the honor to scratch sir bentley on the head! and under the most interesting circumstances...
i just finished cleaning his cage and i put him in. i was talking and singing to him as usual, and i started to play peek-a-boo with him. he really liked that! i think he also likes the word "peek-a-boo" he tried to say different parts of the word while i said it. anyways, i started making kissing noises - the pecking kind - and he starts to act very differently...he started to push himself against the cage where i was closest to, he would start to try and make the pecking noises himself over and over again with me, but he would also back himself up away from me and then come slowly back toward me, again pushing himself up against the cage bars closest to me. it was really strange. i then put my finger up close to his head (while i continued to make the kissing noises) and he just bowed down, wanting a head scritch! bentley knows EXACTLY what kisses are and he definitely sees them as something wonderful! he allowed me to scratch his head and i stopped after a while (i didnt want to accidentally rub over a new feather and irritate him) so i stay on his good side. i didnt want to push it! :-)
it was just awesome! for the past week, i have been spending more time with bentley just singing and talking to him. i was also giving him small pieces of almond or peanut every once in a while to make him look forward to seeing me. what i also started with bentley is target training. he loves to chew so it wasn't too hard to get him to touch the target. once he did, i praised him with verbal praises and a small piece of nut. he has been doing so well with it. i think all of this has paid off to this very night when i got to scratch his head! (not to mention that he likes the kissing noises...that helped tons!)
he still needs a ways to go to learn to trust me and i am only taking it at his pace. you can't change behaviors overnight. thats why it is so motivating and rewarding when a positive step forward is made. its just so amazing how quickly bentley has gone through so many wonderful improvements!
Wednesday, April 4, 2007
Yesterday, my husband had evening classes, so it was just me and the birds till sleep time.
since it was really sunny and warm, i decided to use the opportunity to get some sun on Bentley's feathers, so i took him to our second bedroom and let the sun shine through the window. the window is single pane, so i think it was more than enough of what Bentley needed, plus it was a little windy outside, so i didn't open any windows. his feathers shown so nicely. we talked and sang together. he was a little wary about seeing the street below, the occasional car and human that passed by, but he was content enough to sing with me now and then.
just to explain, i got bentley to come with me on a stick. he won't step up for me (i haven't really tried this, actually) on my hand, nor does he allow me to touch his head. i do ask him occasionally for this honor, but i don't push the subject. once i see him back off a bit, i say "okay", and back off.
we stood there, basking in the sun for about 10 minutes, until i noticed a piece of down feather kinda being sucked in and out of one of his nostrils as he breathed. with this, i decided it was time bentley got a gooooood misting. (my husband has misted him in the past, but only lightly. so i took bentley into the bathroom, had him perch on top of the shower door and i misted him with a full bottle of lukewarm water. it seemed that at times he really like it. he got his wings up and out, displaying them, and moving his head in and around his wings, etc. but most of the time i dont think he was really into it. near the end he just sat there, wings pulled up around him, so i decided to end it there.
i turned on the heat (remember, Bentley has a plucked torso and back) and then went back to the sun bathing. we stayed in the sun for another 15 - 20 minutes or so with more singing and talking. at the end of that sun bath, bentley's neck feathers and most of his wings were dried, and the sun was setting so i put him back into the quarantine room. i let him hang out on his cage door listening to some alternative music.
well, since bentley is still in quarantine, i spent the next half an hour cleaning, vaccuming and disinfecting wherever bentley and i went. just to make sure that if he has anything contagious, it wouldn't affect the other birds in the house.
i do hope that bentley, overall, enjoyed his experience with me yesterday. every once in a while i offered him a 1/4 piece of almond, which he always gobbled down with enjoyment. maybe that might have helped my relationship with him.
before i put him to bed, i spend about 30 minutes with him as i cleaned his cage and talked/sang to him. (to clean his cage i take him out of his cage and put him on our bed with his pellet food bowl so he stays there). when i put him in his cage, he stayed at the bottom of the cage and looked at me (i sat on the ground). i tried again to offer him a head scritched but he didnt want anything of it. we sang together again and i offered him some shelled sunflower seeds. each time i gave him a seed, i left my hand there longer up against his cage and he did lightly beak me a few times to check me out and if, perhaps, i was made of some nutty substance. it was very cute and i didn't make a move until he found out what he needed to about my hand.
and that was our day together. Bentley seems to respond more to certain songs like "Old McDonald", "Im a little teapot" and anything that is a little more high-pitched and quicker in beat. for example, he doesnt really respond much to the "ABC" song.
OH, and an interesting thing about his pellet-eating...he seems to enjoy the "zupreem natural pellets", the one without the fruity coloring and shapes....the very thing that the other birds will NOT touch. interesting, and i think that is better for him since the coloring of the fruity version throws off the color of his poop.
Bentley's poop look well formed - they do come in many varying shades of green. i think he is growing some feathers on his back. his ceres look clear - he does sneeze occasionally but i don't see any wetness or discharge. i haven't been able to look into his mouth for any white splotches. Bentley does seem to have some problem breathing (he bobs his head slowly back and forth when he is excited) but this may still be attributed to his overweight problem.
we should be getting a gram scale by the end of this month. with that i can better track his weight.
since it was really sunny and warm, i decided to use the opportunity to get some sun on Bentley's feathers, so i took him to our second bedroom and let the sun shine through the window. the window is single pane, so i think it was more than enough of what Bentley needed, plus it was a little windy outside, so i didn't open any windows. his feathers shown so nicely. we talked and sang together. he was a little wary about seeing the street below, the occasional car and human that passed by, but he was content enough to sing with me now and then.
just to explain, i got bentley to come with me on a stick. he won't step up for me (i haven't really tried this, actually) on my hand, nor does he allow me to touch his head. i do ask him occasionally for this honor, but i don't push the subject. once i see him back off a bit, i say "okay", and back off.
we stood there, basking in the sun for about 10 minutes, until i noticed a piece of down feather kinda being sucked in and out of one of his nostrils as he breathed. with this, i decided it was time bentley got a gooooood misting. (my husband has misted him in the past, but only lightly. so i took bentley into the bathroom, had him perch on top of the shower door and i misted him with a full bottle of lukewarm water. it seemed that at times he really like it. he got his wings up and out, displaying them, and moving his head in and around his wings, etc. but most of the time i dont think he was really into it. near the end he just sat there, wings pulled up around him, so i decided to end it there.
i turned on the heat (remember, Bentley has a plucked torso and back) and then went back to the sun bathing. we stayed in the sun for another 15 - 20 minutes or so with more singing and talking. at the end of that sun bath, bentley's neck feathers and most of his wings were dried, and the sun was setting so i put him back into the quarantine room. i let him hang out on his cage door listening to some alternative music.
well, since bentley is still in quarantine, i spent the next half an hour cleaning, vaccuming and disinfecting wherever bentley and i went. just to make sure that if he has anything contagious, it wouldn't affect the other birds in the house.
i do hope that bentley, overall, enjoyed his experience with me yesterday. every once in a while i offered him a 1/4 piece of almond, which he always gobbled down with enjoyment. maybe that might have helped my relationship with him.
before i put him to bed, i spend about 30 minutes with him as i cleaned his cage and talked/sang to him. (to clean his cage i take him out of his cage and put him on our bed with his pellet food bowl so he stays there). when i put him in his cage, he stayed at the bottom of the cage and looked at me (i sat on the ground). i tried again to offer him a head scritched but he didnt want anything of it. we sang together again and i offered him some shelled sunflower seeds. each time i gave him a seed, i left my hand there longer up against his cage and he did lightly beak me a few times to check me out and if, perhaps, i was made of some nutty substance. it was very cute and i didn't make a move until he found out what he needed to about my hand.
and that was our day together. Bentley seems to respond more to certain songs like "Old McDonald", "Im a little teapot" and anything that is a little more high-pitched and quicker in beat. for example, he doesnt really respond much to the "ABC" song.
OH, and an interesting thing about his pellet-eating...he seems to enjoy the "zupreem natural pellets", the one without the fruity coloring and shapes....the very thing that the other birds will NOT touch. interesting, and i think that is better for him since the coloring of the fruity version throws off the color of his poop.
Bentley's poop look well formed - they do come in many varying shades of green. i think he is growing some feathers on his back. his ceres look clear - he does sneeze occasionally but i don't see any wetness or discharge. i haven't been able to look into his mouth for any white splotches. Bentley does seem to have some problem breathing (he bobs his head slowly back and forth when he is excited) but this may still be attributed to his overweight problem.
we should be getting a gram scale by the end of this month. with that i can better track his weight.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Friday: doses #16 & #17 - given successfully
Saturday: doses #18 & #19 - given successfully
bentley continues to eat the zupreem fruit pellets, and with gusto! he doesn't eat a lot in one sitting, but he eats a little bit and goes back to his food bowl often.
also, i have heard bentley utter "okay" when i wave to him and say "bye bye" just before i leave the room. he also says "hi".
bentley has also seriously fallen for my husband. so much so that bentley has started to regurgitate for him. (i think i mentioned this before). my husband just turns away or leaves the room for a few minutes when bentley starts this action so that we can avoid bentley losing all the precious nutrients we do work hard to put into him to make up for his previously deficient diet.
bentley continues to show more and more energy. he shows the most energy when my husband enters the room. he flaps his wings, makes lots of noise and reaches as far as he can in the direction of my husband without falling/jumping off his cage door. my husband has been able to scratch bentley's head, have him step up onto his arm and hand, etc. i haven't really tried to touch him. this is because sometimes when i try to change his food/water bowls, bentley would get as close as he can to me and my hands and he would lunge at me. if he is still being fostered by us, maybe he will change after the spring season is over. im sure he is devoted to my husband and all he is thinking about is breeding.
what i have been able to receive from bentley is more attention. i am the one giving him almonds and he knows that i am the person to pay attention to because i hold on to the container containing the wonderful tasting nut! i cut an almond into fourths and feed him a fourth every once in a while. during my time with him, i sing and talk to him. after he calms down from me initially coming into the room, he will start singing along with me. bentley is so cute! tonight we sang for about 15 - 20 minutes. i was amazed at his stamina! at the end of our session, bentley looked worn out (poor guy) and could hardly keep his eyes open. he wasn't breathing hard...just tired. i guess singing takes a lot out of you. so i left him to doze a bit before my husband would give him his evening cipro dosage and put him to bed.
when i do give bentley his almond piece, he takes it very carefully and gently out of my hand, so i am thinking that it is only a matter of time till i can interact a little more with him.
Saturday: doses #18 & #19 - given successfully
bentley continues to eat the zupreem fruit pellets, and with gusto! he doesn't eat a lot in one sitting, but he eats a little bit and goes back to his food bowl often.
also, i have heard bentley utter "okay" when i wave to him and say "bye bye" just before i leave the room. he also says "hi".
bentley has also seriously fallen for my husband. so much so that bentley has started to regurgitate for him. (i think i mentioned this before). my husband just turns away or leaves the room for a few minutes when bentley starts this action so that we can avoid bentley losing all the precious nutrients we do work hard to put into him to make up for his previously deficient diet.
bentley continues to show more and more energy. he shows the most energy when my husband enters the room. he flaps his wings, makes lots of noise and reaches as far as he can in the direction of my husband without falling/jumping off his cage door. my husband has been able to scratch bentley's head, have him step up onto his arm and hand, etc. i haven't really tried to touch him. this is because sometimes when i try to change his food/water bowls, bentley would get as close as he can to me and my hands and he would lunge at me. if he is still being fostered by us, maybe he will change after the spring season is over. im sure he is devoted to my husband and all he is thinking about is breeding.
what i have been able to receive from bentley is more attention. i am the one giving him almonds and he knows that i am the person to pay attention to because i hold on to the container containing the wonderful tasting nut! i cut an almond into fourths and feed him a fourth every once in a while. during my time with him, i sing and talk to him. after he calms down from me initially coming into the room, he will start singing along with me. bentley is so cute! tonight we sang for about 15 - 20 minutes. i was amazed at his stamina! at the end of our session, bentley looked worn out (poor guy) and could hardly keep his eyes open. he wasn't breathing hard...just tired. i guess singing takes a lot out of you. so i left him to doze a bit before my husband would give him his evening cipro dosage and put him to bed.
when i do give bentley his almond piece, he takes it very carefully and gently out of my hand, so i am thinking that it is only a matter of time till i can interact a little more with him.
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