tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29833549811222637062024-03-19T00:30:08.832-04:00Chaotic ZooBethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-22731174799567272802012-02-12T11:49:00.001-05:002012-02-12T11:49:54.195-05:00No InternetOur wireless router went out last week, so I'm stuck with no internet. I have pictures to post, but it will have to wait until our network gets fixed.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-13009190840408879282012-01-28T19:33:00.000-05:002012-01-28T19:33:34.593-05:00Sydney and IrwinSydney and Irwin are getting along great! I was worried when I got Irwin that the two of them wouldn't like each other, especially when I didn't know if Irwin was a boy or a girl, and Irwin was younger than I wanted. But judging by his behaviour, I think Irwin is a male.<br />
<br />
I've slowly been introducing the two of them. I've let them play together, and last week I moved Irwin's cage into the living room and put it next to Sydney's cage. Since then, they've become fast friends. As soon as I open their cage doors, Irwin goes into Sydney's cage. He feeds her and they groom each other. Sydney has also quieted down a lot since I brought Irwin out.<br />
<br />
They've yet to stay in the same cage overnight. A few days ago, I was going to be home all day so I put Irwin in Sydney's cage in the morning and hung out in the living room to supervise. They did just fine together. Hopefully soon I'll feel comfortable enough to leave them together when I'm not there to keep an eye on them.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-44648959287283645522012-01-16T19:18:00.001-05:002012-01-16T19:40:31.425-05:00The Price of a Horse vs. The Price of 3 Guinea PigsOn a recent trip to Tractor Supply Company, I realized something that I didn't like. With the exception of monthly board, my horse is cheaper to keep than my guinea pigs. Let's look at a side by side comparison, shall we?<br />
<br />
First, there's the thing they both eat: hay. My horse's hay costs me $7 a bale. I buy it from the barn owner who buys it directly from a farmer. During the summer, he gets 1-2 flakes of hay a day, and a single bale can last a week. (In the winter, however, he goes through much more hay.) My guinea pigs' hay costs me around $10 a bag. When given free access to as much hay as they want (which is what should be done), that bag of hay can last anywhere from 4 days to a week. For convenience in comparing costs, I will say that the horse eats one bale a week, and the pigs eat one bag a week.<br />
<br />
Weekly total so far: Horse: $7, Pigs: $10<br />
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Then there's the feed. The feed I get my horse is a pelleted feed. It costs $16 for a 50 pound bag. It lasts 8 days. The pellets I get the pigs costs $15 for a 5 pound bag. It will last about 10-14 days. I could make this comparison in terms of price per pound (which would be $0.32/pound of horse feed and $3.00/pound of guinea pig food), but that would skew things. I'm going to go with the weekly cost. So, in feed alone, the horse costs $16 a week, and the pigs costs about $9.<br />
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Weekly total so far: Horse: $23, Pigs: $19<br />
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After that comes the bedding. This is where the guinea pigs start costing a lot. For my horse, he gets wood pellets in his stall. During the summer, he can get by with a bag of pellets per week. Each bag costs me $6. The pigs, on the other hand, get Carefresh in their cage. Because of the size of their cage, they need the big bag. A big bag of Carefresh usually costs $20. (This is what I was buying when I realized this. I bought a bag of Carefresh on sale for $17 and a bag of horse feed for $16 at the same time.) This big, $20 bag of Carefresh lasts one week.<br />
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Weekly total so far: Horse: $29, Pigs: $39<br />
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Finally, in the things I buy every week, comes the fruit and vegetables. The horse only gets fruits and vegetables as an occasional treat, so his weekly total for that is $0. The pigs, on the other hand, could easily go through a head of lettuce a day if I let them. It's a little tricky for me to calculate how much I spend on produce for the pigs each week as the produce I buy goes not only to the pigs, but also the birds and my bearded dragon. For ease, I will say that the pigs eat half a head of lettuce each day, two apples a week, four green bell peppers each week, and about 6 baby carrots each week. A head of lettuce costs around $0.80 during the summer, apples are around $0.50 each (I think...), green bell peppers are $0.50 each during the summer, and I won't include the costs of the carrots. So, that's $5.80 on just those things, which I'll round up to $6. They often get other types of veggies as well, but I also grow some vegetables myself, so I'll just say that all the additional vegetables they get come from the garden.<br />
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This brings the weekly grand total to: <b>Horse: $29, Pigs: $45</b>, or a DAILY cost of: Horse: $4.14, Pigs: $6.43 (yikes!).<br />
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Now, I did not include vet costs, nor did I include the cost of monthly board. I also figured everything on summer prices, so hay for the horse in the winter is significantly more, as is the price of fresh produce for the pigs. The vet is often more expensive for the pigs, not the horse. I also did not include the cost of occasional purchases such as new toys, treats, farrier, medications, or anything else that I do not buy on a weekly basis.<br />
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I want to spend less on both the pigs and the horse (I'm pretty content with how much I spend on the birds and reptiles), but still provide everything they need. This is especially important because I'm hoping to add a couple of new animals (I'm still not saying what I want to get--I don't want to jinx it). One place where I can cut a lot of money is the cost of hay. I can do this by buying my own hay, and buying a bale of hay specifically for the pigs. I also need to grow more of the vegetables my guinea pigs eat. But the thing I REALLY want to spend less on is bedding for the guinea pigs. Does anybody have any suggestions for that? I use Carefresh because I have found it best for odor control, absorbancy, and not triggering my allergies. <br />
<br />
On the positive side and somewhat related note, I mentioned in my last post that my last day of work was going to be Friday. But after discussing things with my manager, I'm staying at that job until I go back to my other seasonal job, which makes me quite happy. Also, I changed my blog layout. Now, I'm off to go research how much my hopeful new pets will eat.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-10324151064664446362012-01-12T12:04:00.001-05:002012-01-16T19:40:52.822-05:00Animal Related Resolutions and Plans for 2012We are now 12 days into the new year. The holidays are over, and the new semester has started at school. My Christmas seasonal job is almost done (tomorrow is my last day), and my spring/summer/fall seasonal job is just around the corner. I thought I'd share some of my animal related new year's resolutions and plans.<br />
<br />
1. Ride more. I was doing really good with riding more consistently until about half way through October when my work hours changed and I was also doing a lot of babysitting. But I'm happier, and the horse is happier, when I ride on a regular basis.<br />
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2. More outside time for the birds, guinea pigs, and reptiles. Obviously this has to wait for the weather to warm up. Allow the pigs to graze more.<br />
<br />
3. More varied diet for the birds and guinea pigs. The birds already get a pretty varied diet, but I'd like to add some more stuff. The pigs get the same veggies all the time. This brings me to my next one...<br />
<br />
4. Plant a bigger garden this year with more veggies. So, this isn't strictly animal related, but I grow as much of my own veggies as possible for the critters.<br />
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5. Get ____s. I'm hoping to add a couple new additions to the animal side of the family, but I don't want to say what just yet. I will say it is a mammal, but is in a different order than any of our other animals.<br />
<br />
6. Do all the projects I want to do for the _____s. (Goes with the last one.)<br />
<br />
7. Build another playstand for the birds, or expand an existing one. Also, make more bird toys.<br />
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8. Start feeding Delilah a raw diet. I'd love to do this, not sure I can though.<br />
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9. Blog more.<br />
<br />
10. Post more pictures.<br />
<br />
11. Have a bird room. (I can dream, right?)<br />
<br />
Added later, because I forgot about them:<br />
<br />
12. Redo the guinea pig cage. I've been meaning to do this for ages, but I haven't.<br />
<br />
13. Figure out a way to spend less on guinea pig food and other supplies, without cutting quality.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-87079572174958345702011-12-13T23:47:00.003-05:002012-01-16T19:41:11.899-05:00Sydney Had an Attitude TodayAll of the recent spoiling has gone straight to Miss Sydney's head! She's starting to think that she's the boss around here!<br />
<br />
It started this morning when my dad needed me to come give his motorcycle a jump start. I hadn't yet fed the birds--I hadn't even uncovered them yet. So, I uncovered them all and then started to leave without giving them their breakfast. Mind you, they all had food in their cages; Digby and Lenore had some pellets, Sydney had some seeds, and Irwin had his pellet/seed mix. Just as I was walking out the door, Sydney started chirping up a storm. She was not happy that I was leaving without giving her her mash. I assured her that I'd be back in about an hour, but she was still not happy.<br />
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All day long she's been loud and demanding. She demanded to be let out of her cage while I got breakfast ready. She wanted the TV on when it was too quiet in the house (yes, I do know that's what she wanted--she is a very easy bird to read). This evening, my mom told me that Sydney was very loud while I was gone at a Christmas party.<br />
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I got home a little after 10 PM and Sydney was carrying on because nobody gave her her bedtime seed yet. Before I realized this, though, I asked her if she was ready for bed. She did not go to her sleep perch when I asked, so that was a "no." That was when I realized that I didn't give her seed before I left. So I gave her a bit of seed, fed the fish, put Irwin to bed, got a drink, cleaned up the kitchen some, and then went back to Sydney.<br />
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She was at her food dish still, eating her seed. "Syd, are you ready for bed?" I asked her. She looked up from her food and chirped at me. I asked her again, and again she chirped at me. They were quiet little chirps, so I knew she was tired. I went ahead and covered her cage, and then she really started being loud, as if yelling at me for covering her when she didn't want to be covered. Well, excuse me, Sydney, for enforcing your normal bedtime!<br />
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Usually Sydney is ready for bed before I ask her. If any of the birds argue with me at bedtime, it's Digby. She'd stay up all night if I let her. I think Syd woke up on the wrong side of the, er, perch this morning.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-1066457626037425022011-12-12T13:31:00.004-05:002012-01-16T19:41:21.872-05:00Lenore Flew!Lenore flew for the first time yesterday!<br />
<br />
When I got him almost a year ago, his wings were already clipped, and he
was never fledged. His clip was very severe, and he didn't know how to
land properly. As a result, his landings were crashes, and he broke all
of his tail feathers. <br />
<br />
A few months ago, he finally got all of his flight feathers in, but he
still couldn't fly. He was able to glide down much, much better, but he
wasn't getting any lift. Sometimes he'd get a little lift when he first
took off, but no more than a couple of feet. And sometimes he'd fly like
a helicopter, up a little bit, and then down in a circle. It made me really worry and I wondered if he'd ever figure it out. It
made me sad when Digby would fly across the room and he'd want to follow
her, but he knew he couldn't. The past couple of weeks, I've been
working with him more, trying to build up his muscles, but I wasn't
seeing any improvement.<br />
<br />
But yesterday morning I brought him upstairs with me to get the birds' breakfast
ready, and I sat down on the couch in the living room to wait for their
mash to cool enough to give it to them. While I was sitting on the
couch, Lenore was happily sitting on my hand while I gave him scritches,
and then Sydney started making a fuss. All of the sudden, Lenore took
off and up. I thought he'd land on the coffee table right in front of
the couch or on the floor in front of the table, but he didn't. He flew
all the way to Sydney's cage! It was about 15 feet, and he flew up about
four or five feet. I was so happy! <br />
<br />
Then, Sydney started showing off her toys, and when he didn't respond
how she wanted him to, she got mad at him. So he flew off her cage and
this time went all the way through the living room, the dining room, and
the kitchen, and landed on the far end of the kitchen on the stove
(which was NOT on). This second flight was at least twice as long as his
first flight, and required him to go around a turn. <br />
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I'm so proud of my little boy. Now, if only his tail feathers would regrow.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-71863582589101667302011-12-09T10:44:00.001-05:002012-01-16T19:42:09.929-05:00Secret Santa and Sidewalk Sale LootThe Avian Avenue Sidewalk Sale was last weekend. I bought stuff. I ordered from<a href="http://mysafebirdstore.com/"> My Safe Bird Store </a>(MSBS) and from <a href="http://www.thingsforwings.ca/">Things for Wings</a> (T4W). My MSBS order was small, just a couple of essential things and a few extra little things. My T4W order was my first from there, all toys, and I was very excited about it.<br />
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Both of my orders came yesterday. I was expecting the MSBS order, but I was not expecting the T4W order so soon, as the store owner, Danita, gave a warning that orders would probably take a while to be fill orders. Because the Avian Avenue Secret Santa exchange is also going on right now, and Danita had said she got all the Secret Santa things done, I though maybe that's what was in the box. When I opened the box, though, it was both my order and something from my Secret Santa! <br />
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I opened both boxes as soon as I could, and I didn't bother even trying to wait until Christmas to open my Secret Santa present.<br />
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From My Safe Bird Store, I got food (TOPs Crumplets), a new food dish for Sydney (one that she can't throw on the floor), a new skewer for Digby and Lenore since theirs went AWOL, some finger traps, vine balls, and banana leaf bundles (Lenore's favorite!). The order also came with some freebies--one finger trap toy filled with shredded paper for each bird, and a soap and lotion sample from Quaking Canopy.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9g-m9g0aoU6ljOdcNUegSpCCTFacEv8wyiaGUQG7HURNkDPwfPNZLn0rQAeny0NaTsGGYq72SDPhpem2qp2Gn7JZlaNS7-etuizXt0MTOYD57VjlP_x_do3vWi7O2gvd8lvZ9_qoGTdA/s1600/IMG_2198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9g-m9g0aoU6ljOdcNUegSpCCTFacEv8wyiaGUQG7HURNkDPwfPNZLn0rQAeny0NaTsGGYq72SDPhpem2qp2Gn7JZlaNS7-etuizXt0MTOYD57VjlP_x_do3vWi7O2gvd8lvZ9_qoGTdA/s320/IMG_2198.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
From Things for Wings, I got two Busy Boxes, a watermelon platform perch, a Party Explosion, a Pipsqueak, two Simple Foragers, and a Mini Gypsy.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVp1-4JTqYciB7PfQu_7_ioHd9oSJOpc69XkMQti2QzgKWIdmFpGLzatREojRH1lqi2ws4TVb_CLiQY4HIRQKyrOGVkUNW7jqIpwoVGtlQQAHB1r9WKLv9YJU7QdxpQykqpQ0ous5eh8M/s1600/IMG_2200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVp1-4JTqYciB7PfQu_7_ioHd9oSJOpc69XkMQti2QzgKWIdmFpGLzatREojRH1lqi2ws4TVb_CLiQY4HIRQKyrOGVkUNW7jqIpwoVGtlQQAHB1r9WKLv9YJU7QdxpQykqpQ0ous5eh8M/s320/IMG_2200.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
Finally, from my Secret Santa, I got all of this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnwxlMx-thyphenhyphenujOaOYRukWGA_fvGl5UN5ZMs72xr1cQuOFrEA4brrCMZ7PCeU4htReZOB8nPNQkhpT-avAsPiuAJXqdZXWQF32oK8UlsybwDvwtNVSdDLzuvCAKpoCm6wNQ1Us1VRnok4/s1600/IMG_2204.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnwxlMx-thyphenhyphenujOaOYRukWGA_fvGl5UN5ZMs72xr1cQuOFrEA4brrCMZ7PCeU4htReZOB8nPNQkhpT-avAsPiuAJXqdZXWQF32oK8UlsybwDvwtNVSdDLzuvCAKpoCm6wNQ1Us1VRnok4/s320/IMG_2204.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
And this clue:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3k_Q1cdoPeWY1bNK4NVZDuBnmt_QHvfkXzX2wFxLEZpE7utiop2b_ZiA3goghaqhcfeHOep-sN-x4jT3WVytqxD03GYL1PON9OOSXRokvy9Ca0YbdT_q7wMU-6SVUVsN5ysdew2QMTI8/s1600/IMG_2205.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3k_Q1cdoPeWY1bNK4NVZDuBnmt_QHvfkXzX2wFxLEZpE7utiop2b_ZiA3goghaqhcfeHOep-sN-x4jT3WVytqxD03GYL1PON9OOSXRokvy9Ca0YbdT_q7wMU-6SVUVsN5ysdew2QMTI8/s320/IMG_2205.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />
From that clue (a single lovebird that isn't very good at playing), I narrowed it down to three people who were participating in Secret Santa that just had one lovebird. I then was able to eliminate one of them because she had said she was SS to somebody on another continent. So that left me with two. I was pretty sure I had seen pictures of one of those lovebirds playing, so I guessed the other one. And I was wrong!<br />
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It turns out that my secret Santa is Natacha, who has the blog <a href="http://poiworld.blogspot.com/">Just Poifect</a>. I had no idea that cute little Piper wasn't into toys. I was almost certain I had seen pictures of him playing, but I guess not. (Thank you again!)<br />
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With the addition of the stuff Santa Natacha sent us, the birds ended up getting pretty spoiled.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSoD_kbz1NfX_2be5OPRjCSb_h7Xef-ZkD7fyUlZXpL6HCyDkM1zjVuB-QZT1JEWQdRd4eMbE6fYjge3GreVzWFoKuK-OqAmTtBpfoMC_gWmjtjWKfcDW8uke5hN6c7F8tLuo0eKm3tU/s1600/IMG_2210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVSoD_kbz1NfX_2be5OPRjCSb_h7Xef-ZkD7fyUlZXpL6HCyDkM1zjVuB-QZT1JEWQdRd4eMbE6fYjge3GreVzWFoKuK-OqAmTtBpfoMC_gWmjtjWKfcDW8uke5hN6c7F8tLuo0eKm3tU/s320/IMG_2210.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irwin's Loot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vHlrHi3GMU1CA1V2r6_h-ht_s8ca3H3MaHo7nlmPEEH5Dhq1D4s88gH6bNrlaJTfCGktZXLQbSTkYKau7i_f9cn02UoWgtyW8cPYvI9NWHCxnXaDd-vsob9ugTnx4aNWLMutPu7RL6A/s1600/IMG_2213.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5vHlrHi3GMU1CA1V2r6_h-ht_s8ca3H3MaHo7nlmPEEH5Dhq1D4s88gH6bNrlaJTfCGktZXLQbSTkYKau7i_f9cn02UoWgtyW8cPYvI9NWHCxnXaDd-vsob9ugTnx4aNWLMutPu7RL6A/s320/IMG_2213.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Digby and Lenore's Loot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYahNmYY6RZBt1iMGHEqLbwJ7awW9eyQzs2jIcEpcYBRENmb9ac5JdJQ9e_pU7Vt53fxXcJMU6V8h4lLeVsL9DdEJE94jxgzKO_Q-VaiWfLT25GK1DyifyF_mDX_MbP8ms-Mj7wj2O_k/s1600/IMG_2221.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqYahNmYY6RZBt1iMGHEqLbwJ7awW9eyQzs2jIcEpcYBRENmb9ac5JdJQ9e_pU7Vt53fxXcJMU6V8h4lLeVsL9DdEJE94jxgzKO_Q-VaiWfLT25GK1DyifyF_mDX_MbP8ms-Mj7wj2O_k/s320/IMG_2221.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sydney's Loot</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I put some of the new toys in each cage today. Sydney hasn't touched her toys, though she showed no fear of her new food dish, Irwin has chewed on the cords his toys are strung on, and Digby and Lenore got right to work on one of the toys Natacha sent them--pics coming soon! (What are those, by the way? They're like the Mini Gypsy I ordered Sydney, but different colors. Is that what they are?)BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-27207329651181097542011-11-30T17:20:00.001-05:002012-01-16T19:42:21.390-05:00Avian Avenue Winter Sidewalk SaleThe winter Avian Avenue Sidewalk Sale is coming up this weekend, and this time I'm actually buying stuff. So far, this is my list:<br />
<br />
TOPs Crumplets and one or two food dishes for Sydney from My Safe Bird Store<br />
Toys from Things for Wings--I haven't decided which toys yet, but I think this will be where I'll be spending most of my money<br />
Soap from Quaking Canopy<br />
<br />
I'm also going to let my parents know that a couple of the things on my Christmas list will be on sale this weekend. I may also add another store or two to my list and spend a little less at T4W. I'll also be ordering something for my secret Santa.<br />
<br />
If I had an unlimited supply of money to spend, there are at least seven or eight stores I'd like to buy from, but that's just not possible, especially considering that no fewer than 4 of those stores are in Canada.<br />
<br />
The paycheck I receive this week should be bigger than usual because of how many hours I worked last week (black Friday weekend). I also got my last paycheck from the zoo today. It was really small because it was only for one day, but I think I'm going to use every bit of it for the birds.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-41995611366460740792011-11-21T12:50:00.001-05:002012-01-16T19:42:58.096-05:00Palm NutsLast week I won a contest put on by <a href="http://www.thecozynestbox.com/The_Cozy_Nestbox/Welcome_1.html">The Cozy Nestbox</a>. The prize was three pounds worth of palm nuts. I'd been wanting to get some palm nuts for ages, but I'd been putting it off. So, when The Cozy Nestbox did a contest, I entered. And I won!<br />
<br />
The palm nuts came this morning. I was so excited that I immediately washed them and got Digby and Lenore out. Digby and Lenore LOVED them! I got three different kinds--Christmas palm nuts, queen palm nuts, and fan palm nuts. I got the first fan palm nuts of the season, and I'm so glad they surprised me with them. They're just the right size for lovebirds.<br />
<br />
At first, Digby and Lenore didn't know what to do with them, so I got them started. They tasted all of them and then played with the biggest one, a queen palm nut, for a while before deciding the fan palm nuts were amazing. They fought over and destroyed the fan palm nuts. They didn't like the Christmas palm nuts quite as well, but I think they were just distracted by the fan palm nuts.<br />
<br />
I gave some to Sydney, but she was afraid of them. I also gave some to Irwin, but he wouldn't try them.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i461/BethySue07/My%20Lovebirds/IMG_2136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i461/BethySue07/My%20Lovebirds/IMG_2136.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Not too big for me!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i461/BethySue07/My%20Lovebirds/IMG_2138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i461/BethySue07/My%20Lovebirds/IMG_2138.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lenore with a Christmas palm nuts</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i461/BethySue07/My%20Lovebirds/IMG_2145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i461/BethySue07/My%20Lovebirds/IMG_2145.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sharing a fan palm nut for a moment</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i461/BethySue07/My%20Lovebirds/IMG_2144.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i461/BethySue07/My%20Lovebirds/IMG_2144.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Give it back, Digby!</td></tr>
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<br />BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-52255392118712090072011-11-19T17:44:00.000-05:002012-01-16T19:43:18.178-05:00Bird Toys(I started writing this a few of months ago and just never posted it, so keep that in mind.)<br />
<br />
After many months, I have finally figured out how to tell exactly what kind of toys Digby and Lenore will like. I'm still working with Sydney--she finally started playing with toys a couple weeks ago. I've compiled a short list of things found on favourite toys of Digby and Lenore. <br />
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1. It must have something natural that can be shredded. The current favourites here seem to be raffia and crinkle paper. Really, though, any kind of paper is good. <br />
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2. Wood is a big plus. This is new. Up until this past week, Lenore was the only one who wanted wood, and he only wanted balsa wood. But the other day, I discovered that Digby is a wood fiend. I had a wooden swing that came with a playground that was hanging in Lenore's cage for months because Digby was afraid to sit on it. When I put them in the same cage, I put that swing in there too. Digby loves it and will sit on it everyday, but she also likes to tear of chunks of wood.<br />
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3. Bells! The bells, bells, bells, bells. Both Digby and Lenore love bells. There is only one bell in their cage right now, and it gets dinged quite a bit and they fight over it. I should probably put at least one other bell toy in there. (Side note: I just referenced Edgar Allen Poe twice. Yeah, stuff like that makes me happy.)<br />
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4. Plastic pieces, preferably small and not too hard, but not too soft either. Lenore likes to just play with them, Digby likes to break them. Digby doesn't like plastic she can't break.<br />
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If a toy has any of these things, it will be well received by Digby and Lenore. Nearly all of the toys currently in their cage have something that can be shredded, and they prefer that above everything else.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-18669479004741948202011-11-19T12:30:00.001-05:002012-01-16T19:43:32.576-05:00Meet Melbourne or IrwinI think I mentioned back in August that I was considering getting another lovebird in hopes of getting a friend for Sydney. It took me literally months to find a lovebird. Every lovebird ad I saw in my area and neighboring states was either for babies, pairs, or females. I found two ads that were for adult male lovebirds. I was never able to get a hold of one of the people, and the other person changed her mind (and that was a big disappointment because that bird was adorable).<br />
<br />
Well, last week I found an ad for a lovebird that needed a home. The lady that had him did not know if it was a male or a female, and it was younger than I wanted at only six months old. I was leaning more towards not getting it, but then she sent me this picture, and my heart melted:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJHRi3S05_t1L7sdg8-RVD15gNlE7QRAAE9tNLuq4blc4GcbJOI0VkA5vHPLDRYG0n6W9WYO1S2bZV8H9hE2p0-NZExs8tLgpk5Dm4YgaFJHn0nXc9_FQ6ExHGCeECgRhGUCiC1clvtA/s1600/gigi+back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRJHRi3S05_t1L7sdg8-RVD15gNlE7QRAAE9tNLuq4blc4GcbJOI0VkA5vHPLDRYG0n6W9WYO1S2bZV8H9hE2p0-NZExs8tLgpk5Dm4YgaFJHn0nXc9_FQ6ExHGCeECgRhGUCiC1clvtA/s1600/gigi+back.jpg" /></a></div>
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I still wanted to do a DNA test before committing to bringing this baby home, but the lady really wanted to find a new home before the week was out, and said she was going to sell him/her to a pet store if she didn't find a home by the weekend. By this point, I was already in love with this little bird and I wasn't going to let it slip away without at least going to see him/her. Before I even got to see him/her, I had pretty much made up my mind to get this bird.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i461/BethySue07/My%20Lovebirds/IMG_2104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://i1095.photobucket.com/albums/i461/BethySue07/My%20Lovebirds/IMG_2104.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">How could I say no to this face?</td></tr>
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So, now I'm sitting in the QT room/our unused bathroom, listening to the bird and Sydney, who is in the living room, chirp back and forth. The new bird, whose old name is Gigi and who is new name is either Irwin or Melbourne, is very sweet. He doesn't bite and he'll (I'm calling this bird a "he" until I know otherwise) happily sit on my hand once he's out of his cage. He's a little skittish because he hasn't got much attention in the past couple weeks (the lady got him for her daughter, daughter lost interest, so he was only getting attention when the lady had some free time). I really think he'll be a very sweet and loving bird in no time at all. <br />
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<br />BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-8041061700393220492011-11-17T23:11:00.001-05:002012-01-16T19:43:44.612-05:00I'm BackFor now, at least.<br />
<br />
I know, it's been ages since I last posted, but I need to get back to blogging. So I'm going to <i>try</i> to get back into this. I have a ton of pictures that I've taken intending to put on my blog and I just haven't done it yet.<br />
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I'll come back tomorrow and write an actual post with some zoo updates, but for now, I leave you with this picture:<br />
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<br />BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-27075882063946117252011-08-28T15:17:00.000-04:002012-01-16T19:44:12.091-05:00Sydney is HoudiniI know I haven't posted in weeks. Please forgive me. I've been pretty busy. I'm getting back into riding more again, the fall semester has started, and I started a new job. <br />
<br />
During the past few days, Sydney has become somewhat of an escape artist. It began earlier this week when my mom caught her messing with the feeder doors. The feeder doors are the type that just slide up. I never use them because I didn't want Sydney to figure out that they open. Somehow she figured it out anyway.<br />
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Within a day, Sydney made her first escape. I was just in the other room and heard her chirping. I went to the living room and saw her outside of her cage. I hurriedly got her back in her cage (I was leaving for work), and put a twist tie on the door she had used for a temporary fix. I went to work. <br />
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That evening, she managed to get out again. I had only put a twist tie on one feeder door; the other feeder door had a perch on it, so I didn't think she could get out that way. So, I put zip-ties on both the feeder doors. All was good.<br />
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But then, last night, I was sitting in the living room and she got out again! She did it when I was right there and I didn't see how she did it. I looked at her cage, and found a spot where the bars weren't evenly spaced. But, I wasn't sure if that was how she got out. Seeing as it was already late in the evening, I went ahead and put her to bed, thinking she'd stay in her cage until morning when I uncovered her and took a closer look at her cage.<br />
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This morning, though, when I walked through the living room, what did I see on the table? Sydney, sitting quite proudly on the napkin holder. She chirped at me, totally pleased that she had gotten out of her cage yet again.<br />
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I put zip-ties on the bars where I think she is getting out. So far, she has stayed in her cage, and it seems like she is looking for a new way to get out.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-74068231457240234172011-08-07T11:29:00.000-04:002012-01-16T19:44:35.513-05:00I'm Still HereI'm still here and all the animals are as well. I know I haven't updated in more than a week. There hasn't been much to report.<br />
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The only thing that has really happened is on last Sunday we moved my horse to a new barn. I won't go into the reasons why. The new barn is closer to my house, and I don't even have to get on the interstate to get to it. It's a small barn (10 or 12 stalls) and very laid back. It's a nice change. There is no arena, so now I have to actually let the weather decide if I'm going to ride or anything, but the fields are perfect for conditioning for trail rides. <br />
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All is quiet on the lovebird front, well quiet except Sydney, who is always loud. I'm still toying with the idea of getting another lovebird for her, but haven't made a decision yet. Even if I had, it will take me a while to find a bird as there are very few lovies around here. I will probably finally make the decision if and when I find a suitable lovebird (male, peach-faced, preferrably a lutino, pied, or a Dutch blue, at least a couple years old). <br />
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In other news, I had to get a new power cord for my printer. My printer is on top of Pam the guinea pig's cage, and the cords are usually placed in a way that she can't reach them. For some reason, though, the power cord was not in it's usual spot, and Pam decided it looked like something nice to chew on. So, chew on it she did, until she chew right through it and left me with a power cord in two pieces. <br />
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I also have a few pictures I want to share, and a few other things I need to take pictures of so I can share them, but my camera's battery died and the charger is AWOL. I really wish I could find it. The charger for my back-up camera is also MIA, but that one isn't my fault. That camera is really my dad's camera and he just lets me use it. I suppose I could use my back-up back-up camera, but it eats batteries--a serving of 2 AA batteries for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. In the meantime, I'm stuck taking pictures with my phone. BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-32994785519389888392011-07-26T15:27:00.000-04:002012-01-16T19:44:50.665-05:00Clicker TrainingI decided to start doing target training with the birds. I'm starting with Digby and Lenore. I won't try it with Sydney for a while longer as I'm still trying to teach her to be comfortable around us and take food from my hand.<br />
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I actually started with Lenore about a week ago, just "charging the clicker", teaching him that the click means treat. Today, I introduced Digby to that concept. Both of them caught on to that very quickly. I also introduced the target stick to both of them today.<br />
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Lenore caught onto the idea of the target stick within three tries. He is very eager to learn and get his treat. Digby, though, is a bit wary of the target stick. A couple of times she walked away from it, a couple of times she just looked at it, and ONCE she bit it. She got a reward for looking at it, but she got a bigger reward for biting it.<br />
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Both of the birds seem very willing to learn, especially Lenore. I'm hoping that by teaching Digby this, I'll be able to eventually get her to step up onto my hand. Digby has made a lot of progress since I got her in October, but there hasn't been any change in the past few months, so maybe this will help her overcome whatever fear it is that she has over bare arms and hands. I'm also hoping I can eventually do recall training with both of them.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-89327639678531321422011-07-23T18:21:00.000-04:002012-01-16T19:45:09.325-05:00Sydney's Latest ThingSydney has developed a habit that I think I need to break her of.<br />
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She has a stainless steel water dish. It's a great dish, and she loves to take baths in it, but she has recently started looking at her reflection in the sides and bottom of the dish. At first, I thought it was kind of cute, but now it seems like she's almost obsessive about it and she will stare at her reflection for several minutes at a time.<br />
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I think it stemmed from me moving Digby and Lenore to my bedroom. I did it partly because their new cage doesn't really fit anywhere in the living room, and partly because I wanted to get Sydney into a main living space. Since I moved Sydney into the living room, she has started chirping a lot--I think calling for the other birds, though it doesn't really sound like a contact call. She has also started the reflection staring.<br />
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In light of this, I've been trying to bring Digby and Lenore upstairs to visit more often, but they don't seem to like her very much, especially Digby. Lenore is sociable with her, but he obviously doesn't like her as much as she likes him. And while Sydney tries to be friends with Digby, Digby will have no part of it. Digby gets very mad at Sydney if she gets too close.<br />
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I've also tried giving Sydney more time out of her cage than she was getting, but it doesn't seem to help either. If she's out of her cage, she looks for a reflective surface, and as soon as she's back in her cage, she goes to her water dish to look at her reflection again.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-9098597304786848852011-07-20T14:14:00.002-04:002012-01-16T19:45:28.961-05:00Maggie Looking Scruffy<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5309/5599361718_12c0588c1a_z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5309/5599361718_12c0588c1a_z.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maggie needs a haircut.</td></tr>
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<br />BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-27929654743905208312011-07-15T01:27:00.001-04:002011-07-15T01:27:44.047-04:00Google SearchesA couple of new search terms came up on my Blogger statistics in the past few days that brought people to my site. I thought that, on the off chance those people stuck around, I'd answer them.<br />
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To the person who came here by searching "I just put some lettuce in my African sideneck turtles tank but it hasn't touched it. Should I be worried?" You don't need to be worried. While African sidenecks are technically omnivores, they tend to favor meat. They will eat plants and vegetables, but given the choice, they're more likely to choose meat. If your turtle is refusing lettuce but is eating fine otherwise, don't worry. And if you're new to owning turtles, or at least new to African sidenecks, I recommend reading about them at <a href="http://www.pelomedusa.com/index.html">pelomedusa.com</a>.<br />
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And to the person who came here by searching something about being an impulse buyer of sugar gliders, I suggest you do a lot of research and don't freak out. Head over to the <a href="http://www.glidercentral.net/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/forum_summary">Glider Central</a> forum and you will find out all sorts of stuff. I also recommend going to <a href="http://www.sugar-gliders.com/">SunCoast Sugar Glider</a>s and doing some reading there, and sign up for their monthly newsletter (I no longer own gliders but I still get and read the newsletter every month). Gliders really are wonderful pets, but require a lot of work.<br />
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To the other people who came to me through Google or a different search engine, welcome to Chaotic Zoo. I don't have any videos of talking lovebirds, even though Digby barks and my aunt swears that Lenore says, "Digby". I do have a lovebird named Lenore, but I don't think you were searching for my bird when you Googled "Lenore". And to the person who came by searching "chaotic zoo", well, that's pretty awesome. :)BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-70666681063244749182011-07-14T13:25:00.000-04:002012-01-16T19:45:44.792-05:00My Early Bird and My Night OwlDigby is my night owl. She is most active in the late evening and that is when she wants to play and spend time with me. She will happily be awake and active and playing until past 11 o'clock if I let her. She prefers to sleep in past 9 or 10 most days.<br />
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Lenore is my early bird. He is up as soon as he realizes it's morning, and he wants to go to bed by 9 o'clock at night. If I take too long to cover his cage, he will go to his sleep perch and, before he shared a cage with Digby, would hide himself in his fleece blanket/tent.<br />
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Because of these two extremes, having Digby and Lenore in the same cage has been interesting, especially in the morning. The cage is covered except for one little square right beside the perch where Digby and Lenore sleep, which is placed in a way that my bed is in their view. Digby likes to watch me as she falls asleep at night; Lenore likes to chirp at me in the morning.<br />
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Every morning, I wake up to Digby and Lenore chirping and being noisy. They have a set pattern in their morning chirps and sounds. Lenore will do a series of high pitched, loud chirps, his excited it's morning chirps. Digby will answer with a noise that sounds very much like a growl. It's the noise she makes when she's irritated. The two of them will go back and forth like this for several minutes every morning. Lenore is ready for the morning, and Digby wants him to be quiet so she can continue to sleep.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-42411059677895809192011-07-13T11:21:00.002-04:002012-01-16T19:46:04.491-05:00Wet BirdsAfter getting back from Kansas Monday evening, Digby and Lenore were in their cage for no more than five minutes when they both decided to take a bath.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwXdt3hp7G5YdZrK9TCxpxLBUeI5DGJCT0aB1G6qd7rKDwDwIlGJfImUiuzkimJnTnyviMjvlfyscKRUBDtfa69SGXYAAPcG_OGFYFoWIwGjbqSnhR_XDx-7m4AUL75hySOvEDmbt2Tk/s1600/WetLenore.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxwXdt3hp7G5YdZrK9TCxpxLBUeI5DGJCT0aB1G6qd7rKDwDwIlGJfImUiuzkimJnTnyviMjvlfyscKRUBDtfa69SGXYAAPcG_OGFYFoWIwGjbqSnhR_XDx-7m4AUL75hySOvEDmbt2Tk/s320/WetLenore.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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I recently got a new, stainless steel water dish for these two. It's a Coop Cup. I think it's the 20 ounce size. They love it. (Sydney has a very similar water dish, but I can never catch her in the act of taking a bath.) When I first put it in their cage, Digby went right for it. She got completely in the dish and managed to get the water all over her body and her head. Their previous water dishes, while they were a good size, didn't allow them to get completely in the water.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-88447276161565314642011-07-12T16:28:00.002-04:002012-01-16T19:46:21.927-05:00Where I've BeenI haven't posted in a week or so because I've been out of town. I went with my mom and little brother to visit relatives in Kansas. We got back last night.<br />
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Digby and Lenore went with us. They did great, and Lenore charmed everybody as I knew he would. Digby, being shy and reserved around strangers, didn't shine like he did, but everybody agreed she was the prettier of the two (which I don't quite get--I think they are equally beautiful). Lenore behaved pretty good and wasn't too bitey. They were very good travelers.<br />
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Maggie and Ricky went too. They were both good. I taught Maggie to stay while we were out there. I'm always amazed by how quickly she picks up new things.<br />
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It is extremely hot here. The temperature is 96℉, with a heat index of 113℉. Right now it's storming and they rain is very much welcome.<br />
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Also, Blogger looks completely weird and has a new layout and look. I do not like it.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-28129562385824884032011-07-03T22:05:00.000-04:002012-01-16T19:46:42.404-05:00A Train WreckOn Thursday, my best friend sent me a text message that said, "You OK?? The train wreck around you."<br />
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I replied and said, "Huh? Train wreck? Where? That's like so five years ago." (The "so five years ago" was in reference to the<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_Brooks,_Kentucky_train_derailment"> train derailment that happened a mere mile or two away from my house in 2007</a>.) <br />
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She quickly replied, "No! Now! By your house! Now!"<br />
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I rolled my eyes and sent a quick, sarcastic, "Stupid CSX," and let her know my family and I were fine. <br />
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When my friend texted me, we weren't at home and we hadn't heard anything about a train wreck. I quickly checked the website of a local news station to figure out what my friend was talking about.<br />
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It turns out there was <a href="http://www.whas11.com/home/Train-derails-in-Bullitt-County-124801654.html">another train derailment</a>. We were at home when it happened, sitting on our back deck, eating lunch. We didn't hear anything. A couple of helicopters flew overhead, but because Louisville is a sizable city, that's not really anything unusual. We had no idea it had happened until a few hours later.<br />
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Fortunately, this time there were no hazardous chemicals on the train. We were not told to evacuate. The train cars that derailed were all carrying cars and trucks. This derailment was no where near the size of the 2007 derailment (which was the largest in Kentucky). Witnesses say they saw a semi-truck hit the railroad track a little while before the train derailment and CSX is currently looking for the driver of that truck.<br />
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The real kicker? It happened in almost the exact same spot as the 2007 train derailment. It was so close to the same spot that the train cars from Thursday were dragged across the road to the area that was fenced off in 2007 to hold the train cars from that derailment.<br />
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On a related note, let this serve as a reminder. Make sure you have a plan in place for your pets in case an evacuation is needed.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-10835994919530636612011-07-03T21:07:00.000-04:002012-01-16T19:47:03.953-05:00Maggie Mae is HurtCrazy dog Maggie somehow hurt herself. We aren't sure how she did it, though we think, and so does the vet, that she hurt herself by simply being the crazy, hyperactive dog that she is. Maggie will often jump straight into the air, jumping up to three feet up.<br />
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Yesterday, at one point when my mom picked her up, she yelped. My mom thought maybe she was hurt and gave her a good look over. She couldn't find anywhere that Maggie would react to when she was touched. And last night, Maggie came inside and immediately went into her crate, something she doesn't normally do.<br />
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This morning, she didn't really want to come out of her crate, and when she did, she didn't want to go outside and instead went into Ellie's crate. After some coaxing, she finally went out. A little while later, I let Maggie and Ellie back inside and picked Maggie up. She yelped again. I had my mom help me look at Maggie, and we discovered that she tensed up whenever we messed with her back legs or her stomach. We also noticed she was coughing a little, but not too bad. She also wasn't acting like herself and was very subdued. <br />
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Because tomorrow is a holiday, our vet won't be in until Tuesday, and we didn't want to wait that long to take Maggie in, so we went to the emergency vet today. The vet noticed the pain actually seems to be coming from her back, so they did an X-ray. The vet thought it was possibly a herniated disk or just a muscle sprain. Fortunately, the X-ray looked perfectly fine. The vet prescribed some pain medicine and an anti-inflammatory for the pain, and an antibiotic for the cough.<br />
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We were also told to keep her quiet for about a week. That's way easier said than done.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-35373512194436712882011-06-29T18:31:00.000-04:002011-06-29T18:31:18.789-04:00New Dog and Cat FoodThis past weekend, we went to a pet store to get cat food. What should have been a run-in-grab-food stop turned into a much longer stop, partly because of an African grey and partly because we stopped to talk to a pet food representative.<br />
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I usually avoid talking to pet food reps. Most dog and cat food on the market isn't food I will feed. I'm very selective about what food my pets get, so I won't talk to pet food reps as a general rule. But I was quite happy to talk to this one.<br />
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The representative was for a company called "<a href="http://www.naturesvariety.com/">Nature's Variety</a>" and she was telling people about their "<a href="http://www.naturesvariety.com/InstinctRaw/dog">Instinct</a>" line. The Instinct food is a frozen raw diet. For dogs and cats, a raw diet is superior to other diets, at least in my opinion. A raw diet means giving dog or cat raw meat and bones (not cooked bones), and possibly some fresh fruits and vegetables. Given that cats are <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnivore#Obligate_carnivores">obligate carnivores</a>, and dogs are carnivores (there is debate as to whether they are true <a href="http://www.rawfed.com/myths/omnivores.html">carnivores</a> or <a href="http://www.dogfoodadvisor.com/canine-nutrition/dogs-carnivores-omnivores/">omnivores</a>, I side with the carnivore side), feeding a diet high in meat is pretty important. The Instinct foods are 95% meat, organs, and bone, and 5% fruits and vegetables, with absolutely no grains. <br />
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After talking to the pet food rep, we bought a trail size bag of the frozen chicken. In addition to the chicken, they also have bison, venison, rabbit, lamb, and beef. The frozen, raw foods are for both dogs and cats, no different food. There is also a kibble, which doesn't have quite as much meat and more fruits and vegetables, but is still grain free. There is a canned version as well, which is the same 95% meat, 5% fruit and veggie ratio as the frozen food. The company also has another line of foods called "Prarie", which has grains, but only a few, and none of the ones I avoid in dog and cat foods. It looks pretty good too.<br />
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Now, all of this is fine and good on the nutrition side of things, but if the dogs and cats won't eat it, it's worthless. So far, we've only given some to Ellie the cockapoo with food allergies and/or intolerances, and Delilah the cat who is spoiled. Delilah wouldn't eat any unless I mixed her canned food in with it. Ellie, though, quite liked it.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2983354981122263706.post-70252137112536347832011-06-25T19:05:00.001-04:002011-06-25T20:05:54.870-04:00Met an African GreyI met my first African grey today. I had seen greys before, but I've never gotten the opportunity to hold or interact with one. Now I want one more than ever.<br />
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We had gone to a different pet store than usual today because we were in a different part of town. Before we got to the cat food, we got stopped by a pet food representative (watch for a different post about that...probably tomorrow...I'm pretty excited). While we were talking to her, my nephew and little brother decided to go look at the ferrets. A few minutes later, my mom and I were still talking to the pet food rep, and my nephew and brother come back. My nephew excitedly tells me there is an African grey back there and he got to hold her.<br />
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So after we finished talking to the pet food rep, we got the cat food and then went to the birds. The store employees had the grey out on a playstand and were misting her. She didn't like it too much, and so she was kind of irritated when we got over there. We stayed there for a few minutes talking to her and to the employee who was with her. This grey is a Congo African grey. She was five months old. She is already mimicking noises, and it sort of sounded like she was starting to try to say words. After she calmed down a little, I got to pet her and hold her.<br />
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The employee stepped her up from the playstand and then I offered her my hand. Before I could even tell her to step up, she was coming right to me. I held her and just looked at her. My heart melted. She was so cute, so calm, so willing to go to a complete stranger. She made cute little noises. I passed her off to my mom and she went to her just as willing.<br />
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This meeting reaffirmed the fact that I want a grey, but it did more than just that. Up until meeting this grey, I wanted to get two more birds (not now, but in the future)--a brown-headed parrot or a Meyer's and a grey. But after seeing, holding, and interacting with that grey today, I think I've decided that I just want one more bird, an African grey. I'm not saying that wouldn't like a poicephalus of some sort, but I want the grey more and feel that I would be content and happy to just have a grey and my lovebirds.BethySuehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16373120883256128150noreply@blogger.com2