Kyle's Hatch Day Celebration-9.23.12

September 23, 2011 Recap...

I was on my way to the pet store with the intent to buy another fish.  Then it happened, a flash of lightning hit my brain, I had the best idea...I was going to buy a parakeet for Bill.  I was actually driving and fighting with myself...Just picture it..."Do I really want a bird, Yes....No...Maybe....Okay, I'll check it out....Do I really want to spend the money.....What about the noise....Oh man, when Bill's out for the night I'm going to have to take care of him....Oh well Maybe a fish is the best idea.  Sooooo.....As you can tell Kyle came home.  While in the pet store I carefully picked him out, knowing full well that he was going to be Bill's bird.  I made sure that I had a cage, the right accessories, and we were on our way home.  Poor Kyle had to ride in one of those cardboard pet carriers until I could get him home to put him in his cage.  We got in the door and I was carrying him like he was a baby with a poopy diaper...hands stretched out....you get the picture.  I was so afraid of the little guy that it was a miracle that he got into the cage. Again, remember this was going to be "Bill's bird"....When Bill got home he was so surprised.  He even went over to his mom's...aka Grandma Anthony...to get the old cockatiel cage (RIP Cheech) for Kyle to live in.  We got the playpen....we were moving up in the world of Keetdom..Days went by...Bill went to work....When I got home in the evening, I found myself sitting by the cage talking to him.  It got worse, I bought every to known to man for this bird.  Bill had to tell me to stop because there wasn't going to be room for the bird to live in the cage with all his toys.  There was still something missing, he became obsessed with the mirror in his cage and seemed very sad.  Again, on our way to the pet store.....We learned he was lonely...and then the tears flowed.  Hence, we bought CiCi, who's hatch day will be coming up soon.  Needless to say, Kyle was the baby who started it all....6 birds later.  They say I'm the one that started the bird buying, but it was really the story of Peanuts and Cheech that started my curiosity.

We call it their hatch day because we don't know the exact day they were born so we refer to the day they came home to live with us....

Here are a few pictures from Kyle's hatch day:

The Birthday honeystick

The Birthday boy...

My sweet baby Kyle :)







Love to all from the Nest,

Kyle, CiCi, Jasper, JiJi, Big Girl, and Rockie...and of course the hermits....



P.S.   RIP Syta Lee......

Site under construction....

News Flap from the Nest...lastest Edition...

Big Girl says you will read this and you'll like it....Just a side note....

Article #1

Well as many of you have learned, we're going to North Carolina in the Fall.  Although we're staying at a pet friendly house, I don't think the birds are up for a 12 plus hour trip.  During out last vacation, grandma Nicholson stayed at the nest while we were at the ocean with the Anthony family.  This time we're going with the Nicholson family to the ocean so the birds will be staying at Grandma Anthony's nest while were gone.  I was a little concerned that Rockie wasn't going to do well while we were gone just because he was confined to a cage for 20 years and has only become a "pet" in the last 160 days..not that I'm counting.

Yesterday was a trial run for socialization for Rockie and Big Girl.  This was the first outing for Rockie, other than the beloved trip to the vet.  Big Girl has gone on a few visits, but a first for both of them together out in the community...again minus the vet.

So the Results of the visit at Grandma Anthony's....SUCCESS!!!  I thought my social deprived parrot would be a mess, wrong, Rockie instantly got out of his travel carrier and went to grandma.  He visited with her for a while and then Big Girl, attention-seeking parrot, had to get Grandma's attention!!  Here's a few pictures from our visit.

Waiting patiently on the car ride over-Rockie

 Big Girl likes to hold Daddy's hand when we go anywhere.  Yes I sat in the back with him and she was in the front with Daddy.

Safety first...Cages must be strapped in!!!!

Daddy, are we there yet??  Yes, that's my baby Rockie!!!

Here are pics of Grandma and her Grandbirds:

Rockie also got to meet Uncle Reece and Uncle Kirby!!

I have no worries that the birds will do great!!  Yes I said birds, the Keets are going too.  I thought we could maybe have the keets stay with Aunt Merri....Wrong.  I was doing something the keet's cage the other day and wow, Big Girl thought I was hurting them, I got an ear full!!!  Thankfully Grandma is a bird lover and is overjoyed about keeping all my babies!!!  Don't worry, I didn't forget about Syta and the crabs, Cecil and Herman, Cornelius passed :(..Their pet hotel will be arranged later on!!

Just in case you wondering what the curious Keets have been up to...Here's a photo shoot from this morning....

Looking innocent on the top of their cage....Jokes on you!!!

Jasper and Kyle planning their escape:

The ladder to the phone barrel....it doesn't go anywhere <evil laugh>

Checking the rug out...Hmm...Anything to chew up while I'm down here???

I'm so thankful that we have wonderful grandparents for our babies.  Although Bill and I are still on the fence about kids,  we have two sets of grandparents that are willing to take care of our brat birds!!!

Article #2  What's in a name...

Bill and I were discussing the middle names of the birds.  The Parrots don't have middle names, we just couldn't think of any that we liked.  However, they've acquired many nicknames:

Rockie-Peanut, Fuss Butt, Birdzilla

Big Girl-Poopzilla, Bratzilla, Sweetie

The Keets actually do have middle names:

Kyle Gerald

CiCi Susan

JiJi Katherine

Jasper Grant

The fish even has a middle name:

Syta Lee

The crabs are only first names....They're nocturnal so they don't show us much of their personality...I do think they are trying to ignore our daily noise as they bury themselves in the sand...LOL...

Love from the Nest....

Rockie

Big Girl

Kyle

CiCi

JiJi

Jasper

Syta

Cecil

Herman

and

two Humans

The Dog Days of Summer.

As July 6th marks the day of sadness when we lost our sweet Nicholas, July 24th marks the day of happiness when Sullivan Grant joined our family. 

Levi is giving Sully the territorial treatment at home, but as you can see on the ride home, both dogs were sitting on mom's lap :)

I believe Nicholas Derby and Chloe Renee are smiling down upon us from Heaven. 

Love from the Nest!!

We have Crabs....

Yes that's what I said...we have crabs <keep your mind out of the gutter).  I recently purchased a hermit crab at the beach while on vacation.  Meet Cornelious Hermit Anthony-

After much research at the local pet stores we learned the following items:

• They need roommates.
• They need sea salt water to bathe in.
• They need spritzed 1-2 x/week.
• They have special food, including shrimp.
• They need to be submerged in water for 1 minute 1x/week.
• They can have snacks such as pineapples.
• They have a water bowl and need sponges to be wet to put around the "beach"...note their new home.

So, after a few more dollars at the pet store....

We have a new home:

We have roommates: Cecil and Herman.

So lets take a census of the population in the house:

1. 4 Parakeets-CiCi, JiJi, Kyle, and Jasper
2. 2 Parrots-Big Girl and Rockie
3. 1 beta fish-Syta
4. 3 Hermit Crabs-Herman, Cornelius, and Cecil
5. 2 Humans
6. 2 Jeeps
7. 3 Boats-Ruby, Hattie, and Bayley

Holy Flock :)

New Cousin and New Uncle!!!!

Meet our New Cousin Buzz McPherson!!!

He's an Eclectus..........

Our New Uncle Levi Jo Nicholson

 

Water, Water, Everywhere!!!!

Big Girl and Rockie got into spritzing this morning and bathing in their bowls....

"Rocking Out" my new do...

I look like a "drowned Rat"

More Daddy, More!!!

News "Flap"

So much has been happening at the nest!!  Here's a short recap:

VEGGIE TALES-
We have successfully transitioned to fresh fruit and veggies.  We started with fruit cups, canned peas, and canned corn.  I guess we should say "canned" veggies...but we're on our way.  Rockie would much rather eat french fries and a side of pizza, but some healthy pasta has shown to be an acceptable substitute.  In addition to veggies, Rockie has made some progress with switching from all seed to pellets.  We were at a 25 seed/75 pellet ratio, but he wasn't eating too well, so we've reverted to 50 seed/50 pellet.  Bill and I decided it's a battle we don't want to pick with him.  He's known seed his entire life, I would be grumpy too if someone made me change.

AVICAKE STOCK IS INCREASING!!!

I went for my usual trip to the pet store to stock up on parrot crack...aka Avicakes, and much to my surprise, they make avicakes for the keets.  I laughed to myself, but we all know they were in the bag at the checkout....So this is our impression of Keet Avicakes:

 Jasper checking it out, then they all ran around it...typical keet behavior, and started digging in.. I'm in huge trouble now.  Before millet would satisfy as "keet crack"...

Here are what the parrots have to say:

Blah Blah How about that I'm still eating mine:

HOMEMADE TOYS.....

Popsicle sticks
practice golf balls
Leather cord
Old toy parts

and we have.....

Thank you Daddy!!!

FLIGHT SUIT

Ha Ha...this was one of those toddler/baby moments trying to squirm them into their flight suits.  Biting, clawing, and flapping...One parrot made it, the other had a meltdown.

INTRODUCING OUR NEW COUSIN LEVI

Aunt Stacy lost her beloved Quaker Alex :(  But she's proud to announce that Levi will be joining her nest:

Congrats to Aunt Stacy!!!  This last picture is a family photo of Levi and his brothers and sisters.


A WORD FROM THE PARROTS COURTESY OF MOM....
Well sorry for the delay in our blogs.  Life has been crazy at the nest.  Mom and Dad are working more and more these days, but when they're home on the weekend....  We get a great parrot massage and plenty of time to poop on them.  The poor keets had to go through "wing checks"....Suckers!! 

BTW...we did hear that Grandma Kathy is coming to stay at our nest while Mom and Dad go to the Beach with Grandpa and Grandma Anthony.  "While the parents are away, the parrots will play....."



Love from the Nest.

Mini Vacay went OKAY!!

You know you've got it really bad when you go on a mini vacay and your only souvenir is a bird magazine that you bought in the pet shop....Sad!!!  It's even sadder when you buy seed for one of the parrots when it's cheaper there than at home.

As mentioned in an earlier blog, this was the first time I had been away from the birds since we got them, even the keets.  I must say, I was a little sad when we got them up Friday morning and then drove off in the jeep.  My mom, bless her, decided to stay at the nest while we were gone.  She kept reassuring me that everything was going to be just fine.  Bill and I made every list known to man...this applies to all the electronics in my house not just bird info.  My parents are electronically challenged and explaining to them how to simply turn on the tv is no simple task.  Three remotes later you can watch a movie in the living room, in the bedroom it only takes two.   Thank goodness the only real crisis we had was explaining how to turn on the TV...Thank goodness I had cell range at that point.  At the resort, I had to do the classic extend your ear towards the window and point your toe towards the hall and pray for service. 

Overall the trip was good but I noticed how much I missed my feathered children (including Syta the fish, we just refer to her as a bird..ha ha).  The funniest part of coming home from the weekend is the fact that we didn't waste any time getting home.  In the past we would take "our route" through Vermillion, Oh and head towards home arriving early evening.  We pulled into the garage by 11am.  When the parrots hear the garage door open, they know I'm home.  When they heard the door on Sunday morning, they erupted with excitement.  I swear they saved all their energy for us when we got home.  It was such a sweet sound hearing all seven of them, I'm sure I could hear Syta "sloshing" around in her cage too.

My sweet mother not only stayed at my house, she baked my fave peach pie for my birthday, had birthday presents from her and my father along with a mother's day gift from the kiddos.  Very thoughtful.    It's very reassuring that I have two sets of grandparents that are so dedicated to my children.  My Mother-in-law was on back-up if my mom had any problems.

So I conclude by stating that I'm very thankful all the thought and consideration that went into our weekend getaway.  Both set of parents were responsible for our little trip.  I enjoyed our time away, but I must say, I loved being back into the routine of getting up with the birds and heading to work. 

Stay tuned....in 30 days we leave for the beach with my in-laws.....This time we're going to be gone for longer and the parrots are going to my parents and Syta and the keets are going to stay with Aunt Merri.  I think that vacation will be a little more relaxing since I won't worry as much since I know that my parrots won't be a big problem for my parents.  The keets are going to turn Aunt Merri's house into a three-ringed circus, I hope she's ready....

Well this girl is tired, a weekend getaway is nice, but them comes the dreaded Monday at work.  31 clients later, I'm back into the swing of things.  A four day mental break was nice, but I must say, I'm REALLY looking forward to an entire week off from work.  But as many of you know, I'm always checking my voice mail and work email even off the clock.  My clients are so precious to me but I have to remember that a vacation is a good thing now and them.

Love to all from the nest...I'm typing quietly in the bedroom as the spoiled children sleep in the living room....BRATS!!!!

The great Cough Drop Debate...

I went today to the allergist to have my allergy testing done.  After sitting there for about an hour of testing the results were in....no allergies....<minor allergy to dust>....Highlights of Conversation with Dr. Houser:

SCH is crazy...He was speechless that they didn't know that there was a cough drop in my mouth.  He was very perplexed when he saw my CT results and was really worried about what the scan had shown.  Thankfully, my dentist, Dr. Yerkey, was intelligent enough to suggest a gum/cough drop in my mouth (according to Houser).  He told me that the x-ray/MRI office located in the same plaza as his office encourages you to have something in your mouth, if you're feeling anxious...WHAT?!...Overall he was very thankful that the situation didn't stem further...me too. 

I'm still a little nerved about the radiologist would also suggest that I have my sinuses "cleaned out" by an ENT on staff at the hospital.  Ummm...excuse me but my ordering physician is the one who calls the shots.  I've already had several dates with an ENT and have had No results.  Then there's always the test results..my sinuses WERE CLEAR!!  Yes please let me schedule a surgery....<imagine that scenario....MAJOR MELTDOWN>....

The end result is that I have chronic sinus infections.  No big deal, he said that I'm allowed to have one per quarter....that makes me laugh out loud...but if I have more frequent infections then I have to go see him.  He prescribed a new nasal spray that I can use when I'm more symptomatic...as right now...I can't hear correctly out of my left ear.....Bill said that the volume level on the tv has been getting louder.   But that's up for debate...Is it really my sinuses or could it be...A screaming parrot in my ear...hmmm....Challenging question!!!

Thank you to everyone for the prayers over the great cough drop debate.  I'm also very thankful to hear that I wasn't allergic to my feathered children.  I was dreading the thought of shots, but you know I would be driving to Boardman weekly and paying a weekly copay just for a houseful of spoiled birds!!!

**Coming soon....We leave for Lake Erie in two weeks...My parents are bird-sitting....I'm not ready for this as I've been with them EVERY night since they came home....Bill has been on the road 2-3 nights/week but that doesn't mean anything either.  He always talks to them before bed....Uncle Nick Nick met the parrots too....I'm afraid that he's going to get a serious injury, Rockie doesn't take well to Fuzz jumping at his cage.....

It is reassuring to know that I don't have to worry about boarding the birds.  Both set of grandparents are bird sitting during vacations and I couldn't be more thankful.  I knew I would have it bad, but this a maternal thing....Even poor Syta gets spoiled as I call cleaning her fish bowl....Cage cleaning...Uniformity in this house!!!

Love from the Nest!

 I'm signing this blog because right now the parrots have "pepper breath"...Little did I know that parrots LOVE anything hot....bring on the jalapenos..... 

Three Winged Circus

The past two weeks have been a whirlwind of events, hence the title three "winged" circus.

First event-the great "cough drop" debate.  I've been having chronic sinus infections that have been treated with in doctor terms "bazooka antibiotics."  I saw my brilliant allergist who shipped me off to have the dreaded CT.  Much to my delight, my primary care physician has a Cat Scan in their office.  Of course they wouldn't allow me to have the ct done there as my order physician was my allergist...not part of the doctor complex.  This meant I had to go to the dreaded hospital for my ct...dry heaving as I write about it.  As many of you know, I have an extreme phobia of hospitals.  I scheduled my ct scan for 7:30 in the morning and warned the department that I was coming loaded with Xanax and antibacterial accessories.  Fast forward to the next day, I get a phone call from the allergist stating that they found a "mass" in my mouth and that I needed to contact my dentist or oral surgeon right away.   Instant Meltdown....Fast Forward again to the dentist visit..With the support of my faithful husband, we braved the maze of the hospital to get my ct films and went to see my dentist.  Much to my surprise, he can't find the "mass" in my mouth and being the wonderful guy that he is, he called the head of radiology to try and figure out what was going on.  The dentist asked me if I had gum or anything in my mouth the morning of the scan....<deer in the headlight look>...I couldn't remember what I wore that day let alone what was in my mouth.  I was fortunate enough to remind them that I had a nose ring.  After much discussion with the radiologist, the magic/dreaded word came out of his mouth....Rescan....WHAT?!!!  So the next day I was contacted by the hospital, who was more than accommodating with my work schedule.  They were sure to make sure that I didn't have anything in my mouth this time.  I even was to wait on the ct table while the head of radiology came to read my scans...Surprise, there's no mass...I did have a cough drop in my mouth...How embarrassed am I....The radiologist was apologetic for my undue stress, and saying his staff should have reminded me....It's not their fault by any means, these things happen and they were so wonderful about the incident...But you know I was the discussion at the water cooler...."you know that crazy girl who came in last week, well boy was she a trip..."  I'm just so thankful that I didn't have a mass and that we could laugh about the event..However, allergy testing is next week....I'm getting to be a pro at this stuff...5 sinus ct's under my belt and 4th time for allergy testing....my luck I'll be allergic to cough drops...I'll never live that one down.

Second Event-CiCi loses her tail feathers.  My poor baby parakeet looks like she's lost part of her body.  Of course it was the day that I found out that there wasn't a mass and was over the moon, but very run down from all the stress and anxiety.  Bill was out for the night, so I spent a little bit of time with the birds in the living room.  The parrots were on top of their cage while the keets were taking turns playing cause and effect...flying of the cage, yelling at each other, and all the other things the "rodeo clowns" do.  I was getting all the birds rounded up because I was afraid I would fall asleep and wake with bird poop everywhere.  Poor CiCi was trying to get back to her cage when I slipped and found her under my foot.  I was so scared that I had killed her but to my surprise she was still alive, but the poor baby was losing her feathers as each second went by.  I scooped her up and took her over to the sink to asses the damage.  Her entire back is naked of all her tail feathers.  I called Bill and sobbed once again on the phone....Thankfully she's still the same happy bird minus some feathers.  Somewhere, my name has fallen onto the "wall of shame"

Third event-Trip to the Vet for the parrots. I'm proud to report that they are healthy a few modifications to diets and exercise are needed, but for being parrot parents for only two months, we've earned the seal of approval from the vet.  We return in ONE YEAR for another wellness check-up.  Both Big Girl and Rockie were champs.  Of course I'm sure we embarrassed them as Mom and Dad coming walking in with their "yellow and blue" blankies to match their colors..yellow crowned, blue fronted.  I also had a diaper bag of baby wipes, bottled water, our hand towels because the scent of home may comfort them, treats, food....All for just one little trip to the vet.  Spoiled brats! 

Thankfully this two week span has come to an end and I'm so excited to lay my head down on my pillow and try to catch up on the lost hours of sleep I've had over the past two weeks.  Many prayers were sent up for me and my family and I'm so thankful for a wonderful support system, even though it was a cough drop, the time in between was a nightmare.  CiCi losing her feathers was tragic for me, but she's still showing the other keets that it doesn't take a tail to keep her from moving around...And I'm so very relieved to find out that the parrots are doing so well and are HEALTHY!!!

New topic for discussion at our house is to microchip the parrots......Due to religious beliefs Bill and I are indifferent.....

Good Night from the Anthony Nest!!! 

disclaimer-drool spots are to be disregarded as the author is falling asleep as she's typing....

Squak All about it.....

Dad's become a writer.....Check it out...

http://www.thegroundhogchronicles.blogspot.com

I'll teach them...

Anytime we want Big Girl to do something cute, like walk down the hallway to her cage, she leaves a little "surprise" for us.  Watch where you step when you come to our house, you never know when/where she's gone bombs away.  Usually we watch for "poopzilla" to strike, but tonight I was caught off guard.  Normally Bill is on guard, but boy did he miss a pile.  My normal nightly routine is to run the sweeper around their cages etc.  Well I was using the hose with attachments and sucked up a pile of green goo...I screamed and started dry heaving at the same time. Bill ran over with the wipes and started working on the mess and started gagging himself.  Needless to say, my $500 dyson has now seen the likes of Parrot Poop.

Her official Indian name is "Big Poop"

Excuse me while I hop online and starting buying stock in Clorox wipes....

Therapy Bird....

As many of you know, Rockie, our blue-fronted Amazon, is 20 years old and was considered to be a "mean" bird.  We didn't have any intentions of buying two parrots, but after much time (5 minutes) of the pet owner making us a deal, he was ours.  I wasn't sure about this bird, but when I leaned down to the cage to make eye contact with this bird...He met my eyes!! I knew from the way that he looked at me that he was supposed to be ours, I wasn't sure of the reason at that time. 

These are the facts that we knew about this bird.
1.  He was a breeder (they are trained to be mean)
2.  His breed (Amazon).
3.  He hardly ever gets out of his cage
4.  His diet- which consists of seed.
5.  He lived in a cage with ancient toys.
6.  He needed a new cage because the old one looked like he was cage trailer trash.
7.  They didn't know if he talked.

Views from his old cage:

Facts about this bird AFTER he came home

1.  He has a new cage.
2.  The old cage and toys went in the garbage or for scrap parts!!!
3.  His wings have been clipped-the most horrible job I've seen.
4.  He's horribly afraid of towels....hmm...makes you wonder.  Towels are usually encouraged to help reduce stress in your bird...NOT this bird!!!  (Big Girl either, the keets do fine as we've had them since they were babies).
5.  He has learned to play, this bird is soooo smart, We constantly have to change his toys as he gets bored easily
6.  He isn't so much  the "m" word as was told to us (we don't use the word mean)
7.  Positive reinforcement is the key to this bird...."your such a good boy, you're fine...."
8.  Desensitization is working well. We've been able to successfully get him out of his cage.  We started the first month by letting him out his cage daily and allowing him to go in and out as he pleased.  You've seen previous pictures of him at the table etc.
9.  We have a vet visit coming up and I'm curious what else were going to find out!!!!
10.  His locating call for Bill and I is ironically "hello".....
11.  He and his sister Big Girl imitate the Cockatoo Benny they lived with.
12.  This bird has finally learned how to "preen" himself...His skin and feathers are so sensitive because he didn't know how to take care of them....No one taught him.
13.   We've progressively changed his diet from all seed to mixing more pellet as it's much healthier for him.



The biggest accomplishment came over the past week.  He's really bonded to me because I believe that God sent this bird to me because we both have mental health issues.  He's truly my therapy bird.  He's learned to give me kisses....He actually lets me pick him up....hands around his entire body and lets me flip him over.  He's snuggles up to me like he knows that's my mommy!!!  Don't be fooled...my hands are still accessorized with bandaids!!!

Here are a few pictures of him right before he went to bed last night....

Notice the new toys :)

His feathers are getting so much better!!!  This is the area I'm working on with him!!!

Gee...who likes the camera?!?!

Okay I'm mom, I'm ready for bed!!!
 

Video of the two cockatoos we own..Ha Ha...

These picture was taken just a little while ago when I had him out of his cage for the first time without the assistance of Bill...

We continue to make progress each day with him!!!


Jasper proofing my blog.....

The keets giving their input....

Little do the keets know that today just wasn't only bath day, it's clip wings/nails day.....They won't be happy..