Pic of the new Gecko

Here's the new gecko!  He weighs 6 grams and is approx. 4-4-1/2 inches long (too wiggly to get an accurate measurement).  He is a young gecko--maybe 3 or 4 months (?); too young to sex yet.  Last night I watched him stalk, catch and devour a small cricket.  Later, I checked on him when I was going to bed and he was stalking the other cricket I had put in the enclosure.

I am powdering the crickets just as I put them in the enclosure.  Also, I am putting in either applesauce with added complete gecko diet, or complete gecko diet mixed with water, every other day.  This is the same as I did with Art, although I didn't powder the crickets, and I didn't ever see Art eating the applesauce or complete gecko diet.

I need to figure out a name.  A few have been suggested (Elvis, Picasso, Gordie, Spot), but I haven't decided on one yet.

This little guy is quite active; wakes up FAST in the middle of the day when you reach for him. Fun!  I can't wait to see what develops!

New Gecko

I got a new gecko for xmas from my b-friend!  I picked it out at the East Bay Vivarium in Berkeley, last Saturday.  What a neat place that is!  Their business card says it has the "largest selection of reptiles in the U.S.".   I picked a small crested gecko that is brownish-gold with black small spots and a very nice pattern within its crest down its back and tail.  It is too young to be sexed.  And, I have not decided on a name, yet.  I have redesigned Art's enclosure for this gecko (same items; different arrangement).  The highly knowledgeable folks at EB Vivarium recommended a heat source to keep the temp at around 75 degrees or so, so I have added a ceramic heater in a wire fixture placed on top of the enclosure.  

I am feeding the new gecko small-sized crickets with calcium powder sprinkled on top.  I have also put applesauce with calcium mixed in, in the enclosure.  Until Art got sick and I went to the vet, I was unaware of the calcium requirements of geckos.  I won't make that mistake again.

Pictures will be forthcoming soon!

Taming, continued

It's now been several days using the new method.  Both Ricky and Sammy are coming along nicely.  They have both escaped their cages once the last couple days and have both been lured by a millet spray and a stick/perch back into their cages with not too much muss or fuss.  Sammy will easily touch my finger/s with his neck or feet while I'm holding the m spray in his cage and has also stood on or walked on and over my finger to get to a m spray.   Ricky will accidentally touch my finger while going for the m spray, but is definitely not happy about it.  Roxy will eat a m spray through the cage bars only; she is still freaked out by my hand and even the m spray inside her cage.

Both Ricky and Sammy earned a piece of m spray to eat on their own in the cage today.  Roxy has not.

All 3 birds have made the transition to eating seed as their regular diet to eating pellets.  I am feeding them Zupreem Natural for cockatiels.

Both Sammy and Roxy love to sing.  They have beautiful, sweet voices.

'New' Method - First Results

Yesterday I started holding a millet spray inside the cage door for each bird.  Ricky and Sammy both came to the spray, on their top perches, almost immediately.  I tried to coax each of them down to the lower perch, which is closest to the door, but neither of them would do that.  Roxy wouldn't have anything to do with it, and was quite nervous and was moving about the cage very anxiously.  I later put a piece of a millet spray on a clip inside Roxy's cage and she did come to it and ate it all up.  (I wanted to be sure she knew what it was.)

Today, both Ricky and Sammy immediately, again, came to the millet spray on their top perch.  I was able to move the spray back and forth parallel to the perch, but in their reach, and get each bird to follow it.  I moved the spray, little by little further down and out of their reach as well.  Sammy would not move off the top perch to follow the spray.  However, Ricky, after some coaxing did come down to the lower perch via the side of the cage and down to the food bowl, to eat some millet.  Roxy also came to the millet spray today, up on her upper perch.  

So, we have some new developments and definitely are going in the right direction!

Found Taming/Training Resources on YouTube

This is a youtube video I found on cockatiel taming/training today.  The person that posted this one also has several others, advancing along with the training of her bird.  I will start with this method tomorrow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1yW_ZG2ytc

An Observation

I noticed this morning that Ricky is not afraid of my face.  I had his cage door open and my face right up to the opening.  He came right down and stood on the open doorway--no problem!  It's my hand that he doesn't like.  

A 'First' for Ricky

It's almost been a month, so some help is in order.  Today, that help was provided by my lovebird, "Bird-Bird".  Ricky was ready for his daily training session, and I got a palm-full of seeds and attempted to introduce them to Ricky.  With Bird-Bird's help eating the seeds on my hand, Ricky immediately became quite interested in both the seeds and Bird-Bird.  While he didn't actually take any seeds from my hand, you will see from the pics that he interacted with Bird-Bird and allowed my hand to come quite close to him in the cage.  

I tried this same technique with both Sammy and Roxy.  Sammy was, let's say, 'mildly' interested, however, Roxy flailed around the cage.  Oh, well.  

What's Up Here?

Lucy getting to know the babies.  This is her first time with them.  You might also notice the two pieds are in the same cage.  Ricky escaped his cage when I left the room this morning and I found him standing on top of Roxy's cage.  So, I thought perhaps he wants to visit.  So, without too much trouble (at least less trouble than in the past) I caught Ricky and put him in with his sister.  That is Ricky on the far left and Roxy in the middle - both in the blue cage.  Sammy is in the white cage and is playing with the plastic chain toy.    

Yes, the babies are getting to be more and more like cockatiels everyday!  Also, they weren't overly concerned with Lucy's presence just a few feet away.  I think Lucy is more concerned about them than the babies are concerned about Lucy.

Sammy - Dec. 5th

Yesterday, I had my hand, palm open and upward, with some millet seeds in it, in Sammy's cage.  He was standing on one end of the upper perch.  I inched my hand towards him and he let me touch his foot with my finger, and he remained in place and calm.  While this may not sound like a huge development, I consider it a big step in the right direction!  Perhaps he will go for the seeds in my hand next!  

Developing Personalities

They're babies now, but not for long.  Each is developing their own personality and mannerisms each day.  However, they each are strongly influenced by the others.  When one eats, the other two follow; when one wakens and stretches so do the other two.  It is cute and a bit comical, too.  Each cockatiel has its own cage and the three cages sit next to each other.  For taming time, I take one cage and put it next to me.  I open the door and put my hand in, sometimes with some seeds or some sort of treat either in my palm or between my fingers.  I then keep it in the cage while I talk with the individual.  I do this with each baby for approximately 10-15 minutes per day.  

The little gray cockatiel, whom I've named 'Sammy', seems to be calming down and accepting me more than the other two, so far.   Sammy will accept my hand in his cage, but when I try to move to close to him, he will move away, but not in a flighty way.  I will prop open Sammy's cage door and leave it that way after the taming session and he/she just goes about his/her business.  This is while the cage is still sitting right next to me at the computer.   

The pied cockatiel, which I believe to be male from his mannerisms, I've named 'Ricky'.  Ricky loves the bits of vegetables and fruit I put in his cage.  I'm not sure if he eats any/most of it, but I find bits on the cage floor.   He is mildly comfortable with my hand in the cage.

The other pied cockatiel, named 'Roxy', I believe to be a girl by her mannerisms.  She likes to stick close to Ricky, has a mild interest in the veg and fruit bits, and also is beginning to play with her bell toy.  Of the 3, she is the most 'skittish' at this point, being fearful of me and my hand when it is in the cage.  She does quite a bit of pacing on her perch when she and her cage is next to my computer, and constantly is looking at Ricky for reassurance.  

So far, none of the birds are close to taking food from my hand or getting on my finger.  I continue to work with them daily and they ARE slowly going in that direction.   They are a lot more coordinated than they were when I brought the home just over 2 weeks ago, and are well on their way to becoming the curious cockatiels we all know and love.  By my calculations they are approximately 10 weeks old.

Yesterday I played some Youtube cockatiel videos for the babies, which they all reacted to.  They didn't watch them, but they did peep with the whistling birds.  The pictures above are, in order:  Sammy, Ricky, and Roxy

Thanksgiving Weekend Guests

We had 3 guests this weekend:  a pair of Bourke's parakeets - Io (on the right in the pic) and Phoebe, and my daughter's Sun conure - Marley.   Everyone got along fabulously.  Eos and Phoebe talked with the babies from room to room, and got out for a nice exercise flight yesterday.  Marley demanded lots of attention, ate gobs of food, and even took a bath!  All had an enjoyable visit, and have gone home now.  So, hand taming of the cockatiels continues.

Other Family Birds

It may be crazy, but there are actually 5 birds in our household.  Lucy, a double yellow-headed amazon parrot, has been with me for 20+ years.  Lucy's been a tough nut to crack for many years, not being the friendliest of birds (although she and I have always gotten along well).  Others who know Lucy will say this is a huge understatement.  Earlier this year Lucy laid an egg and for whatever reason her personality has changed quite a bit.  She is more loving now, is interested in people and pleasing people, has gained some curiousity about her surroundings, and has 'chilled out'.  She is barely aware of the new babies at this point, as they are being kept separate.   Lucy is one-of-a-kind, quite happy to hang out in her cage, on top of it, under it, or on the rope perch next to it.  She rarely flies through the house, but will sit on my shoulder while I cook or work on the computer.  

Our other family bird is Bird-Bird, a peach-faced lovebird.  I have had Bird-Bird for 7 or 8 years, having gotten her from a friend who was not a bird person.  BB is a most unique lovebird in that she does not use that loud, piercing voice that lovebirds have.  Instead, she is loving, trusting, and absolutely adorable.  She has almost no fear of anyone or anything.  She whiles her time away by chewing magazines and newspaper edges almost as perfect as a paper shredder.  BB will nuzzle my neck, hide in my shirt, and pick water off my hair when I get out of the shower.  I can hold her cupped in my hands and she will lay on her back in my palm.  In addition she plays in water--both in small bowls of water and water coming out of the faucet.  She is truly unique!  

Roxy's Big Adventure

Just a few minutes ago, as I was in the kitchen preparing for Thanksgiving, Roxy escaped her cage, which was sitting on a table next to the computer in the office.  When I returned in here I noticed she was not in her cage.  I called her (and of course got no reply).  I started checking the floors nearby as well.  Her clutch-mates were quiet (perhaps not wanting to 'tell on her') in their cages across the room.  I found her behind the computer desk in the tangle of cords just above the floor.  I couldn't reach in there, or even get close.  So I got my swiffer with the long handle and gently guided her thru the bottom of the desk to the floor in front.  I picked her up (not easy as she is not finger or human tame yet) and got her back in the cage and closed the door.  I had her door propped open while I sat here at the computer in my attempt to tame her.  She is now back in her cage and preening off all the dust she picked up from behind the desk.

In Memory of Art

Art, my crested gecko, went to gecko heaven yesterday.  Here is one of only 6 pictures ever taken of her, in March of 2008.

CONE Welder Time Out for Barred Owl

With no pictures left this evening, I did a screen capture of the barred owl on the tray feeder a few minutes ago.    W O W !!

For those interested see http://cone.berkeley.edu

The Beginning

Their original names were Ash, Oak, and Little Thorn.  They were born in an outdoor aviary sometime at the end of September.    Here is their first picture, taken by avatar on 27-September-2008.  I first heard about the babies on October 4th on chat at CONE Welder .  One week old cockatiels looks like mini dinosaurs (I think that was ottavia's observation) , with just a little down, big beaks, and bulging eyes and ceres.