Insomnia Thread...

[The Hollyberry Lady]

Hello and good day!


Hope everyone's having a terrific Tuesday. I bet Greg is enjoying his new little buddy! I love the name Pineapple and he's the color of one too! How great that you got yourself a cheerful little bird, Greg.


So what's on the agenda for today? It's sunny and gorgeous here and the humidity broke a bit so it's more comfortable temperature-wise. I have air conditioning but I don't always use it because Henry gets cold.


Glad you guys saw my rainbow jungle peppers. There's more coming soon. I have a couple 'little blue' plants in this one mixed pot that are getting peppers all over them right now. They're gonna be gorgeous!


Chat soon...


: )

[Willow87]

Good morning Sherry! Your peppers are so beautiful. You have so much color. I look forward to mine producing some color, my room is kind of dull and boring lol

[The Hollyberry Lady]

Not for long Cam...soon it will be a room full of peppers!!!


Be back later...


: )

[Willow87]

That's what I'm hoping lol. My peppers in the potting soil are starting to grow again

[cherokee_greg]

Originally Posted by The Hollyberry Lady

Hello and good day!


Hope everyone's having a terrific Tuesday. I bet Greg is enjoying his new little buddy! I love the name Pineapple and he's the color of one too! How great that you got yourself a cheerful little bird, Greg.


So what's on the agenda for today? It's sunny and gorgeous here and the humidity broke a bit so it's more comfortable temperature-wise. I have air conditioning but I don't always use it because Henry gets cold.


Glad you guys saw my rainbow jungle peppers. There's more coming soon. I have a couple 'little blue' plants in this one mixed pot that are getting peppers all over them right now. They're gonna be gorgeous!


Chat soon...


: )

Good morning. Pineapple is still scared. He just sets on his pearch. Not sure if he is eating. We left yesterday and went to my sisters. He may have ate than. Im sure he will be ok. Tomorrow they are going to be working on the power lines. We are going to be with out electric. Were going to my sisters and im taking Pineapple hope he will be ok with that.
We had fun at my sisters. We barbq hot dogs and hamburgers. Than me and my sister rode bikes. Man that was fun. Than we had fireworks tell 11:00 im tired today. Sleepy.

[Willow87]

It took my birds a while to get use to me and my family but we took small steps with them. Me and my sister first started petting our first bird with one of her toys and she loved it, eventually she wanted our fingers to pet her. Me and my sister also nuzzle her with our noses and she loves that too. In my opinion its easier for birds by themselves to break out of uncomfortableness. Since there are no other birds, he should soon consider you part of his flock. You have to be persistent with birds or you will never get anywhere. But right now he has to get used to seeing the same people over and over again. My first bird did the same thing of not eating. It also helps to put birds in areas where you and your family congregate so they can feel they are part of your family since they are social animals

[cherokee_greg]

Originally Posted by Willow87

It took my birds a while to get use to me and my family but we took small steps with them. Me and my sister first started petting our first bird with one of her toys and she loved it, eventually she wanted our fingers to pet her. Me and my sister also nuzzle her with our noses and she loves that too. In my opinion its easier for birds by themselves to break out of uncomfortableness. Since there are no other birds, he should soon consider you part of his flock. You have to be persistent with birds or you will never get anywhere. But right now he has to get used to seeing the same people over and over again. My first bird did the same thing of not eating. It also helps to put birds in areas where you and your family congregate so they can feel they are part of your family since they are social animals

I guess im just being a worried father. LOL Im sure he will be fine. I have him in the family room with us. So hes right in the mix of things. Thanks for your help.

[The Hollyberry Lady]

Here's the thing though Greg...when you have a new bird who's just been brought home, you have to treat them differently and more sensitively than a bird who's been in the family for years.


Right now, Pineapple is truly terrified! So the more quiet you can give him for now, the better. I would keep him in a quiet place for the first week, away from too many people and lots of commotion, which will only scare him more at this point.


I wouldn't take him to your sister's yet either. It's too soon, and he's barely used to you or your home yet. Give him time and be patient. A day at home in the peace and quiet while you're at your sister's will actually be good for him right now and he can have a look around and get used to things without fear of too many strange people around. Leave a radio on for him with soft classical or easy listening type music playing low.


I kept a cover over 3/4's of Henry's cage for nearly 4 days when I first brought him home because too much visual stimulation at first can be more terrifying for them. I talked to him the whole time on and off though, and sang songs to him so he could hear my voice and get used to it. Then when the cover came off for good he was pretty relaxed and not so frightened.


They love high pitched, enthusiastic, excited, tones of voices so talk to him almost like you would a kid or a baby. Be very reassuring and encouraging. Say "it's ok buddy" or "it's ok Pineapple" a lot to him. This will make him feel safe and secure...and one day you'll hear him blurt it out! Henry says 'it's ok' all the time!


Don't try to overwhelm him with too much at once. Birds like things to go slowly, and they don't like sudden fast movements. If you take it slow, he will become an amazing pet for you. Cam had some excellent things to say and very good tips I agree with.


Of course he's your bird and you may handle him the way you want Greg, but getting an education about birds and the way they like to be treated will make it much easier, for both him and you. I know you love him and want him to be happy. Don't worry, he will be. Just give him time.


I was telling Henry today about Pineapple and how he was a cute little yellow birdie. Henry was so excited and he was looking all over the place. I think he thought Pineapple was coming over for a visit! It was so cute how he reacted when I said the name Pineapple. His head snapped right around and he looked at me as if to say "well where is he then?"!!!


: )

[Willow87]

My birds have been driving me crazy lately with alot of screaming lol. I try to give them alot of attention but they want more and more lol. Its amazing how much personality birds have. I will never forget a family friend's African Grey parrot that would actually carry out a conversation lol. He was a beautiful bird. I saw a Sun Conure at Petco a couple of years ago that needed to be adopted, if I had money I would have adopted him. He was very friendly and a beautiful bird

[The Hollyberry Lady]

Yeah, most people have no idea how much personality birds have. It's unreal. I've had cats all my life and they can have enormous personalities but birds' are even larger!


At first when I brought Henry home, he was unresponsive and didn't talk or even chirp much. I was practically crying to my mom, that he would likely never talk and all the things I'd been trying to teach him would never be repeated. Boy was I so WRONG!


I just spent a lot of one on one time with Henry, and kept repeating things over and over again to him. I think he learned to say many things before he even revealed them to me. Oftentimes, he even repeats things I didn't know he was listening to...so I'm careful what I say around him.


He was extremely shy at first and wouldn't talk unless the T.V. was on, or music was playing, or I was out of the room altogether. I kept encouraging him though and now he talks whenever! Sometimes it's bone quiet and I'll walk by him, to water a plant or something, not even noticing him, and he'll bellow out real loudly and cheerfully, "HI"!!! It shocks you and makes you laugh all at the same time. He's just too adorable.


All day today he's been flying around saying "be a good boy, Henry"!!! It's just hilarious and everyday he picks somethings he wants to say a lot. I tell him stories and read to him too. He loves to sit on my shoulder while I read to him and show him the pictures.


Birds are awesome!


: )

[Willow87]

My sister's bird was the same way. She didn't eat or even chirp. She would sit on her perch puffed up with a serious look on her face. Now I can tell her chirps and screams from the other birds. She even gets facial expressions that make me laugh, especially when she hears a strange noise, she gets this cute puzzled look. I really do love birds, more than dogs and cats lol. I mainly love fish, reptiles, and birds. I have a turtle named Scuba, he is a Western Painted turtle. He has a Weather Loach tank buddy.

[The Hollyberry Lady]

Oh yeah Henry too, has facial expressions and if he hears a strange noise he makes a raspberry sound and his eyes are wide as saucers! It's totally hilarious. He even laughs too...my laugh. It's too funny when he does it though.


I can tell just what kind of mood he's in by looking at his face. When he's in a bad mood too, he'll look at me right sternly and says in a mad tone "be-shoosh"...which is his version of
"shut-up"!


He means it too and if you try to be cute with him and talk to him he'll jut his beak at you to warn you that you could get a bite! He usually never does bite though, unless he's extremely angry, which isn't too often. He's mostly super cheerful and happy.


Yes Henry screams and squawks too, but I scold him for it and he usually stops. If he doesn't, he goes for a time-out in his cage, where I close the door and the top for 10 minutes. He hates it though so he usually stops screaming and being demanding, and I open the cage again.


He's very jealous of my plants and gets mad if I fuss over them too long. Some days he's cool but recently he freaked out angrily and was bomb diving all over the living room and kicking his feet off my head! Boy was he pissed! I had to put the plant down and give him kisses to reassure him.


: )

[Jananas Bananas]

Beautiful new bird Greg! Does he have a turquoise belly? It looks like I can see a hint of it.

Hi Gang! Feeling puny tonight so I won't be posting but I am enjoying reading your posts!!!!

~J

[The Hollyberry Lady]

Sorry to hear you're unwell, JaNan.


So you've been lurking and reading my novels, have you?!


I think Greg's away for a bit but he'll be back later I'm sure. Isn't that just the cutest name JaNan...Pineapple?! I love it.


I've still been telling Henry about him...he loved the word Pineapple as soon as he heard me say it. I tell him about my aunt's bird 'Willie' too.


The story Henry loves to hear though the most, is the story about how I went to the petstore and brought him home when he was little, and how he was so popular with all the other birds. He will sit absolutely captivated as I enthusiastically tell him the story and remind him about when he was a baby at the petstore. It's too cute as he sits on my finger, with his beak practically pressing against my lips, as I tell him about it. He loves when my mom sings to him too and he could sit and listen for hours to her many children's songs that she knows...of course his favorite is "there's a hole in my bucket...dear Henry, dear Henry"!!!


Yes, Greg's bird has gorgeous colorings, JaNan. He's just a total sweetie. I hope we can see lots of pics, but not now while he's scared. He needs time to adjust.


: )

[Jananas Bananas]

Yes, I'm lurking tonight Sherry.

Can Henry make out the pictures on the computer screen? How does he react to seeing little Pineapple (love the name too)?

[The Hollyberry Lady]

I didn't think to show him his picture yet JaNan but I know he's already wondering about who this 'Pineapple' character is and just when he's gonna show up!


I have shown him pics of Willie, my aunt's bird, and he immediately looks away and pretends he doesn't see him, but keeps peeking at him and then back at me. It's adorable. My aunt's bird is white, blue, yellow and green...and some colors in between! He's super pretty and has patches of colors all over him. He's a little bugger though!


: )

[Willow87]

Janan I hope you feel better soon. The heat nearly drained the life out of me today. There were some thunderstorms just east of where I live. I was really hoping for some rain. The only thing my bird knows how to do is imitate a telephone ringing and he always starts screaming when someone is on the phone. Its like he either has incredible hearing or he has a 6th sense lol.

[The Hollyberry Lady]

Congrats on getting Lemon, Greg. They're gonna mate though in a year...you realize this?


So sorry about the heat there Cam. It gets that way here...super muggy where it feels like 110 some
days! It's crazy.


Did you see my "Explosive Amber" plant...





It's just starting to set it's crop.


: )

[cherokee_greg]

Originally Posted by Jananas Bananas

Beautiful new bird Greg! Does he have a turquoise belly? It looks like I can see a hint of it.

Hi Gang! Feeling puny tonight so I won't be posting but I am enjoying reading your posts!!!!

~J

Hope you feel better. Yes Pineapple does have some turquoise. Hekept coming up to me at the pet store. I spent along time just looking at him.

[The Hollyberry Lady]

He's adorable, Greg.


Well, g'night gang.


Chat tomorrow...


: )