Gertie and MAURICE's first vet visit...

[NoahsMommy]

LESSONS FOR THE DAY:

1. The one I was calling Betty is a girl, but is now named Gertrude. The lighter one that I was calling Gertie is a BOY and is now named Maurice.

2. They are 6 months old, bite and are already having their first molting.

3. They love tortillas from the mexican restaurant ;)

Interesting day. It began with me trying to get them in their birdie carrier:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d802b3127cceb08ad5a9a4130000001610

It took about 10 minutes for Maurice (the lighter one) to stop flying over my head and landing in the shower. I finally caught and got him in the carrier. Gertrude was a bit easier...I grabbed her with a washcloth and put her in the carrier in about 2 minutes.
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d802b3127cceb08ad5fa25700000001610

We drove to the vet and they liked the music in the car, there was a little chirping going on. :) I entered them into my chart and the computer and off we went to the back for a wing and nail trim.

My friend CiCi is one of the techs and a long time bird owner and breeder. Maurice got loose and we had to chase him down in the xray room. :rolleyes: CiCi got bit a few million times until we put a wooden q-tip in their mouths and they happily bit down on those.

We let them go in one of the exam rooms to see how they were and they did great. CiCi told me they'll be super hard to train as they like to bite the first chance they get close to a finger. Gertie even drew blood! :eek: So I guess these wont be tame birds after all.

My vet and I went to lunch at a Mexican restaurant and I shared my tortillas with the birds and they LOVED them! They were so good in their carrier and seemed to be fine with traveling, so that makes me think that with time, they may be trainable??

When we got home, I cleaned up their cage and gave them their new swing I got for them:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d802b3127cceb08aead2e4ef0000001610
It looks small there, but its larger than the birds. Gertie already used it. :)

Their people food for the day is whole wheat bread:
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d802b3127cceb08aeb18a4bd0000001610

That's it for the tired birdies! They had a big day!

Maurice & Gertrude...
http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b4d802b3127cceb08aebb725220000001610

[shais_mom]

WOW!!!
A BIG day!!!
I think if anyone can tame them you can!

[Kfamr]

Awww, I liked the name Betty!
Maurice is a cute name though. ;D

[NoahsMommy]

Originally posted by Kfamr
Awww, I liked the name Betty!
Maurice is a cute name though. ;D
I liked Betty too, but I LOVE the name Gertie. ;)

Next girl critter can be Betty. :D

[My Peanuts]

Gertie & Maurice are cute. You will be able to tame them. I would work with one and then the other. I had a really mean cockatiel and I worked with her and she got a lot nicer. She was never as tame as Alex, but she was a lot better than she was. It didn't even take that long to get her to trust me.

[NoahsMommy]

I've been spending time with them at night in the bathroom. They seem to be OK with me, they just get a little nervous if I come too close to them.

I guess time will tell. ;)

[popcornbird]

Awww, so the poor little birdies had to go to the white coats? :p Popcorn and Muffin HATE that!

Just because they draw blood now, doesn't mean you can't tame them. :p Believe it or not, both Popcorn and Muffin have bit me hard enough to draw blood several times when I first got them. Now its like they don't even *know* how to bite. Of course they do *know* how.......they just don't want to hurt us anymore. Even if I shove my finger in their mouths, they still won't bite me. Biting birds DO get tamed easily. Birds bite for two reasons........either to protect themselves from something that frightens them, or, to show dominance. In your case, I do believe the parakeets must still be frightened. Keep working with them. I'm sure they'll become nice and tame birdies soon. If not, just send me a ticket, and I'll tame them within 2 days, guaranteed. :p I have tamed at least 10 parakeets for friends, parakeets that bit HARD, and when I returned the birds to them, they couldn't believe they were the same birds. Just spend time with them, and work with them everyday.

Good luck!

[Dogz]

What a busy day Gertie and Maurice had!!

I feel so bad because I haven't found a Avaian Veternarian near us yet. :( I called the vet that was in the same town as the dogs' vet, but they don't take birds. I believe there was a veteranarian right by the Pet Store that I got them at, so I will call there and see if they take in birdies.

Great pictures, Kelly! I know you will be able to tame them. I think you are getting a great start. It may take a while, but you can do it!

[K9soul]

They are sure cuties and very pretty. I agree with the suggestion to try to tame them separate from each other. I think it'd be quite a handful to try taming both at once, and one will take cue from the other to panic.

I didn't really read a book or get told how to tame my keets in the past when I had them, I think we just clipped their wings and then kept putting hand/finger in front of them and urging them to perch on a finger (saying "step up"). They would keep running from me and finger but I just persisted and persisted and finally I'd get him/her to sit on my hand. The moment that happened, I'd sit very still for as long as I possibly could, cooing and praising and just letting the bird gain a feeling that it wasn't dangerous. I kept that up and before long, they weren't afraid of a hand reaching out anymore. I think it is easiest with chicks not too long out of the nest box yet, but it's possible no matter what the age.

One thing I never did, which I probably should have, was handle them more as far as holding them. They seemed to get so stressed and frightened that I avoided doing it, but then when it comes time to clip nails or be examined they are more stressed, so it is probably something I should have done more.

[NoahsMommy]

Thats good advice, PCB and K9soul. :)

I make sure to spend special time with them daily. I can tell they aren't too afraid of me, rather, they seem interested and like me.

I'll keep at it. :)

[slick]

Oh Kelly I just love your birdies!! The name Gertie is very special to me. When I took ballet as a child, my teacher was named Gertrude but we all called her Momma Gertie and she was very close to all of us as we grew up. Sadly she passed at the age of 99 but she still holds a very special place in my heart.

Since I've not much experience with birds all I can do is offer support and pray that they tame easily. Sounds like you've got some good advice for expert pet owners.

Please post more pics!!! Please???? I just love birdie pics.:)

[NoahsMommy]

Slick,

What a sweet story. I can just see a woman named Gertrude teaching ballet, somehow it really fits. :) That's what I think of when I think of the name Gertrude or Gertie...someone/something graceful and beautiful.

Maurice was my grandfather's name. :) He was very english and I dig that name. ;)

I'll take some more pictures tomorrow. Right now the birdies are enjoying their outside time. :) Thank goodness it wont be dark until about 8:30 tonight.

[Desert Arabian]

CUUUUUUUUUTE! :D

I had that exact same carrier for my rats, they chewed their way out. ;) :p