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OUR PLAYFUL BIRDS!!
Bradley - An African Gray Parrot
Age: 11 years old Date of Birth: May 28, 1996 Gender: Male, but not confirmed Nickname: Poof
How I got my Nickname: When I get really relaxed and comfortable I "poof" out my feathers.
Hobbies: Destroying cardboard boxes and turning them into a pile of confetti
Playing with Legos or Lincoln Logs
Tearing apart plastic bottles
Singing in the shower with Frank - I sing "Poof, Poof, Poof I love you Poof, Poof" to the tune of "Duke of Earl"
Sitting on a perch and watching the road as we drive
Tricks that I have learned: I greet my parronts every morning with a friendly "Good morning" When they leave for work, or walk out the door for the day, I
always say "Goodbye Mommy, have a day" (I haven't yet learned the have a Good day part or saying it to Daddy, but I'm learning). I can bark like a dog,
Meow like a kitty, and talk to the wild birds outside with a "Caw". Crow like a chicken, quack like a duck and chirp like a chick. I have over 100 words in my
vocabulary.
My Favorite thing about full-time RVing: Sitting on Frank's shoulder as we drive across the country and watch as all the scenery goes by while getting my
head scratched most of the time. The best days are when Daddy doesn't shave and I rub my head on his whiskers. Aaaaahhhhhh! What a life!
Notes from my Parronts: Bradley is our first-hatched and the most responsible bird of the family. He can be left alone on his perch on the counter while we
leave for the day and won't destroy anything except his toys. He is the best talker of the birds, and can imitate any noise that he hears. He makes the sound of
the alarm clock, the smoke detector, the microwave, even the tag axle of the bus lifting. He is the peacemaker of the family and will only fight if he is
antagonized by his siblings. He makes "Parronting" fun. He's a little shy, but he will usually let almost anyone hold him.
Age: 11 years old Date of Birth: May 28, 1996 Gender: Male, but not confirmed Nickname: Poof
How I got my Nickname: When I get really relaxed and comfortable I "poof" out my feathers.
Hobbies: Destroying cardboard boxes and turning them into a pile of confetti
Playing with Legos or Lincoln Logs
Tearing apart plastic bottles
Singing in the shower with Frank - I sing "Poof, Poof, Poof I love you Poof, Poof" to the tune of "Duke of Earl"
Sitting on a perch and watching the road as we drive
Tricks that I have learned: I greet my parronts every morning with a friendly "Good morning" When they leave for work, or walk out the door for the day, I
always say "Goodbye Mommy, have a day" (I haven't yet learned the have a Good day part or saying it to Daddy, but I'm learning). I can bark like a dog,
Meow like a kitty, and talk to the wild birds outside with a "Caw". Crow like a chicken, quack like a duck and chirp like a chick. I have over 100 words in my
vocabulary.
My Favorite thing about full-time RVing: Sitting on Frank's shoulder as we drive across the country and watch as all the scenery goes by while getting my
head scratched most of the time. The best days are when Daddy doesn't shave and I rub my head on his whiskers. Aaaaahhhhhh! What a life!
Notes from my Parronts: Bradley is our first-hatched and the most responsible bird of the family. He can be left alone on his perch on the counter while we
leave for the day and won't destroy anything except his toys. He is the best talker of the birds, and can imitate any noise that he hears. He makes the sound of
the alarm clock, the smoke detector, the microwave, even the tag axle of the bus lifting. He is the peacemaker of the family and will only fight if he is
antagonized by his siblings. He makes "Parronting" fun. He's a little shy, but he will usually let almost anyone hold him.
Abbey - A Miniature Macaw, also called a Severe Macaw
Age: 8 years old Date of Birth: September 10, 1998 Gender: Female, but not confirmed Nicknames: Crabby, Stinker Bell, Princess
How I got my Nicknames: I am called Crabby Abbey because of my quick mood changes. My parronts also call me "Stinker Bell" because sometimes I am a
bit hormonal and they call be Princess because at times I am a sweet bird and love to snuggle and give kisses.
Hobbies: I play with my toys on a blanket either on the floor or on the kitchen counter
Chasing Daddy's toes as he crosses my blanket.
Picking fights with both of my brothers.
Looking at myself in the mirror and talking to myself.
Playing outside in trees. You can hardly see me when I am up in a big tree since my green blends in so well unless of course it is Fall and the trees are bare.
Tricks I have learned: Well, actually I haven't learned any tricks yet, but when you cover me at night I do say "nite nite" and make kissing sounds. I only have
about 10 words which included "Hi Abbey" "I Love" "Nite nite" and "Hi guys what's up?" I also love to growl at people when I'm upset, and purr like a kitty when I
am happy and content. If people around me are laughing I too laugh with them. Usually it makes people laugh even more.
My favorite thing about full-time RVing: Visiting new trees in all the different states that we visit throughout the year.
Being with my mommy and snuggling with her as we drive down the road, or she is laying on couch reading or watching TV. I love having my head and back
scratched and will purr like a kitty when I'm really comfy and relaxed.
Notes from my Parronts: Abbey is quite the character and a drama queen. She truly lives up the stereotype of "the middle child". She is the instigator of 90%
of the fights whether they be with her two parrot brothers or Frank's toes. She is very territorial of both her mommy and her playground, so she will literally
attack Frank if he so much as walks into the hallway while she is playing on the floor with her toys or sitting anywhere near Suzy. She has the same mentality of
a small dog which means that even though she is the smallest bird in the family she thinks she is twice Cody's size. One time she put this to the test and she
ended up being thrown across the bed by her head when she tried to attack Cody. After a very speedy trip to the bird emergency room because of her dramatic
side, she literally laid down and moaned for about 10 minutes with one eye shut, but as soon as we got to the doctors office she jumped up and greeted him with
a cheerful hello. Needless to say she received a clean bill of health, but the distance kept between her and her brothers is now greater.
When she is in a good mood she is the sweetest animal imaginable and will snuggle with you for hours purring next to you as you scratch her belly or head, but
boy watch out because those moods change on a dime and good old "Crabby Abbey" is let loose in a moments notice. Suzy is the only one who can tame her.
Her best friend is her own reflection in the mirror or as you see above in the stainless steel of the bus. She loves to play in trees and will climb around in them
until you literally drag her out of them which sometimes is hard to do since she blends so well with the green it's hard to find her until she laughs or yells.
Age: 8 years old Date of Birth: September 10, 1998 Gender: Female, but not confirmed Nicknames: Crabby, Stinker Bell, Princess
How I got my Nicknames: I am called Crabby Abbey because of my quick mood changes. My parronts also call me "Stinker Bell" because sometimes I am a
bit hormonal and they call be Princess because at times I am a sweet bird and love to snuggle and give kisses.
Hobbies: I play with my toys on a blanket either on the floor or on the kitchen counter
Chasing Daddy's toes as he crosses my blanket.
Picking fights with both of my brothers.
Looking at myself in the mirror and talking to myself.
Playing outside in trees. You can hardly see me when I am up in a big tree since my green blends in so well unless of course it is Fall and the trees are bare.
Tricks I have learned: Well, actually I haven't learned any tricks yet, but when you cover me at night I do say "nite nite" and make kissing sounds. I only have
about 10 words which included "Hi Abbey" "I Love" "Nite nite" and "Hi guys what's up?" I also love to growl at people when I'm upset, and purr like a kitty when I
am happy and content. If people around me are laughing I too laugh with them. Usually it makes people laugh even more.
My favorite thing about full-time RVing: Visiting new trees in all the different states that we visit throughout the year.
Being with my mommy and snuggling with her as we drive down the road, or she is laying on couch reading or watching TV. I love having my head and back
scratched and will purr like a kitty when I'm really comfy and relaxed.
Notes from my Parronts: Abbey is quite the character and a drama queen. She truly lives up the stereotype of "the middle child". She is the instigator of 90%
of the fights whether they be with her two parrot brothers or Frank's toes. She is very territorial of both her mommy and her playground, so she will literally
attack Frank if he so much as walks into the hallway while she is playing on the floor with her toys or sitting anywhere near Suzy. She has the same mentality of
a small dog which means that even though she is the smallest bird in the family she thinks she is twice Cody's size. One time she put this to the test and she
ended up being thrown across the bed by her head when she tried to attack Cody. After a very speedy trip to the bird emergency room because of her dramatic
side, she literally laid down and moaned for about 10 minutes with one eye shut, but as soon as we got to the doctors office she jumped up and greeted him with
a cheerful hello. Needless to say she received a clean bill of health, but the distance kept between her and her brothers is now greater.
When she is in a good mood she is the sweetest animal imaginable and will snuggle with you for hours purring next to you as you scratch her belly or head, but
boy watch out because those moods change on a dime and good old "Crabby Abbey" is let loose in a moments notice. Suzy is the only one who can tame her.
Her best friend is her own reflection in the mirror or as you see above in the stainless steel of the bus. She loves to play in trees and will climb around in them
until you literally drag her out of them which sometimes is hard to do since she blends so well with the green it's hard to find her until she laughs or yells.
Cody - A Green-Winged Macaw - the second largest breed of parrot
Age: 8 years old Date of Birth: 03-03-2000 Gender: Male, yes it is confirmed Nickname: Rific
How I got my Nickname: From a song my mommy used to sing to me when I was just a baby parrot.
How exactly do you confirm the sex of a parrot?? Well, one must first get a blood sample or other DNA sample from the bird and send it in to the Veterinarian. It
takes a few days for the DNA test to come back, but this is the only way to tell if you are the proud parronts of a bouncing baby boy parrot or a pink one. Cody's
breeder had already taken a blood sample from him right after he hatched, so the hard part was done. As for Abbey and Bradley we will just have to wait to see
who lays an egg and who doesn't since taking a DNA sample isn't anything we want to put our babies through. We just went off our gut instinct of naming them
when we adopted them.
Hobbies: Playing with a stack of Legos, especially if someone builds the tower for me
Playing catch with Mommy
Stealing any toys from my brother and sister just to watch them chase me and see how fast my parronts will jump up and seperate us.
Talking to the other cars and truckers out the window as we drive down the road. Talking to the people who work at the many toll booths we go through.
Tricks I have learned: I have all sorts of tricks. If you hold up four fingers to me I will say "Give me Four". If someone shows be their fists and asks "Do you
want to fight?" I say "Put 'em up" Also my newest trick is if you wave at me I say "Goodbye".
I have about 150 words and sing two different songs. One of them is the "Poof" song and I also sing "Happy Birthday"
My favorite thing about full-time RVing: Being in new places all the time and riding around on the handle bars of Frank's bike to meet new people. It's
amazing how many people will walk up to us and ask my parronts if I am a real bird. Apparently there are a lot of people that wander around with stuffed
Green-Winged Macaws on their bikes, but for some reason we haven't seen any yet.
Notes from my Parronts: Cody is the baby of the family and by far the most spoiled. He thinks he is King of the Bus, and must be the center of attention. He
knows what he wants, and can usually figure out just how to get it. He's really fun to watch. You can actually see his little brain working as he thinks through just
how is going to get his way. He too is a very sweet bird as long as you have worn him out by running with him as he flaps his wings or playing catch with him
until he is tired, otherwise his energy level is quite high. He is also the family thespian. As soon as Suzy brings out her camera to take a picture of the scenery,
or just to pack for the day Cody will run over in front her and say 'come on come on, and pose by cocking his head from side to side until she takes a picture of
him. Thank God for digital cameras and the erase option. Otherwise we'd have to buy stock in 35mm film.
Age: 8 years old Date of Birth: 03-03-2000 Gender: Male, yes it is confirmed Nickname: Rific
How I got my Nickname: From a song my mommy used to sing to me when I was just a baby parrot.
How exactly do you confirm the sex of a parrot?? Well, one must first get a blood sample or other DNA sample from the bird and send it in to the Veterinarian. It
takes a few days for the DNA test to come back, but this is the only way to tell if you are the proud parronts of a bouncing baby boy parrot or a pink one. Cody's
breeder had already taken a blood sample from him right after he hatched, so the hard part was done. As for Abbey and Bradley we will just have to wait to see
who lays an egg and who doesn't since taking a DNA sample isn't anything we want to put our babies through. We just went off our gut instinct of naming them
when we adopted them.
Hobbies: Playing with a stack of Legos, especially if someone builds the tower for me
Playing catch with Mommy
Stealing any toys from my brother and sister just to watch them chase me and see how fast my parronts will jump up and seperate us.
Talking to the other cars and truckers out the window as we drive down the road. Talking to the people who work at the many toll booths we go through.
Tricks I have learned: I have all sorts of tricks. If you hold up four fingers to me I will say "Give me Four". If someone shows be their fists and asks "Do you
want to fight?" I say "Put 'em up" Also my newest trick is if you wave at me I say "Goodbye".
I have about 150 words and sing two different songs. One of them is the "Poof" song and I also sing "Happy Birthday"
My favorite thing about full-time RVing: Being in new places all the time and riding around on the handle bars of Frank's bike to meet new people. It's
amazing how many people will walk up to us and ask my parronts if I am a real bird. Apparently there are a lot of people that wander around with stuffed
Green-Winged Macaws on their bikes, but for some reason we haven't seen any yet.
Notes from my Parronts: Cody is the baby of the family and by far the most spoiled. He thinks he is King of the Bus, and must be the center of attention. He
knows what he wants, and can usually figure out just how to get it. He's really fun to watch. You can actually see his little brain working as he thinks through just
how is going to get his way. He too is a very sweet bird as long as you have worn him out by running with him as he flaps his wings or playing catch with him
until he is tired, otherwise his energy level is quite high. He is also the family thespian. As soon as Suzy brings out her camera to take a picture of the scenery,
or just to pack for the day Cody will run over in front her and say 'come on come on, and pose by cocking his head from side to side until she takes a picture of
him. Thank God for digital cameras and the erase option. Otherwise we'd have to buy stock in 35mm film.
| Yes, they really were sleeping when I took the picture |
| One big happy, wacky, fun-lovin' colorful family! |
Parrots are very smart creatures. They behave very much like small children. They have the ability to figure things out, and speak through association. They
like to be mentally stimulated and constantly challenged. They also have moods and differing personalities, just as children do! Each of our birds are different.
For example, Bradley the African Grey is very independent and responsible. You can leave him out of his cage on a perch and he is very good, unlike Cody
who always wants to be where the action is. If he is sitting with me and Suzy is doing something that looks interesting than that is where he has to be. He likes to
help you with whatever you are doing or at least watch you. He especially likes to help Suzy with dinner. He is always the first volunteer to taste test anything he
can steal or sneak. You can almost see his little brain working as he stares at you trying to figure out what you are doing. Abbey, the Severe Macaw, is much
like Cody. She always wants to be in the action too. When she is in one of her playful moods she is by far the most friendly, sweet and talkative of the bunch!
She doesn't have a lot of words but she mumbles constantly, it's quite cute. She has a big heart in a small body. She loves to talk to any car driving by with a
friendly "hello". However it is a big rig she will run away and hide.
Because Parrots are so smart and active they require a lot of attention and socialization to keep them from getting bored. Our birds are out of their cages with
us as much as possible. Just about anytime that we are in the motorhome they are out with us. We keep their wings trimmed so they also go outside with us and
stay safe if they were to get startled by something. We have heard so many horror stories of people loosing their birds by letting their wings grow out and
enable them to fly off, or die of malnutrition because they don't get enough sun, so we make sure they are outside as much as possible which they love!
Our parrots diet consists of a variety of things. The primary part of their diet consists of a specially formulated organic bird pellet made by Harrisons Bird Food.
This has proved to be the best parrot food available for our feathered friends. We tried several other brands of pelleted bird food before discovering Harrison's,
however none of them gave as good of results as Harrisons. We also feed the parrots a variety of fruits, nuts and vegetables almost daily and they share most
of our meals with us. At most meals, Cody eats more than Suzy does, and he only weighs 3 pounds, what a pig!
When we lived in Buellton the birds had very large custom built cages. Cody's cage measured 6 feet wide, 7 feet tall, and 4 feet deep. We definitely did not
have room for that in the motorhome since we ourselves need a little room to live in. . The cages in the motorhome are a bit smaller than those we left behind,
but still roomy enough to hold all their toys, and a bit of wingroom to spare. However, when we lived in Buellton the birds needed their large cages since we both
had careers that required us to work very long days...everyday, and the birds would spend almost all of their time in those huge cages. Now on the road we only
work five days or so at each event with quite a few days off before and after the next event along with a nice long break after the season is over. This works out
beautifully because now the birds are out of their cages and with us about three times as much as before. The birds are much happier now that they get to
spend so much time one on one with us. Compare it to a child. Do you think that a child would rather be locked in his large bedroom by himself all day, or have
a smaller room yet be able to play in the park with his parents for half the day almost everyday? The cages that we had at home, and our new cage have all
been made for us by a company called Corners Limited. This is the same company that builds cages for most of the zoos and animal parks across the country.
Since one of our favorite things to do in each city we travel too is to check out the local zoo and visit the animals, we have seen this brand of cage in use all
over the country. A couple years back we were able to actually meet the people that have built all of our cages instead of just knowing them on the phone. We
met them all when we drove out to Kalamazoo, MI to pick up this new cage customized by Frank for our wonderful new bus. It is a great small company with just
a few employees, but boy do they build a fabulous product. We even keep in touch a bit through e-mail with them. So if are ever looking for any type of cage for
any type of animal make sure you contact them. They are great to work with and no is never in there vocabulary.
like to be mentally stimulated and constantly challenged. They also have moods and differing personalities, just as children do! Each of our birds are different.
For example, Bradley the African Grey is very independent and responsible. You can leave him out of his cage on a perch and he is very good, unlike Cody
who always wants to be where the action is. If he is sitting with me and Suzy is doing something that looks interesting than that is where he has to be. He likes to
help you with whatever you are doing or at least watch you. He especially likes to help Suzy with dinner. He is always the first volunteer to taste test anything he
can steal or sneak. You can almost see his little brain working as he stares at you trying to figure out what you are doing. Abbey, the Severe Macaw, is much
like Cody. She always wants to be in the action too. When she is in one of her playful moods she is by far the most friendly, sweet and talkative of the bunch!
She doesn't have a lot of words but she mumbles constantly, it's quite cute. She has a big heart in a small body. She loves to talk to any car driving by with a
friendly "hello". However it is a big rig she will run away and hide.
Because Parrots are so smart and active they require a lot of attention and socialization to keep them from getting bored. Our birds are out of their cages with
us as much as possible. Just about anytime that we are in the motorhome they are out with us. We keep their wings trimmed so they also go outside with us and
stay safe if they were to get startled by something. We have heard so many horror stories of people loosing their birds by letting their wings grow out and
enable them to fly off, or die of malnutrition because they don't get enough sun, so we make sure they are outside as much as possible which they love!
Our parrots diet consists of a variety of things. The primary part of their diet consists of a specially formulated organic bird pellet made by Harrisons Bird Food.
This has proved to be the best parrot food available for our feathered friends. We tried several other brands of pelleted bird food before discovering Harrison's,
however none of them gave as good of results as Harrisons. We also feed the parrots a variety of fruits, nuts and vegetables almost daily and they share most
of our meals with us. At most meals, Cody eats more than Suzy does, and he only weighs 3 pounds, what a pig!
When we lived in Buellton the birds had very large custom built cages. Cody's cage measured 6 feet wide, 7 feet tall, and 4 feet deep. We definitely did not
have room for that in the motorhome since we ourselves need a little room to live in. . The cages in the motorhome are a bit smaller than those we left behind,
but still roomy enough to hold all their toys, and a bit of wingroom to spare. However, when we lived in Buellton the birds needed their large cages since we both
had careers that required us to work very long days...everyday, and the birds would spend almost all of their time in those huge cages. Now on the road we only
work five days or so at each event with quite a few days off before and after the next event along with a nice long break after the season is over. This works out
beautifully because now the birds are out of their cages and with us about three times as much as before. The birds are much happier now that they get to
spend so much time one on one with us. Compare it to a child. Do you think that a child would rather be locked in his large bedroom by himself all day, or have
a smaller room yet be able to play in the park with his parents for half the day almost everyday? The cages that we had at home, and our new cage have all
been made for us by a company called Corners Limited. This is the same company that builds cages for most of the zoos and animal parks across the country.
Since one of our favorite things to do in each city we travel too is to check out the local zoo and visit the animals, we have seen this brand of cage in use all
over the country. A couple years back we were able to actually meet the people that have built all of our cages instead of just knowing them on the phone. We
met them all when we drove out to Kalamazoo, MI to pick up this new cage customized by Frank for our wonderful new bus. It is a great small company with just
a few employees, but boy do they build a fabulous product. We even keep in touch a bit through e-mail with them. So if are ever looking for any type of cage for
any type of animal make sure you contact them. They are great to work with and no is never in there vocabulary.
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| Our parrots have been to more states than most people. Pick a year below to see just how many. |