[PontiusPirate]

Charlie's feet are SO MUCH BETTER!!! EEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeee!
He was hanging upside down from one of his toys and playing with it!
Unbelievable! I definitely thought it would take longer than this for him to do that! I am so happy right now.......
honestly. I can't believe it.

[PontiusPirate]

I am happy to say, Charlie seems to have finally passed his trust issues....he is now slowly but steadily moving into the "snot phase". He is finally beginning to act like an amazon and trying to push whatever buttons he can. Haha...it's wonderful!
Other wonderful things:
1) Charlie LOVES his baths. He now talks non-stop in the shower and flaps his wings a little. Not full-blown amazon bath behavior, mind you, but a start. A BIG one.
2) Charlie can now make his way up 2 flights of stairs without stopping. He used to stop at the first landing and wait for me...now he keeps on truckin' till he gets to the top, no matter what.
3) He steps up inside of his cage!!! Not onto my arm yet, but he has a certain spot he will always go to if I want him to come out. I stick his swing in there and he flips over from the top of the cage and steps onto it. I then pull him out. BIG STEP!
4) He has no problem whatsoever stepping up anywhere outside of his cage...even on top of his playstand or on top of his cage.
5) Exercising is alot easier now (he is clipped, so he cannot fly freely). He has learned the word "fly", so now when he's perched on my arm I can say "fly" and he will flap his wings. GREAT exercise so he doesn't become a perch potato. It's extra cute because every time he pins his eyes and either makes a beep sound, or a "wooo" sound.
6) Charlie has been pinning his eyes (which means he's interested in something) and fluffing his cheek, head, and body feathers ALOT.
7) Charlie is now ok with scritches from both the right AND left hand.
8) He comes to me when I call....even if he's on the floor around his cage!
EEEEEEEEEE!
Mmmm...
9) He ALWAYS wants out of his cage now! If the cage door is open, he is out. If it's not open, he wants it open.
10) He LOVES and TRUSTS us!

He's doing SO well....so much of this has happened in just the past few weeks, and we're hoping he continues to improve.





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I almost forgot:
Charlie spent the day at my mom's house with us awhile back.....which means spending the day with Punky, the miniature pinscher. He was a little scared at first, but after about 20 minutes in a room seperate from her....woo:
*We pulled him into the living room on his playstand...
*Punky jumped....
*Charlie did his defensive dance...
*Punky whimpered, sat, stared, and ran away....
*Charlie was pleased with himself and was no longer afraid.

The end.

[PontiusPirate]

It's been awhile since I have posted anything.....

Charlie is doing wonderfully.
He comes directly out of his cage as soon as I open it when I get home from work.
We have a nightly ritual before we put him to bed. He paces upside-down from the top of his cage and makes a kissing noise when I say "kiss kiss".
We also have a ritual when he goes back in his cage. I ask him if he wants in. If he does, he stretches his neck out, pins his eyes, and makes a trill/"coo" sound. I then ask him for a kiss and he makes the noise while leaning his beak up against my mouth.
He is no longer "bound" to his cage when he is out. If he is out of his cage and wants in....he will follow me around on the floor to get me to pick him up and put him in his cage.
He is now potty trained.
As of last night, he now knows how to give me "high-four" (birds only have four toes).
I will post a picture of him "slapping me five four" later.

And...
I almost forgot!
We are now fostering a bird for Best Friends....a female lutino Indian Ringneck Parakeet. She's madly in love with Joel, and she and Charlie copy each others' actions when in their cages. He gets rather jealous of her with me, though, and doesn't like to be very close to her.

[SccHarpGirl]

Thanks so much for the Charlie updates! I'm so jealous, both your birdies sound so amazing.

[anamorphosis]

I'm jealous. That sounds so cool. *goes to check the classifieds for "Free Birds"*

[PontiusPirate]

Originally Posted by anamorphosis

I'm jealous. That sounds so cool. *goes to check the classifieds for "Free Birds"*

Birds take SO much work. If you want a bird, please do alot of research so you know what you're getting into. They have all qualities completely OPPOSITE of what most people consider to be most desireable for a pet. Larger parrots (like Charlie) have the intelligence of a 2 year old, but they also have the emotional state of a 2 year old, and they don't grow up. It's like having a toddler for 60-80 years. If you have any questions, let me know. Also, check out sanctuaries/shelters for adoptable birds. Please don't buy one from a pet store.

Here is a video of Charlie and Tweety.

[PontiusPirate]

I'm pretty stoked right now. Charlie is letting Tweety perch on his Play Tree while he is on it. I'll have to get a picture and post it.