[nanay]

Stanley, my daughter's bourkes parakeet, :i.momo:is perfect in every way just as he is, but he seems to wish to be more like our linnie and senegal.

They both will get a piece of food and then sit on the side of the dish and eat it all, holding it with their feet. Stanley has decided he NEEDS to be able to hold his food over the side of the dish while he eats, too, but holding food with his feet is not natural for a bourkes, and as many things as he has picked up that are atypical from them, he hasn't figured out yet that they are holding the food with their feet.

He seems so disappointed when his treats fall. He stares at them for many moments. He is getting more talented at holding foods in his mouth while he takes various bites, but he still needs to just learn to use his feet if he is going to try to act like the other birds.

Isaac, the splendid, can and does pick up toys in his feet, but he has no compunction to imitate the other birds when he eats. He just buries himself in his bowl and eats until he is ready to pop.

 

[Chicklet]

aww! thats so cute! Finn is more like Issac, loves the bigger birds but is too intent on his food to try eating with his feet

 

[Sharon]

Awwww...that is so cute! It would make a great plot for a children's book, to teach about individuality. :lol:

 

[Jenny]

:lol: how adorable!

 

[nanay]

Poor Stanley,

Guess what I saw this morning? Isaac was eating with his feet just like the linnie and the senegal, too. I couldn't believe my eyes. Splendids are not supposed to do that. I had seen him hold toys with his feet before, so I guess I shouldn't have been so surprised. I was surprised, though.

Stanley didn't see. He is still the only bird in the living room until the new cage is here and I can move Isaac in there with him. I don't know what he will do if and when Isaac shows off this new talent for him. Stanly already can't figure out why everyone else can climb cage bars and he can't.

 

[Sabinoesque]

My Splendid, Meeps, uses her feet to eat too. I have not seen Rhett do it, but he is not as food motivated as she is. She's my little piglet (which is pretty obvious if you pick them both up, she is a bit heavier than he is!).

Poor Stanley.. Maybe he will just have to figure out a talent all his own?

 

[Jenny]

silly birds! My parrotlet, Midge, uses her feet to eat and to forage/play where they're not supposed to - she doesn't bring the food up to her mouth, but uses her feet to hold it against the cage bars and nom away!

 

[nanay]

OK - I'm trying to post a picture of my daughter Cannary with Stanley. I'm not sure if this is going to work, and I don't know how to resize it or even tell if it needs it. So I'm posting this and then I'll see what happens. :shrug:

 

[nanay]

Alright, I think that worked, so here are a few more.

Sorry, I didn't intend to post that last one. Just ignore it because I can't figure out how to delete it.

 

[Sharon]

Beautiful photos! I'm glad Cannery is having fun with the birds!

 

[nanay]

Thanks, Sharon. She does enjoy the birds - and the llamas - and the dog - and the chickens, lol. She might have a few too many pets. But, hey, we cut down from 13 llamas to 6, so I tell myself we are headed in the right direction over all.

 

[Jenny]

:lovehearts: a perfect match!

 

[nanay]

Thought I'd mention, in relation to the thread I just posted about the linnie and the senegal and their obnoxious contact call/attention battle, that Stanley CAN'T make an unpleasant noise. He can be as loud as he possibly can be, and we just love whatever noises he makes and he gets attention for absolutely anything he does.

One would think that the girls would become jealous, but so far they seem to love him as much as we do. Elisa preens him when they spend time togther and lets him preen her, and Roni imitates him and talks to him and engages in parallel play with him even though I will never intentionally let her come into physical contact with him.

He continues to imitate them, so I think he still wants to be like them, but hopefully he realizes there are some advantages to being himself, too.

 

[nanay]

Stanley surprised me tonight by saying, "Pretty Stanley."

He has said, "Pretty bird" and "pretty, pretty, pretty" for months, but I've never heard him say his own name.

Cannary tells me she has taught him this. Personally, I think he is answering Roni's constant "Pretty Roni" statements.

 

[Jenny]

Little friendly competition in the house, eh? That's great he's talking more! I didn't know Bourkes did much talking.

 

[Sensfan]

Beautiful bird and beautiful daughter.

 

[nanay]

I have heard of several male bourkes who talk, and I've even heard of a female or two. I don't know if it is unusual for hand-feds to talk, or if it is simply that people haven't hand fed them and kept them as house pets much.

 

[LinnieLover]

Beautiful Stanley , I think my bourkes are trying to talk but my other birds are louder and it is hard to here them, I love bourkes, my hardly make any noise. We have a whistling contest that is so cute. Does Stanley keep his cage clean? My bourkes cages is always the cleanest they hardly make any mess.
They are great birds.

 

[nanay]

Stanley is not what I would term a messy bird, compared to other birds. It is true that you can't hear him if the other birds are making noises, but Stanley is often in a room that is separate from the room with the louder birds for extended periods of time, so we do get to hear him often. Additionally, he is the only one who makes noises as early as he does, and I am an early riser, so I get to hear his beautiful vocalizations often.

 

[Osprey]

Aww your Bourke's are so pretty! And that's funny 'cause I used to have a dusky-headed conure and my tiel, Sunny began to copy her way of feeding - by feet. I dunno if Sunny still does that or not but she might?

Hmm... Stanely saying "Pretty Stanley", that proves that birds may know their names. I think mine do, in a way.