Food for Later?
One of our 1st stories about Mercury
When we brought Mercury home, she was on an all-seed diet. So, soon after, we went through a lot of different brands of pellet bird food searching for one she would eat. Eventually, we found one. She would eat a little, but that was better than nothing, which is how much she ate of all of the others. Finally... It was not long after that she was eating pellets only and seed for treats. It was great to see her eating a healthy diet. Keep in mind, there are only the 3 of us in the house and she always has plenty to eat... Then we noticed something extremely odd. Well, we thought so. Yes, she would preen and eat off and on in the evenings. And, we did not think much about seeing her with food in her lower beak at any given time since her food dish was right in front of her. Then we noticed that she had pretty polka dots in her feathers. Wait. Those aren't polka dots. Those are pieces of her food. Red, yellow and green pieces of dry food are stashed in her feathers. How odd. So, preening and eating means something a little different now. She did this for many months. If you heard something fall, you could count on it being a piece of food working its way loose from her feathers. No big deal. There was always a good stash on her back where she rubbed her head - not too many, but several. We thought it might have been to scratch her head. Well, we would watch her put food in various places throughout her feathers, eat it at some point, scratch her head on some of them and leave others for later. Can anyone explain that? Could she have loved her new food that much? Did it feel good, smell good, look good, taste good or just be convenient at times? She did it for a few months and that's it... Haven't noticed it again...
Animal Sounds - 10/14/2002
(Dog, Frog, Faucet Drip, Laugh, Monkey, Pillsbury Dough Boy)
Her animal sounds started out with a simple bark. At 5 1/2 months, when she came to live with us, she was already barking. When I asked her what the frog said and proceeded to make the frog sound, that is all it took - 1 time. She sounded like a tree frog dead out. That was an easy one. Then, I noticed she made a water dripping sound. I added what does the faucet say, and presto, soon after she made that association. After months of the same sounds, one day we were in the car for a long drive. She was cracking me up and I was laughing so hard. Next thing I know she is laughing, which made me laugh more, which made her laugh more, and well, you get the point. That carried on forever it seemed. Well, I thought her laugh was really close to a monkey, so I tweaked her laugh a bit and made it sound like a monkey. I just kept saying what does the monkey say and making the monkey sound. In the next few minutes, she was right there with me, laughing and making monkey sounds. That was just as cute as it could be... Needless to say, that was one of our more interesting and fun trips.
At the beginning of November '02, I came home from work. I leave the TV on Cartoon Network during the day for her. So, when I opened her cage, she made the Pillsbury Dough Boy giggle. It was identical. I suppose she got it from the commercials. Well, because it was so good, we just start asking her what Pillsbury says. She put it together within a week.
Dog Barks - 10/14/2002
Since we do not have dogs at our house or in our neighborhood, it makes me wonder... Mercury has always barked because her previous owner had a dog. Mercury has now been with us for over a year and recently started barking as if she was an entire group of dogs barking at each other offensively. She starts a little bark and then she unleashes the pack.
New Tricks and Accomplishments - 11/04/2002
(Flying with purpose, doughboy giggle, new word, new game)
This past weekend, Mercury did several new things - 4 to be exact - we were very proud of. On the 2nd, she was on the floor right behind me. Suddenly, she was flying right over my head where I lifted my hand and she landed. This was the 1st time she flew because she wanted to. We are sooo proud of her!!
(Background info - For the past week, she has been making the Pillsbury doughboy giggle.) So, I have been asking her, "What does Pillsbury say." For the 1st time, on the 3rd, when I asked her, she answered correctly. It is precious sounding.
While Mercury and Steven were in the living room, Mercury said Steven. I missed it, but it is about time. Again, we were thrilled...
(Background info - For months now, every once and a while Mercury will say peek-a-boo, but it does not happen often and has no association.) On the 3rd, while I was in the kitchen and she was in the living room on her stand, she said peek-a-boo. I peeked around the corner and said peek-a-boo. So, the next morning, I am in the kitchen preparing my breakfast while she is in the living room. I hear peek-a-boo. I peek around the corner and respond with peek-a-boo. When I pop back into the kitchen, she says it again. We repeat our peek-a-boo game for a while. Occasionally, she would say Hello or Hi instead and I would respond using her same words jumping in and out of the kitchen. It has been a really long time since my siblings were young enough to play that game... I felt really goofy, but it was so much fun to interact with her that way. We have a new game!!
On that note, I must add this. I told my mom the one game we would probably never play would be chase. She corrected me by saying we already play chase. I put her on the floor and she runs after me. She flies through the air and I run after her. I guess I was wrong...
Mercury's 1st colors - 12/26/2002
I was steadily reading to Mercury between 9 months and about 18 months. Then, it became more sporadic. Along with reading, I was asking her things like, "Can you find the pink bird?" Here she is at 22 months, and I started asking her if she could find the yellow toy, instead of asking her about a picture in the book. I did this for about 2 weeks. Then, she started choosing the yellow toy 90% of the time. Then, red followed shortly after. So, I am convinced she is learning her colors. I use several different types of toys that are solid colors. So far, that does not make a difference. She still chooses the correct yellow and red toys. I am so proud of her!! She continues to amaze me...
Mercury Singing - 01/14/2003
During the weekend of the 4th and 5th of January, Steven started singing Sara has a little bird to the tune of Mary had a little lamb. By mid week, she was saying "little bird, little bird" to the right tune. On the 13th, she started saying "Saraaaaa little bird, little bird, little bird", which is most of the 1st half of the 1st verse. Then, she immediately substituted "little bird" with "such a bird" and "good, good bird" and still applied the correct tune. Can't wait to record it...
What's Your Name - 01/16/2003
In the evening on the 15th, I was sitting on the couch asking Mercury, "What's your name". She all of the sudden said Mercury. That is all it took. I answered myself the 1st time or 2. Then, she said it. So, I asked again thinking it was probably luck. She answered correctly again. I must have asked her 5 more times, and every time she said Mercury. The next morning I asked her. She sat there. So, I asked her what my name was. No answer. I approached the bed to sit down and ponder what I would wear to work. She looked at me and said, "Sara - Mercury". Then, I asked her who she was. After no response, I asked who I was. And, her simple reply was, "Sara - Mercury". I could see her intensely thinking. I think she is getting the hang of it.
Renaming Herself - 02/08/2003
So, we call her Mercury and an occasional Merc. She has always said Mercury and maybe Merc a time or so, but she knows her name is Mercury. She has a million phrases that include her saying Mercury. I noticed one day she said Merky instead of Mercury. Well, I tell Steven this to find out he has called her that a few times lately. From that point on, she started saying Merky. She replaced every single Mercury and refused to say anything different from Merky. I would call her name by simply saying Mercury. After a pause, she would say Merky. I would repeat Mercury to have her reply with Merky over and over and over again. She knew what she was doing. Merky this and Merky that. You say Mercury, she says Merky. This has gone on for a steady week but is starting to wear off. Thank goodness. It was slightly cute, but I thought she had renamed herself for good. All I could think about was dirty water, and that drove me crazy. Smart little thing, she is...
Telephone - 02/13/2003
It has been weeks, and even months that we have been trying to figure out Mercury's squeek. I went over all of the household sounds, TV shows, etc. I determined that it was my tennis shoe rubbing the kitchen floor, which makes that screeching sound. Even though I have done it just a time or two, I had finally settled on that, knowing it takes only once. Then, she started making that sound over and over and then saying hello. Well, it was our phone buttons she had tuned into. I dial and then say hello. So, she would vocally dial the phone and say hello. Perfect sense. Now, anytime the phone rings, she says hello. And, until I answer the phone, each time it rings she says hello. It is quite humerous. I suppose it is only a matter of time before she makes the telephone ringing sound.
Light Switch - 02/18/2003
One thing Mercury has been doing since she was about 7 or 8 months old that I just remembered I had never written was about the light switches. Knowing that I would be going from room to room with her made me think about my hands being full. Often times, I have something in my hand and usually her on my other hand. So, I decided to take advantage of the situation and have her turn the lights off and on for me. When I am going in or out of a room, I just ask, "Mercury, can you turn the light on/off". It is that simple. I put her next to the switch and she does it with no problem. Then, she always gets a kiss and a thank you. So, she flips the switch and leans forward to give me a kiss. She is helpful and sweet. What more could I ask for? Well, I am sure I could think of something, but she is definitely my little helper.
Peek-a-Boo with the Covers - 05/21/2003
About a month ago, Mercury was running around on our bed. She has always hated blankets over her head, but one day she went running under our comforter that Steven had made look like a tunnel. That was real progress for her. While she was running around, I could hide under another part of the blanket and say, "Where's Mercury". She would come running, regardless of where she was on the bed, to find me and stick her head under the blanket. Whenever she could see my eye, she would say, "peek-a-boo". As long as she could not see my eyes, we could play this game. I can hold a blanket between us. All she has to do is get tall to see me and we can play the game. It works!! I say, "Where's Mercury". She starts looking for a way to see me. Then, when she does, I hear this precious little "peek-a-boo".
Peek-a-Boo in the Mirror - 05/21/2003
For the past month, Mercury has been playing peek-a-boo in the mirror. One day I was walking by the mirror with her on my shoulder and she shouted, "peek-a-boo". So, I stopped and stood in front of the mirror. Well, it was as if she had a new friend. She looked at herself, laughed, said Mercury and started dancing. Then, she would lean out of the mirror's view and back in front of it again and say peek-a-boo and laugh and dance and do it all again. She gives herself kisses and talks to herself and plays, kisses me and plays with me a little too. When she is done, she stands up and says, "bye, bye, bird". I didn't teach her that either. It has turned into a morning thing for us now. We spend time with our mirror buddies. Yesterday, she got so excited while dancing in the mirror, she fell off my shoulder, not once but twice. I was laughing so hard at her laughing and dancing so hard that she fell off that it was probably a good thing nobody else was around to see us...
Proud Moments - 06/20/2003
Well, the morning of June 18th Mercury was flying down the hall by herself. Nothing new. She had a destination. But, I decided to call her and said "fly to Sara". She just turned around there in the hall and flew straight to me. She hovered and did a 180 in place and came right to me on command with no hesitation. I was very proud!! And, of course, I already had a sunflower seed waiting!!
Her maneuvering and such is very impressive. She whips around corners, zig zags, banks her turns, etc. While we were celebrating all the family birthdays over the weekend of the 14th, she flew from me to her travel cage, which was sitting on the floor. Actually what she did was fly from my shoulder when I was standing straight out to above her cage. Well, she was about 3 or so feet above it. So, she just hovered over it and gradually decreased her altitude like a helicopter landing. Straight down until she was on top of her cage... It was so cool!! I had never seen her do something like that to that extreme before. We all just sat there in awe...
Changing the Routine - 09/06/2003
If you have a pet you are crazy about, especially a parrot, you can probably relate to them somewhat owning you and training you. When I brought Mercury home with me, I decided to establish an evening routine before betime. She would perch on my shoulder or Steven's and I would pet her and give her a lot of extra attention until bedtime. Before I would pick her up to get ready for all of this, I would even dim the lights, so she would know it was time to settle down for the evening. Well, we have had the same routine for years now, and it has been great. Recently, Mercury decided to change the routine and has not looked back. She seems to be firm in her new routine and has managed to keep the schedule, even when other things are going on. And, do keep in mind that right before bedtime has never been the only time we spend with her.
The process is much longer now. First of all, we start off with some serious playing on the back of the couch. There is squawking, wrestling, petting, hopping and flying involved. This goes on for a while. Then, she moves on to just petting. She goes to the upper corner of the couch for this. That is close to where I sit, so I give her my undivided attention for 20 minutes to an hour and pet her. Sometimes, she even knaps. Then, she flies to her perch to go potty and eat for a few minutes. After that, she flies to Steven and does not settle until she can perch on his right knee. Mercury won't have it any other way. She preens until betime there. I then ask her if she is ready to go night-night, wait for her to step up, we get our kisses and she goes in her cage for the night. One thing that amazes me is that you would think she could read the clock, because she does all of these same activities at the same time, almost to the minute, every night.
She has "Pretty Wings"- 10/26/2003
The day before yesterday, I spent about 5 to 10 minutes gently lifting and lowering Mercury while she was on my hand enough to make her spread her wings. She already knows what "flap" means, and I wanted more of a stretch. So, every time she stretched, I said "pretty wings, such pretty wings, Mercury" and gave her a kiss and a sunflower seed and with great enthusiasm, I told her she was such a good girl. That's mostly what we did off and on for 5 to 10 minutes while I was getting ready for work.
The next evening, I sat down with her for about 15 to 20 minutes to practice the same repititions of encouraging her to stretch, saying "pretty wings," enthusiastically praising her, giving her a seed and a kiss. By the end of 15 or so minutes, she was standing on my knee and stretching her beautiful wings out. Something I added in all of this was stretching my arms out while saying "pretty wings". So, she will stretch when I say "pretty wings" and stretch my arms or just when I say "pretty wings" or just when I stretch my arms. It is so much fun!! Less than 30 minutes all together... It reminds me of teaching her to wave and turn around in a circle. That took just minutes for her to catch on and she still loves to wave!!
"What?"- 09/01/2004
I'm trying to teach Mercury, whose now 3 1/2 years old, what the word "what" means. So, if she says "what" I repeat what I just said. Well, as of about a week or so ago, I decided she's got the hang of it. She mainly says "what" when I exclaim something or use emotion in my voice. Usually, she is not getting in trouble, but I am expressing my frustration at the moment and she is usually on my shoulder.
So, it goes something like this. Mercury is on my shoulder and I am all wound up about something that may or may not have to do with her. So, I might say in a frustrated and louder voice "I can't take it anymore!" for example. And, Mercury says with great exclaim "what?!" So, being a good trainer, I have to say it just like I did. "I can't take it anymore!" And once again, she says with great exclaim "what?!" I know she knows what she is doing by now, but I say it again. "I can't take it anymore!" And, on occasions, she will make me repeat it once more. She has even laughed when I finish. I don't know if it is coincidence or not, but I'm pretty sure she knows what the word "what" means, and she uses it when she really wants to hear something interesting again - those expressive phrases.
It has happened time after time now. Steven and I try so hard not to laugh, but can you imagine this situation? She just cracks us up over things like this. Sometimes you would think in a few years we would be putting her on a bus to go to school with all the rest of the kids. :)
to visit!!