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OUR PLAYFUL BIRDS!!
Bradley - An African Grey Parrot
Age: 11 years old Date of Birth: May 28, 1996 Gender: Male, but not confirmed Nicknames: 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 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 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 the whole time. The best days are when Daddy doesn't shave and I rub my head on his whiskers. Aaaaahhhhhh! What a life!
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.
Age: 11 years old Date of Birth: May 28, 1996 Gender: Male, but not confirmed Nicknames: 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 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 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 the whole time. The best days are when Daddy doesn't shave and I rub my head on his whiskers. Aaaaahhhhhh! What a life!
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.
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 used to love to play in my playpen, but when we moved into the bus it apparently was "lost in the move" which really means that Frank threw it out.
Now 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 leaves are gone
from the trees.
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.
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 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 used to love to play in my playpen, but when we moved into the bus it apparently was "lost in the move" which really means that Frank threw it out.
Now 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 leaves are gone
from the trees.
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.
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 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: 7 years old Date of Birth: 03-03-2000 Gender: Male, yes it is confirmed Nicknames: 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. There
are no external organs to observe on a parrot. All of their reproductive items are kept safely inside. The breeder that Cody came from had already extracted
the DNA sample for us, 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.
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 my parronts run before one of us gets killed
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 50 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 us if I am a real bird. Apparently there are a lot of people that wander around with stuffed Green-Winged
Macaws, but we haven't seen any yet. I even have a girlfriend in Florida.
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: 7 years old Date of Birth: 03-03-2000 Gender: Male, yes it is confirmed Nicknames: 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. There
are no external organs to observe on a parrot. All of their reproductive items are kept safely inside. The breeder that Cody came from had already extracted
the DNA sample for us, 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.
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 my parronts run before one of us gets killed
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 50 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 us if I am a real bird. Apparently there are a lot of people that wander around with stuffed Green-Winged
Macaws, but we haven't seen any yet. I even have a girlfriend in Florida.
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 this picture was taken |
| One big happy, wacky, fun-lovin' colorful family! |
The Challenges and Logistics of Traveling with Parrots
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 about just
staying on the perch and entertaining himself by talking and preening his feathers. Cody, the Greenwing Macaw, quite the opposite. He has 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 loves to be in the action. 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 we 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.
The sunlight and fresh air is very important for their health. Parrots can actually die of various diseases such as pneumonia if they don't get enough sunlight.
We have met people that this has happened to, it's so sad to hear about, so we make sure ours get lots and lots of outdoor time. They also share most of our
meals with us. They of course only get the healthy portions of dinner.
The 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 foods before discovering
Harrison's, however none of them gave as good of results as Harrisons. Of course you get what you pay for! A twenty five pound bag of Harrisons runs about
$165.00. It is a bit harder to find however than most bird foods, you cannot buy Harrisons at any pet store. It is only available through a Veterinarian or directly
from the company in Florida. We used to order ours directly from the company back at home, but now on the road we have to find it through various
Veterinarian offices throughout the country. We also feed the parrots a variety of fruits, nuts and vegetables almost daily.
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 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 few months 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.
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 about just
staying on the perch and entertaining himself by talking and preening his feathers. Cody, the Greenwing Macaw, quite the opposite. He has 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 loves to be in the action. 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 we 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.
The sunlight and fresh air is very important for their health. Parrots can actually die of various diseases such as pneumonia if they don't get enough sunlight.
We have met people that this has happened to, it's so sad to hear about, so we make sure ours get lots and lots of outdoor time. They also share most of our
meals with us. They of course only get the healthy portions of dinner.
The 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 foods before discovering
Harrison's, however none of them gave as good of results as Harrisons. Of course you get what you pay for! A twenty five pound bag of Harrisons runs about
$165.00. It is a bit harder to find however than most bird foods, you cannot buy Harrisons at any pet store. It is only available through a Veterinarian or directly
from the company in Florida. We used to order ours directly from the company back at home, but now on the road we have to find it through various
Veterinarian offices throughout the country. We also feed the parrots a variety of fruits, nuts and vegetables almost daily.
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 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 few months 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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| Scroll down to meet the rest of the family! |