Dinner Time with Mommy

Hannibal loves to help herself to mommy's food!  

Moshi Being Cute!

Moshi has taken some very big steps and is learning to trust us much more.  This is a video of Moshi with my wife Adrienne enjoying his snuggle time.

Angel's Bathtime Fun Video

Here's a really cute video of Angel taking a bath in our tub.  She asked, "What are you doing" while I was spraying her with water.

Spring is Coming and the Birds are Singing

We have some bird updates for the readers…

MOSHI

Moshi waved for the FIRST time today!!!  And, he waived a few more times afterwards on command!  This was followed by a few yummy pecans of course.  :-)  

It’s such a huge milestone and we believe he’s finally accepting us as being part of his “flock”.  He’s great with the other birds, but has always been shy around people.  This interaction was a gigantic step forward and we can’t wait to see what happens next…

NEO

A few weeks ago I was feeling a bit stressed and decided to spend time with the birds (they ALWAYS manage to bring a smile to my face).  Well, immediately after picking up Neo she asked, “Are you okay”?  Wow!  They are ultrasensitive to our emotions and I couldn’t help but give her a big kiss and assure her that I was just fine and appreciate her concern.  :-)   Such a smarty pants!

HANNIBAL

We have some sad news, but at this point in time we don’t have to be overly concerned.  The vet confirmed that her blood tests from her semiannual checkup show signs of liver disease.  He doesn’t want to conduct invasive tests because of her age, but recommended that we keep her on a healthy diet (already have been), and supplement her food with Milk Thistle.  Some studies show that it can help with liver function so we purchased the product right away and began adding a few drops to her evening food (usually bananas).  She’s a total champ and never complains. 

I'm going to make a goal to share updates regularly...  I know I haven't been since last summer, but that's going to change.  These guys enjoy the publicity.  :-)

Parrot Update

It’s been 5 months since our last post and it’s about time we shared some updates! 
Here’s what’s going on in the Mason household…

Hannibal

Unfortunately she’s lost the remainder of her eyesight in her right eye and can no longer see.  She can see bright lights, such as a laser pointer, but cannot see objects that are directly in front of her.  It took a couple weeks to adjust to the change but she’s doing just fine now.  We moved her food and water dishes to the floor in her bedroom and put together a makeshift bed using towels and blankets.  She loves it and roams freely.  We make sure everything is always in the same place so it’s easy to find.  We also continue our usual routines and she’s on the couch every night for a 2-3 hour petting session.  She LOVES the back & neck massage and just can’t get enough!  If I fall asleep while petting her, she’ll yell at me and grab my arm to wake me up. 

Moshi

We think Moshi has a big crush on Angel.  He’s so protective of her and will hiss at me when I clean her cage.  Angel seems to appreciate the attention, but she’s just too independent to take on a “boyfriend”.  So for now, Moshi is just a friend.  J

Bunch of Chatterboxes

Here’s some of the latest words from the birds:

Taz

He’s been calling my name whenever he sees me.  “Hey Adrienne…. Adrienne!”.  He won’t be satisfied until I respond with, “Hi Taz”.  I just wish, for once, he would call me mommy…  J

Neo

While I was cleaning the cages this morning she asked, “How are you today?”.  After I responded, she then said, “Wanna go see daddy”.  Unfortunately, daddy was working today but he did stop home to see her during lunch.  She was a happy camper for the rest of the afternoon.

Andre

He’s picked up some interesting words these last couple weeks.  The other day he said, “Bang bang” followed by “Good girl”.  We know this originated from a trick that Neo does when she stands on our hand.  We use our index finger and thumb to make a pretend gun, we’ll hold it to her chest and say “Bang bang”.  She then falls backwards and hangs upside down without moving.  When I say “Good girl” she pops back up.

Angel

She’s a dancing machine and likes to say “Go Angel, go Angel” over and over while head-banging.  It’s quite a sight!

Moshi

As far as we know, Moshi doesn’t talk but he does love to squeak.  It’s a very soft and feminine squeak that he’ll make when he’s happy.

The Mason family has a new addition… Moshi!

Moshi is an 11 year old male Moluccan Cockatoo.  He was inherited by a family who could no longer care for him.  We know very little about the guy and it’s only been a week since we brought him home.  What we do know is that he is extremely shy and nervous.  He does not let Ron or I pick him up (yet) but he does come in and out of his cage on command.  I open the door and say, “You can come out Moshi”.  He’ll then come out and climb to the top of his cage.  When we want him to go back inside we’ll say, “Moshi, time to go back in your house” and he’ll climb down and go back inside. 

He likes when we sit near his cage and talk to him quietly.  He’ll ruffle his cheek feathers and watch us.  Every day, when I arrive home from work, I’ll sit next to his cage and talk about my day.  Even though he won’t let me touch him, he’s become much calmer as the days have passed.  I think he’s learning to trust us and I realize it may be awhile before he’s comfortable enough to step up onto our hand.  That’s okay though, there’s no need to hurry and we’re more than content with moving at a slower pace.

Although Moshi is shy with people he’s certainly not bashful when it comes to people food.  He jumps face first into almost everything we’ve given him.  He’s not a big fan of the bird pellets so we might have to get creative if this pattern continues, but he loves his corn, bananas, oranges and mixed vegetables.  He’s willing to try everything at least once so I’m a very happy mom! 

Right now, while I’m typing this blog, Moshi is on top of his house looking down at me.  His cheek feathers are ruffled and covering his beak.  He’s standing on one leg and his eyes are only half open and he appears to be settling down for a little nap.

Here’s a picture of the new guy.  Sorry for the poor quality, the lighting wasn’t too great since the sun never came out to play today.