So, I first posted about Silas last year around May. He's a 9 year old Cockatiel, born September 11, 2001. Silas came into my possession last May when a friend was allergic to him and gave me two options; either I took him, or her dad took him to the vet to be "put down".
Needless to say, Silas ended up on my front porch. When I got him, his beak and nails were overgrown to the point where he couldn't balance himself on anything, and struggled to break down the shells on his pellets. I took him to his first ever vet appointment (he'd never seen one before) in August, where he attacked the vet, vet assistant, and myself in the struggle just to weigh him. Trimming his nails and beak at the vets was an adventure. The vet assistant kept getting bitten, and when it came time to trim his beak, he stuck out his tongue so that they couldn't bring the dremel tool anywhere near his beak.
His vet file has "SPUNKY" written across it in capital letters, and thats the best way to describe him. When I describe him to others, I call him my perpetual two year old. He fully understands when what he is doing is acceptable and unacceptable. But he'll do it anyway to push his luck if I'm not in the room. He enjoys pooping on the furniture, playing in (and much to her dismay, climbing in) my mother's lace curtains, knocking over my mom's various knicknacks, eating foods he isn't supposed to, and hiding from my fish. He's bonded with every member of my family now, and spends a TON of time out of cage (7-8 hours daily) with various members of my family (between my two brothers, my parents and myself, he gets a LOT of attention.)
Silas has an insane attraction to "Brights, Jinglies and Shinies". Also known as, if it's a bright colour, it jingles, or its shiny, it's his. We've learned that all quarters, dimes and nickels in his sight become his, as well as necklaces, earrings, keys, cutlery, bells, and anything small and bright coloured.
Silas has laid claim to the following territory:
-His Cage
-The table beside his cage
-The mantlepiece above the fireplace
-The playgym
-The tray
And everyone in my family has learned the hard way that if you try to alter his territory without appeasing him first, you get attacked.
When Silas lived with his previous owners, he didn't get to see a Christmas tree. This Christmas, our artificial tree was put in the Living room, also home to Silas Territory. Apparently the brights, shinies and jinglies were too much for him, as our Christmas tree was decked out with all three. I left the living room for 2 minutes, literally, to go grab a glass of water and some celery for Silas. In that time, just as I was closing the fridge, I heard a slight jingle, and something in the living room hit the floor. Racing into the room, I discovered why Silas cannot be allowed out of his cage alone in the same room as the Chrsitmas tree...
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Ze Photos
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& Photos of Silas Territory. He refuses to pose for photos. If I try to take pictures, he hisses at the camera (it has shiny spots on it, and therefore thinks it belongs to him), and attempts to bite it, so I'm limited to cell phone camera pictures of him.
The Tray & Table. The Tray basically contains his regular pellet mix, a few seeds, a couple "yogurt covered sunflower seed" bird treats, wooden toy-pieces, some shreddable braided palm-leaves, and dry pasta for him to push arond. The box is a "foraging box" that he had to tear apart to get at the treat inside it.
Playgym: I bought this for $10 at a discount bird store. It was filty and pretty rickety. I scrubbed it down, sanded down the perches, tightened the screws, and it was good as new!. I plan to add to it this summer while I'm home, possibly making another level to it.
The Full Setup:
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Maybe if I hide back here, she won't see me....
... Not that lucky; this time he was caught in the act.!
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Why Silas isn't allowed near the computer desk anymore... you ever try to get bird poo out of a keyboard?!
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The Random Shots:
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Likely my favourite picture of Silas;
Silas Post-Shower. He hated me for 2 hours after this, but he smelled awful. He HATES water in general, so bathtime is a nightmare. I end up chasing him around the cage with a squirt bottle, misting him with water until he's wet enough to drip the smell out. Nothing else has worked!
Needless to say, Silas ended up on my front porch. When I got him, his beak and nails were overgrown to the point where he couldn't balance himself on anything, and struggled to break down the shells on his pellets. I took him to his first ever vet appointment (he'd never seen one before) in August, where he attacked the vet, vet assistant, and myself in the struggle just to weigh him. Trimming his nails and beak at the vets was an adventure. The vet assistant kept getting bitten, and when it came time to trim his beak, he stuck out his tongue so that they couldn't bring the dremel tool anywhere near his beak.
His vet file has "SPUNKY" written across it in capital letters, and thats the best way to describe him. When I describe him to others, I call him my perpetual two year old. He fully understands when what he is doing is acceptable and unacceptable. But he'll do it anyway to push his luck if I'm not in the room. He enjoys pooping on the furniture, playing in (and much to her dismay, climbing in) my mother's lace curtains, knocking over my mom's various knicknacks, eating foods he isn't supposed to, and hiding from my fish. He's bonded with every member of my family now, and spends a TON of time out of cage (7-8 hours daily) with various members of my family (between my two brothers, my parents and myself, he gets a LOT of attention.)
Silas has an insane attraction to "Brights, Jinglies and Shinies". Also known as, if it's a bright colour, it jingles, or its shiny, it's his. We've learned that all quarters, dimes and nickels in his sight become his, as well as necklaces, earrings, keys, cutlery, bells, and anything small and bright coloured.
Silas has laid claim to the following territory:
-His Cage
-The table beside his cage
-The mantlepiece above the fireplace
-The playgym
-The tray
And everyone in my family has learned the hard way that if you try to alter his territory without appeasing him first, you get attacked.
When Silas lived with his previous owners, he didn't get to see a Christmas tree. This Christmas, our artificial tree was put in the Living room, also home to Silas Territory. Apparently the brights, shinies and jinglies were too much for him, as our Christmas tree was decked out with all three. I left the living room for 2 minutes, literally, to go grab a glass of water and some celery for Silas. In that time, just as I was closing the fridge, I heard a slight jingle, and something in the living room hit the floor. Racing into the room, I discovered why Silas cannot be allowed out of his cage alone in the same room as the Chrsitmas tree...
-------------------------------------------------------
Ze Photos
-------------------------------------------------------
& Photos of Silas Territory. He refuses to pose for photos. If I try to take pictures, he hisses at the camera (it has shiny spots on it, and therefore thinks it belongs to him), and attempts to bite it, so I'm limited to cell phone camera pictures of him.
The Tray & Table. The Tray basically contains his regular pellet mix, a few seeds, a couple "yogurt covered sunflower seed" bird treats, wooden toy-pieces, some shreddable braided palm-leaves, and dry pasta for him to push arond. The box is a "foraging box" that he had to tear apart to get at the treat inside it.
Playgym: I bought this for $10 at a discount bird store. It was filty and pretty rickety. I scrubbed it down, sanded down the perches, tightened the screws, and it was good as new!. I plan to add to it this summer while I'm home, possibly making another level to it.
The Full Setup:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Maybe if I hide back here, she won't see me....
... Not that lucky; this time he was caught in the act.!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why Silas isn't allowed near the computer desk anymore... you ever try to get bird poo out of a keyboard?!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Random Shots:
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Likely my favourite picture of Silas;
Silas Post-Shower. He hated me for 2 hours after this, but he smelled awful. He HATES water in general, so bathtime is a nightmare. I end up chasing him around the cage with a squirt bottle, misting him with water until he's wet enough to drip the smell out. Nothing else has worked!
He just looks so cheeky, and very happy ^^ Good on you for taking him in ^^
