Paris

[ShellyBorg]

Meet Paris, a lovingly rehomed Blue and Gold Macaw. Her hatch date is Sept. 8th 2002. As she was flown to me from North Carolina on Sept 1st of 2013 I feel like I got a hatch date present!

This is a pic of her being picked up at the Delta Cargo area. They are a great bunch with lots of patience for new pet owners who sit on the floor next to there bird and refuse to get up to sign papers.

The next pic is of her first full day here allowing me to pet her head. Now the funny this morning was me leaving the cage door open for a min and her making a run for it! She made her way to where I had a stash of nuts and helped herself to a couple. She would not step up for me so I calmly took the nuts away and them showed her a almond. I told her she had to go home to get it and I put the nut in front of her slowly pulling it away as she followed it back to her cage. :D So far she has been nothing but a lady with taking food from my fingers. She even took banana chips from my best friend Bruce last night on the way home, but just tossed them behind her.

I have not had her 24 hours yet and I love her so much. Owning a mac has been a dream from the time I worked as a young teen at a small zoo. This is a amazing time in my life right now and she is going to be a huge part of it!

[ShellyBorg]

Here is the second pic.

[Blancaej]

She looks like a sweetheart! Glad things are starting out well! :th_biggrin:

[Honesty]

I am so happy for you Shelly:) Paris certainly looks happy in that second pic. I think things are going to work out really well for you both.

[Debra]

She looks great! I don't think it will take her long to be comfortable in her new home. I'm so happy for both of you.

[ShellyBorg]

Well we had a 3 sec step up earlier on her request and then she just got done licking my whole hand and holding my finger in her beak while she offered to regurgitate for me. She is so well socialized! Grace you and Matt have done a amazing job with her! I am so honored to have her in my life. I have been keeping our interactions to just a couple min at a time and I have been moving away before she is, so she is looking for more with having to tell me to back off. I can see her self confidence coming out by the hour.

[Blancaej]

Nice job Shelly!

[coltfire]

Shelly so happy for you and Paris , im so glad things are going so well,she looks so sweet.

[jacksmom]

Wow, I didn't realize she has a hatch day coming up so soon! That's awesome, congratulations - you guys have so much to celebrate....dream come true for you, new best friend for Paris, amazing era of life for you both.

It eases my heart to see Paris getting her scritches. They are so important to her!

Love your posts - so much! You are so wonderful with her, (thank god for crazy bird people) and I am so happy this little lady has a rosy end to her story. Can you imagine - what if this sweetie pie was ruined by some normal not crazy person that doesn't understand bird language? I would never, ever, ever forgive myself! Thank you for giving her a great home, Shelly! (Sorry, hard to stop saying it...)

[ShellyBorg]

"Princess Paris" is right! I was handing out grapes and had cut some in half for the smaller birds. I handed her a whole one and she throw it down (She had eaten a couple earlier so I know she likes them) She is just giving me this look and then I get it. I go and cut a couple in half for her. She happily took them then....

[coltfire]

isn't it funny, my birds will throw so much food away if i dont cut it to the right size, at first i thought they didnt like it but i had seen them eat it before so i watched and seen they were eating smaller pieces of food so i cut the size down and low and behold they ate the food so now i have to watch the size i cut all there food up.

[tonkatiel]

Aawww so happy to hear that Paris is settling in so well!! I think this is the first time I've replied to one of the Paris threads, but I've been reading the whole time and it just warms my heart to know she went to such an amazing new home! <3

[ShellyBorg]

Thank you Tonkateil, it helps that she is a amazing bird!

[plax]

"Princess Paris" is right! I was handing out grapes and had cut some in half for the smaller birds. I handed her a whole one and she throw it down (She had eaten a couple earlier so I know she likes them) She is just giving me this look and then I get it. I go and cut a couple in half for her. She happily took them then....I think it's great that Paris has already begun your training sessions, Shelly ;) ...she'll teach you all you need to know in no time!

[ShellyBorg]

Mis Paris throws a 'tude tonight! She was rushing the cage door, biting at me and just yelling! At one point I let her bite at my hand and got my fingers into her beak like the video Plax made. The look on her face was priceless! I did not let it upset me. She was put on a plane and flown across country, any child would be upset and would throw a temper at this point. I was a little surprised she did it this early. It took Danny 3 weeks to test me like that and Spirit was almost a month when I got him! For her to be testing me and not afraid is a really good sign. Now to see how long it lasts. :D I have no holes or bruises so its all good.

[jacksmom]

Weird to say "oh good news" when a bird throws a fit like that...but we knew that was bound to happen. Thank goodness you knew how to react to her just right! :D. I think it is a good sign it happened this early also!

I wish I could have seen her face! Before me, she wasn't with what we would call "bird people"...we would just say they own a bird. ;)

Ah, I am so glad you are you, Shelly! She will be a cuddle bunny in no time with you, glad you didn't get put off at all by this!!!

[ShellyBorg]

No way! Paris and I have so many adventures ahead! We just need to build trust between us. This morning brat girl decided to ask to step up and then took off flying. She flew back and forth across the house. She then landed on her cage and gave my huge 'tude. I talked to her and asked what she thought she was doing. She flashed her eyes and chomped her beak, I pulled out a almond and 30 sec later she was back on my arm eating the almond with one foot and standing steady with the other. I let her eat that one then handed her another to eat in the cage. She went back in happy. She will settle down soon. :D

[jacksmom]

She tried that one on me a couple times also...the whole running to the top of the cage at any opportunity, and screaming at you! Forgot about that, or I would have warned...Not surprised almonds are working so well...see how they are in her chop, but very small slivers? She has to hunt for them, and those are picked out right after the pellets, along with any other nut in there...

So happy you understand her!!! I am very much looking forward to hearing about all your adventures! :) She is trying to figure out if this is possibly an appropriate way to get attention out of you...she will soon learn that behaving will have better results. :) Very SMART one you have there, BTW! :D

[Mare]

Oh, wow, this is awesome! I didn't realize Paris came from Jacksmom? I missed something, somewhere! Well, I'm happy for you Shelly, sounds like things are going well and going to be great times ahead :)!

[spiritbird]

Waiting for your book to come out about the Training of Paris

[Mare]

Great idea Dianne!!

[ShellyBorg]

I just learned some stuff about Macs I did not know before. When they truly regurgitate , that is a lot of yuk! This time I accepted it and said thank you and wiped it in a napkin she then helped me shred. Then I found out when Macaws lick you kneecap it REALLY TICKLES! I have had both arms and knees licked, the more I laughed the faster she licked, and we walked around the house checking it out. We did have a disagreement about putting a hole in my new super soft blanket she wanted for her own. That ended it what could have been a nasty bite. My thumb nail aches but there was no blood and I really don't think it will bruise. For as piss as she was acting I was wondering if I was going to need it sewed back on! LOL I got her to stop and we did a few more things then I put her back in her cage. She is really coming out of her shell so fast! She had not wanted to eat the last couple days, except for the treats she was getting. When I put her back after our bonding time she went head first into her bowl and did not come up for awhile!

[jacksmom]

LOL, I had found that out with Jack and have been taking my hand/whatever away before she could, she is probably very proud she could give you something so nice and wants to cook up another batch to feed you! Heh, that made my day, yep, lotta yuck! :D

She tickles more than Jack...he is a little rougher. Very, very gentle with her treasured person. :) Even with the bite...eh kinda, lol...if you are her special person you will get it less...you know, the more she loves you the easier the bites are. She will probably figure out in time she doesn't HAVE to bite you, she will figure out that another signal (beak snapping maybe) will work just as well.

I am so happy she is licking/kissing!!! And so soon! This is wonderful news! And the regurgitation...so glad she has gotten so emotionally invested in you so soon! This is the beginning of a beautiful friendship!

[jacksmom]

Anxious to hear how the day goes for you guys!!! :)

Please tell me if I am being too annoying! :cool:

[ShellyBorg]

Your fine. She was not really eating well and as of last night and this morning she has been eating like a horse. She late last night finally realized that there was a perch higher in her cage for sleeping and as its a grooming perch this morning she is having a ball making her beak as sharp as she can! I passed out the morning boxes that the others live to destroy and she was yelling at me so I gave her one. She is looking at it right now like " And you want me to do WHAT with that!" I have found out that she loves a song by one of my favorite acts . She will sway and head bob to it. So cute! I will post the video for you.

Today I am working on making her a blanket toy. As much as she loves to feel fabric I want to see what I can do about making her something. I have the fleece and hardware. I will post it if I can get it to turn out.


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[ShellyBorg]

Well we just had a hour long cuddle time. She was standing on my arm with her head down touching my arm and kicking me with the other foot!? Silly bird! She was all over me, chewing on my hands. I just love how she smells! We also did some dishes and she helped by throwing the silverware on to the ground because it was not to her level of cleanliness! I do have to watch out. She is NOT a fan of the smaller birds and when I spend time with them she growls! I am hoping as our bond grows she will know that she is safe. She is not a huge fan or the playstand so I need to find something else. otherwise all is going well.

[Honesty]

I am really pleased to hear all is going well Shelly. It sounds like you are having lots of fun with Paris :)

[Blancaej]

The many adventures of Paris and Shelly seems to be going well. Chapter 1 is starting out great! :th_biggrin:

[jacksmom]

What a wonderful idea about the blanket toy!!! I had sort of half gotten her to understand she could only grind up her towel, and if she tried that with mine that just got it taken away. She is so smart, she had pretty much decided it wasn't worth it to try and tear it up, and would just play in it rather than chew. Cost me a hole or two in the process, though!

She is probably afraid the smaller birds are going to bite you...listen for "ouch". If she really fears you are in danger she will say it. I am not sure how they kept her in with two greys - unless that fear was developed here. Jack is pretty rowdy, but isn't a biter...don't think she was a fan of his rambunctious ways...she would often scream at him for playing too much, or getting too loud. (He likes to mimic local bird calls at top volume sometimes.)

I am so happy she is adjusting well...I had a hunch after the regurgitation performance (congrats again, btw, lol) that she would want to eat with all her former gusto after that. I will keep checking back, but I think we are in the clear and she is fast becoming a well adjusted member of your flock. Pretty funny about the boxes! She wanted SOMETHING, lol, but always looked that way at me no matter what I gave her. I think you are onto something with the blanket toy, though!!!

[Pinkbirdy]

It would be great to see pictures of you and her :) I would say from this experience .Paris did quite well flying for an older bird. This makes me think it would be ok for other birds [better than driving across states].You know how you read about a situations that you would want to help [but their too far].

[ShellyBorg]

I talked to an animal group here in town that "railroads" animals to their new home. I told them about the shipping and how well it went. They are looking to try it with an older poodle with fear issues. They put out the call and had the kennel and money to ship faster then they have ever got drivers lined up!

[ShellyBorg]

OH MY FEATHERS!!!

Grace you did not tell me I was adopting Stewie from "Family Guy"!

Last night I had my best friend over to give him a haircut, Mis Paris here is going "Mama, mama, mama,, MAMA,MAMA!!!" I put my head around the corner and ask what she wants. She gets all red in the face and says "HI!":th_loltears:

I am so glad 3 other people saw it happen! No one would have believed me!

[Honesty]

That is fantastic Shelly. I would have loved to have seen this:)

[coltfire]

thats fantastic Shelly.

[Blancaej]

What a riot! Sounds like she is quite the character!

[jacksmom]

LOL, I would have definitely believed you! Heh, she is SUCH a chatterbox...once I even heard her do the "whaaaassaaaap" from Scary Movie. More impressive to me, though, is stuff like this...and the ouch, the warning, when you get close to another bird...it shows a thought process I have never seen on a bird myself. I have read about it, so on...but I have never actually SEEN it.

I wonder if she saw the show? Did she giggle afterwards? :)

[Rescued]

Lol, my guys have there own version of that that goes like this. "ruff, ruff, ruff, Ruff, Ruff, RUFF, RUFF!.......me:yes? Them hahaha. Needless to say the "bark" a lot. They never cease to make me laugh.

[Debra]

Shelly! That is hilarious! She sounds like such a fun little girl.

[ShellyBorg]

Thanks guys for putting up with all my posts. I am driving my friends nuts with the whole"guess what Paris did today" This gal blows my mind sometimes. She is so much like a 3 year old. That age where they just realize the world is scary but not ready to give up the terrible twos yet. I have a friends who teaches preschool who came over the other day to see her interact with me. We talked and listen to music, played a bit, throw a temper because I took a blanket away and when she got crabby and I put her back in her cage. Carla just looked at me afterwards and said she would firmly put her at a young 3 and if not for the beak she would allow her to attend there school! LOL
I am not too worried about her fear of other birds getting me at this point. I am making it a habit to work with the others first and before I work with her she must stop yelling.

[jacksmom]

I will always be properly astounded at anything Paris did today...it has been so rewarding to hear your updates as she blossoms into the awesome FID she was meant to be. I capitalize that because she has always needed someone with your experience, time, and dedication to help her...she has the smarts, just sorely needs the training. I am REALLY excited to hear where you are with her in say...six months?

[plax]

I haven't commented for a while because of the catastrophe with Zaf on Thursday. I'm way behind in reading posts. Please remain mindful, Shelly, that posting about our birds is what this place is all about... so don't feel guilty for doing that, and by all means don't stop doing it!


I am not too worried about her fear of other birds getting me at this point. I am making it a habit to work with the others first and before I work with her she must stop yelling.Are you sure that instead of Paris wanting to protect you from being attacked by your other birds that she's not simply acting possessive/territorial about you, more along the lines of jealousy? That's a common behavior that I've noticed in them.

[ShellyBorg]

I am sure you are right about the jealousy. I had a male friend over last night and I was not allowed out of her sight with out her yelling. (I never paid her any attention but I would move into her line of sight so she would settle down) and when he gave me a hug good night it was "Ouch, getaway!" LOL

[jacksmom]

It is that "Ouch" that made me always think her protective...it seemed a warning! That and she actually never cared if Matt kissed me, hugged me, or vice versa...and it has always only been strangers that she minded if I went out of sight with. As in - I think I trust this person not to harm you...but I don't know THAT one at all!

Then again, because I didn't want her to be jealous (or protective, lol) I made a big deal about kissing Matt in front of her from the beginning...it is how we found out she could make a kissing noise. :)

I'm sure you will have her trusting/not being jealous of/whatever all your friends soon enough! :)

[ShellyBorg]

LOL I am blown away with how fast she is picking up new words. I sing song to her "pretty pretty Paris, preety preety girl", and for years I have sung the good night song to my fids. " Good night birdies, good night birdies, good night birdies its time to go to sleep." She tries so hard to sing both of them. I am so happy macaws sing in there own voice and not mimic!

[jacksmom]

Lol, that is so awesome!!! I bet she will have it down in no time...when she does we might have to plead with you to post a vid! :)

[coltfire]

She is really coming along so fast, you must be over the moon with her progress. and i agree about the video, lol

[Blancaej]

That is great Shelly! We would love to hear her sing! :th_biggrin:

[ShellyBorg]

Ugg, I need to have more people over so she sees people are not bad! Had company over last night that I ended up upsetting. Paris started yelling so she yelled back! Grrrrr. I told her "You will not yell at my birds, they live here not you. Not to mention when you yell that is just encouraging them to yell louder. I like visiting with you, but please respect my house rules." She was very embarrassed and a little shocked about it. Later she told me she was in the wrong and was sorry.

She is coming along in all other things so well. I am seeing her play with toys more and is really interested in what every one is doing. We got a new dog last night to be trained as my son's Autism Support Dog. He is vary interested in the birds, so we are watching him like a hawk. I will post his story in Other pets later. :D

[coltfire]

so glad you stood your ground , people dont understand parrot, and there behavior , and what there reactions can cause, on the other side sounds like Paris is come along very nicely, keep us all updated on her progress.

[Debra]

I think we need some new Paris pictures. Sounds like she's already the boss of your house. And good for you in standing your ground to your guest. I don't even tolerate my family/friends to treat my birds badly. I have a brother that loves to play with Frankie and Frankie loves to play with him. I'm lucky that my brother is gentle in his play.

[ShellyBorg]

Wow, Paris is coming along so fast. I can now touch her anywhere I want. She will let me hold feet and pull out wings, I can even look at her tail. She is stepping up and switching hands better. I know longer even have to sweet talk her to come out and step up. If I open the cage she runs for me all but jumping onto my arm. Once in awhile she gets goofy and has to love all over my hand and arm before stepping up. She get frustrated once in awhile that I will not allow her onto my shoulder and up near my face. I have been giving her more and more kisses and tonight she did get to snuggle on to my chest with her head under my chin. We did that for about 9 min and she started getting wiggly so I had her back down. She squeaks when I ask her to do it, but respects me and backs down. It blows me out of the water that I have this close of a bond with 2 of my birds ( Paris and Demon) and Danny is working hard to get closer to me as his fears fade more and more.

[Mare]

This is awesome! I'm so happy for you Shelly :)!

[Debra]

Shelly this is great news!

[ShellyBorg]

She likes toys!!! I had hung a new toy in her cage and as with the others it was Whats this? then nothing. Well yesterday I was reading a book and suddenly it sounded like she was in a fight for her life! She was hanging from the toy beating the snout out of it and yelling and causing in Macanize at the top of her lungs. I told her to "get it girl!" and she went at it even harder! LOL she played on on off with it yesterday and was at it again today. At one point hanging up side down from one foot yelling "Momma Get IT!!!!!!" ROLFLMAO!!! I will have to get in gear and start making some, this one will not last to much longer!

Her new way to step up is so funny! I need to figure out how to video it! She gets on the top of her cage on the inside then hangs from her beak and lowers her self down on to my arm. Not so much as a step up as a mom catch me!! LOL

[plax]

Her new way to step up is so funny! I need to figure out how to video it! She gets on the top of her cage on the inside then hangs from her beak and lowers her self down on to my arm. Not so much as a step up as a mom catch me!! LOLVery cute and funny. It sounds almost exactly like what Zaf does (or used to do :(). When I'd unlatch the door of his cage, he would either hook his beak onto one of the bars on the front panel or the cross-frame that's just over the cage door then dangle his legs in open space waiting for me to offer him my arm. While dangling like this from his beak, he would point his feet toward me... if I'd move my arm to the side, the flats of his feet would follow my arm around to align with it in a conspicuously eager manner. It was a very sweet way of showing how anxious he was to hop aboard :)

[Pinkbirdy]

Cute !!! I take playing with toys being Happy and feeling safe :)

[Blancaej]

I am so glad all is going so well with Paris! A true sign that this relationship was meant to be! :th_biggrin:

[ShellyBorg]

LOL! Paris has been wanting to get on/near my shoulder so bad. She all but cry's when I tell her to step back when she crowds to close. Well to night I crumbled... She all but rolled under my chin kissing me every where, then she got on to the back of my recliner. She killed my hair band in a single snap then cleaned and rolled in my hair! LOL I had my son stand close by with a blanket in case it went bad. She was in heaven! Then she regurgitated and I managed to catch it in my hand before she stomped in to my hair. She played around my head for about 30 min before I decided she was getting to wound up. :D

[Blancaej]

That girl loves you! :D