Hi, what you doing? Oops ...

[homebird]

As is custom when I'm working - Laker is out. The cat also demands to be there too but retreats unto her tent. I put the radio on so Laker has something to sing to.

So, I set up my paints & turn on the FS light, set up Laker's perch on the outside of his cage where he likes to watch everything happening & start painting. He does some circuits of the room, lands on me & back to his cage.
... Then plop right into the red paint on my pallet.
We both look surprised & clueless for a minute then pandemonium.

He's in the middle of a heavy molt so it could have been worse. He has few tail feathers & a lot of his body feathers are gone too. But those bright Cadmium red feet, chest & tail were worrisome. And everything he ran across was red too; the ladder, the rope perch, the sides of the cage & me, as he tried to avoid me catching him.

I compromised & offered him his perch & then off to the bathroom for a very intense misting over the sink. Poor little guy he sure looked confused. I got it all off except for some little bits on his foot & the places he ran over. Acrylic paints are not completely harmless so they had to come off. I can’t see any now as the last bit probably rubbed off on the perch.

Now I have to think out how to avoid this from happening again & still allow him lots of out time.

[svolk]

Oh dear! That's funny but scary at the same time! I'm glad you were able to get all the paint off, as I was reading I was thinking about toxicity as I have no idea what is in the paint.

I'll bet he was confused I'm sure he initially thought he could join in your fun and help you out with your painting

[Tiffany]

Ya know what they say "Boys will be Boys". I am so glad you got the paint off. Ya know though, a blue budgie with a hint of red...could be a new mutation. Maybe Laker thought it was time for a change.

[Irish]

Just think of the fortune to be made, selling paintings made by your bird--footprints, "angel in the snow", all that..... *grins*

J/K! I'm glad to hear all turned out well. At least cadmium red is a gorgeous (if intense!) color. Just imagine if it had been brown or chartreuse :-).

[RingneckedPrincess]

*giggles*

Maybe he wanted to see what it was like to be a scarlet macaw???

As long as you got what you could off...keep a close eye and if he doesn't seem like himself take him into the vet.

Dani

[homebird]

Irish - Maybe your birds could be painters (!) but they'd have to be awfully small paintings for Mr. Laker. The thought did cross my mind - but that long tail dragging thru the paint is depressing - even if there's only one feather there at the moment.....

[kristy29]

He didn't land on any furniture, did he? Haha, as the one it didn't happen too, it sounds funny. But I would have been worried about his health first, and oh my, my furniture second, lol.

[homebird]

For those that are worried about his health - I've been with him all day & evening & he appears unharmed. In fact the little culpret is pretty saucy.

Well I'm sure i'll be finding bits of red for some time. The bathroom looks the worst as he shook out his wet feathers a lot & red went everywhere. Just what I wanted more cleaning. Then there's his cage - good thing a lot of his toys & the rope perch are multicloured.

[Irish]

Originally Posted by homebird

Irish - Maybe your birds could be painters (!) but they'd have to be awfully small paintings for Mr. Laker. The thought did cross my mind - but that long tail dragging thru the paint is depressing - even if there's only one feather there at the moment.....

Welllllll..... maybe not :-). If I ever take up painting with them, I think it'll be ME using their naturally-shed feathers, and not them doing their own thing. The thought of things in this house getting any more colorful than they already are is almost scary!

[homebird]

So I'm painting again .... Right into the red paint again! This time one foot in the cadmium & one in the crimson. & this time he went everywhere. Should have photoed my hands + the bath towel after hubby wiped his hands!

Either he gets a perch attachment to my paint pallet or he stays in his cage.

This sounds so stupid - I hate repeats of dumb stuff!