Waddles says "HI"

[AUFishHead]

Per homebird's request:

Waddles is short for Waddlesworth (his real name). He was named by his breeder after the GW in the movie "102 Dalmations."

I knew nothing about birds and really didn't care when my wife first brought him home. At the time she was raising him for a nature park where she works. Long story short, we ended up buying him from the park when they surplused some birds. The little guy kind of grew on me. I never realized they had such personalities until he came to live with us. Now he has taken over a room of the house with his cage and playstand I built him and other toys. At first he was definitely my wife's bird, but he would let me handle him most of the time (except when he would fall asleep on her--then he would put his wings up and lunge at me if I came close). However, now he is my buddy. He usually prefers me over my wife, but he does still go to her and play with her. However, he follows me all over the house and I usually have to put him in his cage to do something without his "help".

He is clipped. He was when we got him. At one point we let his feathers grow out and was flighted for about a year. He got pretty good at flying through the house--even through doorways. However, he also got to be a bit of a pest and a danger to himself as he would do things like all of a sudden fly into the kitchen and land on your shoulder while you were trying to cook. So... we ended up reclipping his wings (gradually). He has been a much better bird since then. He had gotten a bit bitey and that stopped once we clipped his wings.

He is constantly learnging new things such as walking into the kitchen, opening the cabinet, removing the lid from the tupperware with his nuts, picking out a nut and taking it back to his cage. He talks a fair bit, especially in the shower and he loves to give kisses. He has also learned to say "Step up" when he wants us to come get him and he likes playing peek-a-boo. If you cover his eyes with your hands or a blanket and move them quickly he gets excited and says "Peek-A-Boo!"

His big adventure for the day is usually going out to the mailbox to get the mail. He announces his presence (usually by saying "Hi Waddles!") and talks to anyone that happens to be going by. He also has an outside cage and gets to spend time in that when we are outdoors or on nice weekend days when my wife is cleaning. He really likes being outside and jabbers the whole time.

[homebird]

Oh thanks so much - i love the new photos - in the last one, his feathers look as if they were glowing. He is a very handsome & well cared for [Harlequin] Macaw.

I loved your story. Although i generally am pro flighted I do understand your concerns & know what a pest a bird can be & how dangerous house stuff can be for any bird. It is wonderful that both of you enjoy him so much & your dog looks so happy! {what a mug shot }
My husband & son also are crazy about our petite fellow.

I'm particularly amazed that you were a rookie owner to start. Did neither of you have a bird before? How lucky for you that he is so smart, & affectionate with both of you.

YOu said you go out to the mail - does he wear a harness? There have been members here who have taken clipped birds outside only to see them take off, just that one time. Are you thinking of training him to 'come'? I'm asking because we started to train our bird 2 months ago & have had great success. Now it is easier for a Budgie to 'come' & fly easily inside but it is a useful tool for any owner in emergencies & raises your success of retrieval - at least that is what i have come to believe. It is just like my dog training - for their safety primarily.

To have a big bird so happy is wonderful & hearing about his room & his outdoor room must be part of the solution. Can we see those places next? ... I know I'm shameless, but it's all for a good cause.

[AUFishHead]

When he goes out to get the mail, we keep a good hold on his feet so that he can not fly away, even though if he tried , I don't think he would make it more than about 10 ft (clipped wings) based on his occasional attempts in the house.

There is a pic of his playstand on the DIY board under a homemade playstand thread. His area has expanded a little since then. I may post an updated pic when I get the chance. As for outdoors, it is really just another cage (his old one--he got a new, bigger cage for Christmas last year), but he enjoys being outside in it whether by himself or if we are out in the pool, etc.

When he was flighted, he would come when we asked him to. We haven't really kept up with it as much since he was clipped, but on occasion we will ask him to come and sometimes he will climb down and come to us. Probably should do it more often to keep him in practice.

Neither my wife nor I had ever owned a bird before, but she works with birds of all types at a nature park and had worked with a few birds at a zoo before that, so she knew what she was doing. I kind of learned along the way from her and reading whatever I could find.