China has feathers!

I noticed the other day while feeding and watering that she has a nice, thick coat of feathers coming in all over!

China has seen us scold the cats for trying to get out. Goliath was trying to force the screen door but we didn't notice. China started screeching and I looked to see what was upsetting her. As soon as she knew I was paying attention she kept looking towards the door and screeching. As soon as I shooed Goliath away she settled down.

She's way too smart!

China is the best guard-bird ever!

China's "home" is right in front of the back window. Whenever someone she doesn't recognize goes out there she will shriek. Usually it's one of the kids with their friends. Once she realizes that the person is with the kids she stops.

Well, we are having the shingles on the roof replaced so the guys are working out back where it's easiest to get to the roof. It took Hubby and I a good 5 minutes of her shrieking to figure out that she was panicking over the guys out back!

Then she wouldn't stop so we ended up covering the window so she wouldn't see.

Miss China

We got China and the Amazons cage top perches. Since China has a round topped cage, we set it on the dove cage next to hers. She won't go anywhere near it. We put peanuts on the floor of it in hopes of showing her it's ok. Nothing doing. Hubby tried showing her it was ok. He touched it, talked to her, let her on his shoulder and approached it. She ran up and hid under his chin each time he's tried.

She won't play either. And even though she doesn't pluck, she can't get her feathers to grow. They start growing then as she climbs around and such they get mangled and broke. I've even checked to see if there might be a dietary reason they break/mangle so easily. I can't find anything I'm not giving her that she needs.

The forum I was on was totally useless. If you weren't already an established member or fully bought into their ultra-radical views they wouldn't even acknowledge you. If you posted something that wasn't 100% their idea or approved by them they would spin it and turn it around to be whatever evil they wanted it to be. I'm sure I was totally slammed by the moderators (yeah, they insult and degrade everyone and they, and the chosen few, got away with it but if you weren't in their little club you would get banned and/or not be able to defend yourself).

Meh, piss on em! Not going back to see what they had to say about anything.

China, my neat freak and Mother Hen

China has a "poop can" below her poop spot. Just a small trash can with a grocery bag in it so she doesn't poop on the floor. Well we also use it for trash.

She watches EVERYTHING and is an extremely fast learner. If she has something she doesn't like she will go over and drop it in the trash! If it misses (which is rare) she lets us know it did.

If one of the kids is upset she tries to comfort them. Abby dropped her school folder heading out the door and China let out a scream to alert her.

My little Button Quail, Hector, was acting funny and I was calling to him (He was ok). Since I talk to every one of my birds constantly they all know their names and so does China. He's right next to her cage and as soon as I started calling his name she went right over to peek in.

When Alfie and Tilly get worked up she will ask for the music because she knows it calms them.

The OWA's are definitely my perpetual two year old's but China is my Little Mother Hen!

I taught China to play Peek-A-Boo!

She was kinda bobbing behind a toy and I just started saying "peek-a-boo" when she ducked out. She will now duck out of my line of sight when we play. Or I will cover my face like I used to do with my kids. She will get all excited when I open my hands and say "peek-a-boo".

I'm NOT the most evil thing in China's world!

Well, I discovered last night China does not consider me to be the most evil/scary thing in the house. Apparently the kitchen is.

She didn't want to go in her cage and took off down the outside and across the floor. Under my chair and found herself in the kitchen. She stopped dead, turned around and saw me leaning over to get her and decided I wasn't that scary after all.

She took my finger gently in her beak, hopped on my hand, scampered up the other arm and around my back onto my opposite shoulder (I know, I know but trust needs to start somewhere) all before I realized what she was doing. I was bent over when this happened and all I could think was what a site that must have been having a featherless monkey-bird spiraling up me, lol.

She rode as far over on my shoulder as she could without falling off as I took her home then I was so giddy I woke up Hubby and told him. She hasn't been quite so anxious if I get too close to her as she usually is.

A little more about China

I've posted about China on a couple forums and copied most of my posts to this blog but this sums up China's story best. It may repeat already posted things but here it is in it's entirety.

My Mom got involved with adopting rescued birds about 1-2 years ago. Her flock is a story for another time but I would go with her to pick some of them up. I just love being around them and have the bite scars to show for it. I have very little fear of any animal and am not afraid of being bit.

Anyways, I kept saying how much I love the birds and she started watching for a parrot for me. I have to be a bit fussy with 3 kids, one only 6 and just as eager to be with the birds as I am.

I refuse to buy my pets. Very rarely have I bought pets and that was mainly when I was in my late teens/early 20's and didn't know what I do now.

Mom knows several registered rescuers that she works with and one woman that Fosters. The one that Fosters is the one that had China.

Apparently the woman she works with found out or was contacted by the police about a bird that was kept in a Crack-House They abused her, kept her in the room they did drugs in and she was plucked bare. China is about 4 years old and that's all she ever knew.

The woman kept her for a couple months to detox (not sure how that's done but I guess she was exposed to crack fumes so often she had DT's). Mom's friend then had her for another month before I got her.

She worked with her trying to ease her fears of women (they suspect the women were the main abusers given her reaction to them). She doesn't mind men and absolutely adores children. Mom's friend wasn't making headway until her niece and nephew came over. I guess that was the first time China showed any interest in anybody around her.

Well, she didn't like me at all at first but I'm patient. The kitten I rescued lived in the back of my closet only coming out to eat and potty for over a year before she'd willingly let me approach her.

We've had her with us for 9 days now and it's like she's never been not here. She adores my 6 year old and is in love with my Hubby. She tollerates my oldest (son) and is still trying to make up her mind about my middle (daughter). I think she is trying to decide if my middle is a child or adult (she's almost 12) but is leaning towards liking her.

She was growing her downy feathers back and now has a full body of fuzz. She has 2 tail feathers and the feathers around her legs are coming in. She's beautiful.

She will say "Hi, China" and a few other things that aren't clear and we can't figure out yet. She has learned to dance. My youngest loves singing and dancing and China would watch her intently then copy her. Nothing funnier and cuter than a near-naked 'Too doing the Chicken Dance! Wing flapping, butt shaking and all!

She would prefer I didn't approach the cage but has learned that if she wants to come out, I have to since I'm being very strict that I will be the one to let her out, clean her cage and feed her. She is learning that at night "bedtime" means it's time to go in for the night. If she won't follow verbal commands, she will let Hubby put her in. After a long scritching of course!

I think her and I will become friends soon enough. She already gets excited when I put my coat on or leave the room for too long.

Poor Hubby, lol

She has latched onto Hubby big time! He can't go anywhere near her cage without giving her attention. She won't let him pick her up but she will go onto his shoulder if he presents it.

I'm so happy she took to someone (although I will admit I'm a bit jealous!)

I learned last night that her breed are escape artists. I guess they can even pick the cage locks that some cages have. Although I'm almost always home, I'm going to pick up a padlock for when we are away for her own safety.

Right now she has a "fuzz". They are feathers but they are down feathering. The full feathers are starting to grow back but it will take time. She has a full head of feathers since she can't reach them with her beak. She was completely bare with wounds when first rescued as I understand it.

My Mom got into adopting rescued birds a while back and has birds ranging from little parakeets up to large parrots. China is my first bird larger than a 'tiel but I have lots of experience with Mom's birds. As well as mishaps

Maggie, one of Mom's parrots pealed the top of my finger back today because I let my attention wander for a moment while playing tug-of-war with her. She's a biter anyways but she didn't do it this time on purpose. It may have been less severe if she had!

She was biting and tugging more than she would have if just biting! She thought she had the rope but had missed. As soon as she realized what was happening she let go but she's a big bird with a big bite. She nicked the blood vessel that runs across the top of the finger and I had a hard time getting it to stop bleeding.

China made a friend!

China has decided that there is one person on the planet, after all, that can pet her. Hubby. So now Mr. I-Don't-Like-Animals is all gushy over her

She gets in the corner and trembles if I get close to the cage but she watches me carefully when I'm in the room and responds to my talking as long as I'm not right at the cage. She also watches carefully how I interact with my other birds and that does seem to have an influence on her.

I'm going to take things slow and steady. Aside from the kids giving her treats, I will be sole food provider and caretaker so she learns I'm the one that she needs to rely on and trust for food and water.

It took over a year for Ginny, the rescue kitty we took in, to come into the room with the kids out here and let me really handle her so I'm not afraid to give China all the time she needs.

I'll get pics when I feel she can handle that attention. She is extremely nervous right now. I was going to move her to a different room that wasn't quite so busy but I think she is actually enjoying all the action. She watches EVERYTHING with great interest. She even tries peeking around things in her way to see what's going on!

Introducing China

She's home! She LOVES kids! Her name is China. She says "Hi China". She sounds and looks like a little china doll.

She is just infatuated with Abby. Any of the rest of us approach her cage and she moves to the other side. Abby goes towards it and she comes right over and gives Abby her undivided attention. Abby held a wedge of apple through the bars and instead of taking it like they normally will, she ate right out of Abby's hand.

I don't want to spook her too much so I want to give her a couple days before taking pics. We suspect one of the abusers may have been female since she shies away from females but doesn't seem to mind males.

Getting a Goffin's Too

I'm on my way to pick up a Goffin's Cockatoo. She's a rescue (surprise, surprise, lol). I'm getting her from a woman that does rescue and needs a home for her. She's originally rescued from a crack house and was terribly abused. She has no feathers. She gets kinda nervous at times but she's been around kids. She did better after the woman's nieces started talking with her so it looks like she likes kids.

I'm hoping this will be her forever home but I will do what's right for her and if it doesn't work out, she has a home at Mom's.