Great! More pros than cons! The next day we picked him up and brought him home and it became obvious that Sunshine had never been in a cage, and because he was used to being with other birds, he did not at all like the idea of being alone. He wanted to be with the Tiels (Buttercup and Snuggles) and cuddle with them, and, of course, they were keeping their distance.

So that first night he slept next to me on a throw pillow nestled inside one of my old shirts. I put my hand inside the shirt, and he cuddled up to it and slept contented all night. Every now and then he'd drowsily suck on my finger or lift his wing so that he could press his body into my hand. I don't know if I got any sleep, but I loved every minute of it.

Sadly, we solved the cage problem the next day. We attached a small stuffed animal to the inside of the cage and dangled a strip of fabric beside it. That night he cuddled up to it, and (I swear this is true) held the strip of fabric with one foot and sucked on it. He had a sleeping buddy and a night-night. He was content.

But he never forgot us sleeping together, and ever since then, he loves to climb into my shirt (with me in it) and go night-night (that's his words). Sometimes I'll lie down on the bed on my back and he'll slip into my shirt and we both take a nap. (I always put big heavy pillows on either side of me making it impossible for me to roll over. Remember that if you try napping with your bird.)

Ever since that first day, I've held him in my cupped hands, kissing his back and lovingly telling him, "Love you." Finally, one day about six months later while standing on my shoulder, he pushed himself in tight against my neck, fluffed up his feathers, and said something real deep and drawn out that sounded like, "Gluuuub Vuuuue."

Finally after a few days he got clearer, and it finally dawned on me what he was saying. "Glub vue!" He glubbed me! We glubbed each other. WOW! Ever since then, whenever he's feeling in a loving mood, or you treat him in a loving way, he'll tell you, "Glub vue."

As the months went by, he decided just telling you wasn't enough. He had to show you too. What could he do? Well, everybody pets me, he probably thought, so now sometimes when he says, "Glub vue," he also gently rubs his head slowly back and forth, nuzzling your face or neck. His idea of petting. Is this bird glubable or what?

He carries his loving feelings over to Buttercup too. He treats her like he's her big brother. And big brother is watching. If she gets into an argument with Snuggles, here comes big brother right between them. Then using his body (he never reacts if Snuggles snaps at him), he gently but forcefully moves Snuggles away.

It didn't take Buttercup long to realize that she had a protector. Whenever she wants to be left alone, she goes into Sunshine's cage. She climbs to the back, hides behind his toys, and falls asleep. Sunshine guards the entrance and nobody is getting in. Not with the Suninator or guard. Sometimes he'll climb up and sit on the other side of the perch and just watch her. Every now and then you'll hear quietly from inside the cage, "Glub vue."

If you have a bird (even a small bird like a canary), start thinking of him or her as a little person with wings. (I believe they call that an angel.) And the more ways you can think of to show your bird you love him or her, the more ways you will get it back. Sure it takes time and patience, but the rewards will surprise you.

*******

Having a loving bird begins with trust. Once your bird trusts you completely, then he or she will release all the love pent-up inside. The younger the bird the easier it is to build trust (there's been less opportunity to be treated meanly or thoughtlessly).

There really is no such thing as a mean bird, just a frightened bird. Flight and aggressiveness are the only defense a bird has. If his wings have been clipped, that leaves aggression. How he was treated before you met him has a lot to do with his behavior. Once a bird learns to fear humans it takes much longer to build trust. In either case, you begin by getting him used to your hands and your soft spoken voice. Feed him by hand while talking lovingly to him; put your hand as close to him as he's comfortable and leave it there for long periods, each time trying to move a little closer. Your goal is for him to eventually fall asleep on your knee, shoulder, hand, or whatever. If he'll fall asleep on you, he's showing he trusts you.

Once you've got his trust, then begin more aggressively to show him you love him: pet him, hold him, kiss him, and tell him. After that, take his lead. Birds have a deep desire to feel close to another being. Once you become that person, you'll learn what unconditional love is all about.

******

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"Potty Potty Budacub"
by Steve of the Bird HotLine

"Hello there. . . . I'm Sunshine, a 7 year old Sun Conure, about 10 inches long (beak to tail). I was born in Phoenix, but my family came from the Amazon. Wow, I bet their wings got tired.

"I'm as cute as a button, smart as can be, know about 40 words and phrases (all in context), and I'm potty trained. I love to cuddle, have a great sense of humor, know there is a wrong way and a right way (my way) to do everything, and I'm exceedingly modest."

******

Giving your bird a bath really is fun, and they love it. You can use the sink (for smaller birds) or any container that's big enough, as long as the sides are low enough so that they feel they can hop out of it easily. Be sure it's clean and you've rinsed it well so that there's no cleaning agent residue. As they bathe, they get water in their mouths. Use warm, not hot or cold, water and keep it at wading level.

Because they love baths, birds can find their way into any receptacle that holds water. Be sure to keep toilets and anything containing liquid covered (that also means fish tanks).

After their baths, they need to stay warm and away from drafts. You don't want them to catch a cold or worse a respiratory infection, which can be deadly. (Wet or dry, always look out for drafts.) Whether you want to let your bird dry himself or help him get dry depends on how wet your bird is, and how much you enjoy the drying process. We always dry them. It's the best part.

We wrap them in towels first, to get off as much dampness as we can, then we dry them with a hairdryer. They love it. Buttercup often falls asleep. The trick to getting your bird comfortable with the hairdryer is to let him be in the room with you when you are using it on yourself. When you turn it on for the first time, like any loud appliance, turn it on and off quickly two or three times. Once your bird is comfortable with the sound, leave it on.

Set your hairdryer to a medium speed and heat setting. Heat too high can burn them and the fast setting is usually too loud. Once your bird is comfortable with the hairdryer being on, every so often let the air blow over him. If he acts as if he doesn't like it at first, that's only because it's new. After a few times he'll begin to enjoy the warm air. Once he does, try drying him after a bath. Just keep your distance. Think of how strange the hairdryer looks from his perspective.

******

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Bird HotLine Directory!

"Hello there. . . . I'm Sunshine, an 8 year old Sun Conure, about 10 inches long (beak to tail). I was born in Phoenix, but my family came from the Amazon. Wow, I bet their wings got tired. "I'm as cute as a button, smart as can be, know about 40 words and phrases (all in context), and I'm potty trained. I love to cuddle, have a great sense of humor, know there is a wrong way and a right way (my way) to do everything, and I'm exceedingly modest."

If you've read previous articles, you know Sunshine uses all his words in context. He says what he means when he means it. Of course, some of his words have their own special meaning to him—definitions that aren't necessarily in the dictionary. A good example is pancake.

When he was only four or five months old, we went through a phase of having pancakes almost every morning. Naturally Sunshine wanted his share too. I'd hand him a piece, as he stood on his perch in the living room, and say, "Pancake." He'd take it from me with his beak, grab it with his foot, and, holding it up to his mouth, nibble on it. It quickly became his favorite treat. After about a month, we began keeping a reserve pancake in the refrigerator for his morning treat whether we had any or not. Every morning it was get up, get dressed, and give Sunshine his pancake. "Here's your pancake."

I thought I was teaching him to associate the word pancake with pancakes—silly me. Sunshine, as usual, had his own idea. A couple of months later he began to say, "Akak." Soon akak became pakak, then pankak, and finally pancake. But not just "Pancake," he'd say it deep and demanding, "PANCAKE!"

One day while I was eating a sandwich, he looked over at me, "PANCAKE!" Dutifully, I got him a piece from the refrigerator. He jerked it out of my hands and tossed it. "PANCAKE!"

"Sunshine, I just gave you some and you threw it away." I picked up the piece and gave it back to him. Plop . . . it was back on the floor.

"PANCAKE!"

"If you want it, you go get it." I went back to my lunch.

"Pancake! . . . Pancake! . . . Pancake!"

Suddenly it dawned on me. . . . I gave him a bit of my sandwich. "Paanncaake," he said all soft and gooey, and munched away until it was gone.

"Pancake," he said again. I brought him his dish of raw almonds, raw cashews, raisins, and non sweetened granola cereal. "Pancake," he said choosing an almond. It didn't take long to determine pancake meant food to Sunshine. And it made sense. After all, I'd give him some every morning and say, pancake. Only, he heard, "Here's something to eat." Food.

From that point, whenever he's hungry, sees you eating something he wants to try, or goes to the Bank of America, he says, "Pancake."

"The Bank of America?"

No, he doesn't eat money. They always have a treat for him—a raisin, a piece of banana (one of his favorites), or a pretzel. It didn't take him long to get the message: Bank of America—"Pancake."

He's also a big hit at McDonalds, Jack In The Box, and other fast-food places. It all started on one of our trips. Usually we take Sunshine with us, and when we're on the road we throw all our good eating habits to the wind and get a fast-food breakfast. Sandy normally has pancakes and the first time we drove up to the talking menu and ordered pancakes, that got Sunshine's attention. When we drove up to the window and they gave us pancakes, that really got his attention.

I usually take him with me at least twice a week to run errands. So he's in and out of parking lots all the time. But from that first incident, whenever we pull into a fast-food lot (the drive-up window not even visible)—no other parking lot, mind you—he gets all excited and starts screaming, "PANCAKE!" How he knows the difference is beyond me.

He's so clear, we let him order himself. I'm not kidding. The voice says, "Can I help you?" and Sunshine screams, "PANCAKE!" The voice responds, "Something to drink?" And we fill in the rest of the order.

We pull up to the window with Sunshine on my shoulder (now that's a catchy phrase), and the attendant does a double take, "Oh, a bird."

"Yep, he's the one who ordered the pancakes."

"Pancake! . . . Pancake! . . . Pancake!"

"I thought it sounded different," says the attendant. Then hollers to the rest of the crew, "Come here, this bird say's pancake."

They all come over, he say's pancake a few times, they "ooh and ah," we get our order, and pull out. The next morning—miles away—the whole scenario repeats itself almost word for word. It's as if they all have the same script, just different faces in the window.

Didi . . . didi . . . didi . . . didi. . . . "You are now entering the twilight zone. . . ."

Sometimes, for a change of pace, we take him inside to eat. We walk up to the counter, he climbs out of my shirt, and up to my shoulder.

"May I help you?" He or she says eyeing Sunshine, not sure if a bird should be in there.

"PANCAKE!" Sunshine exclaims right on cue without any prompting.

"Did he say pancake?"

"He sure did. We'll have one side order of pancakes and one Egg McMuffin without the meat (for which they charge me the full price, and that really—oh, never mind).

"Look at this!" He or she announces to anyone close, "this bird—"

"His name's Sunshine."

"—just ordered his own pancakes."

Within a few seconds everyone in the place is gathered around and the original attendant is now taking full credit. "That's Sunshine and he orders pancakes. . . . Tell them Sunshine."

"PANCAKE, PANCAKE!" Even though he loves being the center of attention, Sunshine is getting tired of all this conversation. He wants his food.

The attendant beams, "See!"

We go sit at a table after being told they'll bring us our food. Now we all know they don't bring you your food at fast-food restaurants. Everyone knows that . . . except Sunshine. It's not unusual as far as he's concerned. They look for any excuse to see him again.

The whole group brings our tray and hangs around to see him eat his pancake. With a flourish, I open a napkin on my knee, Sunshine climbs down, and I hand him a piece of pancake. "Paanncaake." Probable thinking, Finally.

"Ooh . . . ah . . ." says the crowd.

He takes the piece of pancake out of his mouth, holds it with his foot, and begins to eat.

"Ooh . . . ah . . ." says the crowd.

Finally they notice the line waiting to order is growing impatient and go back to work. Sandy and I give each other a look, open our food, and, now that the crowd is gone, take the opportunity to eat.

"Paanncaake," Sunshine says all proud of himself and contented, nibbling away. The shows over.

Sometimes when we want to have a quiet meal to ourselves, we'll leave Sunshine in the motel room and sneak out to breakfast on our own. We go to a regular restaurant, and enjoy the peace and quiet—and feel guilty the whole time.

*****

Feeding Your Buddy

Every now and then I run into someone who thinks all you feed a bird is seeds. That's like saying you feed a human bread. Sure it's an important part of our diet, but it is only the beginning.

A bird who only gets seeds will not receive nearly the nutrition he or she needs for a long, healthy, active life. They need nuts, grains, fruit, and all kinds of vegetables, except avocado (which is deadly) and mushrooms (too much yeast).

They also need supplements. Every day I sprinkle a little soy protein, a small amount of bird vitamins (I like Prime), a tiny bit of crushed health-food store (for people) multi-minerals, and trace minerals over his and the cockatiels seeds and food dishes. I try to avoid giving Sunshine any lecithin as it is considered brain food. The last thing I need is for him to get any smarter. If he does, he'll be writing his own column, "Steve Under My Feet."

Most birds love potatoes, especially mashed with a touch of milk and a hint of butter. ("Sandy, why don't you make the birds some mashed potatoes. You know, just the way I like them.) Some other favorites are pizza (just the bread with a little soaked in sauce and cheese—no toppings), corn on the cob (or the kernels scraped off), and the all time favorite popcorn. And let us not forget cheddar cheese (just a little).

They don't need sugar or any other sweetener (including honey) or anything made with a sugar substitute or any prepackaged food. Sunshine has never had one of those sugar-fit honey seed trees they sell, and he hasn't missed it. Oh yes, chocolate is deadly too.

A good rule of thumb: if they advertise it on TV or it sounds so delicious or it comes in a box or worse yet sealed plastic or there is something you really love, don't feed it to your bird. Unless you really love vegies, fruit, grains, nuts, and supplements.

*****

"Is He Real?"
by Steve of the Bird HotLine

"Hello there. . . . I'm Sunshine, an 8 year old Sun Conure, about 10 inches long (beak to tail). I was born in Phoenix, but my family came from the Amazon. Wow, I bet their wings got tired. "I'm as cute as a button, smart as can be, know about 40 words and phrases (all in context), and I'm potty trained. I love to cuddle, have a great sense of humor, know there is a wrong way and a right way (my way) to do everything, and I'm exceedingly modest."

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Bird HotLine Directory!

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