Reading the Rickeybird's Mind

[galeriagila]

If I ever have to medicate the Rb, I'll have to invite Pajarita to come live with me for a while...

I think *I* would need a safe word otherwise!

[Pajarita]

And, most likely, not even the 'safe word' will save me! Freddy is unusually good... quite the exception to the rule, actually. I don't have it that easy with all of my birds.

[galeriagila]

I would love to have you as a neighbor. You could come deal with the Rb for me when my skills fall short.


Meanwhile, it seems Rickeybirds start to go bad early on...
Here's a little guy who still has the horn-colored beak (so he's less than 6-9 months).

[liz]

[Navre]

If I ever have to medicate the Rb, I'll have to invite Pajarita to come live with me for a while...

I think *I* would need a safe word otherwise!

We have to put medication in the eye of a BFA. I can't do it at all. All the women simply scratch his head and approach him from the blind side, and put the drop in his eye. They don't understand why I always say "Kali didn't get his meds." But Kali hates me, and there is no treat or bribe that he will like more than biting me. And I'm not going to towel a bird to give him these drops. The risk/reward equation seems too out of balance.

[galeriagila]

I live in FEAR of having to towel/medicate/restrain the Rb...!!!

[Pajarita]

If I ever have to medicate the Rb, I'll have to invite Pajarita to come live with me for a while...

I think *I* would need a safe word otherwise!

We have to put medication in the eye of a BFA. I can't do it at all. All the women simply scratch his head and approach him from the blind side, and put the drop in his eye. They don't understand why I always say "Kali didn't get his meds." But Kali hates me, and there is no treat or bribe that he will like more than biting me. And I'm not going to towel a bird to give him these drops. The risk/reward equation seems too out of balance.

If he so intent in biting you, that should give you a chance to put the drop in his eye - I think. See if this works: stand in front of him with the dropper in your dominant hand (but hide it behind your back) and putting your non-dominant hand above his head (about where his crown would be - you might need to have something in it to hold his attention), move it so for him to look at it (trying to bite it, of course) he would need to throw his head back - this should give you the opportunity to quickly put the drop in his bad eye with your other hand. It might take more than one try because you would have to do it at a distance from the eye itself but I think it might work.

[galeriagila]

Pajarita, that worked like a charm! I experimented using the ol' green chile. He *IS* so intent on biting it and/or me that he fully exposes either eye. I'll file that one away...
Many thanks!

[galeriagila]

Okay, this one may take a minute to work for you...
Sing it out loud... the Alphabet Song...


(Note the precious juvenile horn-colored beakie!)

[liz]

How do you come up with these. I did catch it right off but would not have thought of it myself.