The Green Houdini

Rex is not a single cage type of bird. He has four cages. He has a large cage by the dining area (complete with a birdie jungle gym). He has another large cage in the bedroom. He has a tiny travel cage for the vets. And he has a small cage I like to call the "shuttle." I'm super paranoid about him being stepped on or squashed, so if he's not my 100% focus, his butt is in a cage.

Rex's shuttle is by far his favorite cage. It is the cage that I put him in when the humans do Dangerous Things (i.e. wash dishes, cook dinner, clean house, etc). He understands that the shuttle means entertainment - he knows our routine.

This shuttle is not really well made. It's obvious that it's meant as a travel cage, and it's much too small to be a permanent home for any type of animal. And as such, I should have realized that the doors are light enough to be popped open by a inquisitive bird.

The other day the husband was washing dishes when suddenly Rex escaped out of the cage and dive bombed him. He instinctively grabbed him and put him back, not realizing that he still had soap on his hands. I took Rex into the bathroom and washed him down to make sure he was residue free before leaving him to his own devices.

Now we've got the shuttle on lock down- zip ties on the easy-to-open doors. While effective, these haven't stopped our optimistic little green Houdini from trying.



As I type this, the little munchkin is chowing down and singing. It must be a tough life being so damn cute.

Parrotlet or Seagull?

The husband and I are heavy salmon eaters. We will devour any sea-based food. If it comes in a shell, it's delicious. If it has fins, even more so! And being a tiny part S'klallam and Makah Indian, I use these meals to reflect on that part of my ancestry and to remember my late father.

Rex participates in our meals. We eat pretty healthfully, only whole grains, very few processed carbohydrates, a lot of lean proteins and a lot of veggies and fruit. This means that Rex often gets to share in our meals. One day, we were eating our salmon and he started freaking out- apparently the spinach I gave him was no where near as interesting. Salmon wasn't something that I thought about sharing, to be honest. I did some research on the forum and found out that small amounts of salmon are okay- occasionally- and as I don't spice it at all (no need to ruin a perfect food) I gave him a small flake.

And things haven't ever been the same. Now we have to be covert-salmon eaters. We have to sneak it. If he sees it, he'll screech and screech. And when he gets a piece, he's got a particular chirp that goes with it- it almost sounds like he's saying "el capitan" while he's chowing down.

I think he's trying to tell me a couple of things.

• Rex is secretly a seagull.
• Salmon is awesome.
• His new nickname should be "El capitán de las gaviotas" - Captain of the Seagulls.
  

The Boy has Taste.

I'm always surprised by how discriminating a little bird can be. These are the first 5 Rules of Rex.

1. Red bell peppers are superior to green bell peppers.
2. Strawberry flavored medicine = good. Piña colada flavored medicine = evil.
3. Never wake up before 10:30am.
4. Being awake past 9pm is a good reason to be cranky.
   
5. The sound of a plastic bag in ANY form is a great excuse to sing loudly, puff up, and dance.

Diving Right In

The first, second, and third posts always seem a bit awkward, don't they?

Rex and I have a bit of a history, and there are many stories of his adorableness and stubborness that I wish to share. However, I could spend months of time trying to catch up, and miss posting all those awesome moments that happen day-to-day with him.

So, I'm diving right in. If you've followed me at all on talkparrotlets.com (best forum ever, nicest people you'll ever meet!), you kind of know all of the good stuff at this point.

My goals for this blog? To share at least a tiny part of the immense joy Rex gives me- and to share what I've discovered and learned in the last 6 months. Expect some prose, lots of pictures, occasional videos... If I can use it document his joie de vivre, it'll be posted here!

Haiku of Introduction.

He is a rascal.
Green and blue feathers galore.
Rex is his fierce name.