Taking It Slow

Hope everything is going well with everyone! Things are gearing up in the aviary. We have one pair of parrotlets with babies in the nest and another pair with eggs on the way. We are handfeeding two beautiful black headed caique babies (available for sale) and I expect more in the upcoming weeks. The normal green cheeks are rested and nest boxes are back up. One of my senegal pairs is showing nestbox activity. Check my website frequently for updates on what birds we have available for sale.

I wanted to take a minute to write about lineolated parakeets. They should really be called lineolated parrots as people confuse the term "parakeet" with "budgie". In the bird world, the term "parakeet" means long tailed parrot. Some examples of other parrots that are referred to as parakeets are quaker or "monk" parakeets,  plumhead parakeet, derbyan parakeet and alexandrine parakeets. These birds are all parrots and the alexandrine is a big bird. Including the tail they are about 23 inches long. Okay, so hopefully we got that cleared up.

Linnies are small parrots like I mentioned. They learn to talk quite clearly, hold food in their feet like their larger cousins and are very affectionate. They come in a variety of colors. Their natural calls are wonderful, these birds are not loud. They have calm easy going personalities.

Linnies like to take things slow. I find when handling them, it's best to give them time to think about what you are asking them to do. I also find with young birds, they do best stepping up on a hand that is turned palm up. The increased surface area gives them more security. If they hesitate before stepping up, be calm and just give them a second. You can bring your other hand gently around the back and gently urge them onto your hand to encourage them to move forward. Before long, they will be jumping on your hand to come out!

When you bring your new linnie home, it is best not to handle them too much in the first few days. I tell my customers to take them out once maybe twice per day (maximum) for a period of 30 minutes or so. If your linnie starts to get anxious after 20 minutes, just put him back in his cage. Keep your interactions with him short, slow, calm and quiet. Do not give him too much direct attention. It's best to take him out, put him on your shoulder and "hang out". Go do something quiet while he is on you such as work on the computer, do the dishes or fold laundry. Almost act like the bird is not on you. Be cool and let him observe everything.

I found that when people push their linnies to come out for long play sessions, or force them out of the cage several times per day to handle them during this adjustment period, linnies will become unsure of their new humans and may nip. If a linnie nips, he is telling you he is not comfortable with the way you are handling him. Best to slow down.

After about three days, your linnie will settle in and will want to spend more time with you. This is when they really start to warm up to their new people. It's like everything begins to "click". You will have years to spend with your new linnie. Giving him a chance to settle in for the first few days will go a long way towards establishing a long lasting friendship.