Hello all! My name is Jessica! Here's a little about me: I'm 18 and in school. I'm majoring in American Sign Language and minoring in Chinese. If you ever have questions about the Deaf community, please ask! I love to talk about what I do! I enjoy archery, reading, and I'm a total movie buff.
Here's a little about my bird: Ruffles is a Senegal parrot. We're pretty sure she's female. We bought her from a pet store when she was just a few months old and they weren't even sure and we've never had the money to get her tested. We're just going by the research we've done on her markings. We bought her on impulse when I was in 6th grade. When my mom was a kid she helped her mother nurture sick wild birds back to health so she has a basic background with birds, but other than that, we weren't really sure what we were doing. Ruffles is now seven years old and sadly, we can't interact much with her anymore. She bites all the time and won't let anyone touch her stuff.
A few days ago I saw Michael's video of 20 tricks in 2 minutes with Kili. Amazed at how much a Senegal could be taught to do, I was inspired to teach my own Senegal a few tricks.
There was a problem however.
I can't teach tricks to an angry, biting parrot. First, I have to tame her, back to her sweet, gentle self. I know it's our fault that she's gotten into these bad habits, so when she bites me, I'll be forgiving.
I went out today and got a little hand perch, a clicker, and some millet spray. I set Ruffles on the floor and sat down with her. I just pet her for a few minutes and she was being pretty good. I clicked the clicker a few times to make sure the noise didn't frighten her. It didn't. Bonus. Then I pulled out some millet spray, thinking she would just eat it, not realizing that it's shape would scare the bejesus out of her. She flew all over the place. When I had calmed her down, I broke off a small piece and tried to feed it to her but she wasn't taking it. Then, without warning - CHOMP! I forgot what a sharp beak she has.
So step one: I need to get her to let me feed her by hand. I have work tomorrow but maybe there will be time in the morning. Wish me luck.