Two questions

[goldnyght]

1.) Pete has been making a noise that has a lot in common with the chirping of a cricket. As far as I can tell by watching him, he's doing it by grinding his beak. The beak isn't rough edged, cracked, or otherwise harmed as far as I can tell, but I'm wondering if this is bad?

2.) I keep finding spots on his back/the back of his head where I find...stubs of feathers? Little stiff shafts that have fluff on them, but they're a heck of a lot stiffer than the other feathers, and they're kind of standing up. Are they new feathers, or snipped off feathers or something entirely different?

(sorry if this is the wrong area)

[Venoma]

Beak grinding means he's happy and relaxed - almost like a cat's purr :)

And those are pin feathers you're finding on Pete - the stiffness comes from the keratin sheath - it is usually kinda uncomfortable for pinfeathers to be touched, but it might be itchy back there - you're still working with him to become handtame, I understand, but some spray baths might make him more comfortable.

[Katy]

Sometimes Cash makes a grinding sound..... But the sound occurs when she is in her cage and I'm trying to change the food/water or something. She tries to bite when she makes that sound. So I sort of get the impression that it's more of a "get away" sound for her. I have heard her make the sound (but much softer) while relaxed. But I mainly hear it when she's being teritorial.

[Janie]

Beak grinding means he's happy and relaxed - almost like a cat's purr :)

And those are pin feathers you're finding on Pete - the stiffness comes from the keratin sheath - it is usually kinda uncomfortable for pinfeathers to be touched, but it might be itchy back there - you're still working with him to become handtame, I understand, but some spray baths might make him more comfortable.


Ditto to Kristin. :)

[goldnyght]

Ah, pin feathers. That's okay then. He's really pretty well hand-tamed, just a bit velcro-y. And he's been bathing everyday when I change his water, so I think we're ok in the bath department. And it would explain why he's hanging on the top of the cage and rubbing his back on the chewy palm tree.

Happy little cricket noises....maybe that's what I should've called him...

[Venoma]

Woops, got your birdie mixed up with someone else's *smacks forehead* Laura's Tobey. Never mind re the handshy bit ;)

[goldnyght]

ah, I think there's another Pete (or peter?) on here too, so I'm not so worried about it.

Oh, andd another question if anyone else happens to look in:

He's twitching his wings. Individually. (tries to think how to word it) He'll be doing something else, like walking on the floor or eating, and it'll kind of flutter, but he doesn't unfurl it. It just kind of moves up and back a little for a few minutes, and then it stops. Does this sound like a hurt wing? He'll let me touch it, but I'm concerned it could be a pulled muscle or something...