Tag Archives: pet cockatiel

As the official avian attendant, I am typically in charge of grooming. This includes neck feather scratching, head and neck massage and of course the obligatory post-session feather pick-up. But occasionally unimportant routine tasks like working to earn rent money prevent me from fulfilling my contractual obligations in a timely fashion. At that point myContinueContinue reading “Power Grooming”

Every so often our house conducts a test of the waffle emergency response system. We bring in a very special expert to help us. The test includes timeliness, consistency, ingredient quality, palatability and, of course, quantity. Here are the steps in case you need to conduct your own test.

My dad (aka Grandpa, aka the “Tall Tree”) and my bird have a special bond. A VERY special, um, bond. Bond. Recently Dad came to visit. Pearl had just woken up from (another) restful nap, so initially he was sluggish. That quickly changed when he saw that his fav special agent was dressed for action.

Marc Bekoff is not a name I was familiar with before I started my research into animal emotions. It is amazing how many cool peeps there are in this world, just waiting to be discovered! Bekoff is the author of “The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy -ContinueContinue reading “The Emotional Lives of Animals”

Parrots never have a shortage of confidence. They are born fully stocked. And every experience just adds to the stockpile. Let’s say, for instance, that one avian learns to dance. Two assumptions immediately occur: 1) That avian assumes they are a great dancer. 2) That avian assumes they are a great dance teacher. Because itContinueContinue reading “So You Think You Can Dance”

The love affair continues. Put my avian and a slice of homemade pizza in the same house together and see what happens. If you were planning to eat that slice, altering your plans is a good idea. Whoever sticks their nose (beak) into it first gets it.      

I wouldn’t want to be a strawberry around my avian. I’d be okay being the round red part, because then I could fly under the radar. But woe to anyone who awakes and discovers that they are the dark green strawberry top, which is clearly a gustatory sensation in a cockatiel’s world. As well, whenContinueContinue reading “Death to Strawberries”

I will admit it. I like Ultimate Fighting. I find it fascinating that so many of the fighters have stories to share about how one mentor who believed in them changed their life. Equally fascinating is how most of the folks who come out talking trash about their opponent are the ones who end upContinueContinue reading “TWD (Total Waffle Destruction)”

(This post is for two of Pearl’s greatest fans, Erin Ferguson Young and Jason Young.) The question on the table today is – just how excited DOES Pearl get when I toast up his daily waffle? Even if you discount the very reliable preset daily alarm (approximately 30 minutes of shrieking at escalating volume toContinueContinue reading “The Great Waffle Descent”

There are few things more enticing to a cockatiel than things that crunch. Except maybe for things that shine. If crunchy things also shine, or shiny things also crunch, so much the better.