Monday - zeba jump-attacked my husband, fortunately zeba didn't reach him with his beak. husband doesn't blame zeba for the attack tho. there were some movement going on when it happened, probably a little too much for zeba and he lashed out at the closest person - my husband. i was getting up from the sofa where zeba was to put the conures on their play stand, my amazon was making some noise on his playstand, and my husband was sitting at his computer and was moving his chair backwards (towards the sofa where zeba was) to get up. a very minor "set back" considering just a few minutes earlier, my husband - for the FIRST time - tried to give zeba a piece of walnut while zeba was OUTSIDE of his cage. zeba accepted the nut very calmly and nicely. YAY!

Yesterday i took my conures out on their playstand and i put my amazon on his playstand. then i took zeba out of his cage and set him on top. but all he wanted was to be near the other birds, so i got the idea (not sure exactly if it was good or bad....) of putting zeba into my amazon's cage with his much closer to the playstands so he can actually be around them, plus that cage is so big (its more of a macaw cage: 40" wide, 70" tall about 24" deep) that its like a play area). oh my, it was yelling, talking, noise-making all around. i dont think my amazon liked the idea of the intruder in his cage, but he soon quieted down and just enjoyed being on his playstand. zeba was climbing all over the place in the cage. i think he enjoyed it, especially being able to be so close to the other birds (at least to the other amazon, anyway).

i have been continuing zeba's target training (he is doing very well on that...i will have to think of more complicated tasks somehow) and i have also added a wooden ring into the picture. at first i rewarded zeba when he touched the ring with his beak. now i just reward him when he holds on to the ring for at least 3 seconds. he is quite a fast learner. the main thing is getting him used to the object. he is VERY wary of new things. once he gets over the initial fear of something, he does really well in learning. what i hope to take this (the holding of the ring) to the level of him placing the ring over a stick...something like a ring toss for birds, only he doesnt have to toss it, he just has to place it over the stick.

zeba doesn't really seem to be a forager. i have a pretty "simple" foraging toy in his cage where he could actually see a little of the goodies in the wooden foraging toy, but he doesn't really touch it.

zeba has shown a LOVE for the birdie kabob - soft pieces of balsa wood threaded on a sisal string. after beaking it a few times on the first day, he has now ripped it up pretty well. i think i will have to give him a new one today.

zeba likes apples, carrots (cooked), corn (what bird doesnt!), pizza crust (as a treat..shouldn't be part of the staple diet), pasta, rice...i put in a whole bunch of shredded veggies (i love my new food processor) in his food bowl for breakfast and dinner, so i dont know what else he loves from that. this week in the veggie mix is:
spinach
jalepeno pepper
carrots
broccoli
zucchini
red bell pepper
parsley

in addition to a beak appetite/various cooked beans mix.

just to make sure they take in some vitamin A, i also mix in some organic baby food pureed carrots or sweet potatoes.

next week, i'll probably give some brussel sprouts and collard greens instead of spinach in the veggie mix. its good to keep changing things so that they don't get bored with the food.

what i also do, if i do have the same stuff to give them is to play around with different condiments...italian seasonings, oregano, crushed dried red pepper flakes, garlic, ginger, or a little dab of honey. i also sometimes sprinkle some regular quaker oatmeal over everything.