10/26/08
I am into my second week with my new little buddy - Daisy, a yellow Parrotlet.  In fact, we are typing out this message. 

Ok, she is on my keyboard looking at me while I am typing this message.  I work with Bruce and I have heard a lot about the Parrotlet.  He would tell me how friendly and how smart the Parrotlet is and the tricks he has taught their own birds.  I thought that was pretty interesting.  He also told me the Parrotlets are very quiet, unlike the full grown parrots.  So after hundreds of questions, I was determined to get one and told Bruce to have Terry pick me out a sweetheart. 

The next day Bruce told me Terry had one picked out just for me.  You mean I don't get to pick my own bird?  Nope - Daisy is a real sweetheart and she will take to you right away.   Terry knows her birds as she handles them every day - they are used to humans.  This was evident when Daisy first set on my finger.  The only thing now was for her to bond with her new family.

After a few days, allowing her to get used to her new surroundings and new family, I set out to teach her to turn around on command.  Armed with millet seed, she learned the trick in about 20 minutes time.  I would put hold millet seed and have her follow it in a circle, while moving my finger in a circle motion and saying the word, "turn".   As I was teaching her and just before she caught on, I could see her thinking - connecting the finger motion and the word together.  Before long, she began turning on the finger command.

Daisy likes to ride on my shoulder or shirt collar and she goes all through the house just perched comfortably on my shoulder.  I will wash dishes and vacuum with her riding high.  In fact, I built her a wooden play set as she sat on my shoulder.  Pounding, running the scroll saw to cut dowels, and drilling holes were ok with Daisy.
 

I will place the play set up about 4 feet and dropped down rope to the floor.  Daisy will jump off the set and drop to the floor.  When she is done exploring her surroundings, she will climb the rope back up to the play set.