Einstein the Parrot

Einstein's Hatchday

2008-06-15T08:45:00.001-07:00

WOW!
Was I REALLY this Small?

It's hard to believe, but on June 15, 1997,

I hatched from an egg just like this!

A special thank you to my African Grey friend "Rita" for laying this egg.
(Rita doesn't have a mate, so the egg was not fertile.)

Einstein, Good Bird Magazine, & Barbara Heidenreich!

2008-06-13T18:16:00.000-07:00

OH MY GOSH!!!!

You're NEVER Going to Believe This!!!

Barbara Heidenreich came to visit me!!!!!

I'm going to be in a Good Bird Magazine article!

I'm also going to be on a podcast called

"Wings 'n Things" on Pet Life Radio!

So who is Barbara Heidenreich? She is just the coolest bird trainer EVER!!!! She travels all over the world working and consulting with zoo's and developing free flight bird programs. She also is the author of 2 books and 2 DVD's on the training of Parrots. She conducts workshops where people can go and learn her training techniques. Or, you can download information off of the Good Bird Website.

You may also visit these sites to get more information:

The Good Bird Blog, Yahoo Group, and YouTube Channel.

She uses positive reinforcement training. What does that mean? Well... you ask your parrot to do something, when he does what you ask... he gets a YUMMY TREAT!!!!, or a head scratch, or some praise "GOOD BIRD!" or whatever favorite thing his heart desires!!!! No more yelling at me, telling me I'm a bad bird! It's all very positive! I LOVE IT! Marcia is going to start teaching me new stuff using this new way. She and Jeff has always used verbal positive reinforcement, but now they are going to start giving me special TREAT!!!!! OH! BOY!

Marcia started the other day using this technique. Sure, I'll play along! She set me on the kitchen table with a perch and a food cup. No food in the cup? What gives? She gets out 3 little toys. Mmmmm... I noticed.... little pieces of peanut in her hand? Yummy! I want a peanut! You never give me peanuts! I LOVE PEANUTS!!!!

She picks up a toy and drops it in the food cup.

What! You want me to do that and I'll get a peanut! SURE! So I go in, I PICK UP THE TOY! I tap it on the table a few times! I walk over to the food cup! KERPLUNK! I'm in for 2 points! Errr.... I mean a peanut!!! Yay!!!! Hey! This is fun!

I do it a couple of more times! This is easy! But, after a while I got tired and I started dropping the toys off of the side of the table. (They fall farther and it's fun to watch Marcia bend over and pick them up.) Well, I didn't get a peanut that time! Did it again, no peanut! Hey! Got anything better than a PEANUT? Marcia told me we will do this again later and that for a first try I did VERY Good!
.

This is just a very simple example, (and admittedly from my bird-brained point of view). Marcia and Jeff tell me there is still a lot more they need to learn! They have a whole list of things they want to teach me. Like how to trim my nails without being restrained. Being toweled and liking it. Talking on cue. All these things require special instruction, so if you want to learn more... be sure and subscribe to Good Bird Magazine. (I know you want to get the issue I'm in!)

Einstein's Tribute to Mother's Day

2008-05-09T08:02:00.000-07:00

Mother's are truly wonderful!

I didn't get to know my Mother very well because I was taken from her at a very early age so that I would form a bond with humans. What I do know is that her name was "Smokey", she was a very good talker and very beautiful. She was a television star too! She was in the "Salty Dog" episode of Wishbone.

She mostly rode around on the shoulder of a pirate.

She did a great job! Yea! MOM!

"Captain Flint", played by Smokey the Parrot on the shoulder of

"Long John Silver", played by actor, Sean Hennigan.

I don't call Marcia "Mom", because she's not my Mom. She's my human! She certainly didn't HATCH me!!! Just the mental picture of that makes me laugh hysterically!!!!!

She does take good care of me, and for that, I am very grateful! So, there needs to be a Happy Human's Day! For all those humans who take care of all the pets in the world!

In closing this tribute to Mom's everywhere, I'd like you to listen to a broadcast NPR did a few years ago titled,
"My Mother, My Parrot".
It's very touching and you might need a tissue. (Marcia did!)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!!!!

Einstein’s Road Trip

2008-05-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

I like to travel in car with Marcia and Jeff. They often take me for car rides just around the neighborhood and to visit friends. Recently they decided to take me along on a trip to Austin Texas, about 3 ½ half hours away. They have friends in Austin and we were invited to a Party!

I Love to Party!!!

Here I an all loaded up in the car, ready to go! Jeff has my cage level and strapped in with bungee cords. Marcia has packed all the food and water I’ll need for the whole trip. She’s prepared for anything I might need. She says it’s like packing a baby for a trip. Here’s a list of what I require!
Water
Paper Towels
Bird Safe Cleaning Solutions
Cage Cover
Plastic (to protect floor)
Newspaper (to poop on)
Floor perch
Pizza Pan Perch
Sleeping perch from big cage
Ceramic Food Dish
Toys – (Can’t leave home with out ‘em!)
Food- Pellets, Frozen Bean/Grain Mixtures, Birdie Muffins, Treats
Round Play Perch
Stainless Steel Food Bowls for perch
Bowls for Travel cage

WOW! That’s a lot of stuff for a 1 pound bird!!! Where are Marcia and Jeff going to put all there clothes and stuff they need for the trip? Oh! Well! Not My Problem!!!!

AND…. WE’RE OFF!

Jeff is a good driver and if he anticipates having to put on the breaks hard or goes over a bump in the road… He will tell me, “Hold On”. I really appreciate that!
One time he was passing another car on the road. The other driver moved over to allow him to pass which was really nice. As Jeff drove passed he waved his hand at the driver as if to say “Thanks”. Well, I saw him do this and I said “Shake! Shake!” That must have been funny because Marcia and Jeff laughed at me and told me what a smart bird I was!

We arrive in Austin at our friend’s home. I quickly make myself at home.

Here I am on the counter getting hand fed...

and then I got to play on the floor with my toys.

Later that evening we all went to a party at another friend’s house. I had dinner in my cage and I had to stay in my cage most of the evening. I didn’t mind because Jeff and Marcia were busy talking with all their friends. I was never too far away from the “action” and I even talked a little! Making everybody laugh!

Our friends have a beautiful cat that came to join the fun later in the evening. I never met a cat before. So very carefully we were introduced.

"Puddin, meet Einstein. Einstein, this is Puddin.” Puddin was very nice, but kind of scared. Puddin didn’t stay around very long.

The party was fun and the next day after breakfast we left our friend’s house and headed for Marble Falls Texas / Lake LBJ. Marcia’s brother has a vacation home on Lake LBJ, which is about an hours drive from Austin. I’ve been to this house many times before. It has always been a vacation place for the family.

It’s fun to sit outside on the back porch.

(If I’m ever outside, I’m ALWAYS in my cage! It’s a rule! No exceptions!)

I watch the ducks play in the water.

Boats go up and down the Lake, (they make a lot of noise!)

The birds sing songs in the trees. There is a cool breeze and it’s so relaxing!

Inside the house I can perch, eat, and play on my round play perch.

Jeff made me this perch a long time ago when I was adopted by Jeff and Marcia. It’s really a neat perch. Great for travel because is breaks down into 2 parts. The bottom is just an unfinished wooded bar stool with wheels on the legs. The top is a VERY BIG plastic plant saucer. Jeff bolted some perches to it and Marcia found this cool toy hook and Volia! (By the way, the toy hook was made by a company that is no longer in business. So please don’t ask me where you can get one, they just aren’t available anywhere, a fact that makes Marcia sad!)

That night Jeff and Marcia went out to dinner and I stayed at the house and had dinner in my cage. They did bring me home a “Birdie Bag”. It was a yummy piece of Corn Bread from the “Jammin’ House Cafe”. If you’re ever in Marble Falls, it’s a great restaurant for Caribbean Food! Yea! Mon!
Ahhhh! What a nice time we all had! The next day we packed up and headed back home. I hope you enjoyed reading about my Road Trip. Maybe I’ll see ya around?

Einstein's Relationship with the Towel

2008-05-01T08:14:00.000-07:00

When Einstein was young and occasionally belligerent with me. (For example, wouldn't get on my hand when I repeatedly asked her to.) I would say to her, "Want me to get the towel?" I would then go get a particular blue towel, wrap her up and physically remove her and place her where I wanted her to go. She hated it! Then it came to pass that all I had to do was just ask her, "Do you want me to go get the towel?" and she would immediately comply to my wishes. No toweling necessary. I don't take this approach any longer, but now, sometimes when she is asking for something... and if I don't respond to her immediate demand... She will say to me..., "What me to get the TOWEL!!!!"

Aside from the humor, I have realized I did make a mistake in not introducing the towel in the best way. Something I have known for a long time that I need to correct! We are now taking the steps necessary to improve her relationship with the dreaded towel!

Look! I'm on TV!

2008-02-23T10:13:00.001-08:00

I LOVE TURKEY BONES TOO!!!!!

2008-02-17T19:01:00.000-08:00

At Thanksgiving I was given my first Turkey Bone!
OH MY GOSH! IT WAS SO BIG!!!!

It was also SOOOOO GOOD!

I wasn't allowed to eat all of it... I was told it would be too much protein.
Boy! I really liked it!
I CAN'T WAIT TILL NEXT THANKSGIVING! I LIKE TURKEY DAY!!!

I LOVE CHICKEN BONES!!!

2007-10-22T11:42:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I Love Chicken bones so much! Some may think it's not natural, kind of cannibalistic. I don't think so. I just love them!!!! Especially the drumstick!!!! OH YUM!!! Marcia has rules that must be followed before she will give me a chicken bone. First it must be from a natural, organic chicken. Second, it must be REALLY COOKED, THROUGH AND THROUGH! Third, it must be cool to the touch. (She is so PICKY!)

Then watch out.....

IT'S CHOW DOWN TIME!!!!!

Here's a movie of me eating the bone ...

Tribute to Alex

2007-09-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

Alex, you will be greatly missed!

Spread your wings - fly free!

Alex, the African Grey passing away on Friday, 9/7/2007. I have been very sad since I've learned about Alex. It was because of Alex that my humans decided to adopt an African Grey Parrrot. They watched a show on TV about Alex and they fell in love! (Lucky for ME!)

Alex was a true pioneer and paved the way for the understanding of parrot intelligence, and I believe he is largely responsible for the better and more humane treatment that many parrots receive today because of that understanding. We still have a long way to go before all parrots receive the treatment they deserve, but Alex can rest knowing that he made a massive contribution to parrotkind.

The death of Alex is not only a great loss to the parrot community and the field of Avian research, but also for humans too! Dr. Pepperberg's research, which uses a training method called the model-rival technique, also holds promise for teaching autistic and other learning-disabled children who have difficulty learning language, numerical concepts and even empathy. So far, results using this learning technique with small groups of autistic children have been very promising.

Here is an excellent video produced by PBS about Alex.

Visit the The Alex Foundation for more information about the work being done.

So this is where we part, My Friend,

And you'll fly on around the bend,

Gone from sight but not from mind,

New pleasures there you'll surely find.

I will go on, I'll find the strength,

Life measures quality, not its length.

One long scritch before you leave,

Share one last look, before I grieve.

There are others, that much is true,

But they be they and they aren't you.

And I, fair, impartial, or so I thought

Will remember well all you've taught.

Your place I'll hold, you will be missed,

The feathers I stroked, the beak I kissed.

And as you go to your final rest,

Take with you this -- I loved you best.

~unknown author

The Drawer

2007-09-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

This is my all time, new, favorite activity in the whole world! I LOVE TO PLAY IN THE KITCHEN DRAWERS! I will beg every day after lunch to go to the drawer! I get very noisy when I beg! Lots of bird sounds and I also say "I Love You!" ... Sweet-talking Marcia works every time!

Here is a picture of me begging!

When Marcia finally gets tired of me acting this way, she clears off the kitchen counter and empties a drawer next to the drawer where she keeps the kitchen towels. (She puts toys in the empty drawer for me to play with. You'll see what happens later!) I'm soooooo happy when I sit on the kitchen towel drawer! Then when she goes into another room, I crawl down and open the cabinet below. There's not much in the cabinet except boxes of dishes that she only uses at Christmas time.

Here I am, about to go into the cabinet! THIS IS SO FUN! When I'm in the dark cabinet, I pretend that it is a hollow in an old tree! A perfect place to build a nest if I lived in the wilds of Africa! I climb in and close the door behind me! Then I climb up and onto the side of the closed drawer that has a bunch of toys just for me. I perch myself on the edge of the drawer and have the best time shedding paper and all my toys! Then when Marcia comes back into the room, I crawl out of the cabinet via the towel drawer. In this picture, she opened up the other drawer to take a picture of what I had done! I'm so proud of my accomplishment!

I'm I building a nest? I dunno, but it sure is fun!

You can watch a movie of me and my kitchen cabinet exploration on YouTube.
I hope you enjoyed my drawer adventure as much as I do! See ya next time!

Samantha's 2nd Birthday Party

2007-08-28T09:11:00.000-07:00

Samantha is my favorite little human. She comes over and visits me when she visits her GiGi and Pappa. I'm teaching her how to talk. Right now, I talk better than she can! Marcia and Jeff were invited to her 2nd Birthday Party the other day. From what I understand everyone had a great time.

The Cake was Tasty!

Samantha got A LOT of New Toys! Oh! I Love Toys TOO! Can we play????

I couldn't come to the party, but I was able to be seen and heard via the computer! Everyone enjoyed visiting my website at the party. There were many other boys and girls at the party! I made them all laugh while watching my movies!

Frisco was at the party!

Frisco belongs to Samantha's GiGi and Pappa. He is a sweet dog and Marcia LOVES Frisco! GiGi and Pappa used to bird sit me before they got Frisco. Now they don't because Frisco would like to have me for lunch! Frisco is a Coastal Waterfowl Herding Dog. I'm not a Coastal Waterfowl, but Frisco thinks I am! So I stay in my cage when Frisco comes to visit!!!!

Another reason... I was not at the party!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMANTHA

& MANY MANY MORE!!!!!

WE LOVE YOU!!!

A Day With Einstein

2007-08-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

My Human, Jeff usually wakes up first. He takes me to the shower with him. Sometimes I will get wet. Sometimes, I just like to sit on the edge of the shower and I enjoy the steam and sometimes I take a little nap.

As he gets dressed, I'm talking. This is when I talk the most. I practice practically my whole vocabulary. Then Marcia wakes up (could it be because I'm so noisy? You think?) and we go to the kitchen. She feeds me breakfast. It is a grain mixture of Cooked Kashi (Whole: Hard Red Winter Wheat, Oats, Rye, Barley, Triticale, Long Grain Brown Rice, Buckwheat, Sesame Seeds), brown rice and mixed veggies. It's yummy! She cooks all my food in large batches and freezes them in small batches. That way it's easy. All she does is warm it in the microwave. (Recipe and tips are noted at the end of this article) I imitate the microwave beep sound, so I'm usually beeping way before she even gets up in the morning! I eat and I make a mess. Then, I take a nap for a little while because I'm pretty worn out from all my morning talkin' and breakfast was so good!

Marcia cleans up my mess after I eat.

Then about Noon it's time for lunch. If Marcia is busy and not at home, I get a muffin that she bakes for me. They are easy to make and so yummy! If she is home, I get a warm meal on my perch. It is a cooked concoction of beans, pasta, grains, veggies, and sweet potatoes. Again, very yummy! I also have pellets available and I eat those too, but Marcia's cookin' is so good! I prefer it. I eat and I make a mess.

Marcia cleans up my mess after I eat.

Then I usually want to play on the towel drawer. This is a new activity! Marcia and Jeff let me go over there one day and I had the BEST TIME! Now I beg to go over there almost every day!
As you can see Marcia has removed everything from the counter, otherwise I would throw it on the floor. (I like to see things fall.) She also put bird safe paper and some toys in the drawer for me. I had the best time tearing all that up! Good Job!

Sometimes Marcia has to go out, so I go to my cage. I just hang out and play with my toys, or I nap.

When she comes home, I usually start talking a lot around dinner time. Marcia cooks the human dinner and I help by making the microwave beep. Sometimes she goes over to the microwave and nothing is in there! That's because I made the beep and tricked her!!! I LOVE Doing That To Marcia! One time she was preparing a new and complicated recipe. I was taking so much that I really got on her nerves! She said, "Einstein, please! Can you just be quite for 10 minutes!" So I started to count to 10! "One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten!" After all, isn't that what she wanted? She was laughing hysterically and seemed to be in a better mood after that!!!

When Jeff comes home from work, we all eat dinner. I usually get the same thing that I had for lunch and also I get a little of the human dinner too. (Providing, that it is safe for me. You see there are some things I can't eat. But it is OK to feed me some people food.) I love chicken! (I prefer dark meat.) Salmon is good too! All veggies that don't have salt or butter on them. I love pasta with tomato sauce. And anything spicy! LOVE Mexican! (But please no avocado. It is VERY TOXIC for birds!)

After dinner, Jeff and Marcia clean. Marcia cleans my perch. She gives it a good scrubbing and Jeff disposes of all the dirty paper under my perch and vacuums the kitchen floor.

Then after dinner we all hang out. I watch Jeff work on the computer, or we all watch TV.

Right before bed I get a treat. "Wanna Nut?" is what I always say around 10PM. I get a pecan and a couple of almonds, and a few pistachios. I'm such a lucky BIRD!

"NIGHT - NIGHT!"

Recipe & Tips

Breakfast Grain Pilaf

Lightly oil an 8" by 8" Pyrex glass pan with olive oil. In the prepared pan, combine
1/2 cup brown rice and 1 package (1 cup) Kashi Grains
Add 1 Tablespoon olive oil.
Pour in 2 1/2 cups boiling water.
Cover tight with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for 1 hour.

When grains are cooked, lightly steam or boil about 8 ozs. of any frozen vegetable. I usually use organic mixed veggies (corn, carrot, peas, green beans) Then add them to the cooked grain mixture. Mix well.

I Love to eat all the products from Parrots on the Porch The cooked mixes, the sprouts, and the birdie bread. I also enjoy the birdie bread from Momma Bird's Cafe.
Other cooked mixes that I like are: Cream of Tweet & Caribbean Crunch by Beak Appetit. As well as, Original Corn Bean Mix, Noodles-N-Nuts, Kung Fu Yum & Polly Pasta by Crazy Corn.

When feeding fresh or cooked foods, remove the food item from the cage/bowl after 2-3 hours. Bacteria may grow that will be harmful. Use common sense. If you wouldn't you eat it, then your bird shouldn't eat it and it should be removed!

Marcia likes to cook, so it's not a bother for her to do it. However, I would rather eat Marcia's cooking than my pellets and I'm totally spoiled in that regard! Another thing Marcia has found useful are those little 2 oz. single serve containers.

They are great to portion the food and freeze. When it's time to eat, 30 seconds in the microwave usually does the trick! You can usually buy these at any liquor store, because people use them to make jello shots. (Personally, I'd much prefer food in them!)

So why can't a parrot have a Blog?

2007-08-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

I have a lot to say! Just ask my humans! They will tell you a talk A LOT! So I decided to become a Blogger where I can get a few things off my feathered chest.

Truth is... I don't really have a lot of time to blog. You see I spend a good deal of the day playing with toys, eating, bothering my humans, and watching my humans clean up after me. See, it's not easy being a parrot! I'm noisy, I make a mess where ever I go, and I need to hang out with my humans as much as possible. I'm a flock animal! Unfortunately, most people just don't understand that! So they get a parrot... because the think "OH! How CUTE!" or "Gee! I would love a bird that TALKS!", then they put it in a cage and forget about it! SHAME ON YOU! (Sorry, I didn't mean to get emotional.) You see, we are really great to have as pets, but you REALLY need to know what you are getting into when you get a parrot. So... allow me to explain...

#1. How noisy is a parrot?

I've found a couple of websites that will demonstrate my point. Mytoos.com & Parrotsr4ever

Loud enough for you? Now, granted we don't do this 24/7. But we often know when you are watching the news or a favorite TV show and we usually choose that time to exercise our voices. I'm not as noisy as some of these parrots, but I certainly can be annoying with my constant chatter!

#2. How messy is a parrot?

Think a 2 year old is messy? It's like having a 2 year old for the rest of your life!

Here is a picture of me having dinner! It was yummy too!

#3. I need YOU!

This is a hard one to explain, so bear with me. Parrots are among the most intelligent creatures on earth, and their 'intelligence scale' may very well be alongside the higher primates, or even, in some cases, in the range of a two to four year old HUMAN child! (Such a statement may startle some people, who think of parrots as only 'bird-brained' imitators of human speech.) In fact, parrots are socially and psychologically complex beings, and exhibit the same range of emotions that humans feel, like love, sensitivity, anger, frustration, revenge, humor, pain, sorrow, fear, loneliness, anxiety, excitement, happiness, anticipation, and, of course, sexuality. Dr. Irene Pepperberg has been studying the intelligence and reasoning abilities of the African Grey parrot for almost 30 years.

Like human children, parrots NEED to be held, to feel warmth and love. They NEED companionship in order to avoid loneliness and depression. They need reassurance and security. They need physical and intellectual interaction with their environment and with other creatures, in order to grow and learn and prosper. They need to escape boredom, and the frustrations of being kept in a cage for hours on end. They need good nutrition, and a sanitary environment...
The list of needs could go on and on, just as in the case of human children.

OK, I'm on my soapbox now! Don't believe me? Well, here is a picture of Lola.