Progress

Razaiel · #1 (**permalink**) 04-04-2006, 06:34 PM

Tiny (Sav) seems to have settled in well now - he finally seems to trust me. He'll (mostly) let me reach into his viv and tickle the side of his head - even tilting it to one side so I can get at his favorite skritching part.

I have him out once a day to do his exercises -I monitor-proof our downstairs and upstairs hallways and encourage him to go up and down stairs. All the time I stay with him where he is - if he climbs up the stairs I go alongside him. He sits on one stair for a bit and so do I. Today he was sat on the stair next to me and I was talking to him and he ambled on over to me and proceeded to climb up my top to nestle on my shoulder and nuzzle into my neck. How cute

I got a bit nervous though when he climbed on top of my head I wasn't sure I should let him get up that high (dominance issues and such maybe with lizards as with parrots) so I encouraged him down from up there. Would he have been OK there for long or might he have bitten me if I left him there for a bit and then tried reaching up to get him down?

He's 1 1/2 feet now and getting a bit of a belly which is why I'm encouraging him to exercise more.

Sorry - such a long post I seem to excel in these

Pork Chops N' Corn Bread · #2 (**permalink**) 04-04-2006, 09:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Razaiel

Tiny (Sav) seems to have settled in well now - he finally seems to trust me. He'll (mostly) let me reach into his viv and tickle the side of his head - even tilting it to one side so I can get at his favorite skritching part.
I have him out once a day to do his exercises -I monitor-proof our downstairs and upstairs hallways and encourage him to go up and down stairs. All the time I stay with him where he is - if he climbs up the stairs I go alongside him. He sits on one stair for a bit and so do I. Today he was sat on the stair next to me and I was talking to him and he ambled on over to me and proceeded to climb up my top to nestle on my shoulder and nuzzle into my neck. How cute

I got a bit nervous though when he climbed on top of my head I wasn't sure I should let him get up that high (dominance issues and such maybe with lizards as with parrots) so I encouraged him down from up there. Would he have been OK there for long or might he have bitten me if I left him there for a bit and then tried reaching up to get him down?
He's 1 1/2 feet now and getting a bit of a belly which is why I'm encouraging him to exercise more.
Sorry - such a long post I seem to excel in these

Savs are supposed to ba all belly!!! lol I feed T 3-4 mice a day now and he gets plenty of exercise yet him belly is huge still. Not sure about the dominant issue thing. I have a parrot and he is in control no matter if he is on the floor walking around of in my shoulders. I know Snakes like to be on top of your head almost anytime they can. Ask Louise, she knows.

Razaiel · #3 (**permalink**) 04-05-2006, 04:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pork Chops N' Corn Bread

Savs are supposed to ba all belly!!! lol I feed T 3-4 mice a day now and he gets plenty of exercise yet him belly is huge still. Not sure about the dominant issue thing. I have a parrot and he is in control no matter if he is on the floor walking around of in my shoulders. I know Snakes like to be on top of your head almost anytime they can. Ask Louise, she knows.

When we first got our Sav the reptile guy said (and please anyone feel free to jump in and clarify if this is so or not because I want what's best for Tiny) he said mostly insects and about 2-4 rodents per week!! Well that never seemed like much to me TBH - he also said that if the belly touches the ground when they walk they're too fat. Well this guy is pretty good, but of course he has lots of different reptiles and doesn't just specialize in one type. So far Tiny has been having a mouse or rat every other day with lots of big locusts in between. She's definitely not thin though.

Our parrot is definitely the dominant character in our house - he'll attack anyone or anything when he feels like it and other times he can be real cute - like at night he likes to tuck himself inside my t-shirt to go to sleep. Worrying enough he seems to have this "thing" for the dog at the moment - follows him about and if he stays still long enough will do the unmentionable (must be careful don't want any more warnings) to his leg

Dachande · #4 (**permalink**) 04-08-2006, 01:08 PM

don't get me started on birds. an ex girlfriend had a meyers parrot. we got along some but i was told the dominance thing gets worse if they sit on shoulders or head.
any way back to my favorites. if the belly is draggin alot then you may want to cut back. he was right in that they eat alot of insects naturally. so give it to him while you can cause when it switches to rodents you'll be happy. i go through an easy 4,000 mealies a month. and that's just mealies. crix and roaches not included. if you find cheap adult hissers you can offer those as well occassionally as a treat. don't cut out rodents completely. another six inches and he'll start ignoring bugs.
go with mice more for now. they are more developed as far as bones organs and muscle tissue. mice and rat pnkies to weanlings have more fatty tissue and are good for bulking up. but more mature prey items offer more nutrition.
and if eggs are offered or ground turkey cut that out as well.
the other good thing about rodents is no supplements are needed. insects have to be dusted, rodents and chicks have everything needed.

Razaiel · #5 (**permalink**) 04-09-2006, 03:14 PM

I daren't have mine on my shoulder - he gets dominant enough. It's a kind of pecking order for parrots in the wild I hear, the higher up the bird is in the tree - the greater his "social standing"

Tiny gets a small mouse every day - in between he has large locusts (but not the winged ones - I can't stand touching them)

Eggs and other stuff I haven't tried.

Dachande · #6 (**permalink**) 04-09-2006, 03:20 PM

i heard the same thing regarding social structure of birds. they also lke you if you have piercings, just don't let 'em get too close.

eggs are good for treat say once a month. unless they are fertilized, which can be eaten often. but also remember eggs are a seasonal food in the wild. sticking with what you do now should work. just be sure to supplement those bugs.

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