upatsix.com - Your Source For Pet Bird Information

These are pictures from the past 6 months.
"cracker" said Jewel... and she got one... (March 2008)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30937498&l=601ca&id=32900716
Jewel discovered our pantry... (March 2008)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30937499&l=080cf&id=32900716
Jerry and Jewel in the front yard (April 2008)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30937500&l=1a677&id=32900716
Jewel enjoying the backyard (January 2008)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=30832387&l=4d0da&id=32900716

Hi. I am a returning former member who has been away a while.

What a beauty your Jewel is!! I have a Hahn's too, which is why I came back. Houdini is quite the handful and a bitey little guy. Any experience/wisdom you would care to share? Thanks!

YEA! Someone else who has a Hahn's! We hardly ever get to talk to someone who has one.
Jewel is nippy too. I had a bite from her this morning that drew blood. I'm always grateful she is not bigger when she bites. Luckily she only bites me about once a week and my husband about once every two months (can you tell who her favorite is). At least we finally figured out that 99% of what we thought was nipping was her playing and climbing, her beak is just such a sharp pointy thing!

Does Houdini break his beak a lot? Jewel chips her bottom mandible, and then splits it, all the time. Our vet had to teach us how to trim both the bottom and the top mandible. We had to teach Jewel to chew on wood to take care of her beak. Because she didn't take care of it for so long it it was really thin and too long.

Does Houdini do any tricks? Say a lot of words? We have to teach her new things constently or she gets bored... which is when she gets bitey.

Houdini is a really smart little guy. His best "trick" to date is escaping from a locked cage! Talk about shocked...

He also picks up speech quickly. Whenever I go into my son's room (where H's cage is) he immediately says "Come on. Step up." This tells me he wants out. He also says, "Hello darlin'. Whatch doin?"
He picks up many other things as well - some intelligible, others are garbled. He says "gimme kisses" and it comes out a whistle but says "I love you" clear as a bell.

I will have to get a picture and upload it (w/ my son's help since I am still a novice at that sort of thing LOL).

It's amazing how smart these little guys are. We got Jewel at a bird store when she was just over 2 months. In the time she was there they put her near one of the store's "pet" birds, a blue crowned conure, that talks really well so she could learn from him. He barks like a dog (which he picked up when the store sold dogs many years ago). 2 months ago, Jewel started the same bark... she hasn't been around that bird in almost a year! Some time I think everything just rattles around until something pops out.

That's probably true. Our Kiwi (QP) know so many works, phrases and songs and her cage mate, Paulie, will say things in her voice now and it freaks me out. He has his own voice which he normally uses but every so often he will use hers and I am always amazed. Kiwi has been gone almost a year.