Bird Brainz

Apparently, Juno has no problem eating pellets. This is marvelous, as some cockatiels really resist it and stick to seed (which is like eating cookies all day, every day - an enticing concept, but bad for your health). I offered her some in my hand and she ate them, then quickly moved on to the little green bowl I picked up at the bird store. Hooray for forming healthy eating habits.

That's not to say she didn't feel entitled to a bite of my teriyaki chicken, which I had to refuse her (too much salt). I put her on top of her cage with the pellets and she munched on those for a bit, then decided I was much more interesting and, after several unsuccessful attempts to get me to pick her up with my hand, she leaped onto my head.

I quickly moved her to my shoulder, where she is presently snuggled and preening against my neck. Some folks can deal with birds on their heads. I prefer them not quite so near my hair.

Took her to the vet today. Part of her health warranty from the store involves a free checkup at the local clinic. Figured I'd see what that was about. Front desk girls were complete bitches, but they actually paired me with a vet who knows and likes birds. Said vet was very impressed with Juno's demeanor; she came right out of her cage to step on her hand, and only squeaked a little during the exam. We did a gram stain to check for any bacterial stuff, but the bird seems hale and hearty. I will probably take her to my avian vet in a few months, but I'm glad to have this woman in town, too. Were it not for the horrendous staff I'd probably go back.

I don't know, say what you will about pet store birds, but they obviously did something very right with this one. She was clearly handled and treated very kindly. After I popped her out of her box yesterday, she was a bit nervous for a bit, then quickly settled down. She seems very content to sit and cuddle, and still hasn't made a lot of noise, which indicates female.

So far she's still Juno. I like the name Echo, too.

She demanded to come out the instant I uncovered her. Usually the second day at home is the one where the cockatiel realizes he's not in his original home and is a little scared. Nope. This one saw that it was light, saw that I was standing there, and proceeded to run all over her cage in what I can only describe as avian histrionics.

I got a little work done in between vet visits and getting her food, and at this point I've been up 28+ hours, so I think I'm gonna try to get in a catnap before finishing out my quota.

Now if I can convince the bird to go home...