Not liking guys

Here's what Aida had to say about how Manzi acts with men versus women: "Manzi is so much nicer to me than he is to James. When I'm around he behaves and is so much nicer. When James is close to his cage or home alone- he totally acts up. Around me he doesn't say any bad words- but around James he says the bad word and laughs, James thinks he is doing it purposefully. At first I didn't believe it but now I'm starting to wonder..."

About the bad word, I didn't teach it to him and it is in another language (I'll let you guess which one).

New home, new bosses

I talked with Aida a couple days ago and she said that Manzi is doing very well. The first four days, Manzi was ignoring them and waiting for me to return, but she said he finally started calling to them and trying to get their attention. So, she has been able to let Manzi out of his cage and he returns when she tells him, "Go home" (with the encouragement of a treat).

Once, when Aida was cooking, Manzi went into the kitchen to see what she was doing. Aida was able to pick him up without a treat and hold him for a while. Usually, Manzi loves to hang out with me while I am cooking, probably because of the commotion (pots and pans, new ingredients, many utensils, etc.). I was very relieved to hear that Manzi is getting time out of his cage and that he is handling the new bosses quite well.

Officially Separated

I am finally off to Brazil. From now on, any news of Manzi is what I heard from Aida or from what she posts directly. I won't see Manzi again until around the end of January. I think it will take Manzi atleast a week to realize that I am not coming back any time soon. Hopefully everything goes well.

Manzi vs Parakeet, Azul

Manzi has not really known how to handle my neighbor's parakeet. Today, the parakeet, Azul, jumped and climbed to the top of Manzi's cage and he wasn't really sure what to do. This video is also in the column to the right.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4j6BVS9Mbp0

New videos

Yesterday I made two new videos of Manzi. In the evening he was so happy just whistling away so I made a video of that. Then later, he was head banging. I am also putting his new videos in the column on the right.

Here are the videos. If you can, please rate them and post a comment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjCPjf-3qfc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ro_T2ZHF8g

Manzi vs Parakeet

So, in Manzi's new living conditions, there is a parakeet nearby. The parakeet is quite dominant. The owners always leave her cage open because she is not a destructive machine like Manzi (see laptop pictures below). Anyways, now she is locked up more because she has already tried to climb into Manzi's cage a few times. She can't quite fit between the bars of his cage though.

Today, I let her go to Manzi's cage while Manzi was hanging out on top to see his reaction. He just watched her until she almost reached him. Then I gently restrained Manzi from biting her just in case. Well, once she reached Manzi, she climbed up his leg, wing and then hoped onto his back. It wasn't a mating behavior at all. She was either just curious, or was climbing on top to show him who is the higher, more dominant bird. I believe it was the latter. Either way, Manzi was not happy. I quickly removed her and set her nearby. He just puffed up, but the suicidal parakeet kept trying to go after him so I had to return her to her cage. Manzi doesn't want anything to do with her, but when she goes after him, he doesn't back down anymore and I am fairly sure he would hurt her, and I definitely won't give him the chance to do that.

I just let Azul, the parakeet, out to see Manzi again. I decided that she isn't trying to be dominate, she just loves Manzi. She was biting at my fingers when I put my hand between her and Manzi (even though it was for her protection). Manzi is also learning that he isn't allowed to touch her with his beak so he is letting her get quite close.

Manzi in new place

Manzi has been very good at the neighbor's place. I have also been staying there and will be here for a few more days. Anyways, I have been letting Manzi out for a few hours a day and he just hangs out on top of his cage. He is eating and making noise like normal (just not quite as much noise). He is still a bit cautious though. Yesterday the neighbor's son wanted to hold Manzi. He is not quite two years old, but he is excellent with animals. I put Manzi on his arm and they both did very well. It seems that everything is working out great.

Quest postponed

The quest for Manzi to become a free flighted parrot has been postponed after I finally clipped the last of six feathers on each wing to keep him grounded. Tonight he is going to the neighbor's house for an extended stay (four to six months). I don't want him to escape when I am not around because I highly doubt he would fly back to the neighbors. I didn't want to take any chances. As soon as I get back, we are going to return to exercises to strengthen his chest muscles to get him flying again.

Anyways, since he has been clipped (I did it last night) he has been a humble little thing. Today, his cage was already moved, and he is just hanging out on his playstand without trying to go anywhere. It is nice to have him a lot less mobile since we are packing and going in and out of the apartment all day long. Luckily, it is only temporary and then he'll be back to doing laps around the apartment in no time.