Bailey

Hatched July 14th 2004

Now you all know who REALLY rules the roost around here.

Bailey's Rules of the house:

1. If you like it, it’s mine.
2. If I can reach it, it’s mine.
3. If it’s in my beak, it’s mine.
4. If I can take it from you, it’s mine.
5. If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine.
6. If it’s mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
7. If I’m chewing something, all the pieces are mine.
8. If it looks like mine, it’s mine.
9. If I saw it first, it’s mine.
10. If you have something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.

And everyone always asks me if she talks, and if so, what does she say. Here is some of what she says...
hello
hi
hi Bailey
hello Bailey
good girl
what a good girl
pretty girl
what a pretty girl
WOW!!!
MMMM!!!
is that good?
peek-a-boo!
I love you
uh-oh!
step up
awww!
Who's that?
she sings Itsy Bitsy Spider
she tells the dogs to "knock it off" when they rough house inside, and "Quiet!" if they bark
WAZZUP!

Another question I commonly get asked is what does she eat? She has 3 food dishes in her cage, one for fresh foods, one for seed mix, and one for pellets. Her fresh foods mainly consist of a wide variety of fresh vegetables, organic where I can find them, and a couple of different "mashes" that I cook for her. One mash is a mixture of sweet potatoes with whatever else I have available to throw in...usually a can of pumpkin, a can of crushed pineapple, various berries, cauliflower, broccoli, beans, corn, brussel sprouts, vanilla extract, cinnamon, etc. The other mix is a bean mix prepared with a bag of 15 bean soup mix and I add a variety of vegetables and garlic. I always add spinach & brussel sprouts to that one as she isn't keen on her green leafy vegetables on their own. Her all time favorite foods are fresh coconut, scrambled eggs, baked chicken, sweet potatoes, and...um...french fries (but not very often).

Bailey also gets frequent outtings (wearing her harness and wings clipped). She enjoys being outside with us and going for rides and visiting friends. She also gets a few baths a week in the shower with me on her shower perch. She is rarely in her cage when we are home, instead she hangs out on her "atom" (hoola hoop toy pictured above, or on her manzanita tree, or riding around on us.

The other main question I get is how long do they live? Macaws have an average life span longer than a human. So yes, they are a life-time commitment. And no, they never grow up. :-)