What kind of dog are you?

[lioness]

does Beemer really act like a pet? i know macaws are very intelligent, and it's easy to schedule pet time with almost any animal (depending upon patience of course). what kind of games do birds really play?

<small>[ 02-24-2005, 11:22 PM: Message edited by: lioness ]</small>

[Selma in Sandy Eggo]

Originally posted by OperaTenor and GC:
Actually it's Leigh, not Lynne.

I dunno if that was a blond moment or a senior moment. You're right.

[Trumpetmaster]

Originally posted by lioness:
does Beemer really act like a pet? i know macaws are very intelligent, and it's easy to schedule pet time with almost any animal (depending upon patience of course). what kind of games do birds really play?

Give me the cracker or else....

[OperaTenor]

Beemer's pretty typical of a hand-raised macaw. He's something like having a two year old child around constantly. He doesn't interact like a dog, or even a cat(Piq says cats could learn a lot of the fine art of human manipulation from him); won't fetch, sit, roll over, etc. Parrots are extremely intelligent animals, and can be trained to perform, but it takes an incredible amount of persistence over a long period of time. Personally, I think it's because they are so wilfull.
Beemer has an amazing capacity for affection, and has a certain sense of loyalty about him. I spoon fed him some when I first got him, thereby forming a parental bond with him. 18 years later, he still defers to me as his parent. I'm the one person who can stand him down every time(not that that's necessary). One learns the true meaning of the terms "pecking order" and "ostracization" when owning a bird. Beemer spends a lot of his energy and time making sure of his primacy in the local hierarchy. That involves lots of little behaviors to coddle to me, and lots of more obvious behaviors to assert his dominance over everyone else. As for ostracizing, the first time I shaved my beard off around him, he didn't want to have anything to do with me for a while. It's my contention that he saw me as "plucked" - a sign of weakness or disease on birds.
He likes to be held, petted, and preened by me and a few select other people, and pays me the ultimate bird compliment : He will try to feed me by regurgitating(fortunately he doesn't actually bring anything up most of the time).
The one thing parrots do that no other pet does is talk. They do it to mimic their environment as a form of defense, and for us, it just happens to be amusing.
He's a great companion.

[treebeau]

Originally posted by OperaTenor:
...and pays me the ultimate bird compliment : He will try to feed me by regurgitating(fortunately he doesn't actually bring anything up most of the time)...

Yep, I thought "endearing" right away!

Regards,
Tim B.

[lioness]

it's the companionship status i was wondering of also. i did not know birds could bond like that. very cool and quite interesting!!

[OperaTenor]

I forgot the :puke: smilie after that statement.

:puke:

Tim, as always,

FOMCROTFLMAO!

[treebeau]

Many years ago I went to a place called "Lion Country Safari" in Florida. You drive through a wildlife park and do not get out of your car.

There was an ostrich that was regurgitating. It was one of the silliest things I have ever witnessed! Imagine that long neck flopping around like a kid in the locker room trying to snap others with a wet towel. Endearing!

Regards,
Tim B.

[Dave Bowman]

I just took the "What Kind of Dog Are You?" test. I'm a Fila Brasileiro. The right kind of dog for this mission.
Hal, this message is for you and your partner-in-crime computer buddies: I'm coming for you! With dogged determination, no less.

<img src="http://www.operatenor.100megs24.com/fila.jpg" alt=" - " />

[Trumpetmaster]

Methinks the space cadet is a few fries short of a happy meal.

We will have to alter his ego!

[Serenity]

Too bad he didn't come up as "Astro"; is he a Great Dane?

[Dave Bowman]

Hello TrumpetMaster,
I assure you, ego has very little to do with this. I am simply trying to perform my duty to accomplish the goals of this mission to the best of my ability, for the sake of this mission. It is truly a noble and self-sacrificing effort. I mean, look at me now, compared to my profile photo, which was taken shortly before mission launch, five years ago!

<img src="http://www.operatenor.100megs24.com/oldbowman.jpg" alt=" - " />

Working to mete out justice to megalomaniacal computers is hard work!

[lioness]

Originally posted by TrumpetMaster:
Methinks the space cadet is a few fries short of a happy meal.

We will have to alter his ego!

yeah... the wheel is turning but the hamster is dead.

!!SCORE!!!
(thanx TM)!!

[lioness]

excuse me, Mr. Bowman but now i see you are in cahoots with Prof. Forbin! are you sure you really trust his expertise??

i'm sure we all remember what happened with Colosus. just knowing he's hidden somewhere in the mountains of CO makes me quite the bit jittery. especially near all those underground nuclear weapons!!

[mental note]i may have to take a trip this weekend and do some exterminating on my own! [mental note/]

[OperaTenor]

I don't know. I think the only folks Astronut Bowman is in cahoots with are the voices in his head.....

[lioness]

i see... hmmmm... do you think this Prof Forbin was created by spaceboy in hopes it would show he may have some other backing on his so-called mission??

[Trumpetmaster]

Originally posted by lioness:

Originally posted by TrumpetMaster:
[b] Methinks the space cadet is a few fries short of a happy meal.

We will have to alter his ego!

yeah... the wheel is turning but the hamster is dead.

!!SCORE!!!
(thanx TM)!! [/b]

My side is hurting I'm laughing so hard.

[Trumpetmaster]

<small>[ 02-25-2005, 04:29 PM: Message edited by: TrumpetMaster ]</small>

[lioness]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by TrumpetMaster:
[QB] Latest Intel Just In!
Agent Johnson is hot on Spaceboys trail, and tracked him to the following location:

uh.. TM... i think YOUR hamster is dead. where's the location.. oh i get it.. it's SPACE!!!!

[Trumpetmaster]

Must have something to do with spaceboy.