|
|
Post by beccilouise on Dec 3, 2015 3:03:20 GMT -5
Hello all! I require a little advice about my Byron. So, it turns out my partner really doesn't do well with noise. As a result, we have moved Byron's cage to a different room (he has the rabbit, a radio and an air purifier, which is on 2 hours a day, for company). When I'm home, Byron comes into the living room and sits with us. When I'm not home, Byron is in his cage. This has also made it A LOT easier to moderate Byron's bed time and make sure he gets the sleep he needs, as my partner often stays up late and, with Byron in the living room, this meant he was not getting the 10 or more hours of dark he needed. Obviously, this has been a bit of a transition for him as he was used to being in the living room and is now a) confused when he is in the living room and his cage is not and b) confused by the fact that David doesn't sit in the same room as him. He's not been squawking, but has been doing some loud, calling squeaks, which he seems to do when he knows someone is home but cannot see them. We are employing the same techniques as before, ignore until silent, then go in and praise etc. Is this an ok arrangement? Should I be doing anything else?
I'm also having trouble getting Byron to eat his pellets and wondered if it was worth, for one day a week, removing all other food from his cage to encourage him to do so? I've tried softening them in water but, if there is alternative food available, Byron will eat that instead of the pellets. He is currently on bulgar wheat/quinoa with mashed carrot and sweet potato, broccoli, peas and pellets every day. He also has cucumber and, on occasion, grapes. He has an egg every week and nuts/millet every 2 weeks or so. But he doesn't seem to touch his pellets.
Thanks in advance for your help! |
|
|
|
Post by easttex on Dec 3, 2015 6:12:38 GMT -5
I'm sure Byron does not understand why he is not part of his flock during the day. Hopefully he will get used to that quickly and will not escalate the attention-getting behavior.
I think you'd be fine giving just the pellets every day until you come home. Fresh or cooked food should not sit out for very long anyway. You could give him a little something extra in the morning, but no more than he will consume pretty quickly. You may have to experiment some with the pellets. Some parrots are very particular about sizes, shapes, and colors.
|
|
|
|
Post by beccilouise on Dec 3, 2015 6:16:50 GMT -5
Thanks, that's really helpful. I know, I feel really bad for him but I had to compromise because his noise was getting to my partner and I don't want to end up having to find Byron a new home! David is out most of the day anyway, and DOES go in to say hello to the animals when he gets home. I think Byron will just need to get used to the fact that he doesn't come out until I get home. I'll try him on a few different pellets and see what happens. Thanks again!
|
|
|
|
Post by julianna on Dec 3, 2015 13:30:07 GMT -5
Asking a flock bird to be quiet when he does not see the rest of the flock (which is those in the house) is going to be very difficult to accomplish because you are asking him to not do what his nature tells him. I am sure it can be accomplish but it will take a very long time. These little guys do adjust to human clocks and understand when we are out and when we are home.
I feel bad that your partner does not like the sound of the screaming lol lol.... I know it can be very unpleasant at times and there are times when I wish I could put a plug in Oscar's beak. (not really but I do understand).
It is good that you have a radio on for him when you are out... hopefully it isn't playing head banging music... (chuckles).
|
|
|
|
Post by beccilouise on Dec 4, 2015 2:54:02 GMT -5
Hahaha, no, it's on radio berkshire which is local news, discussion and folk music. Otherwise we have radio 4 on for him, which is obviously exclusively voices. I think my partner is finding it hard that Byron is always out when I'm home too, although this isn't always true, Byron's very good and being in his cage and chattering away to the bunny when I want to write or work. I think it'll just take time, like you say, to teach him how to behave. He gets a lot of attention and love when I'm home, it's more just a case of him adjusting to us and us adjusting to him. We're trying to establish clear signals for 'flock time' and 'Byron time', the door to his room is open when we're with him and then the radio is on, the door is closed and we have a verbal signal to explain to him that it's time for him to be in his cage now. He IS gradually getting used to this. We'll just keep trying!
To be honest, Byron hasn't screamed in a long time. He croaks a little when he's with us and he'll do those loud, piercing chirps when he can't see us, but in terms of shrieking at the top of his little lungs like a three year old having a tantrum, that hasn't happened in about two weeks. I feel like this is a good sign that he's adapting. It's hard trying to keep a bird, a bunny and a boyfriend happy all at once!
|
|
|
|
Post by biteybird on Dec 4, 2015 5:51:27 GMT -5
It's hard trying to keep a bird, a bunny and a boyfriend happy all at once! Tell me about it...although we don't have the bunny. We still have trouble with Bonnie squawking for attention when we are home but not in the room she is in.
After I get home from work it is I who must engineer and supervise out-of-cage time - after I feed the aviary birds and before I cook tea - because Bonnie bites my husband when she is out.  ( And in the last 2 days she has started biting me, too...
Yep, it's difficult to balance everyone's needs, but it sounds like you are doing a much better job of it than I am.
|
|
|
|
Post by beccilouise on Dec 4, 2015 9:01:39 GMT -5
oh no! That sounds really stressful! I completely sympathise. my partner doesn't seem to understand why Byron refuses to do as he's told when I'm not home, he doesn't seem to understand that if he invests no time in bonding with Byron, Byron will just be annoying because he wants attention. Though I do completely get that Byron is MY bird, and therefore my partner should not HAVE to take care of him. Maybe that is, in fact, the gripe! To be honest, it still sounds like you're doing a pretty good job. It sounds like your evenings are pretty full on! I wish there were more hours after work to keep everyone happy, and that they were more willing to SHARE! It's so difficult when there's only one of you!
|
|
|
|
Post by biteybird on Dec 5, 2015 0:24:35 GMT -5
Thanks! I think some people don't know the quaker personality - they are not dogs and aren't content (as some dogs are) to just sit on a beanbag basking/snoozing in the general vicinity of their 'owners' while they watch TV. They require dedicated interaction time on a consistent, daily basis. So, if that interaction doesn't come from both people it must come from just one, I suppose! I suspect when Bonnie is out of her cage she does NOT like it when she isn't the centre of attention (e.g., if hubby is using the iPad or I'm on my laptop)...she rightly expects that our focus should be entirely upon HER.  Don't worry, we'll get through it  |
|
|
|
Post by easttex on Dec 5, 2015 5:06:45 GMT -5
If you could somehow get your partner to do some research on Quakers, or just parrots in general, it might help. My husband has been a long time learning that you can't expect a bird to behave like a dog. I could never get him to read anything about parrots, and he pooh-poohed most of what I told him. He does not handle them, though he has come to be fond of Peppy, and it helps that Peppy responds really well to him. I made sure he knew what to expect before I brought them home, so his time to object was then. They are here to stay, but I try to be considerate about it. It's tough when someone in the household is not happy to be living with a parrot, and parrots do pick up on tension and stress.
|
|
|
|
Post by aaron on Dec 6, 2015 22:59:54 GMT -5
I will second what Biteybird has said about having to provide dedicated interaction with the bird-- things like watching TV get very complicated at first with a parrot in your house. This stuff can be so challenging at times, you really just have to have faith that the bird will learn and just keep working at it. They definitely do. We're getting to the point now with Cupcake that she is actually pretty tolerant of watching TV with us, but it still requires her complete involvement. She will go between us, asking for rubs and/or simply sitting on a shoulder or a knee, sometimes returning to her food station or her cage. But she does not rebel against the TV watching, and understands that she'll have to make the rounds and/or entertain herself to get attention and doesn't pester us extensively or have particularly unrelealistic expectations... She is often happy to sit in one place and just be happy, sometimes for 30-40 minutes at a time. But it's taken years to get to this kind of balance with her. It used to be extremely challenging to have any peaceful time of this nature with her, watching TV or otherwise. So I can at least say that it can get easier over time. It has improved dramatically for us. But she's still no dog And I definitely agree with Easttex that if you can get your partner to read some information on parrots it would probably be very helpful. The more you can get him to take a genuine interest in the bird, the better. I'm sure you realize this. Some people can be quite stubborn with this kind of thing... but Byron is pretty cute, so perhaps he'll win him over yet. |
|
|
|
Post by beccilouise on Dec 8, 2015 7:15:27 GMT -5
Thanks guys. Everything you've said about your own experience is really reassuring. Over the last couple of days, David seems to have warmed to Byron. I think having Byron in the same room as Cleo is also really good for him, as he loves her and so it's good company for him when we're not there. (Cleo is deaf as a post, so his excitable chattering doesn't bother her at all!). He's been a lot quieter and calmer recently and, although we still have the odd loud celebration of life, it is nowhere near the screaming battle of wills we were having when we first brought him home. Now that David feels he has his living room back, I think he is feeling more tolerant towards Byron. I caught him the other day whispering 'I love you' into his cage when he thought I wasn't looking. Byron has also been practicing my laugh when he thinks no one is around and my partner does think this is pretty cute. I'm hoping Byron will be a talking bird, as I think this will also help soften David towards him. But now Byron has the bunny for company all the time, he seems to be a lot calmer.
My other major concern of late, is that it's amazing how often I will tell people I have a parakeet and they respond with 'I used to have one of those'. I'm slightly alarmed at how often I hear stories about cockatiels dying at 6 years old due to poor diet, or parrots eating things they shouldn't have eaten and getting sick, or general accidents. I'm terrified of anything like that happening to either of my animals. I am EXTREMELY careful not to feed Byron ANYTHING that might upset him and he is NEVER in a room out of his cage unsupervised. I'm really careful about closing the kitchen door/ventilating the house when I use non-stick cookware. I check up EVERY FOOD I give him to make sure it's alright to feed him, he's not allowed to play directly with the rabbit, I'm really careful about having him near standing water of more than a centimeter in depth and we are extremely careful with windows. I purify his and Cleo's room every day for at least two hours and vacuum every day. He has so far had a check up with two vets, who have both said he is very healthy and Cleo gets regular worming treatments for both of their sakes. Is there anything else I should be considering to make sure he has the best, happiest and longest life? I feel (as you can probably tell) very responsible for the animals in my care, as they don't have a choice about their home or companions, and so I want to make sure their lives are as long, healthy and happy as possible. Thanks again for all your reassurance so far.
|
|
|
|
Post by aaron on Dec 8, 2015 10:35:45 GMT -5
That's really great that David is warming up to Byron. Sounds like a great deal of progress has been made on that front. It is pretty easy to fall in love with these little guys, especially when their behavior is manageable. Really pleased to hear that you seem to be finding a good balance between all of the family members Cupcake isn't a talker, as I've mentioned before, but her laughing is extremely endearing. If you get laughing out of Byron, that will go a long way with David, I suspect So, it's true, caring for a parrot is a delicate balance in which everything can go awry in a moment even in the best of circumstances. If you're looking for scary stories, there is no shortage of them. We just do our best to give our birds the best life possible, and appreciate them while we have them in our lives. It seems like there is no question that you will give Byron exceptionally good care. So be proud of that, keep doing your best, and enjoy as many of the moments you get with this little guy as you can... And it's worth pointing out that when it comes to caring for birds, lots of people do lots of things wrong. Mistakes are made constantly, and many people do not take the necessary measures to educate themselves on the subject, and this translates to lots of horror stories. You clearly do not fall into that category, so I would say the chances are quite good that you'll have Byron for a long time. On that note, I personally would consider just replacing all of the non-stick cookware if you can. Over the years we've gotten rid of all of ours, and it's nice to know that there simply isn't a possibility of that issue. Otherwise it sounds like you are doing great. Keep it up! |
|
|
|
Post by cnyguy on Dec 8, 2015 21:13:26 GMT -5
Quaker parrots are exceptionally good at finding their way into someone's heart; sounds like Byron has worked that magic on David. Aaron offered good advice about replacing your non-stick cookware. I don't miss the Teflon-coated stuff at all, and find that I prefer the stainless steel, cast iron and enamelware I use now. |
|
|
|
Post by beccilouise on Dec 9, 2015 3:47:39 GMT -5
Thanks guys. We only have one non-stick pan and very rarely use it, so getting rid of it won't be a harship! I'm sorry to keep asking questions, I just have one more query:
I'm going home to my Mum's house over Christmas between the 24th and 26th and then going to visit my friend in Glasgow for new year between the 31st Dec and 2nd Jan. My mum and sisters have cats and the house is very small, so Byron is going into birdie boarding over christmas. I know the boarders well, as I bought Byron from them. He also knows them, they are exceptionally profficient bird handlers and wil take good care of him. I pick him up on the 26th. But I am also in two minds about what to do when we go to Glasgow. I am travelling up in the car with three friends and the journey will take 7 hours. We may also have to travel by train to meet my friends at the pick up point. I'm not sure how many people will be at this get together and David really doesn't fancy the idea of being in the car with a potentially shrieking bird for 7 hours (which I totally understand). David's sister may well be around to take care of Byron, but has never handled a bird before and so would just be around to talk to him for half an hour or so each day and make sure he gets fed. He has Cleo (the bunny) for company all the time, but will obviously miss human interaction. However, it will only have been afew days since he was in boarding over Christmas. What do you think would be better for him over new years, going back into boarding or staying at home, given the situation?
|
|
|
|
Post by easttex on Dec 9, 2015 5:41:00 GMT -5
No need to apologize for having lots of questions! That is the reason this forum exists. Your questions help all of us learn, so ask away, even if it seems trivial.
After saying all that, I personally don't think there is one correct answer to this question. If it were me, I would probably board him again. At this point I think he would benefit from being in a more stimulating environment more than he would from staying in his own home. If he gets somewhat accustomed to being boarded, that could help you a lot in the future, when you might not have any other options. Many of us will envy you for having such a good alternative. Most of us don't.
Others might feel differently.
|
|
( And in the last 2 days she has started biting me, too...
