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Post by pappycutes on Oct 6, 2018 13:32:01 GMT -5
So my birdie, Pappy, is 4 months old, got it from a breeder about a month ago (I don't know the gender, so I'll be referring him/her as "it"). It is scared of anything and everything! Like if I hold something in my hand, Pappy freaks out and flies away. Even if it is a seed or small piece of walnut that I try to offer. The only thing it is comfortable with is my hands. If anything else is brought next to Pappy, it screams and flies away. It is very self conscious about the surroundings that when I change the newspaper I use to line its cage, Pappy refuses to enter the cage. I do not understand what's wrong and how to solve this issue Advice needed
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Post by dinucci on Oct 7, 2018 6:51:17 GMT -5
Really he just needs time to adjust to not only you,but his surroundings and your normal routine around his living area. My bird is 19 months,and for the most part,was settled in 2 months after we got him. It's a good thing that he welcomes your hand,so a positive start there. His world is getting bigger every day. With anything,toys ,new cages ect.,there's an adjustment period. Did he come clipped? My guy,buddy did. While there's a lot of positives about this,his demenor will be one of caution,and will react to any noise or sudden movement. When approaching him..do so slowly. Sitting in a chair by his cage while talking softly.to him will help h settle in. I'm sure he has his eyes on his cage. His food and water that's in his cage should be the only source for a while..this way,he'll have to visit the inside a few times a day. Make sure he has at least a couple perches,with 1 higher up. A perch on the outside of the door is a good thing too. If he's reluctant to go inside after a couple more days,try partially covering the cage..they always like to feel safe and a cover can be comforting to him. Don't feel bad though..buddy still screams at the vaccume,so I mostly use a broom..and he's wary of that too ! I re assure him in a soft voice saying " it's ok buddy" no biggie" and he now repeats that while his mannerism is paranoid ! Some things never change ! Good luck with your baby pappy ! It's a special time for both of you ! Let us know how it's going.
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Post by pappycutes on Oct 7, 2018 13:27:25 GMT -5
Really he just needs time to adjust to not only you,but his surroundings and your normal routine around his living area. My bird is 19 months,and for the most part,was settled in 2 months after we got him. It's a good thing that he welcomes your hand,so a positive start there. His world is getting bigger every day. With anything,toys ,new cages ect.,there's an adjustment period. Did he come clipped? My guy,buddy did. While there's a lot of positives about this,his demenor will be one of caution,and will react to any noise or sudden movement. When approaching him..do so slowly. Sitting in a chair by his cage while talking softly.to him will help h settle in. I'm sure he has his eyes on his cage. His food and water that's in his cage should be the only source for a while..this way,he'll have to visit the inside a few times a day. Make sure he has at least a couple perches,with 1 higher up. A perch on the outside of the door is a good thing too. If he's reluctant to go inside after a couple more days,try partially covering the cage..they always like to feel safe and a cover can be comforting to him. Don't feel bad though..buddy still screams at the vaccume,so I mostly use a broom..and he's wary of that too ! I re assure him in a soft voice saying " it's ok buddy" no biggie" and he now repeats that while his mannerism is paranoid ! Some things never change ! Good luck with your baby pappy ! It's a special time for both of you ! Let us know how it's going. Thank you very much for your great advice!! Pappy is mostly excited and loves attention. It either wants us to be by its cage and play with it all the time, or snuggle with us. I rarely see it playing with the toys. I guess it just needs time like you said. It was a super upset and shy bird when we brought it home and hated it when we were around, but with time, it changed and now gets upset when we can't play with it. I'll keep you posted. Thanks again!
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Post by cnyguy on Oct 7, 2018 20:16:24 GMT -5
Dinucci gave you some good suggestions. Pappy probably needs to be shown how to play with his toys. It can help if you play with them while Pappy looks on, and show him how much fun they are. Even then, Pappy may not be interested. My QP Ralph prefers things that aren't parrot toys. He likes to build with wooden dowels-- a little of the QP nest building instinct, but Ralph doesn't want to build an actual nest. He just enjoys arranging and rearranging the sticks. I give him hardwood dowels about 1/8 inch thick, cut to lengths from 6 inches to 9 inches. Ralph also likes untying strings I tie to his cage bars. His favorite ones are vegetable tanned leather laces and pure cotton string, both of which are bird-safe. He used to play with small plastic keys made for human babies, but seems to have lost interest in those. He also likes to chew up popsicle sticks, which can be found in some grocery stores, kitchen gadget stores and craft stores. Experiment a little and you may find some things Pappy will like to play with.
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Post by biteybird on Oct 8, 2018 5:30:14 GMT -5
Hi there and welcome to the Forum! Dinucci and Cnyguy have given you great advice. Quakers are hyper-vigilant to their surroundings (natural survival mechanism as if they are in the wild). They're very sensitive to environmental stimuli, including any changes to things they imagine should not change, or simply not be that way in the first place!! It's a good thing Pappy is not scared of your hands. He may just not know what the different foods are yet. Go slowly with him and build a rapport first & don't try to force him into doing anything that he's not comfortable with...when you build some trust with him it will become a little easier. Keep us informed!
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Post by pappycutes on Oct 14, 2018 21:30:58 GMT -5
Dinucci gave you some good suggestions. Pappy probably needs to be shown how to play with his toys. It can help if you play with them while Pappy looks on, and show him how much fun they are. Even then, Pappy may not be interested. My QP Ralph prefers things that aren't parrot toys. He likes to build with wooden dowels-- a little of the QP nest building instinct, but Ralph doesn't want to build an actual nest. He just enjoys arranging and rearranging the sticks. I give him hardwood dowels about 1/8 inch thick, cut to lengths from 6 inches to 9 inches. Ralph also likes untying strings I tie to his cage bars. His favorite ones are vegetable tanned leather laces and pure cotton string, both of which are bird-safe. He used to play with small plastic keys made for human babies, but seems to have lost interest in those. He also likes to chew up popsicle sticks, which can be found in some grocery stores, kitchen gadget stores and craft stores. Experiment a little and you may find some things Pappy will like to play with. Thanks a bunch!! I'll try variety of things for Pappy and see what it likes. Thanks again for the great advice!
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Post by pappycutes on Oct 14, 2018 21:34:32 GMT -5
Hi there and welcome to the Forum! Dinucci and Cnyguy have given you great advice. Quakers are hyper-vigilant to their surroundings (natural survival mechanism as if they are in the wild). They're very sensitive to environmental stimuli, including any changes to things they imagine should not change, or simply not be that way in the first place!! It's a good thing Pappy is not scared of your hands. He may just not know what the different foods are yet. Go slowly with him and build a rapport first & don't try to force him into doing anything that he's not comfortable with...when you build some trust with him it will become a little easier. Keep us informed! Oh now I get why Pappy behaves so! Thanks so much for the advice, I guess I just have to spend more time with it, move its perch from place to place so it gets a bit comfortable with changes in its surroundings. Thanks again!!
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