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Post by siobhan on Apr 27, 2015 11:20:05 GMT -5
Create a new bedtime ritual. In the parrots' room, I put them to bed in a specific order and they know the signs that it's happening. I turn on the nightlight. I turn off one of the overheads (and leave the other on so they can see to go to bed). Maggie goes first, then I tell Jade "in you go" and she goes (Jade is a GOOD GIRL, as she often tells me). I tap the top of my head and Freddie flies to it (his version of stepping up, LOL) and I bend down so he can hop onto his perch, then I get Johnny and kiss him and put him in his cage. Then I have to turn off the other overhead, so just the fish tank lights are on. I get Benjy and kiss him and put him in his cage and then, and ONLY then, will Clyde go in his cage. After they're all tucked in, I turn off the fish tank lights.
Now, Ringo's bedtime routine is entirely different. I have to do something first, either practice the flute or work out, and then change into my pajamas, before she'll consider it properly bedtime. Trixie doesn't care and goes to sleep on her own when she wants, often around 8 or 8:30. I have to turn on the nightlight and lower the regular light and Ringo plays coy for a while and squawks and protests and beats up her favorite toy but finally she goes in and I can shut off the light.
Rocky 'Too hangs on the inside wall of his cage and shrieks at the top of his birdy lungs for 15 or 20 minutes, beginning at dusk, until we shut his door and cover his cage (he usually wants a cuddle first, too). He is most definitely an early bird. He's always in bed by 8 p.m. and he doesn't mind if we leave the TV on and talk and go about our business. Once that cover's on, he's done for the day.
As long as you come up with a routine, and stick to the routine, it will eventually become familiar and your baby will usually go to bed meekly once she recognizes it and expects it.
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Post by aaron on Apr 27, 2015 11:32:57 GMT -5
Well, as we all know, outwitting these little chickens is quite a challenge. I don't know why we thought that would work. I guess I'll just have to tell my step-daughter that she will have a 9pm bedtime throughout her teenage years, because, of course, we need to appease the bird. Siobhan, I love your bedtime ritual. I wish I could witness that. Currently, when it is approaching bedtime, we dim the lights in the living room where Cupcake's cage is, then we start enthusiastically talking about story time and gather in my step-daughter's bedroom. Cupcake immediately flies in to either myself or my wife and proceeds to get very fluffy and happy as we read for 15 mins or so. Then we turn out the lights, say goodnight to step-daughter and return to the living room. I get her cage covered and ready for her... We then each sit down and hold Cupcake and say goodnight to her, my wife sings her a lullaby, and then I try to get her to step down into her covered cage. At this point in time, this works maybe 50% of the time. If she thinks there are interesting things going on in other parts of the house, she is unwilling to go to bed though... And now she thinks we're trying to sneak around to keep her from noticing these interesting things... Sigh. I guess we will need to do some brainstorming on how to mix things up.
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Post by julianna on Apr 27, 2015 15:01:44 GMT -5
Well... yesterday I wish Oscar would go to bed but he insisted on screaming his head off for over a half an hour. I got up and thought of this post... nice little bed time story... yeah... sure... lol.... I finally had to get up and come and literally shove Oscar into his cage (his night time one) and when I turned around he was poking his head out. I told him... you stay there... go to bed.... thank goodness he finally did. This was after me checking on him three times after the lights are dimmed. Usually he crawls in by 8:00 pm.... but nooooo not last night. Sqwak... sqwak... squak.... over and over and over..... and.....
And today was unreal when it came to morning time. He was doing his birdie calling thing for over an hour after I opened all the curtains. I think he wants all the birds outside to hear him.... but I tell you... I was tired and not amused. lol... He is such a darling.. but when I am exhausted... darling becomes a devil.
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Post by aaron on Apr 27, 2015 17:17:41 GMT -5
These little guys can certainly be frustrating at times! Add being sick or tired to the mix and it can be pretty brutal. Sounds like Oscar is feeling the springtime a bit
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Post by biteybird on Apr 28, 2015 4:26:15 GMT -5
Again I'm struck by the contrast between Siobhan's bedtime ritual/s (did Siobhan study the Human Slave Manual intensely? I suspect so), Aaron's and ours...and I am feeling like a bit of a bad 'parront'. However, Bonnie is as feisty as ever and is well aware that she is the only one vying for our attentions. Aaron, OF COURSE your teenage daughter must appease the bird. I'm glad you've come to recognise this.
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Post by Jan and Shah on Apr 28, 2015 4:39:15 GMT -5
I envy Siobhan's night time ritual with so many birds behaving so perfectly. But I cant complain - 99% of the time Shah goes to bed without any trouble. The cockatiels are perfect - I just go up to them and say step up and they do. I then pop them into their cage. Even the dog is well behaved at bedtime - in fact, she usually starts hassling me about 9pm as she wants to go to bed.
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Post by aaron on Apr 28, 2015 12:50:18 GMT -5
Again I'm struck by the contrast between Siobhan's bedtime ritual/s (did Siobhan study the Human Slave Manual intensely? I suspect so), Aaron's and ours...and I am feeling like a bit of a bad 'parront'. However, Bonnie is as feisty as ever and is well aware that she is the only one vying for our attentions. Aaron, OF COURSE your teenage daughter must appease the bird. I'm glad you've come to recognise this. Haha... well, a lot of the complexity of our ritual comes from things that already existed, like story time, and our initial attempts to get Cupcake to stop being a one-person bird. Specifically, the passing her around, and my wife singing to her... that was all started to try to get her to stop being aggressive to my wife. Of course we couldn't stop, even though now she adores my wife. Luckily the step-daughter is only 9 at this point in time, so we have at least another year or two where this bedtime might still fly, at least roughly. Maybe we can move it to 9:30pm Although who knows, there may be a point where she feels too "grown-up" to even want to have her mom reading to her. I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Of course, the bird's needs and desires are of paramount importance. My step-daughter will understand in time...
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Post by easttex on Apr 28, 2015 13:48:49 GMT -5
Hmmm, your life may get very interesting in a few years, Aaron. A quaker and a teenager in the house...
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Post by aaron on Apr 28, 2015 16:01:21 GMT -5
Hmmm, your life may get very interesting in a few years, Aaron. A quaker and a teenager in the house... Tell me about it. It's definitely a little scary to think about. Although honestly it's mostly the teenage girl part that I'm scared about.
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Post by siobhan on Apr 29, 2015 17:08:24 GMT -5
My birds do not behave "perfectly." LOL But they do seem to thrive on routine and it's when we depart from routine that I have trouble. Clyde starts yawning around 8:45 and by 9 is ready for bed. If I keep him up much later than 9:15, he gets very, VERY grouchy. The tiels are usually yawning about the same time Clyde is, and Jade simply goes into her cage and goes to bed when she's ready. She'll come back out if there's something interesting going on, and to say good night. If she's out when I tell her it's bedtime, she goes in more or less obediently. Rocky 'Too set his own bedtime the very first night and while he doesn't always go to sleep, he almost always keeps quiet once he's covered up. We've developed this routine over several years of trial and error (except with Rocky, of course, but a parrot is a parrot as far as body language and non-verbal cues go).
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Post by biteybird on Apr 30, 2015 2:20:35 GMT -5
Hmmm, your life may get very interesting in a few years, Aaron. A quaker and a teenager in the house... Although honestly it's mostly the teenage girl part that I'm scared about. Don't worry, Aaron, if your step-daughter is only nine then there's plenty of time to train her from the Slave Manual. Cupcake will keep her in line by the time she's a teenager.
Siobhan, with all that going on in your house each day I'm amazed you are able to hold down a fulltime job. I'd struggle with all those birds even if I was retired and had nothing to do...you must be Wonder Woman or something. Do you have to do a head count to ensure you haven't forgotten one of them?
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Post by Jan and Shah on Apr 30, 2015 5:21:14 GMT -5
Aaron, please go back to the Slave Training Manual as it's going to be a rough ride now she has it figured out. Good luck
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Post by aaron on Apr 30, 2015 8:13:14 GMT -5
Although honestly it's mostly the teenage girl part that I'm scared about. Don't worry, Aaron, if your step-daughter is only nine then there's plenty of time to train her from the Slave Manual. Cupcake will keep her in line by the time she's a teenager. Haha... I hope so. We're going to need to have some family required reading of the Slave Manual. As Jan points out, we all need to brush up a bit. Luckily, the past two nights have gone pretty well. But we have had real story times, no staged ones.
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Post by siobhan on Apr 30, 2015 8:21:10 GMT -5
Actually, I did forget one the other night. I was tucking them in and somehow overlooked Johnny. I have to turn the overhead light off to get Clyde and Benjy to go to bed, and when I did, Johnny said "peeeeep? " He was still sitting on Maggie's cage. I had to turn the light back on because he won't go in his cage in low light (the fish tanks were on but that's not enough for him).
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