tonyphishcutr

Update or 'trying not to take it personally' I had to laugh yesterday as a woman neighbor came by to see the bird. After only 2 or 3 minutes he waltzed over to her side of the cage, eyed her enthusiastically, and showed more life, interest, and affection than he has the entire time (7 days) he has been in my home. Clearly his previous owner was female and just as clearly his preference remains in abundantly well stated. I had to laugh of course, cause illogical as it is, my feelings were hurt and i am jealous. Ah well. Too bad for him. I'm not giving up nor having my gender altered. Just feels like one more thing i'm taking away from him, which obviously i am. I guess that it still ok to ask him to adjust ?

While i've not watched this group meticulously I would imagine the topic of flighted vs. non-flighted is often discussed/debated. But specific to this bird it is currently moot as it is policy of the rescue place to clip so when I saw/fell-in-love/took-to-vet/brought-home he was already freshly clipped. thanks, picked up copy of b.munroe doane yesterday. perhaps the best assurance came from a call returned from the vet's office as i had dropped by there to ask related questions. i suppose it will always be a major part of the task to simply stay smarter than the bird.

no assurance. no assurance at all. I dropped by the bird rescue place and relayed the observation that he significantly brightened up when a woman was present. One of the staff members made the comment that "if this doesn't work out . . . " I am quietly upset by this well intended offer. So really, is this preference he has for women going to be so exclusive and long-lasting that he will be miserable with only me? I think it must be way way too early to make what seems such a drastic decision. And since the vet's office is not open until tomorrow, i'll post my little panic/tantrum here. But the vet's office will definatly get a call in the a.m.

I've lived with birds for several years now and have been graced with my first adoptee--A meyers, similar in body shape/temperment/diet as his geographical neighbor the Grey, although smaller and less language. He is six years old and I am his third known owner. Great medical check-up and band records verified his age. No information from his first home and reason given for breakdown of the most recent home was "unable to give him enough attention"--which, of course, could mean anything anything anything. He's been here only four days. I'm doing the 'how intrusive do i get/how much do i need to let him be alone' dance. Any advice would be appreciated. He was also fully flighted so my clipping is one more aggressive, opting instead to runaway rather than attack. I have to work but have managed to come home at noon to eat lunch with him even though he stays in his cage--although i have the door open while i'm home in hopes he will come out on his own. My taking him out is a battle followed by an equivalent battle to get him back in. Some of his past must have been good quality as he consistently steps-up but always immediately flees--never staying. And only stepping up if he's on the floor and has no other options--meaning i have him cornered. He'd much rather fly away. He has sat on my shoulder for maybe 5 minutes on three occasions. Once when i was eating green beans of which he managed to eat three before flitting off. I can offer him food from my hand and he does not run as long as he is inside his cage. Cage is large enough i can readily stick my head, arm, shoulder in if need be. I try to play peek-a-boo as much as possible, talk to him all the time i'm home and etc. I can be as patient as needed. if he needs to left completely alone for a week, two, month, i can do that. But if he really requires more insistent interaction i can do that as well. It's good judgement I need. As i said, just doing the dance with much to be hopeful about. I am, afterall, quite smitten. He is quite beautiful.

"Owly" thank you thank you thank you. normative date almost always calms my anxieties. a bit grim for him perhaps. plus i keep telling myself that it is probably a myth that some better home would quickly appear in which he would immediately be happy. OK. if i can be fine so can he. maybe to deal with the excercise i'll try to add some interesting stuff to climb, a gnarly piece of grape vine most enjoyed that you are the 5th owner of a myers although i did not catch his age.

OK seriously folks. I'm getting very mixed messages from the pet place, books, etc. and i NEED some help PLEASE... the 6 year old, i'm it's third owner, meyers has now been in my home 10 days. He prefers to have nothing to do with me. Any "forced" no matter how mild interaction with me brings only flight and frantic get-away behaviors. Stepping up is out of the question. He treats women very differently than me--his last owner was female. He brightens up, acts interested, and approaches them, although he will not step up for any of them so far. Bascially the exact opposite of what he does with me. I try to stick to routine. Wake up, change his water, check pellets/seeds and fill his cup with fresh veggies of the day--usually broccoli, corn on the cob, carrots, green beans, sweet potatoe. I do a little chit/chat and head to work. I've been coming home for lunch specifically to be with him. At noon I change his water and mess with his veggies/food just to reinforce that i am the source. I have moved my desk/chair to be right in front of is cage door which i have open all the time i'm at my desk--which is while i eat, work, watch televsion, etc. I often sit in my chair with my arm resting in various places inside his cage not moving it for long periods of time. I try to play blinking games, peek-a-boo, etc. all the passive/safe/distance interactions i can think of or have read about. The only time he comes out of his cage is if i make a move, no matter how gentle, toward him. Once out he flees. I let him be but no matter where he lands he is intent on getting back to his cage. He will sometimes sit on top of the cage, constantly wary of my location. If i move toward the cage to talk, offer food, etc. he will sometimes, but only sometimes let me lean against the cage (still a couple feet away), at all other times he climbs behind the cage as far from me as he can get or flies off. After work i eat my dinner in front of his cage with his door open offering him anything he might be interested in. He will only occasionally take some food from my hand but rare. In the evenings I change his food/water/litter and offer him fruit from me which most of the time he does not take. It is in the evenings when i very much encourage him to come out of his cage--feeling like he has to get at least some excerise, even if it is only running away. I've heard from one bird person that he will basically "never" be really happy with a man after making his other attachments to women. And i get all sorts of mixed instructions on the need to insist that he let me hold/towel him...I have to do it now, i have to do it for this many minutes, no don't do it at all until he is willing to initiate it, etc.,etc. If this is all "normal" behavior to adopting an older bird then that's fine and I can be very very content--really. However, if all I am doing is somehow prolonging his very evident unhappiness then that just seems cruel and the last thing i want to do. I never see him play. He preens and eats, drinks, poops, etc. He just seems miserable and i'm heartbroken ____UNLESS___ this is normal behavior for an adoptee and i can reasonably expect him to adjust and, within an identifiable amount of time, be happy. The parakeet in the house readily sits on my shoulders and rides everywhere with me which i encourage with much show and demonstration so the meyer's can see how safe and fun and desirable i am--well to avian species anyway. I've been graced to live with happy birds before and this meyer's ain't happy. If it's a normal part of mourning/adjustments i can very readily accept that with belief that after a time he will be happy. But if this is all there is in life for him as some knowledgable people have suggested, then it's time to find him better than i can offer. Thanks everyone. Don't want my ignorance to be his punishment.