kave70

Thanks for your thoughts and advice Nancy. Sam is a rehome of unknown age, but estimated to be about 8-10 years. I am not overly concerned with the fact that he prefers my husband, but more that the screaming has becoming increasingly worse, instead of better over these months. There must be something we should be doing better to help calm his frantic screaming and climbing. It can't be a very happy way to be, and the screaming never seems to end, as long as Joe is home. I feel like there is something I should be doing to help calm the situation. We appreciate all thoughts and suggestions- and will be trying each of them. Karen and Sam

Thanks for sharing this- it really made me laugh!

Did he like it? Sam isn't crazy about peanut butter, but since he loves almonds, I thought maybe I'd give it a try. Karen and Sam

For the most part we have been attempting to have Joe come in and great him with a whistle that he loves and says hello before he even sits down. Our hope was that we could encourage Sam to use this whistle as a call, instead of screeching. Joe is pretty consistant, (but no one is perfect) and takes Sam out for the same amount of time every evening, and always greets and says goodbye to him. As I type, Sam is in full gear, screaming and screaming because Joe fell asleep on the couch. I checked and I'm sure he can see him- he just WANTS him. Music, singing, tv, nothing seems to help- we're still learning what motivates/calms/ relaxes him. If I could vaccuum all night, he'd be happy - that's when he goes into full whistle time. I'm going to buy some king size sheets to cover his huge cage with, and maybe we can make bedtime a little earlier and hopefully the sheets will keep him quiet at 5 am. I sure hope I can figure out how to redirect his behavior- I know I must be missing something and making the situation worse :-( I keep telling Sam that if he were smart, he'd have ME as his special human, because I'm home all day.......... too bad he doesn't agree. Any and all suggestions are appreciated by myself and more importantly JOE! Thanks, Karen

Thanks for the reply- We have an open floor plan and Sam's (and my cockatiels) cage is right in the kitchen, where he can see almost every part of the main living area. We spend almost the entire day in this area, as I care for an sick family member, and keep her in the same area. When Joe comes home, we have coffee about 4 feet in front of the cage. In the evening, Sam stays out in our living room, with us. He sits on a perch on the coffee table, right in the middle of everything. Even if a dog comes near for a pet, he starts screaming. He is still so skittish that toys aren't his favorite thing. I offer lots and lots of different toys and there are one or two (usually the foraging toys) that he will touch. It takes months for him to even go near a new toy- even slightly rearranging his cage makes him scared for a few days. He will just sit on his perch or cling to the sides, not daring to go near the moved toy. He has a HUGE corner cage that we have never covered at night. Might that help? I might need a ladder to do so :-) As soon as we go to bed, he is silent. Right now, he's making all kinds of whistles and kissing sounds- screaming here and there, but not much at all. Come 4:00 pm, he'll be screaming until bed time. Have I missed anything?

Hi, Sam has been here 9 months now. The progress is very slow, but I'm not worried about that- we love him for him. We do have a situation that I could really use some help with. Sam LOVES my husband and screams non-stop, every waking moment that Joe is home. He gets overly frantic, paces in his cage, shakes one leg (it's actually funny to watch.... just for a while). While he's at work or not home, Sam whistles and makes a lot of noises, but still no talking. As soon as the truck pulls in, it's screaming time, for hours. At 5 am, when he gets up for work, the screaming resumes, until he's out the door. He makes it a habit to come in and say hello to Sam, and say Good Morning and Good Night. We let Sam sit with us when we watch TV (he sits on a perch after a few minutes of cuddling with Joe). If Joe turns his attention to the dogs, the computer, or anything else, the screaming begins and seems to just escalate until we go to bed. We've tried a whistle in response, to change the call, but to no avail. Sam still won't let me interact much with him- but I do manage to take him out every day while no one is home, and he does fine- he always looks scared, so I don't require too much of him... just have him out with me for a bit. I've tried setting him up with his favorite foraging toys right before Joe gets home, or when he first wakes up, but Sam has no interest in ANYTHING other than Joe. He won't even take an almond (his very favorite treat)- he just frantically screams and paces. So, this post is all over the place, but I'm just trying to get in most of the facts that might seem pertinent. What is the best way to handle this situation? Should we ignore it (we've been trying but my husband is exhausted - Sam screams every waking moment he is home). Suggestions please-

Sam is still afraid of most toys, but I found this one pyramid shaped foraging toy that after months of avoiding, he LOVES. I put all sorts of treats, and blocks, and papers, straws... whatever is on hand. He will practically hang on it, swinging. Most of the other toys he avoids, but we're not giving in.... they are staying till he isn't afraid of them too :-)

Thanks - this makes me feel better.

I posted last week that Sam made us laugh because he actually talked. I have had the flu and I was coughing and my voice was raspy. He kept saying " Have another cigarette". He stopped that, but now he is terrified of me. I am sure it's my voice. He won't even take an almond from me, and has attempted to bite a few times. I feel like I'm starting at day one with him, and it's not the easiest, because I'm really battling this flu. I sure hope it doesn't take us too long to become friends again. As it is he doesn't really care for me. I keep doing all the same routines, as best I can, but his eyes keep pinning and he won't interact with me at all. My husband has continued the night time routine of taking him out with us, and he seems fine with him so that makes me feel better. Any suggestions? Karen

No smoking here... Ever! I do sound like I have a terrible smokers cough though. DayQuil time again.

I've had the flu and my voice is really raspy...... out of no where, Sam keeps saying "Have another cigarrette" hahahahhahahahaa I guess this might be a clue that his former owner smoked and had a raspy voice. It's pretty funny, since he likes to whistle and we still can't get him to speak to us. We were completely shocked, but praised him and made a big deal of it, hoping he'd open up more and start speaking. Karen

Our birds are kept in a carpeted area ( really can't wait to tear it out ) but I use stall mats, under the cages and for a large portion of the area. They can be dragged out and hosed during the warmer months and fairly easy to clean during winter. I also use the stall mats for bunny flooring.

Thanks for sharing- it looks like Birdy heaven! I loved all those choices of toys/perches, etc.

Boy, she was determined to conquer that Corelle bowl. That made me laugh!

That's GREAT news! What a wonderful gift :-) Karen and Sam

Sending lots of good thought to you and Barnaby. He's fortunate that you have entered his life and are helping him. How is he doing this morning? Karen and Sam

Sam has been with us for six months this week. He's taught me so much about patience and expectations, that's for sure. We love him dearly and couldn't imagine our home without him. I wonder what his life was like before getting here. He is still so very afraid of EVERYTHING. I know 6 months is not a long time and I can only hope, for him, that he feels safe and not so scared. He arrived talking, but that stopped shortly thereafter and now only makes loads of hilarious noises and thinks screeching is the best form of communication. We try our very best not to respond to the screeching. He has made up a bunch of new whistling melodies which make me laugh. He waits for us to respond, before giving us his next chorus. As I type he's meowing like a cat (no, we don't have one- he just loves that noise). He LOVES my husband, but tolerates me. I am the one who interacts with him all day long, and I think I've had to introduce him to lots of "scary things". We put a blanket up behind a portion of his cage to protect him from any winter drafts and he wouldn't move off the front of his cage for days. If I move one toy, or maybe the perch doesn't go back into the exact spot, he's all thrown off and just clings to the front of the cage for at least a day. I can pick him up now, but with a perch stick and then he will climb on me. I take him out for as long as he likes during the day, which isn't very long. If I stick the perch near him and he steps up, he wants to come out. If he pulls back, I let him be and try again later. If he even hears my husband pull up the driveway after work he goes crazy and gets all happy. He gives him kisses and loven's. I have been able to scratch his head a few times (very rare) but his Daddy does it every night. I've been making him healthy meals since his arrival, but so far he throws most of it on the floor. He does eat a pellet diet and does fine with that, so nutrionally I'm sure he's much better off since his arrival. I can get him to eat scrambled egg, grapes, carrots and lately a small peice of orange. He is offered the volkmers bean mix along with loads of veggies and only picks out the above mentioned foods. The rest is tossed on the floor cage. I'm stubborn though and will continue to offer him the foods, forever. His other favorite treat is an almond. Anyone who comes to visit and wants to say hi, offers him one. He's gotten much better and takes it from most people. His nails are finally at a normal length and his wings are finally growing back. I dread having to take him for a nail trim, but I think it will be worse if I towel him and do it. He is so leery of me already. He loves his showers with my husband, and allows me to spray him a few times a week. He actually seems happy and he makes me laugh when we play this game. After I spritz him, he jumps into his water bowl to finish the job. He makes a huge mess, but I'm so happy to see him acting silly. I could go on and on about him, as we all know how smart and cute they can be, but I'd be preaching to the choir. My wish for him is that in time he will feel safe and know that the world is not such a scary place. I'd Love to hear him talk again (but know it might not happen) and to enjoy his toys. It takes him a long time to warm up to them. Wish us luck in our next 6 months of our journey :-) Karen and Sam

Which size would you order for a CAG? The medium? Karen and Sam

Adorable! Thanks for sharing. Karen and Sam

I wish Sam felt this way. He is still so shy, but I truly look forward to the day that we can relate :-) Karen and Sam

Speaking of IPADS, are there any apps that the fids seem to like? Last night we played some animal sounds app, and Sam was watching and listening so intently. He's still not talking, but does make sounds. Sure enough, early this moring he was making a duck sound.... from the app last night. Suggestions of others that your fids like? Karen and Sam

I mist Sam lightly during the week and then right before I do the major cage cleaning on the weekend, we go to town. He LOVES it, following me all over the cage for more. He's so silly that everytime I stop he runs to his water dish, attempts to plop down and continues the messy game. After we're done I know I need to clean the cage- it's a mess. The bars are all set for me to wipe down :-) Karen and Sam

I use a horse stall mat, under Sam's cage. It makes it so much easier to clean (unfortunately he's in a carpeted room) and it works great. I vacuum it daily and wash it down once a week. It's been so mild in the North East, that I am still able to take it outside and hose it down. Karen (and Sam)

Loved it- made my morning :-)