neoow

Love the most recent photos! Kane is so adorable, if a little bit mischievous! Haha!

So approx 6-7 months on from putting the orbit up and Alfie now goes on it regularly (and not just when he's refusing to go back in his cage either!). He's figured out it's a great way to get from his cage to his tree and back again and he's also figured out how to make it swing around. Plus it has a bell that he can beat the snot out of.

Here's a variant of what I saw- Same sort of thing as what I mentioned in my previous post just a different shape. The other one I saw had more pipes and was in a cube shape so the parrot could run along the top four edges. I can't find it now, typically!

I saw something somewhere where someone had made a stand out of plastic pipes for use in the shower. They placed it in the bottom of the bath/shower and the parrot was able to walk about on it (because it was a square/rectangle shape so they had four pipes to walk round on). I can't remember where I saw it- but that may be an idea if Sully doesn't mind being a little lower than usual? If I find it again I'll post it here.

Looks like a great place to hang out! Love the photo in flight!

What a lovely update! So glad things are working out for you and Chicken. He's a lovely looking bird and is very lucky to have found someone to take him in and give him the time and attention he needs. Everything sounds like it's going great! In terms of getting your dad on board, I have similar problems with my housemate. He doesn't really see parrots as good pets (because of the noise and the mess) but he is making very teeny tiny steps towards bonding with Alfie. Alfie is actually very interested in my housemate- he tries to mimic him a lot and picks up new words and phrases from him more than he does me (I can only assume he prefers a male voice as he used to do the same with my dad). He will often observe what my housemate is doing and will move around his cage to get a better look too. My housemate has now progressed to the stage where Alfie will put his head down and my housemate will give him a head scratch. Not for long, as he doesn't trust Alfie enough. But this is a big leap forward from when he first moved in and had nothing to do with Alfie at all. They also share a love of twiglets- a snack food with marmite/vegitmite on it. Normally I wouldn't give Alfie any kind of snack food but this is the one thing I do let slip... the odd twiglet... just one. Most of the time Alfie just enjoys chewing it to pieces and doesn't end up eating much of it. But this has allowed my housemate to offer him food and start building a bit of a bond with him, so that's why I allow it. (other healthy treats are usually flung across the cage or ignored) We're not at the stage where my housemate would want to be in the same room as Alfie when he is out of the cage, but we are making progress. I've also caught my housemate talking to Alfie on occassion, whereas originally he would just mostly ignore him. It may be that your dad doesn't ever play a major role with Chicken, but he may be able to interact with him in smaller ways. The fear of being bitten is justified, as it does hurt and Chicken has been known to bite you on occasion. So maybe your dad can still try and bond with Chicken on a hands off basis to begin with. Perhaps he can offer Chicken food or a tasty treat every so often. Perhaps get him to talk to Chicken and just get them used to each others company at a distance. Very slowly build on this until both Chicken and your dad want to progress further. There will obvious still be the risk of a bite, as Chicken will have come with some baggage. But given enough time, I'm sure they'll both adapt to each other and find a way to get along just fine.

I went through this with Alfie. He has learned lots of loud noises that aren't easy on the ear and he would use them with gusto- ESPECIALLY if he got a reaction from one of us. Any form of reaction would be enough to encourage him to keep using the sound. So it was a case of educating ourselves that whenever he made a noise we weren't too fond of, we would NOT react. It was tough, as he would usually wait until you were walking past the cage before letting out an ear piercing squeak, so it was very difficult not to flinch or say "ow". But with perseverance from ALL household members we managed to get the noises down to a minimum. They were boring if nobody reacted! We also made sure to react for the noises we did want to hear- any speech, any whistles, any other noises which didn't make you feel like your ear drums were going to burst! It's the same whenever a new loud noise is learned- reward the "good" noises and ignore the "bad" noises. Alfie soon learns which ones work and which don't. But he still tests the water at times. It's not just noises either. When I moved out of the family home, he learned that jumping across the cage at one of my housemates used to make them jump. So he would do it every time. The reaction wasn't a positive one (e.g the housemate would scream/jump and walk away) but it was a reaction nonetheless. Alfie only ever did that to that one housemate, not me or the second housemate. He's never done it since that housemate left either. It's almost like the saying with publicity- bad publicity is still publicity. A bad reaction is a still a reaction (and some form of attention).

I like how he tells himself off- presumably because he knows he shouldn't have it!

Haha awesome! Happy new year to you and yours! (now how many times are you going to hear that throughout the year?!)

Hah! It's the other way round in my house. I give Alfie a toy, he launches it across the room so I go and fetch it! What can I say... he's obviously got me well trained!!! :rolleyes:

She should come and watch Alfie with his new toy. He is currently going to town on that thing! Already debating about buying a spare! This is an oldie but a favourite: Three men walked into a bar. Well one of them should have seen it!!

The new activity from your bird does not necessarily relate to the changes in schedule. For example, for the first time ever (in 12 years) Alfie tried to chew the TV the other week. The brand new TV that belongs to my housemate... (luckily he wasn't there to see it!) Alfie has never shown an interest in the TV before (except watching it occasionally) and then one day he just walked over to it and grabbed the corner. Now every time he gets on the shelf near it he tries to get to it. I've resorted to leaving large items in the way so he can't get past to get at it. Thankfully he hasn't discovered that he can get to the other side from the window sill yet!! I'm glad you're taking things a day at a time and considering all options. Do remember that we are all here to help and want the best for your bird as much as you do! So do keep popping back and giving us updates/asking for help.

I went through this same thought process a few years back. I got Alfie when I was 17 and he was only 11 weeks old. I was still living at home with my parents and sister. My mum worked part time and my dad worked shifts. So he wasn't always left home alone all day. He also had our family dog to keep him company. When I moved out of the family home I took Alfie with me and things were ok to begin with. I was working full time hours but would leave him lots of things to do whilst I was gone. However, I took on more responsibilities at work, got promoted, worked longer and longer hours then carried on working at home plus I also wanted to try and study for a degree at the same time. I also tried going to the gym regularly and I found I had less and less time for Alfie, and nobody who could help me out. Time went on and I felt more and more guilty because I was spending less and less time with Alfie. I started to consider rehoming him due to lack of time. But every time I thought about the idea of rehoming him it really upset me. I've had him since 11 weeks old and I just couldn't bring myself to even think about parting with him... let alone go ahead with it. So I decided it was time to make some changes. I bought him a bigger cage so he had more room for extra toys and activities and I started thinking more about my personal life than I did my work life. I cut the amount of work I took home with me and I knew I wasn't coping well with the studying at the time so I stopped that with a view that I could always pick it up again when I was in a better position for it. When I bought my house, I planned the furniture placement and downstairs room around Alfie. His cage is in the centre of the room so he can be part of the seating area and also what is supposed to be the dining area (but actually houses my desk and computer. Therefore when I come home, I'm usually downstairs with him and can sit and talk to him- even if I'm working. Whilst I still have a way to go in keeping my work/Alfie/life balance in check, Alfie is a LOT happier- both since I got him a bigger cage and also now that he's in the centre of the main living area in the house. As someone who has been in the situation you are currently in and who is still making changes to avoid the "do I need to consider rehoming him?" question again... don't give up just yet as I honestly believe you will regret it. Alfie stuck with me through all of the changes that have happened since I was 17 and he was 11 weeks old and he's doing ok. He's now 12 years old. Life changes- there's no way anyone could possibly stick to the same routine day in, day out for the lifetime of a parrot, it just doesn't work out that way. Your children won't be relying so heavily on you forever and your wife's schedule will change eventually, as will yours.

Excellent photo! They look like they're about to get up to no good!

You're on a steep learning curve! Kane is a beautiful looking girl. She's certainly got you where she wants you as well!

I do love reading your updates in this thread. Admittedly I came into it late and haven't read the whole 164 pages, but did skim read some of the earlier pages and get the general idea of things from your other posts on the forums. You say Miss Gilbert changed your life? Well you changed hers. She's doing great and you're doing great. It's amazing how you get rewarded for your patience. I have learned a lot from your stories. sorry to hear about the scares you had whilst away though. I hope everyone recovered ok?

Just relax, talk about the move and try and make it sound exciting if you can (even though it probably isn't for you!). Alfie has moved location, cage and house a few times and he's always been ok with it. He originally lived in a cage in my room at my parents house 'til he moved into a different cage downstairs in the living area. Then I moved out and took him with him and he went back into his old cage in the new house. Then he moved into a bigger cage into a different room in that house. Then I moved house again and he kept his big cage which he's still in now. (This has been over a 12 year period) He always takes some time to adjust but I always tried to remain upbeat and positive and would explain what was going on and why and he seemed to take it on the chin... or uh... beak.... and settled in fine each time. Don't feel guilty. Things change and sometimes they're out of your control. But so long as your grey is with you, she'll eventually accept the change and move on happily.

Alfie always contact calls when I'm out of the room. We use all sorts of calls to each other but a lot of it consists of whistles- especially if I'm upstairs. My housemate sometimes joins in with Alfie and they'll have a 'whistle-off'. One of them will start making up tunes and the other one either copies or adds to it. They get louder and longer each time! It's all great fun

What a beautiful little bird you have there! Glad it's all working out with the dogs.

Wow how exciting!! We'd love to see some photos as and when you're able to take some! Does your new baby grey have a name yet? I would second (or third or fourth?) what other members have said about wing trimming. If you are going to trim wings, then at least wait until the baby bird learns how to fly properly first. Otherwise you're at risk of causing more trouble because he/she isn't developing as nature intended. I had Alfie's wings lightly trimmed when he was much younger and it didn't actually make much difference. It didn't take him long to start flying about exactly as he had done previously. If he got out, he'd still be able to fly away just was well as he could have done without the trim- so I decided never to bother with it again. It was too much stress for him for no reason. I'm super careful with doors and windows when he is out and he knows what a window is and where they all are. I also figured that asking a bird not to fly is like asking a dog not to bark!

I didn't see the issue as I have a bookmark straight to the forum pages but thank you for getting it sorted!

Looking good, Kane! How old is she now? Poor you, must have been a very stressful day all round!!

Thanks all He only ever gets head and back of neck scratches. Anywhere else would make him shuffle away or give me a warning shot. So no worries there! I usually just say thank you and let him get on with eating it when he regurgitates. I hadn't even touched him when I took these videos- he hadn't had any head scratches or anything. It was just whilst I was darting about getting my things together and having a chat with him whilst I did it. I'll try and adjust the order I do things and when I get up and see if that helps.

Just bear in mind if you leave the travel cage in her cage you'll need to clean it often. Also, at least to begin with, you'll probably want to line the bottom of her cage with towels whilst she finds her feet around her new cage. Sometimes they can be a bit clumsy and fall. You'll probably want to keep the perches lower to begin with too- so I'm not sure how well the travel cage will fit in with that. you could leave it outside her main cage- maybe next to it. Let her sit on it/in it when she's out of the main cage so she gets used to it that way. Using it as a sleep cage might not be a bad idea either.

Not sure on the nesting thing but I personally wouldn't see a problem with it... unless he is actually she and starts laying eggs!! Somebody else will probably have better advice than me but I have seen videos on youtube of parrots who like putting holes in boxes so they can play in them