Need advice on hanging out with my CAG while I work....

[Vamppire]

I work at home at my PC in my bedroom, while Spencer's cage is in the living room. I would like him to be able to chill with me while I work, but I'm having a heck of a time at it! I made him a PVC gym for the bedroom, with a boing attached to the ceiling. He also has a small perch on my desk. (its not very exciting but I usually have an assortment of foot toys I offer him when he's there)

 

Maybe I just need to add even more toys to the playgym to occupy him, but he is really intent on being near me, so he will usually lose interest in the gym after a couple minutes and fly over to me. That's fine, thats why he has a perch here on my desk... but then he spots the keyboard and the mouse. Maybe it doesn't help that they are both pink. LOL. but, yeah, once he spots that, theres just no stopping him or distracting him with something else. So he winds up going back in his cage.

 

 

Is there any hope for being able to hang out with my little guy while I work? It would really be an ideal time, because after work I am all over the house doing things so I can't always babysit him, or I'll be going out, etc... I'm currently neglecting my needs and chores around the house because I have to stay in the same room to watch him. (he's young, he still gets into trouble / crashes into walls etc)

 

Do I have to just keep putting him back on his stand when he goes for the keyboard/mouse? Will he learn or is it a hopeless battle? I do need to get work done and can't be fighting off a birdie ALL DAY... LOL... but if there's hope that he will learn, then I can try it!

 

Any advice is appreciated!

[FirstPenguin]

Very cute, definitely something I can relate to freelancing at home as well. I'm a future grey companion, but I can say from other bird experience and general bird knowledge that when they're young they tend to latch on for various reasons. Independent play takes time since playing is a learned skill. I definitely think Spencer being the age he is influences how clingy he is. As far as your keyboard goes... goodluck. Somehow keyboards are super tempting. You focus on them, they make sound, and can be manipulated, how could they not strike a bird curiosity.

[danmcq]

I work at home as well full time now. It's a pain, but if your jsut consistent in keeping him away from the keyboard and either make him sit on the perch, play stand of quietly on your shoulder it will sink in as the accepted behavior. It took about a 1000 repetitions of playing Dayo back on my shoulder or his stand before he determined it was futile to try and gran a key from the keyboard or break the mouse open. If he is particularly insistent on some days. I place him in his cage which resides directly behind me so he can see and interact verbally with me.

[Vamppire]

Thanks! I wish I could work in the same room as the cage, but its not possible in this space. I will try to keep placing him back on the stand, and I'll add some more toys there to entice him. He likes most of the toys I make, but the ones there right now might be losers LOL.

 

I'm always thinking about letting him on my shoulder, but the few times he wound up there by accident, it scared me to death, I kept thinking he was gonna poke my eye out of bite my ear off :eek:

[animalINSPIRED]

I'm a high school student and take my classes online. I used to have issues with Averi flying over and attacking my keyboard, too! Thankfully the last time she stayed with Spinner (Dave), he began teaching her the "go back" command. This has been a godsend for us. She now spends way more time playing on her stand, and when she does fly over, I can just say "playstand" and she flies back to it.

[Karcar]

I agree with you about the shoulder thing, I have a friend with a horrible scar from her Too on her shoulder. You know I was just thinking my grandson has a play computer it looks like a real laptop and it is red (almost pink) I wonder if you might try setting him up with his own computer and see what happens. Could be a dumb idea but I have had worse...LOL

[Luvparrots]

Ana Grey likes to be with me and that is usually in my computer room. I have a homemade movable perch I made out of an old metal clothes rack which I wrapped in sisal rope and hung toys on. Ana Grey will sit there and play as it is right next to me. I don't normally allow her on my shoulder but she does sit on the back of my desk chair, I have a towel over the back of the chair so she will happily sit there with foot toys. To the side of my desk I also have a bungee boing with foraging toys and bells hanging from it. So she has a lot places to play and eat close to me. As for my keyboard I just replaced it as she got the idea she could type better than me and ate one of my keys so now I have a towel I can flip over the keyboard when I am not using it. I personally don't think it is a good idea to give a grey, or any animal a keyboard of their own as how will they know that it is wrong to touch yours if they can touch another?? I also have a towel over the back of my computer screen and Ana Grey will sit there and converse with me to her heart's content.