Brought baby home & I'm going insane

[ZivaDiva]

We've named her Phoebe and we brought her home on Friday. She is in my bedroom next to my other CAG, Z.

 

Phoebe is missing 50% of her talons and that includes her 2 "thumb" talons so gripping is an issue. I set up her cage and she is still having problems climbing and perching. She wants up so badly but gets on a perch or boing and can't figure out how to come down and just falls. Sometimes it's from trying to climb down, other times it's because she just loses her balance. She does the same thing while on my fingers, hand, wrist. I can feel her losing her balance and down she goes.

 

I have set up her food & water on the bottom of the cage. She often sits and sleeps on the bottom after several tries of getting up to the dish holders so I figured that was best for now.

 

I have several different size perches along with toys spaced apart hoping she'd be able to kind of use everything as stairs to get to the next level but that hasn't happened yet.

 

I'm going crazy because I've not had much sleep. She tries to climb a lot at night and falls, or she sits on the bottom of the cage and scratches with one claw. Then during the day, she sits on the bottom of the cage and sleeps.

 

And yesterday, she started screaming. I've had Z 2 1/2 yrs and he's never screamed. She sounds like a macaw and is really loud. She does it when she wants out or whenever I leave or enter the room. I do talk to her when I'm out of the room so she knows where I am but she continues to scream.

 

I would love any and every suggestion and piece of advice you people can offer. I feel like a new mom. I'm exhausted, shaky and weak from lack of sleep. I'm tempted to move her into the living room so I can sleep at night.

[birdhouse]

Phoebe needs to learn to get around as best as her disability will allow. That's a process that will take time & meanwhile, she's no doubt scared & frustrated. Probably at least a little dinged up, too.

 

My ekkie couldn't get around a normal cage when she came home because she'd been kept in a tiny cage her whole life. I had to start her in a very small cage & let her develop the muscles & coordination to get around it, before transferring her into eventually 3 progressively bigger cages.

 

I also have an ancient tiel who started falling off his perches at night. I have set up the cage as much like a real tree as possible. There are many small branches, with lots of little ends, anchored from all sides of the cage. There's barely enough space for him to move around in between them, which is just right for him to always be able to find foot & beak holds & to be able to cradle anywhere.

 

Maybe it will help to do something like this for Phoebe. Good luck!

[ZivaDiva]

Thanks. I am trying to do that and have many perches in there of varying sizes but she climbs up the side of the cage and slides down - over and over and over again. Two sides have vertical bars and 2 have horizontal. She wants to climb the vertical bars instead of horizontal for some reason. The bar spacing is appropriate for her. I have most stuff set up on the bottom or very low but being a bird, she wants to hang out at the top of the cage even if there aren't any perches. I think I might try more perches and see if that helps.

[katana600]

As you get things sorted, Phoebe will start feeling more secure. Some of this could be adjustment and not disability. Knowing how intelligent these birds are she may be exquisitely aware of her vulnerability until she gets the lay of the land. Is she young enough to have weaning issues? Do you know if the previous caretaker carried her around most of the time? It is important for them to learn independence, but if she can relax and feel safe she will reach that place of independence from a position of strength and trust. This adjustment phase will not last and you will find clever ways of providing safety and exercise for her. I wish I could live next door to you and give you a break to get some rest.

[ZivaDiva]

Thanks so much for your reassuring words. She is 17 weeks old and weaned. She's not begging or crying and had been off handfeeding for a week at her choice. She would be in a cage at night and I would find her on the grate in the back corner. She had low perches but only climbed over them. For 6-7 hrs a day, she was on a playstand but would just stay on the branch she was put on by the food dishes and she'd fall off a few times a day. She was out to be socialized.

 

Her daily schedule has changed and now I'm gone all day and she's locked up and she comes out at night. That's opposite of what she's used to. She was not carried around but does want to be out as much as possible. I just can't figure out where that should be. I don't want her falling off high perch/playstands and she prefers to just sit on my bed or the top of my dresser. I may set up the top of my dresser as her area but toys just roll off since they aren't attached. I don't feel like drilling holes in to my expensive solid wood huge dresser to hang toys!

 

I also wish you lived close! You'd be more than welcome. I almost didn't make it to work today because I'm so exhausted. I'm going out to dinner Thursday night and am not sure what to do with her. I might bring her along!

[Elvenking]

Have you tried to spend a little quality time with your new grey? The first few days I had Issac home there was nothing else, I sat and talked with him. Placed him in my lap and stroked his feathers, talked softly to him and absolutely just fawned over him. (Not a lot has changed really...LOL). How are you doing on interacting with your new baby?

[ZivaDiva]

Oops, typo above. She's 14 weeks old. Yes, we spend several hours a day together. I say hello to my other grey, Z, first as to not make him feel ignored and then let him out on top of his cage. Then Phoebe gets to come out. She's either on my hand, the bed or the dresser. She's out with me from about 6-10 nightly and my daugther brings her out and gives her love after school for a little bit. I have 8 other birds so she has to share but she is out. I eat dinner and share with her, etc. I just need to find someplace for her to be out on that is safe while I am at home.

[Elvenking]

Awe, super sweet. It sounds like you are getting along good. Now when you say missing a 'talon' are you talking about a nail, or a whole toe? If it's a toe, I see how this is a problem. In that case I guess you have to feel out what works. Hopefully someone who has shared a similar situation will chime in. It looks like you have a nice little friend there though. Good luck.

[ZivaDiva]

Thanks. She is a sweet little baby now. She was a biter a few weeks ago before I brought her home but stopped that behavior a few days prior. The nails are missing and her toes are kinda stumpy so it is causing her problems. She hates sitting in my lap and wants to be on my fingers, flat palm or wrist but she also really wants to sit on my shoulder, which I won't allow. It's so sad when she is on my hand and loses her grip/balance and down she goes.

[ZivaDiva]

Phoebe did better last night. She screamed at my daughter when she got home from school but then didn't scream when I walked in the door. We had her out on the dresser and walking around on the bed while I read and napped. I put her back in her cage while I did some housework and she didn't scream and was able to entertain herself. I moved more of her toys down towards the bottom of the cage. She is using a flat perch on the bottom of her cage that is a large square about 9 in x 8in to sleep on. She is also figuring out how to climb up her boing by using her beak, and then slid down the cage bars to get down. She still falls but not as much. She didn't scream at all when I left this morning and I'm sure the neighbors were happy.

 

Hopefully, she will continue to improve and I will be able to figure out how to place things in her cage that make it easier for her.

[Popsicle]

Parrot's nature tell them they should sit as high as possible, to be able to spot predators. As she have this problem with balance (due to the nails missing), she doesn't feel confident enough to sleep high in the perch and doesn't feel secure to sleep in the bottom of the cage either. Probably the reason why she can only sleep in the bottom of the cage during the day, when she feels secure, with you around. As others have said, she will learn do be more independent and more confident with her disability and everything will be fine.

 

Regarding the screaming... I know you've said she got better already. But I read you shouldn't scream back at the bird when they scream. They are contact calling you. If you speak to them from another room when they scream it might reinforce their screaming. Wait for her to stop screaming then go in the room and reward her. Here's a video that might help.

 

I'd also recommend reading the book "The Parrot Problem Solver".

http://www.amazon.com/Parrot-Problem-Solver-Barbara-Heidenreich/dp/0793805627/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Since you have many birds, it might help you with a few tips on training.

 

Hope she gets better and better with time. Good luck! x

[katana600]

It sounds like you are all adapting and adjusting well. I was wondering about a flat plastic container, like the under-bed shoe holders to put on your dresser. They are low and she could see through the sides and it would keep the toys from falling out. I also saw on another post recently where someone used flat washers to connect a perch to a smaller plastic tub so if I can find it again, I will send a link. When you start finding workable solutions, you will have one insight after another to deal with your specific perching issues and have a happy bird and more restful days too. You have the heart and the ingenuity to invent a haven for Phoebe that is still a haven for your other birds, your family and for you too. I am just so pleased at the progress you are making for her sake as well as yours.