Wingy Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 I have the beginning stages of arthritis and nerve damage in both hands but more so in my dominant hand. I will be bringing a baby home sometime between the spring and fall and have the perfect opportunity to start from the beginning instead of trying to make adaptive changes later. How does step up work if I can't trust my hands or hold a stick? I googled arm perches but only saw arm coverings. Is there any cage door design that I should look for or avoid? Any tips or suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted December 26, 2011 Share Posted December 26, 2011 Hmm. My thoughts are: teach your baby to step up on the top of your fore arm. I recently sprained my wrist badly and am in a splint, they wouldn't step up on it, so I offered my other forearm to step up on, and they do fine as I carry them into the kitchen to step down onto their potty baskets. I also have cages that have a top down door, I unlatch it, they walk out on it and I have them step onto my shoulder. Hope this helps a bit. I also teach all my birds to "step down" so they will know when it's time to get off of me.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenabrd Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 wingy, sorry to hear about your hands! i have similar problems with mine! hopefully your baby will enjoy taking baths, but if not and you have to use a spray bottle, then this works great for me. i've found a spray bottle that you "pump" up pressure in, so that you can just pull the trigger for a mist of water (short spurts or continuous stream). i'd tried the regular kind of spray bottles, but they just tore up my hands with all the constant trigger pulling. i found the one i use in the plant department at lowes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Great suggestion. I have one of those and forgot about it. I will have to get it out and use it again since I have a sprained wrist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 wingy, sorry to hear about your hands! i have similar problems with mine! hopefully your baby will enjoy taking baths, but if not and you have to use a spray bottle, then this works great for me. i've found a spray bottle that you "pump" up pressure in, so that you can just pull the trigger for a mist of water (short spurts or continuous stream). i'd tried the regular kind of spray bottles, but they just tore up my hands with all the constant trigger pulling. i found the one i use in the plant department at lowes. Great idea and exactly what I'm looking for. If I can make adaptives normal from the start then I don't have to introduce new and scary later. I already planned on buying one of those claw type grabbers to use picking up stuff on the bottom of and around the cage. I am working now to strengthen my ring and pinkie fingers so they can help grab and twist. If I've had a hard day at work my pointer finger and thumb is beyond useless. Those are the nights we have sandwiches because holding a fork or spoon isn't going to happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 Hmm. My thoughts are: teach your baby to step up on the top of your fore arm. I recently sprained my wrist badly and am in a splint, they wouldn't step up on it, so I offered my other forearm to step up on, and they do fine as I carry them into the kitchen to step down onto their potty baskets. I also have cages that have a top down door, I unlatch it, they walk out on it and I have them step onto my shoulder. Hope this helps a bit. I also teach all my birds to "step down" so they will know when it's time to get off of me.... How do you teach the step down? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 When I say, "step up" I make sure they actually do step in an upwards directions. When I want them to get off of me, I try to have the step off in a downwards direction and say "step down". Once they get it, I just say step down anytime I want them to get off of me and they realize step down means get off, step up, means come to me. Hope that helps Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eshana Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Wingy, I have a muscular dystrophy called Myasthenia Gravis. I don't know how it will be with your baby, but every dog/bird/rat I've brought home so far has been more gentle with me than anyone else, because for some reason they can sense that something is wrong. For example, I'm only five foot, and Jon has a very large, very tall cage. I'll open it and then sit down if I am, at the time, unable to stand up to have him "step up". As soon as the door is open, and he sees me sitting, he will gently climb down to me and hop right into my lap. I'm not claiming that every animal automatically senses something is wrong, I'm just saying that this is my experience. I'm sure if you are gentle with your new baby, he/she will learn to be gentle and easy with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thenabrd Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 eshana, sorry about your condition! i agree with you, the dogs and birds we've had through the years were/are attuned to us very much. it hasn't mattered if we've had a cold, the flu, my fibromyalgia is acting up, we're having a sad day, etc, they've almost always seemed to know and are "different" during those times. they might be quieter, play with their toys and entertain themselves better, are more gentle and loving, etc. i'll tell them mommy or daddy is having a sad day, or doesn't feel good and they seem to understand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eshana Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 eshana, sorry about your condition! i agree with you, the dogs and birds we've had through the years were/are attuned to us very much. it hasn't mattered if we've had a cold, the flu, my fibromyalgia is acting up, we're having a sad day, etc, they've almost always seemed to know and are "different" during those times. they might be quieter, play with their toys and entertain themselves better, are more gentle and loving, etc. i'll tell them mommy or daddy is having a sad day, or doesn't feel good and they seem to understand. That's the great thing about animals. They understand emotions way better than simple humans do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingy Posted December 27, 2011 Author Share Posted December 27, 2011 Wingy, I have a muscular dystrophy called Myasthenia Gravis. I don't know how it will be with your baby, but every dog/bird/rat I've brought home so far has been more gentle with me than anyone else, because for some reason they can sense that something is wrong. For example, I'm only five foot, and Jon has a very large, very tall cage. I'll open it and then sit down if I am, at the time, unable to stand up to have him "step up". As soon as the door is open, and he sees me sitting, he will gently climb down to me and hop right into my lap. I'm not claiming that every animal automatically senses something is wrong, I'm just saying that this is my experience. I'm sure if you are gentle with your new baby, he/she will learn to be gentle and easy with you. eshana, sorry about your condition! i agree with you, the dogs and birds we've had through the years were/are attuned to us very much. it hasn't mattered if we've had a cold, the flu, my fibromyalgia is acting up, we're having a sad day, etc, they've almost always seemed to know and are "different" during those times. they might be quieter, play with their toys and entertain themselves better, are more gentle and loving, etc. i'll tell them mommy or daddy is having a sad day, or doesn't feel good and they seem to understand. Thank you for sharing. I didn't realize that fids would tune into emotions/conditions like some dogs and cats can. I'm probably over thinking this whole thing but reading about how greys are so bothered by new objects has me worried. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawL Posted December 27, 2011 Share Posted December 27, 2011 Hey Wingy, I read through this post and thought I might be able to at least help you with the misting of your baby, as I know it can be hard on the hands. I saw people mentioned the misters that you have to pump, but I might know something that you can use that would be even easier on you. I used to own and breed exotic reptiles. I had several pairs of Panther Chameleons, and they are very high maintenance, and must be misted at least 4 times a day, for a minimum of 10 minutes per misting session. I am sure you can understand how tiring on the hand that can be. I bought a motorized mister, and it was WONDERFUL! It is a hand held misting bottle, it takes 2 AA batteries, and mists by itself when you hold down the trigger. You can adjust the mist settings, and there is no pumping involved. I have attached a link to the site I got mine from. Hope it helps http://www.bigappleherp.com/Zoo-Med-Moto-Mister-Motorized-Handheld-Mister Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kins2321@yahoo.com Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I agree guys. I think our animals recognize and understand our humans limitations. When I first brought home Sunny our rescue sunconure,( he would fly out of his cage at his foster moms, who was fantastic, and bite everyone). I developed pneumonia within a few days of coming here. I slept on the couch where I was more comfortable. We slept in the same room. I was there for at least five days. When I finally went back to my bed.... he flew up and found me that night.WOW!I could tell he was worried about me! Nancy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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