kllorio Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Hello again guys! I'm back and in need or more advice...are yall sick of me yet? Sorry! Ok, Midnight is wonderful. With that said and out of the way here is the problem... Midnight loves to be out and about with us all day. She however, no longer likes to sit on her toys or on the desk and entertain herself. She insist on being on us at all times. Also, she can't just be on us, she must be the center of attention. At first we thought it was really funny and cute but now, its over powering. If my fiance and I kiss she flies/runs to be between us. Second, she used to sit next to my keyboard while I did homework on the computer. Now she won't let me type because she is trying so hard to put her head between the keys and my fingers for head rubs. She tries to get on the keyboard, but I refuse to pet her while she is there. I make her move back to the side where her food, water, and toys are before I will pet her again. If I ignore her for more than a minute she is nipping. I feel awful because I find myself keeping her in the cage while doing homework. This is a problem because I am three weeks away from finals, so I am doing LOADS of school work. She is still getting plenty of free time out of the cage, but I don't like having to use the cage to keep her off of me. So my questions are: 1. Why is she so jealous, and how do we stop it? 2. How do we get her to entertain herself so she can be out longer? 3. How do we make her realize she does not have to be on us every minute? Most of you probably think these are minor issues, and they are. I just want to stop them while she is still young. I just need to figure out how to teach her that she can't be the center of attention ALL the time. Thanks for the help in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tari Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 I would just keep taking her off you and putting her where you want her to be and give a word que. Like stay. lol When my birds are young or first come here they all had to learn to stay on the play gym and not fly to the floor and wonder around. So when they jumped off I picked them back up with as little to-do as possible and say no. Put them back and say stay. After I get tired of doing that I usually put them back in the cage tell I am ready to play fetch with them again. Most of the time only takes about a week even with my older birds it didn't take long. Good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kllorio Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 Ah, great idea. I figured she might think I was rejecting her if I kept putting her back over there. Totally random: Ewwww! :sick: Alliance! Just kidding. I play Horde on Darkspear. I also have a 70 hunter, 60 mage, 21 Lock, 21 Shammie, 21 Druid, 21 priest. Do you see where Midnight and I spend all my free time! lol. What server are you on? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Quote... At first we thought it was really funny and cute but now, its over powering... I often hear this from new Grey owners.so many people bring their new baby home,lavish them with attention & generally let them get their own way,Once this inital peroid is over problems begin to arise.Ground rules need to be put in place from day one.Always start as you mean to go on.Boundries need to be established. As Tari suggests you will have to return Midnight to her playstand repeatedly & give the command stay.It may take weeks,it may not,be consistent & firm.Even if she just stays for a minute & flys back,repeat the process.Always praise her for positive behaviour,but never for negative. To encourage her to play by herself provide plenty of foraging toys,hide small treats for her etc.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kllorio Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 I know we have ourselves to blame. I figured it would be better to correct while she is still only 5 months old rather than waiting till much later. However, the forces herself on the keyboard or under my fingers has never been tolerated. We have been very strict in that rule, because both of us do so much work on the computer. Funny note: She tries to make the sounds of us typing. :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 she still is a baby,so now is the time to set the boundaries, she will push her luck to see how far she can go but as long as you stay firm & in control I'm sure you will succeed in establishing some rules for her . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lovelylew Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 I'm a very new CAG owner with little experience, but I strung fruits and veggies with some ribbon on a hook and hung it in Obi's cage. He seemed to like this. Perhaps you could try stringing some things she likes to see if that helps occupy her while she's out of her cage. Have a great day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talon Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 Yes, I have had the same problems with Talon as well. You have to just be firm, and tell them, NO, or Stay, and always be consistent. It will take time and patience, but they will understand eventually. B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kllorio Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 Thanks! I am going to try several of these ideas out tonight when I get off work. Keep them coming, they are all wonderful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 When certain things have to be done and your bird is pushing himself on you and interfering with what chores you must do such as studying or PC work or doing hoochy cooing, you need to use that cage now while your bird is still young. The cage isn't as bad as you think. He lives there and plays there and eats there and sleeps there. If your bird is becoming a pain in the ass now, he'll be a bigger pain in the future if he's not used to doing what you want done and a cage serves many purposes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
siobha9 Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 When I am studying I usually put the birds back in their cage because they like to either sit on my books, or chew on them, which obviously I cant have happen. But I study beside their cages and read aloud to them, ask them silly questions when I am trying to sort stuff out in my head. They dont seem to mind, and sometimes they answer me, mostly they just play away themselves in their cages. I dont see the cage as punishment, just another place to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judygram Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 siobha9 wrote: I dont see the cage as punishment, just another place to be. And that is what the cage should be, just another place to be, Josey is content to play inside her cage even with her door open she will stay inside and play some, she knows she can come out if she wishes. But it does boil down to how much time you are spending with them when you first bring them home, if you hovered over them all the time then they get used to that and it is hard to get them to play to themselves. They are kinda like my grandkids, one of them is content to play by himself for long periods of time and another one has to have someone to entertain her all the time. Like several suggested, you need to make some foraging activities for her to keep her busy at times and get her used to staying on a playstand for some of the time you and her will be a lot happier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Klaus is complete velcro! I know what you mean! Here's what I've worked out, though. When I get home from work I don't let him out right away. I will throw in some laundry, take garbage out, whatever I know I need to do that is inconvenient with Klaus climbing on me. Then I let him out and he gets on my shoulder while I fix myself some dinner, share it with him, then do dishes (he LOVES to do dishes with me for some reason). Now he's climbing around on me, too. At 7:30 though, that's cage cleaning + dinner time. After I get the cage cleaned and dinner served I can guarantee he'll clamber in there to eat. So that's my second "break" of the evening. After dinner he may be content to play where he is, or he might want to be with me some more. Depends on both of our moods... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Sounds as i you have a great routine going there Laurie.You have to find a happy medium that suits you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevjoe Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 <br><br>Post edited by: nevjoe, at: 2008/04/09 18:08 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeatherStrella Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 Harrison does the same thing...it's funny to see someone else describe it. I let her hang out by the computer but if she gets between me and the keyboard she goes back to the jungle gym thingy. They say you have to pick 'em up and put 'em back 10,000 times before they learn and even then you'll have to do it one more time ...who is 'they'...I don't know....ha. she's young, she'll get it. You're a good birdy mama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nevjoe Posted April 8, 2008 Share Posted April 8, 2008 <br><br>Post edited by: nevjoe, at: 2008/04/09 18:16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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