a bit nervous about moving...

[jeep21243]

hello all,

 

due to a recent divorce i am having to move out of my home. my Grey Jack is roughly 2.5 years old and very comfortable in the house. I have had him since he was about 6 months and has never been a plucker and for the most part is very well behaved. I can already tell he is getting scared by the boxes that have begun to populate his play areas but he seems to be doing ok. My worry is though that when we move to my new apt things are going to go south.

 

I usually spend anywhere between 3-10 hours with him per day, most of which is hands on time, or he sits with me at my computer desk or watches tv with me, etc... but when i move i am picking up a small part time job. I will still be home on evenings, so he will get at least 3-4 hours outside the cage time every night, and of course on the nights i dont work my second job closer to the 8/9/10 hour line (or more depending on weekends).

 

i was hoping you all might have advice for how i should handle Jack in the new home. He took really well when he was a baby moving in to this house and has never plucked or anything like that, so i hope this move goes well, hes still very young, but any adivce you all might have id love to hear.

 

thanks in advance.

 

~Brent

[Dave007]

Any move can be rough on a parrot. Even moving some birds from one room to another can be a bad experience. On the other hand, everything can be opposite. Try to make the move as non traumatic as you can. If you can keep your bird with you while moving, that's a great plus. When you finally get there, the beginning times for the bird will be a little rough because of a new location, surrounding but if you're there to show support many birds will eventually settle down. If your bird is a talker or the type that likes to constantly make sounds, expect him to stop that for a few days. His daily amount of time out of the cage is fine. When you move let him see as many familiar things as possible like the way the cage has been set up. A cage is a grey's home and should remain looking like it was.

I've moved a few times with more than 1 bird and there were no drastic problems. At first, they were nippy. I never tried to force myself on them. I just let them take their time studying everything and I set no time limits as far as how long this would occur. Normally, the grey will tell you that the transition has been complete and finally accepted. When you get him there, don't put him into the hustle and bustle of things that might distract him from calming down. Try to unpack your boxes a little farther away so he doesn't get rattled. Basically, take it slow and calm. Many people have to move for one reason or another. Another plus is that your bird is still very young. They will accept change much better than older greys that are very set in their ways. Even if he plucks a bit, he;ll stop as soon as things are calm. Greys sometimes pluck because ogf the intensity of things. While you and he are in a new place, constantly talk to him as you did before. Let him be aware of your presence as it used to be. Increase the amount of favorite treats that he likes. Continue your normal relationship with him as it always was. he likes sitting and annoying you at the PC? well, let him continue to do that. Slow, easy and with patience and calmness.

[Sevi]

Hi Brent,

 

I just recently (as in Tuesday) moved my 12 year old grey out of the same house he's been in since he was a baby. I was worried because the house he used to be in was very vibrant- with a Quaker and Dog who make tons of noise and people come and go all day long. My apartment, on the otherhand, is empty for 7 hours a day while my boyfriend and I are at work.

 

So far things have been going surprisingly well, but I'm still nervous when I leave the house. I set up a webcam so I can check in on him from work once in a while and leave the radio on because he loves his music. If you have access to a computer with internet at work and have a webcam at home I highly suggest you give this a try. There is also a free service called Orb (http://www.orb.com), which allows you to stream the camera remotely. It has set my mind at ease immensely. Even though I feel like such a voyeur.

 

Is Jack moving in the same cage? I think this has helped Edison adjust easier since it has given him a base from which to watch any other changes and observe his new environment which is comfortable.

 

Edison is still weary of a few things, especially the new speaker system , but so far each day he has been relaxing more and more. I don't think he slept well the first night, since he ended up sleeping most of the day yesterday.

 

This morning he was as bright and chipper, and seemingly fearless, as he usually is.

 

As far as I can tell from what I've read here on the forum, every grey takes a move differently. And since this is my first move and we're only 2 days in I don't think I can give you a ton of advice but maybe some reassurance.

 

Also, if Jack is used to anywhere between 3-10 hours of attention a day, I would assume on days when he only gets 3-4 hours it would be okay. Since he is used to fluctuations already.

 

Good luck!

It's hard not to be anxious, but Jack will come around even if he's out of sorts for he first little while.

[Tycos_mom]

Good luck with your bird I'm sure things will go wonderfuly mabie if you can try to move him into the apt before you move everything else in Put him in a quiet corner where he can watch the goings on without being bothered to much talk to him when our unpacking and tell him this is his new home show him the things he used to see alot at the old house are at the new house also. reassure him often that your thee too and your not going to leave him. If he see allot of the old things around him and recognises them he will settle allot faster just talk to him as if he were a little'person and he will understand that this is okay moms here all my old stuff is here okay no sweat I can handle this .