Accidentally Hurting Nash! :(

[savannah78754]

So Nash is flighted, as of recently, and has decided that he likes to fly into my guinea pigs cage.. It is a very large 2x6 foot cage with no top ( even if it had a top he can fit through the bars ) and Nash likes to go over there to investigate.

He stays in my room because my siblings are not a fan of him, and will occasionally go downstairs with me maybe 3 times a week.. He HAS to stay in my room because my dad works from home and is on business calls a lot, making the scream of a parrot too much to bare. There are no other rooms where his cage would even fit, so there's no way I could move the guinea pigs either..

I try to entertain him with treats and kisses, which usually works, but recently he has been up to no good and will go to all lengths to go hang out with the guinea pigs. I, of course, have to go and get him out of there as fast as possible so no party gets hurt but I don't know how to stop this behavior and believe me even millet won't make him stay..

A few times in the past day or so he has flown in there and landed very near a guinea pig so I actually have to GRAB him before he or they try to attack and this freaks him out a lot.. He has been aggressive towards my hands since I've had to do that and now he just doesn't act the same with me.. I feel so horrible and if there was enough time to just ask him to step up I would do it but it's very serious and even though neither of them have done anything I would never ever take the chance.. I can't move either animal(s) out of the room because there's no where else to go!

I've had the pigs for 4 years now and Nash for only 7 months and I wouldn't dream of giving either of them up but I am terrified that that's what it's going to come down to.. If you have any advice I would love to hear it..

 

[JerseyWendy]

Oh goodness, this is a SERIOUS dilemma. I would highly encourage you to find a way to cover your guinea pigs enclosure. It may only take a single bite from one of your piggies to send Nash straight to the ER.

He's curious, of course, that's in a bird's nature, unfortunately.

He may temporarily be a bit miffed that you had to physically remove him from there, but I truly believe he'll get over that soon enough.

It's just VERY important that he cannot access the inside of their cage! He could even get injured if he clung to their cage from the outside, and heaven forbid one of your piggies bites him out of sheer fear.

You said they're all located in your room. Well, the piggies are certainly quieter than Nash, so is it possible to find a different room for them?

 

[Mimsy01]

I have rats and they can not mingle with the birds. They would most likely bite them and they them. I keep them on one side of my room with a sliding curtain to discourage birds from going back there while they are out. The rat cages are completely enclosed though and birds could not get in, I'm just afraid of birds even standing on their cages and getting their feet bit.

I also have a rabbit, which I would of thought gp's are similar to, but I've never had a gp so I don't know. Anyways our bunny has free range of the house as well as the birds and they never make any moves to injure each other. It's not uncommon for me to try and use the restroom and have the birds and the bunny all at the door trying to get in and peaking under the door.

 

[savannah78754]

This is what the guinea pig cage looks like..

I have thought of somehow covering it, but I don't even know where to begin.. He can get in the sides too if he wanted the holes are huge, and guinea pigs need good ventilation. We have a house, so usually space wouldn't be a problem but we also have dogs so I think if the pigs went downstairs that they would try to hurt them or something.. They also smell to high heaven so my dad won't allow them to be downstairs in a million years..

I know that birds and other animals CAN get along, but I would never take the chance.. Our avian vet that Nash goes to is so expensive as it is just for a check up, it would be crazy expensive if he was hurt, and also I would never ever forgive myself.. This is a really difficult situation! I don't want to give the piggies up!

 

[JerseyWendy]

That is THE coolest piggy enclosure I have EVER seen!!!! :heart: SWEEEEET!!! (Sorry, couldn't hide my excitement here) WOW, they are living in heaven! Please..PLEASE share more pics of your little piggies!

Yeah, I can see that it's really next to impossible to cover them up. :11:

I will suggest something (and will then run and hide as I'm sure my head will get ripped off): Have you considered giving Nash a light clip, to see what will happen then? You said he just flighted as of recently....how did it go BEFORE he found his wings?

I know how much you love your Nash, and I would hate for you having to give up anyone.

 

[Mimsy01]

a curtain on the side of the room can work. Make it right up against the ceiling so there is no going over it. Where the curtain meets the walls you can add a magnetized strip to the curtain and wall so it's secure there. My birds have never tried to go under. If they did I'd probably have to do a magnetized strip there too.

 

[savannah78754]

That's a really good idea Mimsy! I think I will try that next.. I hope I don't ruin the ceiling though! I really like that idea though so the piggies can feel more safe and I can still let them have daylight when Nash is up..

Nash was clipped his entire life before I got him and only starter to molt 6 months after I got him.. he's about 11 months old now so I have had to teach him to fly. He only has 6 flight feathers ( 4 on the left and 2 on the right ) he is not a very good flier but he can definately fly the length of my small bedroom.. I wouldn't want to clip him any because I know that it is very beneficial to him, his health, and his confidence that he can fly and I have been waiting so long for him to finally do it.. I would rather exhaust every other solution before that ( nothing against your comment at all and i understand how situational clipping can be better for a bird sometimes ) but if there is any way I can solve this without clipping I really want to try..

I will try that sheet method and see if it works and keep you posted!

P.S. pictures of piggies are coming shorty be on the lookout

 

[plumsmum2005]

So Nash is flighted, as of recently, and has decided that he likes to fly into my guinea pigs cage.. It is a very large 2x6 foot cage with no top ( even if it had a top he can fit through the bars ) and Nash likes to go over there to investigate.

He stays in my room because my siblings are not a fan of him, and will occasionally go downstairs with me maybe 3 times a week.. He HAS to stay in my room because my dad works from home and is on business calls a lot, making the scream of a parrot too much to bare. There are no other rooms where his cage would even fit, so there's no way I could move the guinea pigs either..

I try to entertain him with treats and kisses, which usually works, but recently he has been up to no good and will go to all lengths to go hang out with the guinea pigs. I, of course, have to go and get him out of there as fast as possible so no party gets hurt but I don't know how to stop this behavior and believe me even millet won't make him stay..

A few times in the past day or so he has flown in there and landed very near a guinea pig so I actually have to GRAB him before he or they try to attack and this freaks him out a lot.. He has been aggressive towards my hands since I've had to do that and now he just doesn't act the same with me.. I feel so horrible and if there was enough time to just ask him to step up I would do it but it's very serious and even though neither of them have done anything I would never ever take the chance.. I can't move either animal(s) out of the room because there's no where else to go!

I've had the pigs for 4 years now and Nash for only 7 months and I wouldn't dream of giving either of them up but I am terrified that that's what it's going to come down to.. If you have any advice I would love to hear it..

Hi I was wondering if Nash is doing this because he's a little bored and so goes looking for mischief? Do you think he might be receptive to a little training such as 'put the ball in the cup', perhaps a couple of simple tricks etc to give him some focus? If you give him some dedicated training with treats time each day and then go for cuddle time? Please tell me honestly what you think? Yes please to more pics of the piggies!

 

[Mallory]

I'm someone who at various points has owned or temporarily sheltered cats, ferrets, birds from finches to my amazon, snakes, a husky with an intense prey drive and arachnids with varying levels of venom including some very significant to humans. I had to make a lot of changes because many of these animals coexisted and obviously had to be mostly kept separate. I also made one mistake at one point and lost a cat who was very dear to us. It was a split second mistake and that's all it took.

While I do not have any cats or ferrets in my house anymore, my birds do not get along and are dangerous to each other. So we clip. I think flighted birds are wonderful and would love to let them have flight for the mental and exercise benefits...but I also realize that one small mistake and Eva has maimed Koda or Greenleaf has killed Eva. Clipped, they are easy to manage and keep separate and if there is a conflict, they cannot end up somewhere I can't get to them.

I think the curtain idea is great. I also think you should have a roof on the guinea pig enclosure or even find a way to move the guinea pigs or build an enclosure your lovebird cannot get into. Honestly, even him climbing on bars he can't slip through makes his legs vulnerable to the guinea pigs and also will not stop him from harassing the pigs through the bars. While guinea pigs don't seem too likely to attack, I wouldn't trust the two species to be around each other unless you can closely supervise and are very confident about their personalities. Some male guinea pigs I have met have been relatively territorial and I do not know how a pig would react to a small bird but they certainly could do damage. Is there somewhere else in the house the guinea pigs can live? I also think wing clipping is a fair compromise if you cannot otherwise separate them. Maybe an unflighted bird isn't ideal but not all households and situations are right for flighted parrots and if flight risks the health and life of the bird, it's not worth it. Just food for thought.