CaseynCasper
New member
- Apr 4, 2013
- 20
- 0
- Parrots
- Peaches: 15 y/o Quaker, Casper: 26 y/o Umbrella Cockatoo
Hi Everyone! It's been a while since I've written. So far things are going well here. Casper has settled in well with very few issues.
He has his 4'x3'x6' cage in the small dining area and a smaller sleeping cage in the Orchid room. Sometimes during the day he'll ask to "go night night" and wants to get at a certain toy in his night cage. He spends at least an hour a day on his extra large ring suspended where he can get some sunlight if he desires.
He has a very strict schedule he wants to keep and heaven help if you don't follow protocol. At 7:45pm every evening he wants to go to his night cage. From his first notification I have about ten minutes before he begins screaming about it, which delays the move until he takes a break in the screaming. Once in his night cage he wants it covered and he happily talks to himself and plays with a few toys before he settles in.
Oddly, he isn't strict about the opposite move. I've yet to hear him scream in the morning to go to his big cage. I move him between 7 and 9am, and he gets his breakfast there.
He's recently started showing some preliminary interest in my hand. When he starts wiggling his butt it's time to get off my hand. He comes back and we try again, and if he wiggles off he goes. It looks like this might be a regular issue but in the greater scheme of things, so what.
My poor buddy has no idea how to take a shower or bath, but he'll finally stand on the perch and put his head in the stream of water. He's still iffy about most fresh foods but we're working on it (the skewer doesn't work on him at all.) He has a smorgasbord of toys now, some purchased, many made by me, and he sometimes gets an expression on his face that reminds me of a child's face on Christmas Day.
I have a contact with a small family owned sawmill locally and am getting plenty of raw wood with which to make toys. Casper's favorite is a length of blocks of wood strung on a chain. He should've been named Jaws! He is a committed wood destroyer. I'd hate to think what he'd be doing if he didn't have all that wood to work on.
The patch on his chest that looked to have been mutilated at some point has new feathers!! I'm watching carefully for signs of plucking but so far, so good. I'm hoping the wood chewing and various locations and toys, etc. will prevent future mutilations.
All in all, we're doing great! He doesn't bite, screams only when I tarry getting him to bed, and seems to love being with me. At this point what more could I ask for?
QUESTION:
I've read about the "honeymoon" phase. How long does it last (generally, of course) and what are the signs that it's ending?
Thanks for listening, everyone.
EDIT: I forgot to mention his one weird quirk. He HATES the sound of lawn mowers, diesel engines, any engine noise that is louder or lower pitched than a car or standard truck. Not sure why he hates it so but when the sound appears he screams his head off until the sound goes away. <shrug> Who knows?
He has his 4'x3'x6' cage in the small dining area and a smaller sleeping cage in the Orchid room. Sometimes during the day he'll ask to "go night night" and wants to get at a certain toy in his night cage. He spends at least an hour a day on his extra large ring suspended where he can get some sunlight if he desires.
He has a very strict schedule he wants to keep and heaven help if you don't follow protocol. At 7:45pm every evening he wants to go to his night cage. From his first notification I have about ten minutes before he begins screaming about it, which delays the move until he takes a break in the screaming. Once in his night cage he wants it covered and he happily talks to himself and plays with a few toys before he settles in.
Oddly, he isn't strict about the opposite move. I've yet to hear him scream in the morning to go to his big cage. I move him between 7 and 9am, and he gets his breakfast there.
He's recently started showing some preliminary interest in my hand. When he starts wiggling his butt it's time to get off my hand. He comes back and we try again, and if he wiggles off he goes. It looks like this might be a regular issue but in the greater scheme of things, so what.
My poor buddy has no idea how to take a shower or bath, but he'll finally stand on the perch and put his head in the stream of water. He's still iffy about most fresh foods but we're working on it (the skewer doesn't work on him at all.) He has a smorgasbord of toys now, some purchased, many made by me, and he sometimes gets an expression on his face that reminds me of a child's face on Christmas Day.
I have a contact with a small family owned sawmill locally and am getting plenty of raw wood with which to make toys. Casper's favorite is a length of blocks of wood strung on a chain. He should've been named Jaws! He is a committed wood destroyer. I'd hate to think what he'd be doing if he didn't have all that wood to work on.
The patch on his chest that looked to have been mutilated at some point has new feathers!! I'm watching carefully for signs of plucking but so far, so good. I'm hoping the wood chewing and various locations and toys, etc. will prevent future mutilations.
All in all, we're doing great! He doesn't bite, screams only when I tarry getting him to bed, and seems to love being with me. At this point what more could I ask for?
QUESTION:
I've read about the "honeymoon" phase. How long does it last (generally, of course) and what are the signs that it's ending?
Thanks for listening, everyone.
EDIT: I forgot to mention his one weird quirk. He HATES the sound of lawn mowers, diesel engines, any engine noise that is louder or lower pitched than a car or standard truck. Not sure why he hates it so but when the sound appears he screams his head off until the sound goes away. <shrug> Who knows?
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