Chillie the Green Cheek Conure advice

[retronut]

hello

i've had chillie for a day now and she seems to be settling in well. shes eating (loads :52 and drinking and chats away happily. i do have some things id like some opinions of if possible please.

about bed time. im currently off work so as i went to bed yesterday i covered up chillie, she called out but once the light went off she settled until morning. when im at work i do 6am til 2pm. i know parrots should get around 12 hours sleep. what time do you cover your birds? i go to bed around 9pmish while working. do you think covering her up then and shutting the door to her room would be ok?

the next thing id like to ask is about noise. chillie is 11 months old and has lived with her original family since being hand raised. they sold her to me because their other gcc bobby was attacking her and things were getting nasty. she obviously misses them, poor thing. she needs to learn my routine. what id like to know is when she calls out should i respond? the cries are short sharp burst of noise. i know you're supposed to ignore unwanted behavior but are these just 'are you there?' calls or 'give me attention!' calls, i hope that made sense lol!

final thing for today, can i let her out? she is used to being out a lot, said her original owner. im worried she wont go back in her cage as she may not think its her home yet. the cage was mine and is new to her. when the man brought her to my house she stepped up on him and he placed her in the cage. she's taken a few treats from me and had a nibble of my finger but backs off if i push it. she does come right up close and holds onto the front of the cage tho when you're watching her.

thanks everyone, hope thats enough to keep you busy . many thanks for the welcome!

 

[Von1983]

heh, she sounds like she's settling in well.

What here's what I did with Cal when I got her just over 5 weeks ago.....I'd like to stress I'm no expert but this did all work for us.

We go to bed around 8.30pm usually (sad, I know, but 4am starts every single morning) I generally cover Cal at night and wake her in the morning around 9.30-10am - purely because any time before that I discovered I get one grrruuummmpy madam! If it's dark at 6am though, you could probably get away with sneaking the cover off because the house will be quiet once you've gone anyway. If not I'd suggest putting her cage in an unused room that can be darkened when you go to bed so that while you're at work, she can wake up when she likes and not be covered.

Cal can be a shouter but I taught her "no shout" when she uses the conure call for no apparent reason lol. When I do housework, I take her upstairs so she can spend time with me ironing in the lounge etc. When I go out the room to get something she always calls. If it's a scream I ignore it. If it's a quieter "where are you?" I say: Here I am, be one minute. As a result I can now leave a room and say "be one minute" and she doesn't call at all.

I let Cal settle in for about 5 days before I let her out because she came from an aviary. I'd advise you parrot proof the room IE: put away cables, cover windows and mirrors and generally make sure there's nothing lying around she can get hurt from. For example, I have a lamp that has metal on it. I put that in a cupboard juuuust in case. Make sure you have all the time in the world to observe her and catch her to put her home etc. Don't do it just before bed or work or anything because a stressed you is a worried birdy!

The most golden rule Cal has taught me and I cannot stress enough is you must listen to your bird. Cal is SO good at teaching me right and what she loves best. Let Chilli do the same and you won't go far wrong.

 

[Spiritbird]

Ver good suggestions from Von. All parrots will call out to the flock and it is ok to answer them. They are asking things like "am I safe, are you ok". As far as letting her out of the cage goes I think once you feel confident she is comfortable as judged by body language you could open the door and see what happens. Are the wings clipped? If not you will need to take precautions with the windows and mirrors. Don't forget to get that baseline exam by an avain vet in the coming weeks. It sounds like you are off to a good start.

 

[Vivica]

I always call out to my bird, and if he does rampant screaming, I just let him be. I don't even look over my shoulder. The only time i'll reinforce that behavior is when Wrnts sees us coming home... flock greeting time.

 

[Bobby34231]

Nothing really to add other than great advise from the above members