Flying Caiques

[Jcusano]

My two BHC boys are flying, and doing great!! I've, for the most part, been able to keep them off from things like the TV, hanging lamps, etc. by the nasty feather duster (I know, negative reinforcement not great, but they learned very quickly). My problem now is that I work from home, and they are out of their cage all day. They have decided their new favorite landing spot is me. I was cool with this at first. They were running around the table, paying with foot toys, but now they are SO fast to run across my laptop, AKA losing my work, and ripping keys off off, AKA I have already replaced it three times.
I don't want to discourage them from being on me, just being on me while I'm at my desk working.

Any suggestions?


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[GaleriaGila]

I sincerely wish you luck. They sound adorable. I have little to no control over my bird's landing spaces.
If the ol' feather-duster doesn't get the message through, you might have to just cage them. Hmmmm... can you put them in the cage as a consequence for naughty landings? Wouldn't work for me... I can't catch him!
I have to toss a chile into the cage. If that ever stops working, I have no idea what I'll do.

 

[Jcusano]

I sincerely wish you luck. They sound adorable. I have little to no control over my bird's landing spaces.
If the ol' feather-duster doesn't get the message through, you might have to just cage them. Hmmmm... can you put them in the cage as a consequence for naughty landings? Wouldn't work for me... I can't catch him!
I have to toss a chile into the cage. If that ever stops working, I have no idea what I'll do.

LOL - I totally understand about catching the little darlings
I do occasionally cage them if I'm on a tight deadline and really need 100% focus - but then the ole guilt kicks in. I've done the feather duster trick when they are on me, but then they get a little skittish coming to me - ugh. But, for the most part they go to their tree when I say off, but someday they are just stubborn.


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[AmyMyBlueFront]

My two BHC boys are flying, and doing great!! I've, for the most part, been able to keep them off from things like the TV, hanging lamps, etc. by the nasty feather duster (I know, negative reinforcement not great, but they learned very quickly). My problem now is that I work from home, and they are out of their cage all day. They have decided their new favorite landing spot is me. I was cool with this at first. They were running around the table, paying with foot toys, but now they are SO fast to run across my laptop, AKA losing my work, and ripping keys off off, AKA I have already replaced it three times.
I don't want to discourage them from being on me, just being on me while I'm at my desk working.

Any suggestions?


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LOL when you figure something out, PLEASE let me know!

BB the tiel is obsessed with my desk and/or anything on it..and my shoulder..and my ear lobe...and and and.. He's not quite capable of pulling the keys off,but that doesn't mean he doesn't try...and he just LOVES to run across them making all my hard work look something like !@#$%VVbyufv __08e%^.k<<! sigh...and he doesn't give up.

But its all MY fault I thought it was "cute" when he was a little tyke,now I'm paying for it.


Jim

 

[Loko]

I feel the same as you, I hate caging and Loco lives cage free. If I am ever doing something and need him to not be on me I usually just put some fruit on top of his cage or by his playstand and if he flies to me, its okay, but if he starts messing around I just gently shoe him off or have him step up and tell him to fly back to the stand. He learns pretty quickly that if he wants to sit on me he has to just chill and not be playing around if Im doing something important after getting shoed away a few times. That or just close the door in the room youre in so they can fly around and have fun in another room.

 

[wrench13]

For your keyboard, how about a plexiglass 'hood' , with enough room for your hands to type and not much else. Easy to make - just get a piece of plexi from Home Depot, heat it with propane torch and bend it.

Salty, thank the bird gods, likes to perch on the top of the monitor and observe only. LOL, with my tablets touch screen, his little toes are enough to freeze the screen

 

[Jcusano]

For your keyboard, how about a plexiglass 'hood' , with enough room for your hands to type and not much else. Easy to make - just get a piece of plexi from Home Depot, heat it with propane torch and bend it.

Salty, thank the bird gods, likes to perch on the top of the monitor and observe only. LOL, with my tablets touch screen, his little toes are enough to freeze the screen

why, why, why.......I left for 15 minutes without closing my laptop and they just destroyed keyboard number 4 - my own fault (now that calmed down ). They took a check out of my iPad Pro - but just the cover over the iPad thank goodness, and did a good jump on my USB-c to lightening cable. It's funny now, not su much when it happened


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[Puck]

Yikes, this is a tough one! If Lucille lands anywhere near my laptop, I immediately cage her and ignore her totally. But since this is already habit with your guys, I am not sure how you're going to retrain that behavior. They may be "jealous" of the computer since it's getting more attention than they are at that moment or they may think it's just a super cool toy, but either way, it's a hard one to change! Can you move where your main work station is (different table or something) and immediately start training them that if they enter that area they go to their cage and get totally ignored?

 

[Jcusano]

Yikes, this is a tough one! If Lucille lands anywhere near my laptop, I immediately cage her and ignore her totally. But since this is already habit with your guys, I am not sure how you're going to retrain that behavior. They may be "jealous" of the computer since it's getting more attention than they are at that moment or they may think it's just a super cool toy, but either way, it's a hard one to change! Can you move where your main work station is (different table or something) and immediately start training them that if they enter that area they go to their cage and get totally ignored?

I live in an apartment with pretty much an open structure so not that's really not an option. I guess it's going to be back to basics 101 and just be consistent with them and start using the cage as a time out. They are just too freaking cute to be mad at for too long - they are in the terrible twos - ugh



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[khaiqha]

I keep a playgym with new toys on it (i rotate them) next to my computer when I work. I keep placing my bird on it while I work. Eventually he gives up and is content to be on the gym next to me playing with toys while I work.

 

[JBassset]

Have you looked into mechanical keyboards? The keys are actually just "caps" that pop off so you can swap them out. At least that way they don't ruin the keyboard.

Also, maybe, since it seems you have a few spares, setup a decoy keyboard? Or maybe don't since that might encourage them.

 

[BruceTheQuail]

I'd trim their wings a little. I can appreciate that we dont really like to, but the birds behave better when they can fly a bit but arent in control. With most of ours I work on the basis that it is OK if they can fly pretty much in a straight line, but when they start zipping around and swooping in and ducking and weaving, it is time for a trim.

That said, I havent done it for a while and our male eckie in particular (who we didnt trim to give him confidence because he was a bit of a slow developer) has developed a habit of flying in and out of the house from our enclosed patio, and circling us especially at breakfast.

 

[Irishj9]

They have decided their new favorite landing spot is me. I was cool with this at first. They were running around the table, paying with foot toys, but now they are SO fast to run across my laptop, AKA losing my work, and ripping keys off off, AKA I have already replaced it three times.
I don't want to discourage them from being on me, just being on me while I'm at my desk working.

Any suggestions?


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Yes. Wood branches that they can sit and destroy. I use bottlebrush.

They only want your keyboard because you sit up and shout in that funny voice and give them your FULL attention when they intervene.

J

 

[plumsmum2005]

I would say introduce routines and when you are working and need to concentrate they are caged. Ensure there have plenty to do, foraging, play things etc. Have a break and then give them your full attention. Remember that it only takes a bird to chew a live cable for something terrible to happen.

 

[Harlequin40]

Why not just put them in the cage when you need to do some work?...then get a flat key board. Uses pressure and not buttons.

 

[texsize]

A docking station for your laptop would be my suggestion. It might be a bit expensive but cheaper than trying to repair your laptop keyboard.

My cockatiels will remove keys off my laptop faster that I can get up and stop them. Then they fly off with it and drop it in some random spot so I now what you are going through. I just limit my cockatiels out time.
Good luck
texsize