GCC does nothing.

[lexx510]

I really appreciate your effort and devotion to her, Icicis. How much time would you say you spend with her on average? If two hours per day is an absolute minimum, then I'm not sure if giving her up would be the best option. You clearly love and care her a great deal. She's lucky to have you! There are a lot of parrot owners on this forum who live alone (so no family to leave birds with during the day), for example, and their birds do just fine (granted they receive plenty of attention, have plenty of toys and a big enough cage). Was her behavior change sudden? Could there be a medical reason? Has she had a vet check up?

 

[Icicis]

Haha thanks

Ya I like it here everyone gives very valuable help and information

 

[Spiritbird]

Were you able to get your parents to read this thread??

 

[Icicis]

No, we're busy camping, I'm going to try and get on their good side first,
Then I'll try asking my mom when we go and pick Icicis up

She just had a vet visit last week because I thought that may be the problem. But she is fine, I even had them take blood tests and that wasn't the cheapest thing!
The results came back fine, she is perfectly healthy.

I know it's the depression. It has to be.
I usually spend around 4-6 hours a day with her either her outside her cage/training/ inside the cage just hanging out with her.

 

[Didomum]

Thank you all for the AMAZING responses

They don't allow her downstairs because it wrecks te "look" of the house.
It irritates me so much that she can't be down there. Showing them this thread will hopefully educate them.

I'm always talking about how we are her flock, and she has to be always near us, but they think I've lost it or something :/

I want what is best for her.
I NEED her to be downstairs!!!

Ok all I can say as once being a designer is that bird and the cage can be in corrperated in to most designs I have done it. So that not a good reason for them not to allow the bird in to the main living area. Have your promised to make shore all mess will be kept down and that will will be responsible for all the care and cleaning? (but remember you have to keep to your promise) Ask them if you can have a trail period, to see how it goes. Talk to other family members see who you can get on your side. When you first got the bird was the placement of the cage talked about then? Good luck to both of you. Sounds like he need to be around the family.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

I wouldn't give her to someone else. When you have her out do you do mentally stimulating activities like trick training? I would try to do that for at least 15 minutes a day. Use a clicker and teach her things like wave and spin(and many more). I keep my Galah cockatoo in my room and she's a very happy bird, although I don't think many birds could cope with it like she can.

 

[Icicis]

I do tricker training yes, though lately she hasn't really been in the mood to do it.

She can spin and do bat bird. She is a smart one that's for sure

 

[lexx510]

Is she depressed only when inside of her cage? What's she like when you're handling her? How do you spend your time with her?

 

[Icicis]

Oh she loves hanging out on the top of the cage, she sings , preens and jumps around
It's the same when she is out with me.

Usually I'm doing laundry or just chilling watching tv and she snuggles under my hair <3
Any way I can get her out with me I try.

It's confusing though she is happy with me, but as soon as she is in the cage it changes almost immediately :/

 

[SpringCottageParrot]

Hi
Our blue fronted Amazon spends quite a bit of time sleeping during the day, as well as the twelve hours he gets at night, even if we are with him in the room. I don't know if this is normal but he is bright and lively when he wants to be. He did come from the house of some very old people so he didn't get any interaction there.
We take the toys he is not playing with out of the cage and put some different ones in to keep him interested. Put them back a couple of weeks later.

When we go out and leave him we leave him a wildlife DVD playing, we have one about birds so Casper has become good at goose and seagull calls. He gets quite excited by the flock scenes.

 

[Icicis]

I should try that! Thanks very much!
I'll go see if I can download a bird song track from iTunes or something!

 

[amysaviary]

Keeping the cage interesting is a big thing. Change and move toys around. Take toys out then a few weeks later bring the old toys back. To her they r new again! I rotate toys weekly. Also give her foraging opportunities, make her work for her food that might help. Birds in the wild have to forage for their food it is not sitting in a bowl. Also giving her fun new food to try in her cage that can perk her up maybe. She might be bored in her cage with out people but u can make her cage more fun for her.

 

[Icicis]

I think I'm going to go and buy one of those foraging toys, I've always tried to make them because they are really expensive!

Anything for the birds though

 

[Icicis]

Im going to talk to my mom on the way back from picking Icicis up!

wish me luck!

 

[lene1949]

Just wondering.... Were your parent agreeable, when you acquired this bird?

 

[lexx510]

Good luck!

 

[Icicis]

They did not say anything about her not being able to go downstairs.

So, I talked to my mom,(well argued actually) for a good hour on why she NEEDS to be downstairs. She doesn't see the point. She said I could bring her downstaiirs to interact with the family in her small travel cage. It is a compromise but the cage is small and she does not like it very much. She doesn't want the main focus point in her house to be a bird cage. It really is a terrible excuse really. I'm so upset. But I'm not giving up. I am going to keep asking, no matter how long it takes for her to crack and say yes.

 

[tlouiselle]

What if you had a cage a little larger than her travel cage that stays out of sight in a closet and can be brought out when she is down there with you. That way it can be put away and is not as "permanent" as a large cage and can be removed ?

Is she clipped? if she doesn't fly around what about a little play stand that you can move from room to room with you?

I love these Java stands. They look neat and have hooks for toys:

Java Wood Table Top Bird Play Stand - Petfood.com

They are more natural looking and less of an eye sore as the bright colored ones.

 

[Icicis]

She is clipped yes, and I do have a stand, but she loves to fly whenever she sees someone, so I'm nervous about her flying out the door or something even though she is clipped

I'm going to start searching for a larger cage she can come downstairs in on kijiji

The one I have right now is 17Lx25Hx13D
I would like a much bigger one obviously

 

[DebsFlock]

I'm going to come at this from a slightly different perspective. I don't think it is necessarily so bad that she only gets two hours a day out -- that's not so terribly bad. Two hours of quality time is more than many birds ever get. And for working people, that may be all they can spare during a busy workweek. Some birds do OK with that. And if you can carry her around with you more of the time, have her on your shoulder to watch TV, so much the better. If she's quiet when you aren't with her, but is happy and active when you are with her, and if she is eating well, isn't screaming and isn't plucking, she may just be a quieter than average GCC. She may not be that unhappy.

The larger cage for coming downstairs sounds good. Maybe a more portable playstand you can carry up and down? If she's properly clipped, she should not be able to get out an open door unless you are quite close to it, maybe she needs a hair more trim. Not so she drops like a rock, but so that she can't get from one room to the next.

As a last resort, you could get a second bird (in a second cage) so she has some companionship.