hi there

[fagin]

hi there my name is susan and i have an african grey called fagin. fagin is just coming up to six months old. i have never had a parrot before and i am finding it hard and could do with some help. :11: fagin gets up in the morning with paul (my man) and has a shower, paul then takes him down to the kitchen where they have breakfast, paul puts him back in his cage and go's of to work. i get up an hour later and fagin comes with me when i take a bath, we do all the house work together and then i am off to work and fagin go's back to his cage from 11.30 till 5.30. as soon as i get in fagin is back out again and stays out untill paul comes home about 9.00 in the night. when i am off fagin is out of his cage all day and it like haveing a baby as i have to watch his every move. i am feeling very tired and dont seem to have time for anything else in my life. so could any one tell me what there day is like living with a parrot and how do you cope.

 

[Rennagade]

Hi Susan! It really seems as though you don't get ANY "me" time at all! Having birds IS like having children! how big is your cage??? First I'll tell you what my day USED to be like with my previous Alexandrine (RIP Merlin).
I would get up at 6am (because that was when Merlin got up) WE would have breakfast (his a yummy fruit bowl and mine toast), Then WE would go to work (I was lucky enough to work at an animal tourist park so Merlin could come to work with me and sit on my shoulder all day). WE would go home after work and Merlin would hang out on his Playarea for a few hours with me watching him like a hawk in case he would climb down and destoy something (which he would do as soon as i turned my back!) The problem was if I had to do something that could NOT include Merlin he would scream and chuck the most massive wobbly if he was put in his cage before bedtime.

Now I have two Alexandrines and I do thing ALOT differently. First I got Gretchen. I had never had female bird before and was amazed at how independant she was even as a little baby! She would happlily play on her playarea (which is a large bread tray like the bakers use to transport bread) on a stand with branches on it which was pushed up next to her cage. NEVER climbed off or got into anything...just ate her breakfast and played quietly all day while I was at work and then went nicely to bed in the evening. A year later I got Zeus (to keep Gretchen company and alleviate my guilt!) All was good...till Zeus thought the "TOYS" on the other side of the room looked more inviting and went exploring. So I had to invest in an aviary (as their cage is in my opinion only big enough for one Alex so it is just there for bedtime).
Now their routine consists of: up at 6.30am with the sunrise. Breakfast of a mixed fruit bowl out in the aviary (this keeps them busy for a good chunk of the morning...they are little piglets!) where they stay ALL day with their toys and branches, then come in at 5pm (it's winter here) and have about 15 mins playtime with me, then go to bed. In summer they don't go to bed till 6.30pm as the sun sets later. If gretchen wants to go to bed she will grab the blanket on the top of the cage and try to pull it down over the front...it's sooo cute!
At the moment they are both inside in their cage all day as gretchen has laid an egg in the box attached to their cage. They are allowed out today on the playarea next to the cage as I am home to watch them. Zeus is calling alot...worry warting about Gretchen being so much in the box and also wanting to go outside but not too far from gretchen...he's a real sook so he is getting alot of mum time.
I was really worried about leaving them in the cage all day but after great advise from this forum I did it and they are just fine.
The most important thing I learnt from my experience is that you have to have "me" time and it is also important for the bird to be a little bit independant! they need to be able to play on their own for a time while you do the things that need to be done. That is why a secure playarea is such a good idea. They can be on it while you do your housework or potter around and can still see you. they feel like they are still part of the action without having to be ON you! but I guess it depends on how inquisitive/mischevious the bird is. I had to get the outside aviary as we have very limited space inside while our home is being built and the birds are much happier for it! I suppose this depends on where you live and how much space you have.
Also...routine is very important. Up at the same time and bed at the same time....In australia i just follow the patterns of nature and the birds settle as soon as the sun goes down.
So I don't spend as much time with my birds as I used to and initially this worried me however it turned out to be a good thing as they are just as loving and sweet to me, but have more independence and don't stress when I'm not in sight so this in turn is a lot less stressful for me!
I think I would get seperation anxiety when I had Merlin as we spent so much time together. I'm not knocking people for spending all day with their bird on them (they are truly the best of friends) but in my experience, this was bad for both the bird and me in the long run!
good luck and keep us posted on how you remedy your situation with Fagan.We all have differing ways of doing things and I love to hear other's experiences with their birds too!

 

[oled]

Your need "one time" and also Fagin but now he is use to being with you all the time so it will take some time to learn him being on his on. If you dont have the get at perch so he can be around with you but still on his on. Good luck

 

[Autumn]

Hi and welcome!
How I cope and live with them is quite simple, don't treat them as a burden or a kid you have to deal with-takes the fun out of having a parrot. I cope by having buddies spend cage time together, I have a Conure, Cockatiel, and 2 Budgies all in 1 cage enough room for all and play/sun/shower time outside.

 

[mellykyitus]

if fagin is used to being in his cage when you're at work, when you have a day off don't feel bad letting him be in there still. sure he can come out a bit more but you have to have some time to yourself too!

 

[Cowtown]

I understand your feelings... but Parrots are children, they depend on us for everything.
Their nature is to be in a flock and around other birds now you are their flock.
You have to train him. You have to remember Greys are one of the smartest if not the smartest Parrots. They learn fast and they remember everything.
You are going to have to start out slow and be patient. Leave him in his cage a little longer... put him to bed earlier, parrots need 10 to 12 hours of quality sleep time.
Just start out with small changes to get him use to them and then do more.

 

[mtdoramike]

You should have taken this into consideration when you got a parrot, especially an African Grey, which is one of the most sensitive birds in the parrot world. You literally have to consider them as a 3-4 year old child. You think your tired now, try adding a baby into the mix or better yet 2-3 children. You haven't had your bird long enough to figure out BALANCE.

Mothers figure this out as they go along because without figuring out the right balance between play time, feeding time, nurturing time and then ME TIME they would go crazy. But you will figure it out as you go along. Just try not to spoil your bird in the beginning. But if your off, I wouldn't leave him stuck in the cage either. It reminds me of parents, who keep their kids in day care all week and then if they get a day off, they want to put their kids in day care so they can have some me time rather than taking the time to bond with their child (it's called being a parent).