I'm really torn....

[crimson]

As some of you know, I took my cousins Black Winged Jardine(Willow)in the summer.
We had originally thought she would be in the bedroom along with my other pets.
that way she could be out most of the day, providing she got along with my other birds.
well, it never got that far, not even for the first hour she was here, because she wanted to be near us(she would scream at the tops of her lungs)

we set her up in our eating area,which is off our kitchen, and is the centre of our house, she can see me in three rooms....which is great....no more screaming.

here is my dilemma~
we own 4 cats and 2 dogs, when we try and bring Willow out, we have to round up all 4 cats to put them away. this can take up to *half an hour* EACH TIME. we have a large house and they can be anywhere.
the cats can only tolerate being cooped up together in a room for maybe a few hours, then they start fighting....just what I need
the dogs are no problem, we just crate them or put them outside.

I am really frustrated by this, all of my birds are out most of the day, except for poor Willow. I am bringing her out less and less because it's a real challenge to find the stupid cats.

I was considering putting her back into the bedroom and see how it goes, since she is nicely settled in now, and has been here for 6 months, she just may not scream like she did when she first arrived.

My biggest concern is a) all of my birds are super friendly, will no doubt land on top of Willows cage to great her....thus possibly loosing some toes....which I can't have. I can place a blanket on the top part of her cage, but I really don't know at this point if that would stress her out.

the *other* issue is if she is out of her cage, she is likely to crawl onto my other birds cages, probably wanting to bite their toes, and stress them out
it's a no win situation....or maybe it would work?
Safari was awesome with all of my birds, but it did take work.
my birds are very quick flyers, where Willow is s l o w ..... and would more than likely have her wings clipped for safety reasons....she tends to fly directly into windows and patio doors....ugggg.

what do you all think?? I want her out more, I know she deserves it, and you get out what you put into a relationship.

I think she would LOVE our bedroom, I'm in there quite a bit, cleaning etc....daily....all my birds love it in there, and are all very happy. It's brightly lit, plenty of room, with lots of bird chatter, and free flight.

idk....any suggestions?....I'm really at a loss.

for me, I just can't see her staying in that cage much longer, and may consider re-homing her if I can't find a solution...of course that is a LAST resort!!!!!

 

[DallyTsuka]

well, instead of a blanket, why not try a clear acrylic sheet for the top of her cage? protects toes, and its clear so it might not stress her out. you can get some at home depot


you can get it for all of your cage tops. its relatively inexpensive and comes in many sizes.


having multiple pets is difficult, its always a juggle. i have 4 cats too and we do the same thing you do--round them all up and put them in a separate room. our cats are used to it so dont fuss over it as much.

 

[Captsteve]

I would give it another try. Maybe for a few minutes and make it a bit longer each day (Putting the cage in there) I would also try to find a piece of clear plexiglass to put on top of her cage to avoid the toe issue.

Once she gets used to being in there she will most likely love it. But it's change to her so try the slow approach and see if see accepts it. Then you can try the slow approach on letting her out in there...

Hope this works out for you. I know you want happy birds!!!:64:

 

[thekarens]

Do your dogs and cats actively seek her out? We have 5 dogs and 2 cats and have no problem having Sammie (our sennie) out with them in the evening while we're watching tv or whatever. Could you let willow out when you're in those rooms without locking the others up or are they hunters?

 

[MomtoPercy]

I'm not experienced enough as a parront to offerconcrete guidance but I would suggest you give moving her to your room another try. Will your cats attack her if they were out and about together?

 

[crimson]

Do your dogs and cats actively seek her out? We have 5 dogs and 2 cats and have no problem having Sammie (our sennie) out with them in the evening while we're watching tv or whatever. Could you let willow out when you're in those rooms without locking the others up or are they hunters?

two of my cats probably wouldn't care, the other two, well Willow would be lunch.
I wouldn't trust my dogs around them either, both are hunting dogs, and very prey driven.

 

[GaryBV]

Well it doesn't really sound like you have any good solutions considering your dog and cats are not to be trusted about the birds, other than to try putting Willow back into your bedroom with the other birds and cover the top. I guess if that doen't work, then you have a very hard decision to come too, and you already know what that is. This is one of those rare times I get a bit envious of our Aussie and South African friends, they often can come up with an outside solution that we just don't have available to us. Imagine being able to have an outside aviary large enough for flight as well as shelter!

 

[crimson]

Well it doesn't really sound like you have any good solutions considering your dog and cats are not to be trusted about the birds, other than to try putting Willow back into your bedroom with the other birds and cover the top. I guess if that doen't work, then you have a very hard decision to come too, and you already know what that is. This is one of those rare times I get a bit envious of our Aussie and South African friends, they often can come up with an outside solution that we just don't have available to us. Imagine being able to have an outside aviary large enough for flight as well as shelter!

oh yes, that would be wonderful....it would be perfect for an outdoor aviary, but that would require $$$$$$, maybe one day.....

I have put her in the bedroom, she is currently listening to all the chatter and seems quite at ease with it all....I have temporarily covered just the top part of her cage, until I get to Home Depot.

now if only Halo(my resident lovebird greeter) would stay off of her cage.....do they make little tennis shoes for birds???

 

[crimson]

scream, scream, scream....I want my mommy!!
you want your mommy Willow, I need a *drink*!

 

[GaryBV]

Well lets hope she adjusts and settles down

 

[Mayden]

Could you not take her in there for 'playtime' and keep the cats/dogs out of the bedroom?

Or am I missing something obvious? :/

 

[MikeyTN]

Beth,

Why don't you bring Willow out while holding her and don't let go....bring her in another room to spend some time alone with her. Some birds will never play nice with one another and there isn't much you can do about it. :/

 

[crimson]

@ Cat, no your not missing anything obvious, our bedroom is a haven for my flock.the doors are always kept closed so they are safely tucked away from my menagerie.

@mikey, she is the type of bird at any given time and with little warning, she will drill you with a bite, which in the back of my mind makes me skeptical holding her.on her own terms(just like Safari was)she will step up nice and pretty, but god forbid you should blink the wrong way, and wham! you get drilled with a bite.
my daughters bedroom is full of cages and guinea pigs, so that room is out, and my husbands office is off limits....so I'm out of rooms...

the *entire* time she was in the bedroom today she screamed. EVERY 5 SECONDS
.....BAAAHHHHH!.....another 5 seconds....BAAAAHHHHH!....well you get the point....this went on for 2 hours....everytime I go into the bedroom, she got quiet and was her usual charming self....as soon as I go to leave, she'd start up again....
.....so I brought her back out into the eating area....sigh.....and she was VERY HAPPY!!!....silly girl.
and back to square one.... idk...this is very disheartening.

 

[SpotsandSally]

Why don't you just have scheduled play times in the bird room? That way you don't need to lock up cats, and you can make sure she's safe. Perhaps in the morning before everyone else is out? Or see how she interacts with them. Sounds like she just wants you, and doesn't seem like she has any obvious aggression issues towards birds. May be wrong.

 

[Pinkbirdy]

You need the "Property Brothers" [just kidding ] my million birds are in a double living room [that I can block off]. Is their anyway you can look at your house and make another bird room ? [like rearrange things] Im such a "Bird Person" my family accepts that the birds are as Important as them

 

[GaryBV]

I guess if it was me Beth I'd of let her scream her head off for today, and just took an aspirin lol - but it seems like when you brought her back into where you were, that she 'won,' and that would on reinforce her behavior don't you think? This is not a problem I've ever had, plus my birds are small so they physically can't be as loud as Willow. But I have trained dogs, and my cat, and generally I'm firm and eventually they get what I'm trying to impart to them. You are a very experienced pet owner though - could it be you just have a soft spot for Willow or you just don't have the patience?

 

[crimson]

Why don't you just have scheduled play times in the bird room? That way you don't need to lock up cats, and you can make sure she's safe. Perhaps in the morning before everyone else is out? Or see how she interacts with them. Sounds like she just wants you, and doesn't seem like she has any obvious aggression issues towards birds. May be wrong.

well that might work, but I still have to figure out how to get her from point A to B, without my cats around. I'd still have to handle her, and probably be at the receiving end of a nasty bite.
Poi's are super temperamental, but I've got some very good suggestions, and may take one here and there and combine them somehow.....one way or another I will figure this out....but you came up with a good one.
your right, all she wants is me, no one else, which is great, but she still does not trust me yet enough for me to just walk with her, even if it is just 10 feet away.

 

[SpotsandSally]

Do you have a budgie cage that you could set her in, walk her to your room, then take her out?

Or, grab her, and put a light towel on her? Do you think she'd freak or freeze?

Or, hold her feet (with gloves on....)?

Or, hold her to your chest?

Or, have 2 shirts on and let her climb up in between them (she might find that terrifying though)?

 

[Lintini]

Dang what a dilemma! I can't even imagine trying to round up all 4 cats....my mom loves to use the saying that getting our family to go anywhere is like "herding cats." lol. Would it help to hold her and stay in there with her? I like the clear plastic on top of the cage idea. My CAG Chloe would love to bite toes too and I have to be careful since Rio used to live with a very nice CAG and I don't want him mistaking Chloe for the sweet CAG that he used to play with. It's too bad I don't live closer or I could have my dad or fiance build you an aviary. The one my dad built is really awesome, well he's built two now for each house we've lived in. My mom used to breed cockatiels and parakeets. I do miss my finches My dad being in construction has access to lots of wood that is scrapped and we have so much around the house from home depot its ridiculous. Its like our garage is mini home depot. Although I must say he is a professional guinea pig house constructor over the past years....poor dad lol!!!! I'll be thinking of some ideas for you tonight. xx

 

[Lintini]

I kid you not, its been an hour and my pcc Petri landed on her cage with me in the room and she bit his toe. I am covered in blood and I am on the way to the vets. I SHOULDN'T HAVE SAID ANYTHING OMGgggggggggg. It's like karma!!!!!!!