Milestones

[strudel]

I bought a new(ish) bird stand for my galah. I parked it in the kitchen today and she sat on the perch all the time I was trying to clean up the hell-hole-formerly-known-as-a-kitchen. She didn't climb down (or try to). In my room, she climbs off her little playstand and comes over to me. Maybe because I was further away or she couldn't see a path to get to me, or I have no idea, anyway, it was so good that I could have her just with me AND do things that didn't involve her climbing all over me. It'll be interesting to see whether she'll stay on it in my room (when I make some room so I can get it in here). I hope so, because then she won't need to go back to her cage when I need to get stuff done.

 

[Betrisher]

Great news about your weiros, strudel! Isn't it just the best feeling when you get a response like that - especially when you're not really expecting it. The really nice thing is that it's you who tamed your bird to this point. It's you he trusts in. Great work!

Please don't think this is a little milestone either. Every bit of progress is a huge milestone when it comes to birds, especially the ones who weren't tame from babyhood. It's people like you who can give really valuable advice to others starting off with a not-hand-tame bird.

Do you have pics of the playstands you have for your cocky? We got a round tray type of one with a T-stand on it for Dom, but he can't manage to pull himself up the central pole to get up or down. I've wrapped it in vet-wrap, but he won't even try.

He asks to be carried to the tray so he can confetticise his pizza boxes, but after that, he'll squawk to be carried back to his fridge rather than climb up the playstand and onto his cargo net and from there to his fridge.

Dom LOVES pizza boxes: they make a great noise when he rubs his bill on the surface and he just adores stripping off layers of paper from the cardboard. Once he's bitten a big enough hole, he upends himself into it (the hole) and scrapes away inside. There must be something about the reverberation of the box that he likes.

 

[strudel]

Every bit of progress is a huge milestone when it comes to birds, especially the ones who weren't tame from babyhood. It's people like you who can give really valuable advice to others starting off with a not-hand-tame bird.

Even to yourself... I'd forgotten what I'd posted about Tony. They both still try to avoid me if they are in their cage, but if I take them out and into the bathroom, they are much more tolerant of being picked up and they'll sit on my finger and let me pick them up when they've plonked down somewhere stupid. They aren't super-tame, but that's ok, they don't have to be. I wonder if they'd come to the bathroom at the same time as Pink or she'd freak them out? She doesn't freak them out when they are "at home".

Do you have pics of the playstands you have for your cocky? We got a round tray type of one with a T-stand on it

That's what the new one is like. Maybe that's why she didn't get down - she couldn't! (Of course she could, she could jump down or fly down or something, surely?)

The other one is a little desktop one. It's got a pole across the top and a rectangular tray underneath. I can't take a photo at the moment because it's in "her" room and she's gone to bed. I had it on top of a chest of drawers and I'm rearranging things (or trying to). Unfortunately, she made a hell of a mess when on it (the food cups were not centred with the tray underneath those so she could fling stuff out and onto the floor, and she wouldn't stay there anyway.

I've wrapped it in vet-wrap, but he won't even try.

Maybe a rope ladder or cargo net or something? I'll have to test out Pink's skills by putting a cashew on the "ground floor" and see if she goes down there.

He asks to be carried to the tray so he can confetticise his pizza boxes, but after that, he'll squawk to be carried back to his fridge

It's like they don't even realise that they can fly places.....

I'll have to give her a go with a pizza box. I've got some cardboard out of an ikea box, maybe she'd like to have a go at that.

 

[strudel]

Update. Ended up getting pizza last night and gave her the box. A few little nibble along the edge. Oh well, at least she investigated....

Today, ripped to bits!!

I put her new stand in my room, she has no trouble getting down from the perch There was flapping noise involved. Then she flapped across to me. sigh. It's not that I don't like having her there, but I can't use the computer if she is because she nibbles on everything, and I have to worry my dog will come along and try to "play" with her.... I'll have to find some good stuff for her to play with that'll keep her on there.

 

[strudel]

Today I put her on her stand to eat her treat and she did that. I wasn't feeling well, so I wanted to have a nap and she just stayed there the whole time. She didn't climb off or come over. She just sat quietly too. I'm so proud.