My husband and I have had our conure for just over 3 years. We got her at 1 year old and have socialized her fairly well; she's very friendly with people, only bites under reasonable circumstances, and is very attached to us. We both work full-time but socialize with her whenever we are home, so she ends up with a lot of time outside of the cage with us. Recently I lost my job, and have been spending a lot of time in our home office while job searching. She stays in her cage during this time because the office is not bird-proof.
When I'm in my office, I noticed that the only time I hear her is when she makes occasionally screams for attention while I'm in the next room. I decided to get a pet camera to see what she gets up to while I'm away.
Unfortunately, it seems that she doesn't do anything. She will sit on the same perch for hours and not move an inch. She won't eat, play, or sleep, she just sits in one spot. She will occasionally hop around and scream for attention (screaming bouts last anywhere from 2-10 minutes) but that is the extent of her movement while we're away.
I think she might have separation anxiety. When we are home she only wants to be with us and will scream if we are not in the same room. She screams as soon as she wakes up and realizes we aren't there. We will spend hours with her, and as soon as she's alone she will start screaming again.
We have researched solutions extensively. She has a cage filled with different types of toys and perches, and we change it up often. She has a healthy diet of pellet, veggies, and a small amount of seeds. When we are home, she is out of the cage as much as possible. She spends most of that time glued to our shoulder, clicker training, asking for pets, or exploring the couch. When she is in the cage while we're home with her (such as eating or cooking) she will sometimes play with her toys, but mostly just watches us (or sometimes she will take a nap). When we leave her alone we use words to signify how long we will be gone. We refuse to give her any attention when she screams, and immediately reward her when she makes "quiet noises." Playing music or bird noises while we're gone makes the screaming worse.
I feel awful knowing that she spends most of her day doing nothing. We have taken her to multiple veterinarians over the years who have all approved of her cage, toys, perches, diet, and social skills. She doesn't seem to dislike her cage, and when it is left open, she will sometimes opt to relax/preen in there instead of with us. But when she is left alone the only activity she will engage in is screaming for attention.
I have seen people advise getting another bird. We would love to but are not in a financial position to do so and won't be for a long time. We are going to start "toy training" to get her more comfortable playing. We are going to start encouraging her to spend less time with us and more time with her cage and toys. What else can we do? I am stressed 24/7 because I cannot be alone in my home without our bird screaming the whole time. We have neighbors with two young children and a newborn on the way. I don't want them to complain and have our bird taken from us. Any advice would be appreciated.
When I'm in my office, I noticed that the only time I hear her is when she makes occasionally screams for attention while I'm in the next room. I decided to get a pet camera to see what she gets up to while I'm away.
Unfortunately, it seems that she doesn't do anything. She will sit on the same perch for hours and not move an inch. She won't eat, play, or sleep, she just sits in one spot. She will occasionally hop around and scream for attention (screaming bouts last anywhere from 2-10 minutes) but that is the extent of her movement while we're away.
I think she might have separation anxiety. When we are home she only wants to be with us and will scream if we are not in the same room. She screams as soon as she wakes up and realizes we aren't there. We will spend hours with her, and as soon as she's alone she will start screaming again.
We have researched solutions extensively. She has a cage filled with different types of toys and perches, and we change it up often. She has a healthy diet of pellet, veggies, and a small amount of seeds. When we are home, she is out of the cage as much as possible. She spends most of that time glued to our shoulder, clicker training, asking for pets, or exploring the couch. When she is in the cage while we're home with her (such as eating or cooking) she will sometimes play with her toys, but mostly just watches us (or sometimes she will take a nap). When we leave her alone we use words to signify how long we will be gone. We refuse to give her any attention when she screams, and immediately reward her when she makes "quiet noises." Playing music or bird noises while we're gone makes the screaming worse.
I feel awful knowing that she spends most of her day doing nothing. We have taken her to multiple veterinarians over the years who have all approved of her cage, toys, perches, diet, and social skills. She doesn't seem to dislike her cage, and when it is left open, she will sometimes opt to relax/preen in there instead of with us. But when she is left alone the only activity she will engage in is screaming for attention.
I have seen people advise getting another bird. We would love to but are not in a financial position to do so and won't be for a long time. We are going to start "toy training" to get her more comfortable playing. We are going to start encouraging her to spend less time with us and more time with her cage and toys. What else can we do? I am stressed 24/7 because I cannot be alone in my home without our bird screaming the whole time. We have neighbors with two young children and a newborn on the way. I don't want them to complain and have our bird taken from us. Any advice would be appreciated.
