What is your birds average day?

[Ravennessa]

Since I am not used to birds very much I am not sure if I am over doing/under doing or really what to do. Right now since the bird was in distress I am giving him as much attention as I can. Today he has been much less screamy than yesterday, as well as he is less bitey (not hard just investigating but hard enough), he has been better with leaving my stuff alone when I eat. But I haven't really had him in the cage, only for 5 hours when I was training dogs and when I sleep, other than that. He is on my shoulder at all times, even bathroom, he was even with me in there when I showered.

How many hours should they have with you? how many hours are they supposed to sleep? Where can you draw limits? What daily rules do your bird follow? just to give me a better idea, I don't want him to suffer but its a tad odd to have a feathered friend on my when Im doing human business in the bathroom. Or is that just a bird thing?

 

[weco]

I would be careful about offering too much attention then be faced with a situation where you can no longer offer the same amount of attention the bird has come to expect...screaming, biting, aggression, plucking, barbering, mutilation can & do result.....

The bird needs to be able to entertain itself, toys, chewing things, swings, etc.....

You know, we humans are the only animal that is self conscious about our bodies & their functions, so. if what you've described bothers you, then you have to teach him/her to allow you to be out of its sight for periods of time.....teaching them to be comfortable without you being right there all the time will help preclude any embarrassment when company is visiting.....

Good luck.....

 

[Nocturnal]

I don't worry about it too much with my birds: they live in the center of the house and can see /somebody/ about 98% of daylight hours unless we are all gone (not more than a few hours every few days). During the time we are home they are let out periodically, talked to quite a bit and interacted with at random intervals. Some days they get tons of out time and attention, other days not as much. The all seem to be doing great and the cockatoo is growing in the plucky patch he had when we first got him. In the mornings when I get up I try and give the birds their chop mix and check their stuff over, fresh water and stuff. But for the most part we all kinda just chill

 

[Ravennessa]

I suspected I was maybe giving him too much attention, but I am home a lot Im afraid..
I have my own company and I dont think that will change anytime soon (knock wood) so hopefully he will do alright, and the clientele will increase gradually not completely over night. I have given him toys and he dont care about them. I am now looking at foraging toys to see if I can encourage toy play more. Thanks guys!!

 

[BoomBoom]

Hi, Rav. I will try to answer based on my experience, so take with a grain of salt

How many hours should they have with you?

With my bird, on weekends, pretty much all day, except night time. On weekdays, about 3.5 to 4 hours daily. If you are a busy person, get your bird used to you being away here and there. But daily, quality time is a must for these social creatures.



how many hours are they supposed to sleep?

A: 10-12 hours is advised. I am a bit under on some days. It's best to put them to bed when the sun sets and wake them up when the sun rises. If this is not possible, artificially darken the room. My bird is used to having his cage covered at night. I like to cover him for my peace of mind because his cage is in the living room where my computer is. I'm on my computer till 12 midnight sometimes. I have head phones on also to minimize the noise.



Where can you draw limits?

A: Draw limits when it comes to his safety. Chewing cables, cords, window screens, flying on top of stoves even when not lit so they know it's a danger zone. I also draw limits to what he can chew for the well-being of my apartment lol! I like to keep my place neat, so no chewing on walls, blinds, doors, furnitures, etc. For this, it is important to teach them a word like NO that they would understand. You train dogs and reptiles so I'm sure this will come easy to you. Also, you may want to get him used to going potty in one or two designated places, so you can minimize accidents.



What daily rules do your bird follow?

A: See above for chewing. Other rules would be to not bite too hard when were playing or his preening me. Not be TOO loud all the time, especially mornings. I let him screech away here and there, I just don't respond or encourage it. A sun conure can make you deaf, but that's part of their charm.



just to give me a better idea, I don't want him to suffer but its a tad odd to have a feathered friend on my when Im doing human business in the bathroom. Or is that just a bird thing?

A: Boomer loves to go with me to the bathroom when I do my business LOL! Sorry, too much information, but he is a great bathroom buddy. He will even do his poop in the sink where he perches while I err perch on my toilet. The human smell is not bad for them as long as it's not severe lol! Also, watch out for residue and smell left by cleaning agents. Bathoom air freshners or any air freshners, be it spray, plug or candles is a NO-NO. Aerosol cans that hold shaving creams, hairsprays, etc. are also lethal to them.



Hope this helps! I am happy for the bird you found, he has a very responsible person to care for him.

 

[Ravennessa]

Ahh there was a lot of good information, yeah I was gonna click/reward for pottying in assigned places. I think someone potty trained him off a human, he has not had ONE accident on me, he flies elsewhere and poops. Someone put in a lot of work on him, so if I do hair spray and perfume he cant be around. And yeah I have already kept him out of kitchen when I cook as well. He has been home alone for 5 hours first day and today, I askd the kid down stairs and when Im not home he's quiet. So I guess as long as I do that and keep it up he should be fine. Im working on the word No, he will protest at times but I wont let him, he has assigned stuff he's allowed to chew. So i guess its just keep on being consistent about it and not leave him unsupervised in the beginning so he learns what is ok and what is not..

You guys dont know how much I appreciate this help..

Im a little sad though, I love my scented candles... Am I allowed to spray/ have it on while he's out of the room?

 

[Nocturnal]

Honestly I'm not as paranoid as other people are about scented things. I've had birds for 10 years and we've always used them and not had any problem. If the area is well ventilated and the bird is in another room there should be no problems.