Zeus has arrived

Oops.. Also forgot.. If birdy is afraid of the shower, the next time you shower, bring birdy into the bathroom with you and let them watch you shower. They will see there is nothing to be afraid of!
 
Well, with 4 out of my 5 all you have to do is turn on the water...

And my RFM, watch out when you're doing dishes at night because she WILL try to hop in the sink on you...

I essentially have too many to have everyone in the shower at once now, so I just get them one by one, they perch on my hand, and I stick them in the water...

The macaws dance. The amazons do the "happy flappy thing."

The CAG makes an unhappy face, and looks at me like, can we be done with this already?!
 
It will probably be another week or so before I shower him. We're still working on the "hey, do I trust you yet?" issues from both sides. But today at lunch he came right over to the side of the cage by the door as if he wanted to come out. But I didn't think it would be fair to take him out for 30 minutes and then have to put him in again. So hopefully the trust is getting stronger by the day and soon I'll be splish splashing with my birdy.
 
Even if for 5 minutes, I take my birdies close to me if they want it. When I work at my desk, I just put them on the backrest of the chair. The constant attention seems to help reinforce the trust issue with mine anyways..
 
He wants to climb on to my shoulder. Not sure I'm ready for that. Not sure if I ever will be.
 
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Zeus wanted nothing at all to do with the shower at first. I'd try to bring him in, and he would literally climb over me to stay outside of the shower. So I had him on my arm, and I stepped into the shower first (water off), then brought him in 2nd, that way he had nowhere to go unless he jumped off my hand. Once he was in, treat. We stood there for a couple of minutes so he could make sure there were no booby-trap spikes that would come out of the walls... Once he was comfortable, he would step down to the perch, treat. Water slowly came on, but wasnt hitting him yet. I just wanted him to see what was going on. I made him move over to where the water hits the perch, and then turned the water on again. At this point he seemed scared, but understood it wasnt bad. lots of praise and keeping the mood positive was key. The water wasnt as hot as if I were taking a shower, but it wasn't cold either. A little warmer than room temperature.
Afterwards, I just turned the water off, lots of praise, and let him do his first couple of shakes while still in the shower to get a lot of the water off. Afterwards, he came right out of the shower and chilled on the sink eating treats and happy bouncing while he dried off.

I was in the shower with him 90% of the time to help keep him comfortable. Also, having him see me touch the water made a big difference in comfort for him.
 
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cstambaugh said:
zeus wanted nothing at all to do with the shower at first. I'd try to bring him in, and he would literally climb over me to stay outside of the shower. So i had him on my arm, and i stepped into the shower first (water off), then brought him in 2nd, that way he had nowhere to go unless he jumped off my hand. Once he was in, treat. We stood there for a couple of minutes so he could make sure there were no booby-trap spikes that would come out of the walls... Once he was comfortable, he would step down to the perch, treat. Water slowly came on, but wasnt hitting him yet. I just wanted him to see what was going on. I made him move over to where the water hits the perch, and then turned the water on again. At this point he seemed scared, but understood it wasnt bad. Lots of praise and keeping the mood positive was key. The water wasnt as hot as if i were taking a shower, but it wasn't cold either. A little warmer than room temperature.
Afterwards, i just turned the water off, lots of praise, and let him do his first couple of shakes while still in the shower to get a lot of the water off. Afterwards, he came right out of the shower and chilled on the sink eating treats and happy bouncing while he dried off.

I was in the shower with him 90% of the time to help keep him comfortable. Also, having him see me touch the water made a big difference in comfort for him.
Click to expand...

that makes absolutely perfect sense to me. Thanks!
 
Rosie showers with me daily and then I get out for "Rosie's turn". Which can be another 10-20 min. She would stay in there all day, she often falls asleep. She actually growls at me when I shut the water off. :)

The way my vet told me to introduce showers worked well for us. Since birds are flock oriented, they will be curious and open to new things if they see you doing them. So what he told me to do was bring her in the bathroom with me and close the door. When I got in the shower, leave the shower door/curtain open. He thought within a few days she would want to join in, especially if I was singing or having fun. He was right, but it didn't take long. Within 5 minutes of the first shower, she was in, singing and dancing and didn't want to get out!! :)
 
kendrafitz said:
Rosie showers with me daily and then I get out for "Rosie's turn". Which can be another 10-20 min. She would stay in there all day, she often falls asleep. She actually growls at me when I shut the water off. :)
Click to expand...

Maggie doesn't growl at me, but she does give me one of these perplexed looks and says HUH?! When the water stops flowing...

Sweepea nestles in the crook of my elbow and falls asleep sometimes...
 
A couple of questions
If they go in with you when you are having your normal shower, the hotter water isn't a problem for them?
If you are actually having your shower, do they ever try to nibble things? I wouldn't want my galah to go "Hitchcock" on me without the protection of clothes.
Or, is this an additional shower, just with bathers on and colder water?
 
Lol! For us it is together and then on her own. I am no longer able to shower alone without her screaming like a loon. Since my husband works from home, I usually just bring her in with me. :z The water temp doesn't bother her, but I try not to make it too hot.
 
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Oh, no she doesn't bug me, no nibbling. Unless she wants me to lift her up higher than her perch. Then she beak bumps me and puts her foot up for me to pick her up.
 
I've never experienced a bird nibbling in the shower, but every bird is different. Every bird I've ever dealt with either loved it or hated it. If they hated it, it was because the idea of a shower was so foreign to them they had never experienced one. I do think Duke was "hosed" though.. he was terrified of the shower / water in general. His first shower with me started out with a minor freak-out, but he trusted me enough to not hurt him and he learned to enjoy it quickly. I kept it at 5 min. though.. In a few days, I'll give him another one.
 
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What was supposed to be a weekend project turned into a 2 week adventure.
Zeus is now 100% cageless. His main perch is complete. I'm still going to modify his perches, get some real wood branches in there, etc. For the most part, its complete.

Pics arent the greatest. That stupid light is getting replaced this weekend.
20131121_212721_zpsd8d2060d.jpg


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And a video of me catching Zeus singing
SINGING
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that sound like 'My Way' sung in Macaw? It might be a tad off-key, but the feeling behind it is definitely 'My Way'!!!

Cstambaugh, thank you for posting Zeus' progress for us to follow. A Macaw can only ever be a dream for me, so I've enjoyed sharing your experiences here. Happy squawks to Zeus from Barney and Madge and Dominic. :)
 
That's one super happy birdy! and people say I spoil my birds.. Hah! You've got me beat by a mile!
 
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Betrisher said:
Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't that sound like 'My Way' sung in Macaw? It might be a tad off-key, but the feeling behind it is definitely 'My Way'!!!

Cstambaugh, thank you for posting Zeus' progress for us to follow. A Macaw can only ever be a dream for me, so I've enjoyed sharing your experiences here. Happy squawks to Zeus from Barney and Madge and Dominic. :)
Click to expand...

Thank you for this! Its always the same song, but my wife and I couldnt figure it out. I'll play My Way for him and see what he does.
 
Oh wow, what did you use for the base...

I did Sally's bird tree on an old, homemade garage sale table...

That looks great. You can also use PVC if that gets chewed up too fast...
 
NICE! Wish I had room for something like that in my house. Well done!
 
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