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Also since I was the one who initially brought it up ITT you shouldn't worry about sniffing a (captive-bred, apparently healthy) bird. The main route of psittacosis transmission is "mouth-to-beak contact" which was apparently a thing 1920s parrot fanciers did a lot. Bird Crazies: Don't French Kiss the Budgie
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Feb 4, 2021 16:30
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| # ? May 26, 2024 15:50 |
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Organza Quiz posted:Remember outside is big and scary and dangerous looking to a tiny creature. Just because they look outside it doesn't mean they would necessarily enjoy being there when they have plenty to keep them occupied in a home that is so massive compared to them that they can fly around in it. They evolved specifically to exist out there. I agree that free flight training is risky, but this seems like a bit of a reach.
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Feb 4, 2021 16:43
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Unsinkabear posted:They evolved specifically to exist out there. I agree that free flight training is risky, but this seems like a bit of a reach. They evolved to exist in large flocks where a few dying to predators or stupidity wouldn't outpace their ability to reproduce.
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Feb 4, 2021 17:46
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Neddy Seagoon posted:They evolved to exist in large flocks where a few dying to predators or stupidity wouldn't outpace their ability to reproduce. Hah, fair point.
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Feb 4, 2021 17:52
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Do not under any circumstances attempt to free-fly a budgie or cockatiel or other similarly small bird outside. Don't do it.
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Feb 4, 2021 18:06
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You've all knocked some sense into me. I guess the next best thing is to build a really wide outside aviary for him. I plan on getting another budgie partner (just scared of them breeding so I'm praying I have a girl since they don't fight like boys do, right?) and maybe a cockatiel, though if a cockatiel needs a partner I'll just stick to the two budgies.
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Feb 4, 2021 18:13
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All it takes is one strong breeze or an enterprising hawk to take one of these little green jerks from me and I'd rather not go on suicide watch, tyvm. They may be smart, be they are so, so dumb, and exceedingly fragile. I'd never forgive myself if something happened to one of these little goobers. There are some people who pull it off successfully, and kudos to them. I know I'm no pro bird trainer, heck, I can barely get one of the two potty trained and they only step up on command like 60% of the time. We only take the birds outside in the big bird backpack or very very occasionally in their transport cages, and only after we've double checked everything and used bread twist-ties to keep everything shut for sure. Even then, I'm super nervous and I'm never walking away from them for a second. I can not overstate how devastated I would be if one were to escape.
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Feb 4, 2021 18:15
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Yeah when Pesto escaped, I was ready to die, lmao. Lost my appetite until I managed to get him back. Just let em fly around the house and make sure doors are either closed or propped open with a door stop. That is my single most important thing I can tell you about letting budgies fly around the home. Mayo was in a really good mood 
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Feb 4, 2021 19:15
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Qubee posted:You've all knocked some sense into me. I guess the next best thing is to build a really wide outside aviary for him. I plan on getting another budgie partner (just scared of them breeding so I'm praying I have a girl since they don't fight like boys do, right?) and maybe a cockatiel, though if a cockatiel needs a partner I'll just stick to the two budgies. If you do get a breeding pair, you can always just shake the eggs lol
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Feb 4, 2021 20:08
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Also, Mayo's a female and is approaching her second year of age and she hasn't yet shown any interest in mating or laying. Nope, she only cares about chilling.
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Feb 4, 2021 20:21
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Plant MONSTER. posted:Also, Mayo's a female and is approaching her second year of age and she hasn't yet shown any interest in mating or laying. Nope, she only cares about chilling. She's got her priorities straight, chilling is the best kind of life. My little guy is super active but he doesn't really have a personality yet. He's pretty tame, the most he does is a few happy chirps, no head bobbing though. Do these kinds of things develop over time, or are you able to see from an early age what they'll be like when they're older? In other news, he's recently developed a habit of not letting me put him down anywhere at night without immediately flying to my shoulder, and it's a nightmare cause I can't shake his tail despite needing to do other things.
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Feb 4, 2021 21:40
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Not wanting to plow on on the anti-free flying brigade, but there's no realistic zone between flying around the house and free flying outside. Budgies are extremely fast fliers. Once you move from indoor flight to outdoor, you are automatically moving to a completely uncontrolled environment where your little bird will be completely lost within 30 seconds of flight. That's how long it'll take for your little friend to get far beyond every single landmark they know. After that, they are lost, completely and utterly. Don't let a beloved friend die of thirst or of cats because of a stupid desire to fullfil an imaginary fantasy of freedom. Birds can live full and happy lives in houses. My own prefers to walk everywhere because she is just a lazy rear end, and flying is hard work. Seriously, she has fully flighted wings but she mostly walks because she can't be arsed flying.
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Feb 4, 2021 23:08
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Pookah posted:Not wanting to plow on on the anti-free flying brigade, but there's no realistic zone between flying around the house and free flying outside. Budgies are extremely fast fliers. Once you move from indoor flight to outdoor, you are automatically moving to a completely uncontrolled environment where your little bird will be completely lost within 30 seconds of flight. Throw my vote in for clipping bird wings/not free flighting birds outside but I've said my piece already a few times. Feel free to see my prior arguments and assume I just copy/paste them here. I mainly wanted to quote because POOKIE IS A GODDAMN TREASURE and how DARE you insult such a precious, intelligent creature. etc etc.  
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Feb 5, 2021 01:07
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Yeah, I'm pretty against free flight. Wandy, the Elder Potato Tiel, would come outside with me. She had close to zero flying ability, even without clipping. Two things happened - - She was exploring the grass about a yard away from my buddy and me. A pigeon dive bombed her and they grabbed onto each other, rolling across the grass. Before I could react, my room mate leapt over and open hand slapped the pigeon into the middle of next year. It all happened quicker than I could twitch. - We were sitting outside, in my Mom's closed patio. A noise scared her and she leapt, flapping. She somehow gusted over the fence and I thought I'd lost her. We found her a few minutes later, clinging about EIGHT FEET UP on the neighbors brick wall. Those two things killed it for me. I have nightmares about things happening to my birds. If I allowed something like a hawk or gust of wind, I think I'd spend a decade in depression. Literally. (The pigeon was later spotted staring through our windows at Wandy, making her panic and squawk. Pigeon was mean mugging from the outside.)
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Feb 5, 2021 01:26
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Yeah, too many hawks and crows and ravens around here for free flight, and wild birds carrying viruses that might be harmless to them but a small cockatoo native to Australia might have no immunity to, and half the year it's too cold for them outside anyway. Sera is an extremely good flyer and could disappear very quickly. Ozzy is good at flying up and bad at flying down and that's a recipe for getting stuck up a tree or on a roof. I made some attempts with a harness for Sera, but he hated it intensely. They fly in loops around the apartment, and that seems to be fine.
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Feb 5, 2021 03:07
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Mormon Star Wars posted:Re: the cement pigeon. Is it normal for them to get really attached to their cage? I took it outside and let it walk around a bit for exercise and it wouldn't walk unless I left the cage door open, and even then it just did like 2-3 loops and hopped back in the cage to chill. It's normal, yeah. The cage is its nest/territory and it will feel safer in there like Mediaphage said, especially as it recovers from the cement removal.
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Feb 5, 2021 06:36
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Flying indoors and flying outdoors is completely different. Outdoors has wind. Birds that haven't learned to fly in wind won't have any realistic control of their flight.
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Feb 5, 2021 09:58
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It's apparently chill enough now to relax when the family is around now. It eats when we eats and instead of standing up in a corner whenever people come into the room, it will now groom, exercise it's wings, lay down and turn into a flat blob, etc. I found a supplier for pigeon feed and grit, but it took me a while arguing with the guy - he was convinced it was a chicken because of the size.
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Feb 5, 2021 15:22
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Mormon Star Wars posted:It's apparently chill enough now to relax when the family is around now. It eats when we eats and instead of standing up in a corner whenever people come into the room, it will now groom, exercise it's wings, lay down and turn into a flat blob, etc. i’m so pleased by all of this. good on you for being such a good bird friend
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Feb 5, 2021 19:34
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It’s such a distinguished pigeon 
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Feb 5, 2021 22:07
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Kitfox88 posted:It’s such a distinguished pigeon It's a right proper pigeon 
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Feb 6, 2021 01:33
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Joining the no free flight for budgies crew. Cera finding herself outside again is something I have weekly nightmares about.
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Feb 6, 2021 02:29
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I'm sorta panicking right now, goons. Something is wrong with my African Grey's left foot. He can't put any pressure on it. He can barely grip with it. He can't curl it up and rest it or grab food with it. When he walks, he limps because he can't put any pressure on it. He's not yelping in pain and he CAN move it so I don't think it's broken anywhere. I checked his cage and no blood anywhere. There's nothing in his cage he could have gotten it stuck in. I'm at a loss as to what's going on. He was fine last night and as far as I can tell this morning. I work from home and in my office but I didn't hear any unusual screams from him. He did his usual routine in his cage and ate his breakfast and lunch. I didn't even notice it until tonight when I tried to pick him up to get him some dinner. I suspect he just banged it up and it's sore but I'm not sure how. Right now he's doing his usual routine of trying to climb up on top of the bathroom sink so he can't be hurting THAT bad. I called the vet but all I could do is leave a voicemail and wait for them to call back tomorrow. In the meantime, I setup a towel on the bottom of his cage and put some food and water dishes down there too. I think he'll still try to sleep and eat normally but I'll offer it.
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Feb 6, 2021 03:40
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Sounds like you did the right thing, he probably just sprained it. I'd make sure he has something soft in the bottom just in case he falls but it seems the most likely explanation is he'll just be a bit careful with it for a few days before getting better.
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Feb 6, 2021 04:07
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Jose Oquendo posted:Poor little grey foot You ever wake up while pulling a muscle in your foot and it hurts like the fires of hell, and it takes a good long while for the ghost of the pain to leave? It might not be that but that's exactly the scenario that popped into my head. I strongly suspect birds get cramps just like humans, cats and dogs do. I'm glad to hear the pigeon is settling well into their new home. Got any names in mind, yet?
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Feb 6, 2021 16:22
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Chaosfeather posted:Throw my vote in for clipping bird wings/not free flighting birds outside but I've said my piece already a few times. Feel free to see my prior arguments and assume I just copy/paste them here. Thank you and she totally is, but is also a lazy potato birb who likes to walk everywhere.Jose, could Hannah have snagged a nail and wrenched his toe? Pookie's done something similar a few times, usually when she tries to do a big take-off from a fluffy surface, like maybe a towel. (Maybe this explains why Pookie prefers to walk!?!) Edit: just reread your post and saw you've put in a towel to help rest his poor foot, just be wary of it being any way snaggable. Although Hannah probably has lovely soft rounded claws, not like Pookie's terrible needle toes. Seriously they are incredibly sharp, but they always bleed when the vet clips off even the littlest bit, it's weird. Pookah fucked around with this message at 18:04 on Feb 6, 2021 |
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Feb 6, 2021 18:00
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I'm glad to have y'all because some of those FB groups are CRAZY about insisting clipping is straight up abuse.
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Feb 6, 2021 19:20
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Pookah posted:Thank you His nails are a bit sharp. He hasn't had them trimmed recently. I swapped out the towel for a fleece blanket. No lose fibers or anything to get snagged on. His foot is still bothering him today but his behavior is still the same ol Hannah. I made an appointment with the vet but the earliest opening is NEXT Tuesday. What you said about wrenching his toe does sound very possible. Edit: this is how he’s sitting right now. 
Jose Oquendo fucked around with this message at 19:43 on Feb 6, 2021 |
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Feb 6, 2021 19:21
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If it's just a toe wrench, it should start getting better in a day or two  . Is the toe/joint swollen at all?Just told Pookie about Hannah's sore foot and she made many soothing and comforting noises
Pookah fucked around with this message at 19:38 on Feb 6, 2021 |
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Feb 6, 2021 19:34
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I looked at the foot the best I can and it doesn’t appear to swollen or unusual. I added a picture on my last post.
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Feb 6, 2021 19:43
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He does look as though he doesn't want to put any pressure at all on his claws - he's got them floating very very lightly in the picture you have there, so hopefully it's just a wrenched toetip. In my decidedly non medical opinion, swelling would have indicated problems further back, in the toe joints or ankle.
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Feb 6, 2021 19:49
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subpar anachronism posted:I'm glad to have y'all because some of those FB groups are CRAZY about insisting clipping is straight up abuse. In my experience, those people tend to know little or nothing about actual birds. Its all fantasy freedom shite about how'd they feel so free if they could fly, when people who have lived with a various bird species for decades can tell them that flying is definitely a second option if walking is safe. Evolutionarily, birds tend to give up on flying the moment it becomes safe to do so. It seems like it's hard to maintain the light bodyweight for flying and still be able to reproduce successfully. Tell the fuckers they can fly too, as long as they can commit to living on 1 (small) slice of bread a day.
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Feb 6, 2021 20:29
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subpar anachronism posted:I'm glad to have y'all because some of those FB groups are CRAZY about insisting clipping is straight up abuse. This is the loving truth. Serra's life is very "Avian Certified Vet Supervised." (Side Note - The only avian certified vet in the state of Oregon.) Because of her ongoing night fright problems, added in with being "high strung" in the words of the vet, Serra spends more time clipped than flighted. I'd rather her be able to fly, but it always leads to her having a freak out that involves blood. Because of that, avian vet gives me a wing clipping schedule for Serra. She gets a certain amount of months flighted, then a certain amount clipped. But if she tears up her wings in a fright, she has to get clipped to removed torn up feathers. Serra is also in a cage on the small side. There are personal concerns I have about moving her in an emergency with my limited mobility. But, the smallish cage is more about Serra's temperament. Vet thinks a big cage change could exacerbate her fright issues. Hell, when Serra is having a hard time the vet even said I should have her sleep in a small aquarium. We haven't gotten there yet, but I haven't been able to get Serra a massive cage. But some rando on Facebook sees clipped wings? Or a smallish cage? Holy gently caress, it becomes intolerable. I literally don't put up pictures with her cage or outstretched wings anymore. The best thing? When these people go to the local parrot shop where I'm friends with everyone, they are clipping their birds and buying cages smaller than a walk in closet. The employees of the shop love to chime in, "Why are you giving Log such a hard time when you clipped your cockatoo last week?" 
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Feb 6, 2021 20:51
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I know I keep harping on about this, but it's driving me mental! Every night is the same routine with Chickadoodle. I get him out of his cage in the morning, feed him, and then we spend all day together. He typically basks in the sun most of the day, or flies on top of my pull-up bar and naps (or on top of the AC unit). Evening time, he gets more needy and will insist on sitting on my shoulder. He'll preen me, happily chirp, generally just be happy. I feed him formula before bed, and then attempt to put him in his cage afterwards with a warm belly. He becomes visibly distressed and will continuously bite at the cage liner, climb all up the cage walls, and keep trying to squeeze through to get out / get to me. The goober can't even crack open millet, so I can't entice him with those as a treat or train him to realise the cage ain't that bad. He's able to eat crushed pellets / flax seed / chia seed, but that's about it. I have a feeling this problem would disappear if he had a friend in the cage with him, I think I may have just gotten him used to almost an entire month of constant contact / being out of the cage. I can't do this nightly fight with him though, and I hate being a big cause of distress for him, I'm worried I'll revert all this trust and friendship we've built over the past few weeks. I used to try and let him slide off my finger onto the perch, but he either grabs on or - now that he's strong - flies up my arm back to my shoulder. So I have to grab him, which I hate doing, but it's the only way. There's no rhyme or reason to why he's more chill some nights and fights like the devil on other nights. Do I just brute force this by putting him in the cage and letting him tire himself out trying to escape or is there a better way? I've taken pity on him and let him out again and will try once more when he's napped a bit, he's beak grinding on the pull-up bar... I get my job seekers allowance on the 15th and I intend on getting him a beefy cage and adopting a playmate from the place I originally got him. Until then, I need to fix this cause it's stopping me from being comfortable going out as I worry he'll hurt himself when I'm not home by flying into a wall or something.
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Feb 6, 2021 21:47
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Sounds awful mean, but I'd try to just be firm with your little booge. Their own parents are pretty drat strict with them and budgies are so bossy and rude at the best of times that I can't even imagine how rude a spoiled, hand reared lil booge could be. That's a whole level of boldiness I've never encountered, and I've met some tough budgies, I tell you what. Put lil guy to bed, and maybe sit with him/her without talking, until they get drowsy, then go away and DON'T REACT when they wake up when you're leaving. Maybe make some sleepy goto bed noises but nothing that rewards bedtime rowdiness
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Feb 6, 2021 22:08
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I would indulge little Boodge by sitting with them after going into the cage, letting them know they aren't alone. But you have to be firm, or your bird will get pretty neurotic and codependent. Yes, all birds are codependent to one degree or another. But you have to draw a reasonable line somewhere.
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Feb 6, 2021 22:25
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Qubee posted:I know I keep harping on about this, but it's driving me mental! Every night is the same routine with Chickadoodle. I get him out of his cage in the morning, feed him, and then we spend all day together. He typically basks in the sun most of the day, or flies on top of my pull-up bar and naps (or on top of the AC unit). Evening time, he gets more needy and will insist on sitting on my shoulder. He'll preen me, happily chirp, generally just be happy. I feed him formula before bed, and then attempt to put him in his cage afterwards with a warm belly. He becomes visibly distressed and will continuously bite at the cage liner, climb all up the cage walls, and keep trying to squeeze through to get out / get to me. poor guy. i've noticed that our birds, especially the girl bird, generally expect you to come to bed with them, and really attempt to signal this. bonding aside, i wonder if he isn't trying to accomplish the same. do you cover the cage at night? are you able to make the room dark, and especially quiet? i agree with the suggestions to try sitting with him after you put him to bed for the evening.
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Feb 6, 2021 22:45
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Its so hard, you 100% want to sit n cuddle the little birb so they feel safe and loved, but reality is that they need a bit of detachment to get properly grown-up. Honestly, all you can do is your best and react to your own birds needs. They do mostly need fewer snacks and more exercise though. They will always demand more snacks and less work, that is the way of babies.
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Feb 6, 2021 22:56
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Pookah posted:They will always demand more snacks and less work, that is the way of babies. "feedme feedme feedme feedme feedme" :literally is gorged on formula: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-ZeNFHXbME
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Feb 6, 2021 23:00
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| # ? May 26, 2024 15:50 |
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I sincerely love this little stinker, his cage is at eye level beside my PC desk. I cover 3 sides of the cage and the top, and leave a little sliver for him to see me at the PC and for a tiny amount of light to shine into the bottom of his cage (the top where his perch sits is pitch black). No bueno. If I try and console him or coo, he just goes ballistic and will really try to squeeze out, to the point where I worry he'll hurt himself. I'm going to have to take the firm route I guess, cause coddling him is only going to enable this behaviour and it really isn't sustainable. Edit: spoke too soon, he's back at the desperately clawing and shredding at the cage liner to get out  he's also dunked himself 3 times in the waterbowl, his legs and keel are wet. He did the same yesterday and I took him out to dry him under my shirt, but I've just put the electric heater on super warm so he won't catch a chill.
Qubee fucked around with this message at 23:33 on Feb 6, 2021 |
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Feb 6, 2021 23:09
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