I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adopted

I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adopted

I adopted a 7 y/o Jardines Parrot. Everything was going really well for the first couple of days and he was responding really well to me, though he was responding better to my youngest daughter. (i wasnt too suprized since the woman who had him, her daughter was very attached to him and him her).

I know the moment things started to go down hill was when my corgi started to become too interested in Wilbur, to the point of obssession. She frightened Wilbur terribly. I was using a stick for Wilbur to step up on, since he didn't quite trust me to step up on my hand. well, the worst that could have happened did. My dog spooked Wilbur while he was on the perch and he few off ans fluttered to the floor. I was trying to get him back on the perch while trying to keep the dog away from Wilbur..all the while Wilbur was fluttering into chairs and the legs of the antique hutch. The dog lunged the take a nip at him and I yelled and lunged for the dog. Wilbur fluttered up and got himself wedged between a window and a plant. I had to finally get a towel to cover him and get him back into his cage.

Wilbur is ok now. He will not allow me near him, will not allow me to touch him and he freaks our when I even open his cage to change his water. Only my daughter can handle him, but if she comes near me or if I walk close to her, he freaks out. Before all of this happened Wilbur enjoyed training sessions with me foe sunflower seeds, now he will noteven accept a sunflower seed, not even from my daughter. Frankly...I dont blame him why woukdn't he? But can I recover from this? Because this was devastating. Secondly, I am convinced that Wilbur should be in a household WITHOUT dogs.

Before everyone starts to berate me for all the things that went wrong here, and all the things that I did wrong here...I know. I have gone over this scenerio a thousand times in my head. I have cried over this situation and how it breaks my heart taht i have only caused my grief for this sweet bird. What I did wrong, what I should have done and what I shoudn't have done. Even what I should have done starting the first week I brought Wilbur home.

I have reached out to the woman I adopted him from and she has not returned my requests. I have noticed another poster here that had aa adoption issue and no one really responded to her questions or inquiries.

Can Wilbur overcome his fear of my dog (corgi)? If so how? Or is the best course of action rehoming him to a home with no dogs?

Can he overcome his fear of me and form a bond with me after such a scary encounter?

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

Wow!

Okay, let's all take a deep breath.

I've done stupid(er) things by far with my bird, but I learned from them, and you seem ready to do the same.

I would say... secure the situation, and fix the things you know were mistakes, and for now, just... wait.

Let the bird relax, feel safe(er) and eat and get strength...

YES, a bird can learn trust. It'll take a while. Even under ideal circumstances.

For now, just let the bird be, and work on making the environment safe and good and...

I'll be back with some reading for you, but I wanted to give you a quick reply.

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

As promised...

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

General Parrot Information - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

http://goodbirdinc.blogspot.com/2012...n-parrots.html


Relax, read, be refreshed. There's a lot to learn about diet, caging, toys, and more...
We're a patient and resourceful community.
Stick around.

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

I’m glad that Wilbur is okay, and I’m with Gail - sit back, help him to feel secure and then start to build trust. Birds learn to trust, and it takes time.

I’m happy you’re here, and wanting to help him overcome this scare.

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

thank you soo much. i have been on this site ALL day reading and exploring and just looking for ANY information i can find. THANK YOU



.....and im crying again....i just want him to be happy

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

Welcome, come on in!

For technical and moral support you have come to the right place.

Gail has given you excellent advice and resources.

The main thing you have to have is patience going forward.

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

Hey Steph ... **** happens ...
I am no saint and have done much worse than that- one way or another: it'll be okay.

But first things first:
you have done your homework (and are probably doing more reading up now, you got some great material here)
so...now is the time to step back and "have a mental margarita".

You sound stressed to the gills (sorry for the fishmethaphor).
Stressed people make parrots very nervous-
this is not something to get you down personally, it's just something that happens.
(bodylanguage and all that )

What has happened, has happened ... now let it go.
Take care of you!
(just as important as taking care of your feathered friend)
If you relax, so will your pets, trust me

No use beating yourself up- just think constructively how to avoid something like this in the future.
Maybe get in some dogtraining as well? Corgi's are very trainable and obedience is always usefull.

(they follow commands far better than parrots, so try the easier way )


For now: focus on the fun bits. Think back on how your daugther is bonding, look how pretty your bird is (from across the room)
- just the small happy stuf (because that is what the big things are made off).
Babysteps ....

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

Thank you so much everyone for the encouragement. My daughter helped me to move Wilbur’s cage a little further from the sitting area, but still close enough to be with everyone and hear me speak to him. She will be taking care of his morning food and water changes ang turning his lamp off and covering him at night until he is more comfortable with me. For now I will just continue to do target training with my GCC Sam who is eager to learn (and loves Mommy). And perhaps do some clicker training with my dog.

I will start clicker training in a week or so when things calm down. And in the meantime read and soak up as much information as I can.

I cannot thank you all enough for your help and encouragement. I feel so terribly.

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

See?
You're one of us already.

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

So glad you’re here looking for answers! You’ve find the kindest place on the interwebz.

Nobody mentioned this, and although I’m sure you’ve already come to this conclusion, Wilbur and pup can certainly live under the same roof. However, when Wilbur (or your other fid) is out, doggo needs to be on the other side of a closed door. Eliminate the risk entirely and everyone will be happier.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

My situation is simialr to yours. I adopted a 25 year old Grey. He dislikes females and since I am a male, he came to me easily. I visited him 3 times before adopting him and had no problems.
He stepped up for me easily and accepted head scratches. The 2nd day I had him, for no reason that I know of, he bit me hard and drew blood. The trust between us was broken.

That was 3 weeks ago. Since then we have been building trust towards each other. I began target training which I believe is a real key to gaining trust. He takes treats from me easily while in his cage. But out of his cage has been a problem.
He still shows signs of aggression and mis-trust.
He also shares a room with my Conure and am wondering if, when he bit, my Conure might have spooked him. Don't know since it happened so fast.

Point is, trust has been getting better with lots of positive reinforcement and treats. When the time comes to handle him again, I will make sure the Conure is not in the same room.

Do so with your dog. As many here have told me, baby steps and lots of patience. Remove the negative that has caused him to react and build from there.

Good luck.

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

ChristaNL said:

Hey Steph ... **** happens ...
I am no saint and have done much worse than that- one way or another: it'll be okay.

But first things first:
you have done your homework (and are probably doing more reading up now, you got some great material here)
so...now is the time to step back and "have a mental margarita".

You sound stressed to the gills (sorry for the fishmethaphor).
Stressed people make parrots very nervous-
this is not something to get you down personally, it's just something that happens.
(bodylanguage and all that )

What has happened, has happened ... now let it go.
Take care of you!
(just as important as taking care of your feathered friend)
If you relax, so will your pets, trust me

No use beating yourself up- just think constructively how to avoid something like this in the future.
Maybe get in some dogtraining as well? Corgi's are very trainable and obedience is always usefull.

(they follow commands far better than parrots, so try the easier way )


For now: focus on the fun bits. Think back on how your daugther is bonding, look how pretty your bird is (from across the room)
- just the small happy stuf (because that is what the big things are made off).
Babysteps ....

Click to expand...

IMOP the key here is slow and patience progress.

We all try to move faster than our feathered friends. I'm guilty of this every day.

BTW, animals sense our moods. I've dealt with all kinds of birds, cattle, sheep, hogs, dogs, cats and more.
They can all sense what you are feeling. And they will react.

You need to realize that parrots are more intelligent than the other animals I stated. And consider that they react more strongly.

Patience and persistence are the key IMO

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

Inger said:

So glad you’re here looking for answers! You’ve find the kindest place on the interwebz.

Nobody mentioned this, and although I’m sure you’ve already come to this conclusion, Wilbur and pup can certainly live under the same roof. However, when Wilbur (or your other fid) is out, doggo needs to be on the other side of a closed door. Eliminate the risk entirely and everyone will be happier.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Click to expand...

YES! And I realized my mistake as soon as Wilbur fluttered off the perch when we started training this morning. Normally, I put her in tha basement during training time. My GCC Sam is flighted, so I worry less about him and he does not fear the pups. Actually, he is quite fearless for a little guy.

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

TiredOldMan said:

ChristaNL said:

Hey Steph ... **** happens ...
I am no saint and have done much worse than that- one way or another: it'll be okay.

But first things first:
you have done your homework (and are probably doing more reading up now, you got some great material here)
so...now is the time to step back and "have a mental margarita".

You sound stressed to the gills (sorry for the fishmethaphor).
Stressed people make parrots very nervous-
this is not something to get you down personally, it's just something that happens.
(bodylanguage and all that )

What has happened, has happened ... now let it go.
Take care of you!
(just as important as taking care of your feathered friend)
If you relax, so will your pets, trust me

No use beating yourself up- just think constructively how to avoid something like this in the future.
Maybe get in some dogtraining as well? Corgi's are very trainable and obedience is always usefull.

(they follow commands far better than parrots, so try the easier way )


For now: focus on the fun bits. Think back on how your daugther is bonding, look how pretty your bird is (from across the room)
- just the small happy stuf (because that is what the big things are made off).
Babysteps ....

Click to expand...

IMOP the key here is slow and patience progress.

We all try to move faster than our feathered friends. I'm guilty of this every day.

BTW, animals sense our moods. I've dealt with all kinds of birds, cattle, sheep, hogs, dogs, cats and more.
They can all sense what you are feeling. And they will react.

You need to realize that parrots are more intelligent than the other animals I stated. And consider that they react more strongly.

Patience and persistence are the key IMO

Click to expand...

I totally agree and this is something that I am working very hard at. Before our fiasco, I would always take a deep breath and blow it out before I approached Wilbur’s cage. But I know that there is always room for more “zen” improvement and patience. It’s on my to do list 😉

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

You are doing great! Remember, you do NOT want Wilbur to loose his fear of dogs! Dogs kill birds, birds dislike being killed! My JoJo is never out in the same room with our dogs at the same time! No exceptions! Your setback is minor and will correct itself in time with the aids presented!

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

Green cheeks can be fearless little birds....

The problem that happened is that when your dog scared Wilbur, Wilbur went into a "fight or flight" panic mode. Sadly, the worst thing that you could have done, you did... and I don't blame you! When a bird goes into that panic mode, the last thing you want to do is to chase the bird. As long as the bird isn't in any immediate danger, you leave them be! If they are in danger, well, that's a different story! HOWEVER, the point is, because they were in that mode, and you chased after the bird, the bird has then associated you with that fear. Some birds get over their fear relatively quickly, others take time.


So what you are seeing is, sadly, fear. Wilbur has associated that fear from that experience with you. Something that you can try doing is setting up a *metal* dish at the front of the cage (or whatever side you walk by the most) and any time you walk by Wilbur's cage, drop his favorite treat into that cup. He *does not* need to take it directly from you, however this can help Wilbur to associate that your presence equals good things.


Now, we also want to walk by his cage in such a way that it doesn't scare him. That is, you want him to remain calm while you travel by. If he freaks out, you don't want to approach, instead, you want to back off. Learn to *really* read his body language.

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

I am glad someone else mentioned this - bird and dog cannot be trusted in the same space together, unfortunately. Corgis are herding dog, and traditionally nip at the heels of cows or sheep to get them going in the right direction. Combine that inbred instinct with a small animal moving in unexpected, erratic (in a Corgi's mind) ways, and it could be disastrous.

Patience, patience, patience, calm, patience, bribes and more patience are likely what will do the trick.

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

MonicaMc said:

Green cheeks can be fearless little birds....

The problem that happened is that when your dog scared Wilbur, Wilbur went into a "fight or flight" panic mode. Sadly, the worst thing that you could have done, you did... and I don't blame you! When a bird goes into that panic mode, the last thing you want to do is to chase the bird. As long as the bird isn't in any immediate danger, you leave them be! If they are in danger, well, that's a different story! HOWEVER, the point is, because they were in that mode, and you chased after the bird, the bird has then associated you with that fear. Some birds get over their fear relatively quickly, others take time.


So what you are seeing is, sadly, fear. Wilbur has associated that fear from that experience with you. Something that you can try doing is setting up a *metal* dish at the front of the cage (or whatever side you walk by the most) and any time you walk by Wilbur's cage, drop his favorite treat into that cup. He *does not* need to take it directly from you, however this can help Wilbur to associate that your presence equals good things.


Now, we also want to walk by his cage in such a way that it doesn't scare him. That is, you want him to remain calm while you travel by. If he freaks out, you don't want to approach, instead, you want to back off. Learn to *really* read his body language.

Click to expand...

This is a great idea! I will try this! Thank you

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

This morning I just slowly approached his cage while quietly talking to him. This took about 20 to 30 minutes, but I didn’t get right near his cage. Just a few feet away and sat there with him quietly talking for about 20 minutes. He seems ok today, calm enough to nap on one leg on top of his cage. I still cannot come close to him without him being “on alert” but he does not “freak out”. I am still keeping a respectful distance. Everyone’s advice is helping so very much! Please know how very grateful I am and ESPECIALLY Wilbur!

Re: I myself am made entirely of flaws,stitched together w/ good intentions. & I adop

Very pleased to hear things are going well. Tomorrow try and do the same, don't push to go further every time, allow him to develop trust that you are going to be predictable and not fine one day and far too close the next.

Just repeating the warnings of dogs and birds, just keep them apart. Even if the bird or dog isn't bothered by the other just don't risk it. My one-eyed old lady cat showed zero interest in my birds, we'd had birds for about 4 years and then one day I watched her stalk across the room (I remember thinking "what is she doing?" ) and pounce halfway up the cage of one of them! Totally "out of the blue" (apart from the fact that SHE'S A CAT!) and now no interest again. My dog and cat are never with my uncaged birds.

Something else you could try if your bird is frightened of your dog at all is to cover part of the cage so he has a safe place to hide.