Rocking Rocky

I discovered something by accident a few days ago that might help if you have 'toos who are squawky and screaming after you tuck them in for the night.

Try rocking them. Yes, like a baby.

Rocky used to demand to go to bed and be covered promptly at dusk, but in the last couple of weeks, he screams and screams afterward and nothing made him happy. He always wants a last cuddle before bed, and absent-mindedly, I started rocking back and forth while I was cuddling and he usually makes noises while I cuddle, just 'too talk with the occasional "I wuv oooh" added in. I realized after a few minutes that he'd stopped doing that and I looked down and lo and behold, he was half asleep. When I tucked him in, he woke up, but I petted him through the bars and crooned to him a little, and when I covered him up he went right to bed, no fussing, no screaming, nothing. I've done this four nights in a row and it's the same every night.

Quick, write this up and submit it to AFA. You may just get invited to provide a presentation.

This is just such a great idea! Ranks right-up there with driving around town for a couple of hours. But much better!

What is AFA?

Ah fantastic Siobhan looks like you have reached a higher level in your relationship and closeness with Rocky. Definitely giving you the thumbs up.

Not wishing to spoil this beautiful moment I do have a couple of words of warning. The key now is not to let this tip over and go downhill rapidly. If he decides he really likes this and all he needs to do is scream to get it? I would try mixing it up a little and as he definitely wants cuddles make it a reward for being good/positive behaviour, maybe at different times of the day. You could integrate it into pre-bedtime routine - give him a cuddle before he screams for it instead of responding to him screaming?

I sometimes have evenings when Plum is a little needy for cuddles and is in and out of bed until he is satisfied that mummy still loves him loads. Fortunately no screaming involved just loads of toy bashing or a little voice calling "hello".

Please, please, please can we see a photo?

He gets cuddles all the time, not just at bedtime. Adding the rocking to the bedtime routine is to PREVENT screaming, not as a response to screaming. If, when he indicates he wants to go to bed (and by now, I know most all of his signals), I cuddle and rock before putting him in the cage and covering, he settles right down. Before, when it was just a cuddle and no rocking, he would yell after I covered his cage. I have to rock until I can tell he is relaxed and sleepy. I think it's a way for him to wind down at the end of the day and sort of soothes him. Parrots love routine, and they like to be involved in creating those routines. This is ours now.

Web Search AFA, parrots - for the web site.

There is just so much that it would be easier this way.