Six weeks ago my boyfriend adopted a rescue cockatoo from the avian vet where he'd been living for 9 months post house fire and owners divorcing. Poppy has been, according to the vet (we know them well, I've been taking my Quaker there for 4 years), quiet, amiable, sweet. He just turned 4.
Boyfriend (BF) has been doing well. Reading books. Bonding with Poppy. Big cage, lots of toys ($ not a problem for BF), working through the nibbling fingers, gentle "bite" stage. Recently he started target training with Poppy. Not doing clicker, but wants to, and I'm bringing over the one I used for Bell (the QP).
Poppy totally and immediately freaked out with love over BF's daughter. Behavior is now getting worse - he wants all her attention, biting her homework pencils, make-up brushes, bit a hole in her purse, putting up his feathers and whooping when she leaves or doesn't pay attention to him. He wants to be WHEREVER SHE IS. He takes off in flight, climbs the stairs after her, sits on the "rigging" as BF calls it, outside her room. She leaves, BF picks up Poppy, puts him back on top of his cage.
BF has read books, and in general, is doing well, I think and the best he can but daily cleaning, constant attention to Poppy (BF works from home), frequent problems getting Poppy in his cage, and now this, is getting frustrated, not trying new things, not reading or finding a solution ("Everyone says something different," he says, "leave the room, don't leave the room." It's BF's "I'm-overwhelmed-and-making-excuses response), but combined with the cleaning, heading down an eventual path -I'd not like to see. "Poppy is a full-time job," he says. "I knew it would be difficult, but not this difficult."
Some insight and suggestions? She should do target training for Poppy? Leave the room? Not leave the room? BF should move Poppy when he starts doing that? She's too scared. Poppy wooed her initially or she'd have stayed far away entirely. If I can bring some ideas and a plan of action, perhaps he will implement it.
BTW - Though Poppy initially loved me at the vets (which is how this came about) I come over every weekend with a QP so Poppy and I had some issues at first, now being resolved with patience, distance, smiles, and my doing good things for him, but I can't really insert more actively here. There's much more to all this, but it would be too long of a post!
Thank you.:33:
jujubee6
Boyfriend (BF) has been doing well. Reading books. Bonding with Poppy. Big cage, lots of toys ($ not a problem for BF), working through the nibbling fingers, gentle "bite" stage. Recently he started target training with Poppy. Not doing clicker, but wants to, and I'm bringing over the one I used for Bell (the QP).
Poppy totally and immediately freaked out with love over BF's daughter. Behavior is now getting worse - he wants all her attention, biting her homework pencils, make-up brushes, bit a hole in her purse, putting up his feathers and whooping when she leaves or doesn't pay attention to him. He wants to be WHEREVER SHE IS. He takes off in flight, climbs the stairs after her, sits on the "rigging" as BF calls it, outside her room. She leaves, BF picks up Poppy, puts him back on top of his cage.
BF has read books, and in general, is doing well, I think and the best he can but daily cleaning, constant attention to Poppy (BF works from home), frequent problems getting Poppy in his cage, and now this, is getting frustrated, not trying new things, not reading or finding a solution ("Everyone says something different," he says, "leave the room, don't leave the room." It's BF's "I'm-overwhelmed-and-making-excuses response), but combined with the cleaning, heading down an eventual path -I'd not like to see. "Poppy is a full-time job," he says. "I knew it would be difficult, but not this difficult."
Some insight and suggestions? She should do target training for Poppy? Leave the room? Not leave the room? BF should move Poppy when he starts doing that? She's too scared. Poppy wooed her initially or she'd have stayed far away entirely. If I can bring some ideas and a plan of action, perhaps he will implement it.
BTW - Though Poppy initially loved me at the vets (which is how this came about) I come over every weekend with a QP so Poppy and I had some issues at first, now being resolved with patience, distance, smiles, and my doing good things for him, but I can't really insert more actively here. There's much more to all this, but it would be too long of a post!
Thank you.:33:
jujubee6