kiwipixel777
New member
- Nov 4, 2012
- 2
- 0
Ok so this is a really long post. Sorry about that. But it`s necessary to get my point across.
Hello. So I am currently in university, second year. I have a rose-crowned conure at home, and he is the most adorable thing ever! I love him so much. He's your typical cuddly, mischievous parrot. I got him from a friend when I was about 14, and he's probably 6 years old or so now. Anyways, I go to school quite a ways from home. Let's just say I only go home at Christmas time, and the bus trip is torture.
So my conure currently lives at home with my family who, by the way, don't particularly like birds to begin with. I know, it was dumb for me to get a bird before I went to school. My family let my bird out of his cage every day, fed him, watered him, gave him toys, etc. My dad picked him up and played with him a few times a day, but my mom never touches him. I would come home at Christmas and he'd be really excited to see me. He'd get all cuddly and friendly and was just happy to see me.
However, my family moved last month to a smaller house (as their kids are leaving home, they want to downsize) and I wasn't there through the ordeal to bring my bird there and get him settled in. I advised my parents against moving until the summer or a time I could be there, but nope. They did it anyways. I`ll also let you know that my parents do foster care for babies, so there`s always a loud toddler running around. The other kids they used to foster come around every so often as well to visit with their parents, so there`s never a time when someone isn`t over at the house. As well, my sister is in her last year of high school and has friends over every so often. My family is not a very quiet one either ;p
Anyways, so now my bird has got into this bad behaviour where all he does, all day, every day (NO LIE) is climbs to the top corner of his cage (when he`s allowed out), crouches, flutters his wings, and chirps. Not like a nice little chirp every so often. I mean a somewhat loud continous chirp ALL THE TIME. When he`s inside his cage, he does the same thing, just on a perch. He never plays with his toys, he never minds his own business and does his own thing, he never has baths any more, he doesn`t eat as well (he used to be a pig and eat all his food in the morning right after I gave it to him, but now he kinda pick at it all day). I know my bird well enough, and this wing fluttering and crouching means he wants to go somewhere else, usually in the direction of where he`s looking. I came over a few weeks ago during a school break and when I was there, he only got worse. He was chirping nonstop (I really mean it) and doing his weird fluttering and crouching. I would go to pick him up and he`d step up, but do the exact same thing on my finger, or wherever I set him down (other perches, the couch, my shoulder, table, etc.) He never stops doing it. I let him down on the floor once to see where he wanted to go, and he just walks in random directions until he crouches and flutters his wings and I go pick him up again.
My family is really starting to get fed up of his behaviour. They don`t know what to do anymore. I`ve told them to get him different toys and change them around every so often. I`ve told them to keep taking him out and socialising with him. They haven`t changed his food or duration of daylight or anything like that. All the people over at our house hasn`t changed from where we lived before we moved. When I visited that few weeks ago I tried everything. I looked up causes, remedies, things to do, etc. I have no dea what`s wrong. Well, it`s probably the new environment. Also, the kitchen, living room, and dining room is pretty much one room as it`s an open concept layout, something that the old house didn`t have. My parrot is kept in the living room, and he was at the old house as well. Anyways, since I visited, he`s gotten worse and hasn`t stopped EVER apparently by what I`m told. They can`t even hold him any more cause all he does is just stand there, fluttering and crouching, and he won`t let them touch him. He`s not biting or scared, just avoiding them.
My parents informed me today that they`re getting really sick of him and they`ll either move him into the basement or get rid of him. Now my parents aren`t mean people at all and we`re a really close family, so when they said this I knew it was serious. I can`t let them put him in the basement. I know what happens to parrots who never see the sun and who don`t get any socialisation. I also really really really don`t want to get rid of him. I love him so much. I only have two years left of school, then I`ll be out and I`ll take him from them.
So is it too much to ask for my parents to just keep him until school is done? Is it mean of me to keep him in the basement, clearly unhappy and losing trust in people and all his good behaviour, until I’m done school and can retrain him again? Or should I really just find a new home for him? I’ll take any help I can get. I’m really stuck in a bad position here and I have no idea what to do. It’s really stressful on me, my parents, and my bird.
Thanks for reading, and if you have any ideas as to what`s wrong with him, what I can do to help him stop, or what I should do with him, please please let me know. I know this was a long post, but I had to go into detail. Thanks so much again, and have a great day!
PS I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes. I am a grammar Nazi but I was upset while writing this.
Hello. So I am currently in university, second year. I have a rose-crowned conure at home, and he is the most adorable thing ever! I love him so much. He's your typical cuddly, mischievous parrot. I got him from a friend when I was about 14, and he's probably 6 years old or so now. Anyways, I go to school quite a ways from home. Let's just say I only go home at Christmas time, and the bus trip is torture.
So my conure currently lives at home with my family who, by the way, don't particularly like birds to begin with. I know, it was dumb for me to get a bird before I went to school. My family let my bird out of his cage every day, fed him, watered him, gave him toys, etc. My dad picked him up and played with him a few times a day, but my mom never touches him. I would come home at Christmas and he'd be really excited to see me. He'd get all cuddly and friendly and was just happy to see me.
However, my family moved last month to a smaller house (as their kids are leaving home, they want to downsize) and I wasn't there through the ordeal to bring my bird there and get him settled in. I advised my parents against moving until the summer or a time I could be there, but nope. They did it anyways. I`ll also let you know that my parents do foster care for babies, so there`s always a loud toddler running around. The other kids they used to foster come around every so often as well to visit with their parents, so there`s never a time when someone isn`t over at the house. As well, my sister is in her last year of high school and has friends over every so often. My family is not a very quiet one either ;p
Anyways, so now my bird has got into this bad behaviour where all he does, all day, every day (NO LIE) is climbs to the top corner of his cage (when he`s allowed out), crouches, flutters his wings, and chirps. Not like a nice little chirp every so often. I mean a somewhat loud continous chirp ALL THE TIME. When he`s inside his cage, he does the same thing, just on a perch. He never plays with his toys, he never minds his own business and does his own thing, he never has baths any more, he doesn`t eat as well (he used to be a pig and eat all his food in the morning right after I gave it to him, but now he kinda pick at it all day). I know my bird well enough, and this wing fluttering and crouching means he wants to go somewhere else, usually in the direction of where he`s looking. I came over a few weeks ago during a school break and when I was there, he only got worse. He was chirping nonstop (I really mean it) and doing his weird fluttering and crouching. I would go to pick him up and he`d step up, but do the exact same thing on my finger, or wherever I set him down (other perches, the couch, my shoulder, table, etc.) He never stops doing it. I let him down on the floor once to see where he wanted to go, and he just walks in random directions until he crouches and flutters his wings and I go pick him up again.
My family is really starting to get fed up of his behaviour. They don`t know what to do anymore. I`ve told them to get him different toys and change them around every so often. I`ve told them to keep taking him out and socialising with him. They haven`t changed his food or duration of daylight or anything like that. All the people over at our house hasn`t changed from where we lived before we moved. When I visited that few weeks ago I tried everything. I looked up causes, remedies, things to do, etc. I have no dea what`s wrong. Well, it`s probably the new environment. Also, the kitchen, living room, and dining room is pretty much one room as it`s an open concept layout, something that the old house didn`t have. My parrot is kept in the living room, and he was at the old house as well. Anyways, since I visited, he`s gotten worse and hasn`t stopped EVER apparently by what I`m told. They can`t even hold him any more cause all he does is just stand there, fluttering and crouching, and he won`t let them touch him. He`s not biting or scared, just avoiding them.
My parents informed me today that they`re getting really sick of him and they`ll either move him into the basement or get rid of him. Now my parents aren`t mean people at all and we`re a really close family, so when they said this I knew it was serious. I can`t let them put him in the basement. I know what happens to parrots who never see the sun and who don`t get any socialisation. I also really really really don`t want to get rid of him. I love him so much. I only have two years left of school, then I`ll be out and I`ll take him from them.
So is it too much to ask for my parents to just keep him until school is done? Is it mean of me to keep him in the basement, clearly unhappy and losing trust in people and all his good behaviour, until I’m done school and can retrain him again? Or should I really just find a new home for him? I’ll take any help I can get. I’m really stuck in a bad position here and I have no idea what to do. It’s really stressful on me, my parents, and my bird.
Thanks for reading, and if you have any ideas as to what`s wrong with him, what I can do to help him stop, or what I should do with him, please please let me know. I know this was a long post, but I had to go into detail. Thanks so much again, and have a great day!
PS I apologize for any spelling or grammar mistakes. I am a grammar Nazi but I was upset while writing this.