Now that Tango is here, some questions on food and play.

[DanR]

Ah the honeymoon with Tango continues... it's been less than a week but he's a little neck and cheek nuzzling magnet who LOVES tummy rubs and kisses. He seems 100% confident with us already and we couldn't be happier... I do have some questions I wanted to aks those of you with more experience with Caiques, but I suspect the answer is simply a question of his young age.

Tango was hatched Dec 14th, so he is about 4 months old, still a very young bird, I guess you can say a baby. I watch him on the cam feed and even when he's out and about, he has little interest in playing with toys or objects outside his cage. If you watch his cam, he basically sits on his rope perch at the top or can be munching on pellets down at the food station. I'm assuming this is because he's young and this is a new environment for him with no cage mates. So I take it the playing and taking everything apart phase comes with time? His toys are untouched at this point... about the only thing I've had him play with are bits of plastic wrap from my granola bar and a business card lol! Thank goodness I bought all those toys...

OK second on the list is food. From what I could tell, Caiques eat just about everything and anything, but Tango seems pretty much disinterested in anything other than his pellets and a bit of cheese. I have been giving him fresh veggies and fruits daily and aside from a piece of kiwi and a half grape he loved, he doesn't eat anything. I know he does grab them, but they all end up on the bottom of the cage or in the water bowl for some Tango stew. He's only recently started eating pellets so I assume this is an age thing and slowly he will start expanding his diet? So far, zero reaction when the microwave dings.

If Derek is reading this post and just read my microwave comment, I imagine his face looks like this right now:

He also has zero interest in typical treats you would give for training rewards. Seeds etc... you might as well have nothing in your fingers, it's the same reaction. So is this just because he's so young? Will I be laughing at myself in a few months?

Question 3... the pooping thing. Now don't get me wrong, brids poop a lot, I know this. But he doesn't go 5 minutes without pooping and people were telling me it's 15 to 20 minutes. Like most animals, is this an age thing? I eventually want to train him not to poop on me, but going to be hard if I need to take him off my should every 2 - 3 minutes lol! Thank goodness the poops aren't as big as that morning deuce that gets dropped when he gets up... dang that's a bad boy! lol!

And finally... the shower perch. I need a perch that is portable so I bought that yellow and orange pvc perch with the 3 suction cups I'm sure you've all seen. It broke the second time I used it, 2 of the 3 suction cups sort of ripped off the screws that hold them in place. Useless... is there a better version of this or do I need to break out the tools?

OK, back to work now lol!

Thanks again everyone, I feel like I was so much better prepared for Tango's arrival because of this forum, what an amazing resource.

Dan

 

[dskidd]

Yeah, that pretty much WAS my reaction!

Of course, the oven "dings" when it comes to temperature. The washing machine and the dryer both "ding" when their respective cycles have finished. Since they don't seem to able to discern which is which, E & H come charging into the kitchen when pretty much any bell in this house goes off!

(You should see them when the doorbell rings and they march to the front door. Eliza: "GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! GET OUT OF MY HOUSE! DIE! DIE! DIE!" Henry: "Oh boy, I get to surf someone else's hair besides Dad's!")

More seriously, to answer your questions, first keep in mind that I can hardly count myself as an expert on these matters. So take this with the proverbial grain of salt. Hopefully, those with far more experience than I will also chime in here.

Nevertheless, here are my thoughts: Henry was a little over six months when I brought him home (Eliza was three years). Henry was pretty timid to start with; Eliza was perhaps more like Tango; i.e., in that it appeared she made herself right at home. However, in both cases, it was a completely new environment for them. Despite all appearances (particularly in Eliza's case), it DOES take them awhile to get really acclimated and comfortable. It's a pathetically obvious thing to say (but then, I'm a fairly pathetically obvious kind of guy), but the bottom line is--they're prey. Therefore, no matter how comfortable and bird-friendly you make the environment for them, it's nevertheless still a different situation for them. Thus, their instincts tell them to be very cautious, very wary, and not to call too much attention to themselves--particularly when you're not around--until they deem their surroundings to be safe. (And especially with a young one who has very little experience of different environs.) Their instincts basically tell them that--if they're not careful--they could get eaten.

For example, one room I do not let E&H go into under any circumstances is the garage. Too many potential accidents waiting to happen. Therefore, although they now know every square inch of this house, and will happily go anywhere they please; if I take them on my fingers and just show them the garage, they'll both go very quiet, and make the occasional little growling noise. It's still unfamiliar territory to them...even though they're on my finger.

Bottom line: it'll take some time (and it's different for every bird). It sounds like you and your wife have already made a lot of effort to provide a warm, nurturing and happy environment for Tango; my guess is it won't be too long before you'll have to eat dinner in a locked closet to keep away from a prying little beak. Not to mention all the money you'll be spending on replacement bird toys!


All the best,
Derek

PS Has Tango enjoyed his first martini yet?

 

[witchbaby]

I'm pretty sure pooping every 5 minutes is a baby bird thing. The time in between each poo should increase as he gets older.

 

[punkindave]

I'm with Derek, Tango is really young and will change almost daily as he settles in!! 4 months is barely weened, some Caiques can take 6mo to be fully eating solid food on their own. His tastes will change often and without reason. Keep offering different items to him showing him that you eat it too!!
In your play sessions, use his foot toys yourself and show him how much fun they are!
We've go a shower perch designed for a large bird that two of the Squeak Squad share every morning to watch me shave and brush my teeth in the morning. They jump around on it and hang upside down trying to reach stuff on the counter below. It also supports the CAG quite well also. We use it on windows to set them out in the sunlight when they get their bath too so it's quite sturdy. We have the Large
Cage Bird Perch: Polly's Pet Products Sandy Window/Shower Bird Perch

Poop happens!! Every 5mins is not unusual for a baby, keep a large supply of old t-shirts handy.

Enjoy Dan, it's only just begun!