Please help me :(

[HRH Di]

Wow, I missed this whole thread yesterday. Ap, sounds like things are going to work out - at least for the present. There will probably always be an undertone of conflict regarding your birds.

Honestly, I don't know that there's going to be much hope of you changing your parents view. You see, we parents usually don't like to be "instructed" by our children. It's just a thing. I consciously try not to be that way with my kids (all older than you are), but sometimes we just can't help it. Remember, we're supposed to know everything.

But I do have to say that I don't understand why they get annoyed with you spending your money ant time on your pets. That's just weird. I suspect there's another issue - probably the amount of time. You only have 2 years of high school left so they may be worrying about your further education. They may also feel that you need to socialize more and are worried that you spend too much time with your pets. Maybe they're just crazy - j/k.

But try to bite your tongue and get through the next few years with your pet family intact. Come here to vent if you need to; we'll understand.

 

[apatrimo94]

Thanks for understanding guys. Plus I'm actually glad I moved Bartleby into my room for several reasons:
1-When I work on taming him, it's going to be a lot easier because when I play with S'mores outside her cage, he's going to want that too (monkey see, monkey do)
2-He seems a lot more active in his cage than he was before when he was in the dining room. He actually played with all of his toys and screamed wiith joy while doing it (something he's NEVER done before)
3-S'mores and Bartleby can finally see each other and Bartleby seems to feel relief with S'mores. Ex. This morning I walked by his cage, he didn't stumble around and fall, he just looked at me curiously. He is so cute.
I think things are going to be a LOT better with him in my room now.

Thanks guys, and HRH Di, I'll be sure to vent in the nicest way possible if I ever need to. Just watch my words so I don't get Auggie's Dad mad and get banned LOL!

Actually, I'm sometimes led to believe that many people don't realise birds are wild animals and think they don't exist in the wild. They think they are domesticated like dogs. I recall one commenter on youtube saying something like 'there are flocks cockatoos flying free? How did they escape from their cages?'

Wow, when I see people like that, I kind of cringe and break apart inside. LOL All animals come from the wild at some point.

 

[Aussie Ben]

Actually, I'm sometimes led to believe that many people don't realise birds are wild animals and think they don't exist in the wild. They think they are domesticated like dogs. I recall one commenter on youtube saying something like 'there are flocks cockatoos flying free? How did they escape from their cages?'

Wow, when I see people like that, I kind of cringe and break apart inside. LOL All animals come from the wild at some point.

I guess its sad, because many people only get to see these magnificent birds in cages and forget they are actually only a few generations removed from the wild. I think this is why we have such trouble educating people about habitat destruction and stuff.

 

[antoinette]

No need for a baby sitter when you want a long weekend away from your newborn, just slap and extra diaper on him and shove a jumbo size bottle in his mouth - that should hold him over.

Also be sure to strap him down in his crib or he might get out and pee on the furniture.

Oh AD you had me in stitches, I am still laughing LoL
Great humor "Ditto"

Ps... I hope you have not got any human kids.... if so then I would have to report you to the Animal Anti Cruelty Society hahaha

 

[antoinette]

quote]



Sounds like you are doing everything right Ap, This shouldn't bring about punishments but rewards. You are being responsible and getting good grades at the same time! A report card with almost all A's! My mom would have killed to have me get grades like that:22:

I'm really happy you get to keep Bartelby[/QUOTE]

The only A's I ever got were for being absent LoL :22:

 

[antoinette]

Bartleby is staying yeah my prayers were certainly answered.
So relieved that things worked out for the best.
You sure are a mature 16 year old, and not a nerd.......
Stick to your side of the bargain, things will surely run smoothly.
Thanks for the PM and you are always welcome, anytime

 

[Birdamor]

I think that there is always a reason why things happen and the reason why you had this argument with your parents was that Bartebly needed to be moved into your room. This way, he can share more time with you and the other bird and you can let him fly free for hours and hours at a time (just make sure your room is bird-safe).

I think you are all being too rough on AP's parents. It's not a matter of them been unfeeling, uncaring or ignorant. They just belong to a different generation. I know because I am, most likely, older than them and I know how people of my age were raised and how they took care of birds. My grandmother loved birds and had them all her life but she did not treat them well. Back then, birds were kept in small cages either hanging from a hook or from a nail on the wall in the kitchen, usually. They had dowels to perch on and seed and water to eat and, on occasion, a piece of lettuce and/or a piece of apple was given. Period. They never came out of their cages, they never had any sunshine, full spectrum lights, toys or supplements. And nobody thought this was cruel. This was the way things were done and everybody was fine with them because nobody knew any better. Geez, I used to hand-raise quakers by feeding them white bread soaked in milk until they were old enough to eat polenta! That's how bad it was! And there were no avian vets, either! If your bird got sick, he died. And don't think that this was eons ago because it wasn't. Just 20 years ago there were no AVs to speak of in the Greater NY area!

It's hard for people to realize that something they learned as true and good at their parent's knees is not. And nobody likes to be made to feel like an ogre or an idiot! So be patient with them. Don't get mad. Try to see things from their point of view and explain that the way they did things was fine back then but that we have discovered a huge amount of info on birds in the last 20 years and that's why you need to do things differently. It worked for me with my own mother when I got her a canary to keep her company before she died. And she listened and she followed every single instruction to the letter.

 

[Aussie Ben]

I think you are all being too rough on AP's parents. It's not a matter of them been unfeeling, uncaring or ignorant. They just belong to a different generation. I know because I am, most likely, older than them and I know how people of my age were raised and how they took care of birds. My grandmother loved birds and had them all her life but she did not treat them well. Back then, birds were kept in small cages either hanging from a hook or from a nail on the wall in the kitchen, usually. They had dowels to perch on and seed and water to eat and, on occasion, a piece of lettuce and/or a piece of apple was given. Period. They never came out of their cages, they never had any sunshine, full spectrum lights, toys or supplements. And nobody thought this was cruel. This was the way things were done and everybody was fine with them because nobody knew any better. Geez, I used to hand-raise quakers by feeding them white bread soaked in milk until they were old enough to eat polenta! That's how bad it was! And there were no avian vets, either! If your bird got sick, he died. And don't think that this was eons ago because it wasn't. Just 20 years ago there were no AVs to speak of in the Greater NY area!

Well said. I remember only about 12-15 years ago when I was only real young, my parents bought us a budgie - It was kept in a round cage with a dowel perch and we just fed it commercial budgie mix. She had 2 small toys that never got changed. Even though it sounds cruel, this is all we knew. To the best of our knowledge we were giving it a 5 star life. In fact it was what we were told to do by the people we bought her from. It wasn't until I reached high school that I started reading books and my attitude started changing. I even tried taming her down because she never came out of her cage (man budgies can bite lol). Unfortunately she got sick and died, it was very sad.

 

[Beilana]

quote]



Sounds like you are doing everything right Ap, This shouldn't bring about punishments but rewards. You are being responsible and getting good grades at the same time! A report card with almost all A's! My mom would have killed to have me get grades like that:22:

I'm really happy you get to keep Bartelby

The only A's I ever got were for being absent LoL :22:[/QUOTE]

LOL Same here! With the occasional B for "bad kid" hehe

 

[herper]

just a couple of thoughts. did you tell your parents the whole truth about what to expect with the bird? I assume from your posts you didnt just walk in and say meet my new buddy? my son tried worse, snuck an animal in the house and hide the tank under dirty clothes in his room. Not bright expecting to keep a rodent of some kind secret with 5 cats in the house. If he had acted like you seem to be he would have been better off and avoided grief. A few ideas to keep piece. Keep the room clean, above what you think is ok. Keep up the grades. Interact with humans your age and not just birders. Ok moms is a neatness lover, make her happy, every once in awhile do some suttle cleaning that will be noticed but maybe not right away. I know this s hard to swallow but quietly prove you are a smart well adjusted well mannered teen, it works alot of times.. best of luck

 

[qplady0831]

I am new to this forum and just looking around. Saw this whole post. So we just toss food and walk away? Poor innocent animal. I am proud of you for being so responsible with your bird. That is awesome and you are going to be an incredible adult and parent one day. Keep up the good work!