Question for those that are away during the day...

[Sassy]

After my new mom worry wort stuff yesterday regarding Neytiri not really eating... I have been thinking about getting a video camera so I can watch her remotely... (And yes I know I'm nuts and probably going overbored)

SOOOO..... my question is do any of you use remote video to montior your fids during the day or while you're away? If so what do you use and how do you like it?

thanks
Sassy

 

[jaimmorr]

I would love to, but I am afraid I would become obsessed with checking the camera all the time! Lol

 

[paulhanlon]

I don't yet but will be putting a cctv camera in my room when i get jinx home so i can monitor him when I'm downstairs as i know how destructive amazons can be as for when I'm out he will be with me and honestly I don't think your nuts for wanting to do it aswell its a good way of keeping them in check

 

[DebsFlock]

Been tempted, especially when out of town, but never actually done it.

 

[MaraWentz]

Never done it- I trust Erin completely, plus she's too lazy to leave her stand lol. But my grandmother records (sound only) her 6 parrots and you'd be amazed with the things theyd say. Our African Grey would holler names and phrases we havent heard in 6 years or so, its amazing and worth the investment for at least an audio recorder if your bird is chatty.

 

[Rio Mom]

Hmmmmmm the idea of a baby monitor might be nice. Sometimes they are practicing saying something when nobody is in the room, and I'm not close enough to hear. Would be interesting to listen in on the practice.

 

[lene1949]

If you're just worried about whether your bird is eating, I would just monitor the weight...

 

[lene1949]

I also don't leave my birds unsupervised, unless they are securely in their cages...

 

[Sassy]

If you're just worried about whether your bird is eating, I would just monitor the weight...

It's more just making sure she's ok during the day. And to see what she does during the day.

 

[lizardsmells]

I have a G+ account and use the Hangout feature to check in on Kazi when I'm out running errands. As a bonus, he gets to interact with a ton of people via video chat because I make the Hangouts public so anyone can join. Sometimes I get jerks on there trying to teach him bad words (he already knows them!) but most of the time it's just people whistling to him, telling him he's a pretty bird or chatting amongst themselves.

The only downside is that G+ will only allow an account to continue a Hangout for so long without any activity (clicking, etc) before it shuts down. So if I'm going to be gone longer than an hour or two it'll cut off automatically.

We also have a couple of cameras in the house but we only use those when we're out of town. Mostly to see what the cats and dogs are up to while we're gone but also to make sure the pet sitters are coming when they say they are and doing what they're supposed to be doing.

 

[MaraWentz]

G+ as in Google?

 

[BoomBoom]

When I had to leave Boomer home for the first time (me and my partner both have 8 to 5 jobs), I was a mess. I too, considered leaving a surveillance camera. I was worried he would get stuck on a toy, if he was starving himself, if he was lonely, if he was holding his poop, if an alien comes to abduct him, you get the idea. It took me about 2 weeks to get over it when I realized he was fine.

Some days I'd visit him on my lunch time when I miss him, or I think I may have forgotten to do something. He also has Capa and Quark, our budgies to keep him company close by in another cage. I still worry but I don't feel like I need to put in a surveillance video. I'm curious what he does when we're gone though.

You'll be fine! I can totally relate to you. Just make sure his cage is safe, he has enough toy variation (chews, shreds, bells, climbers), foraging containers, dry food and fresh food, two water bowls (1 for bathing), maybe some nice soothing music (depends on the bird), make sure you close the cages well, ventilate their room well... Blah blah blah. A companion one cage over also does wonders in bringing an aliveness to the room. It gives them more security knowing that another bird flock member is nearby.

Good luck and regards to your birdie!

 

[BoomBoom]

Also...

If you're worried he is really not eating, weigh him as one poster suggested. That could be a major concern. Somehow I missed the point of your thread.

To keep the weight up, leave foods you know he would like (usually its the bad ones) then do a very gradual transition. Give him a variety as well, both of dry (pellets, seeds, nuts) and fresh produce (fruits and veggies).

If he eats a lot when you're there, then he may just be scared while he is alone or still unsure of his new environment. In that case, my above post would be more relevant.

 

[dawnkyung]

When we first got our dog, we used Ustream and a webcam to stream from home so we could watch from work. When Banner came home, we did the same. We don't now, but for the first week we'd check in pretty regularly. Glad to know we're not the only nuts.