Working Full Time

[Savvylee07]

I have a 6 year old Milli who has been with me since he was 4 months old. I had to start working full time which was not so bad as I was on night shift so as soon as I left for work my husband came in a few hours later. But Now I have been promoted and have to work 8am to 5pm. I give myself an hour to drive to work due to traffic. So that will put me out if the house for around 11 hours...basically the entire day, because I wont be home until around 6 or 6:30. My husband comes in around that time too. Basically I am wondering, will my Millie be ok that long for 5 days a week? I will of course let him out as soon as I get home so he can spend an hour or two with me before going to bed. I plan to buy paper plates to string up for him to shred and he gets other toys too though for some reason here lately he is less interested in toys.

 

[noodles123]

It depends on a lot of things---- that is a long time. I feel like I am gone a lot during the school-year and that is from 7-3:30 or 4:00. This is hardly ideal and for my bird, 1 hour isn't enough time out of the cage (so she is out from 4-8ish mon-fri during the school year and we interact A LOT during that time)...granted, she's a different bird variety. She does alright with our routine, but that may not be true for other birds with the same schedule.

If you are nervous and have access to a computer or phone, here is my suggestion:
1. Start off by adjusting the routine gradually--wean the bird off of your presence and make sure you reward independence when you see it.
2. Do or say the same thing as you leave each day (I showed mine my ID badge and said, "going to work"
3. Get a ton of toys and place them near the bird to get him used to them. Then, rotate them in and out of the cage----make sure they are the kind that you can trust him with without supervision.

4. You can create a Youtube account and if you have a laptop with a camera, you can do live streams (set to private) FOR FREE---I did this and I covered the screen so the bird couldn't see itself in the video feed. Once you start the stream, email the link to yourself and then you can leave it running in the background at work---if you see the bird plucking or hear that it is screaming all day, then obviously that is a problem. Birds are highly social and they need stimulation due to their intelligence levels. If there is a way for you to adjust your schedule, that would be better probably, but you will have to see if (and for how long) your bird tolerates the change.

 

[itzjbean]

I work the 8-5 train too but I only have a 10 minute drive. I think he will adjust fine. As long as you can take him out of the cage after you get home for at least 2-3 hours, I think that should work. Also, I'm not sure what kind of time you have in the morning getting ready but my bird is out of the cage and on my shoulder as I apply my makeup, so if you have some time to get ready before work, take him out and let him be with you and be a part of your daily getting ready routine. Or you could wake up earlier to play with him and get him some breakfast. Leaving a radio or TV on can help, as well as different types of toys rotated out weekly or even daily.