Holiday and changes ?

[Mavis]

Hi,

I'd appreciate any input.

A brief intro.

We got Percy our maroon bellied conure just over a year ago and he had been in the pet shop for just about 2.5 years. When we got him he was very shut down, nervous and shy of pretty much most things and has taken time and love and he has come on leaps and bounds. He has been away on small UK holidays with us a couple and our dog, which both he and the dog enjoy. He has also previously been left at home when we have had to go away for work for a couple of days with a neighbour popping in. Percy And I had/still have a close relationship, I am his primary go to, and he hates it if I leave the room : (

I am not being clear. I am confused because before we went away for 1 week which was a couple of weeks ago and a first for us. Percy started to get a little bit aggressive with me. He has also gone for me a couple of times when normally he wouldnt have : / i just dont understand it.

Whilst away we had a pet sitter, we introduced her to the animals 3 times before we went away. I feel like Percy is angry with me since we are back, but if I am fair this behaviour did start before we went away.

The reason that I am banging on about it, is that my husband is having heart surgery in a months time and again have to leave Percy. If the pet sitter is doing him no harm and he will be better off with a neighbour coming in twice a day with minimal interaction but some? He loves being out with me. I am sorry im confused and worried for him. I do talk to him.

Any thoughts/advice/direction would be very much appreciated. What do most people do with their birds when they go away?

Thank you in advance!

 

[Kiwibird]

I think many birds "punish" their owners for leaving them. Its a very unnatural and unnerving experience for them. In nature, a mate or flock member is never much farther away than the next tree over, and if they "disappear" it's for good. They may get used to a routine of us being away at work while still being home each day for a time, but you really can't prepare them for being away for days or weeks. This has nothing to do with you or your pet sitter either.

We have left Kiwi while on vacation before, and you can count on him being in a most foul mood for a while when you get back. And we left him with my parents, who have 3 parrots of their own (are experienced bird owners), 2 of whom are his own species he can interact with. Now that we no longer live near them anymore, I can't imagine how much worse of a reaction he'll have being cared for by a stranger:52: The best you can do is make sure to leave them with familiar things, make sure the sitter keeps them on their regular wake/sleep schedule and try to give them extra toys and extra treats to make the experience as positive as possible. Then when you get home, be prepared for a bird who is not in a happy mood, who you'll need to spoil a bit for him to forgive you.

 

[weco]

Mavis, I think KB has hit yours and Percy's problem on the head and there probably is no quick solution for it. I can relate to your situation directly, even to also having had an MBC in the mix, only in my case, he was purchased as a birthday present for a 12yo girl who came close to becoming a stepdaughter, but she grew up, had a daughter of her own & because she'd made a poor judgement in men, Buddy came to live with me, he started seriously biting the boyfriend and was relegated to a utility closet...fast forward a couple of years and my life changed...I started working outside the country for extended periods of time, but deciding I wanted to try and keep my flock, I made a couple of audio CDs along with a couple of DVDs of all of us together, that my birdsitter would play on an irregular basis.....

Although that may not have been the best scenario for my flock, my birdsitter came in a couple of times a day, fed, watered & cleaned cages. She was a neighbor who could use the extra $$$ and she & her granddaughters provided regular interaction with my feathered friends.....in the end, everything worked out...when I would come home for a few days to a month or so, I'd have birds all over me, then they'd go back to their daily routines, but if they saw me carrying a suitcase I'd have to give all extra attention. because they knew I would be off on another trip.....on my returns, I might get nipped, but I think their displeasure was much less than it could have been, had I not made the recordings...and...honestly, my recordings drifted more towards a Three Stooges comedy clip than anything I would want others to see/hear.....

I'm sorry I can't offer a quick fix solution, but a walk-in neighbor worked for me, though it might be that Percy is also fearful of a permanent separation, each bird is different.....my unusual interaction scenario worked successfully for over eight years and we added two more birds in the mean time.....

Good luck.....

 

[Mavis]

Dear Kiwibird and Weco,

Thank you both so much for your replies and time. I am sorry I have missed them until now, I thought that I would get an email alert but I didn't - I am sure I have missed ticking a box somewhere.

After reading my post, I am surprised that you could both follow me, but so glad that you have, thank you so much. It is so nice not to feel alone. It gives me massive anxiety to leave Percy. I am scared he might die or go into shock and die : ( do you know if birds have little concept of time?

I did find something though which has caused some viciousness, mirror. We have a couple of sticky mirror perches that we hardly if ever use and if Percy is on them it is not for long. It only just occurred to me, but on coming home from break below mirror perches lots and lots and lots of poo. Then occurred to me the times he was going for me was when taking him away from mirror!

Now mirror perches gone! And mirrors covered!

Again, thank you both so much for taking the care and time to help.

Kind regards,

M.

 

[JasmineGCC]

We use a pet sitter for my 2 year old GCC. We always use the same one. After a couple of times I was getting texts from sitter to say Jasmine had let her scratch her head, or sat on her shoulder. When I get home Jasmine ignores me - I feed her treats through the wire. After a day or so she'll allow a head scratch. Then after a few days she'll ask to come out for usual snuggles. I go at her pace. Even though I want instant cuddles it takes her a while to reconnect with me.

 

[Mavis]

Hi Jasmine, Thank you very much for your info. She is beautiful too btw : >