How to go back to normal after injury.

[Nicolee3]

Sorry in advance for the long post. Yogi laid eggs about a month ago. She started eating the first one so I took it away and ordered fake ones. I replaced the second egg with a fake one and she started laying on it and that's all she wanted to do. She's almost never in her room because she's always out with us. I took the second egg away after about 5 days. For the next couple of weeks after that her behavior changed. She would sleep for 16 hours (normally 12) and after a few days of that she wouldn't go in her sleep cage at night (that's where she laid the eggs). I didn't want her to be uncomfortable so I turned on a dim light at night and let her sleep wherever she wanted in her room. Finally one night she went in her sleep cage so I covered it and turned her lights off. The next morning I uncovered her cage and there was blood everywhere, she had a spot on her leg where her feathers were gone and there was blood and she looked close to death. I put cornstarch on the blood and brought her right to the vet. He said she not only plucked her feathers but went in to the muscle on her leg. They kept her for the day and sent me home with pain meds and antibiotics. They didn't want her to have a cone so for the last week I've literally had to watch her closely constantly. She hasn't wanted to sleep in her sleep cage which I'm fine with because I want to be able to keep an eye on her so she's been sleeping on a tray next to my bed with a blanket and heating pad. Every time I leave I have to bring her with me in the car so she doesn't mess with her injury.

Finally my question... How do I get her to go back to her normal routine? She used to go to bed at 6:30pm and now won't sleep until 10:30pm and still doesn't want to go in her cage. I'm also terrified to leave her alone in her room or to put her in her sleep cage at night. I did buy a mini camera for her room for when I finally put her in there but I don't know how I'm going to get to that point.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I don't really understand her housing setup. She has her own room in the house? Does she a have ⁹a cage in that room? Does she have a nestbox in or attached to her mm ķcage? Do you hang out in her room ɓr? Can't you move her cage to another room with frequent human activity? Can't you put her sleeping cage in your bedroom?

 

[Nicolee3]

So she has her own room with a really big cage, a stand and a sleep cage in it so whenever we aren't home she's not locked in a cage but just in her room. When we are home (which is most of the time) she's in the living room with us and has a cage and stand out here too. She doesn't have a nest box. The eggs were a surprise because she's the only bird we have. I've tried putting her sleep cage next to my bed and she wants nothing to do with it anymore. Almost like she's scared to go in there because that's where she injured herself.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Why can't she sleep in the living room cage? Can you move the living room cage into the humsm bedroom to sleep?

 

[Nicolee3]

She will not sleep in any cage since she injured herself. I've tried and she's terrified.

 

[rheashard2]

Is she terrified or showing a preference the only way she can? We had a bad blizzard here in South Central Texas a few years ago. City wide power out for nearly a week. Power at my house was out over 3 days. My CAG, lived in the hood of my hoodie the entire time. We lived in car with daughter, 2 dogs and 3 cats. It took several days but felt like forever to get her back into cage especially at night. It took a variety of techniques to get her into cage. Then to stay there. I was/and am fortunate that hoodies, hooded sweatshirts and tees are my favorite wearables. So I had plenty to last the entire time.

 

[Nicolee3]

Is she terrified or showing a preference the only way she can? We had a bad blizzard here in South Central Texas a few years ago. City wide power out for nearly a week. Power at my house was out over 3 days. My CAG, lived in the hood of my hoodie the entire time. We lived in car with daughter, 2 dogs and 3 cats. It took several days but felt like forever to get her back into cage especially at night. It took a variety of techniques to get her into cage. Then to stay there. I was/and am fortunate that hoodies, hooded sweatshirts and tees are my favorite wearables. So I had plenty to last the entire time.

She really seems terrified. If I put her in there she scatters so fast and gets out at quick as she can.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

Why not just let her sleep on top of whatever cage she wants?

 

[Nicolee3]

Why not just let her sleep on top of whatever cage she wants?

Because I need her to get back in to her routine. She doesn't want to sleep in her room at all. She wants to be right next to me and is staying up 4 hours later than normal because she won't even think about going to sleep until I lay down.

 

[DonnaBudgie]

I totally understand about the need for get back into her routine. I would just worry about upsetting her while she's healing and having her chew on her wound again. It's like dealing with a 2 year old isn't it? Has her leg wound completely healed yet?
I wonder why she's acting so traumatized? Is it possible that a rodent got into or was trying get into her cage and freaked out? That happened to a budgie of mine many years ago and he panicked and badly fractured a wing. He wasn't scared of his cage after but he could never fly again after it healed.
Have you tried putting her into her cage during the day making her stay in there while you stayed closeby to supervise and reassure her until she calmed down?

 

[Nicolee3]

I totally understand about the need for get back into her routine. I would just worry about upsetting her while she's healing and having her chew on her wound again. It's like dealing with a 2 year old isn't it? Has her leg wound completely healed yet?
I wonder why she's acting so traumatized? Is it possible that a rodent got into or was trying get into her cage and freaked out? That happened to a budgie of mine many years ago and he panicked and badly fractured a wing. He wasn't scared of his cage after but he could never fly again after it healed.
Have you tried putting her into her cage during the day making her stay in there while you stayed closeby to supervise and reassure her until she calmed down?

That's what I am worried about too so I don't want to force anything on her but it really is like dealing with a 2 year old lol. We've never had any rodents so it couldn't of been that. Her wound is not completely healed either but it's getting there. I have tried putting her in the sleep cage several times but I haven't wanted to make her stay in it yet. I slept on the couch last night and she slept above my head (I'll attach a picture). She also keeps wanting to sleep on the coffee maker (the top of it stays warm). I did just get a small camera yesterday so I'm going to try to leave her in her room without me for small periods of time and watch her to see if she's ok with it.

 

[rheashard2]

Maybe she's associated cage with something negative. It could be anything. Bird logic isn't human logic. Can you change cage location? Can you able to put her in cage at all? If so do both. Put her in cage for 10-15 minute intervals randomly during day and at her normal bedtime. Only give favorite treats when she's in her cage.