snicker
New member
Hi,
I received my cute little green cheek from his breeder three weeks ago on Friday. I had received great communication from the breeder, including videos of Tolkien (my little guy) stepping up and interacting with people. Tolkien was shipped from Texas, and was an absolute mess when I got him out of his shipment container and into his new cage, justifiably so. The experience of shipment and being separated from his flock is quite traumatic. I've let him be for the few weeks since, trying to respect his space and make him comfortable. I work from home, so I will often sit and talk with him, play conure noises, or read to him. I've been working to make him comfortable with my presence and voice. The problem is, It's been almost three weeks and the poor little guy is still terrified of me and everyone that comes into the house (I live with two roommates). Whenever I walk by the cage he scurries to the back, is absolutely beside himself if he sees a hand anywhere near him, and will not stand for me trying to get close enough to offer millet or a treat. He does, however, love to listen, and will bob his head and crawl closer bravely when I talk to him.
Yesterday, I discovered that not once, but twice my two roommates took it upon themselves to play with him, opening his cage door and disrespecting the only space he feels safe by trying to get him to step up and interact. I wasn't home for both incidents, and just found out the other day. He escaped from them both times, and was running around the house scared out if his mind as they more or less chased him. While I let them both know how unbelievably pissed I am (because what they did has literally made me speechless with anger, messing with someone else's pet), I am also near tears. I lost my cockatiel a few months ago and we had a great bond. I don't want my new baby to be terrified or mistrustful, but it seems like everything I've been doing has gone down the drain with this news.
This is my first conure, and I'm willing to be patient even if it takes months. I am reading as much as I can to help Tolkien build back that trust for me (and people in general, honestly), but I thought I would also post here. Any advice would be seriously appreciated! I love my little guy and want to make sure he's happy and comfortable.
I received my cute little green cheek from his breeder three weeks ago on Friday. I had received great communication from the breeder, including videos of Tolkien (my little guy) stepping up and interacting with people. Tolkien was shipped from Texas, and was an absolute mess when I got him out of his shipment container and into his new cage, justifiably so. The experience of shipment and being separated from his flock is quite traumatic. I've let him be for the few weeks since, trying to respect his space and make him comfortable. I work from home, so I will often sit and talk with him, play conure noises, or read to him. I've been working to make him comfortable with my presence and voice. The problem is, It's been almost three weeks and the poor little guy is still terrified of me and everyone that comes into the house (I live with two roommates). Whenever I walk by the cage he scurries to the back, is absolutely beside himself if he sees a hand anywhere near him, and will not stand for me trying to get close enough to offer millet or a treat. He does, however, love to listen, and will bob his head and crawl closer bravely when I talk to him.
Yesterday, I discovered that not once, but twice my two roommates took it upon themselves to play with him, opening his cage door and disrespecting the only space he feels safe by trying to get him to step up and interact. I wasn't home for both incidents, and just found out the other day. He escaped from them both times, and was running around the house scared out if his mind as they more or less chased him. While I let them both know how unbelievably pissed I am (because what they did has literally made me speechless with anger, messing with someone else's pet), I am also near tears. I lost my cockatiel a few months ago and we had a great bond. I don't want my new baby to be terrified or mistrustful, but it seems like everything I've been doing has gone down the drain with this news.
This is my first conure, and I'm willing to be patient even if it takes months. I am reading as much as I can to help Tolkien build back that trust for me (and people in general, honestly), but I thought I would also post here. Any advice would be seriously appreciated! I love my little guy and want to make sure he's happy and comfortable.