charmedbyekkie
New member
Hi guys, I realise most of y'all are sleeping, and I'll probably be mid-shopping by the time you respond. But you might remember I initially joined this forum when a little ekkie got lost and landed on our balcony. We did find and return him home Then a month or so later, we met up again with him and his family to catch up.
His family reached out to us earlier this week, saying that they urgently need to rehome him because of their newborn baby. They know we've been interested in adopting/rescuing in the future, and I suppose they like the way we interact with the little guy (and that we're open to them visiting him anytime).
So this is quite a few months in advance of my original plan (of mice and men, ya know). That being said, I know I'm inexperienced, but I also believe he has a better chance with us. So let me just sum it into 2 parts - ideal and questions on reality.
Here was my ideal:
...
Here's a couple of pressing concerns, especially since he needs to be rehomed urgently - can't delay. So I need to know what to rush out for ASAP, since tomorrow is a Public Holiday:
His family reached out to us earlier this week, saying that they urgently need to rehome him because of their newborn baby. They know we've been interested in adopting/rescuing in the future, and I suppose they like the way we interact with the little guy (and that we're open to them visiting him anytime).
So this is quite a few months in advance of my original plan (of mice and men, ya know). That being said, I know I'm inexperienced, but I also believe he has a better chance with us. So let me just sum it into 2 parts - ideal and questions on reality.
Here was my ideal:
- Our adoptee would be mature, past adolescence. This little one is only a year and three months, which is good (past the weaning period); just didn't mentally prep for teenager angst, but will brace ourselves now.
- We'd get a hacienda-style cage for him with plenty of flight room and space of toys inside.
- We'd get an acrylic covered feeder to prevent fruit/veggie flinging outside of the cage.
- I'd already have a ton of toys for him to grow accustomed to as well as a mobile playstand.
- He'd have his own personal computer/tablet with screen for him to watch videos and for me to skype in during work hours.
- We'd have medical records and knowledge of his diets/triggers.
- I would already have everything - toys, harness, cage, etc.
- We'd have meshed up our window ledge. It's about 1.5 feet extending outside with a shelter overhead and 6-7 feet wide. It looks like it would be a good viewing area for the ekkie.
- I would have already sewed a symbolic cage cover - to use just to let him know it's bedtime.
...
Here's a couple of pressing concerns, especially since he needs to be rehomed urgently - can't delay. So I need to know what to rush out for ASAP, since tomorrow is a Public Holiday:
- I can't buy a good sized cage immediately in the country; I'd have to ship in, taking weeks. But I also know he has zero toys whatsoever (toys aren't considered a necessity for birds locally, so most don't provide toys for their birds). I was planning on finding maybe a couple of toys as options for him. Any specific recommendations since he's not familiar with toys and I'd have to teach him how to play? (I do have an ongoing list of toys I'd like to buy, but I'm more concerned about his unfamiliarity with toys).
- I know he's a toe-tapper. I saw it myself, but we don't know his trigger (and people where I live aren't particularly concerned about this). I plan on following the diets (and process of slow introduction) that Lincoln and Jasper and other ekkies with toe-tapping are on. But is there anything else I can do? I do plan on taking him to the local avian vet ASAP, but it'll be sometime before the appointment.
- His family is giving us his little cage (I mean little for an ekkie; it seems more cockatiel size). We'll use it at first to not scare him and offer him a mobile playstand if he feels comfortable leaving the cage. He's not used to playstands at all either; he's only used to perching on a tripod if he's outside of his cage. My partner is excited to build things for the little guy, but how can we make a playstand more friendly for him, apart from food and time?
- He's currently got an S-hook for his leg chain. I'd love to get rid of immediately, but I know he'll be skittish and local avian vets are fine with leg chains. So it'll stay on until we can harness train (likely well into next year before we can even start thinking about that process) and I can convince a vet to remove it. However, while we are scrambling to make our house bird-proof, we have a lot of openings to the outside (above windows have a sheltered opening that anything can move through, from cockroaches to lizards and, I anticipate, ekkies). Luckily the room he'll be staying in doesn't have this, but our bathroom does. While we are looking to mesh them up ASAP, in the meantime, how can I give him a proper shower? Just mist-spray him from above? Or bring him to the bathroom with a retractable leash on his S-hook (I know, worst case scenario, but I don't want him to feel dirty and start plucking)?
I know this is far from ideal, but I'd rather take him in now, knowing that in a few months, he'd have a larger cage, a better diet, more toys, more opportunities to socialise, regular vet access, no leg chain; rather than letting him go to a home that is unlikely to provide such things (just a cultural fact).- I know he's a toe-tapper. I saw it myself, but we don't know his trigger (and people where I live aren't particularly concerned about this). I plan on following the diets (and process of slow introduction) that Lincoln and Jasper and other ekkies with toe-tapping are on. But is there anything else I can do? I do plan on taking him to the local avian vet ASAP, but it'll be sometime before the appointment.
- His family is giving us his little cage (I mean little for an ekkie; it seems more cockatiel size). We'll use it at first to not scare him and offer him a mobile playstand if he feels comfortable leaving the cage. He's not used to playstands at all either; he's only used to perching on a tripod if he's outside of his cage. My partner is excited to build things for the little guy, but how can we make a playstand more friendly for him, apart from food and time?
- He's currently got an S-hook for his leg chain. I'd love to get rid of immediately, but I know he'll be skittish and local avian vets are fine with leg chains. So it'll stay on until we can harness train (likely well into next year before we can even start thinking about that process) and I can convince a vet to remove it. However, while we are scrambling to make our house bird-proof, we have a lot of openings to the outside (above windows have a sheltered opening that anything can move through, from cockroaches to lizards and, I anticipate, ekkies). Luckily the room he'll be staying in doesn't have this, but our bathroom does. While we are looking to mesh them up ASAP, in the meantime, how can I give him a proper shower? Just mist-spray him from above? Or bring him to the bathroom with a retractable leash on his S-hook (I know, worst case scenario, but I don't want him to feel dirty and start plucking)?