Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Jan 23, 2008 21:55:35 GMT
Thanks.
I think Juniper has gotten very scared of me. I pulled up a chair next to his cage and before I even sat down he started flapping around the cage. Is there anything I could do to get him to be less afraid of me?
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Post by Scully on Jan 23, 2008 22:05:45 GMT
did your chair make a noise(wood floor?), perhaps it startled him, it takes them time to settle again.
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Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Jan 23, 2008 22:07:40 GMT
No, a quiet rolling chair on a carpet. I think that cage cleaning on Monday got him scared. I hope I don't have to start from the beginning again with training. *whines*
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Post by sca on Jan 24, 2008 1:53:26 GMT
Try again tomorrow and see what happens.
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Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Jan 24, 2008 23:33:48 GMT
Well, he's still a bit cautious, but he doesn't fly away when I come up to his cage. At least i'm making progress.
How long do you think I should wait until I start step-up step-down training?
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Post by Berserka on Jan 25, 2008 0:45:01 GMT
Not until he will happily come up to you and is no longer scared of you. As I said earlier in this thread, training takes a long time & alot of patience.
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Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Jan 25, 2008 13:23:58 GMT
Ok. That won't happen soon. Thanks for the answer.
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Post by Liz on Jan 25, 2008 22:06:01 GMT
Good luck with it Blaine, and try not to get too discouraged. It is all worth it later on!
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Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Jan 26, 2008 13:54:57 GMT
Today is cleaning day again.....
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Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Jan 26, 2008 18:43:13 GMT
I tried cleaning. It didn't work out to well. My mom and I tried the hardest we could to get him out of the cage. We just couldn't do it. Juniper is getting more scared of me by the day. I need him out to do a proper cleaning. If I can't get him out then..... I can't keep Juniper. I really need some help on how to calm Juniper down. Because if I don't, my mom has already told me i'll have to return him to the pet store. I don't want that to happen. So, how can I calm him and what are some ways (besides the pillow case and not with my bare hands) that I can get Juniper out of his cage for cleaning? I've been thinking about buying a net to catch him with. If I did buy a net what kind and how big should I get it? Is there a specific brand that's good?
Well, I was able to clean part of the bottom and get his toys in and out successfully. I'm just hoping things will get better and not worse.
I also had another question i'd like answered. Is this normal for budgies to be this scared? Am I doing something wrong? If I am doing something wrong what am I doing wrong? What can I do to improve the situation?
Thank you so much, Blaine
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Post by Liz on Jan 26, 2008 19:31:38 GMT
Hey Blaine, I'll try to help you out here. If you tell me exactly what you're doing now, I'll see if I can give you some better ideas, okay?
1st, What steps do you do to clean the cage, and how often do you clean it? 2nd, How do you usually catch Juniper, and when do you usually do it? Right before cleaning, or in the middle? 3rd, How big is the biggest door in the cage? (so I can figure out net size)
Depending on what your doing, I'll try to figure out some way to make things easier for both Juniper and you. The very best thing is to get a regular routine down.
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Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Jan 26, 2008 23:40:37 GMT
Well, I first take out all of the toys in the front of the cage. Then I try to catch him. I use a pillow case to catch him with. I lay it on top of him and get him that way. He's usually faster than me, so I have to try a few times before getting him. I usually catch him in the beginning of the middle of the cleaning. I try to get him as soon as possible because the faster I can get him the faster and better I can clean his cage. The biggest door... That would be the main door.... I just measured. It's 8 in. across and 10 in. high. I need to stop getting him the same way. One of the feathers under his wing got caught on something and were yanked out. There's a tiny patch of dried blood where the feather used to be. I'm trying to fix everything i've been doing wrong. Thanks for the help. -Blaine
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Post by Liz on Jan 28, 2008 4:53:54 GMT
I have a couple tips, and a few more questions at the bottom.
1-Get a bird net. There should be a small one at your pet store. The brand doesn't matter, just make sure it fits in your cage with room to move it around. 2- Use the small doors as much as possible, especially if the toys fit through them. 3-Keep your body at Juniper's eye level or below. Birds get panicked if something is above them.
Blaine, how often do you actually take Juniper out of the cage to clean? My routine when I have birds inside in cages is: Once a day, replace food and water, and slide out the bottom tray, putting new paper on the bottom. Then, as needed, I spot clean the cages. (Perches and toys replaced, wiping dirty spots clean with wet wipes, or the like). All this can be done without the bird getting out of the cage, just use small doors, and move slowly. Twice a month, the whole cage gets a good clean and scrub down. This is the only time I have to move the birds out.
I guess what I'm getting at is don't make Juniper go through the running and catching scare more than is nescessary. Don't move the cage anymore than nescessary either. If you are moving the cage around everytime you clean it, by the time you get to catching him, he's already going to be terrified.
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Post by Scully on Jan 28, 2008 19:21:05 GMT
when i have young birds, i feel its easier to catch them in the dark. Close all the curtains, and turn the lights off.
Your cage has clips on the side? why not try unclipping the top in the dark, with birdie still perched inside. Also did you say Juniper has his wings clipped?
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Blaine
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Post by Blaine on Jan 28, 2008 23:53:55 GMT
Thanks for the replies.
Budgiebuddy- The side doors are very small, so only 2 of the toys can fit through (the toys that fir through aren't the ones he plays with much). I heard on a bird care website to try not taking him out myself and letting him come out on his own. They said to make a landing out of the front door and put a toy and some millet on the landing to tempt him to come out. I take Juniper out once a week for cleaning.
Scully- Thanks for the info. I'll try that in the future.
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