Pictures Time on the T-stand?

[BirdCatLady]

So my CAG, Brodie, broke his wing when he was very young (this happened in his first home, I'm his third home -- and hopefully forever home!). It was not set properly and as a result he can't really fly. He can very clumsily glide, but he relies on me for transportation from one part of our apartment to the other.

I've had him since October 2015 (will be 7 months on 24 May actually!) and he has spent 99% of his out-of-cage time on his cage. A couple times he was on his T-stand in the same room as his cage. He still doesn't totally trust me, which makes sense since it takes awhile for birds to build trust in new people.

Today I was able to get him on his T-stand. He is now in the den with me -- out of line of sight of his cage, as has been recommended multiple times by those who know birds better than I do -- in order for me to be able to interact with him without him feeling territorial. We're just hanging out, but my problem is, I feel guilty with him on the T-stand because his only options for getting off the T-stand are me carrying him, or him trying to escape by flying (which he only tries to do when he is extremely stressed/feels threatened).

How long is okay to have him on his T-stand? Right now he looks fairly comfortable I think(?); he's a little fluffed up but is resting on one foot and has been grinding his beak. My problem though, is that I don't want him to feel too scared being away from his cage/familiar territory, and although he's been in this room before, it wasn't for any length of time. But I do want him to get more comfortable with me and learn that spending time on his T-stand doesn't automatically mean stress, fear, discomfort, etc.

Here's a photo of him right now.



How long do your birds spend on their T-stands? We are currently in the process of building a play gym for him (and I'd feel so much more okay with that, because there are places for food/water, things for him to climb on, etc.) -- we're making the play gym one that I can move around, but it'll have way more options for him to move around on. I don't want to subject him to lots of time on this particular T-stand, which is sturdy enough but isn't quite what I want for him/what he needs (I was given it by the previous owners, who had him since 2008). I am also looking into getting another T-stand (or building one from wood rather than PVC pipe).

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I think he must be comfortable if he's fluffy, standing on one foot, etc. It looks like he's enjoying himself. Maybe build up the time slowly. I would think after 30 minutes he might get hungry. Can you feed him treats while he is on the stand? That would not only make his stand seem like a a good place, but it would build his trust in you. He's a cutie!

 

[BirdCatLady]

I have some treats that I've been offering to him, but although he's okay, once I reach to give him a treat, he starts pinning his eyes. And they're some of his favorite treats too. So currently he's just standing on his perch, preening and fluffing and grooming, and looking okay but refusing any treats or food toys.

 

[BirdCatLady]

Wow, this is probably gonna sound pretty dumb, but I'm so proud of Brodie!! He's still fluffed up, dozing off and on, preening/grooming (feathers and feet), grinding his beak... but the thing is, he's never dozed off near me before today. Not even slightly. I wonder if this is because he's not around his cage and therefore he feels more comfortable falling asleep since he doesn't have his cage to "protect"? since before, I'd hang out with him by his cage (the only times he was super territorial was when he had just moved in and I was filling his food dish -- he'd vocalize at me, hisses and growls, etc; but since then, he's seemed okay with me near his cage, cleaning his cage, etc. -- however, he's never rested/dozed when I've been near him).

So I'm a very proud and happy parront now!! He will be going back to his cage in a bit -- I was thinking about the 30 minutes as a starting time, but he's been acting so comfortable and relaxed that I decided to wait a little while longer.

(I'm also proud of me, because earlier when we were playing a little bit in the bathroom sink, he "bit" my left hand, which was the hand that was splashing the water around, but it wasn't really a bite -- he was just exploring my hand/water... and I didn't react. Nor did I react when I was carrying him to the T-stand and he latched onto my shirt -- not like I wear my favorite/best clothing around the house, but still, it was a first for me and I am a little intimidated at times of his beak. I just reminded myself mentally that it was his way of grabbing something for balance, and we continued on our merry way to the T-stand.)

 

[Clueless]

Congrats!

 

[txdyna65]

Sounds like you are making good progress with him It wont be long he will be taking treats from you.
Lucy loves being out on her stands, she would probably sit and play on them all day if I let her. She can fly, but doesnt unless really startled.
Mango on the other hand knows he can fly so he wont sit still anywhere.

 

[BirdCatLady]

Brodie has taken treats from me before -- when he's on his cage. He just doesn't like doing that on his stand (which he's still hanging out on -- he seems pretty happy, still fluffing, preening, napping, and listening to me and my husband chitchat). Honestly this seems the most "at home" he has been since we got him. First time I've had him on his T-stand for an extended period of time without his cage in line of sight. (And he got to watch a video of Einstein the Talking Texan Parrot taking a shower... ...which also gave Mommy some better ideas re: how to make bathtime a little more fun.)

I've asked him if he wanted to go back to his cage, but he still doesn't seem that interested. He took a treat, and I have more treats and some water next to me that I have been offering to him periodically. Ideally he would step up, and I'd take him back to his cage that way. If not, I'll be carrying his T-stand over so he has more control over that transition (but I don't really want T-stand time and cage time to be too similar).

Also, I've been looking here in the den, and there's a spot that I think I could make work for his play gym. My husband and I spend most of the time in the den/living room, but the den is like our living room (the living room is almost like a hallway, it's so narrow -- we have a REALLY weird apartment set-up). So anyway, I'm pretty pleased that his play gym should fit in here.

 

[txdyna65]

Have you given him any foot toys to play with while he is on the stand? Lucy likes to be playing with stuff while she sits on her stand.
It has 2 cups for food and water, but I have both filled with foot toys. If im sitting near, her game is to throw them all out so I will pick them
up and refill them lol She would also do this for hours if I had the patience for it

 

[BirdCatLady]

Yes, I have tried to give him toys on the stand... he refuses them. He refused them today, just like he refused treats. Brodie really seemed to enjoy being in the den with both me and my husband this afternoon, but he's back in his cage now. He even refused a slice of fresh apple that I tried to give him for being such a good boy. I'm not entirely sure what that's about... from what I understand, food is currency in the bird world, and if he's refusing it, then...? He did accept one treat from me over the span of about 2 hours, and also a drink of water that I got for him, but that was it.

In order to get him back in his cage, I had to carry the T-stand over to his cage since every time I asked him to step up, he started pinning his eyes at me and/or lunging for my hand. I feel like I'm being a doormat for this, but I know that in the past, if he stays too long on his T-stand he gets grumpy and bored, but he refuses to do anything. I'm thinking that maybe one of his favorite toys is one that I'll save for time on the T-stand...? Toweling, in his mind, is a threat and it terrifies him, so I really don't want to resort to that. Regarding the lunging, I've been bitten by him before, so there's not really fear there, just confusion. There is a definite difference in his behavior when he's pissed at me and lunging to bite, versus when he's curious and is biting just to "test" out my hand/arm.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

Sounds like he's doing great and getting very comfortable. I bet he will take treats from you soon. I think it's okay to carry him back to his cage on his T stand. Maybe once he's comfortable accepting treats from you, you can get train him to step up. Maybe he would be more comfortable stepping up onto your arm rather than your hand when the time comes, if he's afraid of hands. I think trying s favorite toy on the T stand is s good idea.

 

[Begone]

I only want to say that I think you are doing a great job with him.
You have a lot of patience, and soon he will pay you back for this!

 

[BirdCatLady]

Grr. I'm grumpy today... tried to get Brodie on his T-stand today without the stress of last week (which was a time when I tried to introduce the towel to him as a non-threatening thing). So no towel, and bribed him with his most favorite treat. No go. He refused, and since I only set a limited amount of time that I was going to try, he just doesn't get to hang out with me in the den today.

He really seemed to enjoy it last time. Not sure what the deal was today, but at the same time, I gotta remember that in some ways, he is his own self, so just like with any 4-year-old kid, there will be times that he does want to spend time doing stuff and will do it, times when he doesn't but won't do it without me, and times when he doesn't and doesn't need to be "made" to do it.

Being patient is hard sometimes, though!! It feels like I "should" be further with him trusting me/me trusting him than I am in 7 months (as of today actually!!).