kkuris
Walking the driveway
Hello all,
I have a 4 year old green cheek named Rigby. He's always been well-behaved and only bit me if provoked. Last August, I went away to college (I was not expecting to go to college far from home when I got him) and was really away from Rigby for the first time. We had a woman who was experienced with birds take him in and care for him while I was gone, and we would go to pick him up when I was on breaks. Starting in January, that woman could no longer look after him and my parents had to start taking care of him on their own, which they were definitely not excited about.
When I came back for spring break in March my parents told me he was doing well, but started to acquire some negative behaviors he didn't exhibit prior to January. I am now back for the summer, and those behaviors have escalated to the point where I'm very concerned. Here's what I've noticed...
Is this hormones? Just an emotional response to me being gone? Both? What should I do about these behaviors?
Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for any advice you may have to offer.
I have a 4 year old green cheek named Rigby. He's always been well-behaved and only bit me if provoked. Last August, I went away to college (I was not expecting to go to college far from home when I got him) and was really away from Rigby for the first time. We had a woman who was experienced with birds take him in and care for him while I was gone, and we would go to pick him up when I was on breaks. Starting in January, that woman could no longer look after him and my parents had to start taking care of him on their own, which they were definitely not excited about.
When I came back for spring break in March my parents told me he was doing well, but started to acquire some negative behaviors he didn't exhibit prior to January. I am now back for the summer, and those behaviors have escalated to the point where I'm very concerned. Here's what I've noticed...
- Tail feathers chewed, almost shredded
- Going to bed early. Rigby has a large day cage and then a pretty small sleeping cage with a couple perches and one of those snuggle huts. Up until now, he'd jump right into his sleeping cage anywhere from 8-11 and sleep in his hut. Now, he's going to bed anywhere from 5-6 according to my parents. If one of them doesnt bring Rigby to his sleeping cage, he'll fly in himself at around that time.
- Sleeping at bottom of cage. Rigby is now sleeping under the paper in the sleeping cage as opposed to the hut. I originally thought he was cold so I bought him a heated perch, but he doesn't touch that at all.
- Voracious newspaper shredding this only happens in his sleeping cage. As soon as he's put in, he slides down to the bottom and starts shredding newspaper. If you even so much as look at him while he's doing this, he starts seething with anger and will attempt to attack me through the cage bars
- Biting. So much. I suppose this is a given but I'll include it anyway. Up until now Rigby wouldn't bite me at all unless I provoked him. Now, I can't even reach my hand out to him.
- More picky with food. My mother bakes Rigby her own homemade birdie bread with assorted veggies, grains, nuts, and some fruits. We're used to having to change up the recipe every now and then because he gets tired of it, but now he's not touching it at all. He still eats his pellets. While I was gone my parents started accidentally feeding him a seed mix, so I think that definitely exacerbated the problem.
Is this hormones? Just an emotional response to me being gone? Both? What should I do about these behaviors?
Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance for any advice you may have to offer.