No more birds!

[Familyof12]

I wanted a caique for so long. Many years in fact but they are rare and expensive. I'm not an expert bird keeper. I'm you average have 9 bird person. I'm more into animals than people. I'm curious how their body works, how they think, feel, etc. People look at aliens and I look at the diversity of animals we have.

But there is a limit. I have three chickens, a lovebird who I've got to find a friend, a parrotlet who needs another little friend and now I have two caiques!!! I signed up for adopting a caique last year and I heard nothing. My hubby got me Charlie. He was four and a half months old and a doll. Whatever we did was normal as he didn't have one. A few weeks after I got Charlie I got a call from the rescue. In the space of two days, I had a phone interview, home visit and then another caique. I was happy about it so Charlie would have a friend. Magic was 10 years old and female. I kept receiving emails from various people at the rescue center asking how Magic was doing. Magic was doing what Magic taught herself to do. Bite and get your way. With me, you bite and you go to your cage without any noise, I lock you in, cover your cage for three minutes. Then I start all over like nothing happened and she doesn't get her way.

My family and I had chunks taken out of us. We got a small warning when we picked her up. "She can be a biter." Uh...no Magic was such a biter that multiple people took her and returned her. I had no idea. I just figured she's like Delphine but more friendly. So I did with her the way I behave with all living creatures, don't get them more upset than they are, take them somewhere to calm down, and re-direct their attention to something more interesting. If not, a quick time out works too.

So apparently, everyone knew that Magic was a prolific biter and had been returned many times for biting. I'm the first that take the bites and still want her. She doesn't bite anymore by the way. She's smart. She found out my way of handling her isn't what everyone else did. The minute I take her out of her time out, I whisper how much I adore her and forgive her because she was scared and I'll never give her up. Now she has to win back the trust of the rest of the family. She's happy here and not really aggressive anymore.

Now, all of a sudden I get calls from other volunteers asking if I'll foster a caique they've been fostering. Apparently, I'm the expert with caiques. Ha ha ha. I have no clue what I'm doing other than research and more research and play all day with them. Sheesh, last year they wouldn't call me and now I'm a parrot guru. This adoption, rescue and other organizations are busy and because they are volunteers, pretty disorganized, it is volunteer. But there is a lot of love. Everyone wants whats best for the birds.

But seriously...I can't take any more birds in. I'm already missing half my keys on my new laptop!

 

[TikiMyn]

But you are a parrot guru Just kidding, it is a shame the rescue doesn’t ask what your method is instead! You did such a great job with Magic
Maybe you should share with the rescue that you are really at your limit, if I were in your place I would probably Cave in at one point, and that foster bird probably wouldn’t go anywhere after he or she settled in.
How far into quarentine are you now? One more week I think? I hope Magic and Charlie Will get along!
(And for the record, nothing happened to Sola and Remi right? You didn’t mention those two little buggers)

 

[Familyof12]

I have two and a half more, almost three weeks left. They just keep wolf whistling at each other. It cracks me up.

I can't teach people to not react to bites. I have a super high pain tolerance, I found out through one of my doctors where I was getting stitches and didn't need any local anesthesia for it. I also had some laser work done and didn't feel a thing. Broke a bone in my food and walked around on it for a month. Yes it was swollen and funny looking but I thought it was just bruised. It wasn't until I broke four toes (don't ask) and they Tok x-rays where they saw I had broken it and healed weird.

So when my hubby or daughter gets bit they act like they got hit by a car. I get bit, and while the bird is biting, I keep telling her I love her and don't react. Magic has taken a chunk of flesh from under my chin and neck area as she was sitting on my shoulder when something outside startled her. I didn't freak but just calmed her down. I didn't realize how bad it was until I put her down and I looked like I'd had my throat cut there was so much blood. I've taken all the bites but I also get all the love now. She knows she can bring the worst and I will still cuddle again and love her. How do you teach that?

 

[Sweet Louise]

Magic is a lucky bird. Losing so many homes must have been so traumatizing, that you helped her is fantastic.

 

[SandraK]

I wanted a caique for so long. Many years in fact but they are rare and expensive. I'm not an expert bird keeper. I'm you average have 9 bird person. I'm more into animals than people. I'm curious how their body works, how they think, feel, etc. People look at aliens and I look at the diversity of animals we have.

But there is a limit. I have three chickens, a lovebird who I've got to find a friend, a parrotlet who needs another little friend and now I have two caiques!!! I signed up for adopting a caique last year and I heard nothing. My hubby got me Charlie. He was four and a half months old and a doll. Whatever we did was normal as he didn't have one. A few weeks after I got Charlie I got a call from the rescue. In the space of two days, I had a phone interview, home visit and then another caique. I was happy about it so Charlie would have a friend. Magic was 10 years old and female. I kept receiving emails from various people at the rescue center asking how Magic was doing. Magic was doing what Magic taught herself to do. Bite and get your way. With me, you bite and you go to your cage without any noise, I lock you in, cover your cage for three minutes. Then I start all over like nothing happened and she doesn't get her way.

My family and I had chunks taken out of us. We got a small warning when we picked her up. "She can be a biter." Uh...no Magic was such a biter that multiple people took her and returned her. I had no idea. I just figured she's like Delphine but more friendly. So I did with her the way I behave with all living creatures, don't get them more upset than they are, take them somewhere to calm down, and re-direct their attention to something more interesting. If not, a quick time out works too.

So apparently, everyone knew that Magic was a prolific biter and had been returned many times for biting. I'm the first that take the bites and still want her. She doesn't bite anymore by the way. She's smart. She found out my way of handling her isn't what everyone else did. The minute I take her out of her time out, I whisper how much I adore her and forgive her because she was scared and I'll never give her up. Now she has to win back the trust of the rest of the family. She's happy here and not really aggressive anymore.

Now, all of a sudden I get calls from other volunteers asking if I'll foster a caique they've been fostering. Apparently, I'm the expert with caiques. Ha ha ha. I have no clue what I'm doing other than research and more research and play all day with them. Sheesh, last year they wouldn't call me and now I'm a parrot guru. This adoption, rescue and other organizations are busy and because they are volunteers, pretty disorganized, it is volunteer. But there is a lot of love. Everyone wants whats best for the birds.

But seriously...I can't take any more birds in. I'm already missing half my keys on my new laptop!

Once it gets out that you are a bird person you'll find that you have suddenly become the bird expert, not to mention, the person to give or leave unwanted birds with.

 

[Familyof12]

Oh @SandraK! I come here to you for parrot expertise!!! They should come here too!! LOL. Maybe they'll learn something.

 

[SandraK]

:ballerina: Most of what I've learned has been the reading and asking but mainly watching my birds and really paying attention to what they do.