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A Frost & Jewel Update

Fergus Mom

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I think if you can socialize with Jewel the whole time while her wings are growing out you will have a much better chance at her being more sociable after she is able to fly. If Frost wants to hop on her cage in the same room, great, but since she can't fly, she has no chance of getting in his gigantic cage, right? So no harm, no foul there. It is so interesting to see and hear how they react to each other daily. A world of difference in personalities, as you said! Keep up the good work. I just saw where you were sick with the Covid, so I hope you have returned to 100 percent health now! Scary stuff. :bighug:
 

Dorcas George

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I think if you can socialize with Jewel the whole time while her wings are growing out you will have a much better chance at her being more sociable after she is able to fly. If Frost wants to hop on her cage in the same room, great, but since she can't fly, she has no chance of getting in his gigantic cage, right? So no harm, no foul there. It is so interesting to see and hear how they react to each other daily. A world of difference in personalities, as you said! Keep up the good work. I just saw where you were sick with the Covid, so I hope you have returned to 100 percent health now! Scary stuff. :bighug:
Had to grin at "so she has no chance of getting in his gigantic cage..." because last night I got home later than I'd hoped, so to save some time I didn't move Jewel's cage. I figured she can't fly...so...opened her cage door and offered her my palm with some seed and, well, that little stinker managed to fly out and somehow land herself on the side of Frost's cage. :eek: :wideyed:

And she immediately lost her grip and fell (I can't believe she made it at all, even though cages are close) and of course ended up on the floor. And promptly scuttled UNDER Frost's cage and into the farthest corner. So I had to move the ginormous cage, and then she ran out....yeah. You get the picture. She WANTS TO BE WITH FROST! RIGHT NOW!!!

After a bit she did get on my hand and let me take her back to her cage. So I obviously underestimated her determination. I'll have to at least move her farther away to interact. She has discovered that the little door behind her food dish moves. There is no way she could move it enough to squeak out, but she doesn't know that. So she spent at least half an hour banging that little door up and down. Frost, meanwhile, just silently observed. Jewel might overwhelm him when she does get in his cage. :p

As for Covid. Ugh. I do have some long Covid issues. I hope this doesn't last--who knows? But I do have one or more of a range of symptoms that happens about every 4 or 5 days. Might just be a headache and light-headedness. Might be nausea. Might (the worst) be exhaustion and I just have to go to bed. Usually just a day and I'm okay until whenever the next time is, but last week it was three days of tiredness plus whatever else. The randomness of it makes it hard to plan. I HOPE it goes away soon. Thanks for asking. Ugly virus.
 

Mybluebird

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Don't underestimate Jewel's ability to raise the food cup door. I have read posts here where the bird got their head caught in the door. That's the type of door on Tweetie's hospital cage. He was so determined to get out to Buddy and almost raised it enough to get out. I tied it shut so be careful!!! Budgies are persistent little things.

Have you had the complete vaccine doses? I heard on the news again last night that the vaccine is helping many who have lingering symptoms. Hoping the best for you.
 

Dorcas George

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Don't underestimate Jewel's ability to raise the food cup door. I have read posts here where the bird got their head caught in the door. That's the type of door on Tweetie's hospital cage. He was so determined to get out to Buddy and almost raised it enough to get out. I tied it shut so be careful!!! Budgies are persistent little things.

Have you had the complete vaccine doses? I heard on the news again last night that the vaccine is helping many who have lingering symptoms. Hoping the best for you.
Oh boy...looking at that seed cup door in the morning. Getting out would be one thing, but head stuck...okay, point taken. As for Covid, yes, I’ve had two Pfizer vaccines and so far it hasn’t helped. I had the second one about three weeks ago.
 
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finchly

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Don't underestimate Jewel's ability to raise the food cup door
Oh gosh. I have one that bangs that door up and down.


As for Covid. Ugh. I do have some long Covid issues.
Ugh me too. And I was supposed to go see my bestie and my daughter today - 2 hours each way - got 2nd Moderna shot yesterday and woke up 3am with fever, chills, flu like symptoms. Had to cancel the trip.
 

Dorcas George

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Oh gosh. I have one that bangs that door up and down.



Ugh me too. And I was supposed to go see my bestie and my daughter today - 2 hours each way - got 2nd Moderna shot yesterday and woke up 3am with fever, chills, flu like symptoms. Had to cancel the trip.
I’m so sorry. Been thinking of you. Hope we both get past it and this is not some kind of “new normal.”
 

Fergus Mom

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Had to grin at "so she has no chance of getting in his gigantic cage..." because last night I got home later than I'd hoped, so to save some time I didn't move Jewel's cage. I figured she can't fly...so...opened her cage door and offered her my palm with some seed and, well, that little stinker managed to fly out and somehow land herself on the side of Frost's cage.
Holy Moly!!! I sure didn't see that one coming! BUT, that is how it was with Fiona when she came. She chewed and chewed and chewed on her plastic food dish until I was worried she'd break her beak! Then the first time she was able to fly out over to Fergus' cage, (she did not have clipped wings), she did it. She never came out again!!! Fergus had been in her cage to visit several times before that happened. About the 2nd night they were in the one cage together, she took over his favorite sleeping perch, and the rest is history.

Don't underestimate Jewel's ability to raise the food cup door. I have read posts here where the bird got their head caught in the door. That's the type of door on Tweetie's hospital cage. He was so determined to get out to Buddy and almost raised it enough to get out. I tied it shut so be careful!!! Budgies are persistent little things.
I have read the same thing - it's heartbreaking to hear this happens!

Ugh me too. And I was supposed to go see my bestie and my daughter today - 2 hours each way - got 2nd Moderna shot yesterday and woke up 3am with fever, chills, flu like symptoms. Had to cancel the trip.
Oh man - what a bummer! I'm so sorry. I sure hope you are feeling better today!
 

Dorcas George

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good luck !! so proud of you for pellet conversion !! maybe try crushing pellets over the food she prefers, it may get her used to it a bit more!!! good luck to you and your baby :heart:
I kept meaning to come back and reply but just never did. I’ve been using a mix of LeFebre and Roudybush (the small ones). Frost prefers the LF ones and mostly leaves the Roudybush. It’s the opposite for Jewel, and I wonder if she is more willing to at least nibble a bit of the tiny R pellets because they kinda look like millet.
 

finchly

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Oh man - what a bummer! I'm so sorry. I sure hope you are feeling better today!
YES!!!! During the night I woke up drenched. I mean, drippy curly hair :laugh: and nightgown so wet I changed. I guess the fever broke.

All better and I'm going to meet my friend at the airport a couple hours before she leaves, which is better than nothing. Daughter said she'll meet us there too. :)
 

finchly

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I kept meaning to come back and reply but just never did. I’ve been using a mix of LeFebre and Roudybush (the small ones). Frost prefers the LF ones and mostly leaves the Roudybush. It’s the opposite for Jewel, and I wonder if she is more willing to at least nibble a bit of the tiny R pellets because they kinda look like millet.
To me, it seems like size is key. I even grind the RB for some of mine - I'm talking grind the Nibbles size. I have one parrotlet that eats the next size up and one that ONLY will take nibbles. Then the budgies, you'd think they could eat bigger or smaller, either way but they actually like the mini. Weirdos!
 

Sparkles99

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Sorry to hear about ongoing COVID sagas. I'll be happy when this is over!

About the budgies, why can't they share a cage while her wings grow out? Aurelius & Winston are.
 

Mybluebird

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Are you being too cautious @Dorcas George? Little budgies are very adaptable - for example @Ripshod had a budgie girl who had trouble perching and she adapted very well. I think if you had enough perches and other items to help her climb around, she'd be very happy living with Frost while her flight feathers grow out. You are there watching her so use your own judgement about how well she's getting around. Hope she molts those clipped feathers soon!
 

Dorcas George

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Are you being too cautious @Dorcas George? Little budgies are very adaptable - for example @Ripshod had a budgie girl who had trouble perching and she adapted very well. I think if you had enough perches and other items to help her climb around, she'd be very happy living with Frost while her flight feathers grow out. You are there watching her so use your own judgement about how well she's getting around. Hope she molts those clipped feathers soon!
Okay, here's the deal. I can see that Jewel is determined and smart. (Likely smarter than Frost the perch potato.) She has discovered toys and actually plays. Frost does not. She is curious and seems happy to hop on my hand if I have food. Ready to try to transition to a perch or my finger...

Meanwhile, back to Frost in the Bird Palace. I have perches that I could put low enough for Jewel to get to. This morning Frost was hanging on the side of the small cage for HOURS. Lots of adorable twittering and warbling and through-the-bars beaky kisses. But I had to leave and so once Frost finally decided to go home, I closed his cage and I just got home, about six hours later. Nicely greeted by both birds. :)

My concern is not so much that Jewel couldn't adapt to the big cage. I remember the @Ripshod story. I am pretty sure she would be very happy with Frost, though the little sweetie REALLY wants to fly. She tried again today--wow--her TAIL is SO BEAUTIFUL. My concern, and maybe I messed up already, is that she will be hanging out with Frost and will ignore me completely.

I want to keep getting her used to my hand, feeding her seed, taking her out in small room, etc. She is pretty comfortable with coming out of the cage on my hand and even okay when I move my hand away from cage and onto my lap, as long as Frost is not in view.

If she is in the big cage, it is seriously very difficult to reach to the back of it. She can easily, as Frost does, escape to the back and avoid me.

I might be more likely to open her cage door and let Frost visit (except I think he'd never leave!). Like @Fergus Mom with her two!

Like I said, I should probably have taken @finchly 's advice and kept them apart, but it was getting so hard after 30 days of quarantine!

SIGH.

So, I'm pondering what is best to do. Oh, one more thing. In May I will need to be gone for about a wee. My usual bird sitter is not available. I'll be in an RV, so I'm thinking I'll take the two birds with me....so the small cage will have two birds in it anyhow. Why am I making this hard? Aaarrgh
 

Mybluebird

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I hate to burst your bubble, but based upon Buddy and Tweetie they are going to semi-ignore you once you put them together regardless of how tame you get Jewel. Buddy was very tame. If I put my finger anywhere near him, he'd hop up. On the plus side, when they are that attracted to each other they will quickly bond and you won't have to worry about fights. My two spent about the first 45 days inseparable, following each other, eating from the same dish... I continued to interact with them and they didn't ignore me 100%. They stood on my hand to get treats and even food. One advantage was that Buddy taught Tweetie to be tamer around me. After that first 45 days they started paying more attention to me. They have grown in how much they pay attention to me. My chair is beside their cage. They come down and perch beside me. When I eat, they go eat. We are indeed a flock. My suggestion is put them together and get the honeymoon over so they'll settle into a more normal long term relationship with you. I don't know if anyone else has had a budgie and then later introduced a second one to him. If so, I hope they chime in with their experience.
 

Dorcas George

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I remember how tame Buddy was when he arrived. And I guess between your account and then @Fergus Mom talking about F. and F. my bubble’s already burst. :crycry2: :sneaky:

I do wish there was a way to put the cage closer to me. Just not practical—except the small one. I might try that.

Every time I look at that cage I just think it needs four birds. Or so.
 

Ripshod

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Is Jewel's cage large enough fo two budgies? If it is I'd introduce them and let them live there for a while. While they're in there you can work with them both. Yes you'll have to work a little harder but the reward will be worth it. Continue your work with Jewel and Frost should actually become an easier bird - budgie see budgie do.
Jewel being clipped should not be any handicap to her with regards to daily life in a cage. She can fly a bit so she can also use her wings as brake if she should fall but that's something for her to learn. Holly couldn't open her feet but she still learnt to perch. Budgies are great at learning their limitations and adapting.
Personally I don't see any reason to place a barrier between them. It sounds as though Frost is keen to meet the new girl, keeping them apart could actually cause behavioural problems as his inquisitiveness turns to frustration.
IMHO let them be together but remain part of their flock. You may lose some of the contact you've been working on, but if you remain part of Jewel's flock and put the effort in there's no reason why this wouldn't work. It's all about the birds' happiness, not our's.
 

Dorcas George

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Is Jewel's cage large enough fo two budgies? If it is I'd introduce them and let them live there for a while. While they're in there you can work with them both. Yes you'll have to work a little harder but the reward will be worth it. Continue your work with Jewel and Frost should actually become an easier bird - budgie see budgie do.
Jewel being clipped should not be any handicap to her with regards to daily life in a cage. She can fly a bit so she can also use her wings as brake if she should fall but that's something for her to learn. Holly couldn't open her feet but she still learnt to perch. Budgies are great at learning their limitations and adapting.
Personally I don't see any reason to place a barrier between them. It sounds as though Frost is keen to meet the new girl, keeping them apart could actually cause behavioural problems as his inquisitiveness turns to frustration.
IMHO let them be together but remain part of their flock. You may lose some of the contact you've been working on, but if you remain part of Jewel's flock and put the effort in there's no reason why this wouldn't work. It's all about the birds' happiness, not our's.
Thanks! I kind of decided this earlier today. Jewel's cage is big enough for two for now. And I will be back in a bit for a STORY! I'm totally impressed with Jewel and totally frustrated with Frost! They are together, but in the big cage. I want to get them to the small one, for the reasons you said. But...MORE when I get back. I'll just say the introductions did not proceed as I figured they would.

BIRDS!!!
 
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Fergus Mom

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Thanks! I kind of decided this earlier today. Jewel's cage is big enough for two for now. And I will be back in a bit for a STORY! I'm totally impressed with Jewel and totally frustrated with Frost! They are together, but in the big cage. I want to get them to the small one, for the reasons you said. But...MORE when I get back. I'll just say the introductions did not proceed as I figured they would.

BIRDS!!!
We're all EARS. (beaks? feathers?) LOL Can't wait to hear the Paul Harvey "rest of the story"!
 

Dorcas George

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Frost and Jewel Share a Cage--But Not the Right One

So I was pondering at about six AM as I heard Jewel, the "early bird" start twittering. I decide that when I got up I was going to do what @Ripshod said, though I don't think he'd said it yet? (Thanks for the confirmation. :) )

So I opened Frost's cage, opened Jewel's cage, sat nearby. Frost flew to the top of her cage, as he did before. Twittered, played kissy-face, climbed all over the back, top, sides, NOT the front with the open door. This went on for a loooong time. Eventually I decided to try moving the smaller cage to the living room where Frost does a flying loop all the time. I thought maybe he'd realize that he could fly in if he was seeing the cage from another angle. So what does he do? Fly? No. He goes to the top of his big cage and sits there twittering nicely. :confused:

Meanwhile, Jewel is calling her little heart out! This goes on. AND eventually who decides that enough is enough? JEWEL! The baby who can't fly. Not FROST! :eek:

She launches herself out and she flies a decent distance, though right next to the floor. Then she scuttles across the living room floor heading in Frost's direction. She ends up somewhere a little dangerous, so I do my best to rescue her....and she isn't happy but lets me. She keeps trying to fly though! She lands in several places. I'll skip the details. Poor little bird. What does Frost do? Mostly stays on his cage and twitters.

They end up, after a while, in the big cage. The little one was back in the living room and I was just trying to keep Jewel out of trouble as much as possible without grabbing her. At this point, I was frustrated with Frost, and questioning if he has cognitive impairment, and I was seriously impressed, though a little scared, for Jewel. That bird has chutzpah! I had put several perches in low places in the big cage. But nope. She climbs right to the roof. Frost goes in too. Door closed.
:whw:

After days of these two being all sweet and curious--the interactions were mixed. Frost chased her around. A little preening, etc. Then he gets pushy. No sense of her personal space.:headsmack: She objects and lets him know. Squabbles ensue. This goes on, alternating with sweetness. Frost shoves her with a foot--multiple times!

Okay, for now they seem to have settled down. Jewel found the food and water dish and they are sharing. Both ate greens clipped to cage. She is tired. She had quite an adventure. There is still a little squabbling and a few squawks but not much.

I do want to get them in the small cage. After this--not sure how! Not today.

I guess I was thinking Frost would be at least a bit like Packer when he realized Frost was in the house. He was NOT to be deterred. Frost really is a perch potato. Jewel is kind of amazing. Seriously! She is determined to fly. And she is climbing to the top of the cage, and completely ignoring the perches that are placed where she could easily get on them.
 
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Mybluebird

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Hens sometimes can be very territorial. Jewel may see the small cage as hers and not want Frost to touch "her stuff". She may run Frost off in the small cage. The large cage, although not best at this time, is more neutral territory. It may work just fine putting them both in the small cage.
 
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