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A Packer Update

Dorcas George

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Well, thanks to so many of you leaving me such great suggestions, no wing clipping for Packer. I schlepped his cage into my bedroom twice now, closed the blinds, covered the mirror and opened the cage door. First time, 30 minutes into it he left the cage. Zoomed into all four walls. Zoom, whack, zoom, whack, zoom, whack zoom, whack! Then whacked himself on the ceiling. I was cringing. He finally landed on the top of the dresser mirror.


Stayed there for another half hour. Flew to the floor and promptly went under the bed, where he stayed for a long time! Zoomed around, landed, with difficulty, in a basket, stayed, completely motionless. Eventually (three hours from the time we went into the bedroom!) he managed to find the top of his cage and I got him inside with a small perch and a treat. He was silent for the remainder of the day!

Next day, he got on my finger for the first time! Whoot whoot! Used a treat, which I've done before, but this time worked.

Tried fly time number two. Only 15 minutes till out of cage. Clumsy flight, but much less whacking. Whew! Landing here and there, much more zooming.

Landed somewhere....couldn't find him. Called sweetly for 20 minutes and then saw his little yellow head peek out from behind a book in a bookcase. Another kind of long story short, after about two hours, he landed on cage and struggled to find his way in. Got him in the cage ON MY FINGER...treat luring him all the way. Progress! He sat in the cage and panted for about half an hour, and then when I got him back out into his regular spot he started chirping.

Wow! Won't have time for flight training for a couple of days. It was a horrible weekend in many other ways, but I managed to be calm with the birdie. :)

:heart:to all you wonderful bird people.
 

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Nikomania

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It's pretty frightening at first watching them bump into this or that as they learn how to navigate around an area. But they do learn quickly!
Kudos to you!
 

Beasley

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Hey, now that’s some fantastic progress!! It really is scary when they’re first learning how to fly, but it’s unbelievable how fast they learn and before you know it Packer will be surprising you with some amazing acrobatics! Sounds like you are doing great!! :heart:
 

cassiesdad

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Packer is making progress, for sure!

It had to be hard watching him whack into the walls, etc...and then hiding out on you. :jawdrop1:
A rough start but sounds like Packer is going to be an avid flyer.
...quite correct...he'll get it together soon...;)
 

Lori D Pert

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Try making a bird stand for him so he knows where to land. Some use PVC pipes. You may be surprised how nice they can turn out.
Yes...The more places he has to seek out the more confident he will become. I also think that all that jewelry in your photo will be a major attraction for him once he has mastered the room...lol. Oh, and I have that very same cage. I even have that little drawbridge that you have in his cage. I just have it hanging on one of Sam's playstations in my hallway..lol. @Lady Jane I must admit I never thought of PVC pipe. What a great idea!!!
 
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Dorcas George

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Thanks, everyone! I got pretty tired of my small bedroom after three (and then two) hours. Next time I'm bringing in a radio.

Try making a bird stand for him so he knows where to land. Some use PVC pipes. You may be surprised how nice they can turn out
I had purchased a small one at the pet store. I put it in his cage for a few hours so he'd maybe sit on it. There aren't many places to put one in the bedroom though. I put it on top of the bookcase that he hid in. Ha. He totally ignored it. Once he learns to land on the cage better, or come to my finger or a perch more readily, I'll let him fly where his cage usually is. It's a big space though--dinging room and living room. But I'll be able to put the bird stand out and hope he is more happy to land on it. I love the idea of one made from PVC pipe!

I also think that all that jewelry in your photo will be a major attraction for him once he has mastered the room...lol.
I thought that too. I bet it'll happen at some point. I mean...a little rack full of bird toys, right?

Both Packer and Breeze would eat out of my hand, but neither would sit on my finger, treat or no treat! Breeze was the more adventuresome one of the two. Packer was shy and hid behind her a lot. I don't know what the big difference is from palm sitting to finger perching. But I had just a few minutes with him this morning and he hopped on pretty readily, as long as the treat was in sight. I hope once he does this more easily I'll be able to get him to eat something besides seed. I'm trying to slowly switch to pellets--no luck so far--and he has absolutely refused any other veggie or fruit I have offered.[/QUOTE]
 
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Dorcas George

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It had to be hard watching him whack into the walls, etc...and then hiding out on you
Hmmmm...posted those two quotes wrong above. Trying again. Yes, it was hard. And when he hid in the bookcase....grrr...I was thinking, "Okay, now you are being a brat." But I stayed sweet. Sheesh. He slowly came to the front of the shelf, and I figured it was a good time to try getting him on a perch or my hand. Nope. He zoomed off. :angelic:

:budgie:
 

Lori D Pert

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Yes, background noise (TV or radio) not only amuses you but Packer as well. They seem to be soothed by background noise, especially music. I never leave the house without making sure the radio is on for Sam.
 

Ripshod

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It's pre-programmed in their brains that if it's quiet there's danger about. The radio is a great idea, as is reading aloud or just singing. It's also better to get on with your normal stuff during the day. Just because there's a budgie in the room doesn't mean you have to be quiet and still. Sitting watching him is predator behaviour, so get something you enjoy doing, and apart from training or playing with him just leave him alone. And never get frustrated when he misbehaves. He'll see any frustration and feed on it (they're well adept at that).
Importantly, enjoy your time with him and let him see you're having fun interacting with him. He'll soon start enjoying it himself. They're small parrots but they have a LOT of smarts.
 

Lori D Pert

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A LOT of smarts indeed...lol The more noise they hear, the more they chatter. The more they chatter, the more content they are. Eventually when Packer becomes more adept at flying, he can join you in other parts of your house. He will find his favorite spots (giving him spots helps) and just be happy to be near you.
 

Gribouille

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And when he hid in the bookcase....grrr...I was thinking, "Okay, now you are being a brat."
He was not a brat, he was scared. So he hid, and came out when he fell safer. You coming toward him at that point was probably to fast for him, he was not ready yet, so of course he fled.
This little guy has to learn to trust you, you have to be patient and give him the time he needs. Trust takes ages to build, 1/10 second to ruin...
 

Dorcas George

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I wasn’t serious about being a “brat.” Just joking. I know he’s still timid. It will be a lot easier to get on with normal stuff when I can get him out of that small bedroom. But that made me think maybe I can spend time in there making the bed or whatever, without opening the cage. I wish it was a little less awkward to move the cage around. I pondered just moving it to the bedroom but I’m not in there enough. Speaking of liking noise, he seems to adore the vacuum cleaner! Chirps and squawks loudly.
 
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Dorcas George

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I am SO tempted to just leave his cage in its usual spot and let him out and see what happens. It’s a big space though. Pondering. He did get on my finger briefly this morning with no treat in sight. He clearly looked around for the treat afterward, stayed for about half a minute and hopped off. Still...tiny progress steps.
 

Lori D Pert

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I actually brought Sam into my dining room/living room space (where her cage is and where we spend most of our time) after only a couple of days letting her out in the spare bedroom. I would give it a go as long as you are sure there are no obvious hazards (fans, curtains on windows, mirrors covered). Sam flew clumsily for about 2 days and used my arm as a landing strip. After that she became quite adept and honed her flying skills more and more every day. She owns the house now and must taste everything we eat. Even drinks water out of my cup...yep she tamed us...lol
 
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