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BOARDED OUR BIRDS…..

edenkwfl

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Hi all. We boarded our two sun conures last week as I needed to travel for a surgical procedure. We adopted Mori and Pincus right before the Pandemic and subsequent lock down and have never spent a night apart from them in almost 2 years.

They were there for 6.5 days. I know that when you board an animal they don’t get the same attention or have the same routine and never having owned birds before I knew that there would be some sort of pissy behavior on their part when we picked them up. They are not acting like their normal conure selves. They are super skittish, noises that never bothered them before scare them now, they don’t seem interested in their toys, they are screaming more than normal and they keep sitting on their perches staring at me. They still want kisses and will climb on me when prompted but they aren’t the same as when we dropped them off. The vet staff assured me that they seemed to settle in pretty quickly the first day we dropped them off and the staff said they would walk past their cage and interact with them.

Is this normal behavior after boarding? If so how long until they are their normal goofy selves?
 

edenkwfl

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Hi all. We boarded our two sun conures last week as I needed to travel for a surgical procedure. We adopted Mori and Pincus right before the Pandemic and subsequent lock down and have never spent a night apart from them in almost 2 years.

They were there for 6.5 days. I know that when you board an animal they don’t get the same attention or have the same routine and never having owned birds before I knew that there would be some sort of pissy behavior on their part when we picked them up. They are not acting like their normal conure selves. They are super skittish, noises that never bothered them before scare them now, they don’t seem interested in their toys, they are screaming more than normal and they keep sitting on their perches staring at me. They still want kisses and will climb on me when prompted but they aren’t the same as when we dropped them off. The vet staff assured me that they seemed to settle in pretty quickly the first day we dropped them off and the staff said they would walk past their cage and interact with them.

Is this normal behavior after boarding? If so how long until they are their normal goofy selves?
PS. They also seem abnormally sleepy as well…
 

Tazlima

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The exhaustion certainly sounds normal.

I've worked in a dog/cat boarding facility and even in the most spotless, well-run facilities with exceptional staff, boarding is incredibly stressful. The first time, in particular, the animal has no idea how long they'll be there, or if their owners will ever come back at all. Is this their life now?

You're away from your home and family and toys. Everything is different - sights, sounds, noises, people, waking and sleeping times, even the temperature in the room can be different from what they're used to. Boarding facilities are also LOUD. Seems like there's always at least one boarder who handles the stress by making noise nonstop. A couple times I've seen dogs bark until they literally lost their voices (they keep trying to bark even then, but no noise comes out - it's bizarre to watch).

All that adds up to overstimulating days and poor sleep quality at night. Stress can easily affect their diet and digestion, so they may not have eaten enough, or had an upset stomach if they did.

The closest thing I can think of in my own experience would be the times I was hunkered down for a hurricane. It's loud and strange. You can't really relax, knowing the roof could blow off or a tree could fall on your house or floodwaters could rise at any time. Now combine that with being a guest in someone else's home, someone who you barely even know. And is your own house going to be intact when the storm passes? When you finally go home and you're in your own, comfy place again, the first thing you'll do is sleep hard.
 

Princessbella

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PS. They also seem abnormally sleepy as well…
It is if it is the first time boarding. Before I boarded Bailey for the first time, I brought him to the place a few times and when I boarded him, I brought all of his favorite toys. He wasn't happy when we came back but he was back to normal in a few days. The next time I boarded him, he was better.
 

edenkwfl

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The exhaustion certainly sounds normal.

I've worked in a dog/cat boarding facility and even in the most spotless, well-run facilities with exceptional staff, boarding is incredibly stressful. The first time, in particular, the animal has no idea how long they'll be there, or if their owners will ever come back at all. Is this their life now?

You're away from your home and family and toys. Everything is different - sights, sounds, noises, people, waking and sleeping times, even the temperature in the room can be different from what they're used to. Boarding facilities are also LOUD. Seems like there's always at least one boarder who handles the stress by making noise nonstop. A couple times I've seen dogs bark until they literally lost their voices (they keep trying to bark even then, but no noise comes out - it's bizarre to watch).

All that adds up to overstimulating days and poor sleep quality at night. Stress can easily affect their diet and digestion, so they may not have eaten enough, or had an upset stomach if they did.

The closest thing I can think of in my own experience would be the times I was hunkered down for a hurricane. It's loud and strange. You can't really relax, knowing the roof could blow off or a tree could fall on your house or floodwaters could rise at any time. Now combine that with being a guest in someone else's home, someone who you barely even know. And is your own house going to be intact when the storm passes? When you finally go home and you're in your own, comfy place again, the first thing you'll do is sleep hard.
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The exhaustion certainly sounds normal.

I've worked in a dog/cat boarding facility and even in the most spotless, well-run facilities with exceptional staff, boarding is incredibly stressful. The first time, in particular, the animal has no idea how long they'll be there, or if their owners will ever come back at all. Is this their life now?

You're away from your home and family and toys. Everything is different - sights, sounds, noises, people, waking and sleeping times, even the temperature in the room can be different from what they're used to. Boarding facilities are also LOUD. Seems like there's always at least one boarder who handles the stress by making noise nonstop. A couple times I've seen dogs bark until they literally lost their voices (they keep trying to bark even then, but no noise comes out - it's bizarre to watch).

All that adds up to overstimulating days and poor sleep quality at night. Stress can easily affect their diet and digestion, so they may not have eaten enough, or had an upset stomach if they did.

The closest thing I can think of in my own experience would be the times I was hunkered down for a hurricane. It's loud and strange. You can't really relax, knowing the roof could blow off or a tree could fall on your house or floodwaters could rise at any time. Now combine that with being a guest in someone else's home, someone who you barely even know. And is your own house going to be intact when the storm passes? When you finally go home and you're in your own, comfy place again, the first thing you'll do is sleep hard.
so should I give them a little space or should I keep interacting with them like nothing happened and wait for them to “shake it off” and return to the crazy clowns they were before we boarded them? I am just amazed at the change in their personalities and I’m worried they will never be the same as before.
 

Tazlima

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So should I give them a little space or should I keep interacting with them like nothing happened and wait for them to “shake it off” and return to the crazy clowns they were before we boarded them? I am just amazed at the change in their personalities and I’m worried they will never be the same as before.
I'd go back to your usual routine with a bit (just a little) of extra sensitivity. Be aware of their mood and back off / let them rest if they seem tired or irritable, but otherwise, life as normal. It was just a few days of boarding. Yes, it's a lot for them, especially the first time, but birds are smart and resilient. As long as they're not ill or injured, they'll be fine.

Plus, the next time you board them, they'll handle it better because they'll know what to expect.

It take more than boarding to keep a crazy clown down, lol.
 

edenkwfl

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I'd go back to your usual routine with a bit (just a little) of extra sensitivity. Be aware of their mood and back off / let them rest if they seem tired or irritable, but otherwise, life as normal. It was just a few days of boarding. Yes, it's a lot for them, especially the first time, but birds are smart and resilient. As long as they're not ill or injured, they'll be fine.

Plus, the next time you board them, they'll handle it better because they'll know what to expect.

It take more than boarding to keep a crazy clown down, lol.
Thanks,Tazlima! I’ve been giving them some extra space today and they seem a little more like themselves. Still seem sleepy but they aren’t exhibiting any signs of illness and their poos are fine so guess the poor tykes just need some extra zzzzzzz.
 

Dartman

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Dobby was exactly the opposite when we boarded him. The lady had great reviews and a lot of birds of her own and he originally had other birds to hang out with at Momazons home. He wasn't happy when we dropped him off and started kacking so I went in and let him hold my finger and told him he was ok and we weren't abandoning him forever. I was so worried he'd be upset and devastated but I finally got a progress report and he had went up high to observe his new situation and realized he was in a huge flock of various feathered friends and started playing and exploring and leading his new buddies on adventures.
She said he was the most confident, outgoing Maxi Pionus she's ever met and it's birds like him that make boarding birds fun. He was happy to see us but we got the talk to the tail for a few days then he was good again.
I really think it depends on the personality of the bird, and the experiences they've had in their lives. If they are like Dobby and have only known love and had other birds to hang out with and be friends it'll probably go a lot better than if life was just them and their family or they've had bad experiences before.
 

Jaydee1975

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Jamie Woods
Hi, we're just looking at places for our Black Capped Conure to board, this will be the first time we've left her and we're so anxious that cancelling our trip is very much a possibility, our baby will be 13months when we're due to go away and we're not sure how she's gonna handle it. She is like velcro but is cool being in her cage while we work, when we're home she is out and into everything. I think we're worried that she'll think we've abandoned her and will get depressed and so on, I've looked at many bird boarding places and am chatting to them about our worries but it's still not reassuring us, we booked the trip last year before we got her and never thought it thru until now and it's getting closer and obviously how we've all bonded is making it very difficult, so any advice would be lovely. Thanks
 

April

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Hi, we're just looking at places for our Black Capped Conure to board, this will be the first time we've left her and we're so anxious that cancelling our trip is very much a possibility, our baby will be 13months when we're due to go away and we're not sure how she's gonna handle it. She is like velcro but is cool being in her cage while we work, when we're home she is out and into everything. I think we're worried that she'll think we've abandoned her and will get depressed and so on, I've looked at many bird boarding places and am chatting to them about our worries but it's still not reassuring us, we booked the trip last year before we got her and never thought it thru until now and it's getting closer and obviously how we've all bonded is making it very difficult, so any advice would be lovely. Thanks
Are you able to get a pet sitter to take care of her instead? I've had to board all 3 of the Conures I've had over the years and they have all done well. Now to be fair I was the only one taking care of them since I work there and they would be boarding because of pest control/painting ect things out of my control renting so I had to keep them safe. It was as short as 3 days or as long as 2 weeks in the case of when I had Zazu there when we had multiple things being done. None of mine ever showed ill effects even though they rarely were able to come out of their cage but I kept them in the quietest area we had and there was never any other birds thankfully. We have various other birds that have boarded with us over the years and no client has ever called to say that their birds were acting strange after staying with us. I think it all depends on the bird some are more sensitive and it also depends on their experience like if she is an only bird and is boarded among others that are loud or never settle down then that could make her sleep less or be more stressed but if its at a facility were she is the only one at the time or there is only one or two others the perhaps it wouldnt be so jarring and she would be fine and enjoy the experience.
 

Jaydee1975

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Hi, she is an only birb, she is really shy around new people and really clingy to us, it's something that we will probably have to do but I just can't bare the thought of her being unhappy or feeling abandoned.
We don't have any pet sitters near us and the nearest boarding place is an hour away.
I think it's our human emotions that is driving this and she'd probably have a great time but I really don't want to do it if it'll make her sad or ill ☹
 

April

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I totally understand your worries when I first had to board Nala(my heart bird) even though I would still get to see her at work I was so sad and upset I couldn't sleep and was constantly worried about her. But parrots are more resilient then we give them credit for at times. I was so sure that Nala was gonna be a wreck without me and our routine since in normal times she was out of her cage all day but much to my shock seriously she was absolutely fine. She handled it all like a champ and actually seemed to enjoy being around other people and seeing the work day happen.
I think its worth trying it out and seeing what happens. As long as you've done your research and it seems like a good facility then you have done everything in your power to make sure she's staying at a wonderful place while your gone. Will they be willing to text or email you updates about her while she's there? Several times when certain boarder birds have stayed I've personally called owners to update them on their birds while they are here and that really helps to alleviate the worries. I don't know if all places will do this but if they will hopefully that could help put your mind at ease :hug8:
 

Jaydee1975

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I am just asking that question at the moment to one boarder in our top 3 lol, I'm gonna ask for a few emails as we'll be out of the country, at home I have camera's on her day cage and bedtime cage so I can keep an eye on her at work but I think asking if I could install those into the boarders premises might be a bit OTT but it's definitely in my thinking. I think we are gonna meet the best candidate with Ginny so she can meet them and see the facilities a couple of times beforehand which hopefully the boarder will agree to, if not then they're not the right place for us. This is a little like our kids leaving home all over again
 

April

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Hopefully they will be willing to send you emails and once you and Ginny met them that it will be a good match.
 

Jaydee1975

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I hope so too and luckily I've got until June to find the right place, next year gonna staycation and take her with us as I can't go thru all this stress and worry again.
 

April

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I hope so too and luckily I've got until June to find the right place, next year gonna staycation and take her with us as I can't go thru all this stress and worry again.
Oh that's great! You have quite a bit of time to find the perfect place with no need to rush without being sure its a good fit.
 

Jaydee1975

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Yeah, I've given us plenty of time but they're aren't many near us so maybe have to look further a field but not gonna rush just want to do it right:(
 
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