Long thread, I apologize.
Last night, my boyfriend was obviously upset while we were spending time together, and when I asked him about what was bothering him, he admitted he wasn't sure if he was able to give the boys what they need anymore.
He says he isn't finding the enjoyment in it now that Baby is primarily focused on Russet. He says it is just taking care of them now; they are a commitment with no companionship.
Plus, the boys are becoming increasingly difficult to keep happy. I suggest setting up foraging, new toys, and giving them more time out, and my boyfriend does that for them. The boys get foraging to do, they get hours out of the cage to fly around the living room, and they even get time to themselves with toys and places to perch in the bathroom every single day. But still, it feels like they need more than my boyfriend can give them. He tries to keep them happy and entertained, but it feels like the birds get fixated on certain things a lot. Wherever we put them, whatever we set up for them, they just do not stay entertained (and they scream to let us know).
There are ways we can potentially improve their lives like buying larger cages. But I feel like every improvement we've been making so far, they just end up becoming unhappy with faster than we can keep up.
As for the past, my boyfriend got Baby when he was a teenager without doing much research, and didn't fully grasp the commitment level of keeping a bird. When we moved in together, I helped him learn more about their care, and he was more than willing to make improvements. Still, Baby was unhappy a lot of the time (did not play with toys, never wanted to be alone, etc.) so my boyfriend decided to add Russet to the flock to help Baby feel less alone. Neither of us expected what is happening now. They seem to build off each other's energy and all they want to do is explore farther than we can let them.
My boyfriend feels complicated towards the decision to add Russet. It felt necessary for Baby's happiness, but now there is a feeling of regret and missing how Baby used to be with him. He knows it is impossible now to separate them, so either we have them both or neither of them.
It's a hard thing to think about, and a hard thing to talk about. But I wanted to bring it up here because I feel that there are a lot of great people on this forum who have a valuable amount of experience with keeping these guys.
At what point do you consider rehoming?
Last night, my boyfriend was obviously upset while we were spending time together, and when I asked him about what was bothering him, he admitted he wasn't sure if he was able to give the boys what they need anymore.
He says he isn't finding the enjoyment in it now that Baby is primarily focused on Russet. He says it is just taking care of them now; they are a commitment with no companionship.
Plus, the boys are becoming increasingly difficult to keep happy. I suggest setting up foraging, new toys, and giving them more time out, and my boyfriend does that for them. The boys get foraging to do, they get hours out of the cage to fly around the living room, and they even get time to themselves with toys and places to perch in the bathroom every single day. But still, it feels like they need more than my boyfriend can give them. He tries to keep them happy and entertained, but it feels like the birds get fixated on certain things a lot. Wherever we put them, whatever we set up for them, they just do not stay entertained (and they scream to let us know).
There are ways we can potentially improve their lives like buying larger cages. But I feel like every improvement we've been making so far, they just end up becoming unhappy with faster than we can keep up.
As for the past, my boyfriend got Baby when he was a teenager without doing much research, and didn't fully grasp the commitment level of keeping a bird. When we moved in together, I helped him learn more about their care, and he was more than willing to make improvements. Still, Baby was unhappy a lot of the time (did not play with toys, never wanted to be alone, etc.) so my boyfriend decided to add Russet to the flock to help Baby feel less alone. Neither of us expected what is happening now. They seem to build off each other's energy and all they want to do is explore farther than we can let them.
My boyfriend feels complicated towards the decision to add Russet. It felt necessary for Baby's happiness, but now there is a feeling of regret and missing how Baby used to be with him. He knows it is impossible now to separate them, so either we have them both or neither of them.
It's a hard thing to think about, and a hard thing to talk about. But I wanted to bring it up here because I feel that there are a lot of great people on this forum who have a valuable amount of experience with keeping these guys.
At what point do you consider rehoming?
