genuinely questioning if I can do this

[Tapew0rrm]

I for one, also loved reading your posts about him and found myself understanding a lot of the feelings you were experiencing (my partner has BPD as well and split our dog when I first got her).

It helps soooo much to understand to not take things personally when your animals act out - after all, they’re not doing it to upset you! But we’re all people, and the natural thing for us is to anthropomorphize our animals and attach human thoughts and feelings to their behaviors.

You seem to have done an excellent job at remembering to be mindful and working through the automatically negative thoughts that are so pervasive with BPD. I just wanted to say that although we haven’t talked 1-on-1 before, I am still very proud of you and your progress! You’re doing great!

I really really appreciate that <3 Honestly, the negative thoughts are the only down side in being with Aro at the moment, everything else is going perfect and he's extremely happy as far as I can tell. But, whenever I'm struggling with training or I'm not able to afford some really fancy toy that I think he'd love, my brain immediately goes back to the "I am not giving him the quality life he needs and should rehome him." And I feel so selfish for that being a reaccuring thought, but thats,,sorta the issue with BPD, if I'm not doing absolutely perfect, it's all completely bad. It's a little overwhelming sometimes.

I've been able to combat it well though, a lot better then I have with other things. And I'm working hard on getting that thought process out of my system, because at this point he is the most family I've ever genuinely had, and I truly think if I was to ever get to a point again where I couldn't take care of him, I'd be more then heartbroken. It might seem a bit of an overreaction to people who don't understand how hard living with bpd is, but to me he's given me a reason to keep fighting and getting better, even on the days where my brain is so painful I don't feel like I can get out of bed. Because I never want him to have to lose another owner, I want to stay by his side for the rest of his life and give him as much love as I'm capable of. <3

 

[Pixiebeak]

I don't have your struggles.
But I often worry im not doing enough for my burds! That i haven't done sprouts sbd soaks of grains and cooked up some beans fir them in awhile...even tho flighted and out in my home I really wish I had an aviary , same im not doing trick training, wish I had thousands more toys...
I can't even imagine thise feelings amplified!

 

[Icey]

I think we all feel bad at times.
If money wasn't an issue, most of us would have avaries with every perch, swing, toy, and greenery, oh and throw in a waterfall
The reality is that we do what we can with what we have.
@Pixiebeak and others here make toys that are easy to make and cheap on our budgets. She could probably give you some ideas, or you can look up some threads about home made toys to get an idea.

 

[Pixiebeak]

@Wardy is the toy and enrichment queen!
I definitely kerp it simple I mostly use veggies as my enrichment

 

[Icey]

@Wardy is the toy and enrichment queen!
I definitely kerp it simple I mostly use veggies as my enrichment

Wardy is on holidays I believe but hopefully will reply when they get back

 

[Zara]

@Wardy is the toy and enrichment queen!

I think you mean King?

 

[Pixiebeak]

How about enrichment person extraordinary

 

[Wardy]

Used egg cartons are good for foraging a sprinkle of seed and some crinkle paper over few bits of foot toys.
Those small cereal boxes put treats in stuff with paper.
Skewers are excelent i fill with bell peppers and chillis it keeps the girls occupied for hours.
Try feeding food in different sizes feeding the girls Not Chop has made a big difference in veg eaten (much more ) and time spent eating.

To get your bird interested in foraging make it easy and make the reward high value here sunflower seeds are top dog in the reward stakes.
To get Aro going using a egg box dont cover seeds and put a lot of seed in make the reward as easy to get and as high value as possible make things harder over a period of time.
Dont feel stressed about offering seed to introduce a bird to forraging even if offering a lot, i recently had to make foraging much easier for KiKi as she had stopped foraging due to food aggresion from Mojo.at the time Mojo would chase KeeK from anywhere she settled to forrage.
Foot toys where removed from foraging boxes etc. and i would flood them all with food.
Mojo calmed down there was more than enough foo so no need for aggresion and KeeK started foraging again all foraging activity is back to normal seed and foraging rewards have been cut back to normal.

 

[Wardy]

Not Chop has made a big difference in veg eaten (much more ) and time spent eating.

Journal - Should zoo foods be chopped (macaws)

Is that one way to bake a sweet potato? I've only put them in the oven. I know you're suppose to give parrots bake sweet potatoes, not raw ones. Yes it's a quick way to cook it :) I usually use the air fryer but weekday mornings are hectic!

forums.avianavenue.com

When i read this link i thought thats well worth a go and totally changed how i fed the girls, before then i was chopping fresh veg herbs etc daily, i had tried making in bulk freezing they wouldnt touch it, tried dehyrated veg wouldnt touch it so wash fresh chop daily .
So i started not chop there is a lot of waste ( not really it all go's in the compost ) so not cost effective, the girls both were good at eating veg but they started to eat so much more now.
This was there not chop this morning

And then when i took it out there cages this evening.

They havent eaten all of it but they have eaten a lot. Mojo eats from her bowl and once she is done it go's over the side.
KiKi will pick at the food in the bowl for a bit whilst Mojo is eating after 10 mins she then starts carrying the food to her flagstone perch at the front of her cage she eats everything there once done over the side.
If they decide they want something they have dumped onto the floor they want another go of they go to the floor pick it up Mojo takes it to her bowl KiKi her perch.

I feed there not chop at 10 am every day we both work from home however they cant be out whilst we work, this is there main foraging activity and will go back into there cages to forage from there food bowls Mojo often go's into KiKi's cage to check her bowl to see if theres anything left she likes.

I also give them Nutriberries for large parrots the only difference is the size they are the ultimate foot toys, KiKi will climb her cage one foot holding a nutriberri so climbing with one foot and her beak to her platform and will fly around the room with one in her foot to get away from Mojo.

Sorry for the bit of a ramble but as i was typing i was reflecting on what i was typing about KiKi now KeeK doesnt play with toys massively and as i typed this i realised she is to busy carrying food around her cage all day to play with toys.

 

[AussieBird]

Journal - Should zoo foods be chopped (macaws)

Is that one way to bake a sweet potato? I've only put them in the oven. I know you're suppose to give parrots bake sweet potatoes, not raw ones. Yes it's a quick way to cook it :) I usually use the air fryer but weekday mornings are hectic!

forums.avianavenue.com

When i read this link i thought thats well worth a go and totally changed how i fed the girls, before then i was chopping fresh veg herbs etc daily, i had tried making in bulk freezing they wouldnt touch it, tried dehyrated veg wouldnt touch it so wash fresh chop daily .
So i started not chop there is a lot of waste ( not really it all go's in the compost ) so not cost effective, the girls both were good at eating veg but they started to eat so much more now.
This was there not chop this morning
View attachment 423100
And then when i took it out there cages this evening.
View attachment 423101
They havent eaten all of it but they have eaten a lot. Mojo eats from her bowl and once she is done it go's over the side.
KiKi will pick at the food in the bowl for a bit whilst Mojo is eating after 10 mins she then starts carrying the food to her flagstone perch at the front of her cage she eats everything there once done over the side.
If they decide they want something they have dumped onto the floor they want another go of they go to the floor pick it up Mojo takes it to her bowl KiKi her perch.

I feed there not chop at 10 am every day we both work from home however they cant be out whilst we work, this is there main foraging activity and will go back into there cages to forage from there food bowls Mojo often go's into KiKi's cage to check her bowl to see if theres anything left she likes.

I also give them Nutriberries for large parrots the only difference is the size they are the ultimate foot toys, KiKi will climb her cage one foot holding a nutriberri so climbing with one foot and her beak to her platform and will fly around the room with one in her foot to get away from Mojo.

Sorry for the bit of a ramble but as i was typing i was reflecting on what i was typing about KiKi now KeeK doesnt play with toys massively and as i typed this i realised she is to busy carrying food around her cage all day to play with toys.

I love how much your two love Not Chop!
I've actually gone back to doing chop for a bit, I just get the feeling it's a little more suited for my little budgies.
There's also no veggie waste at my house, not chop or chop. Chickens and goats eat any leftovers

 

[Shezbug]

Curious how Aro is coming along, would love an update if at all possible

 

[zoo mom]

If you are still having some problems with the noise there are ways to deaden it a bit (of course thus will affect music as well. )
1. Get a sizable thick throw rug to put down on the floor.
2. Cover windows with black out curtains. (If you do this provide full spectrum lighting because it is better for their vision and moods. It can be a bulb in the ceiling fixtures or a lamp.)
3. Cover walls with quilts, carpets, acoustical tiles ect. Fabric absorbs sound. Hard surfaces reflect it. This includes wood, stone, brick, plaster, and drywall.

These will not eliminate the noise only absorb some sound and keep it from bouncing around the room.

And no I am not a sound engineer or architect. My husband is a musician specifically a church organish. He has studied the physics of acoustics (for fun) and complains often about things they do to churches that ruin the acoustics of the building.

 

[Tapew0rrm]

Curious how Aro is coming along, would love an update if at all possible

We're doing really great now actually!!! Just entered his first molt with me, he is,,a little grumpy, but I'm doing my best to make him as comfortable as possible! He's loving his aloe vera baths thats for sure!!
I'm doing a LOT better with the noise, it barely effects me now unless I'm in a bad headspace, but in that case I just go hide in the bathroom for a few minutes to calm down haha.
Training wise he's still struggling a little, I keep thinking we're getting somewhere with stepping up, then he goes back to forgetting what he's learned :/ but I don't mind if it takes years, as long as he's happy that's all I want for him. the only reason I'm trying to teach him is so that it can make vet visits easier for him. (as I was typing this part he literally randomly just decided he wanted to sit on my hand so he could chew on my finger, ironically) I think he's settling in alright too! He seems a LOTcalmer, aside from his current molting grumps, he rarely has moments where he's angry unless I'm wearing makeup, I've even been able to teach him that me taking off my glasses isn't bad. Since we haven't reached a point where he trusts me enough to move my when he's sitting on it yet, I haven't risked taking him out to explore the rest of the house, but he's very happy in his little space. My entire room is slowly becoming a giant play area for him at this point, haha. We've been figuring out new toys and new ways of playing which he seems to enjoy to a cautious degree too, he's still pretty nervous about new experiences. I don't remember if I've said here or not, but his vet said he may have the bird equivalent to autism which was something I didn't realise birds could have until I met him, it fits pretty well actually. xD
Also, I don't remember who it was that suggested me cutting up some paper straws and putting a few treats in for him to play with, but that trick basically saved my life, he doesn't even need the treats, he views chewing the straw pieces themselves as the treat and it def quiets him down for a good 20 minutes xD Aside from my moment of worry when he first started his molt, the one issue we've had lately that's been a big problem was on my part, up to this point I may have been admittedly giving him a few too many high reward treats during his training, which has lead to a few of his feathers turning black on the ends. In reading it could also be that they're old feathers given he's molting, but either way it pointed it out in my brain it might be an issue, def going to correct that from here on and hopefully he'll be back to being nice and healthy soon enough. Oh!! He's also on new pellets! I started him on tops when I eventually was able to find them and he absolutely LOVES them, something I can always count on is his eagerness to try new foods! I'm hoping that it'll help him out too.

Overall, he's a lot different to the bird I was expecting to get when adopting a bird, but I wouldn't change it. Back then I thought I would get a bird that was super affectionate and playful all the time, but while he is def not that, in a way I'm kind of glad? Cause I love his personality and his quirks, even when he's grumpy with me for literally just moving a tiny inch, I'm happy that he's part of my life. And I'm so glad that I didn't give up, we're doing so amazing now, no matter what struggles we have, I'm going to do my best no matter what to be by his side and see him through it.


Sorry if this is all over the place, I've started on some meds that kind of make it hard for me to keep focused on one subject, I hope it's at least understandable!!! And thank you for your interest in him, I'm glad that people still care enough about him to check in!!!!

A picture from while I was typing this and he decided to take a chunk out of my finger for fun xD

 

[zoo mom]

Glad he is settling in well and you are both adjusting.

 

[Shezbug]

Awesome update!!
So glad to hear things are working out for you both and you’re both doing well

 

[caspin22]

What a great update!

 

[Carina.317]

Do you mind re-uploading the videos of the noises Arlo was making? I would like to hear it and see if it's something that I could handle. I'm also autistic so some noises (like cockatiel's whistling) bothers me but others don't.

 

[Birdie Mama]

he is beautiful and so happy for the update!! Great job you are both doing.

The dark on his feathers may also be bronzing, I think they call it? I’m bad at explaining or remembering certain terms…

my Bailey also got them a little while after I got him and was basically like stress bars from the move and new environment etc. he moulted them off and now has just straight green wings, you can see it in my avatar if you enlarge it a bit.

I’m sure others will pop in and comment on it as well, so don’t panic yet, it may not necessarily be from the treats..

 

[Tapew0rrm]

he is beautiful and so happy for the update!! Great job you are both doing.

The dark on his feathers may also be bronzing, I think they call it? I’m bad at explaining or remembering certain terms…

my Bailey also got them a little while after I got him and was basically like stress bars from the move and new environment etc. he moulted them off and now has just straight green wings, you can see it in my avatar if you enlarge it a bit.

I’m sure others will pop in and comment on it as well, so don’t panic yet, it may not necessarily be from the treats..

He did start getting them a few weeks after he started living with me, so it could be that you're right!! I do have a vet appointment next week for his nails so I'll question his vet on it a little and see if she thinks its anything to be concerned over, maybe ask her if theres any way she can find out what's going on. Outside of the feathers he seems completely healthy so I'm not crazy concerned something is hugely wrong, but it's always worth a check since we'll be there already.

 

[Shezbug]

he is beautiful and so happy for the update!! Great job you are both doing.

The dark on his feathers may also be bronzing, I think they call it? I’m bad at explaining or remembering certain terms…

my Bailey also got them a little while after I got him and was basically like stress bars from the move and new environment etc. he moulted them off and now has just straight green wings, you can see it in my avatar if you enlarge it a bit.

I’m sure others will pop in and comment on it as well, so don’t panic yet, it may not necessarily be from the treats..

Bronzing and stress bars are two different things.
Stress bars appear during the growth cycle of a feather due to nutritional differences or deficiencies which can be caused by a few different things.
Bronzing basically occurs on a fully formed feather when it is old or worn.

I’m sure you’ll find much more in-depth info about both bronzing and stress bars if you do a search on them here on AA.