How to help a parrot with abandonment issues?

[Animallover_84]

Hey!

I have two amazingly crazy caiques (both are males). They came to me at 10,5 and 3 years old (and are now 15 and 7 years old). The oldest (Munin) tragically have been moved from home to home during his life, and he's been plucking himself in the past (still plucks a little from time to time but have recovered amazingly well, mainly because he's got a friend now).

I have been trying to work through a problem I have with Munin (that breaks my heart) for quite some time, but I'm not really sure how to proceed now. I'm terrified of accidentally making it worse.

When I have to move Munin from one place (such as my mothers' apartment) to another place (such as my own apartment) he kinda freaks out. My impression/interpretation of the situation and how he behaves, is that he is terrified of being abandoned again. That is at least what it looks like to me. I would love to be able to bring him to different places and take him with me more, but I mostly avoid it because of his reaction to it. Maybe I'm doing it wrong or maybe there is something else I could try, to help him realize that I will never abandon him, he is here to stay.

First off, I recently bought a new traveling backpack because I realized that he just hated the other one I had. The new one has worked out great so far. I trained him (and the other caique I have, Hugin) to step in to it willingly (they did not like to do that with the old one, so going somewhere was always very stressful for all of us)and took everything slowly and gave out a lot of treats (clicker training).

I have been staying at my mom's with my little green boys for a few months because of a number of things being worked on in my apartment, and I brought them home yesterday. Munin (and Hugin) were happy to be in the backpack when we walked home (mom lives close by and accompanied me home). When we arrived home, I immediately let them both out, and they had a bunch of new toys etc. to explore. Munin seemed to be quite heightened but mostly in a "happy to be home" way until he wasn't and suddenly attacked me (by flying at my face) and then bit my mom directly after. He suddenly seems "hormonal" but would this really occur just by moving places? He was (and have been for a long time) fine at my mom's apartment.

Last time I moved him between my mom's place and mine he attacked me as well, same with going to my mom etc. He seems to be very stressed out by it. Hugin gets a little more "shy" but nothing else (no attacking etc., just his cute self), it takes him a little while before warming up to a "new" place it seems.

Granted, when going to and from my mom it has led to them having to stay in said place for months, ain't it just lovely with craftsmen and delays after delays and stuff not being in and having to be ordered and then turning out not to fit etc. I have asked myself about a million times in the last year or so if these people (that my landlord hired) really has a clue what they're doing. Anyway, So, now the boys are back home for the time being but will probably have to be moved back to my mom at some point.

I would love to be able to bring them with me to my mom even when visiting just over the day or so, but I would not particularly love being attacked every time we get there or home (and most of all I would hate to stress Munin out every time).
Since getting home, none of them has even once stepped in to the backpack, at my mom's they both did pretty much all the time (after realizing it was a "treat-machine"), has this backpack been "ruined" now?

Today, Munin has been ok for the most part, but he's still exhibiting "heightened" and (some) aggressive (and hormonal) behaviors. I want my cutie back.

Going forward, what is the best "training plan" to get him back to being ok with the backpack and, how do I teach him that going for trips and to different places is fun and, noting to get stressed out about. Basically, how do I explain to my little green darling that he's safe with me and that I won't leave him, no matter what?

/Animallover_84

 

[April]

@Irishj9 and @Laurie will have some great insights I'm sure since they have many Caiques.

 

[WillowQ]

I am not sure about caiques, but my old Quaker always enjoyed her carrier and current Quaker enjoys his carry basket because they get treats and attention. Caiques are very smart; as long as you don’t manhandle him putting him in the carrier I bet he’ll figure out that it gets him treats.

 

[Irishj9]

All mine love habit and ritual. And yes they dont like it when their key person is away unpredictably (to them). Im away from home on a contract at the moment, and I will have to tread softly softly with them when I get back, even though my partner is well known to them all and there are no issues there.

You need to get predictability going for you. Ritual is your friend. But you cant force the move to your Moms just because you are going. If one bird doesnt want to come, leave it and avoid the stress for you both. Eventually he will come round when he sees his friend having all the fun

I hate crowds and people. Nobody is doing me a favour by dragging me to what they see as a great party. I hate it. Leave the birds to make their own decisions, and enjoy the peace

 

[Animallover_84]

@Irishj9 and @Laurie will have some great insights I'm sure since they have many Caiques.

I am not sure about caiques, but my old Quaker always enjoyed her carrier and current Quaker enjoys his carry basket because they get treats and attention. Caiques are very smart; as long as you don’t manhandle him putting him in the carrier I bet he’ll figure out that it gets him treats.

All mine love habit and ritual. And yes they dont like it when their key person is away unpredictably (to them). Im away from home on a contract at the moment, and I will have to tread softly softly with them when I get back, even though my partner is well known to them all and there are no issues there.

You need to get predictability going for you. Ritual is your friend. But you cant force the move to your Moms just because you are going. If one bird doesnt want to come, leave it and avoid the stress for you both. Eventually he will come round when he sees his friend having all the fun

I hate crowds and people. Nobody is doing me a favour by dragging me to what they see as a great party. I hate it. Leave the birds to make their own decisions, and enjoy the peace

Thank you all, for your input. I feel like I have to make a few things clearer in case there have been some misunderstandings. I have never left my boys at my mom's apartment (well, yes, but only over the day/a few hours or so, to take care of my other animals, go to the shops and so on). Furthermore, I have always been the one taking them out, giving them food etc. and I have been sleeping at my mom's apartment, during the time they've been spending there. I have been with them every day, so Munin is not acting this way because we haven't seen each other for a wile or anything like that. Also, sometimes I might have to "force" them (as in I can't let them stay at home) to go (hopefully they will learn to step into the backpack willingly, but if not...) because of it literally being dangerous (or even potentially deadly) to stay at my place (I'm renting, so the landlord is the one deciding when to do work in my apartment). I would never bring one, but not the other, when leaving to go to my mom or to go on a "mini trip", my birds live together, and I have no intention on separating them (and that if anything, would probably hurt Munin a lot).

 

[WillowQ]

I’m sure you are doing the best you can, as most of us are.
Sometimes you’ve gotta get the bird in the carrier. I just meant that if you can make it a fun and exciting thing he will learn to be happy about it.

 

[Irishj9]

Indeed we all do the best we can. But if you want to be Big BAD Mama forcing an unwilling caique into a carrier, then there are consequences. You have to weigh them up yourself.

I have been forced to catch a bird with a net, in full view of the aviary. Now that net cannot be seen, even standing in a corner, without causing mass panic in the avairy.

 

[Monica]

This might be trigger stacking..... which I don't know of any resources when it comes to parrots.... but there are some for dogs.

Essentially, a bunch of small triggers lead to one explosive behavior which makes it appear as if the behavior came out of no-where.


There could be the stress of moving from one location to another, then maybe the playing afterwards could be enough to cause the attack.


If you always move them in the same carrier, can you try using different carriers? Can you cover between places? Maybe work on going in and out of the carrier, having foraging activities in the carrier, just relaxing in the carrier, maybe just going and sitting in the carrier while outside and receiving treats? If he wont take treats then he may be over threshold and might have been asking too much too soon. Go back a step and repeat before trying to proceed again.


And once coming out - maybe just work on relaxing and being calm?