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Now what???

Mybluebird

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In the early evening I left Tweetie for about three hours. It was just before sunset and I left the shutters open, lights on and music playing. She was happily sitting on her new perch when I left. When I got home she clutching the bars at the top corner of her cage. I didn't see anything out of the ordinary and I couldn't coax her down. I closed the shutters and moved her cage next to the chair where I usually sit. I put her cover on leaving the front open and talked to her while I was watching TV. She never moved. At one point I put my finger in the cage next to her to try to get her to move but she just opened her beak like she was going to bite me. When I went to bed, I left the front of her cage uncovered, a lamp on and budgie sounds playing on my computer. This morning she was still clutching the cage bars. After I got my coffee, sat down beside her, turned off the budgie sounds and turned on the radio, she came down to the top perch. She's sitting there fluffed up. What should I do for her today? What happened?
 

Ripshod

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My immediate thought is rodent? A mouse could easily get through the bars. A rat would definitely have a go at getting into the cage for that seed so any signs of bent or chewed bars or chewed plastic?
Was the door fully closed? Does anyone else have access? Do large birds go close by the window?
 
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Mybluebird

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I thought about rodents but didn't see any droppings. Her cage also sits on a stand with wheels to roll it about and a shelf where I keep her seeds and supplies. It would have been easy for a rodent to tear into that - no signs of that. She sits in front of a large window, almost floor to ceiling with shutters that I close at night. The room she is in is a combo kitchen, dining and living room - very large. Wild critters do occasionally walk by that window as well as cats that people leave outside. With the shutters open could one of those critters tried to get at her? Of course they couldn't because the window itself was closed and my alarm system would have sounded if any damage was done to the window.
 

Ripshod

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. With the shutters open could one of those critters tried to get at her?
With the shutters open, the light outside dimming and the light on in the room it's kinda advertising food to the critters so one or two could have tried. Any evidence outside?
 

Mybluebird

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hmmmm, nothing obvious - no poop, nothing out-of-place, no fur balls, looks pretty much the same as always. My poor baby.
 

Lori D Pert

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Yes, something spooked her. My guess would be something outside. Cat, raccoon, or possibly a hawk or eagle. We get many different types of birds here and Sam would spook at the bald eagles. Maybe move her cage away from the window when you go out? How is she now?
 

Mybluebird

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She had a quiet morning - I left her cage beside my chair. She ate, drank some water but was quiet otherwise. Just a few minutes ago (about 11:30am) I opened the shutters and moved her back in front of the window. She was skinny for a minute or two then jumped around and settled on her new perch. She proceeded to chew on the perch and groom herself. She's chirping softly and chewing the perch! She likes it! I think you and @Ripshod are right - an animal outside must have tried to get at her. I also have an owl and hawk that sometimes hangs out on the power line behind my house. In the future, when I plan to be gone at night, I will move her to the spot beside my chair which is at an interior wall. Boy, she really scared me by hanging onto the side of her cage all night.
 

Lori D Pert

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Yes, an owl will certainly scare the heck out of her too. When Sam had just started free flying in the house she was perched on top of her cage happily chatting away and suddenly took off and landed on a picture frame on the wall and would not move. A hawk had flown by the window. She stayed on that picture frame for an hour. Finally coaxed her down with some kale and she was fine after that. If it happens again do exactly what you did this time...cover 3 sides of her cage, move her away from the window and play some happy budgie sounds. She will come to realize that she is safe by the window and this sounds silly but putting a few peelable stickers on the window will help her realize that there is a barrier there.
 

Shezbug

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I agree with it possibly being a critter of some type outside.
Even though Burt and my budgies know there is a solid barrier of glass between them and the outside world they still freak out, become statues, or show obvious fear when they see the birds of prey outside the window. Burt is slowly getting better with it but he is always on high alert if he sees them.
 

Gribouille

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My parrotlet's cage is not as large as yours but I leave a place mat in bamboo on the top of the cage and 1/3 of it hanging to the side. He likes to sleep under it and in Summer time when his cage was outside on the balcony he could choose to hide there from the sun or from scary birds.
My budgies have a traditional cage we use when they are not at home. It has a little umbrella on top and a bamboo mat on the side to protect them from wind and sun. They often prefer to hang out there instead of sitting where the cage is open on each side. At home they have a built-in cage so only the front is open and I think they feel more secure in there than in a traditional cage where danger could come from everywhere.

It could be an idea to provide some kind of cover to Tweety too in a corner of her cage. :)

20191009_135335.jpg
 

Lori D Pert

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You know this is actually an excellent idea to use a bamboo placemat as a bit of a "shield". As well bamboo is something that little hens love to chew on.
My parrotlet's cage is not as large as yours but I leave a place mat in bamboo on the top of the cage and 1/3 of it hanging to the side. He likes to sleep under it and in Summer time when his cage was outside on the balcony he could choose to hide there from the sun or from scary birds.
My budgies have a traditional cage we use when they are not at home. It has a little umbrella on top and a bamboo mat on the side to protect them from wind and sun. They often prefer to hang out there instead of sitting where the cage is open on each side. At home they have a built-in cage so only the front is open and I think they feel more secure in there than in a traditional cage where danger could come from everywhere.

It could be an idea to provide some kind of cover to Tweety too in a corner of her cage. :)

View attachment 321957
 

Lori D Pert

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Thank you @Shezbug @Gribouille @Lori D Pert I'm sure I can find a bamboo placemat in one of the homegoods stores. I'll look for one without dyes and clean it well before I put it up.
Pick up several..lol. If your little Tweetie likes to chew like most hens do then she will manage a way to demolish them right through the bars.
 

Shezbug

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I use sushi rolling mats for my little guys, not as a hut or shield though more like a flying carpet and they love it. So if you have trouble finding bamboo placemats cheaply maybe look for the sushi rolling mat- they come in fairly cheap sushi making kits here :)
 

Gribouille

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Pick up several..lol. If your little Tweetie likes to chew like most hens do then she will manage a way to demolish them right through the bars.
depends on your bird. Mine don't really touch them, unless Nova is on top of Pichu's cage, she will nibble at it, but it isn't damaged at all (yet)
 

Fergus Mom

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In the early evening I left Tweetie for about three hours. It was just before sunset and I left the shutters open, lights on and music playing. She was happily sitting on her new perch when I left. When I got home she clutching the bars at the top corner of her cage.
Poor Tweetie baby! Glad she is okay now though. I'll bet something spooked her outside, or the shadows, or lights out there through the shutters. Guess you'll be closing those shutters from now on after dark huh? Ow!

My budgies have a traditional cage we use when they are not at home. It has a little umbrella on top and a bamboo mat on the side to protect them from wind and sun
Oh that little umbrella is SO cheery and cute!

You know this is actually an excellent idea to use a bamboo placemat as a bit of a "shield". As well bamboo is something that little hens love to chew on.
Speaking of placemats, I have discovered another thing they are good for - I have laminate flooring in the room with their regular and travel cage, and a rug in the living room that they get wheeled to for sun - I'm always kicking something out of the way or having to bend to pick it up when I roll their cage - AND when they sit on their rope "porches" outside the cage, my floors suffer. SO, I had some dollar placemats, those really thin plastic ones, and wow - I LOVE how they protect under the rope porches!

Also loving the idea of the sushi mats @Shezbug - I wonder how long it would take Fiona to shred one of those!?
 

Gribouille

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I have laminate flooring in the room with their regular and travel cage,
ge, my floors suffer.
Are you sure your floor is laminate then? Laminate should stand almost anything..


The little umbrella on Merlin and Nova's cage is actually a hat. I love it, find it very cool, but never dared using it myself! :D
 

Fergus Mom

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Are you sure your floor is laminate then? Laminate should stand almost anything..

The little umbrella on Merlin and Nova's cage is actually a hat. I love it, find it very cool, but never dared using it myself! :D
A hat! I would not have known that. I have even seen hats like that, but I really did think it was like a mini patio umbrella. So cute.

My laminate is really durable, but that poop really sticks on, and I'm afraid in the long run it's so hard to remove it will eventually destroy the top layer by eroding it, or me scrubbing it will harm it. (Especially since my go-to method for removing stuck on poop is an ice scraper :rofl:) I love that flooring though - so easy care. Those placemats wash off really easily, and they're so flat they don't even make bumpity bumps when the cage rolls over them!
 

Gribouille

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A hat! I would not have known that. I have even seen hats like that, but I really did think it was like a mini patio umbrella. So cute.

My laminate is really durable, but that poop really sticks on, and I'm afraid in the long run it's so hard to remove it will eventually destroy the top layer by eroding it, or me scrubbing it will harm it. (Especially since my go-to method for removing stuck on poop is an ice scraper :rofl:) I love that flooring though - so easy care. Those placemats wash off really easily, and they're so flat they don't even make bumpity bumps when the cage rolls over them!
Choose your favorite!! ;)
1575637959598.png
To remove poop... They sit on the door of their cage and poop on the floor. I either wipe it up when still fresh, or I spray it with soap water and wipe it up after a few minutes. Their play stand is a branch++ over their built-in cage (160 cm high), I have newspaper taped on the top of the cupboards. Easy to remove the whole thing once in a while. Maybe I'll try the plastic mate on the floor in front of the cage :D
 
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