NorthernGannet
Sprinting down the street
You know how some things don't go as planned? In the least? Another linnie came across my path who needed a new home. He was well cared for, not a rescue or anything like that, but he lost his mate 2 months prior and the owner thought he'd be happier with other linnies. Despite hearing about trios being bad, I gleefully accepted with visions of a happy little trio dancing in my head, all singing Kumbaya. Um, that. Didn't. Happen. So many things about him are the complete opposite of Sprite and Jellybean, some good, some bad. But the only true problem is that he is LOUD. Oh my, he screams and screams (maybe it's a flock call, but it's nothing that I've ever heard from Sprite or Jellybean). It's ultra loud, very piercing, and literally hurts my ears. I have to leave, and the dog leaves too. You can hear him outside on the sidewalk!
It's' been 7 weeks, and he's improved a little with the frequency, I can at least now sit and make it through a chapter of a book without being run out of my living space. However, he's still pretty bad overall. I have tried various things from negative reinforcement to positive reinforcement, and absolutely nothing seems to make a dent with him. Sprite and Jellybean really do not like him, although when everyone's out they let him get about 10" away now, rather than the 12" it used to be Of course I've been watching for another linnie to come along, but even then I'm not sure if having his own personal buddy would make any diffference at all. I haven't been able to nail any one specific thing that sets him off. Although at times it's obvious what's done it, other times it seems purely random. He'll even do it as he's eating sometimes (a full mouth is not a guaranteed quiet mouth!). Sometimes he runs around like crazy while being loud and I feel he's very anxious about something, but then other times he's totally chill yet suddenly just cuts loose. He did come from a home with lots of noisy birds, so how much that has influenced him I don't know. My place is the total opposite, very quiet. And I'm not talking about just one or two yells in a row. I'm talking incessant, he can just go and go for lonnnnng periods of time. I'm really at a loss if this can be subdued any further.
All of that said, aside from the noise problem, he is super friendly, tamed down very quickly for me (he was a breeder before), loves riding around on my shoulder, eats almost anything I put in front of him. I was so tickled when he dove into the apples, unlike Sprite and Jellybean! But then one day Jellybean went crazy, so I gave him some and he snarfed them! So he learned from observation, and now he likes them too
-NG
It's' been 7 weeks, and he's improved a little with the frequency, I can at least now sit and make it through a chapter of a book without being run out of my living space. However, he's still pretty bad overall. I have tried various things from negative reinforcement to positive reinforcement, and absolutely nothing seems to make a dent with him. Sprite and Jellybean really do not like him, although when everyone's out they let him get about 10" away now, rather than the 12" it used to be Of course I've been watching for another linnie to come along, but even then I'm not sure if having his own personal buddy would make any diffference at all. I haven't been able to nail any one specific thing that sets him off. Although at times it's obvious what's done it, other times it seems purely random. He'll even do it as he's eating sometimes (a full mouth is not a guaranteed quiet mouth!). Sometimes he runs around like crazy while being loud and I feel he's very anxious about something, but then other times he's totally chill yet suddenly just cuts loose. He did come from a home with lots of noisy birds, so how much that has influenced him I don't know. My place is the total opposite, very quiet. And I'm not talking about just one or two yells in a row. I'm talking incessant, he can just go and go for lonnnnng periods of time. I'm really at a loss if this can be subdued any further.
All of that said, aside from the noise problem, he is super friendly, tamed down very quickly for me (he was a breeder before), loves riding around on my shoulder, eats almost anything I put in front of him. I was so tickled when he dove into the apples, unlike Sprite and Jellybean! But then one day Jellybean went crazy, so I gave him some and he snarfed them! So he learned from observation, and now he likes them too
-NG
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