Murray-Bird and Rodanne
I come bearing good news! Murray is actually turning into a super-cuddly, well-behaved little birdy. Well, if you account for the fact that he is also a Grumpy Old Man (we're trying to teach him to say "Get off my lawn!" in english instead of bird).
Murray now accepts skritches, asks for skritches, preens my arm hair for me, and tries to remove my ear because surely that thing isn't supposed to be there? He's still terrified of being asked to step up onto my finger, so instead I put my arm next to the cage and ask him to come see me. If he's feeling friendly, he'll step one little foot onto my arm, preen himself and chuckle for a while, and then step the other foot up.
The other day when we had company, he started his "Get off my lawn" routine which involves a lot of head-twisting and a threat that escalates in volume. I turned him toward me, put my hand behind his head so he couldn't see my visitors, and waited until he was calm, then let him look again. Kept doing it until he stopped, and then he spent the night tucked under my chin, mocking everything I said, and then walking onto my shoulder and yelling "MURRAY!" Because, you know, we're supposed to pay attention to him! And then he'd do his little Quaker Quake because he was happy and excited. :D Murray and I really appreciate all the advice you guys have given us. He's a little snuggle-butt now, and a goof to boot.
As for Rodanne, I wasn't able to find a ferret cage locally OR flat perches. So what I did was go buy some dowel rods and saw them into pieces, then tie them with sisal just outside the cage. It's not pretty, but it's functional. Rodanne's now got a flat corner, a set of rods in front of her food and water dishes, and a ladder right up against the edge of the cage so she can put one foot on it and the other against the bars. It overlaps a top perch so she spends most of her time sitting in the little nook between the ladder and the perch. :) She also gets to spend about an hour every day on the couch with me in front of a little pile of food. Part of the reason she was crying was because it apparently wears her out trying to eat and she hasn't been getting enough. D: She's actually starting to get a decent amount of weight on her now, and her keel-bone isn't protruding like it was.
So I really just wanted to thak you guys for all the advice you've given me and the suggestions. It's really done a world of good. Murray is adorable (he puffs up until he's just a little round fluff of feathers when he's near me) and hilarious and Rodanne's much happier now that she's got places she can actually rest in her cage. Thank you thank you! :D And here's some pics of the birdies in question.
Rodanne disapproves of pictures.
She is a big, tough birdy and you should know it!
Murray drinks out of his Bathing Bowl and bathes in his drinking water, and then eats eggs. He definitely looks his age when he's damp:
And sometimes he's a good birdy despite himself and doesn't threaten the kiddo:
And here's the Fluffmeister, being cute and also torn between threatening the kiddo because she's there, or appreciating the fact that she gave him seeds:
I cannot take a good pic to save my life. *lol* But anyway, that's Whar We Be.
Murray now accepts skritches, asks for skritches, preens my arm hair for me, and tries to remove my ear because surely that thing isn't supposed to be there? He's still terrified of being asked to step up onto my finger, so instead I put my arm next to the cage and ask him to come see me. If he's feeling friendly, he'll step one little foot onto my arm, preen himself and chuckle for a while, and then step the other foot up.
The other day when we had company, he started his "Get off my lawn" routine which involves a lot of head-twisting and a threat that escalates in volume. I turned him toward me, put my hand behind his head so he couldn't see my visitors, and waited until he was calm, then let him look again. Kept doing it until he stopped, and then he spent the night tucked under my chin, mocking everything I said, and then walking onto my shoulder and yelling "MURRAY!" Because, you know, we're supposed to pay attention to him! And then he'd do his little Quaker Quake because he was happy and excited. :D Murray and I really appreciate all the advice you guys have given us. He's a little snuggle-butt now, and a goof to boot.
As for Rodanne, I wasn't able to find a ferret cage locally OR flat perches. So what I did was go buy some dowel rods and saw them into pieces, then tie them with sisal just outside the cage. It's not pretty, but it's functional. Rodanne's now got a flat corner, a set of rods in front of her food and water dishes, and a ladder right up against the edge of the cage so she can put one foot on it and the other against the bars. It overlaps a top perch so she spends most of her time sitting in the little nook between the ladder and the perch. :) She also gets to spend about an hour every day on the couch with me in front of a little pile of food. Part of the reason she was crying was because it apparently wears her out trying to eat and she hasn't been getting enough. D: She's actually starting to get a decent amount of weight on her now, and her keel-bone isn't protruding like it was.
So I really just wanted to thak you guys for all the advice you've given me and the suggestions. It's really done a world of good. Murray is adorable (he puffs up until he's just a little round fluff of feathers when he's near me) and hilarious and Rodanne's much happier now that she's got places she can actually rest in her cage. Thank you thank you! :D And here's some pics of the birdies in question.
Rodanne disapproves of pictures.
She is a big, tough birdy and you should know it!
Murray drinks out of his Bathing Bowl and bathes in his drinking water, and then eats eggs. He definitely looks his age when he's damp:
And sometimes he's a good birdy despite himself and doesn't threaten the kiddo:
And here's the Fluffmeister, being cute and also torn between threatening the kiddo because she's there, or appreciating the fact that she gave him seeds:
I cannot take a good pic to save my life. *lol* But anyway, that's Whar We Be.