End of my rope-ish.
Hello, long time no talk! Life has been fun and interesting. My birds are all doing fine. Jackjack my Amazon is stellar. Sadie, my Blue and Gold, after her regular vet visit needs to trim a few grams. Shes still in the 'healthy' weight range, but she likes her nutri berries too much. :p Tiels are forever happy and content. :3
Now... Onward to news that I can use some advice/help on. Now, bare in mind I work as a Parrot Handler and never take a bird situation lightly, which is why I'm even torn typing this, but let's press on. About eleven months ago I rescued a baby blue and gold macaw. She was around four months old and the people I got her from had stopped hanfeeding her (saying she's done.) and ket her in essentially a chicken coop with a pail (that you use to mkae sand castles) as her water bowl, and her perches where pvc...things... and her 'toys' where strung together by a car bungie. Needless to say I spent the money I didn't have and bought this bird from them. Handfed her for another three months till she was 'properly' weaned. Took her to the vet, she was underweight and malnurished. Even her 'mussy baby feathers' (as I call most fledging feathers) looked horrible.
Needless to say she's doing better, but we still have a few issues. Some I fully admit it's my 'neglegance' and others are developmental issues from not being properly handled early on I believe.
We're still having 'step-up' issues. I've trained upward to fifty birds to step up and I've never had an issue. Rosie, she just dosen't get it. She dosne't bite, but shyies from the hand when by her feet. She's alwasy done this, and it's my neglegance by not working more with her on it, thinking she'd kind of grow out of it. So yes, my fault completly. I do operant conditioning on all my animals and 'eventually' she'll get up on the arm when coaxed enough, but even daily repition, it's like starting from scratch. I've tried other approaches, but I feel flabberghuasted she dosen't respond. So I feel I'm failing her there.
And not only that baths... baths are an....experience.... She never liked them. But her first owner put her in an dog crate and sprayed a hose on her. Yeah, you can see where I'm going with this. Misting is out of the question, since squirt bottles where also used on her. Showers, I can't do here without freaking her out. I live in a small place with a stand up shower and she dosne't like inclosed places, even me going in with her dosne't help and even letting her in the bathroom to get the mositure is an ordeal. I've been taking it slow, even tried runnign sink water and a 'bird bath' at the bottom of her cage.
I guess what I'm getting at is she has issues I don't feel I'm addressing, even knowing what I do. I feel honestly, that if it was just her and I, she'd be alot further along, but I can't and refuse to neglect my other animals. She defintly gets the most time, but I still don't feel it's enough.
I'm to the point and it breaks my heart to say this that I'm contemplating on rehoming her. I swore to myself I wouldn't give up on her. And I'm not giving up on her, but I'm not blind and I feel she'd do better with a home where she was either the main bird or a home where she could get the time she deserves. I haven't convinced myself, nor will I let her go to just anyone. But I feel I should entertain the idea and see/hope someone will respond that might be her perfect suited home. If someone has any ideas on how I should continue or even feel they might be candidates let me know.
I'm just not sure how I should continue.
Now... Onward to news that I can use some advice/help on. Now, bare in mind I work as a Parrot Handler and never take a bird situation lightly, which is why I'm even torn typing this, but let's press on. About eleven months ago I rescued a baby blue and gold macaw. She was around four months old and the people I got her from had stopped hanfeeding her (saying she's done.) and ket her in essentially a chicken coop with a pail (that you use to mkae sand castles) as her water bowl, and her perches where pvc...things... and her 'toys' where strung together by a car bungie. Needless to say I spent the money I didn't have and bought this bird from them. Handfed her for another three months till she was 'properly' weaned. Took her to the vet, she was underweight and malnurished. Even her 'mussy baby feathers' (as I call most fledging feathers) looked horrible.
Needless to say she's doing better, but we still have a few issues. Some I fully admit it's my 'neglegance' and others are developmental issues from not being properly handled early on I believe.
We're still having 'step-up' issues. I've trained upward to fifty birds to step up and I've never had an issue. Rosie, she just dosen't get it. She dosne't bite, but shyies from the hand when by her feet. She's alwasy done this, and it's my neglegance by not working more with her on it, thinking she'd kind of grow out of it. So yes, my fault completly. I do operant conditioning on all my animals and 'eventually' she'll get up on the arm when coaxed enough, but even daily repition, it's like starting from scratch. I've tried other approaches, but I feel flabberghuasted she dosen't respond. So I feel I'm failing her there.
And not only that baths... baths are an....experience.... She never liked them. But her first owner put her in an dog crate and sprayed a hose on her. Yeah, you can see where I'm going with this. Misting is out of the question, since squirt bottles where also used on her. Showers, I can't do here without freaking her out. I live in a small place with a stand up shower and she dosne't like inclosed places, even me going in with her dosne't help and even letting her in the bathroom to get the mositure is an ordeal. I've been taking it slow, even tried runnign sink water and a 'bird bath' at the bottom of her cage.
I guess what I'm getting at is she has issues I don't feel I'm addressing, even knowing what I do. I feel honestly, that if it was just her and I, she'd be alot further along, but I can't and refuse to neglect my other animals. She defintly gets the most time, but I still don't feel it's enough.
I'm to the point and it breaks my heart to say this that I'm contemplating on rehoming her. I swore to myself I wouldn't give up on her. And I'm not giving up on her, but I'm not blind and I feel she'd do better with a home where she was either the main bird or a home where she could get the time she deserves. I haven't convinced myself, nor will I let her go to just anyone. But I feel I should entertain the idea and see/hope someone will respond that might be her perfect suited home. If someone has any ideas on how I should continue or even feel they might be candidates let me know.
I'm just not sure how I should continue.