Post by Loz on Apr 11, 2024 16:12:28 GMT
This is a thinking-aloud, invitation for input kind of thread.
For background, I have a rescued female cockatiel, Coco (10mths), who lives upstairs on her own and has come through her quarantine with no sign of health worries. I have a flock of budgies, eighteen in all, who fly free downstairs while Coco lives upstairs. I also have a female kakariki, Chocobo (3yo), who lives with the budgies. The birds in this mixed flock tolerate each other very well and, touch wood, I have no aggression issues to date.
I don't have a lot of background on Coco but it is safe to assume that she has been caged most of her life, with limited or likely no out-of-cage time prior to living with me. She won't have been socialised with other birds of any species and I have been given no reason to believe she has been properly socialised with humans.
She was timid & fearful when she arrived here but I have been working on her trust solidly for four or five weeks. She's still fearful of hands but otherwise seems to enjoy my company or perhaps, she's reassured by it. Her displays of fear - hissing, retreating to a corner, etc - are becoming less common. For instance, I can usually change her food & water without complaint ... but hands in the cage for other purposes still receive objections.
Since the end of the quarantine, Coco has received regular visits from Chocobo where the distance maintained from each other by each bird has steadily decreased. This culminated today in Chocobo joining Coco in her cage - without any signs of distress or aggression from either bird. Infrequent visits by one or two of the budgies downstairs are met with interest by Coco but the budgies seem uninterested in her.
Chocobo now cautiously (!) leaves her cage several times a day to make use of a forage area set aside for her. This area is next to her cage and she reaches it by walking. She is easily spooked though and often retreats before spending time outside.
I have seen that Coco can fly - I witnessed this when she unexpectedly exited her cage a few weeks ago during her quarantine period. She is not an accomplished flier at this point of course. Coco was unable to find her way back to her cage so at the end of that day I was forced to use a millet & perching-stick approach to guide her home. This went extremely well. During her time out of the cage I fed her millet from a spray by hand.
Things I am mulling over ...
Coco seems happy enough at this time but it is clear that she relishes contact with other birds and might benefit from a more social lifestyle.
I have no idea how Coco will react to a flock of eighteen budgies.
I have no idea how Coco will react to a larger environment.
I am trying to figure out where Coco's cage would go if it were moved downstairs!
Coco's diet isn't varied enough to be healthy. Socialising with the flock might encourage here to forage vegetables made available for the flock.
Spending several hours a day with Coco - necessary for her health and well-being - is truly a delight for me but I am struggling to maintain my relationship with Chocobo and the budgies and at the same time, perform all the usual household chores. If Coco is successfully integrated into the flock, time frees up for me to do things that aren't directly bird-related - shop, clean, read, shower, etc.
I welcome any input people might have!
For background, I have a rescued female cockatiel, Coco (10mths), who lives upstairs on her own and has come through her quarantine with no sign of health worries. I have a flock of budgies, eighteen in all, who fly free downstairs while Coco lives upstairs. I also have a female kakariki, Chocobo (3yo), who lives with the budgies. The birds in this mixed flock tolerate each other very well and, touch wood, I have no aggression issues to date.
I don't have a lot of background on Coco but it is safe to assume that she has been caged most of her life, with limited or likely no out-of-cage time prior to living with me. She won't have been socialised with other birds of any species and I have been given no reason to believe she has been properly socialised with humans.
She was timid & fearful when she arrived here but I have been working on her trust solidly for four or five weeks. She's still fearful of hands but otherwise seems to enjoy my company or perhaps, she's reassured by it. Her displays of fear - hissing, retreating to a corner, etc - are becoming less common. For instance, I can usually change her food & water without complaint ... but hands in the cage for other purposes still receive objections.
Since the end of the quarantine, Coco has received regular visits from Chocobo where the distance maintained from each other by each bird has steadily decreased. This culminated today in Chocobo joining Coco in her cage - without any signs of distress or aggression from either bird. Infrequent visits by one or two of the budgies downstairs are met with interest by Coco but the budgies seem uninterested in her.
Chocobo now cautiously (!) leaves her cage several times a day to make use of a forage area set aside for her. This area is next to her cage and she reaches it by walking. She is easily spooked though and often retreats before spending time outside.
I have seen that Coco can fly - I witnessed this when she unexpectedly exited her cage a few weeks ago during her quarantine period. She is not an accomplished flier at this point of course. Coco was unable to find her way back to her cage so at the end of that day I was forced to use a millet & perching-stick approach to guide her home. This went extremely well. During her time out of the cage I fed her millet from a spray by hand.
Things I am mulling over ...
Coco seems happy enough at this time but it is clear that she relishes contact with other birds and might benefit from a more social lifestyle.
I have no idea how Coco will react to a flock of eighteen budgies.
I have no idea how Coco will react to a larger environment.
I am trying to figure out where Coco's cage would go if it were moved downstairs!
Coco's diet isn't varied enough to be healthy. Socialising with the flock might encourage here to forage vegetables made available for the flock.
Spending several hours a day with Coco - necessary for her health and well-being - is truly a delight for me but I am struggling to maintain my relationship with Chocobo and the budgies and at the same time, perform all the usual household chores. If Coco is successfully integrated into the flock, time frees up for me to do things that aren't directly bird-related - shop, clean, read, shower, etc.
I welcome any input people might have!
