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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Dec 1, 2019 15:51:23 GMT
Yesterday evening I left my house for about 4 hours in the early evening. It was just before dusk and I left the window shutters open so Tweetie Pie could enjoy the sunset. I left lights on and the radio playing. When I got home, he was clutching the cage bars at the top right corner and wouldn't move while I was talking to him. I didn't see anything amiss in or around his cage. I moved his cage to a spot by my easy chair. I put my finger in at his feet to try to persuade him to come down. He opened his beak like he was going to bite me so I stopped - that obviously wasn't helping. I put his cover on leaving the front open. I sat talking to him while watching TV the rest of the evening. When I went to bed, I left a light on for him and put on budgie sounds all night. This morning he was still clutching the bars at the top of his cage. I got my coffee, turned off the budgie sounds and then turned on the radio station I usually have playing. He climbed down to his top perch. The only thing different about yesterday is that I removed the dowel type perch he usually sleeps on and replaced it with two bottle brush wood branches. This happened early in the day and when I left he was happily sitting on one of them. What happened to frighten him so much? Wild animal or cat outside the window? His/cage reflection in the window? What should I do today to get back to normal? What do I do if I leave in the evening in the future? My poor baby was so upset and I was also.
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Post by Marianne Marlow on Dec 1, 2019 20:07:35 GMT
It could have been anything. My budgies can be scared by a seagull or crow outside making a noise or flying over. Or even just a car alarm.
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Dec 1, 2019 20:18:03 GMT
He really scared me by hanging onto the cage bars all night. All seems to be OK now. He was quiet all morning (he usually is when he's by my chair). I opened the shutters and moved him back in front of the window shortly before noon. He looked skinny and was checking things out for a minute but he's now back to his normal self - chirping, chewing his new perch, jumping and flying around.
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Post by sweetpea on Dec 1, 2019 20:56:43 GMT
I am glad he's back to normal now. As Marianne said - it could have been anything. One of our biggest scares here was a seagull flying across the window. If I hadn't been in the room at the time I would have wondered why Phinny was down the back of the cage!!
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Post by Hezz on Dec 2, 2019 0:24:34 GMT
As has already been said, it could have been anything. That's one of the cons of sitting a cage in front of a bare window.
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Dec 2, 2019 3:16:26 GMT
Thanks all. Maybe I'll get some stickers or something else to hang on the window so he realizes its not just open.
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Post by Shirls on Dec 2, 2019 15:33:43 GMT
Is there a window sill outside under this window? Do your neighbours have cats? A cat will stare at a bird or a mouse even for hours, and I mean hours! As others have said, it could have been anything, even a spider. My lot don't like spiders!!!
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Dec 2, 2019 16:56:17 GMT
No, there's not a window sill or ledge outside that window - the window is about a foot off the floor/outside pavement and goes up to about three feet from the ceiling (sorry, we are not on the metric system here!) We have cats wandering around and I've found the "evidence" that they come into my yard. I've never seen them during the day but I've been woken up in the night by their howling outside my bedroom window. So a cat is a good possibility. I'm solving the night animal issue by moving his cage every night to a spot beside my chair along an interior wall. So far he's adapting to that well. Although he loves the spot in front of the window, I'll also move him if I need to leave before dusk and know I won't be home until after dark.
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Post by Hezz on Dec 2, 2019 19:23:52 GMT
I've had wild predator birds smack into a window trying to get to a budgie inside. Perhaps not leave him there so vulnerable when you go out during the day as well. Either that, or pull a curtain/blind etc - cover the window.
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Dec 2, 2019 19:53:54 GMT
Thank you! When I go out I'll close the shutters but leave the slats open so he can still see out.
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Post by ffiscool on Dec 4, 2019 14:26:57 GMT
sounds a great idea.. poor boy.. it is scary when things are out there and you don't know they cannot get you
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Post by tweetiepiesmom on Dec 4, 2019 16:12:49 GMT
Thank you. We have new "away" and "night time" routines. If I leave during the day, I close the shutters but leave the slats open. He can still see out and benefit from the light. There is also a normal size window on the adjacent window that he can look out. He seems happy with this. At night time, I move him to an interior wall next to my chair. At first I tried putting him in the guest room thinking it would be quiet and he could sleep. Well, he didn't want to sleep. He squawked and flapped until I came and moved him beside my chair. For the past two nights I've covered his cage on three sides, leaving the front uncovered so he could see me. I've decided he doesn't want to be covered early. Both nights he would tweet softly when I covered him (he knows when he tweets softly I go to his cage and tell him what a pretty noise he's making). Last night he jumped to the side of his cage, looked at the cover and tweeted then jumped to another side and did the same thing. I guess he wants to watch TV with me. Isn't he training me well?
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