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Post by Hezz on Aug 28, 2013 0:59:15 GMT
Hopefully Marge will just mellow out with time, but before that, I feel you are just going to have to bite the bullet and physically remove her before she takes her meanness out on poor Melman any more. It is strange the way Smudge has gone from being the cranky outsider (her alone, and the two boys were friends), to now being the one the other two want to please ..... but not the same two as before. I now have one male still and another hen ....... who thinks she wants to be a cock! They really are complex little characters .... there is nothing simple about flock dynamics.
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Post by nettles on Aug 28, 2013 8:36:12 GMT
I bit the bullet.. but failed The stupid cage doors are useless! I went to the top doors, she went to the bottom. I went to the bottom doors, she went to the top. Then two of us tried.. she still managed to find a spot that neither of us could reach unless we were at the correct door. Eight small doors and only two pairs of hands. She did the math It turned into a circus and I swear they were both laughing at us I'm glad Smudge has mellowed. She must know how much better it is to have friends! Hehe Aww a gender confused little budgie! I had no idea how complex these little birdies could be until now. It's absolutely fascinating! Did you have any bother introducing new birds? I'm just wondering if I got another pair... Melman could make friends with them..?! Or is that a really bad idea? I'm sorry for all the questions but I haven't a clue about all this stuff and I'm learning on the job
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Post by Hezz on Aug 29, 2013 1:19:18 GMT
Keep trying, nettles, please. To move Marge, I mean. She really does seem to be an OTT bully with poor Melman. I am afraid she may attack when you aren't there to stop her. Most don't go that far, but some do. Here is another idea, then. Are you able to take the cage off the tray? If so would you be able to get a largish cloth into the cage, making sure she stayed down low, and removing as many perches as possible, preferably all of them, so she has to sit on the bottom of the cage. Then drop the cloth right over her; you would have to be good with this so she didn't try to wriggle out; someone take the cage off the bottom while the other bundled her up in the cloth. I don't really know your cage set up so I'm flying blind with this really. Also take out anything else that may get in the way of the cloth dropping on her - toys, bowls etc. And something with some weight in it, for the cloth. Not a light cotton ...... probably better to go for something like a flannelette, even with the risk of her getting her claws caught ..... you need something soft to go around her and contain her, but reasonably heavy so she doesn't get a chance to pop out before you can catch hold of her. Usually once you throw something over them they stay still for a short while, while they figure out what to do. Other than that, I am running out of ideas.
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Post by nettles on Aug 29, 2013 2:17:18 GMT
Oh I'll definitely keep trying! I feel sick every morning as I walk towards the cage hoping that Melman is still in one piece The good thing is, she doesn't seem phased by the attempt to catch her! I put my hand in the cage and she just sits there with a smug look on her face like she knows I can't do anything with one hand! I need both hands to grab her safely and she bloomin knows it I put one hand in with a small tea towel earlier and the little minx took off as quick as lightning towards one of the side doors where I couldn't reach her! The entire cage part does lift off the tray but she climbs the cage bars like a monkey so even if I removed every perch she'd still hang on to the sides lol. I've yet to see either of them below the middle of the cage so I've no hope of getting her onto the tray... BUT...!!! My OH came up with a good idea! He thinks we might be able to partly dismantle the cage and by the looks of it, the top half should hopefully lift right off the bottom half. Of course it's now 3am.. he's out most of tomorrow and the same again on Friday so it'll be the weekend before we can try it. I just hope she can behave until then. If all else fails, I think we might have to leave one perch in, slowly tip the cage enough so my OH can actually squeeze himself inside the cage and hopefully fetch her that way.. It really will be a last resort coz I know it'll absolutely terrify the birdies but if it comes to it.. I promise to take photos of a grown man inside a budgie cage ;D
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Post by OP on Aug 29, 2013 7:15:08 GMT
I might have missed something, but are you able to deal with Melman easier than Marge? If so why not remove Melman from the cage while you catch Marge. Then you can put Melman back. This sounds too simple, I must be missing something. I'll go back and read the whole thread again.
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Post by OP on Aug 29, 2013 7:33:42 GMT
I have been through the thread and got lost where the bathroom idea seemed to fade. Did this idea work or are you still at the stage of getting Marge into the smaller cage. If so I am assuming that Melman & Marge are still in the same cage.
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Post by Hezz on Aug 30, 2013 0:50:10 GMT
Getting Marge into the smaller cage means Nettles will be able to move Marge, cage and all into the bathroom for training, OP. It is not that the bathroom idea is out, just that there is a slightly large hiccup in getting the little rat, sorry, the lovely Marge into the smaller cage. With Marge out of the picture, ie the big cage, hopefully Melman will start to feel more comfortable and not be on edge the whole time, plus Marge may also learn some manners whilst in training!
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Post by nettles on Aug 30, 2013 1:39:16 GMT
Lol sorry OP.. I've really have made this whole thread as clear as mud and poor Hezz has been tormented with my many questions! You're right, Marge and Melman are both still in the large cage unfortunately Basically, at the minute I feel like I'm running a circus as no matter what I try, they just run rings round me
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Post by nettles on Aug 30, 2013 1:45:37 GMT
Thanks again Hezz! I'm glad you've managed to keep up as all i've managed to do is confuse myself and everyone else lol
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Post by OP on Aug 30, 2013 7:11:27 GMT
I'm with the plot again thank you Hezz. My thinking was that if Melman was easier to handle then remove him from the large cage whilst Madge is contained. Put Melman in a nice ventilated cardboard box temporarily. The box only needs to be large enough so that Melman doesn't flap around inside it. With Melman safe and sound, using card, cloth or whatever and pegs, make the large cage smaller and smaller so Marge doesn't have the space to escape capture. Of course you would have to remove all the perches for that Nettles. You may find a dark cloth will have Marge move down the cage. Joey behaves differently to black T shirts than white ones. Whether that would apply to Marge, who knows. With Marge out of the large cage you can the return Melman and all the perches back into the large cage.All this of course depends on how you are able to handle Melman. I hope this all makes sense.
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Post by ffiscool on Aug 30, 2013 7:16:33 GMT
the other thing that might work.. if you get Melman into the box as OP says.. then put the other cage door to door with the one Marge is in.. with some treats inside (take anything out of the big one that she likes first) and see if she will go in there
When I moved Bailey from one to the other, I stuck his toy in there he liked.. not saying it works for everyone and B was prob a fluke..
but an option perhaps if the cloth doesnt work
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Apr 21, 2012 20:15:21 GMT
marleen4
Normal Green
Posts: 334
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Post by marleen4 on Aug 30, 2013 7:27:30 GMT
I wrote the following after reading page one - I did not realise there were 3 more pages with more info!!! You brave person Nettles! I also don't get that people can be frightened of birds in flight. I asked my neighbour to look after the birds once, when she told me on my return how awful this had been for her... I felt so bad for not realising this! In my experience once one bird feels confident sitting on your hand, the others follow. I have 2 aviaries and the birds in one aviary can be hand-fed (sit on my hands), the others won't come near me. This is a practical thing really, as I work full-time and cannot spend the time in both aviaries to tame them all. New birds in the aviary learn from their tame peers and are quick to adjust and sit on my hands. When I stand in the other aviary however holding out nice food, they look at me like I'm mad and won't come near me. No matter how long I last, they last longer and know they will get the food eventually! Smart, really
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Post by OP on Aug 30, 2013 7:35:22 GMT
No matter how long I last, they last longer and know they will get the food eventually! Smart, really I know that feeling!
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Post by nettles on Aug 31, 2013 0:04:07 GMT
Thanks so much everyone, I'm willing to try ANY ideas at all if dismantling the cage tomorrow doesn't work! I really like that idea OP.. gradually making it smaller and smaller might actually work! Melman is even harder to handle than Marge though so I have no hope of getting him out of the way first.. but I should be able to quickly make a small gap with the sheet and let him escape into the rest of the cage. Fingers crossed! I've tried putting the two cages together ffiscool but she won't go anywhere near the door at all If only Bailey could show her how easy it is!!
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Post by nettles on Aug 31, 2013 0:04:55 GMT
I totally understand how your neighbour felt Marleen! I still couldn't walk into an aviary! I'm even dreading the first time one of my own two are brave enough to fly round the room. I'll just have to man up and deal with it though as the thought of them being confined to a cage all their lives scares me even more!
It's amazing how they seem to follow each others lead. Even just with two I've noticed that Melman won't take any food from my hand unless Marge tastes it first. It's as if he's waiting to see if she thinks its safe before he'll give it a try himself. That's another reason why I want Marge in a separate cage. If I can properly tame her then Melman will hopefully realise I'm safe. At the minute, she will sometimes hop onto my finger for a few seconds but if I move my hand at all, Melman freaks out and she then panics too. The sooner they're separated the better!!
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