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Picture frames and lamps... a nightmare

Discuss indoor freeflight and managing freeflighted birds around the house. How to live with a flighted parrot.

Picture frames and lamps... a nightmare

Postby LiaraTivona » Fri Jun 11, 2010 11:54 am

Tika is good at stepping up, but not so good at staying. Since she does not have companion yet, I try to keep her on my shoulder while on the computer, talking to her occasionally, but she is not fooled by my half-hearted interaction. She flies off onto the picture frames all over my room.

She is not so bad when I have her cage in there, so I tried to offer her a play gym. Again, she saw through my plan.

I think part of the problem is that I negatively reinforce this behavior by going to remove her whenever she goes to a frame (partly because my roommate complains if I let her sit there, partly because she chew the wood wall and the frames).

What should I do to prevent this? I was going to just hang my frames at ceiling height, but I'm into interior design and that's not an ideal situation. Should I leave her in her cage when I'm not directly playing with her, so that she's either contained or entertained? Should I wait until she has a companion so that their playing together in a gym will stop her from trying to draw my attention away from the computer? (not that that's entirely a bad thing)
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LiaraTivona
Cockatiel
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Re: Picture frames and lamps... a nightmare

Postby Athena&beepbeep'smom » Fri Jun 11, 2010 1:52 pm

Maybe the play gyms available just aren't high enough so she likes the stuff hung on the wall better? I have a parrotlet who flies around like a wild man when he's out (whether or not I interact with him) and he likes to land on door facings and frames and mirrors etc. Lately if I have him in the living room though his first flight is to this hanging triangle thing I bought. It hangs from the ceiling and it's huge and triangle shaped and made out of large brightly colored wooden blocks and twine and I hang toys with bells off of it so it's just like a playstand that hangs from the ceiling. Now both my birds like it way more that the playstands because it's higher and that always makes them feel better.

Here's the link to the Drs Foster and Smith posting for the one I bought. It was only $25
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=20954

Since you just have the smaller birds though here's something similar but smaller
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=10220

Those are only $10 and you can get those ceiling hooks that are pretty discreet then when you want to have him out just put a couple of those around so that he has some landing options that are a bit higher. And if people are going to be over and you don't want the brightly colored bird toys hanging off your ceiling everywhere just take them down.
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Re: Picture frames and lamps... a nightmare

Postby LiaraTivona » Fri Jun 11, 2010 2:07 pm

Ooh, that's nice, thank you.

I don't think it is height that's the problem, since she doesn't land on high picture frames, fans, or shades, but I did remember from your post that she doesn't like surfaces too close under her. I don't know why she doesn't mind her cage. I know it sounds the same, but for some reason it is not to her. As for heights, she looks down and squawks with terror when she flies too high or I hold her up. So, I think maybe hanging from a post over my desk would be a great balance.
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Re: Picture frames and lamps... a nightmare

Postby Michael » Fri Jun 11, 2010 3:33 pm

Yup, offer better/more fun alternatives. Lead by example and play with the toys/perches and make it look like the coolest place to be. If you enjoy it, so will the parrot. Many a keyboard/mouse has suffered this fate. Just remember, "if you like it, it's mine."
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Re: Picture frames and lamps... a nightmare

Postby Rue » Sat Jun 12, 2010 4:29 pm

Could you make her a 'picture frame' type play stand?

I was thinking that a piece of plywood (untreated, so she CAN chew on it). Then screw on some kind of perch/es...

You could even have a bottom to it, to catch droppings...

Be cheap to make, easy to hang, easy enough to keep clean...and would keep the roommates happy.
Every parrot has a duty: To reduce the world to toothpicks.
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Re: Picture frames and lamps... a nightmare

Postby LiaraTivona » Sat Jun 12, 2010 8:54 pm

Ooh, that's a great idea! I could buy any old thick picture frame, preferably in something not-chewable for safety sake, attach some toys to the top, put speckled paper behind it to hide the droppings I haven't wiped off the glass yet, and put a ledge underneath with a second perch.

I could also probably just build a perch that nails to the wall. I think she would like that just as much. XD I'm lazy though, so maybe I'll use the picture frame as the temporary solution.

Or I could not put any glass and invent bird dropping art!
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