Alexandrine

[Lesley Krol]

Thank you. Its summer here now and I leave the windows open for light and air. On the weekends like now she is never closed in her cage. Next to her cage I have a large stand for more food and her bath. My constant fear that she would inadvertently fly away and the world outside is not a nice place for a beautiful pampered Alexandrine but I will definitely do some homework on clipping.
Thank you so much for your support

[Pajarita]

If you are keeping her up at night and have been doing it for three years, she could very well be plucking out of sexual frustration (this doesn't only mean an aroused bird which has no relief but also chronic physical discomfort to pain that only gets worse as time goes by).

How about putting bars in the window so she can't fly out? Clipping is terribly unhealthy for birds from a physical point of view and also very stressful and depressing.

[Lesley Krol]

Hello everyone,
Just wanted to mention that my baby has settled and seems to have left off nibbling on the troubled areas. She is moulting and looking pretty scary but this is my third moult with her and I'm settled in for the long haul.
Will send you a picture when she comes out the other side:-)

[Wolf]

Awwww, no pictures of your birds bad hair days?

Actually most of us have seen these effects before but we also have many members who have probably never seen a full blown molting. For these the pictures would be rather informative.

[Lesley Krol]

Dear Pajarita, Thank you for your advice. I need some more input from you if thats OK? I go to sleep at about 10.30 and at once the sun goes down I put on side lamps so there is low light. I talk to Baby on and off and there is little noise or action around her. We are used to quiet and there is music. Outside noises bother her. There could be a sexual problem because i talk to her and stroke her and a little on my shoulder. I have a small flat but plenty of light. My children visit on the weekends and she is interested in whats going on. I have sort of slats on my windows - I could leave them permanently in place and let in less light. There are a lot of ring necks outside and she responds to them. On the weekends everything is open. Are you recommending that I change my regime and let her fly about?What about when I cook? I have open plan. The reality is that I live in a small flat and do the best I can. If I let her go to "to a better pace" would that be better for her?When I brought her home for the first time how many homes has she had? How many times has she been passed on? It took me a year for her to trust me. She has laid 16 eggs altogether in 3 years. This past season 6. Each season I die a thousand deaths when she lays those eggs. I do wish that this magnificent bird could be in a better place but I bought her in a market for quite a lot of money and where a bird's life is not worth much!
From now on I will not trim her wings and I promise to keep you posted. I have'nt trimmed for months and she is moulting! I will update on progress.

[Lesley Krol]

Hello Wolf, Thank you for your response. By the sound of your name, you have never suffered a "bad hair day"

[Wolf]

Never had a bad hair day in my life, bad hair month perhaps but never day.

The stroking of your bird may cause some sexual frustration if you mean that you are stroking from head down her back as the back is an erogenous zone for a bird. Flying can help to dissipate some of the hormones in her bloodstream both sexual and stress related hormones, in fact it is the only form of exercise that can help a bird in this manner. With an open floor plan it is more difficult to work out a schedule for flying but it is not impossible.
I really don't know how your schedule functions but it seems to me that you can take the information and find out the best way to fit in what your bird needs. I am thinking that time out of cage to fly and hang out with you would have to be before cooking and maybe after the cooking is done and things have cooled down enough to be safe for her if she should land in a poor spot. If you could target train her, you could have a lot more control over her flying and where she would be landing as well.
You have spent the time to win your birds trust and I don't think that it would be good for either you or your friend to re home her, if that is what you mean by a better place. It sounds to me as if she has had more than enough of that for one lifetime.
Instead of slats over the windows, perhaps a better option would be to have some screens made for the windows, they would effectively block the openings and still allow both light and air through.
I am hoping that these thoughts will help you and Baby through these times.

[Pajarita]

Psittaculas have awful, awful molts. They look as if they had been attacked by a swarm of moths -LOL- but it's normal for these species so don't worry about it.

Reducing the intensity of light once it's night doesn't stop the production of sexual hormones. She needs to be exposed to the natural sunset without any artificial lights during or after (it's the change in spectrum that sets their internal clock). I realize it's difficult to do when you live in a small apartment but maybe you can get black out material and make a cover for her cage so, when she falls asleep once night has fallen, you can cover her cage and then turn on a lamp or a spot light that would allow you to work or cook without bothering her. By the way, re: cooking, please make sure you are not using any pan, pot, device, etc that has a non-stick covering because it releases fumes that damage their respiratory system and, if it's on at high temperature, it can kill the bird right then and there.

I vote for screens on the windows so the light can come in but she won't fly out. And, no, rehoming her is not the best option for her. She now trusts and loves you and you seem to be a good caregiver who loves and worries about her quality of life so I am sure that making a few adjustments in terms of her light schedule will be more than enough.

[Harpmaker]

I live in a house with a sort of open plan where it is practically impossible to isolate the kitchen. My bird is always returned to her cage before any cooking is done. Her cage is in a spot where she can't see the stove, so she doesn't know that people do anything with it.

Currently, the bird knows the refrigerator is a magic place full of food and will demand her share from anyone that touches it. The microwave is a bird-eating monster that she must flee if it opens. But the stove is not even a good perch. It is not ideal, but it has worked for us so far-even my son asks where the bird is before he cooks anything, and he ignores her the rest of the time.

I hope something similar could work for you.

[Lesley Krol]

Dear all, been a little while since I posted. As promised, have grown "Baby's" wings (according to honored members advice). Probably not 100% yet but she has almost finished her molt. She can already fly but I have instigated it. From the way she is hanging off her cage, she is dying to give it a go. I think my flat is too small but have taken your advice. By the way, no bad hair day, she is gorgeous! You worried me a little about behavioural problems. She remains the perfect lady and by the way she loves her bath, needs a medal for the 100m.