Hello and Request for Help :)

[mikella]

Definitely moulting.

And he's been back to being mean to me. Ugh. CONSTANT little bites coupled with his irritated chirps and "hey!".......... It irritates him when I tell him no and he immediately bites again.

How should I deal with the little bites? I warn him and my reaction depends on if he's being nasty when he bites or not...


*Also - we got him the second cage this week. It's actually the old cage he used to have. It's 21 x 21 x 65 high. Much more room if he wants to climb around. I need advice about 1. How to clean it really well (what solution to use and what is best to scrub with), 2. How to transition him, get him used to being on it/in it, and 3. His smaller cage is in the bedroom next to ours. I was going to put this one in the living room right by the kitchen, a more central spot. When I leave the house, would I put him in this large cage (once he's used to it) or the small cage he would sleep in?

I'm wondering if it will be weird for him to be in the same cage..... I had been worrying about it. But now I have the feeling it will be ok. It will be set up so differently and nice and clean - plus in a whole new environment.

Last questions for now - Is he guaranteed to lose half his flight feathers with this moult? I am anxious for those feathers to come back. How long might this moult last? And are wet sneezes sometimes ok?

Also bought a shower perch on Monday so he's been showering with me. It's nice because then he doesn't scream for those 20 minutes of not being with me He loves water.

[Pajarita]

Yes, the cage will be fine. I use nothing more than warm water with dish detergent and a very small splash of Clorox. I first use a stripping brush (you get them in hardware stores or home centers, it's a longish brush with a handle with bristles made out of steel) on all the stuck poop, spray the solution with a spray bottle all over until it drips, let it rest for a few minutes, and then use a scrubby sponge (the kind for pots and pans) or a Brillo pad, rinse thoroughly and dry it with an old towel (you could air dry but the towel finishes taking out the stuff you missed). I know people use things like Poop Off, vinegar and other stuff but this solution is what the USDA recommends for disinfection protocol with contagious diseases so I've been using it for years.

He is cranky because of the molt (and I bet it's a hard one, too), he will calm down once he's done with it.

[mikella]

He just lost his first flight feather. Unfortunately it wasn't a clipped one

[Wolf]

There are no guarantees that he will lose exactly half of his feathers during a molt, it is an approximation of what occurs, a general guideline as to what to expect.
I think that the easiest way to acclimate a bird to a new cage is to place them next to each other with the doors open and to put water in his regular cage and let him see you put both food and water in the new cage and leave him to come and go from them at will. Once you see that he is going into the new cage them place it where you want it and use it normally. As for which cage to use when you go out during the day, I would use the larger cage.
The only time that I can conceive of him having a wet sneeze without being sick would be if he somehow got moisture in his nares ( or air way), perhaps from the shower.?!

[Jhaynes1230]

I'm thinking that at 30 pages maybe this post should be moved or redirected from Introductions. I feel certain there is probably a lot of valuable information here that could benefit the entire forum, but most people are not going to sort through 30 pages to find it.

[mikella]

I don't care where this thread is as long as I have it. I don't have the power to move it tho. If someone wants to who can, they'll move it.

I could always write a brief intro (new thread), summing up situation and directing whoever is interested to this thread elsewhere.

***Been looking but can't find an answer - Can I use the same mixture (water, touch of dish soap and bleach) on wooden perches? I'm thinking possibly no, since the wood would be porous (?)

[Wolf]

If there is no bark on the wooden perch then that is what I use on mine, just make sure to rinse well and let thoroughly dry, otherwise I just use a wire brush on them.
It is much too confusing to move a topic once people begin posting to it. For that reason I won't move it. You can start a new topic if you choose.

[Pajarita]

I don't know about contours but, when it comes to primaries, in my personal experience molting is pretty much symmetrical. It might not happen 100% simultaneously but they always end up losing two of the long ones on each side, same as the tail.

I use this mixture for everything, cages, trays, perches, boings, toys, etc. They key is to rinse thoroughly but, even if you miss a bit, Clorox is not dangerous in small quantities and still the most effective disinfectant -so much so that soldiers used to carry a small bottle with it in their survival kits because a couple of drops of it makes water potable.

[mikella]

Thanks for the suggestions, all.

Spent the better part of yesterday cleaning the new cage outside. More of a job than I realized. I did the best I could with it. It looks pretty darn good - clean, but there is rust in tight places if you look closely. I have never seen him chewing at his cage, so I think this will be a-ok for the next while. We actually set it up right by our kitchen table. He can eat with us instead of in the bedroom while we're out here. Need to take a trip to the bird store to get some things to put in it - I've got plenty of perches, but it looks pretty barren otherwise. I was putting the perches in yesterday and he HOPPED right in and clambered down to a dish - it must be quite familiar to him. That made me happy. Unfortunately, with the 'familiarity' came his old aggressive behaviour while inside it (while trying to attach a chewy thing). We'll just respect his space. When he clearly wanted out though, a minute later, he was fine and hopped right up on hand. I consider it a good sign in a way - that he sees the space as his possibly.

He had a great weekend with my husband. I pretty much don't exist to him. He's back to not being a fan of mine. I tried for the first time today to let him go on my shoulder - I put on a headband covering my ears to give me a little peace of mind. It lasted a few seconds then he started attacking my hair as usual. I even put it in a bun so it would be out of the way.

Any advice how to deal with this? I am just so desperate, after just about 4 months, to be able to move freely in my own home... He HAS to be on me all the time, but has to be on my hand (either that or he is trying to climb inside my shirt or is in it, nipping... nipping and digging at my skin at my waistband to cram under it, etcetcetc.)... Yes, it's absolutely better than needing to be covered head to toe and on guard all the time, not being able to use my hands at all because they were up my sleeves....... But this is still incredibly difficult for me. I'm happy about the progress he is making, but we are so incredibly far from a 'good' place.

The molt is plugging along, has picked up slightly. But still only one wing feather. Mostly down and some smaller feathers.

[liz]

You just have to keep defending yourself and telling him no. Myrtle used my ear as a handle. It was a long time before she finally gave up.