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Keeping Conure Caged While working in the other room?

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Keeping Conure Caged While working in the other room?

Postby dooglek » Tue Nov 07, 2017 6:55 pm

I recently got my sweet Crimson Bellied Conure Chloe, she is such a joy <3

I work from home, and figured this would be great for our relationship. HOWEVER its becoming increasingly difficult to actually work, as she prefers playing with my fingers/keyboard as opposed to sitting quietly on my shoulder hah.

I will constantly move her to my shoulder or a perch, but she just immediately comes back and starts trying to pluck the keys out of my keyboard.

I have also tried leaving her in her cage and just bringing it into the room im working, but she just paces around and is equally distracting/seems distressed

So my question is: Will caging her and leaving her in the other room make her feel excluded? I want her to ofcourse feel like part of our “flock” and worry that forcing her to be in her cage while she knows Im in the other room may create issues. I try to encourage her to play on her own while Im working but she takes no interest in most of the toys I give her, and occupying my keyboard seems to be her favorite game.

Thanks so much for any advice!!
Hoping to do the best I can with her so she is happy and healthy, and doesn't develop any bad habits.
dooglek
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 3
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Crimson Bellied Conure
Flight: Yes

Re: Keeping Conure Caged While working in the other room?

Postby Rick » Thu Nov 09, 2017 9:31 am

I am a very new parrot owner but I have found some things have worked with my baby senegal so far. For example he wanted to pull the buttons off of my PS4 controller and I would simply move it and replace it with one of his own toys, I didn't make a fuss over it which fortunately for me worked fine and he was content with the exchange and has now lost interest in my PS4 controller completely because it must seem a little dull compared to toys he can throw around, have bells in or can be ripped apart. Obviously this is a personality thing for my own bird but if your conure has a favourite toy it and isn't completely fixated it might help as a distraction.

Other than that I think the sad truth is that sometimes you just have to prevent it happening...like I do with my phone as he is fascinated with pressing the screen and seeing it change so I obviously don't leave it out or he would probably chew it. He clearly wants to be where your attention is and is copying your actions like a real teamplayer...might sound really daft but I don't suppose you could cover your keyboard with a sheet when you are typing and touch type? :lol: I don't like the idea of putting him in a separate room, could you move the cage closer to you? Like right next to you when you work?
Rick
Parrotlet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 16
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Types of Birds Owned: Senegal parrot
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Re: Keeping Conure Caged While working in the other room?

Postby Pajarita » Thu Nov 09, 2017 2:39 pm

Welcome to the forum, Doog! The truth is that all the pyrrhuras are like that. You have a crimson belly - which is VERY similar in looks, temperament, diet, etc. to the GCCs, the maroonbellies, the pearlies, etc and everybody who has one has the same problem: they want to be on us ALL THE TIME! It's the way they are and fighting it by isolating them or keeping them caged doesn't work because you can end up with a disaffected and deeply unhappy bird. You did not say how old yours is but, if she is a baby, touching things with her beak and actually 'beaking' them is normal and should not be prevented as it's the same as when human babies touch everything and put everything in their mouth or when puppies want to play and chew on everything they can find. It's how they learn to differentiate between different textures, between soft and hard, etc and a necessary part of their intellectual development. Just be patient and she will outgrow it. Baby birds are like human babies, puppies, kittens, etc. - namely, A LOT of work because you need to spend all the time with them and constantly supervise their activities.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
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Location: NW Pa
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Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes

Re: Keeping Conure Caged While working in the other room?

Postby dooglek » Thu Nov 09, 2017 6:32 pm

Thank you both for the responses!

Yes she is indeed a baby...
I am glad I posted, I had at first worried if it was a silly and overanalyzed question.
But I will definitely try to practice some patience, and encourage independent play while letting her explore with her beak when its safe to do so.
dooglek
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 3
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Crimson Bellied Conure
Flight: Yes

Re: Keeping Conure Caged While working in the other room?

Postby Pajarita » Sat Nov 11, 2017 11:22 am

There you go! Now, don't misunderstand me, the same that you would teach a baby not to touch something dangerous or very fragile, you do the same with a baby bird. My birds all know what "NO!" means - they also know "Don't touch!" "I am watching you!" "That's NOT yours!" and even the difference between a "Whachudoing?" in a playful tone versus a "What are you DOING?!" when they are doing something bad [like chewing the back of my draperies -for example]. But, even though they know the commands and what they can play with and what they cannot play with, don't expect things to remain in one piece because they won't. I am on my fourth laptop and I lost count of all the keyboards I've had to replace because of my female redbelly who LOVES pulling the keys off it! As a matter of fact, I am due for a new keyboard because the parenthesis stopped working weeks ago and the numbers are all screwed up, too, my husband is replacing all the protections to the windows moldings and sills and I just bought new draperies :roll: because I am having company for Thanksgiving and I can't have the house looking like a shelter [this is what my husband says every time he finds something chewed up by the birds: "This is a family home, not a SHELTER!" :lol: ]
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes


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