Definitely cage time before the dog has to defend himself... or your living room will become a mess because your not allowed to clean it... LOL
I look at Pepper every day and wonder how he must feel. He was 7 years with his Mommy and then wham, the long car ride like you said. The cage he had was passable for a smaller conure, so we got him a new bigger play top cage, and he loves it. He climbs around like a little monkey now. We have his old cage in my bedroom for times I just want to lay around and watch TV in bed.
When we first were blessed with him, the vet was concerned about three things, his foot grip was poor, he was on the thin side, and Vitamin A deficiency. We have been working on all three, with various perch sizes and types (rope, manzanilla etc..) He used to just stand around, now he climbs and hangs like a conure. We have introduced many new fresh foods into his diet. Every day, he eats sweet potato, yam, broccoli and soaked seeds, along with bell peppers, pears, apples, banana, kiwi etc... I don't know how much weight he has come up but unless it is my imagination his feather colour has changed. He has an avian light on him now as well. I swear he looks darker in color and more vibrant. Is that possible in only four months?
The major changes, he is not exposed to cigarette and pot smoke, he is not allowed to drink coffee, and he is not covered and put to bed a 6:30. He promptly tells us between 9:20 and 10:00 Night Night! Heck he doesn't even eat his last meal until 8:30 ish.
Every week seems to get better, in other words we get bit less, and a little less hard. I hope he comes to love us as much as we have come to love him.
I just want to cry thinking about his broken little heart. (Eyes welling up now
)
I ask him if every day if he is happy, tell him we love him, and that he is a good bird.
He has learned two new phrases... "good boy" and "give me a kiss".
