questions, questions, questions.....

[gbird]

1) What do you do if you live alone (just you & your bird) and you get sick.....Should you not handle or go near the bird?

2) I know most scented things aren't good for them, so what can you use to room deorderize?

3) My Conure screams whenever I am on the phone, or even go in another room....how can I break him of that? If possible...lol

Thanx in advance

[kp_in_scott]

Originally Posted by gbird

1) What do you do if you live alone (just you & your bird) and you get sick.....Should you not handle or go near the bird? Most of the sicknesses that humans have are not communicable to birds. It's still a good practice to wash your hands and avoid mouth to beak contact.

2) I know most scented things aren't good for them, so what can you use to room deorderize?Cinnamon sticks can be boiled on the stove and give off a pleasant odor. Backing soda will also absorb bad odors, you just have to put it out where the bird can't get to it.

3) My Conure screams whenever I am on the phone, or even go in another room....how can I break him of that? If possible...lolConures tend to be noisy birds. You might want to keep a pair of ear plugs around your neck for use when you leave the room. Sorry

Thanx in advance

..........

[Tiki]

3) My Conure screams whenever I am on the phone, or even go in another room....how can I break him of that? If possible...lol

You have to teach him that good behaviour (being quiet) gets him rewarded with what he wants-attention from you. If he screams, ignore him. When he finally quiets down, go to him and tell him what a good bird he is. It's called positive reinforcment.

[gbird]

Thanx guys.....I have tried the screaming/ignore thing.....I've only had him a week, and he's only 5 months old...maybe I expect to much to soon...lol

I'll keep it up. Now I know what it must be like having children...lol

[Monica]

1) What do you do if you live alone (just you & your bird) and you get sick.....Should you not handle or go near the bird?
Not sure that anything needs to be added here...

2) I know most scented things aren't good for them, so what can you use to room deorderize?
Besides cinnamon sticks or baking soda, you can also leave out fresh slices of citrus fruit around the house to help make it smell better.

Here's a couple more, first taken from Your Parrot Place

All Natural Air Freshener
If you like your house to smell nice, but don't want to use potentially toxic commercial air freshener sprays, here's a natural alternative that smells great & is totally bird safe. (Remember, scented candles, potpourri, incense & essential oils can all be potentially toxic to birds, as well).

Fill a small saucepan ½ full with water. Toss in a cinnamon stick, a Tb of cloves, tsp of rosemary, & slice of orange and/or lime (with peel).

Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for ½ hour or so. You can get creative by adding fresh grated ginger, fresh spearmint or peppermint leaves, or some nutmeg and allspice for variation. Your house will smell great & your birds will be safe! It's especially nice around the holidays. You can put it in a spray bottle & spritz the air, or leave the pan on the stove & add a little water, then re-simmer over the next few days to continue keeping your house sweet!

Taken from Winged Wisdom
Simmer on the stovetop or in a slow cooker: water, slices of ginger, spices such as cinnamon, cloves, allspice, vanilla and almond extracts, and lemon and other citrus fruit slices to make your house smell fresh.


3) My Conure screams whenever I am on the phone, or even go in another room....how can I break him of that? If possible...lol
Beyond what Tiki already mentioned, birds can be jealous when you are giving attention/affection to another object. If your on the phone, ignore him. As for going in the other room, you can either ignore him, or try creating a contact call. This can be anything you want, from a whistle, or a specific sound. Be sure to pick something however that wont become annoying in the future. Whenever you leave the room, make this sound to reassure your conure that you are still there.

You can also tell him where you are going and how long you'll be, and that he doesn't need to worry.

Or, if at all possible, you could look into getting a portable play-gym, or even just a table top perch, to take around with you when you go from room to room. You could even go as far as buying a utility cart with a butcher top (made for kitchens, they have 2-3 pull out drawers either side of the cart). Walmart has one for about $30, with 3 drawers, which you could store bird toys or food in! All you need do is put a perch ontop and you can have a little 'to go birdy toys-food and all!' type thing to roll from room to room with you!

[gbird]

Thanx Monica. I knew he'd take alot of commitment, but I didn't realize the sacrifices....I love burning candles & Incense. Can they be burned in a different room than the bird is in....like an upstairs master bath for example?

Don't get me wrong, I love my Baby, I just have tons of questions.

[Monica]

I don't recommend it, although I have heard of others who have, with maybe per say a window open. So my assumption is that it's probably fine. Might want to wait for some other replies though! Just to be sure!

[gbird]

Thanx Monica, I will. Don't want to do anything that may harm my baby in any way.