Prepare your bird for guests

[The Outlaw]

Thought this might come in handy with family and friends coming to visit over the next few days. Your birds will be effected, their routines thrown off and it will be difficult to get them the proper amount of sleep. Whereas its fun and uplifting for us, it can be tiring and even stressful for them.

If you have a bird that generally tolerates excitement, new things and strangers well, then by all means include them in the activities. However, you also need a quiet place to take them when it gets beyond their bedtimes. No one wants to hear a screaming, sleep deprived bird all day the following day after a party.

Guests will be curious about your fildren and you'll want to show them off. Its human nature. However, don't allow them free access to your birds. Its not safe for the guests and very upsetting to your birds. Instead, bring them out, one at a time, and allow them the spotlight for a short time. Simply return them to their cage and I usually make sure there's a special treat awaiting them in their dish. This rewards them and makes putting them back easier.

This is another good time to remind you of the necessity of keeping current on wing clips. No one wants an angry amazon flying into their face as they sing "Silent Night". Even if your birds are fully flighted, now is not the time to have them flying around the house.

REMOVE all teflon from your home. Even if you hold on to that one "egg pan", please get it out of the house. Visitors can do the craziest things. An intoxicated hungry guest may decide to fry an egg while you're in the other room entertaining. You simply never know what non-bird folks will unthinkingly do. If you don't want smokers in your home (you shouldn't, you know) then DON'T provide ash trays, matches etc. Instead, keep those things outside. Make it inconvenient.

If you have a bird carrier, you can easily put your bird inside and take it to an empty room where it can get a good nights sleep. You should have one anyway for vet trips, etc.

Make sure to remove all drink cups and snacks before you go to bed. You don't want curious beaks eating and drinking contraband. Finishing off that gin and tonic could easily finish off your bird. Don't just assume that your bird can't get out of its cage. I have lots of evidence of what can happen when they do.

And, make sure that no one messes with the thermostat. I had a party and someone decided they were too warm. They set the thermostat all the way back to 55. That's fine with a room full of people, but when they left and I went to bed, my birds got cold. After all, I was under covers. I awoke to shivering birds. Now, that's the last thing I check before I go to sleep. People do the strangest things!

Enjoy your holidays and have fun. With a little advance planning, your birds can enjoy theirs too.

Merry Christmas

THE OUTLAW

[Stacey32]

great advice, thank you!

[Chariclo]

Great advice Nancy!

I entertained 2 days in a row for our extended family - with a few houseguests overnight too. Now I know how this disrupts even me and my children - not to mention the birds.

Fortunately for me the fids were on their best behavior. Their cages are in the great room which is open to the kitchen area. Everyone hangs around there watching tv and eating and our xmas tree was in that room as well. They literally had a "bird's eye view" of all the holiday festivities.

I started everyone's tour of our house with the bird area. I got to give them the lowdown right off the bat so they new the "rules" of the house.
#1 being DO NOT FEED THEM ANYTHING! This is particularly difficult with 3 grandmothers in the house!

I kept the birds in their cages all day - but gave them new willow wreathes to destroy and served them many mini meals throughout the day to keep them busy. I had no screaming at all - in fact they were extremely quiet.

After everyone went home last night however Maia could be heard for what seemed like hours on end practicing some new phrase she must have picked up over the past few days - still not quite sure what it is though?
But we were all laughing at her determination. I sure hope that when she perfects it - it isn't some deragatory statement about the size of my aunts backside or something! We'll see!