A new home for my baby....

[Luckygurl78]

Hello all! I write this cause I'm at my wit's end!

Please don't misunderstand me, I love my Triton2 and I am DESPERATE to make this work...

I have been owned by Lucky for a very happy 13 years now and recently, I moved in with my boyfriend. We purchased him a new cage ( which is A LOT better than his old one) and put him smack in the living room where he will be able to see all the "action" of the household.

The problem: SCREAMING...in a BIG way! Even by cockatoo standars it's too much! We figured that it's probably one too many changes all at once so I brought him back to my old home (with his old cage) where my mom said she'd happily look after him....

So what's my question, you ask? My boyfriend said that in a month or so (when the choas of moving has ended) we can try moving him in again...

What's the BEST way to EASE the transition from old home/cage to new home/cage??

Cause now that he's back at my mother's...he's as sweet as pumpkin pie again...the baby that I remeber!

PLEASE HELP ME!!! I LOVE my baby and I DON'T want to be without him!!!! And I don't want him to think that mommy abandoned him either!

Thank you all very much!
Misty

Proud mommy of a Triton 'too!

[Beaks]

Start him off with short visits and make them longer as time allows until finally he stays for good (i had to do that with one of the birds here)

Make the new place fun for him and take him to the different rooms so he will not be afraid of his surroundings.

John

Originally Posted by Luckygurl78

Hello all! I write this cause I'm at my wit's end!

Please don't misunderstand me, I love my Triton2 and I am DESPERATE to make this work...

I have been owned by Lucky for a very happy 13 years now and recently, I moved in with my boyfriend. We purchased him a new cage ( which is A LOT better than his old one) and put him smack in the living room where he will be able to see all the "action" of the household.

The problem: SCREAMING...in a BIG way! Even by cockatoo standars it's too much! We figured that it's probably one too many changes all at once so I brought him back to my old home (with his old cage) where my mom said she'd happily look after him....

So what's my question, you ask? My boyfriend said that in a month or so

(when the choas of moving has ended) we can try moving him in again...

What's the BEST way to EASE the transition from old home/cage to new home/cage??

Cause now that he's back at my mother's...he's as sweet as pumpkin pie again...the baby that I remeber!

PLEASE HELP ME!!! I LOVE my baby and I DON'T want to be without him!!!! And I don't want him to think that mommy abandoned him either!

Thank you all very much!
Misty

Proud mommy of a Triton 'too!

[TooLover]

When you brought him to the new place, did you bring along the old cage? It really may be too much change at one time. Hope it all works out as I am a HUGE cockatoo lover; have 3 of my own and wouldn't trade them for anything!

[TooLover]

Oops - just noticed this was in ask the experts - oh Kim?!?!?!?!? Sorry!

[wildirish]

I agree with what John and Laurie both said. Also how does he normally get along with your boyfriend? On top of all the big changes he may feel that he is in competition for you now as well.

Just take things slow and he should come around.

[KimBear]

Yeah, this is the expert board, and it would be better if other members give me a chance to respond. Not that what has been said here isn't good advice, but there have been times when it wasn't the most appropriate information. Not trying to be bossy, just keeping things simple so that when people post here, they know I will get back to them personally.

In addition to the move and the new cage, both of which could be overwhelming to some parrots, look for other factors of the situation that relate to Lucky's personality. For example, you mentioned he was in the middle of the living room, where he could see and hear everything. That may normally be the way he likes things but in a new place, it might be too much at first. He might be easily overstimulated by lots of activity, and may prefer to be nearby but not necessarily IN all of it. The screaming would be his way of expressing his insecurity.

Most cockatoos like to be in the fray, but when it's all new, it can wear them out. Instead of putting the cage in the middle of the main living area, try locating it in a corner, or create a more private area with a room divider where you can cover part of the cage so Lucky can retreat if he needs to.

Another possible personality factor that may have him out-of-sorts from the move is if he has a need to feel "large and in charge". He's out of his territory and in an unfamiliar one, with a new flock member even! That's enough to give even the most cocky cockatoo a bit of concern. Normally we don't want our parrots to be too much in control because they may take it too far, so we often try to diminish that part of a bird's personality. But if your parrot is one of those that prefers things to be "just so", now that it's not what he's used to, he can't help but scream to let you know he's not happy and you need to make him happy NOW!

Now what about what you and your boyfriend were going through those first few days after the move? Boxes everywhere, people coming and going, furniture moving all over the place. How was YOUR mood? Excited, anxious, busy? Totally freaked out? All of the above? Could Lucky be mostly reacting to what he sees going on around him? Moving is often considered one of the most stressful things a person can go through. If you guys weren't your normal selves, that could be upsetting to your bird.

And of course, think about the basic care issues like possible change in diet, sleeptime, exercise time, etc. If anything here was quite different from before, that can just compound the stress of the overall move and the new cage.

These are possible reasons he didn't settle in too well. You didn't mention how long you had him at your new place before taking him back to your old one. If it was only a few days or even a week, it stands to reason that he would be upset for a while, but after that you'd think you'd see signs that he was getting used to things.

Okay, so what to do to make him feel less like his world has been turned upside down...As far as moving him in gradually, the success of that might depend more on how well he travels back and forth and how he reacts to spending time in both places. If going back and forth seems to be stressful for him, it may be best to just get all your moving done and bring him in once you're settled. Some parrots would do fine spending time in both places, but some would hate it. If you're one of those people that takes your bird for car rides, visits people with him and so on, he may not think it's any big deal to spend time at your new place. If he's not a "traveler", you can try to see how he reacts to becoming one, and take it from there.

If you think he'd be better off not to go back and forth, think about setting him up in his new cage while he's still at the old house. If there's enough room, have both of them set up, and let him play in the new one but spend most of his time in the old one. Move his toys and food bowls to the new one to encourage him to hang out there even more. It might only be a few days before you can have him totally moved into the new one.

If you can't have them both set up at once, or want him to go back and forth, then I still think it would be good to have the new cage at the old house. Let him watch as you put the new one in place and put all his things in it. Place the toys and food bowls in about the same areas of the new cage as they are in the old, if you can. Then put some of his most favorite foods in his bowls, and just put him in the new cage. For the next few hours, just leave him alone. If he makes a big fuss, try to ignore it. Hard to do, I know, but if you pay him a lot of attention or act overly comforting to him when he's crying, he may get the wrong idea and decide that crying is the thing to do. If you have to, leave the house while he gets used to his new digs. Being in a new cage in his familiar home should be a lot less freak-out-worthy than new cage, new house. His old cage could then be set up at the new house, and if you can put some of his familiar toys in it, that would be even better.

And here's an important point: No matter how you procede, throughout this whole thing, keep your own mood as normal as you can. Don't let Lucky sense that you are stressed by his stress! Act as if it's all good and there's nothing to be worried about. You'd be surprised how parrots can be influenced by our reactions to their behaviors. I'm not saying it'll cure the whole problem, but in many situations where stress plays a big role, it can help.

Anyone who's ever had to move with a bird is probably familiar with this scenario, including me. We moved from southern Illinois to northwest Florida in one day, and when we got to our new home, the previous owners still had one night to stay, so our parrots (5 of them at the time) spent the night in their travel carriers in one of the bathrooms of the new house, along with our 3 totally confused cats. Our dogs stayed in the new backyard, and we went to a hotel. I felt so bad for all of them. New place, total strangers, (and the dogs in the rain, no less, welcome to sunny Florida) and we weren't even there. The thing is, we had no choice. The next day, the old owners were out, and we were in, and the moving truck showed up with the birds' cages. All-in-all, no one was worse for the wear. Sometimes parrots bounce back from things we think would just totally freak them out, while other times they'll throw a complete fit over something we consider trivial. You just never know sometimes!

Let me know what you end up doing, and if Lucky doesn't start settling in after a couple of weeks, post again or give me a call.

[The Outlaw]

Thanks, Kim:

As usual you're insight in priceless.

THE OUTLAW

[Luckygurl78]

Originally Posted by The Outlaw

Thanks, Kim:

As usual you're insight in priceless.

THE OUTLAW

GOD! Kim, you are like, the Yoda of Cockatoos! Thank you so much for all your help! Thanks to everyone...

I still have some time before we try to move him in again (we've decided to finish painting the bedroom and re-carpeting it). I don't know what route to take right now (as you've given me so many great options)! But I will post to let you know what I decide to do.

As for my mood when I was moving in? Gosh, do you have a day? LOL! Problem is, I'm working two jobs right now and trying to move...it's been one volatile combonation that's for sure! Though, when I started working two jobs earlier this month, Lucky didn't really seem to notice...I still came home around the same time as I usually did (I start the first job EARLY...and the second one ends at about 6 or 7 pm...) so I kinda ruled that out. He still got his nightly attention.

And for the past four months or so, I've been gradually introducing him to my boyfriend, taking advice from another board member, and only allowing Chris to give Lucky his favorite treats. Heck, when we moved him in for that short week, he seemed to prefer Chris's company to mine! (I figured cause he might have been holding a grudge on mommy...afterall, didn't I bring him to this new, strange place?

But Lucky's "territorial-izing" of the place did come to mind. New home, new area, I figured he probably had to let the whole neighborhood know that a handsome cockatoo was in town! LOL

But seriously, I think it had A LOT to do with stress...like you said. It was all too much for him. I decided to bring him back to the old home after a week because of
A) the incessant SCREAMING

and

B) that morning when I woke up, I noticed that he started plucking his chest feathers again.

Lucky was a plucker when I got him (I'm his third owner), but with me, he lets his feathers grow out and only plucks them when he's upset about something.

So I thought the humane thing to do (in the meantime) was to let him have his old haunt and digs.

Once again, thanks for everyone's help!
I will post again to let you guys know what I decide and how it turned out!

Misty