Rowan's Training Journal

[RiverSong]

Key:
Blue Text: Everything's normal, enjoy your peek around
Purple Text: Questions, problems presented, need advice

Name: Rowan
Breed: American Budgie
Sex: Male
Age: N/A

Hello all!

So today I got a little playmate for Simon. Hopefully will get pics up soon, if he's not scared.
:ot:
About the title: See I really like the name Rowan, but my mom and sis were freaking out saying, "You can't name him until you know his personality!!" which I do agree with, but I named my Tiel Happy once, and, because of him, I don't really wanna do that-I'm really weird; I'll research names for days to find out their orgin and meaning :ughwerd: anyway that was very Off Topic, but I just felt that I should explain the title....because I don't have a name for him yet, though for now I'm calling him Rowan.

Anyway-On to the stuff you actually want to read!!

August 4
Day 1
Quarantine

So he's in his cage now, sitting on one of the perches, staring at me =) Sooo cute. Anyways, I played my Ukulele, sang, hummed, read to him (The Lion King =P I think he likes Nala =P) and about half way through my "free concert" he puffs up stretches and starts goin to sleep right on the spot. So I'm thinking, "Am I really that boring?" But I figure that's probably a good sign? That he's relaxed? Or could just be a really stressful day...
So in the Pet Store (yes-evil me =/) he was really good, playing with the toys, chewing the ladder, training for the 2014 (or whatever) Olympics. Yes, he is that crazy =P And my mom (yes, my mom) absolutely fell in love with him (though she's in denial) so I picked him. Very cute AND vocal! I love his little warbles =D
So yeah, that was just the first day...unfortuantely, I have to be at school tomorrow for a workshop then have to meet with a cousin, but as soon as I'm home I'll be chatting with him =D

[RiverSong]

August 5
Day 2
Quarantined

Not good. Around 3 I woke up to the sound of Rowan frantically flapping his wings. I realize that my grandma's dog, Toby, is sitting looking up at the cage. He always watches Simon, though Simon couldn't care less about him. Now he's sitting on the bottom the cage and he hasn't moved for a while....What a rocky start =(

After I got home, I went to check on Rowan. As I'm coming up the stairs I realize that both Simon and Rowan are chirping. They're not squaking so I'm figuring that's a good sign.

[Emmilyy]

I love the name Rowan! :D
I know its really a boy names, but I've named my baby Grey Girl Rowan, and she's not even home yet :P I think its an awesome name, i call my girl "Row" alot. Did you know it means something along the lines of 'little red one' ?

[RiverSong]

:1zhelp:
So I go to change his water. He looks pretty good I put my hand in and he didn't move at all. He just watched me REALLY closely. So I figure, "hey, it looks like he doesn't mind." So I leave the cage door open, and grab my Uke to play for him. I kinda notice that he looks like he wants to fly out. So he does. :eek: Problem: His wings were clipped, but have started growing secondary feathers already. So he gets a little bit of air. I'm thinking, "Shoot. I had no idea he was that crazy. Simon didn't come out of his cage for months! I have to figure out some way to get him back in his cage without grabbing him!" :ohno: So I get on the floor a couple of feet away from him, and just start talking softly. I have mirror closet doors, so where do you think he goes first-the mirrors. So I'm talking to him nicely, then get out some millet. I'm holding it out, then drop it about a foot away from my hand. He's watching me intently now. After only a few seconds, he runs over to it, grabs a bite, then runs away, watching me the whole time (checking my reaction I'm sure. Though I didn't move.) After that, he runs back over and grabs the whole piece, eating and checking me out. Finally, he finishes it, and starts eyeing the spray in my hand. He eventually comes over to it and starts chewing on the end, getting closer to my finger, ever so slowly. About that time, my mom calls me from downstairs saying, "Racheal, your cousin's ganna leave." Great. What to do? What to do? :S :pout: I know I have to get him in his cage before I even think about leaving the room because I want to make sure that he'll still be there when I get back. So I notice he's eyeing millet. Good. I have options.

Option 1:
Millet trail, since that seems to be working out well so far.

Option 2:
Try to get him out on my finger and get him in the cage.

Option 3:
Towel

Option 3 I know is a bust because, well, I didn't have a twoel nearby =P and I automatically didn't want to do it as a last resort.
Option 2 is a definately a bust because he's not finger trained. Heck-I just got him yesterday!
So that leaves Option 1.

My Battleplan:
Step 1: Get cage on floor level.
Step 2: Get Rowan's attention with millet.
Step 3: Place millet in cage.
Step 4: Wait.

So everything's set up. Good. One problem. Rowan doesn't look like he has any inclination of gettin' himself in that cage.
My uncles getting impaitient now. He comes up and knocks on my door, trying to open it. Good thing I locked it when Rowan first flew the coupe! So I'm more panicked than ever! Poor Rowan's just staring at me. He has no idea of the decision I have to make. Finally, grudgingly, I realize I have to towel him. Grr. So I find a shirt. Poor things scared now. Big, ugly thing is comming at me with a white blob. What to do? No question. Run.
So after about 2 minutes, I get him. He's in the cage now. He doesn't look like he resents me. Acxtually, he's all up in the cage, trying to get out again =/ Well, I'm saying all this because I need an honest answer as to whether what I did was right or wrong, and what to do as a follow up, because, clearly, he has no problem with being out of the cage =( Also, how can I finger train him if all he wants to be is out? :1zhelp:

P.S. Hopefull I'll get a recording up here to show you his behaviour...

[RiverSong]

I love the name Rowan! :D
I know its really a boy names, but I've named my baby Grey Girl Rowan, and she's not even home yet :P I think its an awesome name, i call my girl "Row" alot. Did you know it means something along the lines of 'little red one' ?

So do I!! IT'S ADORABLE! And, technically, it could be unisex. So I think you're quite safe ;P Actually, the Rowan tree, if I'm not mistaken, has little red berries, so I think that's where it gets the meaning. =D Correct me if I'm wrong though.

[Emmilyy]

Yeah i think thats right! Its an awesome name don't let people talk you into changing it! :P

[RiverSong]

Yeah i think thats right! Its an awesome name don't let people talk you into changing it! :P

No of course not!! =D

[RiverSong]

Friday August 6
Day 3
Quarantined
Well, good progress since yesterday, but it's only morning here so...
Anyways, I woke up, and Rowan's sitting on his perch, looking around, so I start talking to him, and immediately, we looks at me and when I move the covers back and sit up, he stretches =D Sooo adorable! Anyways, (I do say that alot) I go over and talk to him and in the middle of my 'good morning speel' he starts preening himself!
:speechless-smiley-0 :whoo:
I know that might seems like a small step, but I'm still really happy, because it took Simon about a week and a half to do that-he's my shy one, whereas Rowan's just rambunctious!
I started to change his food/water but stood in front of the cage this time =) He was looking great, still preening himself, watching my hand when it went in. When I opened the side doors to free the dishes, it make kind of a loud noise, which made him abruptly stop and take a step back, but only one =D (He didn't move when my hand went it =D) So I got his food dish out with no problems. =D
When it was all filled, I opened the cage door and put them back in with no difficulty, and when I closed the cage, he "flew" or should I say tried to fly to the food dish (just a few inches flat ;P) But he got on the food dish and I was so happy =D So I just sat there thinking to myself yay =D Though I couldn't quite explain to Rowan lol but I think my voice was a bit higher pitched after that =P
He's eating in front of me now, and even chirping =D

Tomorrow afternoon, I might try to leave my hand in there. With millet? Without millet? Too soon? Any thoughts? Would be appreciated.

[RiverSong]

August 7
Day 4
Qurantined (But for how long?)

:1zhelp: :1zhelp: :1zhelp: :1zhelp: :1zhelp: :1zhelp: :1zhelp: :1zhelp: :1zhelp:
He did it again! I went to grab his food dish and he JUMPED ON MY ARM and flew out! I ended up having to towel him again! Grr.... How am I supposed to tame him when all he wants is out? My parents think I should "break quarantine because they really should be together. Your mom/dad and I had several birds, and they never got affected." Then I say there's always a first time-they don't seem to appreciate that too much =( :argue:
So here I am, dumbfounded and they're getting mad at me.

Please help!
:1zhelp: :1zhelp: :1zhelp: :1zhelp: :1zhelp: :1zhelp: :1zhelp: :1zhelp: :1zhelp:

[Robin's Nest]

You'll find lots of articles on quarantine, and the important thing to remind your parents is that moving to a new home is stressful. This is the perfect time for latent disease to rear its ugly head. By breaking quarantine, you not only put the health of the other bird at risk, but you double the vet bills. If one is sick, the other may need to be treated due to being exposed, or may be sick as well. There are no discounts at the vet or guarantees that sick birds get well. Sticking through the end of a quarantine period is one of the hardest things to do, but it displays the amount of love we have for the new bird and in particular the healthy bird already in the home. It also continues to give you a chance to work with the new bird one one one.

You are right in being concerned about the bird continuing to get away and you needing to towel it in order to get it back. That will defeat the purpose of the trust you are trying to build. If this happens again, take the cage to the bird and try to get the bird to return to the cage on its own so you do not have to grab or towel. Even if the bird cannot see your hands because they are hidden by the towel, it well knows that you are holding the towel as the towel comes toward it and envelopes it. ;)

[RiverSong]

OK, thnaks for the help Robin =D I stuck my hand in, and held the dorr closed against my arm. I had myhand lay against the grate at the bottom of the cage near the dorr for a few seconds. He kinda triped out but after he got on his perch, he was fine. I think I'm just going to try that until he gets used to my hand. I figure when he stays perfectly still, I'm going to try to get my hand closer to him, and eventually get him to step up. That's not rushing it, is it?

Another thing, I'm concerned about his vent. The feathers are very long, and his excrement is constantly stuck to it D= That could be a sign of illness, stress, or just long feathers, right? I'm ganna try to have pic up my Monday. I got some good shots already, but I'm going to try to get some different angles so people can see what I'm talking about. I don't want to stress him out, so I'm going to have to be sneaky. :peep: :spy: :photo:

[Robin's Nest]

Even with long vent feathers, the droppings should really not stick. The most common cause of pasting of the vent is dehydration. That can be a sign of a sick bird, a stressed bird, or adjusting to the new environment. You will need to keep the vent clean and monitor this.

[RiverSong]

Ok, this is probably going to sound like a stupid question, but how do I clean his vent, or does he cleanit during preening, because I'm afraid he'd freak if I tried.

[Robin's Nest]

If the vent itself is pasted, meaning that the droppings are on it and blocking it, then it will need to be cleaned. If they are stuck to the feathers near but not blocking it, then you can wait a bit and see if the bird takes care of it.

If the droppings are on the vent itself or blocking it any way, you have no choice but to gently towel the bird. With a cotton ball wet with warm water, gently clean the droppings off the vent by moving the cotton ball only in the direction of the feather growth. You do not need to use any soap or other product. Just wet cotton balls with lukewarm water. You will wipe, not rub, and only in that one direction moving always toward the direction of the end of the tail. Then lift the cotton ball, go back to the top of the vent again, and then stroke down toward in the direction of feather growth and toward the end of the tail. Continue until you have removed the droppings. If they have been there awhile, they may be dried and you may need to use a little extra water to loosen them. Hopefully, your bird only has droppings stuck to the feathers that are no where near or blocking the vent so you will not need to do this procedure at this time.

If this continues to occur, you will need to address the reason for the dehydration. When a bird become dehydrated, their droppings become stickier and thus do not pass past the feathers but instead stick to them. Pasting can also be caused by diarrhea, and the diarrhea of course causes further dehydration.

[RiverSong]

Ok, thanks for the info, Robin =D I got some pics, but they aren't completely clear, so I'll try again. I'll have whatever's best up probably on Monday =)

[RiverSong]

August 8
Day 5
Quarantined (and still being persecuted over it)

Rowan's vent is clear, as of this afternoon =D and he's acting like his normal self, flying everywhere and watching everything. Got some really god pics. Will be up soon.

[RiverSong]

AH! Pictures! Finally! Sorry it took so long!

Random picts of his vent, and why I was so worried. See his, well for lack of a better word, *butthole* was clear, it was just everytime he went it got stuck to previous extrement or the feathers =/


http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/af161/arcenic2010/Rowan/Rowan090.jpg


http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/af161/arcenic2010/Rowan/Rowan096.jpg

http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/af161/arcenic2010/Rowan/Rowan096-1.jpg

And this one I just threw in here because I liked it. This is part of his "let me out" ritual.

http://i1004.photobucket.com/albums/af161/arcenic2010/Rowan/Rowan102.jpg

Sorry they aren't that clear...camera's been tripping out on me =(

[RiverSong]

Yay! More questions about behavior! :D Ok, everytime I come into the room, (there's only been 1 or 2 occasions when he hasn't done this) He stretches his wing with his foot, and does the other one. He always does thie when I'm talking to him. Is this way of talking back, relaxing, or just trying to get blood flowing? He also stood on one foot about twice I think....

[RiverSong]

Grr! He flew out again while I was changing his food out yesterday! I'm starting to get really discouraged now. He really hates hands, though I think that might be still really scared of hand period, because the associate that pulled him out of the cage when we got him used his hands, and Rowan really didn't want to go because he made the associate chase him around for a about a good 45 seconds, maybe more. *sigh*
Well, there's another problem. I think he might have night fright. He woke me up again last night, flapping around the cage frantically. He was so loud he actually woke up my mom =( Simon doesn't have it, so I mistook Rowan's for Toby being in my room.So should I get a nightlight for Rowan and see if that helps? Or should I try to wait it out? Another thing, how the heck am I supposed to tame him if he wants to jump out of the cage all the time? Should I just wait on taming him until after quarantine, when I introduce Simon to Rowan, or should I just try to keep going? I'm really starting to get discouraged =(

[RiverSong]

So I've been doing some research on clicker training, and I think I'm going to try it... Any thoughts?

[RiverSong]

So I got a clicker on Sunday. I'm still trying to condition them, but it got really hard because I just started school on Tuesday, and am trying to get back into the rythm.

[RiverSong]

Alright, I've been really lax with my birds since school started and I got stuck in AP D= grr!!!
But that's a whole other story! So quarantine is officially ending tomorrow!!!
But I got a question....Should I keep them apart for a little bit more, so I can try to rebond with them, or is it just best for all involved to just put them together, though that would make it a bit more difficult =P

[RiverSong]

So yes, I am back I know you all have missed me =P Just kidding. I have good news! After a sucessful qurantine, I have finally put Rowan and Simon together and they LOVE eachother!! Also I am very happy because Simon eats millet straight out of my hand and Rowan's satrting to catch on, though Simon loves to be a little pig so I have to make sure he shares =P

[RiverSong]

SOOO...it's bad, but I hadn't really tried to do anything with Rowan since Simon died, but this week I was like, "NO MORE!" Sorry, I'm a bit hyper on account of the good news which I will share in a moment. Well, Rowan got out, and i didn't wanna fight with him because what happenes when you fight with a budgie? Bitten or loss of trust, either way-not good. So he got his excercise, and he strated to relax, so I got out my Uke and I played his lullaby. Then i started talking to him, and I actually got really close and was chatting and singing up a storm and he's fluffing up, eyes are closing and everything. LOOOONNG story short, he flew away and i laid on the ground to talk to him and stuff. Then I got this wild idea. "Hey, let's see if he steps up!" So, I'm moving my hand closer and closer, still singing and end up with my hand underneath his chest, well he doesn't wanna step up so i gently rub his chest and eventually he puts one foot on my finger! i was soo happy...sounds pathetic right, well after a while i was able to coax his to fully sit on my finger! I actually got up offf the floor with him still on my finger! When i put him in the cage, I literally had to wait for hi to get off my finger because he didn't want to go. So I'm really happy, and now you know why =D

[Cheeno]

I'm happy for you. Continued good results with Rowan.:2thumbs:

[RiverSong]

So, he did it again yesterday, just not under so good of circumstances, but he was relaxed so that's good =)

[RiverSong]

Ok, so now I'm trying to figure out, if Rowan actually wants to genuinely be with me, or if he's tolerating me because I freak the crap out of him, because he is easily startled...so now I'm not going anywhere near him, just talking...does anyone have any ideas? I'm so paranoid that I'm doing something wrong....