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Re: Up and Down
Posted by Wanting to do right by George on 11/19/09

thank you again. i really appreciate your insite.

can there be two flock leaders in the home? like me and my
girlfriend? or will he always see one of us as a playmate and the
other as the flock leader?

On 11/19/09, GreyLady wrote:
>
> You are very welcome. Thank you for giving him/her a great
> home. No, I have never used a thermal perch. But, I live in
S/W
> Florida so not much need. I do think they could be a good thing
> though if the bird does not live normally in the same
temperature
> that is comfortable to you. During winter months, humidity is
> the thing you will most have to watch. Furnaces make for very
> dry air so lots of opportunity to bathe and keep humidity up is
> best for a bird.
> As for the lighting, I don't know there are any cut and dried
> rules for timing. I rotate mine around so that my flock, (4
> different cages), get 2 or 3 days a week of "sunshine". Mine is
> a floor lamp style. I place it about 2 feet from the cage. But
> I also make sure there it is placed so they can get out of the
> light if they choose. I leave it on one cage, pretty much all
of
> the current daylight hours. When you work on the step up, it
> will be good to continue using the same command the bird is used
> to. I think most folks say "step up" but with my Grey, I
usually
> say "let's go" or "do you want some help". I try to let mine
> make all of his own decisions that can safely be allowed,
> hence, the two different phrases. When I say "let's go", he
> knows he must comply. When I ask if he wants help, he knows
it's
> his choice. That's another thing I didn't mention. When
dealing
> with this kind of IQ, they do need to be allowed to make a lot
of
> their own decisions. But they must also always know who is
flock
> leader and that must always be you. The more of their own
> decisions they can make, the better adjusted and happier they
> will be. They will also rarely refuse an "order" so long as
they
> get to choose at other times. It's a tricky balance but one you
> can achieve over time. It will be even more important when he
> starts to sexually mature. You will probably find that at least
> during his first real surge of hormones, he may get a bit testy
> and irritable and will "try you" on occasion. Again, just
ignore
> any undesirable behavior and be lavish in praise the rest of the
> time. It will pass. Feel free to email me if you like. GL

Posts on this thread, including this one

• Up and Down, 11/18/09, by Wanting to do right by George.
• Re: Up and Down, 11/19/09, by GreyLady.
• Re: Up and Down, 11/19/09, by Wanting to do right by George.
• Re: Up and Down, 11/19/09, by GreyLady.
• Re: Up and Down, 11/19/09, by Wanting to do right by George.
• Re: Up and Down, 11/20/09, by GreyLady.
• Re: Up and Down, 11/23/09, by Wanting to do right by George.