Cage & A Question

[Enko_chan]

Once business picks up for the new betta show season, and I have a little extra money to spare, I am buying a big new cage for my little fid-to-be. I'm going to use the (reasonable-sized, but not fit for super spoiling) cage I have now for trips to visit family, but I've found a fabulous cage! Its still got the bar spacing set for lovie-sized birds, but it is enormous. Its as tall as I am and has 5 levels! Its stainless steel, like the other cage, and just looks wonderful. I will have to move the big cubby cubes that I've used as a cage stand, but it will fit just perfectly between my clothes bureau and my partner's! It will make me feel a lot less guilty if I end up leaving her with my partner who works all week long when I go on my trip in May, to have her at least in such a large cage with lots of entertainment during the day.

This brings me to my question. We are presently trying to work out the best way to go about bringing home our new fid. Note that she is about 9 months old, and tame, not a just-weaned baby. I planned a trip to visit my father after Loki passed, not intending to begin the search again until after I returned. However, things have worked out otherwise and there will be an Angel coming into my life sometime in the near future! We require some input with regards to how we should go about it. The question is, should we bring her home as soon as she's vaccinated for APV, or should we wait until after I get back from my trip? Travel won't be an issue in the future, as I very rarely travel except for trips to Western MA, which is usually under 2 hours drive and I'll bring my fid with me, and if I were to travel, in the future I would fly on an airline that allows live animals in the cabin, unfortunately, Southwest does not.

Here's the deal:

I work at home, and spend a lot of time with the fid out of cage, even if they're just playing while I'm watching/working/writing, or sitting on my shoulder, but we spend a lot of time together. My partner Chris also spends a lot of time with our fids, but he works during the week, 6-9 hours per day, 5 days a week and has less time to devote to the birds than I. We are careful that we both spend a lot of time with them, and he is a bird lover who is perfectly willing and able to take care of our fid while I am away. Our concern is that she will be used to me being within earshot most of the time. I spend a few hours a week out of the house for medical appointments and a class, but the majority of the time, I am home.

Chris is absolutely traumatized by the deaths of Enko chan and Loki, which does not help the situation much- I think he is in undue fear that something will happen to her while I am away. (He will be in touch with both of our mothers, who are experienced parronts, plus I have bookmarked this forum and put it on the Emergency instructions list as an Emergency Reference along with my login info.) He is very smart and good with birds, I have no doubt that he is greater than or equal to the task. We know that the deaths of both birds were outside of our control, and that we're taking all reasonable steps to prevent such a thing from happening again- but I know he is still fearful. That part can be resolved, I think, it just may take a little bit more time, which we have while she is being vaccinated.

I know many of you work outside the home, and have healthy, happy birds who are none the worse for having some solitary time. We could even have her hang out with Chris's mum, who is our neighbor and is an experienced parront, on the days when she is home to lessen the time spent alone. Chris will give her social and out-of-cage time on a daily basis.

Do you think it will be too stressful for her to have, say, 1-2 months of consistent time spent with only about 5 hours per week when there is no one in the house with her, and then have a 2 week period when she will be alone for 6-9 hours per day, 5 days per week? Let me know what y'all think. We want your :2cents: to factor into our decision.

Thank you, everyone, for your kind words and support after we lost Loki. I can't properly express without giving many huge hugs how grateful I am for all that! I required a little time off from the forum because I was too sad, and then a short while longer because I was too angry. I hadn't planned on even beginning to search for my new fid until after my trip, but as things have turned out- a lovely creamino hen will be joining the ranks. I hope she's ready, because she's about to receive all of the love we had saved up for both Enko chan and Loki, plus the unique love we have that belongs to nobirdie but her! :grouphug1

[Pips mom]

Awww, congrats! I'm sure whatever your plan is for the new addition, that it will be just fine, as you put alot of love and thought into it! The new cage sounds just wonderful.....I'm sure she will just love it! Pip was also nine months old when we first got him! Ohhh, what a little stinker he was, even his first day here, he was shoving his way right out the cage door all ready to explore his new surroundings within minutes of his previous owner leaving. He never even seemed phased by the new home and new people, new birdies. He is a brave little thing!
I see that you travel to western mass. and wondered where.... I am from western Mass! about ten minutes or so from the NY border, about half hour from Vermont. Also there is this bird expo coming up.......
http://www.littlebeaksandwings.com/wmassbirdexpo.htm I am going, and may even rent a table if my boyfriend can get some birdie play gyms built like the one he made for our birds here!
I think five or six hours a day in a huge cage will be fine with no one home.....that is about how long my birds spend in their cages while we are at work, although they do have the other birds nearby as company. Pip's cage is seperated though from the others, so he's not real closeby to them, but I guess close enough. I have to keep his cage where it is to be able to have some time when he is out where he isn't bothering the other birds...a space that is his own. I wish I could move his cage closer when I'm not here, but it would be a big chore and he seems fine with how things are.
All the best luck and wishes to you with your new lovie!

[SillyFids]

I am so sorry about your two birds you lost. A long time ago I lost an 8 week old lovebird I only had for 5 days to a freak accident and it devastated me. & when you say your bf is traumatized, so was mine. He cried when we found it - so it definitely took both of us time to accept and move on. So much time that I couldn't get another lovey for 2 years. I call myself a 'new lovebird owner' now because I shut myself down after all that happened and am now re-learning!! I understand your fear and your anger completely - I come down every morning to check on my baby with a knot in my stomach just because it's happened before where my bird has passed on, so I know how you are feeling. Luckily my little one chirps his head off in the morning and although some may find that annoying, it puts a huge smile on my face to know that he's still there!!

It is good that you know you are getting a 9 month old and won't have to run the risk as high for poloyma but its still a wonderful idea to get the vaccination. IMO, it would be ok to have 1-2 months of consistent time spent and then a 2 week period of sporadic time. With my bird I am with it in the morning, then I am at work and with it from when I come home at 5 until it goes nite nite. Sometimes I get that free lunch hour where I can go home and eat with my little one, too. I think the morning time is important if you can do that before work and then when you get back from work. Birds need alone time too, so I think that once you get that good 1-2 months of constant love and training in that it will be happy to have some time to itself = )


Good luck with your new bird, it's good to hear you are trying again!! I'm sure your little angel will be a wonderful addition to your family = )

[Tango's_Mom]

i would think she'd be ok re: you travelling and leaving her with Chris, because I'm a student my schedule varies considerably semester to semester and in the summer and Tango adapts really well, I've also had to leave him with my parents who don't handle him except for food and water and etc and been fine. I've even had to leave him for a few days with only my boyfriend dropping in a couple times a day to check on him and only the guinea pig for company. So she should handle that ok.
As far as bringing her home immediately after her vaccination, it takes time for any animal to respond and build up enough immunity to the disease, so if she were to be exposed immediately after the vaccine was given she may not be protected. I don't know what kind of time frame you need for birds or for this specific vaccine, but for dogs and cats generally you need anywhere from ten days to 3 weeks depending on the vaccine, also depending on the vaccine a booster is required, generally about 3 weeks after the initial one to be effective.

Good luck with the new baby!

[Enko_chan]

She'll be having a series of two vaccinations, two weeks apart. From what I understand it is five days after the vaccination that she is protected. We would not be bringing her home until after she is protected.

Thank you for your input. That is all very helpful. I know that most people are not able to be home with their birds all the time and they do fine. I just wanted to be sure that a break in consistency would not be detrimental to her adjustment!