Do they sleep like this?

[citygrlup]

So I've had Chloe back since Tuesday. Its been very easy with her so far. For an untamed lovie we get along pretty well. No bites, no screams, just a lot of back turning http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l297/Citygrlup/IMG_0456.jpg and waddling away from me. Today though, when I put my hand down and my other hand behind her butt and said step up. SHE DID IT! Woohooo. :clap: :clap:

But heres a question well a couple. I had my friend brings over her cage mate from the pet store and they were so adorable and lovable. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l297/Citygrlup/IMG_0468.jpg http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l297/Citygrlup/IMG_0470.jpg Do you think this is healthy for them to be together ever now and then? Or do you think its mean to let them play preen and then take them both home alone. : confused:

Second. She started sleeping with her head down touching her cozy. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l297/Citygrlup/IMG_0472.jpg http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l297/Citygrlup/IMG_0471.jpg She WILL NOT go in it. Do you think this is an ok posture or will cause back pain for her? It cant possibly be comfortable. Lordy knows why she wants to sleep like this. :rolleyes:

Another thing.... sorry. She has NO fear of my German shepard and that annoys me and scares me at the same time. The dog will go to the cage and lick her feet. I usually freak out. I have to lock the pup up when I open Chloe's cage. I know Savannah looks at her like a "oh boy, mommy got me a real life squeaky toy":x Err Why doesn't she fear "the beast"(dog)and yet turns her back on me. Drives me crazy inside >:

[michael]

Awww ... how cute they are! I'll bet the sleep arrangement changes through the night without non the worse. Doesn't hurt to give them other options, if anything, to help "you" feel better.....I would stop the contact between dog and bird. Biggest reason no. one is dog saliva. No. two is natural bird dog unpredictable behavior. Both are very deadly. The fact that he go's to the pooch instead of you is curiosity overiding fear and not a preference issue. I'm going to leave the birdie visits birdie question for someone with more experience as this takes a multifaceted answer......Michael N' Goofy

[Elle]

So I've had Chloe back since Tuesday. Its been very easy with her so far. For an untamed lovie we get along pretty well. No bites, no screams, just a lot of back turning http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l297/Citygrlup/IMG_0456.jpg and waddling away from me. Today though, when I put my hand down and my other hand behind her butt and said step up. SHE DID IT! Woohooo. :clap: :clap:

It sounds like a very good start! Keep working on step up with Chloe. It's a good way to bond with your bird anddevelop a relationship.

But heres a question well a couple. I had my friend brings over her cage mate from the pet store and they were so adorable and lovable. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l297/Citygrlup/IMG_0468.jpg http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l297/Citygrlup/IMG_0470.jpg Do you think this is healthy for them to be together ever now and then? Or do you think its mean to let them play preen and then take them both home alone. : confused:

I would keep the birds seperate for a minimum of 30 days, best would be 90 days. If the bird is sick, it may not show any symptoms even past the 30 day mark. If the bird is sick, it can contaminate your other bird. A quarantine is ALWAYS the best option. Even if they were in contact once, I would still start a quarantine now for gain, a minimum of 30 days

Second. She started sleeping with her head down touching her cozy. http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l297/Citygrlup/IMG_0472.jpg http://i99.photobucket.com/albums/l297/Citygrlup/IMG_0471.jpg She WILL NOT go in it. Do you think this is an ok posture or will cause back pain for her? It cant possibly be comfortable. Lordy knows why she wants to sleep like this. :rolleyes:

Birds will sleep they way they feel comfortable. Some birds are known to sleep cligning on the side of the cage or even upside down. Once your bird is more comfortable with its new environment, the sleeping position may change.

Another thing.... sorry. She has NO fear of my German shepard and that annoys me and scares me at the same time. The dog will go to the cage and lick her feet. I usually freak out. I have to lock the pup up when I open Chloe's cage. I know Savannah looks at her like a "oh boy, mommy got me a real life squeaky toy":x Err Why doesn't she fear "the beast"(dog)and yet turns her back on me. Drives me crazy inside >:

I would never allowe my dog or cat to come in contact with my birds. Dogs, cats and human carry a bacteria in their saliva called pasteurella that is deadly to birds. It can kill them in a matter of hours. Since your dog has licked your bird's feet, I would consider a vet visit to be on the safe side. A well bird visit is also always recommended within a few days of the purchase of a new bird. As Michael mentioned, dogs are predators and birds are prey. You want to keep them seperate as a natural hunting instinc could endanger the life of your bird. An accident happens so fast. Trust me, I had a bird bitten by a dog. My bird suffered nerve damage in her leg for the rest of the 8 years she spent with me. It's not worth taking the risk




Hope that helps a little,

[Janie]

I'll only address one question since the others have been answered. :) So, is your friend bringing the former cage mate over and letting them have a play date and then taking that bird back to a pet shop? That's not good if that is the case. If you'd purchased both birds at the same time, quarantine would not have been necessary since they'd already been together before you bought them but now that your bird is in your home with no other birds, he/she is not exposed to any other birdie germs. The "birdie friend" is likely exposed to new birds at the pet store on a regular basis and could easily bring an illness into your home. They look so adorable together.....have you consider buying the friend?

[citygrlup]

Hi guys,
My friend went and brought home the cage mate 2 days after I first gotten her. She did get sick and i had to take her back. She was quarantined at the pet store vet and then quarantined for 2 weeks before I was able to buy her back. The vet I took her too came up with blood in the stool and would be $1000 to explore that. I had to take her back to the pet store and they took her to their vet who believed it was something she ate.

I do however gained some wisdom though this post and totally agree that I should wait the 30 days just to be safe. So the play dates are ok for the future(after a good quarantine? Just don't want to break her heart ever few weeks. But then I want her to have a good time.

I don't have a cage that is big enough for 2 comfortably and I wanted one to bond with me. I figured since she is my first birdie I would stick to 1. But I gotta say, all of the pictures I see on here I was MORE MORE MORE! Maybe someday when I am out of an apartment and have room and money for the vet and better cages. Not to even mention the baby egg hatching factor. Not enough experience for me to even want to think about that!

Elle!~ I try to keep the dog away from the bird, I even hung her cage in the corner. I bring the cage down when I am home but do put her up when I am at work or out to make sure that the dog cant get to her...they were too cozy for me to trust. BUT GEESH! I didn't even think about the saliva!

I agree with Michael and that's why I was a little shocked that Chloe wasn't afraid of Sav. But I do know my dog! An I know she would harm Chloe if she ever got to "play" Huge fear actually. I even put clips on the cage in case she ever started opening the doors. YIKES! I think though that I have a pretty good balance with my time and seperation between both, I hope.

By the way... I just LOVE this site and all of the friendly people on here!

[shylevon]

They sure are cuties, and obviously in love and missing each other.

Letting them play together may or may not be a good thing. I am assuming your friend OWNS the other bird and is keeping it safe and away from other birds or viruses. If so, a play date might be a good thing, but once they mature, they may not want to play together anymore. Prepare yourself for that. No one can tell if separating them them again is hard on them or not.

I think your birdies posturing during sleeping is in order to keep in physical contact with something soft and fuzzy. This probably reminds her of sleeping close and warm with her momma and other cagemates. Birdies feel safe and snuggly, close to something fuzzy. I would try positioning the cozy closer to her perch so she can snuggle up to it with her entire body, if she wants to. She may still be too afraid of it to climb inside, but she wants the safety and security that comes from sleeping close to it. I have one bird who would sleep under her preening toy, one of those king that has knotted strings that hang down from a center bead. Every night she would get right under it and carefully arrange each string around her body so she was completely encircled with strands. This sometimes took her half an hour, and then she would fall asleep. I know it reminded her of her mommas feathers all around her as she slept. She has grown out of that and I still miss it. She has a cagemate now that she snuggles with.

As for Step-Ups... it is a practice that should be repeated for 2-3 minutes every day. Take birdie into a quiet place with no distractions, like the bathroom. Repeat step ups every day for a month or so. Once this behavior is imbedded, it will stay with her for life and she will always step up on command. This is very helpful in emergency situations, where birdie is unsure of what to do. If they hear the command, habit takes over and they will hop onto a finger.

Keep doggie away from birdie or birdie will not survive. Regardless of how tame doggie is and how unafraid birdie is, dog and cat saliva is DEADLY. Place the cage in a location where foot licking can not occur. We all love a good foot licking, but not at the expense of our lives.

[citygrlup]

Hey Because they take to eachother so well and cuddle up and preen eachother does mean for sure that one is male and one is female.. or do 2 male/females do that too? Hummmmm

[shylevon]

Nope, no assumptions can be made about sex by their actions. Two birds of the same sex will even perform the act of mating, but you can't infer anything from these acts.

[citygrlup]

:omg: Oh boy, these really are complicated little creatures. I hope Chloe is a boy. I think Id rather deal with the umm... wacking of the wond other then the moody nesting female.:roll: I dunno

[shylevon]

Don't forget gacking. Gacking is a real treat also, especially in the ear.

[citygrlup]

WHAT???? Gacking? Is that where they feed you? Its like throw up, right? In the ear? HAHAHAHAH Thats them just showing their momma some love right? They dont mention this stuff at the pet store. haha. Ahhhhh chloe is just sooo adorable. I am assuming she never had a human mom before so I guess we are on even playing ground. gacking in the ear oh joy =-)

ERRR Or He if she is a boy.