Playhouse blunder...

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Playhouse blunder...

Postby irolnellup » Tue Sep 30, 2008 1:09 am

Hello! My name is Lori and I am a returning Grey Round Table member of the days when it was delivered to your door!
I have two Congo Greys. Sparkey is 14 1/2 years old and Lulu will be one in October. I know I will have dozens of questions in the future on advice on how I convince them that they should be the best of friends...
(Actually, they have transitioned very well together and I am quite proud of both of them!) So-I will just tell uou all how stupid I am up front and maybe you can give me some advice on how to remedy my blunder...
I read an entry from one of you regarding a litttle grey who wanted to spend time under a desk...and Maggie said you could give him a cardboard box to play with-just don't put it in his cage.
Well,my husband is a general contractor and for Christmas last year, I asked hm to make Sparkey a little "clubhouse" for his cage. It's adorable.
Yep, it has an arched doorway, round portal windows all round. Sparkey loves it. At first, Sparkey would go in there everyday to take his naps. Now he spends about 2 hours a day in there. It wasn't until I read that post here from January that it hit me-YOU IDIOT YOU MADE A NESTING BOX !!!!!!!! Yes, I am feeling pretty stupid right now... The problem is, Sparkey has had his little "cludhouse now for 10 months. Do I take it away, place it outside of his cage and just let him have accsess to it when he has his playtime? Do I wean him off his clubhouse so it won't be such a traumatic loss for him-he really loves it?
He seems very happy. He continues to be his usual outgoing self. He is a great talker and takes an interest in his new friend Lulu who is kept in her own cage several feet away. He just likes to go into his house for privacy. Their cages are kept in our livingroom/dinigroom area.
Thank You!
Lori
Lori Pullen
irolnellup
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Sep 28, 2008 1:21 am
Location: Modesto,Ca

Postby merlin » Tue Sep 30, 2008 6:18 am

Hello Lori,

Yep, you did!!! You created a GRANDE nest box!!! CONGRATS!!! LOL.

I think it is a most difficult issue for the hens because a nest box makes their sexual hormones start to "cook" and they lay eggs. I think breeder Jean Pattison has described it in the most understandable way. The more "sexual nuances" we put in their lives, the more it gets their hormones going. It's like being a single person and you haven't had sex for a long time, so your body doesn't get all worked up and horny all of the time. But then you could meet someone who turns your head, and then the body motor revs up. She says it is like that with the breeder birds. "Stimulants" stimulate the hormones.

An example of a "stimulant" is a nest box... having the paper bags and cardboard boxes in the cages all of the time... the little snuggling stuffed animal toys and so on. We pet humans have not realized that we have been stimulating some of our birds by some of the toys and activities that we give them. Then the hens lay eggs and the males get overly aggressive during the mating periods.

Lori, forgive me, but this is a long-winded way of getting to your question; but I wanted to write it all down, in case it can help others reading the post. There are some really good articles on this subject in the article section.

It sounds like Sparkey really does LOVE his nest box! I suggest to you to consider changing it so that he plays in it when he has his playtime out of the cage, and not while he is inside the cage. I think by having it full time in his cage, he will eventually get very territorial about his cage because he will be "protecting" his nest, which is what wild male Greys do very well. Since he doesn't appear to be too aggressive about it yet, weaning him slowly into only playing in it at playtime is probably a good strategy.

It is wonderful to hear from you!!!

GREY'T Blessings,
Maggie-

PS: I apologize for the difficulty in making this Q&A work. I had problems checking in as Maggie too, because I've forgotten the password and so on. My webmaster had info on the merlin, so that is what I have officially become.
merlin
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Sparkeys Grey't Playhouse

Postby irolnellup » Tue Sep 30, 2008 10:36 am

Thank you Maggie! I will remove the great ones fortress from his cage today...I think if I place near his cage where he can see it and he knows that I haven't taken it away from him completely he may adjust. We have noticed a few new behavior patterns over the last few weeks. For instance when he is inside his playhouse (nesting box!) and is disturbed by outside noise, he will exit the arched doorway with that funny little parrot walk and he is all fluffed up attepting to look three times his original size! It finally dawned on me this week that he is attempting to protect his beloved home and puffing up like a great blow fish in order to scare off any potential trespassers. He has been regurging...it started about six weeks ago with my 23 year old son. Nick pettted him. When I came home, Nick said "Sparkey threw up in my hand-he's sick". After I talked to Nick in great length, I informed him that Sparkey was not in fact sick. Sparkey was in love with him...Since then Sparkeys affections have transferred to hs bell on a daily basis. He is also in love with our pot-bellied pig Junior (also 14 years old).When Junior comes in the house he always goes over to see Sparkey. Sparkey slides down his bars and begins to groom the pig! He coos and talks to the pig. He calls the pig by name and throws him food. Last week he regurgitated on the pig...and then he went into his clubhouse-
Okay-I take his clubhouse away this morning! I think he will be one cranky little bird! I have created a hormonal monster and didn't even realize it.
Lori Pullen
irolnellup
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Sep 28, 2008 1:21 am
Location: Modesto,Ca

Postby merlin » Wed Oct 01, 2008 2:21 am

Hi Lori,

I'm glad you learned your lesson, and Sparkey has been communicating it to you for some time. We really do need to become sensitized to what we are doing to our companions.

Another thing that may help Sparkey now is to cut down on the fat in his diet, until he seems calmer.

Mr. Spark sounds really precious!

Blessings,
Maggie-
merlin
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Posts: 188
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Postby irolnellup » Wed Oct 01, 2008 11:24 am

Sparkey has gone his first day without his beloved fortress. He does seem alittle bit lost without it but I placed it on the floor next to his cage so can he see it and know that it hasn't been lost to him. Sparkey is a very good boy. He is a great talker amd mimic. In 14 1/2 years, I've never known him to be in a bad mood or agressive. We have been very blessed. Sparkey loves our other pets, Cletus and Junior (two pot bellied pigs) and he calls them by name. They always answer him and walk over to his cage where Sparkey will throw them over a nice piece of
fruit or vegetable treat. His favorite friend, Scooter the dog died last year at the tender age of 17 1/2. To this day, Sparkey will still call for his friend Scooter and when Scooter doesn't come, He'll say "Where's Scooter?" We don't know where he learned that from! I will certainly watch the fat content in his diet over the next few weeks!
Lori Pullen
irolnellup
 
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Sep 28, 2008 1:21 am
Location: Modesto,Ca

Postby merlin » Sat Oct 04, 2008 5:53 am

Sparkey sounds like a precious guy! Isn't it amazing with how they come up with phrases that you did not teach them??? My Merlin now says "I quit" when she is nervous about something. That statement makes sense, and it came from her own mind.
Maggie-
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