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Holiday!!

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Holiday!!

Postby Winnie and Elsa » Thu Mar 03, 2022 2:04 pm

Hello!
I have an orange winged amazon named Winnie!
And I am in a state of panic right now!
In two months I will be going on holiday for 5 weeks,
I can’t cancel this trip so it is definitely happening as much as I don’t want it to!
Winnie is only six months old and I am basically her only companion, I do not have any other birds however I am planning to adopt another amazon. But I cannot get another before I leave as I do not want to leave Winnie with a parrot I just got and she doesn’t know well enough to be alone with for 5 weeks!
So, Winnie will be alone quite a bit. Which I hate. I hate leaving her alone when I am at school during the day ( my family do sit with her for a couple of hours though ) and as soon as I come home I spend the whole time with her until she goes to bed. So I can’t imagine leaving her alone for 5 weeks! I have only left her alone for a few days once and our helper looked after her but did not spend much time with her and she was left alone in the room most of the day with the radio on, and as a result was very clingy when I came back and demanded my attention all the time! It was my fault really, i should have made sure she got more attention.

I would love to know how others deal with leaving their parrots when they go on holiday.

I will be making sure Winnie is more familiar with our helper and that she knows how to play with her and hopefully can spend around four hours all together in the day with her ( she does look after our dog and two cats too so it might be hard to do sometimes) do you think that is enough time? I just really don’t want to come home to a plucked bird who has been very depressed and bored. I love her very much and it was horrible to see Winnie just sitting on her stand for hours when I was gone for 4 days ( I honestly have so many toys for her and her cage is very big and she gets access to the whole room, but didn’t like to play with her toys when I was not in the room, so I am working on getting her to play with toys herself)

To add, she will also be kept in my room all the time, I know that sounds terrible but it is a big big room with lots of light coming in and during the two months I have had her she has never been out of it. Don’t think I am going to keep her in that room forever though! Her outdoor aviary is being built and I am carrier training her as I speak . I am also starting up free flight training soon but that will be a longer project. So my point is, will she be ok in that room for another month and a bit? Our helper won’t be able to take her into the aviary and won’t be able to take her out in her carrier for walks as she is not that experienced handling birds and I would be worried something would happen.

I have a TV in my room and a radio so I can make use of that.

Also note that I can’t take winnie to a boarding place as there is no such thing here and there are no experienced bird owners that I can trust would take good care of Winnie.

Sorry this is so long, I am just very worried!
Honestly I might get an earlier flight that my family just so I get home to Winnie sooner!
Thanks! (I’m Sure this is a great first post, one where I am completely breaking down with worry :lol: )
Winnie and Elsa
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 1
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Orange winged amazon
Flight: Yes

Re: Holiday!!

Postby Pajarita » Fri Mar 04, 2022 10:32 am

Hi, Elsa and Winnie, welcome to the forum.

The biggest problem I see is her age. At 6 months of age, she is still a baby and, as such, she should have 24/7/365 company, same as any other baby. To her, you are her parent and you disappearing for days and now weeks is not good for her. I doubt she will start to pluck -not that it could not happen because it could, but babies usually don't do FDB unless the conditions are terrible- but she will be traumatized and there are no two ways about... Think of her as a toddler suddenly losing his mother - she will wait and wait for you to come back the first few days, then she will get anxious and depressed because she will think that you are never coming back. Parrots don't understand the concept of a short absence because, in the wild, this never happens. If a parent bird is not there for the babies is because it's dead - birds, and most especially parent birds, do not go on a 'visit' or a vacation, they are ALWAYS there. I do not mean to make you feel bad, I am just explaining how the situation will look to her.

If she was an adult, it would be easier on her even though 5 weeks is a very long time for you not to be there with her. But, as an adult and after spending years in the same home, with the same schedule/diet/etc and somebody she knows there during the day, it would not be too bad. But she is not an adult or even a juvenile, she is still a baby.

So, if you have NO choice but to take the trip, make sure she bonds with the caretaker before you leave and that means that this person will have to be there, taking care of her for several days prior your trip. And make sure the caretaker knows what to do (fresh produce every day as well as soft food served warm and fresh every morning with nuts for dinner as well as supplements) and that she will spend hours every day with her because toys do not work to prevent loneliness, only company does that. And no TV, the blue light from the screen is not good for their brains but the radio is good as long as you put it on an 'easy listening' station.
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes


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