Toy moving

[Freda]

I'm new to understanding birds, But I attended the Gabriel foundations seminar and they suggested moving your birds toys around.
I am not sure if I should do this due to Kiri's plucking and need advise.

Kiri spent a year plus in a cage in a basement with very little human interaction, from what I was told she only had time to throw food in his bowl and once a month she cleaned the cage, So most likely his toys where never moved around.

My problem is every time I rearrange his toys he will pluck himself, but I noticed if I don't move them and he doesn't pluck, So should I not move them or what?

I did get the zoo-med full spectrum lighting for him hoping that would help with the plucking and he does well til I move those toys.

Also I use a night time cage in the office away from all the noise of the dogs and TV and he handles that very well also.

Could he be so attached to his toys that a slight move sends him over the edge?
Sorry this is so long!
:help:

[Nolan's Mom]

Hi Freda! I have had very similar experiences with my CAG Nolan, he also suffers from FDB and if we try to change too much in his environment at one time then he gets stressed and will pluck. A suggestion for you would be to only change one toy at a time, and if moving it across the cage is too much for Kiri, maybe just move it a couple of inches at a time. Enrichment doesn't have to be a HUGE change, it can be small things, trust me that they will notice! :D

If Kiri also has trouble when you bring in new toys, you can bring them in the room and play with them in front of him so he sees how much you like it, if he will touch it or seems interested, act like it is SO wonderful you don't want to give it away! Sometimes that really works with Nolan, especially if my husband is the one who LOVES the toy (cuz Nolan wants to kill whatever Jeremy has!). Another thing we do with Nolan and new toys, is to bring the toy in and set it down somewhere in the room, not too close to him, but still visible. Then, just let it sit there for a while, it may be a day or even a week, but eventually Kiri will get used to the presence of the toy and then you can see if he would like to check it out himself.

I'm not sure if I explained that well, but I hope it helps you and Kiri out! We have found with Nolan that routine is really the key to keeping him happy, so we try to be consistent as much as we can. It may be that Kiri will feel the same way, you may even be able to work out a schedule of only changing toys every other day or something like that....it will still be enrichment!!! :thumbup:

Also, as I know others will point out, FDB (feather destructive behavior) is a process, and you will have good and bad days, so don't be too stressed out if you have a good couple of days followed by a bad one, eventually your good one will stretch out longer and longer!!!:agree:

[CocosMomma]

Hi, Freda! Rachel gave excellent advice, and since she and Nolan work on FDB daily, she's sure a great resource and support!:D Even birds without FDB can be sensitive to changes in their environment. I am so glad you are there for Kiri!:wub:

One additional thing to note: see if Kiri shows any preference to a certain type of toy (for example, if he liked wood toys but not plastic). So at a point in the future when you are getting new toys, you will know his likes. Not that you will not expand his horizons, but right now you are just trying to get him stable and settled - bless the little boy's heart - I cannot imagine what his life must have been like. I'd have pulled out my feathers too!:mad:

Since you have discovered that he is sensitive to the movement of his toys, we can also surmise that he could be sensitive to all other changes in his environment as well. This means moving his cage or furnishings in his 'area' or line of site could cause him anxiety. If you absolutely have to make any changes, I would recommend doing it first thing in the morning so he has the day to adjust before it is time for lights out. ;)

[Nolan's Mom]

.....I would recommend doing it first thing in the morning so he has the day to adjust before it is time for lights out. ;)

Robin is SO right on this one, I wish we would have done that with Nolan when we moved him into his own room! There was some serious drama that night! Morning changes are a VERY good idea!!!!

[Freda]

I move Kiri to a night cage every night, and once he is out of sight of his cage I clean it nightly.
That was when I moved the toys so it would be clean & ready for him in the morning, first time I moved several, next time just a few, then next time only one was moved.

And each time I got the same reaction when he went into his cage, running back and forth screaming and biting at everything then he starts to pluck.
I do know he is very attached to his jellyfish he had one when I got him and it looked awful, I was able to get the same one from foster & Smith so I ordered 4 to keep on hand and threw the old one away. that went well replacing it.
It did take a week to add new toys to his cage and now I can't move them.
I am not stressed yet just concerned about Kiri and I know he still needs more time to bond with me.
Could this be a trust issue with him?
Or does he think this is how life is and nothing gets moved?
If I don't move any toys he is a happy little guy playing and banging his toys to make you look at him and is very easy to handle.

[CocosMomma]

Could this be a trust issue with him?
Or does he think this is how life is and nothing gets moved?
If I don't move any toys he is a happy little guy playing and banging his toys to make you look at him and is very easy to handle.

Naturally, we would only be guessing, but if I had to, I would not classify it so much as a trust issue as I would that he has been through a horrible situation. He didn't have much to rely on, but he did get to rely on the fact that his cage inside would rarely, if ever, get changed or cleaned or anything else.:( It may have been the only consistent thing in his life that he could depend on. Now, he has a lot of lovin' to catch up on... He is special needs (they all are, in a wonderful way). He is unique, and special, and now he is genuinely loved and cared for. His life has already been improved one zillion percent, and there is no doubt in my mind whatsoever that what you have done with Kiri is what is truly called a bird rescue. Bless you.:heart:

[Freda]

Thank you for your kind words!
I only moved 1 toy and barely moved it 2 inches, so far so good hasn't plucked in 2 days now. He seems to be happier, so fingers crossed and many thanks for the advise. Will keep you informed on the plucking.

[Nolan's Mom]

Awesome! You may just have to take baby steps with Kiri, and that's ok! It's what we have had to do with Nolan!

[TamiP1]

I think just like all rules do not apply to every individual person even the best of guidelines do not apply to every single bird. Your sweetie is not your 'average' bird. He's had a lot of trauma in his life just because of the situation he was in so that now as was said above, that cage was his only constant security in a lonely and unsure world. even though you have greatly improved his life, causing him greater stress by moving the toys probably isn't a good idea. Taking his cues and giving him the constants and stability he needs are more important IMO.