'tiel troubles.. *update*

I'm posting this here because I know not many people will see it in pet general, though Karen can move it if necessary.

We have a problem with Baybi.. Amber just traumatizes her. Absolutely freaks her out.

We try to use the spray bottle on Amber each time she jumps on Baybi's cage, but she STILL does it and Baybi always ends up puffed up and hissing at Amber from the bottom of her cage. My room, unfortunately, is the only room with space enough for the bird cage, and my room is also where Amber prefers to reside. Major problem- Amber will not leave the poor bird alone even though they are ALWAYS separated.

I try to shut Amber out to give Baybi plenty of flying time at least once or twice daily, (she's on my shoulder as I type) but whenever Amber is in my room she completely stresses Baybe out. I feel terrible, but I need opinions on what to do. My mom wants me to rehome her, and though I love her a LOT and desperately want to keep her, I know it may be necessary. But before settling on that desicion, I wanted to see if those of you on PT had any suggestions...

Thank you so much..
Devon

Aw Devon, I wish I knew what to suggest. Kaedyn did the same thing with my birds when I first got them. He would dash from the living room straight to my room and lunge at the cage. Thank god he has stopped doing that! I did some boundary exercises with him but I can't imagine using the same method for a cat. Perhaps the only solution is to not let Amber in your room at all? Sucks that she wouldn't be able to go into your room since she likes being in there, but I think not having access to one part of the house is a heck of a lot better than being rehomed. :)

You just can't move that cage in any other room?

Its not good at all if a bird is always stressed out and having a cat near it is dangerous what happens if Amber knocks the cage down one day.

If this is going to continue and you cant move the bird the best thing is to rehome it even if you do love your bird alot do whats best for it. :(

Having these stressed out times can affect a bird on its health.

So sorry, hope you can move its cage else where.

Which one does your mom want you to rehome?
I have found that keeping animals permanently separated in a house just doesn't work!
Eventually, they get together. Somehow. It only takes a second, and then one could get attacked or traumatized.
Hopefully someone here will have some suggestions on what to do. I really hope you can keep both, somehow.

She wants me to rehome Baybi, but I'd obviously MUCH rather keep both.

No, the cage can't be moved to any other room, unfortunatley. There just isn't any space for it anywhere else. :(

There is definitely no possible way to shut Amber out from my room- this is where she has learned her litterpan is, her food and water, her bed, everything.. sometimes, during the day, if we even shut her out for ten minutes she starts yowling at the door.

We're just going to have to keep the spray bottle nearby if she jumps at the birdcage again..

Maybe you could put a sign on your door, saying to keep it closed b/c of the bird. I find that company who's not aware of separating situations, will often open door w/out realizing what could happen. Anyways good luck hun. :)

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Originally Posted by zoey

Maybe you could put a sign on your door, saying to keep it closed b/c of the bird. I find that company who's not aware of separating situations, will often open door w/out realizing what could happen. Anyways good luck hun. :)

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We already have several of those posted.. :o "Don't come in, the bird's out" and one hanging above Baybi's cage, "Baybi and Amber may never be out together." :(

I hope you all know that I'd never rehome without thinking it through and trying new things though. Aside from PT, we're asking some family friends and such who know a lot about birds. I'll keep you guys posted, although suggestions will still be appreciated.

Could you maybe slowly move Amber's stuff (litterbox, bed, food, & such) out of your room? Like move the litterbox a foot closer to out of your room each day?
Since we have four birds here, plus three cats, we keep the birds in my room. And only under strict supervision is when any other pets are allowed around them.
It sounds like one of the only options is to get Amber adjusted to having all of her stuff in a different room.

I hope you find a way to solve this, though I know you won't rehome unless absolutely necessary. =)
Good luck.

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Originally Posted by Chilli

Could you maybe slowly move Amber's stuff (litterbox, bed, food, & such) out of your room? Like move the litterbox a foot closer to out of your room each day?
Since we have four birds here, plus three cats, we keep the birds in my room. And only under strict supervision is when any other pets are allowed around them.
It sounds like one of the only options is to get Amber adjusted to having all of her stuff in a different room.

I hope you find a way to solve this, though I know you won't rehome unless absolutely necessary. =)
Good luck.

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Here's the thing.. my room is totally the pet room, I have the rabbit, bird, and cat & all their things in here. The reason for that is because we don't have space anywhere else in the house for them.. but I'll definitely see what I can do.

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Originally Posted by flamepony12

We're just going to have to keep the spray bottle nearby if she jumps at the birdcage again..

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Im telling you thats not good enough.

This cat sooner or later can harm your bird either by grabing it or knocking the cage down.

I have heard of these stories many time's ''Today my cat attacked my bird'' or ''Today my cat killed my bird'' ect ect.. im tired of it.

I just hope you pay extra attention to your bird and its saftey.

Good luck.

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Originally Posted by Argranade

Im telling you thats not good enough.

This cat sooner or later can harm your bird either by grabing it or knocking the cage down.

I have heard of these stories many time's ''Today my cat attacked my bird'' or ''Today my cat killed my bird'' ect ect.. im tired of it.

I just hope you pay extra attention to your bird and its saftey.

Good luck.

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Of course it isn't, It's just all we can do until further adjustments can be made.

Unfortunately there is not much you can do. Maybe try a scat mat or something, depending on where the birdcage is? The first day or two I brought my bird to my new place, the cat was jumping on the cage. After that, she hasn't done it since. Do you think she would ever realize she's not going to catch the bird, and would stop? I also have a pretty big cage for a cockatiel, it has very heavy bars and is on a stand by itself (you could probably fit 4 cockatiels in it with no problems).

What about a cage that hangs from the ceiling? Or what about rearranging furniture?

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Originally Posted by areias

Unfortunately there is not much you can do. Maybe try a scat mat or something, depending on where the birdcage is? The first day or two I brought my bird to my new place, the cat was jumping on the cage. After that, she hasn't done it since. Do you think she would ever realize she's not going to catch the bird, and would stop? I also have a pretty big cage for a cockatiel, it has very heavy bars and is on a stand by itself (you could probably fit 4 cockatiels in it with no problems).

What about a cage that hangs from the ceiling? Or what about rearranging furniture?

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Sorry, but what's a scat mat? Maybe that'll work if we give it a try, depending on exactly what it is.

Baybi came first. If anything, Amber should be the one to go.

Amber is making Baybi feel uncomfortable, although Amber is just going on her instincts, Baybi is not the wrong do-er.

The *right* thing to do is to not allow Amber access to your room, not get rid of any of them. However, it seems that's not possible if your parents aren't willing to move the litterbox/food anywhere else. A litter box can easily fit in the smallest areas - bathrooms, closets, under tables, etc. Same with food bowls. My brother's cats are fed in a closet.

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Originally Posted by Kfamr

Amber is making Baybi feel uncomfortable, although Amber is just going on her instincts, Baybi is not the wrong do-er.

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I know that neither of them can help it, and what is going on is most definitely not Baybi's fault, and that she was, in fact, here first.

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Originally Posted by Kfamr

The *right* thing to do is to not allow Amber access to your room, not get rid of any of them. However, it seems that's not possible if your parents aren't willing to move the litterbox/food anywhere else. A litter box can easily fit in the smallest areas - bathrooms, closets, under tables, etc. Same with food bowls. My brother's cats are fed in a closet.

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Exactly. But since Amber's been living in my room since she came home, It'd be easier to move the bird cage than to set Amber up in a completely different place. There's not really a whole room that she'd be able to have acces to 24/7 anyway, so we may have to move Baybi to a different room, which we're trying to find space to do. We're not sure yet but we're doing our best to resituate without rehoming.

I don't think its fair for you to rehome Baybi in any case. She came first. Your home has been her home for a longer time than Amber. My first thought was, "When you had a bird and didn't have a seperate room for a cat, why get a cat? And...if you got a cat, why did you introduce her to your room, where Baybi lived? I'm sure your house has other rooms. Even a living room would do for a cat." I want a cat, very badly, BUT...I have two birds who have been with me for 7 years now, and currently, do not have an extra room for a cat...so, I won't even consider it right now. My birds came first, and they come first. If for any reason, I got a new pet who caused my birds problems, the new pet would be the one to go, not the first one.

Birds and cats don't mix. If you have birds and cats in the same household, they need their own, seperate rooms, where the cat cannot access the bird. Letting the cat into the same room as the bird with her pouncing on the cage and scaring the bird is cruelty on the bird. :( Baybi can get a heart attack if she gets too scared. Do you realize that?

If I were you, rehoming Baybi would not even be a thought, let alone an option. If Baybi's cage is huge...get her a smaller cage, and move her to another room, where you WILL allow her to be out of the cage for many hours during the day, in safety, away from Amber. If that's not a possibility, keep Baybi in your room, and train the cat to stay in other parts of the house. It may be a challenge at first, but I'm sure it an be done. As a last resort, if one of them has to be rehomed, it should not be Baybi. She was there first. :(

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Originally Posted by popcornbird

I don't think its fair for you to rehome Baybi in any case. She came first. Your home has been her home for a longer time than Amber. My first thought was, "When you had a bird and didn't have a seperate room for a cat, why get a cat? And...if you got a cat, why did you introduce her to your room, where Baybi lived? I'm sure your house has other rooms. Even a living room would do for a cat." I want a cat, very badly, BUT...I have two birds who have been with me for 7 years now, and currently, do not have an extra room for a cat...so, I won't even consider it right now. My birds came first, and they come first. If for any reason, I got a new pet who caused my birds problems, the new pet would be the one to go, not the first one.

Birds and cats don't mix. If you have birds and cats in the same household, they need their own, seperate rooms, where the cat cannot access the bird. Letting the cat into the same room as the bird with her pouncing on the cage and scaring the bird is cruelty on the bird. :( Baybi can get a heart attack if she gets too scared. Do you realize that?

If I were you, rehoming Baybi would not even be a thought, let alone an option. If Baybi's cage is huge...get her a smaller cage, and move her to another room, where you WILL allow her to be out of the cage for many hours during the day, in safety, away from Amber. If that's not a possibility, keep Baybi in your room, and train the cat to stay in other parts of the house. It may be a challenge at first, but I'm sure it an be done. As a last resort, if one of them has to be rehomed, it should not be Baybi. She was there first. :(

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This is exactly why I DON'T want to rehome her, and want to do what's best for her.. beause she WAS here first. We're definitely going to end up either moving her or Amber to separate rooms.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone..

Good news.. we found a place to move Baybi's cage.. She's in our family room now, where our old fish tank used to be. She has a nice window view and we can shut Amber out of that room. We go in there frequently, so she'll still have company :) Looks like it's working out well!

Just make sure there aren't strong drafts... I know that can sometimes make birdies ill. :)

Glad you guys figured something out and didn't have to rehome anyone.

Nope, the door is always closed, so she should be fine. (:

When Amber's not in my room I can still bring her in and let her sit on my shoulder and then return her to her cage in the family room, so it seems to be going well.

I'm happy you were able to fix the situation without rehoming poor Baybi.

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Originally Posted by Kfamr

Just make sure there aren't strong drafts... I know that can sometimes make birdies ill. :)

Glad you guys figured something out and didn't have to rehome anyone.

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Indeed they can. When my mom was a teenager her bird died from a draft. That's why she gets after me if I accidentally set my bird where a draft would be.

Good job and glad everything turned out well..

I'll be honest, I didn't read through all this thread because I don't have the time right now. If this advice was given already then I apologize. How about a hanging cage? Hang it from the ceiling and in a place that Amber can't get to it. Just a thought.

edit: Just read that things worked out well. Maybe I should have skimmed through better! :p

Sorry, I didn't read all the posts...but, is there anyway you can "hang" the cage from the ceiling or something? High enough that Amber can't get it but low enough that you can see in/get her out? I'm sure it would be less stressful for baybi?

(edit) nevermind...glad you worked it out :)

Good for you for working it out :)

Re the draft issue - even though the door will stay closed, window areas are always a bit drafty. One sure fire way to see if an area is drafty is to light a candle and see how the smoke drifts. If the smoke goes straight up, it's safe for your bird. Of course, it's recommended to test this before your bird is in the actual area ;)