'tiel troubles.. *update*

[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?

[flamepony12]

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?

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

[Kfamr]

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.

[flamepony12]

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

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.

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.

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.

[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.

[flamepony12]

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.

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..

[flamepony12]

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!

[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.

[flamepony12]

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.

[Husky15]

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

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.

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.

[slleipnir]

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

[Giselle]

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