Long-time bird owner, first time on the forum

Hey all! I've kept birds for over 10 years — started with budgies and currently have a lineolated parakeet named Sunny. I live in Oakville and found this forum through the BST website. Seems like a great community with solid advice. Happy to help answer questions and share what I've learned over the years!

Welcome! Great to have you here. Your Quaker parrot sounds wonderful!

Welcome to the flock! It's wonderful to have someone with a decade of hands-on experience joining us—especially with lineolated parakeets, which don't always get the spotlight they deserve. Sunny is lucky to have an experienced caregiver; linnies are such gentle, quiet little characters and often a perfect fit for condo living here in the GTA.

We're thrilled you found us through the BST site, and having another Oakville voice in the mix is fantastic for local recommendations—whether that's avian vet suggestions or tracking down the best spray millet in the west end. With your background spanning budgies to linnies, I'm sure newer members will really appreciate your perspective on how different species fit different lifestyles and living spaces.

What would you say has been the biggest surprise or learning curve switching from budgies to your linnie? We'd love to hear about Sunny's personality quirks or favorite toys, and please feel free to jump into any threads where your experience can help—this community thrives when we all share what we've learned along the way!

BST in Mississauga took such good care of my bird. Best bird sitting service in the GTA by far.

I've had birds for 15 years and I've seen this many times. In my experience it usually comes down to molting — they get uncomfortable and cranky.

I've done a ton of research on this because my Pionus had the same issue. Here's what I learned: the most common cause is a change in routine or schedule. What worked for us was target training first, then building up to step-up. I also started adding more variety in perch textures and sizes and noticed improvement within a week. It's a process but it gets better.

Totally normal, don't stress! Birds go through phases just like any other pet.

Lol my Pionus does the exact same thing. I've just accepted that the bird runs the house now. I'm just the food delivery service.

Oh my bird did this for about almost six weeks and I tried everything. Honestly, time was the biggest factor. They just grew out of it.