Fostering birds in Toronto — how to start?
I'd love to foster birds in need but I'm not sure how to get started. Are there organizations in the GTA that need foster homes? I have experience with Eclectus and a dedicated bird room in my Guelph home.
Hang in there! It gets better. My Quaker parrot went through this too.
Thanks for sharing! I'll have a more detailed response shortly.
A friend who's had birds for 20 years told me to try introducing new foods by eating them in front of the bird — monkey see monkey do. I was skeptical but it actually worked.
A friend who's had birds for 20 years told me to try covering the cage partially at night for 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep. I was skeptical but it actually worked.
Thanks for sharing! I'll have a more detailed response shortly.
I've done a ton of research on this because my Indian Ringneck had the same issue. Here's what I learned: the most common cause is a subtle environmental change you might not even notice. What worked for us was putting a bird lamp on a 12/12 timer to simulate natural daylight cycles. I also started reading "The Parrot Problem Solver" by Barbara Heidenreich and noticed improvement within a week. It's a process but it gets better.
Totally agree with this! My African Grey is exactly the same way.
So I had this exact problem about a year ago. Let me share what I learned. The key thing is target training first, then building up to step-up. A lot of people also recommend reading "The Parrot Problem Solver" by Barbara Heidenreich. My avian vet in Aurora also suggested checking for boredom from lack of enrichment and mental stimulation which can sometimes be an underlying factor. Good luck — feel free to DM me if you have questions!
Welcome to the club! My caique trained ME in the first week. They're way smarter than they let on.
How long have you had them? Sometimes it takes a while for birds to settle into a new home.
Bookmarking this thread! So much great info. This is why I keep coming back to this forum.
BST in Mississauga took such good care of my bird. Best bird sitting service in the GTA by far.