Leaving The Nest

What an exciting time when a baby bird leaves its nest!  It begins by learning to coordinate its movements in order to fly, to learn to control those movements in order to turn and land, and to actually get where it wants to go.  But very soon, it begins exploring farther and farther from the nest as its confidence increases.  It tries out new foods that can be found as it goes farther from the security of home.  The baby meets other birds outside its family unit, and it learns skills to live sociably with them.  It finds all sorts of new things to explore and play with. 

 

Just like other baby animals, a bird is very impressionable during its formative months.  Now is the time for learning about new places, people and animals.  Now is the time to try new foods and toys, to learn to climb and fly and flip.  Anything a pet bird might be exposed to later in life should be introduced while it’s still young.  Baby animals are programmed to explore and try new things and to learn from each of those interactions.  Adult animals are programmed to be cautious of new things, so if it’s something they haven’t been exposed to, they are normally cautious about it.  This is a survival mechanism. 

Something new in a wild bird’s environment could be dangerous to them, so caution is a good thing.  Being cautious might just keep that bird alive!  But to a baby, everything is new, so they need some time when they are young to explore and learn about their environment, to see what is safe and what’s not.  They will learn by trial and error, but birds are also very good at learning by watching others and mimicking their behavior. 

A baby bird leaving its breeder’s home is leaving its nest - that known security where it has been since it hatched.  Sophia had to learn a whole new environment.  Everything was new to her – our home, her cage and toys, and me.  In the first week, she was exploring her cage and her toys, and was learning about me and spending a lot of time with me.  During the second week, she began to branch out (no pun intended!) and explore the areas surrounding her cage, and surrounding me wherever I was at the time.  This week has been full of long-range flying and exploring all around the house. 

I must admit that it was easier when she would sit with me contentedly, or would play on her cage or play gym for longer periods of time.  Now when she is out of her cage, I am constantly going to fetch her from trouble and return her to where I want her to be.  But this is natural exploratory behavior for her.  If she was living in the wild, she would be venturing ever farther from her nest and her parents, exploring and trying out new things.  Of course, if I get out of Sophia’s sight, she will come right away looking for me … it’s not safe for a baby bird to be on its own completely in the wild, you know!  But once she satisfies herself that I am nearby, she is off exploring once again. 

Sophia has been with me for only three short weeks.  She has learned so much during that time.  Some of these things she has learned on her own.  Some of them, I have introduced her to.  She’s a very cuddly bird, so I’m doing a lot of work with her so she will allow me to touch her all over her body.  This is important to continue as she gets older.  There will be times when she needs to be examined by a veterinarian and restrained for me to groom her – clipping wings and nails mostly.  The more familiar I can make these actions for her now, the calmer and more accepting she will be for them later.

Sophia has learned several tricks.  She is beginning to potty on cue, which is very important toward keeping my shirts and house clean!  I make sure she goes potty before picking her up or letting her explore.  She's learning quickly.  Sometimes she gets distracted when it's time for training.  In this case, I do whatever it takes to make her successful.  If she is very distracted or not in the mood to train with me, I help her to end on a successful note, even if that means giving her an easier behavior to do instead, and then I give her a break.  There's no need to push her.  She will learn better later once she has calmed down.  Sometimes she needs to go exploring or to play a bit to get some excitement out of her system.  Sometimes she just needs a cuddle.  By giving her what she needs first, she will then be in a better mood to do what I want to teach her. 

Take a look at some of the things Sophia has learned in her last few weeks with me –