kiboo and me... Unrequited love? or a happly-ever-after?

[evaleen]

on day1, kiboo had spent the entire day panicing, prancing, pooping, pouting, more panicking, and panicking.
oh yeah, did i mention panicking?

day2,he's just a small fraction calmer. but still imitates tom (from tom and jerry) like he's being chased by a pack f wolves.

day3, he's calmed down a little. (mind you just a little though!) he still dose his tap dancing when someone other than me passes by his cage, but now he can tolerate me coming close to the cage. (which is if i am about 1.3meters afar)
......................................................................................................................................................................................
kiboo's story...

i dont blame him... these are some of the things he's been subjected too:
=the kids in his previous home used to throw a glass of ice cold water at him
=the cage was really small, so they used to grab hold on to his long tail that stuck out, thus stressing out the poor bird
=they changed his water 3 a week. but cleaned the container only once a week
=the kids used to bang on the cage with a steel hollow pipe
=they shoot the bird with water guns, and also use it as target practice for their stupid toy guns
=they used to poke him with a stick
=they had once managed to bring it out and tied a rope on one of his legs, and took fun in watching him trying to fly away and falling to the floor
=the kids used to deliberately spook him. theyd cover the cage with a cloth, and stick in a barbeque stick. the bird went crazy, cuz it didnt hav any idea where the stick will poke through next
=they used to towel the bird and shake it violently if it tried to bite
=they clipped its wings and threw the bird to person to person playing catch
=they used to kick its cage when ever someone wanted to vent out one's angr out
=and sad of all... they used to bath the bird... by repeatedly and briefly submerging the whole cage under water- bird and all. they said that this also helped clean the cage too...

when i went to this particular house for a visit... i was appalled... i felt sick... wanted to throw up... and couldnt stop crying...
(it was my friend's aunt's house) i was begging my friend to persuade her aunt to treat it right... and the relative bluntly refused.
"whats such to care for? its just a bird. u worry too much. dont let it bother you. besides, look how much the kids are having fun!"

after she said this, i came straight home...

they'v had him for a year, then when they were shifting houses, my friend managed to persuade her aunt to sell it off to her.
and she gave me him as a gift. i was overjoyed... and relieved that.. even if it can never accept humans as friends... it will still live a peaceful life now onwards.... and thus begins my struggle to let it know it had a friend... me.

sorry for the huge huge post...
there arnt any people out here who are passionate about birds... so i cant share it with anyone... if i do share it, they think i'm weird- fussing over "just some bird". and i get angry all over again...
atleast you people can understand what i feel... i just HAD to share it... sorry for the blabbering...

[evaleen]

day4,

today... i discovered that he is quite the acrobat... when left alone, he plays with the toys i provided. today he happily shredded a paper boat i made. i had placed it on its bathing dish so that it was floating. he had first nudged it with its beak and followed it until it sail to the other end. then attacked it like Godzilla until all was left were minced paper all around!
(i was watching secretly. he NEVER relaxes enough to play when people are around)
the last few days, all he did was sit still and stare....
(yeppie! improvement!)

but after watching such a cute and playfull side, and remembering what went through, i had bursted out into tears again.
i ended up crying myself to sleep just inches away from its cage. (i had kept it on my bed, and had sat down beside kiboo)

when i woke up, i saw it was trying to reach my nose with its beak through the bars... (i hav no idea wether it was intended for a bite or not but i didnt care and) i leaned my nose forward. kiboo kinda 'nibbled' my nose tip and the ran to the furthest corner away from me!
and sat there watching me like i was a freak while i laughed and laughed and laughed...
"i love you too" i said.

[evaleen]

oh yeah, i presented it with a variety of fruits (including bananas, apple, guava, and some other fruits of which i dont know the English name) in its food bowl. but it didnt even TOUCH any. isnt that weird?
mayb cuz it was on a seed diet all its 3 years? the only fruit it identifies as food are grapes. i had even cut the fruits in various sizes and shapes, cuz i dont know what it prefers. but he didnt even touch. he did went to investigate them, so i still have hope.

and it shows an odd behavior when i approach its cage. wen ever someone comes near it, kiboo goes crazy and starts attacking everything. (from all its toys to even the food bowl itself). he goes into a chewing frenzy. whats going on???!!!

[TaraJ]

Evaleen this is just a beautiful story...Had tears in my eyes about the way he was being treated before you got him....Im sure with some time he will know he can trust you and will then be your forever friend...So happy he now has you instead of last cruel owner....will be watching now to see how he is going

[evaleen]

thank you sooo much taraJ...

day5,
ah. i'm happy.
i can now actually appreciate how beautiful it truly is... now that it actually stays still wen we're together in the room.
(i'v asked the previous owner about his behavior, kiboo used to be kept in a corner in a room all by itself. so basically, it only was visited when someone came to mistreat it. so it has associated human presence with cruelty.)
now, its still and watches everyone (quite warryly if i may add) and only freaks out when someone approaches his cage.
(yaaaaay! improvement!!!!)

it still hasnt touched any food except its seeds.(it only eats hulled rice seeds)
but also listens and looks at me attentively when i talk to it...
its so beautiful....

[evaleen]

ah.
progress in the last 3 days.
the new cage is too big, so i cant take kiboo with me ever where i go. but its improving.
kiboo now settles down after a few minits when i sit next to his cage. so now he stays still and watches me.

(although he still goes into a chewing frenzy, but i gess we'l have to work on that)
i'v removed all him chew toys and hung cabbages and other leafy vegetables on the cage bars.
aftr a day of missing his chew toys, he started chewing on the veggies. (YES!!!)

but the problem is, he dosnt eat them. i mean he keeps shredding them like he was a blender in his past life; but he dosnt ingest them.
sometimes, tearing away the vegetable stalks causes some f the juice to flow into his beak. i even see him swallowing that, but that's it. then he just shreds the rest and goes back to his perches.

as for peanut butter, he's SCARED of it.
he bit into it, but immediately started shaking his head like its the worst thing he ever had.
and he dosnt go near it ever since. ( say whaa----????)
today, he's sleeping as i type. yaaay! he trusts me enough to sleep while i sit next to his cage..

i gave him a toy keyboard in his cage. he goes CRAZY when he pushes his beak on a key, and the "ping" sound resonates! lol then he starts trampling on it,producing multiple notes.

he is now way way waaaaaaaaaay more comfortable with me and the others.
but he still dosnt eat anything but seeds.i even tried tying nuts into a necklace and hanging it. but all the joy he finds from it is tearing the thread and watching the nuts fall.
(destructive little creature) he even tries chewing on the cage. although it didn't have any luck with it. (yet)

how should i convert his diet to healthy veggies? all he eats are his seeds. and if i take them away, he'l patiently wait till i put them back in.
i havent brought him outta the cage yet, he's too panicky for that i think.

i wana target train him... he's ready for target training, but i dont know what his treat is. at can i use to treat him with? (i give him a seed blend. but he only eats the hulled rice seeds and ignores the others)

any help?

[McmillanBirds]

Hi Eva
I am fairly new to the forum and only read your post today. I am absolutley appalled and shocked at the way your poor bird was treated with its previous owner!!! I teared up while reading the post too!!!
Congratulations on the improvements you have had, although they are small, they are giant leaps if you look at how the bird was treated previously!!!
I have a couple of aviary birds who had no clue what fruit and vegetables were when I bought them, but after putting it in their aviaries time and time again they eventually started eating it.
How is your bird doing now? I hope he is well.
Regards
Carmen