While you’re heading out for a change of pace, it’s likely that your bird would appreciate sticking to the same routine. To make the transition to boarding or pet-sitter easier for your feathered friend, it’s best to make a summarized schedule of the daily activities your parrot typically enjoys. Although you shouldn’t expect your sitter to adhere to every single facet of your bird’s regular life, having a reference guide may give them some insight on why your bird is screaming at 12:08pm (snack time!) but knocked out cold at 12:17pm (nap time!). Every bird is different, and even the most experienced pet caregiver can be caught off-guard by a particularly moody or phobic parrot who just wants to stick to the same old grind.
A great way to create your list is to pick a day, go about it as usual, and write down tasks as you progress. You may not notice all of the things you actually do for your parrots until you make a timeline in this fashion! As an example, here’s a typical morning at the Gibson residence – and keep in mind, that my bird’s have the schedule of a 20-something vet tech who keeps a blog, two parrots, two rabbits, and sleeps at odd hours!
10:45am – Wake up, uncover cage, open doors to freedom
10:50am – Change water bowls, add pellets if necessary, leave birds to their own devices and care for the rabbits
10:55am – Whistle to the birds as I change litter boxes and water bottles for rabbits
11:00am – Eat breakfast, give a piece of cereal to each bird, let rabbits eat what they drop
11:02am – Stop Symon from biting the rabbits as they take the dropped food
11:05am – Turn on the radio or a playlist so birds can do their voice exercises
11:30am – Sweep up breakfast mess, gather work materials
12:00pm – Work from home until 2:00pm
As I continued to write my schedule, I began to realize how many times I absent-mindedly engaged with the birds or stopped them from doing something at approximately the same time over the span of an entire week. At about 12:15pm every single day, Symon climbs down off the cage and attempts to sneak into the bathroom to eat the shower curtain – every day! While this is no big news to me, that behavior could certainly surprise a pet-sitter and they may not know where he went when he disappeared.
Try this exercise for yourself! You might be surprised what you learn about your and your parrot’s daily routine. Share your findings in the comments below, and make sure to follow us on Facebook for more fun with the flock.
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