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I know I always seem to be posting in here about my problems with Rosie.. Remember Monday I said that I have given her another bath and she hated it?? Well That done it for her. Ever since then she can't stand me. She loves my Mom she will whistle for her & everything but since her bath on Monday she hates me. She will start shivering when I go to her, she won't step up for me instead she runs away and when I get near her she screeches at me. I thought it would take time but it's day 3 and shes still mad at me.. I guess if she is still holding a grudge 3 days alter she won't ever get over it. Thats an awfully long time for an animal to hold a grudge isn't it?

Nah, that's not a long time! Just try giving her treats (and not your mom) and showing her you still love her! She'll eventually come around!

Once you get her to warm up to you again (which she will), you might think about getting her a shower perch. I think I've said this before, but tiels are flock animals. If they consider you part of their flock and they see you do something, they're more likely to do it. Anyway, it feels a little weird, but if you can, take her into the shower with you and let her sit in a place where she doesn't get wet or splashed much. Let her watch you shower. If your shower is too small, stick her to a mirror or something. Then you can move her closer once she gets more used to the sounds and everything. Or you can stick the perch in the shower and spray over the bird with a spray bottle of warm water. Don't squirt her - squirt kind of up in the air so the mist falls down on her gently. Some do better with that, although it can be kind of taxing on your hand. And if she runs back and forth and lifts and spreads her wings but doesn't take off, that's a sign that she's actually enjoying it, not trying to get away.

One other thing - I never shower the bird and put him back in the cage. I'll give him a bath, then let him come sit on my knees on a towel and I'll pet him, give him treats and let him play with a paper towel. That way, even if they don't like actually being under or in the water, they still associate a bath with something good. Don't give up. Just be persistent, but patient.

Sherwin was terrified of the shower when I first adopted him. I eased him into it by first just bringing him into the bathroom with me and letting him sit on the towel rack next to the shower. This way he got used to the sound and the room, etc. Then I would turn on the shower and while he was sitting on my hand, hold him inside the shower but not near the water. Actually, that's now the way he prefers to take a bath. I hold him in the shower under a fine mist and he goes to town! It took several months for him to get comfortable....it's not something you should rush. He does have a shower perch but he actually likes to have it attached to a window and look at what's going on outside!

'Tiel responses to our behavior can take moments or days for them to fully absorb. Rosie is still in the scared mode for all intents and purposes, and if you do something that causes her to distrust you, it might take a little while for you to win back that trust. Just don't get too anxious about her not wanting to do things. My alpha male does not like water period, and in 2 years, he's had maybe 6 baths, all forced. He does not like it, but he's lived with me long enough to know I'd never hurt him, and he still trusts me, even though he might despise when I bathe him. I don't sweat the small stuff.. Not trying to be too critical, but I think you are pushing a tad too fast, and I can understand that after reading about how all of us get treated, and how we treat our kids. It has taken over 2 years for Smokey to finally come out of his shell of being cage-bound, and though I forced him for a while, he's all on his own now, and is a completely different birdy than when he was given to me. I never thought he'd be a social birdy, but he has become much better in the past several months. Let Rosie help you decide when things should happen. She may eventually find out bathing is fun and makes her feel better, but I'd just not rush things. Enjoy her, and likewise, let her enjoy you and your mom. She will come around, but it just might not happen as quickly as you want. Remember, you have the chance of a good 20 years or more together, and nothing can beat long time association.

It is okay that you have problems, really. you are a new owner, and it is better that you ask questions and voice concerns--it shows that you care, and that you are a good mom.

She might be holding a grudge, but it won't last forever, I promise. She'll get over it, just spoil her for a while I know it can be a little confusing, some say be persistant, and others say slow down... there is a medium here. Tiels can be bull headed... Bubba sure can be! Though he doesn't like to bathe all the time, I sometimes push bathing on him... he has gotten peeved at me, but that is okay, because he knows me... he will even hold a grudge for a while, but he is generally forgiving. The worst is nail clipping--he screams bloody murder, even though I KNOW I'm not hurting him... he gets angry for a good few hours, and won't come to me. But he knows that I am his mom, he still loves me anyway, and in a couple hours he is begging me to scratch his head.

As Rosie comes to trust you more and more and she realizes who provides the millet (lol), she will be okay too... sometimes as a parent, you need to do things they don't want you to do--clip nails, wings, give medicine, etc... but you know that you only want what is best for her, but she doesn't realize that yet. Give her a rest for a little while until she forgives you and you build some more trust, and then try again... there are a lot of different methods to try for bathing, and eventually she may take to one.

Good luck!

-Jackie and Bubba

Woody is still a scared birdie when he's out of his cage---and I've had him for eight months! It definitely takes time---very slow process, but when I first noticed that he was coming around, the first signs, I would get so excited and amazed and it's still happening! Over the weekend I had my son over and also my nephew, and they don't come over often because they are over an hour away from me now. Well, my son just went over to woody's cage and got him right out! woody didn't even mind that it was someone he doesn't really know! I was surprised! I am lucky that woody is ok with baths-----he doesn't seem to mind them at all, but doesn't seem to really like them either, I think he is still making up his mind about it! lol I think he will like it eventually because he is so good about it now. Also I am lucky because I don't think woody would ever get too mad like that and hold a grudge-----he gets over things very quickly and just forgets about it in a few minutes, and I just don't think he would ever be that way. I've always been very careful though about not pushing anything on him that he doesn't like------with the exception of taking him out of his cage------BUT, if he seemed tired or grumpy at all, which hardly ever happens, I have always put him right back or not taken him out at all. I always look for signs of him being in a good mood first before I take him out, and although he hated coming out at first, he never got mad at us at all for making him come out. He's such a good birdie!