Dreaming of Pippin's daily schedule...

I'm doing a TON of online and book research, and learning SO much. Based on what I've learned about parrot behavior in the wild, I'm planning on a starting schedule for Pippin when he comes home.

My bird is one of four who hatched in the DJ Feathers aviary in VA. My deposit gives me first pick of the clutch. I *think* I want a male so as to never have to deal with the possibility of egg binding. This is the one male in the clutch, at 6.5 weeks old:



I don't think I'll ever become a Caique breeder: my goal is one forever friend. I chose the Caique after a bunch of research because I wanted a very energetic yet small parrot who would bond strongly with me. I am an author who works from home, so I can devote a LOT of attention to my birdie. However, I need to be careful to socialize him to my grown kids (who come in and out) and grandkids, and my husband (who also manages our small business from home). If we do get a male, his name will be Pippin (because we have a LOTR theme in our household) and my husband (who may get an African Gray, if all goes well with Pippin) will then name his bird Gandalf, the Gray.

Given all this, my plan is to have the bird sleep in his cage upstairs in our study, which adjoins our bedroom and is quiet by 6 PM each night, as the sun sets. Going by the theories read in Parrot Problem Solver by Barbara Heidenreich, I'm hoping to develop a regular daily routine. I plan, for instance, to bring Pippin into my shower daily (or however often he wants) and watch me do my morning grooming (how will he react to a blow dryer?), and then take him down to his "foraging station" in my dining room while I make and eat my cold breakfast nearby. Then, there are several places for us to sit while he plays on a moveable playstand. Back to the cage mid-day for a deep nap or alone time play so that I can always be free to go elsewhere and do errands, etc. (I plan to work elsewhere in the house during these mid-day hours even if I am home just to get him used to this routine.) We have a deck and a large old cage that I plan to put on our deck, since Pippin won't come home until late April, and we can enjoy many hours out there (since it's wonderfully shady) playing and dozing in the sun and soaking up all that wonderful vitamin D. In the evening, my husband will be ready for Pippin play time, and foraging will again be on his play station. Then, bedtime at sunset or so, upstairs, away from TV and visitors.

I know (btw) that all these are only goals, and that Pippin will be far from perfect and will be stubborn and have his own ideas. These are just goals (gotta have them in parenting, right?). I am enamored of the idea of a free-flighted bird, but think that a caique is too small and too curious for flight. Therefore, I'm trying to plan a variety of play stations that will be good places for him to enjoy out-of-cage time safely.