8 month old hybrid cockatoo

[cockie]

hi guys,
i have an 8 month hold lesser X elenora hybrid called cockie. hes a great bird. i used to keep him in the terrace but it is getting windy and had to move him to a room. he is in there by himself in a 36x24 featherland cage with rotating toys. i play with him for 10 mins 7-8 times a day and take him to the living room on a play stand for 2-3 hours aday. once or twice a week he gets to go to work with me and hang out with people.

he throws his veges and fruits and hardly eats them but loves his harrisons and goldenfeast.

i have a few questions and i hope you could help me.
how do u guys get your birdies to eat veges.
and also i am planning on adding another 36x24 featherland cage and get another parrot to keep him company. i am not expecting them to preen each other and stuff but just another feathered friend to look at and chill from his cage. if they bond its great

i have been thinking of the right species or bird and decided not to get another too. today when i went to the pet store to buy some toys i met a yellow front female amazon. sweet girl and friendly and 5 months old.
do you think it is a good idea?

i totally value your opinons.

i live in hong kong btw.

best

 

[Weezerj]

Do you have a food processor?

I have a picky eater as well, so a lot of his veggies are snuck in with other food. As an example, he loves corn but won't touch the other veggis with the corn, so I put peppers (several types), brussel sprouts and Kale into the food processor and turn it into a pulp. I then mix this with the corn kernels, the greens sticking to the kernels of corn. He gets a lot of the greens as he eats the corn.

Another trick is to stuff mini peppers with ground up veggies. Something about getting food out of the middle of other food makes this fun and he will go for it (but not always).

I also will sit down with a plate of veggies and act like I'm eating them....causing him to get curious and come check it out. This only lasts for a few bites unfortunately, as he quickly figures out I tricked him into eating his veggies.

As i type this, I realize its a lot like getting kids to eat veggies.....

 

[cockie]

anyone? with any advice?

 

[JerseyWendy]

anyone? with any advice?

Did you miss the excellent response you received from Weezerj?

As for adding a second bird, nobody here can possibly foresee if they will ever get along. It will be a gamble, regardless of which specie you decide on.

 

[Jayyj]

I do a similar thing with veggies to Weezerj: corn is the one she actually wants, so everything else gets chopped up finely and mixed in with the corn. I've never been able to make great strides with getting her onto veggies and she still won't share mine if I have a plate of them with my dinner but she does at least pick at the veg in the chop mix. I also give her a mix of Harrisons pellets and the Lafeber Nutriberries which have dried veggie content along with a pellet type base - she loves those and it's better than seeds.

There have been many previous threads regarding adding a second bird so it's possible people are a bit talked out on that subject. To summarise though, the general advice is you should only get one if you personally want another bird, not because you think your existing bird might like the company. You might get lucky and they get on well, keep each other company when you're out and you can have them out together under supervision when you're home. Unfortunately there's an equal chance they could hate each other, in which case you'll have to alternate them for out of cage time and you'll need to make twice as much time to play with the two birds as you did with one, and also the possibility they end up falling for each other and decide you're surplus to requirements altogether.

 

[cockie]

thank you all. i am going to just keeping him and not adding another bird

 

[Peppo]

I love that stuffed mini pepper idea! I am going to buy some today! Maybe some rice and veggies in there...yum.

 

[plumsmum2005]

Some great advice above and sometimes if you try "would you like some of what I have?" works and loads of yum yum noises can interest them into just trying a piece of something not eaten before, especially if yours is as nosy as mine lol

 

[Weezerj]

Some great advice above and sometimes if you try "would you like some of what I have?" works and loads of yum yum noises can interest them into just trying a piece of something not eaten before, especially if yours is as nosy as mine lol

Even if this only works for a bite or two, it's better than nothing.

My gut tells me presentation also helps, I wish I was better in this regard.

 

[Scott]

Some great advice above and sometimes if you try "would you like some of what I have?" works and loads of yum yum noises can interest them into just trying a piece of something not eaten before, especially if yours is as nosy as mine lol

Oh yes, eating something in front of them is an excellent way to induce interest. Two days ago, Gabby, a 21 yr old Goffin born and raised in my home ate a few blackeyed-peas for the first time! No guarantee he will try them in the future, but never give up! Their fruit/vegetable bowls are always filled with things that are jettisoned overboard, but there is always hope!