Crying

[Juliejet]

Kimkim I would spend lots more time with him if he wouldn't cry it's hard listening to the cries that's my wish to spend more quality time with him

Mekaisto I have tried to find a parrot specific behaviour consult there was one in Sydney but I think he has retired if there is anyone who knows of one pls let me know

 

[MikeyTN]

I would have to say it's improper weaning procedure that's causing this issue. Like you said it yourself, hunger is the issue!!! Do you have a cage for Jet??? Hate to say this but you need to cage him for now. Offer a bowl of pellets all day. Offer fresh fruits and veggies in the morning and whatever else you feed him throughout the day. And during evening time give him just a table spoon full of seeds. NO nuts or treats during this time!!!! If you catch him eating pellets, stop feeding the seeds period. Still no nuts or treats for at least a month or so. Then you can start offering it to him again.

I also want to mention, IF his weight is under, then it's not a bad thing to feed him seeds for the time being until he gets back his proper weight then try to change the diet a bit later!

 

[Mekaisto]

Thanks for the video, it's helpful to know what kind of noises he's making.

I think the first step to make is to get him onto eating pellets. I know you've tried before, but we just have to keep trying until he gets the idea. I think it will make a big difference to his continuous calling.
What brands/types of pellets have you tried?

Where I used to work we fed this diet:

1/4 cup of boiled lentils, barley, beans, peas
1/4 cup mixed seed, sprouted and unsprouted (safflower, sunflower, corn, barley)
1 thick slice corn on the cob
1/2 cup diced vegetables (broccoli, carrot, kale, green peas, green beans, etc)
1/4 cup diced fruit (Apple, pear, grapes, papaya, etc)
1/2 cup Zupreem NutBlend
Nuts in the shell as treats

Zupreem pellets are hard to find in Australia, Vetafarm's maintenance diet is a fair substitute, or if you can get your hands on Harrison's Adult lifetime or Pretty Bird Daily Select they would be equally good.

Now, I'm going to list a couple of different 'methods' of switching an underweight parrot onto pellets. If you've tried any of these before just ignore it, but have a read through all the same.

1. Mixing pellets in with his normal food. This has to be done very slowly for him to accept it. Give him his normal food with a small spoonful of pellets mixed in. It's even better if he gets a mash of vegetables, because that way some of the mash sticks to the pellets. If he eats some of the pellets this way, great! You can move onto increasing the amount of pellets in his food over the next few weeks. If he won't touch them, try crushing them up and adding them to his food.

2. Soaking pellets in something. Carrot juice, apple juice, nectar or even a tiny amount of coconut oil might just get him to have a taste. If he's willing to try them, you can eventually reduce the amount of juice.

3. Smearing a little bit of salt-reduced peanut butter on one of his favourite toys or chewing materials, then sticking the pellets onto the peanut butter sometimes works to get a parrot used to the taste of pellets, and can make the switch easier. Shoving some pellets and peanut butter inside gumnuts can work wonders.

4. Feed high off the ground. Sounds weird, but parrots are more likely to eat if they are somewhere high. They feel safer, and are more likely to focus on the food rather than other things going on around them.

5. Pretend to eat the pellets. Parrots always want to eat what you're eating, and if Jet thinks he's missing out on something yum, he'll definitely try it.

Now throughout this whole 'weaning' period, you should have a small amount of pellets available at all times, just in a little food dish or bucket up high somewhere.

Also, have you ever tried training him? Something simple, like 'step up' or 'wave'? If you can get him to stop calling for even a little bit, you can reward his silence. If he 'waves' for attention instead of calling, even better.

Keep in mind it can be hard to train a behaviour like this out of a cockatoo, especially if it's been going on for a long time. This won't happen overnight, and is going to need the cooperation of everyone in the household. But, with luck on your side, I think you'll be able to do it.

 

[Juliejet]

Yes I have tried nearly all of this but he still holds off for the other stuff ,he doesn't like anything sweet I have crushed the pellets ( Harrison) and put in his potato mash but he is a wake up to that even when the AV had him for a week he said he is a stubborn one.the only thing I haven't tried is putting his food up high I don't know how I can manage that but I will have a look at doing it,he steps up already I have tried the wave thing but he just bobs down and cries.i will try the crushed pellets in potato and pumpkin again,you see when he eats this it's always only half a tea spoon of it at most if I'm lucky,how much of food in 1 go can a crop have when older ? I know a baby has 2 x 30 mls every feed

1/2 cup diced vegetables (broccoli, carrot,green peas, he only likes these warm

I am always offering him different foods

Mikey that's why I give the seeds and nuts because he is under weight I think I will hold back on the them and start from scratch again and only use them for rewards for being quiet I know it's going to take a long time.yes jet has a cage that he uses when I go to work 2 hrs in morning and 2 hrs in arvo and when he goes to bed and he is great in it

Thank you all

 

[Mekaisto]

He certainly sounds like a picky boy! It sounds like the breeder's fault though, I wouldn't beat yourself up about it.

There are ways to get him to eat pellets, but I wouldn't recommend them if he's underweight.
I think your best chance would be to find a parrot behaviour consultant, I haven't had a parrot so difficult to switch to pellets before, so I'm afraid I wouldn't know what to do.
I'm sorry I couldn't help, maybe someone else on the forums will have had a similar experience, and knows how to help?

 

[Jaz27b]

Hey Juliejet
I live in Sydney also. When I had a Bird, I took him to a vet called Bird and Exotics Vet, they are located in Waterloo. The website is birdvet.com.au (i hope it's ok that I put the site. Please let me know of this is not allowed ) They specialise in exotic birds and reptiles and were amazing with my bird. There was a lady there who was studying Parrot Behavior through Taronga zoo. Perhaps you could call them and ask if she would be able to meet with you to help. I think her name was Rebecca. She was really cool.and very lovely, very friendly and caring! Where abouts in Sydney are you?

 

[Juliejet]

Hi Jaz27b I have been going to the Bird and Exotics Uni out here at Camden and they have been great as well I will look into the one you have suggested I'm will ing to get someone to come and give me some advise.thank you

 

[Juliejet]

Well I have tried a few things I have put another tall table a bar table height against the tree stand and I have put lots of fresh food and in the bowl on stand I have put crushed pellets and some other seed and millet he will only eat the millet,I stopped the sunflower seed last night but gave 1 almond for a treat,oh there still was some sunflower seed in his foraging wheel in his cage but not a lot and of cause he ate that,but at least I new he has had something ,the good thing is the food on the new table seemed to help cause he has a choice to eat something even tho he isn't eating much of it,at least he has it there he keeps going and picking at it not crying as mush but at least it's a start and when he is quiet long enough I say good job Jet nice and quiet and give him a sunflower seed,thank you for the tips as I'm getting a little excited ATM cause I can see light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[shesocalifornia]

Oh geez he does call for you.....like he would his momma bird. He bobs his head up and down begging for attention. When a baby bird is weaned the momma bird forces him out of the nest and forces him to forage on his own. I think your problem is improper weaning. I bet he was not weaned and younger than what you think when you got him. You are doing all the right things. I think at this point you need a professional to come in and maybe even take him for a little bit. It is important that he gains weight, is on the proper diet, and is healthy. I read somewhere that a abundance or nuts and sunflower seeds can actually be bad. Professionals are linking diet with behavior. I don't think this is going to stop until you get a professional help and him eating better. your a good cockatoo mom and just remember cockatoos are velcro birds and love to be held constantly. They have to learn to entertain themselves but they also need a lot of time being held and snuggled. Good luck!!!

 

[Juliejet]

Thank you shesocalifornia Things are looking a little better having the extra food out on the table ,All tho he wants me all the time from what I have read over the the time is not to handle him all the time only at night when he is out, in saying that he isn't a clingy bird but he wants me if that makes sense he isn't fond of petting, he can and will entertain himself self quite well.as they all do he will scream when I'm out of the room when he is on his stand I have been doing the contact call with not much success,if I take him to the room that I am in he's just cries that's what confuses me is why he will still cry when he is with me, any ways Rome wasn't built in a year.As many have the same problem he will scream when I talk to other ppl or raise my voice when getting frustrated with the kids lol.as I said before my AV took home for a week to try a few things but that didn't work but I will look at getting someone in

 

[MikeyTN]

Keep up with the feeding regimen! I have raised enough chicks to see the symptoms of the issue. Once he is eating properly, you'll notice a vest improvement. I've raised and trained many birds.

 

[Juliejet]

Oh MikeyTN
I just don't know what to do yesterday he grazed while he was out helped with the crying a little but it wasn't enough to sustain him over night he still won't touch the pellets, today was worse than ever cause he was hungry he just won't eat enough of the good stuff to keep him happy this is why I started to give more sunflower seed and almond months ago when I posted the same problem,he has gone to bed with not having a good feed all day and I feel so bad,he has had pellets and a little millet in cage for last 2 days and he will only eat millet not even enough to count,should I keep at it for a few days or should I give in and give sunflower and almonds, even before the last few day he really wasn't a great eater at the healthy stuffing have tried different ways to give the pellets.as well today his has changed his demeanour towards me running when I go near him, I feel like I'm just damaging what trust I had.:31:

I know you don't have all the answers and you have heard it all before but I'm at a loss ATM I'm worried about him starving

 

[Phlox]

I don't know much about cockatoos...but I do know that you can't starve a bird into eating the right stuff. It can take months to get a non-sensitive bird to eat pellets and try new foods. A very emotionally volatile bird like a cockatoo? I would bet it could take a year to change their diet.

Maybe try some nut butter (if the birdie likes almonds, etc) mixed on to the pellets? My amazon isn't keen on chop or birdy bread yet, so I plan to grind up nuts and seeds into the next batches so the whole thing smells and tastes like nuts, which are her favorite.

 

[Jayyj]

If I could throw a question out to the experts, what age should this bird have weaned at? I'm assuming if he were sold by a pet shop at four months he was weaned probably at three, but I'm sure I've read that palm cockatoos don't wean until they're approaching a year old, and that makes me wonder if he was weaned way too early for his species?

If that's the case - and I mean this as a question for people who know what they're doing, not because I have any clue about this - is there an option to rewean, perhaps offering a warm, wet food from a spoon once a day then going through the final stages of weaning again? Or would the damage already be done and no way backwards from it?

 

[MikeyTN]

Weaning time can vary from bird to bird!

When we were talking about improper weaning process, when your trying to change diet in the midst of weaning it can do more damage then anything else. Never force the issue especially during weaning stage. Once out of that stage in proper weight then you can try changing food.

I would highly suggest in keeping Jet on the seed diet right now and not force the issue for awhile! Not saying you can't try to give him other stuff but do provide plenty of seeds for now.

 

[KimKim]

Can you call a local breeder of black cockatoos and ask them for advice?

 

[KimKim]

And forgive me if this has been posted, I can't recall, have you tried eating with him? And also eating or at least pretending to eat the pellets (and other foods) so he knows they are food?

 

[Mekaisto]

Weaning time for RTBs is usually around 6 months, 4 months is possible, but extremely unusual. Re-weaning is a difficult process, especially once the bird is this old (over a year) and won't accept wet food.

Julie, have you tried making a warm mash of pellets? All ground up and soaked in warm water, with sunflower seeds and nuts added in?

 

[Juliejet]

Mikey
(I would highly suggest in keeping Jet on the seed diet right now and not force the issue for awhile! Not saying you can't try to give him other stuff but do provide plenty of seeds for now.)
A: that's what I decided months ago and had been doing but I was worried he wasn't getting enough nutrition as he had lost 40 grams over that time and not gaining that's why I had started with the pellet thing again.what I was doing was when he came out in the am I would feed him as a main feed just to get some carbs to put on weight give him potato mash, pumpkin,squash,zucchini,now he will only eat say a half a teaspoon of this,he would scoff it down after that say 2 table spoons of sunflower seed and the fresh veg for the then he goes back in cage so I can go to work at 2.30 then I get home at 4.30 and do dinner and things he stays in his cage cause of the crying then I get hime out at 6 and then feed the same as the AM and of cause he has rice, pasta, loves bones and the odd human naughty food. I'm think and pretty sure if I give more sunflower he will cut back on eating the other food.i have cook birdie bread and muffins but he won't eat them.anyhow I will do what I was doing before and try all the trick that I have done before and see how he goes.

Kimkim
And forgive me if this has been posted, I can't recall, have you tried eating with him? And also eating or at least pretending to eat the pellets (and other foods) so he knows they are food?
A:yes I have always done this he has no trouble trying new things he just doesn't always take to them and that's ok


Way back when I was worried about his weight I offered him some formula and he wouldn't have it I tried with a spoon and a syringe


Mekaisto
Julie, have you tried making a warm mash of pellets? All ground up and soaked in warm water, with sunflower seeds and nuts added in?
A: I will try that and I will put in potato mash again

Thank you every one

 

[Juliejet]

Well Im happy ATM AGAIN lol crushed 1 that's the corse 5 millimetre pellet and put in potato and he scoffed it down he didn't eat the other things he usually eats zucchini,pumpkin,squash!but still again only a teaspoon(can someone tell me how much Toos can eat in one serving) but he was crying badly still so I soaked 2 in water and 1 teaspoon of sunflower and crushed 5 almonds and mixed together and he loved it,but again he didn't eat much ate for about a min and a half .man and he is still crying bad not interested in playing.I don't know well anyways I will work it out thanks again I will give you a rest from it lol