HELP! I need a crash course in Galah ownership!

[joycebirds]

I'm in Australia and have a 10 year old sun conure myself. I just had a baby Galah literally dumped on my doorstep today. One of my mum's coworkers bought it for her son who lost interest after a few days and she was just going to release it into the wild. My mum doesn't know much about birds, but knew that was a terrible idea. She told her we'd take it, for lack of a better option, and now it's sitting in my lounge room being totally adorable. I've always had a soft spot for Galahs (love the wild ones) but I have NO idea what they're like as pets. I'm a big softy and we will probably end up keeping him/her if we can look after him. Can anyone give me any tips or info on what Galahs are like? Will it hurt my sun conure? She has full run of the house at the moment, unless we're out. What are their general personalities like? I know these vary greatly depending on the bird but, in general?
I feel really bad for this little guy, he was on an all sun flower seed diet for about 3 weeks and was in on of those awful cocky cages. I would really love to give him a great home but I know nothing about Galahs and what to expect.

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEELP!!! lol

 

[Thingamagigs]

If you are in Brissy, let me know I can always come over and give you a crash course

Firstly... if you have a sun... you will LOVE having a galah as well
They are quieter than sun conures, just as cheeky, less demanding and more intelligent. They talk better and are quirky companions just like your sun.

You have a bit to learn, but thankfully galahs are excellent forgiving adaptable birds and easy to train out of bad behaviours if you accidentally encourage them LOL For example, it wont be too hard to convert them to a proper diet after being on an all sunflower seed diet.

As for getting along with the Sun... that will depend on the birds. Their size difference isn't terrible dangerous, the galah might be heavier but their beak size is comparable and galahs are usually gentle... I know a lot of people that keep them in aviaries with cockatiels. I feel their relationship will depend on your sun conure. He was there first, its his territory and it depends if he likes this new bird or not.

 

[Thingamagigs]

Oh, forgot to add... do not allow them to go inside each others cages. Conures are usually very territorial and my galah was a bit cage territorial as well.

I adored my galah until he "escaped" while being birdy sat by my parents. I spent nearly two years all up looking for him. They definitely steal your heart! Not everyone likes them... they shed a LOT of dust, they scream twice a day on average for 5 - 15 minutes (because they are so gosh darn happy they want everyone to know! ) and they are "beaky" that is to say they use their beak alot including a little too hard at times LOL
But they are very sweet, love cuddles, love watching everything you do, love to participate and are basically a feathered toddler!
They are exceptional birds and you will love having one. Fingers crossed your Sun is ok with him!
(If not give him to me LOL)

 

[joycebirds]

Thanks so much for the info!!! I know what you mean about "beaky", my conure is the same. He nibbles and bites when playing but not too hard, kind of like a kitten or puppy playing with their claws/teeth. I definitely wouldn't let him/her in my conure's cage, my conure would be quite upset about that!

I'm actually in NSW - otherwise that would've been great! LOL

What kind of diet do they need? Right now, my sun conure has a south american pellet/seed/nut/dried fruit mix. He also gets a lot of fruit. Do galahs like fruit/veggies?

What's the Galah dust? Never heard of that before! Is it bad for my conure?

Thanks so much!

 

[Thingamagigs]

Bummer, would be so much easier to give a crash course in person. The dust is something that all cockatoos have, even conures are very slightly dusty... but cockatoos are extremely dusty (you might want to get an air purifier ). It shouldn't be bad for your conure, it might be bad for you if you are asthmatic or have terrible hay fever... even then an air purifier should take care of that

Here is some images....

I used to wipe my galahs cage down with a damp cloth once a day to keep in under control. I used to have a photo of how dusty it got on a daily basis but its been lost for years :/ lol The top example is extreme, I think that guy must not clean the cage regularly. Basically, on a daily basis there would be a light film of dust over the bars which I would wipe down with a cloth to make sure it didn't get out of control. The last image looks like a couple of days worth of cockatoo dust

Galahs will eat just about anything, but dont give him the same stuff your conure is on... its too high in fats. Go out and get paswell pellets... they are cheap and even my conures love it. Its free from colour and nasty additives and is aussie made. That will be his base diet. Use sunflower seeds as treats only. I wouldn't give him any seed what so ever unless its sprouted. If you sprout seed make sure it has 2cm+ sprouts. Fruit and vege is great, you should feed fresh foods daily. Even eggs and meat. My galah used to love picking at lamb bones (supervised).

 

[Thingamagigs]

My Larry <3 This is an example of the amount of dust on the bars in one day. Loved this bird, its the only photo I have left of him

7 years on it still hurts.

 

[joycebirds]

I'm so sorry to hear about your little larry. He was gorgeous. I know the pain. I had a green cheek conure about 7 years ago too, and one day he flew out a window that I had left a jar. I never forgave myself for it, it was so horrible. I still get sad about it.

That dust is crazy, I never even knew that about cockatoos! Well, I sweep and vacuum everyday anyway so it shouldn't be too bad. My little guy (or girl... might get a dna test) is a bit grey still, is that normal for babies? I'll try and get a picture of him later, don't want to stress him to much.

What kind of toys do they like? Are they really strong with their beaks? My conure loves soft wood like pine and balsa and shredding things up. Do they like plastic or jingly toys?

Thanks for the diet tips, I will keep that in mind. My sun conure was a rescue so I was never able to get him fully on pellets, but I can try nice and young with this little galah.

 

[Thingamagigs]

Its hardest not knowing... I had a little conure die at the start of the year and while its sad and still hurts... the fact that I know how it happened and why is a comfort... even though I feel guilty (he died of an obstruction... completely preventable... most likely from his preening toy he loved so much).
Larry... he could have died, he may have been one of the few to adapt to a wild life... or he may have been found and kept as a pet.............. and hopefully loved. OR... my parents may have sold him as I suspect. All in their own way are hard to swallow and none give me peace of mind of knowing.

Annnyyhooo... being grey is very normal He/she must be very young! I guess they really did lose interest in him quickly didnt they.
They love toys they can destroy Blocks of wood etc. They also LOVE things with complex bits and will sit there for hours trying to figure out how to get a little movable bit out of a toy. I suggest not giving them jingly toys unless you dont mind the sound of those jingly toys going for hours on end Larrys favourite toy was a big noisy bell toy... he would try to pry the little dingly bit from inside for hours and when he was in the mood, he would ring it and bash it against the wall while doing his happy dance LOLOL

By the way... this is a Galahs happy dance...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJfMm2eb3-8]The Brave loud Galah. - YouTube[/ame]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwxL1Ngs8sw]Funny Galah Screaming and Playing - YouTube[/ame]

Expect it regularly

 

[birdmom29]

Galah's diet really must be watched as they can pack on the weight and are suspetable to fatty tumors. As very young chicks, they are grey with bits of pink. as they grow their colors come in. The love floor time. Mine flys to the floor and will play there for hours. I only allow any of my birds out of their cages when my dogs are kenneled up tho. galah's are like toddlers tho and must be watched. they are inquisitive and can be trouble makers. They really are quiet funny. Your galah will likely be much quieter than your sun conure.

I have 2 CAGs, one galah, one amazon and on buffon macaw. I have a large house with an air filitration system in it, so we don't worry about the dust. But it can be a concern for the asthmatic or people that have certain lung conditions.

For toys they will play with just about anything. They will like the conure toys, but are very intellegent and may want something a bit more challenging. My galah, Kitty, loves to be on the floor the most of anything. I put toys down on the floor for her, but she mainly does what she wants (and that is why I have to watch her). Her beak isn't really as destructive as some of the bigger cockatoos, but she is only 9 months old.

Good luck and I think you will really enjoy your new addition.

 

[joycebirds]

Thanks for all the info guys! It's really helpful.

I'm thinking of getting him this cage when I get paid next month, what do you think?

It says that it's 185 x 155 x 123cm - do you think that's big enough? My conure lives in a a cage like this:

 

[Thingamagigs]

Yeah its big enough, a member on this forum has a macaw in it I was going to get it for my Corella but they sold out!! Where are you buying yours from?

My cage from GTMALL just arrived. I DO NOT recommend them. The cage is poorly made, there are rusted screws on it and the screws and wheels were not in the package. I will never buy a cage through them again.

 

[Thingamagigs]

I can't put my cage together until they send me the missing parts Very disappointing.

 

[joycebirds]

Oh no, that sucks! I have heard bad things about GT mall... I was going to get mine from wayfair.com Corner Cage in Black All Pet Products | Wayfair

I saw it on eBay first but yes, it does say it's out of stock... Hm.

I might check my local pet store, those bars look a little thin, do you think a galah could bend them,?

 

[Thingamagigs]

i think tab xo got hers from GTmall... if you wanted it half the price of what wayfair offer! Ask her if its good quality

 

[Thingamagigs]

Hamilton Playpen Parrot Cage in Black Matte Bono Fido | Wayfair

This one looks fabulous! In fact, I wish I had seen this I would have bought it instead of the piece of crud I got