Help with my cage and waterdish, Please.

[wildheart]

I know this is going to be a stupid question to most of you, but, does your ring neck drink water from a cage-dish?

Sterretjie does not, I can see that she is thirsty but refuse to drink from her dish. She will fight with me to get to my tea or coke and if I pour water in a glass she also just stick her nose in the air.

I make a salad for my iguana each morning and because he only gets his water through his leaves I always soak it in water. Sterretjie will lick the water off the leaves and also off my hands but that is where it stops.

What type of dish does your parrot drink out of, or any advice of how I can get her to drink water?

She also does not bath in her birdbath and did not like the shower. We've put a branch up in the shower where she can sit while I shower, she is not in the water and at my face level only receiving sprinkles. Doesnt parrots bath like the birds in my garden?

Here is her cage, please inspect it and tell me if something is wrong and where I can improve. Thanks.

Full view: She has a ladder that my husband made so she can clime up to her cage or down. I forgot to put it there before I took the picture. There is also a big water dish on her floor with rocks inside - like the ones that our wild birds uses, also not in the cage when I took the photo.

I've put one of my iguana's basking lights over her cage for warmth, she loves sitting under it.

Here is a dish with fresh mustard, turnip, lucerne etc. leaves full of water, different kinds of fruit, grated butternut and Johnny-jump-up flowers to make it pretty. (I usually cut the fruit smaller but decided to put half a papino in her dish this morning to make up for me being at work

). There is also a small amount of water in the dish, just in case she licks it.

I've placed a sisal log in the corner in the hopes that she will make herself a warm nest. She's been real busy with it.

On this side is her cage-dish with her parrot pellets that I soak in water otherwise she does not eat it. At the far end is her water dish.

Please tell me of any mistakes and where I can improve, plus, how to get her to drink water. I am still looking for more toys otherwise we will make it ourselves.

 

[Spiritbird]

Your bird really has a nice home. Some birds drink out of a bottle system which you would have to teach. Try taking the rocks out of the bath water and see what happens. I have an idea that may work. I had some pellets in my birds cage when she first started on them. I removed most of the toys from the cage gradually so she would focus more on the pellets and it worked!! I am sure the forum members will have other ideas also. Good luck

 

[wildheart]

Ok, I'll take the rocks out. How much water must be in the dish and how deep must the dish be? I've put the rocks in because the wild birds like standing on them while bathing - otherwise the dish might be to deep.

Sterretjie loves her pellets as long as it is soaked. Because she only has one operational leg she does not hold her food like other parrots. I dont really understand your advice about her pellets, or maybe I am understanding you wrong?

 

[antoinette]

Wildheart what a small world we live in least at (our birds ) LoL
Sterretjie and Mishka have exactly the same cage I call it her castle
Just looks much smaller in the pic

Mishka would not eat or drink from of the little white bowls that came with the cage, same as seen in the pic.
I tried to bride her, with treats with no luck.
I purchased silver bowls from the pet shop. The go for about R20.00.
She immediately started eating and drinking from the silver bowls.
Hopefully Sterretjie will do the same, if the bowls are changed.
I will send you a pic of them, when I have a moment during the day.
SB made a good point, about removing the toys. Try is for a few days, perhaps she will concentrate on the pellets. Another alternative, place the bowls, near a perch, where there are no toys nearby as not to distract her.
Taking her size into consideration, and the problem with her leg, perhaps try breaking the pellets into smaller pieces. They might be a big for her to hold. Not sure if this will help, worth a try.
Let us know how it goes
Good luck

 

[Spiritbird]

One other thought is the temp. of the water. Bath water is usually warm. My Rosie likes her bath water to drink from and not so much from the bowl. The water in her bowl is cold. Also I give her sips of water and organic juices in a juice cap and she gobbles the water or juice like it is made of gold.

 

[wildheart]

Ok that might be the problem, thanks. Where did you put the silver dishes, is it on the floor or did you make a ledge of some kind?

 

[antoinette]

Bowls are attached from the outside
Hope this was helpful Wildheart !!!

 

[wildheart]

It definitely was, thanks again Antoinette.

On another note, you guys are giving me advice about her pellets, why? She loves her pellets as long as I soaked it in water first - she eats it like a little piggie and choose it above her fruit. Or, is soaking it a problem - does the pellets need to be hard for her beak or something?

 

[antoinette]

It definitely was, thanks again Antoinette.

On another note, you guys are giving me advice about her pellets, why? She loves her pellets as long as I soaked it in water first - she eats it like a little piggie and choose it above her fruit. Or, is soaking it a problem - does the pellets need to be hard for her beak or something?

Sorry I though she was having a problem holding the pellets LoL
No problem how she eats them, as long as she eats them

 

[Montu's Mom]

I think her house looks like a lot of fun from your pics! Where does she spend most of her time? Inside or outside the cage?....You might try placing a water dish on the top of the cage next to the play area especially if she spends a lot of time there. Maybe adding a few fresh veggie leaves to the dish might encourage her to play in the water.

 

[wildheart]

Thanks that is a brilliant idea, I will do that when I get home. I think my bath dish is also too big - what size bath do you recommend?

 

[antoinette]

Ok that might be the problem, thanks. Where did you put the silver dishes, is it on the floor or did you make a ledge of some kind?

The bowls differ somewhat......
Some come with a sought of clip on, inside the cage, and the others, you screw from the outside of the cage.

LoL hard to describe

 

[Ecclipse]

Hi Wildheart, your cage area is parrot heaven!!!! My parrot is just under half the size of an African Grey and the same size of a Senegal. I also found that when I changed the bowls to steel it made a difference. The rock could be making the water taste funny. Have you thought of boiling the water and pouring it into a bowl cooled because your bird might not like the water. Is the water brak? I trained a horse who was the only one out of 20 horses who hated the taste of the water. Have you tried using a bowl and you actually drinking out of it - it would be clean! Hahaha and showing the bird that its ok to drink from that bowl. He/she might of had an accident when trying to drink with its leg being broken...maybe try moving the bowl around to see which is the best spot for her/him to drink from. Hope this helps...good luck!

 

[wildheart]

The lady that I buy my roaches from also have parrots and she said that I should dilute half water half Powerade/Energade and see if Sterretjie would drink. I did it and Sterretjie loves it, sommer drinking out of the white dish as well!

Is Powerade/Energade ok to use? (I suppose only SA members will know the drink?)

She sits and prune herself at least 3 times a day, does yours bath daily?

 

[antoinette]

The lady that I buy my roaches from also have parrots and she said that I should dilute half water half Powerade/Energade and see if Sterretjie would drink. I did it and Sterretjie loves it, sommer drinking out of the white dish as well!

Is Powerade/Energade ok to use? (I suppose only SA members will know the drink?)

She sits and prune herself at least 3 times a day, does yours bath daily?

I personally do not give Mishka Powerade or Energade, even diluted.
The sugar percentage, is extremely high, and birds should not have sugar. Rather go for a 100% fruit juice and dilute that.

Below is a link explaining what a bird should and should not drink.

Parrots and Health birds avian veterinary literature

Hopefully other members will assist, and give us some great advise.

 

[wildheart]

Thank you for the link. I did not have time to search the web, buy books and do proper research, the way it was suppose to be done. With Sterretjie I was thrown into the deep end straight away. Thank God for forums and friendly people like you.

I will not give her the Powerade again.

I bought the silver dishes and a tree-thing to keep her more busy. I will take new photos so you can see if there is any problems or suggestions where I can improve.

 

[Ecclipse]

My parrot preens himself throughout the day and I spray him daily accept when its cold...Antionette is right, stay away from the powerade...rather use 100% pure fruit juice. I hope that your seeing an improvement

 

[antoinette]

I follow this forum like a bible.....
How did Sterretjie take to the new bowls?.
Mishka stared at them at first, I think she thought they were mirrors
Looking forward to the pic's

 

[wildheart]

You know I forgot to get bowls that attach to the inside of the cage! Damn! The silver bowls are attached to her new tree perch and she tried to tip them over and luckily failed. She ate from them but I did not see her drink yet.

She spends all her time on the cage and on the tree so I dont really have any food inside her cage anymore. But I'll need those bowls for when nobody is home and she must be inside, I'll have to go shop again.