I'm worried about Lucy

[TiaBug1120]

She still wont step up which is pretty trying because she does want to be on my shoulder.

I am mostly concerned about her eating. She doesn't seem to be eating much. I give her a food mix in a cup as a standard and then give her two different fresh meals each day with a mixture of fruit, nuts and birdy bread.

There is alot left after each time I change her bowls.

Her droppings look ok....any suggestions?

 

[TiaBug1120]

Just to add a little more she has a vet appointment coming up in January.

She was adopted about two weeks ago so she might just be stressed still. She is not plucking her feathers.

One other thing that I have noticed is that even though I leave the door to her cage open whenever I am home she stays inside of it alot (which to me seems weird but might not be for a bird). She will respond to me when I talk to her but otherwise is not too interested in her toys or play gym....I'm not sure if I am over reacting or what

 

[Von1983]

The best way to find out if Lucy is eating enough is to weigh her. The average adult sunny is around 120-140g(the latter being a touch heavy lol)

She is still adjusting and you will have to work very hard to undo all the negative things she's become accustomed to.

Sounds like she was never taught step up or if she was, prefers your shoulder because that way, she has the control. If she is on a human hand she must trust they aren't going to try and put her anywhere she dislikes etc. On your shoulder she is able to ensure this doesn't happen. It will just require a lot of patience and work from your side to prove to her you only want her on your hand for fun and nice reasons!

With her eating, she was on a poor diet before which you have overhauled gradually since you've got her - I'm correct in this I think? (sorry Tia, bird brain!!!) That being the case, it will take a while for her to adjust but remember, all of us fill up the pellet bowl and the fresh bowl and find most of it on the floor and smeared everywhere!!!! The expression "eat like a bird" to me, is rather true. They DO stuff their faces and a trip to the electric scales usually backs this up, it's just that with the contents of what seems like the majority of the bowl on the floor, it's sometimes hard in the beginning to tell WHAT they've eaten unless you've been watching every second of the day lol.

As you've a trip to the AV coming up, they will be able to advise you and weigh her as well as checking she is tip top! Great you made the appointment because it will reassure you too!

Not playing with toys or coming out the cage are learned behaviours. Maybe her previous owner never took the time to introduce new toys and show her how they worked when she was little? Maybe poor Lucy got little or no out of cage time after the initial excitement in her old home and as a result, doesn't realise how wonderously fun it can be?

Consider all of this and remember she is a bit like a serious human toddler. Your job is to loosen her up and show her that her old routine or lack of, is a thing of the past!

Wishing you luck!

 

[TiaBug1120]

Ok thanks for that reassurance! You made me feel better!

As far as the stepping up, she will only do it if she flies across the room and can't get back, otherwise she is a snapping turtle and I am not too fond of putting my fingers or knuckles out for her to latch onto...can you advise me on a good approach to this training?

 

[Spiritbird]

I have one suggestion after the wonderful advice already given. Birds should be taught to play with toys and actuallly to eat new food. Best way to do this is to set example. You eat what you want your bird to eat so that the bird can see you. You play with the toys yourself so that the bird can see you do this. The more excited you are the more the bird will be curious.

 

[TiaBug1120]

I did read something about using a hand held perch at first to avoid these bites...do you think this is a good idea?

 

[TiaBug1120]

I have one suggestion after the wonderful advice already given. Birds should be taught to play with toys and actuallly to eat new food. Best way to do this is to set example. You eat what you want your bird to eat so that the bird can see you. You play with the toys yourself so that the bird can see you do this. The more excited you are the more the bird will be curious.

Its funny you say that because she was begging for a piece of my bagel the other morning....and I was thinking what a weirdo...I'm gonna try plain popcorn...

I do get on the floor and play with her toys but she mainly sits on her play gym and watches me, she likes to ring her bells which I do with her....I think we need more toys!

 

[Von1983]

It sounds like she really hasn't been "taught" the basics.....

Cal did that as a baby when she first arrived.

Try step up training inside the cage with a wooden plain chopstick instead of your fingers and hands. This works very well and as she is slightly more advanced, you can work on "no bite" with the stick after she has established what it is for and knows it will not hurt her. Praise and treats are very important in this. You'll know simply by reading her body language what is appropriate!

 

[Von1983]

Thanks Di - my brain went faster than my fingers again!

I found playing with toys while Cal was out of the cage worked very well. She sat on my tummy while I played with whatever toy. Didn't take her long to join in! I found it piqued her interest more if I pretended initially it was MY toy rather than anything to do with her!!! To do this I just played with it and didn't verbally offer her to join in - she was soon beaking toys to see what they were! So much more fun doing what you aren't supposed to, after all After they had been introduced that way, I played with them inside the cage while she was outside lol!!! I used this as positive reinforcement to say: Ok, bedtime now sweetie!

The same goes for food, I eat that horrible plain popcorn twice a week LOL It's so much more fun for them to share with you and make a mess. It deepens the bond immensely. Cal loves to share with me and I get so many "oh's" and "thankyou's" that no matter how much I'd rather sit quietly watching TV after a busy day, I make sure I share food with her out of cage every evening.