Sun's Big sister
New member
- Nov 30, 2024
- 2
- 4
- Parrots
- Red lored Amazon
I am Sun's big sister/mama. He is 40 years old and he came to my parents smuggled in from Mexico and still in gray feathers. He was with parents for a number of years.
Then he was with my mother and Grandmother. He then immigrated to Canada about 22 years ago when my mother married a Canadian. They had another bird, but Sun did not like "Bill" so they stayed in cages side by side. My mother would take Sun out on a regular basis to go around the house for a tour. She had some toys and was able to do nail and beak care. I even assisted a couple of times. But I was always afraid of hurting him and he usually got free and my mom would hold him.
Fast forward to 2014 and my mother's partner died. Bill had also died. I stil came on my annual visits and usually Sun would come out to sit on my shoulder and take the tour. I was always a bit uncomfortable because he would preen my hair and that beak would come close to my ear. Sun knew that he could do the lunge thing and I would back off. He always seemed to remember me from visit to visit. I think mainly because I was doing his food when I visited.
As mom became unsteady on her feet, I think he was left in the cage. Good thing, his cage placement was in a great spot close to the family TV room and he could also see outside the front window. He enjoyed talking when we were on the telephone and would join pretty much every conversation. Although I lived internationally I knew that I would come help my mothere when she needed assistance and get Sun when my mother died.
I came to help mom and live with her and Sun. I had all the feeding duties and kept doing what my mom had been doing. Feeding the bird a combination of pellets and seed food. Also a few extra peanuts at random times. I took him out a couple of times but his talons were pretty long and I was not very comfortable and mom was not real spry and could help me if there was an issue. All three of us went through covid together so he had plenty of "flock" time. He also was very happy to hear my father on video calls and would come to his usual spot in the cage and they would whistle to each other. This was after all the years apart.
Any way the sad days came. My father died and my mother died in 2023. Sun has not seemed sad and we I are making a new life.
My main issue is his talons are long and his beak is long. Any tips on what I can do to help him wear them down?
I am giving more stimulation. He is now out of his cage on top every day. I usuall give hime a small paper cup with a peanut inside for him to shred and then get a treat. I am starting to use a spray bottle to let him bathe and he really does enjoy it.
This is very long, but if anyone is near Yorkton, SK please let me know if you can trim talons. I have the clippers and stuff to do it.
Then he was with my mother and Grandmother. He then immigrated to Canada about 22 years ago when my mother married a Canadian. They had another bird, but Sun did not like "Bill" so they stayed in cages side by side. My mother would take Sun out on a regular basis to go around the house for a tour. She had some toys and was able to do nail and beak care. I even assisted a couple of times. But I was always afraid of hurting him and he usually got free and my mom would hold him.
Fast forward to 2014 and my mother's partner died. Bill had also died. I stil came on my annual visits and usually Sun would come out to sit on my shoulder and take the tour. I was always a bit uncomfortable because he would preen my hair and that beak would come close to my ear. Sun knew that he could do the lunge thing and I would back off. He always seemed to remember me from visit to visit. I think mainly because I was doing his food when I visited.
As mom became unsteady on her feet, I think he was left in the cage. Good thing, his cage placement was in a great spot close to the family TV room and he could also see outside the front window. He enjoyed talking when we were on the telephone and would join pretty much every conversation. Although I lived internationally I knew that I would come help my mothere when she needed assistance and get Sun when my mother died.
I came to help mom and live with her and Sun. I had all the feeding duties and kept doing what my mom had been doing. Feeding the bird a combination of pellets and seed food. Also a few extra peanuts at random times. I took him out a couple of times but his talons were pretty long and I was not very comfortable and mom was not real spry and could help me if there was an issue. All three of us went through covid together so he had plenty of "flock" time. He also was very happy to hear my father on video calls and would come to his usual spot in the cage and they would whistle to each other. This was after all the years apart.
Any way the sad days came. My father died and my mother died in 2023. Sun has not seemed sad and we I are making a new life.
My main issue is his talons are long and his beak is long. Any tips on what I can do to help him wear them down?
I am giving more stimulation. He is now out of his cage on top every day. I usuall give hime a small paper cup with a peanut inside for him to shred and then get a treat. I am starting to use a spray bottle to let him bathe and he really does enjoy it.
This is very long, but if anyone is near Yorkton, SK please let me know if you can trim talons. I have the clippers and stuff to do it.
He goes to the avian vet for nail trims (vet refuses to trim a beak unless it is so long it interferes with eating. She is more concerned with the length of the lower beak. The upper beak is mainly cosmetic.). The tip of my bird’s upper beak just breaks off little by little through chewing wood or cracking nuts. The nail trims are an adventure! The vet has to towel him and then goes to town with a dremel as my bird honks very loudly like a goose—a sound I only hear during nail trimming torture sessions. I have recorded the sound of the honking to share with my husband. I wish I could post it here. 
I envy people who can trim their parrot’s nails without a struggle!
