new parrot owner 2

[hicham]

well now that everything is going better, Yago is going out everyday he seems more relaxed in the house, he stays in his cage but he's not afraid each time somebody moves or somebody approaches his cage... But now I have 2 new problems, Yago won't play with his things in the cage, got him somethings to play with like a ladder and a mirror etc... he wouldn't touch it.

SECOND BIG PROBLEM is that he would never eat other than sunflower seeds, he may keep himself hungry and wouldn't approach the other food..
What should I do?!

 

[Spiritbird]

If you can remember I wrote that you must teach the bird such things as toys and new food are safe. Have him at the table when are eating your own food and share it with him. Keep offering fruits and vegies. Most birds love grapes. If he is kept on a seed diet only then he may get fatty liver disease. Play with these new toys outside of his cage while he is watching. Act like it is the most fun in the world. Eventually he will come around. Remember nothing is fast with parrots except flying.

 

[hicham]

Well what u say can't be done cause first of all when he's out of his cage he's jusy on the top of his cage and wouldn't move from there. Second thing when i approach eat something infront of him and then try to give it to him he us scared so then i try to just thr food in his food bowl to let him eat so all what he does is get away from the bowl so last solution was to try to just put him something else but he's so stubborn that i feel he would starve to death and won't eat it. So now i am stuck between either giving him something bad for him or let him starve. Any other advice? Btw he would eat pumpkin seeds is that better for hom than sunflower atm?

 

[Spiritbird]

Do you know someone that has more bird experience than you that can help? If you do not I suggest that you consider giving this bird to someone who has more bird experience than you do. I am not being mean to you but rather I am thinking of the bird's welfare.

 

[hicham]

Ok so how did u first own a parrot? I have other birds but that's my first parrot

 

[suebee]

hummm without scaring you, nut is my 1st parrot, and she is like a small child

all the answers are in your previous question, when we say patience we mean exactly that, its not an over night thing to bond and to teach the parrot new things are good, to give you an idea, its taken 4 months for nut to let my son rub her head, she is happy to fly to new ppl etc, but if they go to touch her, she will bite them

but the mistakes you make can lead the bird into being un-tamable in the worse case scenerio and basically this bird having a miserable life for 20/30yrs?? (possibly more)

you don't seem to understand that for the bird to even come out of its cage, is a big deal for the bird, i would imagine this bird still stands tall, even though you say his better at ppl going near his cage

just add some of the new foods to the sunflower seeds in his bowl and stop pushing your bird, and i think he wont play as he is still un-sure and possibly scared, he needs toys he can chew i think are best

 

[MikeyTN]

You should listen to both of the postings above!!! I've owned many parrots for many years so im set in my ways. But with you unable to do anything with him or able to understand the how to, its not easy on neither one of you. Best is to find someone near by who knows about birds or give him up to someone who knows about birds.

What kind of parrot is he?

 

[hicham]

Thanks a lot for your advice

 

[Spiritbird]

Sadly it is a CAG.

 

[MikeyTN]

Ahhhhh.... they're really smart birds!!! Aren't they known to self mutilate if not cared for properly? But that's with any birds of course....

 

[hicham]

first of all, I am not getting rid of the bird. Second thing spiritbird and MikeyTN it is like telling someone don't get kids, cause the first is hard to handle and you won't know how to deal with him. Suebee, thanks for always giving advice at the place of trying to get me down, I am not pushing the bird neither to touch him nor to play or anything I just want him to stop eating sunflower only which wherever I read I see it is bad for his health. For playing I know that it needs time and I know I need to be patient. And btw yesterday he started playing a bit with his mirror after I have done as spiritbird said I play with the mirror and laughed etc, so he waited like 2 hours then went to try it out.

 

[MikeyTN]

If you don't want him to go, then you really need to learn the proper care of your bird. We're not trying to get you down, but trying to let you know what is best for the bird. A bird can go down hill pretty quickly if they're not taken care of properly. Have you looked at pictures of parrots that self mutilates? It's hard to witness!!!! That happens VERY quickly!!! A bird can get sick and die within 24hr period, they're very delicate, NOT like a dog or a cat that can tolerate for a bit even when they're sick. That's why proper nutrition and care should be your number 1 priority. That's why we ask to see if you have a local avian vet you can go to, even breeders or bird clubs you can get some consultation so you can learn how to properly care for your CAG. IF I was close to ya, I would 100% help you, it's easier in person then to explain everything over the internet without seeing what the bird is actually doing.

Number one thing you need to do is to wean him off the sunflower seeds!!! Get some pelleted diet and use sun flower as treat, but don't give any when he first start to eat pellets. You need to have him stabilized on the pellet diet first! The way to do it is by mixing, 75% seeds 25 % pellets for the first couple of days, then on the third day do 50/50, fourth day 25%seeds 75% pellets. BUT during any time if you see him eat multiple pellets, take the bowl out right away and dump the whole thing and go with 100% pellets. What pellets to use? Let's go with Zupreem(I would go with conure size pellets, don't go with parrot size cause he will waste!), but there are other kinds that is good.

 

[hicham]

I know and understand you want the well being of the bird. And I asked a vet, he told me the parrot is like a kid, if you give him the option to eat chocolate he'll only eat chocolate, and throw away everything else. He told me not to put any sunflower seeds anymore even if he won't eat, he'll then eat, but I am scared he starves.

 

[MikeyTN]

Next thing, toys, you can get him colorful wood toys. Toys with bells, etc. Give him time and he will play. They're like kids, you can't expect them to like something you bought for them just because you think they should play with it. They're picky!!!! I move my toys around, IF one bird don't like it, I give it to my other bird that plays with it like mad...Variety is the key! Not telling you to over stuff the cage with toys, but he needs a variety.

Next is training, if you could, try perch training....it's safe for the both of you. No one gets hurt! I personally don't like the glove training....But it's up to you on how you train since he is your bird. So read through different training methods and choose your own.

Final thing, Socializing is the key! Talk to him often, play with him if you get him trained, give him all the love he deserves. That is what it takes in owning a bird. I applause my birds when they talk, sing, dance, do funny things, whatever. You've got to perk your bird's interest!!!!

 

[MikeyTN]

I know and understand you want the well being of the bird. And I asked a vet, he told me the parrot is like a kid, if you give him the option to eat chocolate he'll only eat chocolate, and throw away everything else. He told me not to put any sunflower seeds anymore even if he won't eat, he'll then eat, but I am scared he starves.

You know what, some birds will starve themselves to death! So I wouldn't take the sunflower seeds out 100% just yet, that's why I told you to mix with pellets. BUT once you do see him eat multiple pellets, dispose the sunflower seeds and other seeds 100% Don't just give it to him and then come back to check later. IF you could, when you feed him, be around to check on him. Sit on a chair acting like your reading a book or acting like your watching tv. But be very observant to see what he eats.

 

[hicham]

Ok cool thanks a lot. Will get back with results

 

[AMR500]

Hey hicham,

SO I understand what mikey is saying about the starving themselves, but this doesn't happen very often, and I would agree with the vet (as my vet said) to take the sunflower seeds completely away.
I'd try getting whatever pellet mix you can (harrison's would be my recommendation). Mix the pellets with some boiling water and let them get mushy like porridge. Let the whole think cool down so that it's just barely warm and offer him this in the morning. Leave only that in the cage with him all day, and then at night see if he's eaten any. If he has great.. give him more... if he hasn't then try mixing in a couple seeds with the mash and leave him that for the night. He'll go for the seeds if he hasn't touched the porridge yet, and get the porridge taste in his mouth while eating the seeds. Try the same thing the next day.
Try this for a couple days and see what happens...

I cold turkey'd my bird, and he didn't eat pellets, but he does now! You just need to watch and see if he is eating at all, otherwise you can't leave him not eating for days on end.
The finer the pellet the better as it becomes mushy easier.

Mikey - I understand your rational for the mixing theory - but birds aren't like dogs or cats in that they will pick through food for what they like... if it's all solid.. they'll only take the seeds and say to hell with the pellets... lol. I work with a very good avian vet, and she says dry mixing is almost impossible ... but thanks for trying to help!

 

[MikeyTN]

Hey hicham,

SO I understand what mikey is saying about the starving themselves, but this doesn't happen very often, and I would agree with the vet (as my vet said) to take the sunflower seeds completely away.
I'd try getting whatever pellet mix you can (harrison's would be my recommendation). Mix the pellets with some boiling water and let them get mushy like porridge. Let the whole think cool down so that it's just barely warm and offer him this in the morning. Leave only that in the cage with him all day, and then at night see if he's eaten any. If he has great.. give him more... if he hasn't then try mixing in a couple seeds with the mash and leave him that for the night. He'll go for the seeds if he hasn't touched the porridge yet, and get the porridge taste in his mouth while eating the seeds. Try the same thing the next day.
Try this for a couple days and see what happens...

I cold turkey'd my bird, and he didn't eat pellets, but he does now! You just need to watch and see if he is eating at all, otherwise you can't leave him not eating for days on end.
The finer the pellet the better as it becomes mushy easier.

Mikey - I understand your rational for the mixing theory - but birds aren't like dogs or cats in that they will pick through food for what they like... if it's all solid.. they'll only take the seeds and say to hell with the pellets... lol. I work with a very good avian vet, and she says dry mixing is almost impossible ... but thanks for trying to help!

You don't think dogs or cats will push the other stuffs out of the way? What im saying is from experience not from listening to others or avian vet. My vet says to mix as well.... I used to raise parrots, I had over 150 birds at one point. I have a lot less now since I no longer breed.

If you read through my post carefully, I said "some" will rather starve, did not say all.

I don't listen to the vets 100% at times, if I did I would still be treating my dog with metronidazole for giradia. Tons of blood test and other test on my cat who was allergic to grain in the food. I question any vet at times....I ask for specific prescription for my own dog's meds, I ask my vet for it specifically and got rid of giradia. I told my vet I want to change my cats food first cause I think its food allergies. I was right on both cases.

You can't always go by what you read or what your vet tells you. Not 100% I do my own research!!!

 

[MikeyTN]

Here's the reasoning in my opinion behind mixing the food. When you only offer so much seeds for the bird to feed on, one your not letting him go without anything, second you give them options on a variety to go through and they know its there. As the seeds amount go down and there's mainly pellets. They would try them as they're hungry. They know its edible as they have already tried them. And when you yank away the seeds, easy transition is done. My Dixie rather starve, the second time around, my partner dump seeds in her dish otherwise seeds would be wasted.... that was the reasoning behind it.....I rather keep them to use as treats. Dixie stopped accepting Pellets when I found out what was done. She would waste all her pellets and refuse to eat. So I went with my old method I do with all my birds by mixing...then got her eating it again. She's a stubburn almost 20 yo Cockatoo....

I feel I needed to explain that part. Too many give advice with one pet bird they have and that was it for them with all birds! Birds are individuals, not two are the same...but most are stubburn to change from seeds to pellets. Or to get them to eat live meal worms that I used to raise.

As I stated these are my own opinions and methods I have used for many years.use it at your own disposal. But please don't compare one bird experience, that don't teach you as much as mutiple.

 

[AMR500]

I had a response ... but deleted it... thanks for your opinion.