This is me :)

[Coco19]

Hi everyone

This is my first post here as I just joined. I have recently purchased a Black Winged Jardine. Name is coco 4 months old at the moment I am not sure if I made the right call with regards to the type of parrot. I am a mom of 3 kids and I work from home so I have all day with coco but worried coco is very beaky now I could have purchased a very small African grey about 5,5 weeks old and maybe that way it will be use to us when it knows what its beak is for I have owned a African grey when I was younger and I don't remember her ever butting clothes and almost grind it like my 4 month old jardine. As I feel I am all new to this again advice would be much appreciated.

 

[GaleriaGila]

I'll be honest and say that I hope you fall so totally in love with your Jardine that you can't imagine ever parting!
Even within species, birds can have such different personalities... ya just never know. But I'm hoping you find your bird's personality just precious. My Rickeybird is a pretty awful bird, by most standards, but I treasure him more than I can say. He's a perfect... uh... Rickeybird!
Here is some reading you may find helpful.

http://www.parrotforums.com/general-parrot-information/49144-tips-bonding-building-trust.html

General Parrot Information - Parrot Forum - Parrot Owner's Community

http://goodbirdinc.blogspot.com/2012...n-parrots.html


Hang in there. We'll help!

 

[Coco19]

Thank you for the information I will definitely go through them. I love Coco already even though coco has only been here for a week. I know coco want to be with us and part of all the chaos coco proved that tonight jumping off the perch twice while all three kids were running around walked to me and even wanted to go to my husband was so cute but her biting worries me for one reason not because I will keep coco in the cage but if its affection coco is looking for we will hit a hump in bonding.

 

[EllenD]

Well you absolutely, positively do not want to purchase a Grey or any other bird that is only 5 weeks old or not fully weaned!!! So that was a great decision! Buying any bird that is not fully-weaned and that you have to hand-raise is asking for nothing but heartache. And there is no evidence whatsoever that if you hand-feed a bird that it will bond with you more-closely than if you buy an already weaned hand-raised baby bird. And an African Grey takes much longer to wean than smaller species of parrots, so at 5 or so weeks old he would be far too young for you to safely care for without extensive education, training, and experience with hand-raising and hand-feeding parrots, as well as having a proper, real Brooder and all the other equipment, supplies, and medicinal supplements that you'd need whenever any of the numerous issues pop-up during hand-feeding that always pop-up. And honestly, as a parrot breeder of over 20-years, any breeder who would sell someone ANY unweaned baby bird is nothing but an irresponsible breeder who is only interested in making as much money as possible, let alone a breeder who would sell an inexperienced person a 5-week old African Grey. That's just horrendous.

As far as the Jardine goes, you got him as a young, hand-raised baby, and you'll be able to bond very closely with him, just as closely as you would to that Grey (assuming that Grey would have survived that long, and that has no bearing on you as a parront at all)...I have a Senegal Parrot that I got at 13 weeks old, he had just finished weaning and still cried for comfort-feedings at night, which I provided him for about a week after I brought him home...Yes, they tend to be a bit "beaky" at first, but as long as you're able to spend at least 4-5 hours or more each day with him out of his cage and interacting with you, and as long as you have all members of the family directly interacting with him, holding him, feeding him, etc., he'll grow out of that "beaky" baby phase very quickly...

Kane (my Senegal) is about a year and 5 months old now, and I just love him to death. I heard all of the things said about the Poicephalus parrots, about them being stubborn, having "mean-streaks" and such, but that's not my experience at all. Kane is the sweetest, kindest, most cuddly little bird in the world!!! And he's so intelligent! He talks quite a lot, which I didn't at all expect, as they are not known for their speech. He sounds like a little robot, lol, but he knows between 15-20 different words/phrases already, and their contexts. He loves to take naps cuddled against my face, and he absolutely loves to go out on his Aviator Harness in the car and shopping with me. Just yesterday we went out all day, first to Lowes, then Home Depot, then Petco, then Tractor Supply, and finally to Walmart grocery shopping. He gets so much attention when we go out, and he lets anyone and everyone pet his head and neck, and he steps-up for them...He's my little sweetie...

Your Jardine will settle-in nicely and will soon grow-out of the baby "beaky" phase, just make sure he has lots and lots of different toys for chewing on and for foraging. Kane turns the huge, wooden toys meant for Macaws and Cockatoos into toothpicks in a matter of hours, so I make sure he always has lots of cardboard boxes filled with things for him to forage through, with nuts in the shells hidden throughout the box, like almonds, brazil nuts, pecans, walnuts, etc., and he has no problem shelling them and eating them, one Brazil nut or Almond in the shell keeps him busy for quite awhile. And lots of bird-safe wood to chew on and keep that beak busy...

 

[Scott]

Welcome to you and Coco! Superb advice and links so far, please read them as you'll find the contents reputable and helpful. We're always here for your specific questions!

 

[Coco19]

Thank you to everyone with your help and advice i absolutely have fallen inlove with coco i so much just want to have coco with me 24/7 as i work from home coco is more out than in the cage still a very hungry baby i am feeding coco 3 times a day. With feeding i have cooked some veg and mixed it with her parrot seeds. Coco loves the cubed carrots and ofcourse the seed. Coco is already such a big part of the family but with her going through the 'beaky" stage i tend to keep her in the cage once the 3 kids get home from school. This weekend i had Coco out with kids and my almost 2 year old just wants to feed her nuts he things its fab dot worry all 3 kids are supervised when they feed her as i know that beak is no joke lol. My best part was yesterday she was out and actually came off the perch to come and be in the action however the beak and biting things does stop the full interaction but with all of the help and advice given i am sure this to shall pass.

My real question was if a Jardine was my better choice than a African Grey when it comes to a family bird. I know most Greys become a one person bird i am just not sure about a Jardine i dont find many Jardine related posts for help also maybe the stages they grow through and how long +- they last for and how to help you baby through it.

I love Coco and i am sure we will get through all the ups and downs i am just wanting to look for the knowledge and tools to help with this.

 

[Flboy]

Welcome to you all!

 

[wrench13]

welcome and be welcomed. Any parrot CAN be a great family bird - its up to you and the family to provide the input care diet attention and training to make them so. Sally Blanchard's Companion Parrot Handbook is a really good start. Biting - you will all need to leard the difference between a exploration beaking and a actual bite. Poi's can be beaky. So it is important. Salty an Amazon can bite on occasion - mostly becasue I did not pay attention to his body language and what he was doing. WHen I know I was not at fault I use the "shunning" method. He goes on a chair back and I turn my back and ignore him for a few minutes. There are other methods but its important that in no way is he treated agressively - yelled at hit or handled roughly. Good lock and good reading . thee is tons of great information and advice on here.

 

[ChristaNL]

Thank goodness that plucking babies from the nest and forcing the babies into handraising is illigal and punishable by law these days (Europe here).
African greys need 2 years to really learn 'how to parrot' - and when properly socialized will *not* be a one person bird.
(It's just how we warped them to be- they are flockbirds by nature. )


Good luck with your beaky baby
It will probably just be a phase if you handle it well, like very other animal on this planet the little one needs to learn to coordinate and controll all the different bodyparts (sooo cute).

 

[EllenD]

So when you say you are "feeding Coco 3 times a day", do you mean he is still taking formula feedings? He seems a bit old for that for a Jardine, but if so, then I hope that his breeder at the very least explained everything you need to know about hand-feeding formula and showed you how to do it...If you have any questions about that particular situation, please feel free to ask, as there are many experience breeder/hand-feeders here that can help you!

I'll echo the same answer as already given several times above...There is no species of parrot that is a better "family bird" than another, or one that is a "one-person parrot species"...Think of it in terms of dogs:

-All Pitbulls, Rottweilers, etc. are aggressive and bite
-All German Shepherds, Australian Cattle Dogs/Shepherds, Dobermans, etc. are "one-person-dogs" and not good family dogs
-All small Terrier breeds are hyper, yappy, and nippy

You get the idea...none of these statements are at all true, it's all in how they are raised and the type of environment they are raised in...And to take it a step further. if you adopt an adult dog from a shelter or rescue, then it's obviously possible to change their ways, it's all in how you train them and the environment you bring them into...

The same rules apply to all species of parrots...just yesterday there was a post by a young person who has a cockatiel and wants to add another small parrot, and she made the statement that she "likes Budgies, but I want a small parrot that I can handle easily and will be cuddly and want to interact with me", making the assumption that all Budgies are wild and not able to be tamed. And this is based simply upon the fact that probably 95% or more of Budgies sold in pet shops and even by private breeders are not hand-raised by their breeders, they are parent-raised, and most don't get any interaction with a person until they hit the pet shop or go to their first home; this is simply because you can't make money breeding American/Australian or English Budgies, it costs too much for supplies, it's a ton of time to commit to, and you end-up having to sell them for ~$50 or so...But that doesn't mean that Budgies, or rather "Parakeets" cannot be hand-raised and be the sweetest, kindest, most cuddly, loving little parrots that love to be handled by their people..I know, I have 8 of them that I bred and hand-raised myself, and they fly right to me and attach to me as soon as I open their aviary! It's all the same thing, no matter what the species of parrot...Cockatoos can be a challenge, yes, this is true, as they are the equivalent of a 4-5 year old toddler, but then again all parrot species can be a challenge for different reasons, just like dogs, cats, reptiles, etc. A few days ago I met someone who has a pet squirrel, and this squirrel is the sweetest, cuddliest, most loving pet I've ever seen! He comes to him when he calls him, he roams the house like a dog, goes in a litter box, and sleeps in his bed at night, all curled-up beside him under the covers...He found him when he was only a week or two old, he fell from his nest, his eyes weren't even open yet, and when he took him to the Game Commission they told him they already had far too many baby "wild animals" to care for and release, so they would have euthanized him...So this guy went straight to Walmart, bought Puppy Replacement Milk, a bottle, a 10-gallon aquarium, bedding, a litter box, and a small dog crate, and off he went...And now he has a totally tame, pet squirrel who is almost 2 years old now, and is the love of this guy's life...

 

[EllenD]

Something I wanted to add regarding Jardines, or the Poicephalus species in-general...I guess that the label the Poicephalus parrots are tagged with most-often is "Stubborn", "Strong-Willed", and maybe even "Nippy"...I had several people tell me that a Senegal Parrot would not at all fit-in with the rest of my flock (a Green Cheek Conure, a Blue Quaker Parrot, and a Cockatiel, as well as the 8 Budgies), because all of my birds are cute little cuddly birds who love to be held and scritched, and always want to be with me/on me, while a Senegal wasn't going to be anything like that...Well, I guess I love a challenge, lol...I'm way more stubborn than Kane is, lol, so I of-course did not listen...

I drove from central PA to the Raleigh-Durham area of NC to pick-up Kane from his breeder at 12 weeks old...almost a 9-hour drive one-way...so I packed-up my truck and left one Saturday morning (I lived in Charlotte for almost a year, and one of my best-friends from elementary school onward now lives in Raleigh, so I was stoked to go back to NC). I arrived at Kane's breeder's home around 8:30 p.m. Saturday night, who by the way was easily the most kind, caring, professional, responsible, and just helpful bird breeder I have ever encountered in my 31 years of being involved in the parrot world...He breeds a few different parrot species, Senegals, Red-Bellied Parrots, White-Fronted Amazons, and Quakers. He and his wife are both high-school teachers in their late 50's-early 60's and they've owned and bred/hand-raised parrots for decades. They invited me into their home, to not only interact with the 2 Senegal babies they had, but also with the rest of their own flock, as well as their breeders. It was amazing, they had a Blue and Gold Macaw and a Congo African Grey that were their dear family members and had been for decades, along with multiple smaller parrot species. Both Senegal babies immediately stepped-up for me without hesitation, but Kane jumped from my hand to my chest and snuggled himself under my chin, and we all looked at each other, and his wife then said "Well I'll just put this other guy back in his cage now...", lol...Kane was fully weaned, but had been crying late in the evening for a "comfort-feeding" since he weaned, so he gave me an ENTIRE FULL-BAG OF ROUDYBUSH FORMULA, UNOPENED! I told him he didn't have to do that, but he said "No, take it, you won't need it all, but just in-case". Then he ALSO gave me a full-bag, unopened, of the Roudybush pellets AND a full-bag of the Roudybush seed-mix that Kane had been weaned onto...I was just blown away, hell, when I bred Budgies and Cockatiels the most I ever gave people was a zip-lock baggie of the pellets I weaned them onto so they could mix them with whatever pellet they chose, lol...

Anyway, the point of this boring story I'm rambling-on about, lol, is that I put little baby-Kane in the carrier I brought, and we left for the Motel 6 just outside of Raleigh that I had made a reservation at (by the way, if anyone is ever in Raleigh with your birds and you need a cheap, extremely nice and convenient motel on the spot, go to the Motel 6 there that looks like a typical "Road Motel", you know, the place is 2-stories and the doors to the rooms are on the outside of the building, and you park right in-front of your room door...yeah, it was a beautiful motel, all brand-new renovations and just gorgeous, from the inside it looked exactly like the Marriot in downtown Cleavland at Key Square that I pay $200 a night to stay in when I go, but the room only cost me $70 on a Saturday night with my parrot!)...anyway, we got to the motel, I checked-in and drove to our room door, parked my truck, and carried the carrier into the motel, along with my bag, then I opened up the carrier door up on the bed, and immediately out walked baby Kane...I turned the TV on, laid down on the bed next to Kane, and he crawled right up onto my stomach, and snuggled right under my neck...The next thing I knew it was 6:30 the next morning (the drive wore me out), and Kane had slept the entire night on my chest, tucked under my chin...

We checked-out and started home to PA, and I had only put Kane in his carrier to get him out of the motel, then I took him out and put him on my shoulder as we drove to my friend's apartment. I had brought along an Aviator Harness but didn't think he would let me put it on him as his breeder hadn't done that training, but right on him it went without a fuss! So we all drove to the Duke campus in Durham, as I had never seen it, the "old" Duke campus and the Duke Forest is just absolutely, amazingly gorgeous!!! And Kane spent the entire day on my shoulder, walking around the Duke campus and being the best little bird, you would have though I had had him for years! And then on the ride home, which took forever, Kane sat on my shoulder while I drove, and moved right into the hood of my hoodie and slept the last 4 hours of the drive inside it...

And ever since that day I am so incredibly happy that I didn't listen to others who told me "not to buy a Senegal, or any Poicephalus species" because "they're stubborn, nippy, and aren't cuddly or friendly birds"...what a bunch of crap, lol...It's all in how you raise them and how you treat them, and what their home-environment and routine is like...if you treat your Jardine like he's a part of the family, then he'll be a part of the family. That's the best statement I can make to you...treat Coco the way you want him to treat you, involve him in your family life and activities like you want him to be involved, make sure his cage is located in the room where the "action" is in your house, where the people in your house spend most of their time when they're home (usually the living room, family room, den, etc. where the TV and Computer are), so that even if you're not directly interacting with Coco and he's in his cage, he can still see you, and he is still made to feel like he's a part of the family, just like everyone else in the household is, and you'll end-up with a sweet, loving family member...doesn't matter what his species is...

 

[EllenD]

Thank goodness that plucking babies from the nest and forcing the babies into handraising is illigal and punishable by law these days (Europe here).
African greys need 2 years to really learn 'how to parrot' - and when properly socialized will *not* be a one person bird.
(It's just how we warped them to be- they are flockbirds by nature. )


Good luck with your beaky baby
It will probably just be a phase if you handle it well, like very other animal on this planet the little one needs to learn to coordinate and controll all the different bodyparts (sooo cute).

Christa, question for you, as I was not at all aware that it's actually illegal in Europe (is it all of Europe?) for a breeder to hand-raise a baby parrot...So my question is, how do the parrot breeders in Europe raise their babies then? Surely not all baby parrots are simply parent-raised, are they?

I guess my question is actually Is it simply illegal for a parrot breeder to pull a baby from it's nest-box and hand-feed them at all, meaning that all baby parrots in captivity that are bred by a parrot breeder have to BE FED by the parents, but the breeders can still handled their babies on a daily basis to hand-tame them, they just can't actually "feed them"? I'm asking because obviously you can still purchase hand-tamed baby parrots in Europe, as we have many members here who have birds that they purchased as hand-tamed babies...so it must be just the actual hand-feeding that is illegal?