New but not new lol

Keibra

Regular Member
Hi, I was here a few years ago. But managed to forget this place existed... now I need some help I remember I was here a while back.

I’m wondering if you guys can help me.
I’m feeling like a bad birdie mum tbh.
I have 2 parrots Lucky, a blue fronted Amazon
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And Dudette or Dudey a rose breasted cockatoo.
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I’ve had them a couple of years and they both have come from different other owners.

When I got dudette all she was eating was sunflower seeds and monkey nuts. I managed to get her in to a parrot seed mix (currently pets at home brand) but she is such a picky eater anything else I give her she just chucks to the floor of the cage. She does step up and I’ve taught her to dance but other than that she doesn’t speak but does love to scream occasionally lol. Mostly if u talk to her she just tweets back.

Lucky I got from a pet shop as when I saw him I fell in love with him. His breeder was selling him as he couldn’t handle him as lucky has a dislike of men. My dad has been on the receiving end of many bad bites while trying to help me get him in a carrier for the vet etc. Me he loves, I can fuss him scratch his head etc. He is stubborn though and will only get on me if I offer peanuts etc, I can get him to do most things for monkey nuts!
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lucky I have successfully got on to a pellet mix (Kaytee exact) though some colours he won’t eat! Red and green seem to be his favourite. He loves apple carrot banana and grapes.

I have 2 dogs and can’t let them out of their cages as much as I’d like and they’re often shut away in a different room. I’d love to interact with them more. One dog loves the birds the other would eat them.

My questions are pretty simple really.
Is what I am feeding them ok? What should I be giving them daily? How can I enrich their lives? ideally if we had an extra room they would be out of their cages all day everyday but at the moment they’re in a room where my front door is so they can’t be. Should I leave a tv on or radio in their room?

I’ve noticed over the last 2 days Dudette has been plucking her chest, how do I stop that? They have toys in their cages but won’t play with them much. I’m just stuck here I don’t know what I can do other than bring them into the room we are in, again they can’t come out much but will have company? Arrggh help?!

Now I feel like an even worse bird mum 😭
 
With the plucking I would advise a vet visit to rule out any underlying illnesses, blood work to rule our pbfd, psittacosis and polyoma as a minimum.

Has anything changed in the environment recently that could have upset the little one? Check all the toys for any signs of rust just in case.

With the diet I would strongly advise removing all monkeynuts/ peanuts from their diet. The pets at home mix isnt a particularly good mix if its the one I'm thinking of. I would advise moving more towards a mix that doesn't contain peanuts and is very low in or has no sunflower seeds.

I personally don't feed pellets, but if you are going to feed them I would advise against the multi coloured ones and go for more natural coloured ones.

With the seed you can soak and sprout it to try and help get the birds eating fresher foods.
With the fruit and veg a good way to get then interested is to pretend to eat it yourself, make lots of over exaggerated noises and tell them how good it tastes but refuse to let them have any and make out like you are keeping it away from them. When they get really interested offer them a piece, it can take a few tries to get them interested and accepting it but sometimes them seeing you eating it makes them want to try it and once they get the taste for it they will accept more types easier.
Have you tried cooking it up or feeding it in chunks or mashed up? There's lot of ways to try and offer it and sometimes the messier the option the more they prefer it 🤣🤣
 
Also what type of toys do they have?

Have you tried foragers to get them to work for their food rather than just putting it all in a dish? You can start off easy and make it more complicated. Something as simple as cardboard tubes or boxes with shredded paper and food hidden in it.
You may have to show them you putting the food in and you 'play' with it first to get their interest.
 
Also what type of toys do they have?

Have you tried foragers to get them to work for their food rather than just putting it all in a dish? You can start off easy and make it more complicated. Something as simple as cardboard tubes or boxes with shredded paper and food hidden in it.
You may have to show them you putting the food in and you 'play' with it first to get their interest.


A few different toys in each cage which I wash and switch round, I have ordered a few more just waiting on delivery. I have say with them and showed them how to play etc but they look at me like I’m mad or maybe beak it a few times or put a foot to it then just walk off.
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With the plucking I would advise a vet visit to rule out any underlying illnesses, blood work to rule our pbfd, psittacosis and polyoma as a minimum.

Has anything changed in the environment recently that could have upset the little one? Check all the toys for any signs of rust just in case.

With the diet I would strongly advise removing all monkeynuts/ peanuts from their diet. The pets at home mix isnt a particularly good mix if its the one I'm thinking of. I would advise moving more towards a mix that doesn't contain peanuts and is very low in or has no sunflower seeds.

I personally don't feed pellets, but if you are going to feed them I would advise against the multi coloured ones and go for more natural coloured ones.

With the seed you can soak and sprout it to try and help get the birds eating fresher foods.
With the fruit and veg a good way to get then interested is to pretend to eat it yourself, make lots of over exaggerated noises and tell them how good it tastes but refuse to let them have any and make out like you are keeping it away from them. When they get really interested offer them a piece, it can take a few tries to get them interested and accepting it but sometimes them seeing you eating it makes them want to try it and once they get the taste for it they will accept more types easier.
Have you tried cooking it up or feeding it in chunks or mashed up? There's lot of ways to try and offer it and sometimes the messier the option the more they prefer it 🤣🤣
I‘m trying to avoid going to the vet if I can as I’m shielding as is my dad from this damn virus. I will go if absolutely necessary but was trying to get some ideas as to why she’s doing it.

the only change I can think of is we took the xmas decs down? Maybe something spooked her or maybe Lucky has upset her? She also gets very agitated at the hoover and “beeps” loudly hair up etc. But thats nothing new. Could it be that the room has got too hot?

I have been researching and a friend has pointed me towards chop and sprouts which I will give a go. With regard to the pellets I am going to try switching to a better brand and maybe both birds will like it 🤞🏻 Obviously I know it has to be changed slowly and will try. I always make a big show of eating something in front of them and they look interested but they will nibble it and spit it out. that’s mainly a Dudette thing chew it spit it out or just immediately throw it to the floor! Such a diva! Lucky at least gives it a go lol

i have tried foraging boxes ... again no interest.
 
Hi 😄

I have to agree with @CaptainHowdy in regards to the current seed mix youre using. I use a no sunflower, no peanut mix on occasion with my 13 year old adopted african grey (also a plucker) but he gets harrisons pellet most of the time and a small amount of seed every now and then. Tidymix is also quite a good seed mix to use. My grey didnt like the pellet to begin with but I persevered and he loves it now. As for fresh food. He was extremely fussy and still can be. It literally took me about 3 months before i made any sort of breakthrough and its still a work in progress. I tried cutting it up differently, cooking it in different ways etc but it did take time and a lot of patience to convert him. I also feed sprouted seed sometimes which all of my birds enjoy. I avoid peanuts especially inside the shells (monkey nuts) because of the risk of mould which can cause aspergillosis. I used to feed them when i had my first parrot years ago until I discovered black mould inside the shell and i've never fed them since. A trip to the vet would help you rule out any underlying issues that my be causing the plucking.

Also would suggest offering fresh food (chop) in the morning then pellet at dinner time. Dont offer seed or pellet or fresh all at once as they will only eat their favourite. If youre changing pellet i personally would just switch from one brand to the other rather than mixing because otherwise they're likely to not try the new pellet and will only pick out what they like. If after a couple hours they've not tried any then obviously give them some of what they will eat but just persevere. I also dont leave food in the cage overnight because my birds would fill up on pellet/seed all the way up until bedtime and first thing before being given their chop and then will not eat it.


Parrots are very sociable however and they are best kept in amongst the action so would probably benefit from being housed in the room that you spend the most time in. It is wise to always keep parrots and other pets such as dogs and cats seperated as a lot can go wrong and also the saliva of mammals including humans is dangerous to parrots due to the presence of bacteria that is not present in a parrots system, bacteria theyre not equipped to fight off. Would you perhaps be able to move their cages but maybe put your other pets somewhere so that they could have time outside of their cages?

In regard to toys, my african grey hardly ever plays with his. He'd much rather come and annoy me :risas3: sometimes I'll hit the jackpot and get one he can't resist but the rest of the time he's not interest or he will not be interested for ages and then overnight that changes and the next day it must be destroyed! He likes my attention more than anything though so usually if im not giving him attention whilst hes doing it then its not fun anymore 🤔
He really loves anything he can shred, even just newspaper. The foraging pouch toys that are filled with crinkle paper also are a firm favourite.... The inside of my hoover always looks like a pinata died inside it but keeps him happy 😂

We do stuff like training instead to keep his brain active and provide mental stimulation which is great if your birds are eager to learn like mine is 🙂

If the plucking is not health related then it would be worth thinking about any possible changes that could cause the plucking. My grey Ollie plucks but not as much as he used to before i got him. Im not sure what caused it as he started at his previous home but he had a calcium, vitamin A and vitamin D deficiency at one point due to poor diet and is also extremely needy and hates being caged or left alone. Ive woken up a couple of times to all his tail feathers lying on the bottom of the cage. I just take a note of the date, did he stay up later than usual, did he not settle at bedtime, did I hear him at all during the night, did i not give him as much attention or out of cage time as i normally would, was I out of the house longer than normal during the day... Anything that might explain his behaviour. His has been going on so long now that with his chest feathers im pretty sure its just become habit which can be hard to break. If nothing has really changed in your home then id think it could be diet related but its definitely worth seeing an avian vet just to get a better idea
 
Some natural wood perches and also flat perches to allow them to stretch their feet out would also do them a world of good as the smooth dowel ones are not very good for their feet. They both are gorgeous 😍

I bought one of these


And my grey who usually does not bother with toys and will not allow me to do anything without him actually spent the day playing with this
 
I am going to get some fresh veggies tomorrow to try chop mixes and I have been speaking to @plumsmum about sprouting and she’s pointed me to some useful threads for the recipes and how tos.

thank you so much, Dudette seems happier today and doesn’t seem to have the evil eyebrow she had (she has an expression that is just down right angry looking I call the evil eyebrow :lol:) I have really tried to interact with them more and have asked dad to chat to her more and she seems happier. Maybe she was just in a funk. There doesn’t seem to be any fresh plucking which is good.
 
You have done the right thing asking for advice, hopefully we can all give you tips and help you sort your issues.

yes Xmas decorations and changes in environment can upset the more sensitive birds and can result in stress. Plucking, well there are so many reasons why a bird plucks. Stress can be a cause, Boredom is a common one, moulting and yes health problems, diet, etc. When I say boredom I don’t mean adding a few new toys and hoping that will fix it, they will need out time to fly or roam, interact with you and each other if they get on that is.
brilliant idea from @Tonifrax about wood perches that will be better for their feet and some birds like a good chew on some wood very natural and de stressing for them.
As for diet you have plenty of advice to get started on in the previous comments, remember nothing happens fast with parrots they are stubborn things. Good luck
 
Some natural wood perches and also flat perches to allow them to stretch their feet out would also do them a world of good as the smooth dowel ones are not very good for their feet. They both are gorgeous 😍

I bought one of these


And my grey who usually does not bother with toys and will not allow me to do anything without him actually spent the day playing with this
Yes I asked @plumsmum about magnolia tree branches are they safe? I have one in my garden. I googled and it was in a list of safe ones.
 
Ah I see yours like the shredders in the rolls aswell!! A firm favourite with mine!! Have you tried different types of shredders? They used to do a shredder roll that was almost woven looking and multicoloured?

One thing I will mention is the dowel perches, please remove those and replace them with more natural perches, you can either purchase them or if you have access to bird safe wood you can make your own and they double up as good chew toys!

Have you tried the buffet ball foragers? You can put some of their normal food in them to get them interested to begin with and then start making it harder.

Mine also love the balls on chains and anything wooden they can chew away at.

I also used to cut up cardboard boxes and make shredders out of those but I wouldn't advise doing that at current as a lot of boxes are being sprayed with disinfectant courtesy of covid, so aren't going to be safe to use.

Also toys that make noise, whilst they can get a bit tedious for us my guys all love the babble ball style toys!

Have you tried target training or colour training at all? Its another way of engaging their minds and building a bond. Roz has some brilliant posts on training.
 
Have you tried target training or colour training at all? Its another way of engaging their minds and building a bond. Roz has some brilliant posts on training.

to be honest I haven’t done that no. It just seems so overwhelming I don’t know where to start. I will look up the posts though and see if I can do something like that. I didn’t even think about birds/parrots doing those kind of things. Totally a bird beginner here. I will be looking through lots of stuff I can see :lol:
 
This is a document I put together for someone a while ago on converting diet but might be a useful place to start. Theres not really a rule of thumb in regards to chop but this might help you get started 🙂


Omg that’s fab thanks. See I do leave food in their cages overnight. I will change that tomorrow!
I have noted down 2 of @plumsmum s recipes for autumn and spring chop and I’m getting those bits ASAP
 
I am going to get some fresh veggies tomorrow to try chop mixes and I have been speaking to @plumsmum about sprouting and she’s pointed me to some useful threads for the recipes and how tos.

thank you so much, Dudette seems happier today and doesn’t seem to have the evil eyebrow she had (she has an expression that is just down right angry looking I call the evil eyebrow :lol:) I have really tried to interact with them more and have asked dad to chat to her more and she seems happier. Maybe she was just in a funk. There doesn’t seem to be any fresh plucking which is good.
OMG not another pink punk with square/heavy forehead ?
 
Ours have their dry mix breakfast in foraging trays where the pellets etc.. are hidden amongst beech chips and wooden chunks. Also they like cardboard & wooden toys for destruction. We stuff egg boxes with plain paper (like chippy paper) and included a couple of nuts wrapped up inside as a prize. That's an idea anyhow!
 
Good morning!
I have a grey and a parrotlet.
both mine are fed on pellets however they also have a small seed offered to them at some point through the day, i use the no sunflower no peanut seed. My CAG came to me only eating sunflower seeds but i have managed to get him out of the habit, luckily he was a baby!

They have fresh fruit and veg, mostly veg in a chop style daily, or my version of a chop style 😂 although some days my grey refuses to eat veggies if they aren’t cooked because obviously veggies are big bad and scary! My parrotlet is not fussy and will eat anything!

I cannot help with the plucking,this has been a worry of mine since getting my grey as i have heard most pluck. I just try keep his beak entertained and give him loads of shredding toys, foraging toys and he loves anything he can destroy. So although my toy bill is high i am more than happy with this!
A vet would also be my recommendation just to rule out anything underlying. Hopefully you’re pretty bird can get sorted soon 🙂
 
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