Clicker Training - can't get to step one.

[Wolf]

They do need to have food available for them to eat all day long, but it needs to be a healthy low fat, low protein food such as gloop and fresh vegetables and fresh fruit. You have to be very careful about dried fruits as the good king look terrible because they don't have the preservatives or dyes in them that keep them looking pretty. Wrap a favored vegetable or fruit in a coffee filter and tie it to the bars on the side of the cage or toss a couple on the grate on the bottom of the cage, make some of them empty so the bird has to hunt for the ones with food in them, that is foraging and helps to keep their interest once they get accustomed to it. Half cook some corn on the cob and cut into wheels about 1 inch wide and thread a piece of string through the cob and tie to the side oft the cage or hang from the top of the cage. Take the fresh husks and tie them in knots with or without a berry inside and hang or put on bottom of cage.
Get one of these for the shower and use cold water or no warmer than room temperature
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... atid=22328 There are at least two different sizes.

[flappybird]

That's actually the exact perch I got. I leave it around her cage and areas where she likes to hang out, but she is absolutely TERRIFIED of it. She got it at the same time as her boing, but is totally fine with the boing and likes to sit on it. I'm not sure what's wrong with the perch. I think maybe she may not like the surface, but I plan on covering it with vet wrap because her nails are super blunt and don't need any more grooming, but I don't know how she would know that the surface isn't nice if she wont even sit on it. It would make showers really easy. So for now, I'm just leaving it out and hope that eventually she accepts it.

I'll try those foraging ideas, thanks.
My only problem with leaving gloop and fresh food is that it won't stay fresh. I'll be gone for a whole day at work, and the only time I left fresh food it smelled pretty bad when I got back. Some days I can come back around noon or 1 and take the food out, but I can't always swing that.

I think I might get a dehydrator in the future because it would benefit both of us

[Pajarita]

No, no, no dehydrated foods for parrots. Parrots evolved to eat a diet that is very high in moisture (85 to 95%) and to derive most of their hydration needs from it so, when you feed dehydrated anything, you are not only feeding something that is completely unnatural and has an unnaturally high content of fructose, but also something that could, eventually, end up causing kidney issues from chronic subclinical dehydration.

Gloop does not go bad. During the summer, depending on the spices I used to flavor it, it would, sometimes, in the evening, smell a bit stronger but it does not go bad. There is nothing in there that can go bad in a matter of hours - cooked grains and blanched veggies don't rot in hours. It doesn't happen.

And please, never, ever, ever give a bird a bath in the evening. Birds needs to be completely dry by the time they go to sleep or you greatly risk their health. They also should never bathe in warm water because it strips the natural oils from their plumage and skin.

[flappybird]

That's strange, the dehydrator /dried fruit + veggies idea seems to be really popular with bird owners. It would obviously be a very small part of her diet, just something to keep her entertained while I'm away. It's not like the rest of her food is that dry too.. I'll keep that in mind.

Yeah, I figured the evening bath was a bad idea, that won't happen again. I was just excited that she was interested.

[Wolf]

I would put the perch in the shower where the bird would use it, because if you don't then you will have to go through this same process all over again when you do put it in the shower. This perch does pivot out of the way when not in use, but try to get your bird accustomed to it where it will be needed. It still may take months, but not months to get her used to it by the cage and then months more to get used to it in the shower.

[Pajarita]

That's strange, the dehydrator /dried fruit + veggies idea seems to be really popular with bird owners. It would obviously be a very small part of her diet, just something to keep her entertained while I'm away. It's not like the rest of her food is that dry too.. I'll keep that in mind.

Yeah, I figured the evening bath was a bad idea, that won't happen again. I was just excited that she was interested.

Yes, you are 100% correct. Sadly, lots and lots of things that are not good for parrots are very popular among parrot owners... Unfortunately, people tend to take whatever is in writing as the gospel without actually doing any research on the veracity or accuracy of the information. But, if you go to ornithologists, field biologists, etc reports and read about a parrots natural diet you will realize that there is absolutely NOTHING dry in it. Not a single thing! Even the seeds they eat are green seeds taken directly from the plant and not dry as the ones we feed them. We also have examples of animals who are given an unnaturally dry diet and the consequences of it - cats, for example, which all end up having kidney issues as they get older from eating dry kibble when their natural diet is meat. Nature evolves an animal to 'match' the environment it lives in and that means diet, too. Taking an animal out of its natural environment to breed and keep in captivity does not change the animal's physiological needs so, although we might not be able to offer them the same seeds, buds, fruits, blooms, etc that they eat in the wild, it pays to keep their diet within the same parameters in terms of moisture, protein, carbs, etc.

[flappybird]

But, if you go to ornithologists, field biologists, etc reports and read about a parrots natural diet you will realize that there is absolutely NOTHING dry in it. Not a single thing!

Then it's crazy that so many vets reportedly advise people to feed a diet that is mostly pellets supplemented by fresh foods. Doesn't make any sense... Maybe they think it's the safer option then leaving it up to the average owner, who might be less than ideally informed on matters of diet..?

[Wolf]

Most vet who recommend feeding pellets to a bird do so for two reasons, the first is money and the second is that there are a lot of new bird owners who do not understand nutrition in a bird and in fact know less than the vet in this area so they do it hoping to get the bird at least a certain level of nutrition.

[Pajarita]

Avian vets are not ornithologists or even biologists and they did not even go to school to learn about birds. They are 'regular' dog and cat vets that practiced under an avian vet, took an exam and got a certification - furthermore, the available Avian Medicine text books have very small chapters on avian nutrition and they are not only extremely general, they are mostly about poultry so, in reality, avian vets know very little about parrot nutrition UNLESS they have had parrots for a long time and made it their own business to study about parrot nutrition. The two best avian vets I've had had parrots of their own and they confessed to me that although they knew that pellets were not the best diet for parrots, they considered it the lesser evil because they did not trust people to feed their parrots well.

But, please, I beg you, don't take my word for it, go to reliable scientific sources and check to see what's the natural diet of your bird species and see for yourself.

[flappybird]

No, I totally believe you. After all the research I've done I'm not particularly excited about pellets either. Plus, I take great pleasure in preparing meals for Luna and finding new things to feed her. It's half the fun for me. Part of it might be that she's still new to me, but I enjoy it a lot nevertheless.

Also, this vet has had parrots for a long time, too. I think the "better of two evils" is probably the explanation for his stance on pellets.