New baby questions

[Hookturn]

Hi all! We just got a baby Jenday-3 months old. At this point we are just enjoying our time with him and getting him used to all of us. He's not motivated by any treats at this point so we're not attempting any formal training. We are getting him used to us and having us touch him all over. Thus far he is so sweet and never even attempts to bite us. We make sure that all family members spend time with him. I just wondered if there's anything in particular we should be doing with socialization or training at this point. Oh and btw he steps up like a champ with a head scratch and "good bird" as reward. Thanks for all your input.

[Wolf]

Well there are a few things that come to mind. You have the right attitude in just spending time with him and loving him ,but please leave his back alone, it is an erogenous zone in birds and even as a baby he does not need sexual stimulation.
Put him on a solar light schedule, you know up at sunrise and to bed at sunset with full exposure to predawn and dusk wavelengths of light.
Start changing him to a healthy diet now, Start by nibbling on raw fruits and vegetables with him, he needs to see you eating and making a big fuss about how good they are so that he will want to try them as well. and also find out which of them are favored over others for possible treats. They will be the ones that he eats most readily and first when given a variety to choose from.

[Hookturn]

Thanks for the reply. I have read about the issues with scratching or petting the back so we stay away from that area and give head scratches instead of rubbing his back. It's a great idea to eat the veggies and such with him. We will give it a try. Thanks!

[Pajarita]

Also, if you are free-feeding his high protein food (I don't know if you are or not but, usually, birds that have protein food available all day long are not are highly motivated by treats and you say yours is not -mine would kill for a peanut -LOL)

[Hookturn]

Well that brings up another question. I am providing pellets and fresh food throughout the day. I am doing that now because JJ is newly weaned. He's only 4 months old and I want to make sure that, for the time being, he always has food available. I am doing this based on several articles I read regarding newly weaned birds. Do others have a different opinion? Of course my concern is that he's eating enough at his young age. Thanks for any input.

[Wolf]

I understand your concerns in regards to both nutrition and providing enough food for your baby bird. But, I think that using pellets to accomplish this is perhaps not in the best interests of the bird as pellets are very dry as well as in most cases too high in proteins, and possibly in fats and sugars.
I do not know what your situation is or if you would have the time for it but it is my opinion that either a mixture of raw or cooked vegetables and fruits chopped up in a size suitable for your bird and combined with cooked beans and whole grains, would fit your birds needs. It may need to be changed in about 4 hours, but it is nutritious for the bird and is adequate to their lifelong needs.

[Pajarita]

Yep, I also don't believe pellets are the best dietary option, especially for young birds that still need fresh soft foods (and that means high water content). Besides, if you free-feed high protein, you will never get your bird to eat a goodly amount of produce. It just wont' happen.

[Hookturn]

Thanks for your input. Pellets were what the pet store was feeding him so I was concerned trying to change it at this point. Should I discontinue pellets altogether or supplement them with other foods. Right now in addition to the pellets I have been making fruits and veggies available but he rarely eats much of them. I also have some kale stuck in the bars that he chews on periodically and a little millet also. Have you guys seen the circus diet?
https://theparrotuniversity.com/circusdiet is this something to try? I would love your suggestions. Oh and I have been adding some pellets that are soaked in a little water to soften them up.

[Wolf]

I have just finished reading the circus diet from the link that you provided and I am impressed. Though just so that you know, it is very similar to the gloop that I feed my birds right now. And this gloop is what I have been recommending to people to feed their parrots for quite some time now.

[Hookturn]

Awesome. I'm very interested in gloop too. Do you have a link to the recipe? Should I still continue to offer pellets for a bit until he's eating enough of the circus or gloop? I'm just very nervous about him not eating enough at his young age. Thanks again!