I'm back! (Update on Sidney)

[BabyBird]

Hey guys! Sorry I've been gone for so long but Sidney is really tame now and friendly just need a bit of advice.

First of all- She hasn't been playing with her toys at all, I've bought her a swing and some toys she can rip apart and she isn't interested, all she's interested in is sitting on her highest perch, and staying there. Even when I let her out she just finds the highest point in the room and sits there, for hours. She's not very active and she's just abit lazy and sometime gets cheeky when she doesn't get what she wants...

Secondly - she doesn't like different foods, I've bought her some egg food and a few other foods, but she only seems interested in eating carrots and Sunflower seeds, she will nibble on the egg food.. And her birdy mash; but she will normally just pick out the carrots.

And last - she likes head scratches but she's got no interest at all In stepping into my finger, she just relates to it and something to bite, haha. Any tips?

(Sorry if I posted this in the wrong subject)

[Pajarita]

Well, although sunflower seeds are not bad per se, they are high in oil and protein and GCCs natural diet is low in protein, low in fat, high in fiber and high in moisture so they are not really good for them (mine get 2 sunflower seeds per day but only during the breeding and molting season.

Have you tired different kinds of fruits and eating them with her? Because all the GCCs I've had were big fruit eaters (mine had cantaloupe, celery and romaine today and she ate all three).

If you don't free-feed protein food and use their favorite kind (we call it a high value item) only has rewards, you should be able to train her to come to you without her biting.

[BabyBird]

Thankyou! I tried sitting down and eating a fruit salad and she flew right over and started squawking, I guess she was jealous, so I shared it with her... Aha it's funny how jealous they get.

[BabyBird]

I'll cut back on the sunflower seeds and only use them as treats.

[Pajarita]

There you go! Eating in front of them and pretending you don't want to share is one of the best methods to get them to try new foods! And good for you for reducing the protein intake, it will work out great for both of you!

[BabyBird]

Thankyou so much

[Wolf]

Parrots tend to do everything with their flock and the sharing of food is right there at the top of their list of most important things to do with your flock. It is a time for social interaction as well as a bonding activity and time and it also introduces them to new and exciting foods that they have not eaten before.

[BabyBird]

She always seems to be interested in what I do, so maybe if I seem interested in her toys then she will too??

[liz]

Yes. Also eating with her she will eat more at a time.

[Wolf]

Although Sydney is quite smart, she really has no concept of what a toy is or what to do with it. She might eventually figure it out all on her own, but if you want her to pay with toys you need to first of all show her the toy and let her see you playing with it, then you place it someplace that she can see the toy as well as get to it. Then until you see her playing with it or see the evidence of her playing with it, you need to play with it where she can watch what you are doing with it. She will then begin to learn to play with it by watching you play with it.

With her toys, do not be surprised if you see her attacking the toy like she wants to kill it and tear it apart and kill it some more. It is fine, just don't get your fingers in the way, or you will probably get a hard bite or two. This is normal parrot behavior. In the wild parrots don't really have toys. They may pick something to attack, we call it play, but they are learning how to defend themselves. Or they may pick an object to tear apart, this is them practicing their foraging skills.