Trained Parrot BlogParrot Wizard Online Parrot Toy StoreThe Parrot Forum

Parrot-Sitting Advice, Please!

Chat about general parrot care and parrot owner lifestyle. Bird psychology, activities, trimming, clipping, breeding etc.

Parrot-Sitting Advice, Please!

Postby NandaTheFae » Wed Aug 31, 2016 8:40 am

Hello everyone!

I just signed up for this forum in hopes that I can get some swift advice.

I am currently watching over two parrots while a friend of my roommate's sister moves out of state.
She estimates she will need me to watch them for a few months but is also open to permanent adoption.
If things go that way, I want to be as educated as possible!

One is an orange-winged Amazon (I think?), Spanky, who's about ten years old.
The other is a male Eclectus, Cosmo, who I'm unsure of the age.

Image Image

I literally just met them this morning as they were dropped off last night and
I was already asleep so my roommate helped them move in.
When I went to see them this morning the Spanky, the Amazon, was quite skiddish at first.
After a few minutes they were sitting at the bars of the cage and vocalizing to me/mimicking my clicks.

They each have a nice cage but I'm going to be making them some new perches from natural wood rather than them using those smooth dowels.

Image

[COLOR="Red"]*I've never taken care of either of these types of birds and I am open to any and all advice that this community can provide!*[/COLOR]



Here are some things that I've noted so far:

  1. Cosmo, the Eclectus, has some seriously over-grown talons:

    Image Image

    My first idea is to take him to an avian vet to have those monstrous claws taken care of.
    Can anyone advise me on if that's the best idea or if there's some way I could help him with a less-traumatic method?

  2. From the notes that the owner provided, it seems that this is the majority of their diet:

    Image

    Plus table food from their owner's plates.

    I have a baby African Grey myself and I know that a diet concentrated around seeds and nuts can be pretty harmful to a parrots health considering the high fat content and such.
    It doesn't appear that these parrots are given any fresh veggies for calcium or any supplements to make up for the lack of vegetation.
    I do know that, for Eclectus especially, it is recommended to have a VERY high amount of natural soft foods due to their longer digestive track as opposed to strictly pellets or seeds.

    My baby Grey eats a mixture of Roudybush Daily Maintenance with a small big of Roudybush Breeder mixed in as well as fresh fruits and veggies (whenever I can get her little toddler butt to eat them rather than sling them everywhere!)
    Can anyone advise me on if it's a good idea to try to get these new parrots to try these pellets and, if so, the best way to introduce them to the birds?

  3. Cosmo's, the Eclectus, feathers look a little... Odd?

    Please refer to the pictures above; it looks maybe as if he doesn't preen properly or maybe it could be his diet?
    Does anyone have any input on that?
Last edited by NandaTheFae on Wed Aug 31, 2016 4:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
NandaTheFae
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 9
Location: Baltimore, M.D.
Number of Birds Owned: 3
Types of Birds Owned: Female Congo African Grey.
~Temporarily~
Golden-Winged Amazon
Male Eclectus
Flight: Yes

Re: Parrot-Sitting Advice, Please!

Postby Pajarita » Wed Aug 31, 2016 12:11 pm

Welcome to the forum! The eclectus has greasy plumage, stress bars all over and long claws as well as an overgrown beak and, taking into consideration the AWFUL diet he has been eating, it all points to one thing: liver damage so, please, ask the vet to do a bile acid tests on this bird and change his diet immediately. Observe him carefully and see if he doesn't toe tap and/or wing flick because I would be very surprised if he doesn't.

There are no golden-winged amazons... there are golden winged parakeets but the picture is of an amazon. I can't really tell which species because the colors on the picture are not good but it could be an orange winged... And he also needs a change in diet asap as amazons don't do well with high protein.

Both these birds will need complete blood work, bile acids and an Xray to see if their livers are not enlarged.

I don't feed pellets. I've been doing research on parrots diets for over 20 years and have reached the conclusion that pellets are not the best dietary option for them. I feed gloop and raw produce (one veggie, one fruit, one green - different every day) for breakfast and all day picking and a seed/nut mix for dinner (the type and quantity of seeds and nuts depending on the species).
Pajarita
Norwegian Blue
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 18701
Location: NW Pa
Number of Birds Owned: 30
Types of Birds Owned: RoseBreasted too, CAG, DoubleYellowHead Amazon, BlueFront Amazon, YellowNape Amazon, Senegal, African Redbelly, Quaker, Sun Conure, Nanday, BlackCap Caique, WhiteBelly Caique, PeachFace lovebird, budgies,
Flight: Yes


Return to General Parrot Care

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 14 guests

Parrot ForumArticles IndexTraining Step UpParrot Training BlogPoicephalus Parrot InformationParrot Wizard Store