Concerned too owner

[Jannie]

Hi everyone. Im new to this forum. I would like some advice plz. I recently received a 5 year old galah. Her previos owners didnt want her anymore and she was a rescued bird from abusive owners. I give her alot of attension and talk to her alot.
What i want to know is wil she ever get over her shyness and start talking and plying instead of just sit still in one place. She is hand reard and her wings are klipped.
Im just concern that she wil be a shy bird for the rest of her live.
Any help plz. Thank you

[Wolf]

Not all Galahs learn to talk although some of them do, but they are generally an outgoing type of bird. They tend to be affectionate birds but the male can be difficult once it reaches breeding age. Keep doing a lot of interaction with the bird and allow the bird to grow its wing feathers back, so that it can fly, for most of us this is a matter of good health for the bird.

[Jannie]

Thanx wolf. I do i give her alot of atention and love her to bits. Im just sad that she had to gave an ordeal like that. Its not fair towards her. She is a loving bird and started to make clicking sounds whenever i am near and she nibbles my nose and ear when she sits on my shoulder. Have a great day thank you

[Wolf]

I can't say for certain, because I don't have a Galah, myself, but with my birds a clicking noise is a good thing as in them signifies that they are happy.
If she will allow you to handle her, then she should have at least 4 hours of free out of cage time to wander about and explore, to just hang out with you and to fly when her wings grow back. In addition to being the only form of exercise that does a bird any good, it will be a big boost for her confidence.
She will also need at least one hour a day of one on one time on you, this time can be split into several shorter time periods during the day.
May I inquire as to what her diet consists of as well as when she is offered what to eat?

[Pajarita]

Yes, patience, consistency, persistence and love usually win the day BUT birds that were stressed out when young remain high strung the rest of their lives so it depends on the abuse she received and how old she was when it happened, as well as the way she was raised when a hatchling and juvenile because all these make a difference for the rest of their lives. So, although it is entirely possible that, sometime down the road, she comes out of her shell it's is also possible that she will remain shy - but, again, even then there is a lot of room for improvement. I only know of three galahs, none of them talk and two of them are very possessive of their human to the point that they attack their children (they are all grown) and strangers (one of them flew out to attack me as soon as she saw me).

My citron and LSC click their beaks as a sign of contentment so I assume it's the same with Galahs (not with amazons which click when they are mad )

[Wolf]

That is interesting to know, and new to me. Mimi, the Yellow Nape Amazon, here at home clicks very softly and slow when she is content. She is still wigs out sometimes just out of the blue, I think it is flashbacks, but that is another issue. Any way, she will be sitting on her perch with her eyes closed or half closed and she will click very quietly and in the time it takes me to breathe in once she will click this way twice, so in a complete breath, in and out, there are 4 to 5 clicks.
Mostly when she is angry she screams and hisses. How does it sound when they click when angry? I will watch for it.

[Tman007]

Like they say if there is ever a magic word it would be Patience Good Luck

[Jannie]

Thanx wolf. Her food consists of pellets fruit and veggies and some seeds. I am patient with her. She says hallo to my neigbour when she walks past my apartment but nothing to me just mumble but its oky. If she talks its a bonus. Im in south africa so here are not alot of galahs so alot of people i phoned dnt even know what im talking about
Enjoy

[Wolf]

The list of foods causes me some concern as it may be a bit high in protein and fat, but then that would depend somewhat on how you feed them. Most people who feed these foods, give either the seed mix or pellets for breakfast then a few fruits and vegetables to nibble on through he day or as treats and then give the other seed mix or pellets that they didn't give for breakfast for dinner. This way of feeding them results in too high of a fat and protein diet, which can lead to liver problems as well as some behavioral issues down the road.
The recommended daily allowance for companion parrots are 12% protein and 4% fat in their food, while the amount of these items in most commercially prepared feed are generally much higher and are listed as a minimum or maximum amount such as a minimum of 16% protein. These amounts do vary somewhat based on the manufacturer and their formulation.
So lets say you feed a seed mix for breakfast with a RDA of 20% min. protein and for dinner you feed pellets with a RDA of 16% min. protein, the total minimum amount of protein in their daily diet is 36%. But if you feed a half and half mix of seed and pellets for dinner only then the amount of protein is a minimum of about 18%.

[Jannie]

Thanx alot. Now i have a goodbidea what she needs.
Enjoy