Still learning Freddie

[ms_tayb]

Hello everyone, I am posting a video of Freddie, I was able to get him to take a cookie and walnut from me although not out of the palm of my hand. I'm too afraid to try that still. If you notice he rubs his beak on the stick, what does that mean? He makes some noise in the video as well, are those normal parrot sounds? I want to be able to distinguish his different sounds so that I can know how to react to him. Also, can you see on his right foot how his nails are curled? That's the foot that has the hurt nail and they didn't want to clip it at the bird store so I have to make an appointment for the vet. I want to get him to step onto my hand but should I wait until after he visits the vet? Do parrots typically use their right foot for everything? Because Freddie always grabs things with his right foot and uses it to hold things as he eats them. So you know Freddie was just given to me by my god-father on Sunday because he could no longer care for him so I'm pretty much learning as I go. I've noticed that he doesn't eat much and he pretty much remains at the top of his cage, how do I find out what he likes? Currently I'm feeding him a fiesta mix by Kaytee but his bowl is always pretty full, like I can tell that he picked through it but he may only eat a few pecks out of it and I'll dump it and put some fresh ones in daily. I leave the front of the cage open to see if he'll decide to come out on his own but to no avail.

[tacotaco]

hi, he is a handsome fella.
when he rubs his beak on the perch, that is very normal. it is their way of cleaning/filing it. i see both of mine doing that often. all of the noises in the video seem normal. This post: http://theparrotforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=524&hilit=parrot+footed shows that all parrots are different with what foot they use. Just like humans- some are righty some are lefty.

As for finding out what freddie likes, try experimenting with different fruits and veggies. Slice up some strawberries or give him some rasberries/grapes and see if he likes them. Both of my birds love mashed potatoes so you can try that too. There is plenty of reading on the internet about what foods you cannot give to birds so make sure you research that (some being avacado, chocolate, fatty/fried foods,etc). You may also want to add some toys into the cage slowly since i do not see any in there. Maybe buy one or two and leave them next to the cage for a few days so that when you put them into the cage he is not so frightened. That cage also looks kind of small for his size so you may want to ask the vet about that.

It is a good idea to bring him to the vet. you can ask a lot of questions there and i am sure the vet will better help you with what to do and not to do. Good luck!

[Roger P]

Rubbing his beak on the stick is quite normal, they do that to clean their beaks (Merlin does it on perches and shoulders) when they are eating. I am not familiar with Amazons so others are better qualified with regard to the sounds, but he does not seem to be in pain and seems content, so I would not be too worried at this point. He seems to be just vocalizing. His nails do need a trim and if he has a hurt nail, it may be better to wait until he sees the vet before working on any "step ups". The last thing you need right now is to have him associate your hand with pain.

As far as "right footedness" goes, from what I have seen each bird has a preference, just like us. Merlin for example picks everything up with his left foot and my Cockatiel used to use his right foot.

By the way, anyone else find it hard to type with a bird jumping on the keyboard and attacking the mouse?

[Giantmoa]

he sure is pretty
you can ask your vet what the best diet would be. I feed my conure a base diet of pellets along with fresh veggies. For treats she gets seeds, nuts or fruit.
also it would be a good idea to get some different sized perches to help exercise his feet. A good mix of perches might include a rope perch and several natural perches with varying diameters that he can chew on
you can introduce the new perches slowly along with the toys if he is not used change

[pchela]

According to studies, most parrots are left "handed". Useless parrot fact for the day!

[entrancedbymyGCC]

By the way, anyone else find it hard to type with a bird jumping on the keyboard and attacking the mouse?

Definitely! LOL.

Yeah, Freddie appears fairly normal, and I concur that a vet visit is a good idea. Does he have an avian vet who already knows him well? Do you know when his last checkup was? Getting a good baseline on his health from a vet will let you develop some confidence that his normal behaviors are, in fact, normal -- and that's what makes it possible to recognize deviations from that baseline if they occur.

I'm guessing it will just take time for him to settle in and be comfortable. Don't expect too much, too soon. Although Scotty came to us stepping up and interacting, he's still "coming out of his shell" 3 months later. As a horse trainer once said, "It takes as long as it takes". If I'm reading between the lines correctly and your godfather has been in declining health, it may be that Freddie's world was sort of slowly deteriorating and now it's just blown up. He'll be missing his friend and his routine. It will take time for him to adjust -- these birds are smart, complex and social -- don't underestimate his need to assimilate all the changes in his life.

Was the Kaytee food what he was eating before? That's a sunflower-seed containing seed mix, and especially for an Amazon, it's not the healthiest base diet on the planet. You may want to read up on pelleted diets and eventually try to convert him to a diet that is pellet-dominated for the dry part and which also contains fruits, veggies, sprouts and healthy table food. There's a ton of info on diet out there. Also... I can say that, but I myself have one bird that eats a seed and pellet diet and really wants to pick out the seeds (but no sunflower) although he's a GCC and they can take a higher fat percentage. At least he eats fresh fruits and veggies voraciously. The other bird eats pellets just fine.. he thinks the Zupreem fruit flavored ones are a treat. But he won't eat fresh stuff well at all! He eats grapes and sprouts and that's all we've been able to get him to eat. So while an ideal diet sounds ideal, it may not be simple to convert him to one. Talk to your vet about this, too. On the one hand, it may be easier to make changes now while everything is changing, on the other it may be important not to throw too many changes at him.

I think you are doing a great job trying to take good care of Freddie, and as a relatively new bird owner, I can tell you that the paranoia does ease off a bit. I can't tell you it goes away entirely, but it does improve....

Seriously, I think a good reference book on your shelf would be a big boon. This one is good, although some here may consider it a bit conservative. Older editions, probably also pretty good, are available from Amazon resellers for as little as $4. http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Pet-Bird-Owners-Handbook/dp/1895270251/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpi_1

[zazanomore]

According to studies, most parrots are left "handed". Useless parrot fact for the day!

Einstein is left handed. He always raises his foot when he begins to sing, any reason for this?

[jade_my_one_love]

Also while you have him at the vet, make sure that the vet looks at his beak. It looks like he could use a little trim on it.