Haven't owned birds since I was a kid. Help?

[NasrinAzar]

So I've been planning a rescue for the past few months, of a senegal parrot. I haven't met him yet, but I've been told he's a friendly 22 year old male named Balthazar.

The circumstances of this birds life for the past decade (at least) have been pretty bad. Neglect is a big one here, sometimes wet cat food and beer have been found heaped on his bird seed. He's been living mostly out of his small travel cage for quite some time, as "mice could get through the larer cages bars and freaked him out." He's been exposed to plenty of second hand smoke, and I'm not sure if he's flighted or not.

I've been spending the last month or two researching diets and training and toys etc. so I know I eventually want to get him off the seeds and on to a good pellet diet with fresh fruits and veg.

However, most of what I've found for what to expect and how to introduce the parrot to the household are for younger birds. I know there's a two week grace period before he's likely to display the bad habits he probably has, and I'm hoping to make the most of that time to show him he's in a good home now.

So what I'm asking is: Do you have any advice for a first time parrot owner, lifetime aninal lover, taking on a senegal rescue? He arrives tomorrow.

Also I should mention I have 2 cats, who have gotten along with a hedgehog before but have not met a bird. Balthazar will be kept in his own room (where I'll be spending plenty of time) until he builds up some trust with me and my boyfriend. The cat introductions will be carried out one at a time, and slowly. Only after all that will we be considering moving him to the living room, if at all.

Thank you in advance for any and all advice!

[pennyandrocky]

poor bird first since you have cats i would highly recommend allowing flights to grow in before bringing the cats around. leave him in the cage for at least a day or 2 before attempting to let him out. parrots need to settle in and study everyone in the house before they are comfortable being touched/handled. just do walk bys at first speaking to him. after he settles pull a comfortable seat over to the cage then open the door. it may take weeks or even months given his previous abuse situation i've even heard people who rescue take years to tame an abuse case. never try to reach in his cage to force him out the most important part of bonding with your bird is trust once you break their trust you have to start over from the beginning to earn it back and even then they have very long memories. take your time don't rush him. my first was my who i'm ashamed to say was treated horribly by my own family some out of ignorence some out of meaness. it took time but in the end so rewarding i was able to make his last 17 years better than his many years before.

[NasrinAzar]

Yeah I plan on introducing the cats one at a time by just letting one in the room while the bird is in his cage. This way the cats can't close to him and I can be more in control of the situation, and the bird can hide in the back if he'd like. He won't be meeting the cats until he's calm in his new surroundings and eating, though.

[janetafloat]

Poor Balthazar and yay you for rescuing him! Hopefully the two of you will have many happy years together.

When you bring him home just take your time. Birds are wild creatures at the heart of it and it takes them time to adjust to new things and to build trust with a person/people. I would suggest you don't let him out for a few days, as pennyandrocky say, but sit quietly by his cage not looking at him, reading or something, then gradually start talking softly to him and offering him a treat. Don't put your hand in his cage, most birds are quite territorial and even my tame Sennie will bite a hand that strays into his home! Obviously you'll want to sort his food out but in the process it's important to figure out what he most likes as a treat as you'll need that for the taming/training process. Follow Michael's taming guide in his parrot training blog and generally the best advice I can give you is be patient and persistent and you'll get there!

As far as the cats go personally I would keep them away for a month at least - it could muddy the waters while you're settling him in. He may not react to them at all but then he might - he's going to be stressed by all the changes & you don't want to add to it.

Looking forward to hearing about how you & Balthazar get along - keep us posted!

[Eric&Rebecca]

I can't imagine you'd let this happen but just a warning about cat saliva. Its potentially toxic to birds as they carry a lot of bacterias and viruses that are particularly harmful to birds. This is the case for all different animals but I know cat's saliva is particularly bad. So cats should not be allowed to lick the bars... or the bird obviously.

Again, as other posters have pointed out. I would not introduce cats until he's completely and totally comfortable with his new home and he is flighted (should you find he is clipped you will need to wait for the clip to molt out).

I would not let cats be in the same room as the bird if they are out of the cage. Even under supervision things can happen too quickly. I strongly recommend changing gradually from seeds to a mixed diet of pellets, fresh fruits and veg and some seeds (not too much). You can also get a soaking mix which is beans and pulses which would be really good for him right now. I would also perhaps look into some recovery formula (I believe Harrison's does one), which is intended for sick neglected or stressed birds. Stay away from anything you add to water like a vitamin, not a good idea from a bacterial growth and hydration perspective.

I would also recommend an inital examination from an avian vet who can advise you of any problems or damage so you know where you are starting from.

Well done on this rescue and for doing your research.

[NasrinAzar]

That's another thing I wanted to ask - does anyone have any feedback on Hagen bird food? It's the only quality pellet diet I can find somewhat locally. When he's completely moved to the new diet (however long that may take) pellets are going to make up about 30% of his total diet, so I'm leaning towards the Tropican Lifetime formula over the Tropimix Formula, but I'm not sure if I should do this or take a look at ordering Lafeber online. Or maybe there's something else out there that will ship internationally? (I can't get Harrison's here, and Roudybush involves a printer which I won't have access to for a while so it's a possibility but I'd rather be able to order directly online rather than deal with mailing a cheque).

As always, any feedback would be great! Thanks in advance.