Hello and Request for Help :)

[mikella]

I use frozen organic mixed veggies - so, they're actually probably blanched like u said yours are. What I had been doing was boiling them THEN adding them. (Not mushy, just simmered for maybe 2 mins. or so.) But if there's no point in doing this, I won't bother. Oh, and I add kale, but he doesn't eat that either.

Raw veggies is a struggle with him.... SOMETIMES he will eat a little raw carrot (if I cut it the right way for him haha! He likes to hold a thin little stick then hollow one side paper thin just at the tip). Some days he will eat a tiny bit of it, some days he absolutely won't touch it and he gets p-o'd at me for offering it Green beans are a no. I'll try more raw veggies... There's got to be something he'll quite like. I'll pick up some peppers. He likes an assortment of fruit (I had been focussing on introducing fruit), so maybe peppers would be fruit-like to him. (?) Suggestions on what all to try next? I have cauliflower and broccoli right now as well, but they're not organic...... Is that a yes or no?

As far as organic goes, should everything be organic?

Also, he will eat cooked squash and sweet potato if I give it to him on a tiny spoon... If you consider those veggies.

I'm also noticing that he really likes TEENIE bite size pieces offered to him, like.... HHH <- that big. When he's trying something new. Maybe pulsing the veggies will be the key. But I had a feeling he may go for peppers even cut in bigger chunks.... But we'll see, I could be totally wrong.

[mikella]

If anyone happens to see this before I leave in a couple hours - I'm going to a bird store a ways away from here - anything you really recommend getting? I'm going to get a sandy type perch (there are a billion to choose from on the site...), a branchy perch or two, a laddery type thing, and maybe that bulb to hold me over until I find one with the higher CRI (this one's 91...). Thoughts on things like lava rock platforms? Swings? (Old owner said he never used the swing in the cage, the cockatiel/budgie did, but maybe he would now..?)

The site is healthybird.net

Also - Are there any Philips small 'regular' bulbs with the right CRI and K Temp? (not the tube bulb)

[Pajarita]

Veggies: Mine love red, orange and yellow peppers (the green ones not so much), corn on the cob, any kind of pumpkin or round squash (I nuke them), sweet potatoes (orange, yellow and white) and fingerlings (I get a bag of organic ones that come in different colors: purple, yellow, white -I cook them in the potato express bag, cut them in large slices and drizzle extra virgin olive oil on them while they are still hot so the oil is 'sucked' into the flesh), any kind of hot pepper but, usually, it's the little habaneros, radishes, beets (both cooked and raw), sugar snaps, snow peas and baby haricorts vert, carrots, fennel root, tomatoes, yellow and green zucchini (not all of them eat them), yucca and chirimoya (cooked), cucumbers... and I can't remember any other at this moment but there might be more.

I also use the frozen ones and mix them without cooking them.

I would say that you can use up to 10 or 12 safflower seeds for training -have you tried any other nut except almonds? Walnuts, brazil nuts (mine love them), pistachios, cashews, etc?

I do not recommend using regular sandy or concrete perches, only the safe pumice ones.

Only my large birds use the swings, the little ones hardly ever do.

I don't know of any Philips light bulb that has the required specs but I haven't looked lately.

[mikella]

Ok, great. I will pick up some of those things to try. Haven't tried any nut other than almond. I wasn't sure how much was ok due to fat/protein. Right now we just have pistachios and almonds. I'll see what he thinks of pistachio. With almond, I had cut it in 'sticks.' Maybe he just didn't like the way it was cut haha I can pick up some other types too.

So, I went to the store. I didn't like the look of any of the sandy -type perches... Some even had sparkles on them, some were plastic and coated in sand, some I couldn't tell what they were made out of... So I passed. I'm sure I can somehow make one with a normal wooden perch or something if that would be an option, with ocean sand/crushed shell..? Not sure what you'd use to have it adhere though. Something you could bake it on with that's edible or something..? Just thinking out loud. Not a big deal. The branch-y perches were pretty much all for bigger feet. The owner is ordering a couple things for me.

All I ended up getting was the bulb. Not the ideal one, but better than nothing I think. $30, too bad it's not what I wanted, but they are so hard to find... I got the featherbrite one. It's only 15 watts... I just put it in a little table lamp for now by his cage. Could this bulb be clipped right to his cage in one of those holders (is that safe)? Maybe that would be better (?) Would it hurt his eyes..?

He was so happy to see me, dancing and doing 'noodle neck' haha

Edit: Quigley was really good with me today so far. Will go for hands if in sight, but he sat for over a half hour on my leg, relaxed, with one foot up, closing his eyes. I scratched his head/neck. As soon as I say "scratch?", he would crane his neck up. He has never sat so calmly on me. He would have sat longer, but I had to move.

How long until his body may begin to benefit from the light? (As in detectable differences in levels that could help him feel better) Whenever he's with us he wouldn't have it.... But he will get several hours of it every day. May sound crazy, but I get the sense that he likes it.

[Wolf]

What is the CRI and the K Temp of this bulb? What does it say as far as UV output, either A or B? Make sure that one of us gets back to you before you use it as if any of these is wrong, you could really burn your bird badly.

[mikella]

Pajarita ok'd this one before (although it's not perfect, CRI is a bit low). It's CRI 91, K Temp 5500, UVA 4%, UVB .05%

[Wolf]

Sorry, I didn't know that, I just am careful and protective of these birds in that way. I have seen the result od not using the right bulbs. I never place my FS lights any closer than 3 feet.

[mikella]

No problem, don't blame you. Are yours higher wattage? I'm just wondering if he won't get enough benefit if it is too far since it's only 15 watts - but it does seem (even at only 15 watts) like quite the light to have in your eyes...

[cml]

Make sure the lightsource is coming from above rather than from the side, otherwise you risk eye damage.

[mikella]

Thanks, that makes sense. And as far as space between cage and light?

Another question - I noticed from the get-go that Quigley is a little stinky... Is this a normal conure smell? I WOULD definitely say it has decreased since we've had him. He preens and bathes (bathes sometimes every day, sometimes every second day, etc.)... And I kind of doubt preening/bathing would have anything to do with it anyways. Is it a sign that his body wasn't in the best health due to diet possibly? I was thinking it may have to do with his hormonal state. All he ate was those fruity smelling pellets (they were Living World Tropican Pellets - "lifetime granules for cockatiels, naturally coloured"). Funny the names they put on that stuff - it's as bad as the cosmetics industry. "Lifetime granules"

Side note - just used the target (I use a chopstick) to get him away from my phone and it worked like a charm. So it wasn't "me coming in with my bad hand, taking away his toy," it was a game for a treat. First time I've used it for an actual reason. I did it three times and the third time gave a seed.

He is being a very good little guy so far today. Calmer, like yesterday.