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New and needing help

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New and needing help

Postby Skeeterz12 » Sat Jun 11, 2016 1:22 pm

Hello. I'm very new to having a parrot and excited but I need help. I'm not sure what kind of Parrot I have. While outside we heard some squawking and we looked up and some robins was attacking this parrot. We climbed on the roof and placed a dog cage up there and it climbed in. We posted signs around town and online but no one clammed him. Which is good for us because I have always wanted one anyways. i've tried to look online for any info I can find to help us take care of it. Not sure how to tell its gender, Heard you can only tell by blood test. We have purchased a large cage, and some toys to keep it busy. the problem we are having is that we cant really get it out of the cage. From what I can find online so far, offer it a treat and a hand to climb on. That is not working so far. We cant find what it likes so far. It will take what we offer and drop it then give a warning bite. I try not to go to fast or to slow. I'm not showing fear because I'm not scared of a bite. At that point I leave him alone because i don't want to scare him more. any help would be greatly appreciated. i would like to add a picture also but i don't know how yet.

David.
Skeeterz12
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Green parrot (unknown type)
Flight: No

Re: New and needing help

Postby liz » Sun Jun 12, 2016 7:05 am

Let him have time to watch you without you watching him. To him you are scary and needs time to get used to you and your voice.
Read to him. Talk to him about what is on TV. Make yourself available for him to watch and learn.
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liz
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is female
Posts: 7234
Location: Hernando FL
Number of Birds Owned: 12
Types of Birds Owned: DYH Amazon Rambo
BF Amazon Myrtle
Cockatiels: Shadow Tammy Flutter Phoenix Jackie
Andy Impy Louise Twila Leroy
Flight: Yes

Re: New and needing help

Postby Wolf » Sun Jun 12, 2016 7:41 am

Will do what we can to help you. how long is this parrot? This will not identify the bird but it can rule out some species of parrots as can a verbal description such as it has yellow on the back of its head , it has a short or long tail and it has these colors in the wings and or tail. The length of the bird can also be used to determine the minimum size of cage for the bird. Perhaps the easiest way to determine the minimum cage size is to multiply the length of the bird by 5 as this will tell you the smallest size for any side of the cage. If the bird is 9 inches long then 5X 9 is 45 inches, so the cage should be 45 inches wide, deep and tall. These are for the actual cage, not the stand but just the part the bird is in. Stainless steel or aluminum are the best but a good powder coated iron cage would be just fine.

I have no idea how long the bird has been with you but it is very possible and likely that the bird is simply afraid and needs you to just hangout in the room with it and talk to it. Do not look full face on at the bird as this is the way that most predators look at them, look at it from the corners of your eyes or with short glances. This will help the bird to relax, your talking and hanging out in the room gets the bird accustomed to the sound of your voice and give it a chance to watch you so it can see that you don't plan on eating it.

I also don't know what you are giving it to eat so I am going to post a link to a list of toxic and non toxic items that you need to be aware of. This list includes foods and woods and plants as well as household items the actual list begins on the second page of the link. Here is the link viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12521 I am sure that you will find this list very valuable because I do and after over 3 years I still use it fairly often.

If you can't post any pictures of this bird send me a PM and I will give you my e mail address and post the pictures here for you.
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: New and needing help

Postby Pajarita » Sun Jun 12, 2016 9:45 am

Welcome to the forum. Please check and post in Parrot911.com (that's where people post lost and found parrots) and ask in rescues, shelters (even if they are dog and cat, only) and vet offices. Parrots can fly long distances and the owner might not live in the same town as you do.

Now, first of all, you need to find out which species the parrot is because it would tell us not only the general characteristics of the bird but also whether it's hand-fed or parent-raised and these are the things that one needs to take into consideration when approaching a bird which doesn't trust the human.

In the meantime, place the cage so the top perch is at your eye level when you are standing up and has a wall behind it or, if you can't find a good spot in front of a wall, drape a material over the back and one side so there is a little 'hideaway' corner (this will make the bird feel safe). Also, the cage should be in a spot where he can see and hear the humans but where there is not a whole lot of human traffic (this will give him time to get used to the new home and people without a whole lot of stress). Then follow Wolf's instructions on how to approach the cage averting your eyes. You should also not walk up to it in a straight line, stop here for a second, go around a piece of furniture, etc. (this will tell the bird that you are not a predator out to get him). And talk, talk, talk, sing, sing, sing, whistle, whistle, whistle but, most of all, always praise, praise, praise -things like: "You are such a pretty bird!" "Good bird" etc. They seem to respond better to a soft, high-pitched voice and singsong phrases (like you would talk to a baby).

Now, if we could get a picture, we would be able to tell you more.
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

Re: New and needing help

Postby Skeeterz12 » Sat Jul 02, 2016 10:07 pm

Thank you everyone for the advice! I'm working hard trying to figure out how to take care of him the best I can. he is gettting so much better at letting me get him out of the cage. something I dont understand is everywhere I look online people talk about them not wanting to go back in the cage. mine cant get back in his fast enough. And food, I've tried veggies but he dont seem to like them. so far he only wants mixed seeds. which makes it hard to give treats, he will not take anything from me.

thank you
David
Skeeterz12
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Green parrot (unknown type)
Flight: No

Re: New and needing help

Postby Wolf » Sat Jul 02, 2016 10:49 pm

First of all you have not had him very long and it does take them some time to adjust to their new surrounding and that include you, and then they need to learn that you can be trusted and that you will not hurt them and are not going to eat them. As long as you talk to them and do not force any issues with them they will come around and begin to trust you. Once they fully trust you then it is very likely that not only will he prefer to remain out of the cage but will want to remain on you for extended periods of time. Some of his behavior concerning the cage may be due to his previous home and how they treated him or at this point it could just be the trust and adjustment thing as parrots don't handle change very well.

There is a very good chance that the reason that he is not eating any fruits and vegetables is that he does not recognize them as being food. The best way to teach him is to eat them yourself in front of him and don't offer him any until he starts demanding that you share them with him and even then he may not eat them at first. I have birds that are still learning to eat a larger variety of fruits and vegetables and I have been giving them to them for over three years. Just consider that it is a part of parrot keeping that you may spend years trying to get them to eat a specific fruit or vegetable. You can give them a variety of chopped up fruits and vegetables in their food dish for breakfast and leave it there for a couple of hours, it is unlikely that he will choose to eat them if he has seeds or pellet available to eat, until he becomes accustomed to eating them. I am currently feeding them gloop first thing in the mornings ( you can find different versions of this food in the health, nutrition and diet section) and I give them enough to last the day. I also give them at least one fruit, one vegetable and one leafy green ( mostly romaine leaf lettuce) that they can eat on all day and only give them a seed mix for their dinner.

Patience is one of you greatest tools when it comes to parrots, they don't do change very well and it takes them time to work things out in their mind and you will learn that they are extremely intelligent creatures.
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: New and needing help

Postby Wolf » Mon Jul 04, 2016 3:59 pm

Sorry about it taking so long to post the picture of your bird.

Skeeterz12.JPG
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: New and needing help

Postby Skeeterz12 » Mon Jul 04, 2016 9:40 pm

Everyone's advice is starting to pay off. I can reach my hand in the cage and he will scream a little but will climb on my hand without having to chase him to much now. Thank you for the list of foods I will try them slowly.

Wolf. Thank you for posting the pic for me.
Any ideas on the type of parrot he is?
Skeeterz12
Parakeet
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 4
Number of Birds Owned: 1
Types of Birds Owned: Green parrot (unknown type)
Flight: No

Re: New and needing help

Postby Wolf » Mon Jul 04, 2016 10:50 pm

I am really not all that good at identifying the different species of parrots as I don't have enough experience with very many types of them, but there are others here that are much better at it than I am. Glad that I could help you by posting the picture.

I would not chase the bird around at all to get it to step up as it is counterproductive in the long term. Parrots are not given to following orders as they are designed to live in a flock environment without any specific leaders, they all cooperate as if there were a leader because that is the best protection that they have against predators in the wild since they are generally too small and their bones, being hollow are not strong enough to fight to defend themselves, for this reason they rely on flight en masse to confuse a predator so that they can escape.

Every thing that you do with a parrot is based on it trusting you and chasing it under any set of circumstances will only serve to weaken and / or destroy the trust that you earn from them. Bribery is a good alternative to chasing them and it shows them that among other things that you are the bringer of good things to eat and that helps to build trust. They are very intelligent and if you will just be patient as well as consistent and not force anything they will figure things out and they will give you their trust. In due course they will also show you that this trust is a two way affair and that in some areas you will have to give them the same trust as you are asking of them.
Wolf
Macaw
 
Gender: This parrot forum member is male
Posts: 8679
Location: Lansing, NC
Number of Birds Owned: 6
Types of Birds Owned: Senegal
African Grey (CAG)
Yellow Naped Amazon
2Celestial Parrotlet
Budgie
Flight: Yes

Re: New and needing help

Postby Pajarita » Tue Jul 05, 2016 9:32 am

Hmmm, I am not sure but it looks like a brown throated conure -maybe a pertinax?

I am sorry to see that you clipped its wings, I hope that you will reconsider because not allowing them flight is very unhealthy for them both from a physical and an emotional perspective.

Now, as to the diet, you will never be able to get it to eat enough produce if you free-feed seeds because, as long as any bird has a source of high protein available, that is what it will fill up on - which is not only terribly unhealthy for them but also self-defeating when it comes to been able to train them.

I second Wolf's comment. You should never force a bird to come out of its cage by going after him in his cage. He should WANT to come out. Also, if your bird wants to got back into its cage when he is with you, you are there is something wrong because no animal prefers a cage to freedom. Is it possible that you are using flooding techniques and that is why the bird would rather be in its cage than with you?
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

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