by Pajarita » Wed Jul 31, 2019 10:32 am
Hi, Rom and welcome to the forum! Poor baby, it must have been soooo scared!
Before anything else, I need to mention the fact that this is a VERY young baby and that you need to handfeed it for another couple of months (you know this, right?). Please make sure the formula is mixed with baby food jars of fruit because the commercial formula is way too high in protein for any psittacula so you need to dilute it. It's really terrible that it's legal to sell unweaned babies in USA but then we are so behind other countries when it comes to animal wellfare laws that is not even funny! Aside from the hand-feeding, you also need to provide soft food served warm and fresh twice a day (and for breakfast for the rest of their lives -psittaculas cannot eat pellets at all or be free-fed seeds, if you do, they end with mojo molt and liver and kidney malfunction) and large portions of fruit (they are mainly fruit eaters in the wild).
Now, as to what happened. I am afraid that you made a couple of mistakes. Perfectly understandable mistakes because I am sure that you thought you were doing the best for the baby but birds are not like other pets and they require different plans of action than, say, a puppy or a kitten.
First thing one needs to do for a new bird is to show it that it can trust us and to allow it time to get used to its new home and human - and that's why we don't let them out of the cage for the first week. Baby birds are not people-oriented through the right socialization done at the time window for it, like puppies or kittens. You need to earn their trust and, later on, their love. And that takes planning and a bit of work. But don't worry, we can help you with it.
First of all, you need to make sure the housing is good. The cage should be roomy enough (minimum is 5 X the height of the bird and 3X its wingspan in width), never round but rectangular, the bar gage should be right for the size of the bird (for yours, 5/8 to 3/4 will do it) the perches cannot be dowels (I recommend tree branches, a booda and a sweetfeet), it should be placed against a wall (or have a material or something covering the back -this makes them feel safe) and the roosting perch should be at your eye level when you are standing up (they dislike big aliens looming over them) and it should receive natural light (best exposure is East and South). i/.
Now, as to why he crashed against a window twice. Birds, especially baby birds, need to first feel comfortable and relaxed in their new home (because, if they are still scared when you let them out, they take off like a bat out of hell and end up crashing against something) and that's why is not recommended that you let them out on the first week. This period of time is actually flexible and you could kind of play by ear BUT if you have no experience with parrots (you need to be able to read their body language and translate it correctly), wait an entire week. Spend as much time as you can (and, with such a young baby, it should be many hours every day and during the day because you can't interact with a bird at night as it needs to be kept at a strict solar schedule or you mess up its endocrine system), remember that baby birds are never alone in the wild. They are ALWAYS with siblings and parents so, to them, being alone is terribly stressful for the simple reason that it could mean death. You don't need to do anything special, you can do your own thing like read, watch TV, work on your computer, play video games, do chores around the room, etc as long as, every now and then, talk/whistle/sing to the bird and offer an occasional treat (make it a tiny piece of a millet spray which is low protein and soft enough for its beak). If the bird doesn't take the treat, just leave it where it can reach it and walk away. Do not stare at it (only predators do that) but keep your eye on it to see what it does (because you want to learn their body language so you can tell when the bird is anxious or relaxed, subdued or excited, etc). Do NOT ask it to step up or put your hand near it if you see that it's scared of you, give it time. But do offer the syringe at least three times a day because it needs handfeeding that often (no matter what the breeder told you).
After a week of getting it to trust you, you can open the door to the cage (not the top) and walk away. If the cage doesn't have a 'drawbridge' door (the kind that locks at the top and opens down into a little platform), put a perch on the outside of the door where the bird can reach it. Keep the door to the room closed because he needs to learn to fly properly and master the maneuvers before he can go to other rooms he doesn't know (by being in the same room for days, he would have learned the 'lay' of it and the distances -they have excellent spatial skills). Do not make sudden moves, do not make loud noises and do not approach it until it lands somewhere. It will, most likely, end up on the floor and, if and when it does, do not rush to it, just walk while talking to it using words and phrases you have been using all along with him -things like his name, pretty bird, good bird or whatever- said in a soft and calm tone of voice. Put your hand down to it and ask it to step up and, when it does (and it will), praise, praise, praise and slowly walk it back to its cage and putting your hand next to the top, tell it to Step down - and, when it does (and it will), praise, praise, praise and offer it a little treat from your hand (I keep a couple of treats in my pockets all the time when I have new thirds). I've been using the generic 'it' but, if the bird has been DNAd, you can use the gender appropriate pronoun.
As to its beak... yes, it's bruised and cracked but the crack appears to be superficial so there is really nothing you can do except make sure it gets soft food and that it is eating it. Just keep your eye on the bird and the beak and, if you notice anything abnormal -like the bird not eating or sleeping too much all fluffed up- take it to the vet. But do NOT cover the cage. Birds' cage should NEVER EVER be covered during the day, it messes up their endocrine system and lowers their immune system response.
Let me know if there is anything I need to clarify or if I forgot to cover all your doubts.
