Buster My Fluffy Grey

Feather Picking...such a problem. Those of us who have parrots that pick take on a lot of guilt and try just about anything to manage the situation. My own Congo Grey, Buster has gone from a light picker to fully feathered and back to a heavy picker. I don't care what he looks like and will love and keep him forever, however, I am worried that he may progress to "mutilation" and get open sores.

Therefore, I made the decision to collar him. This is not something I promote. I feel the hard collars are best used to keep animals away from wounds while they heal. I want to get his feathers to grow back. I am medicating him now with Halperidol. Again, this is my attempt to break this pattern. I have no delusion that this is "the answer". But combining this with all the other environmental adjustments to his life is worth a try.

Feather Destructive Behavior is a mystery. Why do they do this? Bored? Anxious? Itchy? Is it diet related? Are they reacting to too much attention or not enough attention? Is our reaction or lack of reaction increasing the behavior?

Buster hates, absolutely hates, the collar. I ask myself over and over if I'm doing the right thing. Will he get used to it and eventually enjoy a full body of feathers again? When it comes off, will the feather picking return? Probably... that's why this is so difficult.

Along with the collar and the medication I am going to use clicker training to reinforce any positive behaviors.

I have the new air purifier unit, the UV lights, the hepa air cleaners, the Venta air washer, the full spectrum lights, the bird shower, the outdoor cages, and loads and loads of preening and foraging toys. I even had my friend make a custom black out cage cover to insure dark undisturbed sleep. In other words, I am trying to provide the best possible environment.

My next plan of attack will be diet related. Maybe this is food allergies. He eats his Harrison's Pellets very well. Should I limit his other foods? I may cook my next batch of Psittacine Cuisine without any wheat in it. Could wheat or glutin be the culprit? Rices are safe and the oat groats should be fine but something may be irritating him making him itchy.

This is a long road to recovery for this little grey boy. I will keep you posted with the ups and downs. Wish us luck!

PHOENIX SANS SATELLITE DISH

Having to wear a satellite collar has got to be very frustrating. Phoenix looked as if she were going to get premium channels at any minute. For her to climb onto a perch or to lean into a bowl meant dealing with a large disk of plastic getting in the way. Well today we took off the entire apparatus and Phoenix got a drenching shower. She's not a "shower girl" and barely tolerates misting. But with all those squished feather quills coming in underneath the plastic neck tube, it must have been excruciating. Imagine being a feathered creature that takes great pride in preening each and every feather and not being able to get to them.
There has got to be a way to detour this type of behavior. This little girl has gone through a lot. She's only four years old and she was adopted practically from her egg. Her new mom doted on her and loved her so much. She had had a Moluccan cockatoo prior to Phoenix and he too, was treated as a baby in the family. Yes, these birds are sweet and sensitive and love to be loved. Her mom has died and the grown son did his best to give Phoenix some continuation of her home. Now the job falls to me. The job that I have taken on with Phoenix is to retrain her brain to enjoy being a bird. Once she becomes a bird, I can find her a permanent bird home. For now, she would rather be next to someone's face than eat. She would rather have her food spoon fed to her than eat. She is slowly becoming a bird now. Her diet still is very bad. She doesn't know how to eat anything hard. Pellets, seeds, even nuts, no way. She will devour spaghetti and meatballs, scrambled eggs with cheese, yogurt, and maybe, just maybe, a green grape.
I think this process will need to be addressed from many angles. I am going to consult with my veterinarian, Laura Becker, and together we will find solutions.
One thing to try is clicker training. This has been proven successful in animal behavioral training. I will also tackle the terrible diet transition to better foods. Today was successful with the shower and outfitting her in a body suit. She seems to tolerate that well. HOPING THAT TOMORROW, SHE WILL NOT HAVE CHEWED HERSELF DURING THE NIGHT. STAY TUNED.

Outdoor Time

With summer coming soon, it's time to consider providing an outdoor experience for your parrot.
Is putting your parrot outside safe? Not 100% but the advantages, in my humble opinion, outweigh the concerns. Just be sure that the cage is strong, escape proof, and has bar spacing that is narrow. A cover should be provided overhead on at least half of the enclosure. Parrots prefer shade. Provide fresh water daily and fresh foods as well. Anything left out overnight can become contaminated by the night creatures. Birds should not be out early in the day or anywhere near dusk. These are mosquito times and West Nile virus is here. Hawks can be a dangerous predator to a caged bird so the larger the cage the better and always under cover from the sky. I use padlocks on my outdoor cages to prevent escapes more than to discourage intruders. Another great way to camouflage the enclosure and offer great enrichment is to provide bamboo or willow branches to destroy. Make sure any woods you use are on the non-toxic list.

Happy Flighted Parrots

Many people are now keeping their parrots "flighted." I, myself, keep all of my guys untrimmed. This is a great way to encourage exercise and seems to give the birds a better sense of themselves. Of course, one must be careful not to have accidental mishaps or escapes.

This is Bialy, a maxi pionus, and Gnocchi, a Blue Crowned Conure. They are flighted and while they are staying with me, they are allowed ample time to stretch their wings. Most of their free time is spent hanging out with each other on top of the cages and looking out the window. But when it's time to "go back" they get their exercise evading a simple ride back to the cage. This type of game is fine with me. After a couple of tries, they succumb and accept the inevitable. It's all fun.

Different Cockatoo Different Handling

This is Lucca. He has been known to bite hard. He looks sweet, right? I only had two days of caring for this handsome guy so I accelerated the handling process. I usually like a new bird to get used to me for a day before handling. I spent time talking to him and caring for the three other parrots. He was making gestures of nervousness like chattering his beak and pacing in a horizontal position. After he relaxed, I allowed him to come out onto his cage door. I gave him some head skritches which he adored. Then I simply wrapped a large white towel around him front the front. He accepted this easily.



Umbrella Cockatoos are sometimes shy and fearful. They can bite out of fear and then fall in love with the drama of the result. "Wow, that is exciting!"

It is very difficult to not allow drama to be the reward. When you
are getting bitten, a reaction is unavoidable. The best method is to not get bitten...easy to say! I carried Lucca out to the "sky gyms" and sat with him a while talking calmly. He relaxed and I put him up to hang out with the flock. Once he had this calm experience, he was easy to handle. However, a male cockatoo like this should always be keenly observed for signs of anxiousness that can lead to a nasty bite. The best way to avoid a sudden bite keep eye contact as you walk with them and talk about where they are going and what they are going to do. They pick up on this and become interested in what is happening. A calm presence is essential.

Odie, One Sweet Boy

This is Odie. He is a 19 year old (or will be in a few days) male Umbrella Cockatoo. He is an "only parrot" and doesn't seem to even know he's a bird. He loves to come out and just "be with me" in any way he can. I bring him up to my office/bedroom to hang out on the ropes while I work on the computer. I left the room for a few minutes and he somehow jumped down, took a couple of bites out of a shoe, and then got back up onto an antique table. I was warned that "he loves shoes."

I just didn't know how quickly and covertly he could operate! Now I have him down pretty good. He only gets to play on the ropes when I stay in the room! I almost want to install a mirror so I can see behind me as I work on the computer. But just being here seems to keep him on his best behavior. I'm lucky he didn't eat the table!

Odie is a finicky eater. Phoenix, the sweet little Moluccan that I am working with is also finicky. Come to think about it...Josey Wales, my Umbrella, also isn't very interested in food. What is it with these cockatoos? Whoops, Chauncey, my Slender Billed Cockatoo, is always interested in food.

Odie does very well in the big Exotic Enclosure in my living room and in the large outdoor cages. He plays and observes the world with amusement. He nibbles on his pellets and plays with dried corn on the cob half heartedly. He seemed to like a little piece of chicken but only if I held it for him! Tomorrow Shelley will come up to help me serve breakfast and she can spoon feed these two "shy eaters." Sometimes if you "prime them" they start eating on their own!

Playtime At The Zoo

When things get busy here as they are now, I take a moment and allow Lucy, Molly, and Josey to romp on top of their cages. They absolutely love to have me toss things on top of the cage so that they can run over and throw them down! What fun. Reminds me of a toddler throwing things down to watch you pick them up. At least they have a good time and it gives them something fun to do while I clean their cage! I don't allow them all out at once. One at a time keeps things a bit under control. Be careful if your bird gets hyper excited. This is where stick training comes in handy. I can always get my birds down and back into the cage without any game playing.

Yellow Nape In Need of Grooming!

This is Ringo. I recently was requested to go to her home and groom her. She was waiting with pinned eyes and horizontal posture..."Would you pick up this bird?" I carefully invited her out and toweled her. She had "corkskrew" nails and was in bad need of a trim. After the trauma of the ordeal, she got a good misting. She was exhausted and so was I! Nails that are too long make it dangerous for your bird. It is crippling and can allow them to become hooked on their cage in a panic and result in an injury.

Charlie Aggressively Eats Perch

Charlie, the Sun Conure, came to stay the night when his home had a environmental emergency. The Air Conditioning was under repair and there was a freon leak! Bad news, to be sure.

Charlie settled in without a hitch, however, he made it his afternoon goal to demolish the rope perch in his cage! Look at his determination! Glad that wasn't my hand!

He'll go home but to a house without A/C. Birds can do fine without A/C. I advise a mister bottle and a fan to keep the air moist cool and circulating. As shown in the previous post, an open beak or drooped wings is a sign of an overheated parrot.

Hot Days Cool House

I am pleased to report that my home is now air conditioned. This is a first for this house. My father designed our home to stay cool in the summer with 8' eaves that shade the plate glass windows etc. However, since I needed a new furnace...might as well include central air. And, as long as I was at it....I opted for an additional air purifying unit with a special set of UV lights to deter molds, fungus, and other airborne particles from growing. I have a comfortable home now, however, the parrots still get to go outside. They love it!

The top photo is Mango, one of my guests. He is very used to being out of doors, however, he lives in Berkeley! You can tell by his posture that he is uncomfortably hot! His beak is open and his wings are drooping. I misted them all with the hose which helped, but I brought poor Mango back to the cooler house. Lucy, as you see, is used to being out and loves getting soaked. By the afternoon on these hot days, they all are inside enjoying some cold water and fruit.

Did you know that an easy way to distinguish a Greenwing macaw from a Scarlet macaw is by the face? If you see red "stitching" (feather lines) on the skin patch, its a Greenwing! Lucy has plain white face skin, Mango has the stitching. He's also much heftier!

My Quiet Place

This is my quiet place. I have a koi pond in the back garden and I love to sit there and watch the fish feed and the turtles bask in the sun. Can you spot Slider, my female red earred slider turtle, hauling out? Dodger, the male turtle is smaller and very shy. I adore the parrots but anyone with a houseload of parrots needs a place to meditate and gather their thoughts. When the squawks and comments from the parrots start to build, I can take a few moments and revel in the solitude and quiet of the pond.

Little Bird - Little Brat

If you look carefully, you can make out The Munch proudly looking down at his dumped seed dish. He is allowed to romp around on his Mom's desk while she works. His hobby is turning things over and basically remodeling the items on the table. He loves to spend time in the wastebasket too! The world is his wonderland. He feels quite powerful sending his seed dish tumbling to the floor. "Look what I did!" Must be hard to work with all this entertainment happening!

The Guys Hang Out

Every morning I give the small birds a chance to come out of their cages and spread their wings. The most eligible of the lady tiels, Katie, went home yesterday. They all miss Katie although she would never give them the time of day. Today they only had my old girl, Lacy. She was too tired to come out of the cage. She stayed put and the guys all climbed onto her cage and traded stories. My old man, BJ, the normal cockatiel even came up for some guy time. Munch, who was afraid of the group yesterday, became the bolder of the bunch and tried to make BJ back down. Being 25 years old, he did. He moved to the side of the cage and Munch felt quite emboldened. The lower photo shows Munch in exile trying like crazy to lean towards the flock. He wanted to participate! Well, now Munch went home and tomorrow Buster and Dusty go home...my little guys will get a day to relax. Opps! Munch will be back so the fun will continue!

Shy Unsure Grey

This is Esha. She is quite young and shares her home with the big green Delilah, featured in the previous post. Esha is the opposite style parrot. She is shy and not quite sure of this new location. She spent the first day quiet and observant. The second day she began to play inside her cage. Now she comes out to hang out on top of her cage. She flies quite well and once she goes to the floor, I can easily ask her to step up. Then, I placed her in the big cage for some play time. Each day her personality comes out a little more. Same goes for Delilah! Each day she becomes more vocal and comfortable.

A Wild But Happy Bird

This is Delilah! She is a beautiful Blue Front Amazon that is never handled. She lives a good life amongst her family exhibiting much talking and comment on the goings on. You can see by her posture in the top photo that she is not having any of my "step up" requests. I used a towel and removed her from the cage to groom her. After her pedicure and wing trim, I placed her gently on the shower perch....yeah right. She wanted nothing to do with the shower perch. Oh well, she enjoyed getting wet on the floor of the shower. (Most amazons love getting wet!) After all this drama, she was placed on the big Atom hanging by the window. "Whew!" (We both exclaimed!) You can see by the third photo, she was calm and beautiful. Sometimes you just gotta get it done!

New Shower

For a short time my dedicated bird shower was "out of commision" because my plumber was installing a new valve and hardware. During that time, I had to subject my birds to my own shower that has powerful water pressure. In this photo, you can see Molly stiffly leaning against the force of the water. Now their own shower is operating and they enjoy the softer "rainforest" effect. When the spray is softer, they open up their wings and really enjoy the activity of the shower. When the shower is intense, they stand stiff and tolerate the turbo washing. Either way, they come out of it wet and invigorated.