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.