Help with Trust and Feeding

[Wallace]

Hi,

We have just taken on an African Grey called Wallace and he is GORGEOUS, his previous owners were somewhat neglectful and had recently had a baby and more or less ignored Wallace, now because I am female he seems to associate this with his previous "mom" It is strange - he will talk A LOT to me - especially when it is just us two but striclty NO TOUCHING... i am ok with this but can anyone give us any tips on how to gain his trust.

It problably does not help that his previous owners had been feeding him on more or less solely Sunflower seeds and Monkey Nuts (aargh) I have today got him to taste and lick some cooked sweet potato (not the best but i thought it is a start), obviously I cannot take away his primary food source straight away but we are trying to get him to taste other things to try and at least make a start on diet changes. I will be trying lots of various veg, but have been told to keep it simple with 1 or 2 veggies to start. I understand that you can kind of make toys (i am thinking kebab onstring)

Any other tips on both the trust thing and the food thing will be gratefully received - ps he does not get monkey nuts any more have managed to replace them with walnuts and brazil nuts (not much better but at least they have vitamin powder on them??? Thankyou

[Dave007]

"""It is strange - he will talk A LOT to me - especially when it is just us two but striclty NO TOUCHING... I am ok with this but can anyone give us any tips on how to gain his trust.""""

 

Every aspect of dealing with a bird that was previously owned and is older may take longer than a baby bird. That includes, food, playing, coming out of a cage, trusting new people, accepting new things etc. The reason is because the bird came to you with things it picked up in the other home.

I've already told you about food and that'll be a start. Trusting is a long process and that happens when a bird is completely comfortable with you and that can take some time.

You'll need to let the bird settle in. Not only to his new area but also to the new people, daily habits, new environment, new time schedules that your family does etc.

Eventually, you'll see an obvious interest in you. It's curiousity. Some pre owned birds don't make a complete transition to new owners or a new home.

You'll need to be patient. You can't put a time line on when you think better results should start happening. All birds are different from each other, even the same species.

 

""""""PS he does not get monkey nuts any more have managed to replace them with walnuts and Brazil nuts (not much better but at least they have vitamin powder on them??? """""

The vitamins that have to do with nuts-------The vitamins are located in the nuts. There is no powder that contains vitamins on the nuts. To get the vitamins, the bird has to eat the nuts.

If you eat chicken, bake or roast one ( no frying) and afterward, take the wings and scrug them in water until all the grease is off. Give your bird the bones that have the knuckles on either side. That provides calcium and many like them. They're safe and actually good for the bird. If you eat turkey, do the same thing but the bone may be a bit too big for your bird to hold it while eating it.

 

[Wallace]

thanks dave your a good help

[Lambert58]

""""""PS he does not get monkey nuts any more have managed to replace them with walnuts and Brazil nuts (not much better but at least they have vitamin powder on them??? """""

 

The vitamins that have to do with nuts-------The vitamins are located in the nuts. There is no powder that contains vitamins on the nuts. To get the vitamins, the bird has to eat the nuts.

If you eat chicken, bake or roast one ( no frying) and afterward, take the wings and scrug them in water until all the grease is off. Give your bird the bones that have the knuckles on either side. That provides calcium and many like them. They're safe and actually good for the bird. If you eat turkey, do the same thing but the bone may be a bit too big for your bird to hold it while eating it.

We provide an alternative to this, for calcium: get oyster calcium pellets, grind it into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle, and offer it up in a mix of baby parrot food + crushed pellets + oats + palm oil and mix with hot water to an oatmeal consistency. Basically an oatmeal for our fids, they love it and the vet checks have proven the diet is great. Less work than the above, and still very nutritious.

 

We also provide a variety of fresh nuts and fruits (they LOVE almonds and grapes!) as treats daily.

Edited November 27, 2010 by Lambert58

[Acappella]

Thank you for re-homing Wallace. Any pre-owned bird is going to come with some baggage, but it sounds as if you're off to a good start. One thing I've found that really helps when it comes to 'shaping' my Dorians' behaviour is to keep in mind that he is a flock animal, with the mentality of a 3 - 5 year old human child. Example: The best way to interest him in a new food is to let him see me eating and enjoying it. Take a few bites, and make a fuss about how good it is, then offer a piece to him. If he doesn't take it right away, say 'ok' and pop it in your mouth. Do this a few times and odds are his curiousity will get the better of him. (really works if you offer it to another 'flock' member and he sees them eating it) Of course, this means you have to keep a portion of your plate bird friendly with no salt, sauces etc... on it. Also means it you're eating something he can't have, you may find yourself sneaking out of sight to indulge .