Our new older grey

[jedimaster43]

This is an update on Simon who is a 17 year old Grey that we have had for a couple of months. He seems to have stopped his biting and is more than happy to be petted and cuddled. He seem to have adjusted to the household and other animals. He talks to the dogs and cats.

 

He is however still plucking his chest and the side of his neck. He has a bald spot on the side of his neck. The vet says he is in excellent health. We had blood tests done and he is fine. We have two issues, the plucking and the fact that he won't eat fruits or veggies. We've tried about everything and all he seems to like is apple sauce and a little corn. Junk food goes over well.

 

Any ideas on the plucking or getting him to eat healther would be helpful. I know the plucking is probably a habit, but how to break it?

 

Thanks

[Dave007]

Some of that has to do with habits, likes, dislikes that he developed a long time ago. Concerning the fruits/veggies, he probably developed a dislike for those things long before you got him. Many times, it's hard to make a bird like what it doesn't like after trying it out in the past. Of course, you can try different veggies, different ways of preparing them, different ways to feed them but if he simply has a dislike for those things, that's the way it's gonna be and you really shouldn't worry about it. He's lasted for 17 yrs already. I don't know what his diet is now.

Concerning the plucking. You didn't say whether he just started plucking after you got him or whether he was plucking before you got him.

If he's been doing it for a long time, it's probably chronic ( won't stop) or it could be acute ( will eventually stop--how long? can't say) This is an excellent product for many plucking/chewing birds--go to browser

 

 

Type in

 

AVITEC.COM

 

On the left, look for PLUCKING/SCREAMING---click on it

 

Third picture from left ( spray and jar in picture) click on it

 

there's 3 choices

1---premixed bottle

2--small jar, powder in it (8 oz)

3--large jar, powder in it (16 oz)

-------

Get either 8 oz or 16 oz jar with powder in it. Stay away from premixed bottle

 

1 rounded teaspoon powder to 8 oz room temp water in a sprayer. Thoroughly shake until all the powder is uncaked and disolved. Heavily soak your bird down with a mister once a day. Don't wash off. If any remains in the sprayer, use it on any other birds sitting around if you have any. Discard what remains at the end of the day.

[birdhouse]

It took over a year to get Phenix to eat anything but seed. Eyes pinning & furious, he would fling anything I tried to give him as if it were poisonous. I still laugh sometimes when he makes crunching sounds & happily waves a treat at me as he chows on any number of fruits & veggies.

 

Like Dave said, keep trying different foods made ways. Also, try letting him eat with you or make food into toys. Elevenking just posted about Isaac's new game of foraging in a wide mouthed plastic container. Funny how forbidden fruit seems to taste sweeter.