food to introduce

[LadySerpent]

I have a 17/18wk old grey and I am wondering what brand of food will be best for him/her. Should I mix it up once in awhile when he is out of his food? I also give him treats once or twice a day. This morning, we had eggs and scrapple for breakfast. I gave him a piece of scrambled eggs, but not scrapple. I know fattening food is not good for them. Here is a list of food he/she has been introduced. Please let me know if you see anything that he/she should not eat. These are just treats and not everyday food.

 

Raisin(once or twice a day)

dog food(He flies down to eat them!!!)

fries(when we get take out)

popcorn

noodles

peanuts

apple(he dont' like)

bananas(he don't like)

Grape(seedless) (does not like)

crackers

 

Normal behavior? My grey likes to dip his food in water before he eats it! LOL I find it very funny and interesting. Is this a normal behavior?

 

He has his talking moments... usually twice a day. He would blabber on once in the afternoon and once early evening. When he does blabber, I have no idea what he's saying. Is this him learning to mimick sounds? What is he doing?

 

Oh, and I ordered the DNA kit for feathers. When I ordered it, I had no idea we have to pluck the feathers off their chest!!! So, my question is... wouldn't that be dramatic for them? Which test is best? The blood test from clipping their nails or plucking the feathers????

 

Thanks guys/gals in advance!

 

Jenn

[Dave007]

****Raisin(once or twice a day)

dog food(He flies down to eat them!!!)---------absolutely not!!! They have artifical chemicals.

fries(when we get take out)-------very bad for them. Any fried food isn't good for them

popcorn----as long as it' doesn't have artificial coating on it ( like the type that's put on popcorn at movies.)

noodles

peanuts---------human grade. Buy at the supermarket. Peanuts that are safe for people are safe for birds.

apple(he dont' like)------very acidic. can be given once in a while, not on a regular basis.

bananas(he don't like)

Grape(seedless) (does not like)--------very acidic. can be given once in a while, not on a regular basis.

crackers

 

Your list doesn't include veggies--very important--dark green ones have vitamins and calcium.

 

 

DNA testing--if you're not familar with clipping, stay with the feathers. Have one person hold the bird, take twezzers and quickly pull out one or two. No big deal. No pain, just squawking

 

They blabber all day ( parrotese). It may be practicing concerning words or it may just be talking parrotese. All parrots talk parrotese--it's their natural language.

 

Dipping food is completely normal.

Edited February 28, 2011 by Dave007

[LadySerpent]

Thanks Dave

 

What is parrotese? Is that the chirping they make or the vocal sounds like they are talking? As for veggies, I tried to give him kale, but he refused. Will you give me a simple list of veggies that are safe for them?

[Dave007]

You can try out these for starters although I guarantee you that your bird won't like many of them. It's up to you to find out.

 

Broccoli, Cabbage, Mustard greens, Brussels sprouts, Cauliflower, Radishes, Organic Kale, Collards, Turnips, Watercress, Spinach, Red and Green Romaine, Dandelions, Red and Green Leaf, Swiss Chard, Endive, Escarole, Artichokes, Beets, Yams, Carrots, Parsnips, Radish, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes, Stringbeans. There's even more but for now check some out of these.

Try giving raw. No success, try steaming them.

In supermarkets, there's packages of mixed veggies in the frozen food section. They usually have about 4 different vegetables in one bag. Don't expect your bird to like all vegetables. Many birds turn out liking only 2, 3 ,4 kinds. Other like more. Others like less.

Feed pasta products. Tomato sauce is fine on it. Feed hard yellow cheddar cheese, small pieces.

 

Parrotese is the natural language of parrots. They don't need to learn it because it's built in like a dog who barks, whines, growls or whimpers. All outdoor wild birds talk to each other in their own language all day long.

Not all greys talk in human language but they do talk all day long either with other birds or to their owners or just to exercise their voices. A person who has a non talking bird will eventually know exactly what the bird is saying in it's own language. Others here that have a non talking bird can tell you all about it.

It's also one of the reasons why people get very disappointed when the bird they bought that was supposed to talk doesn''t.

That's the reason that people should never buy a bird just because it has a reputation for talking. Talking is a very minor attribute of parrots. They have so much more to give that has nothing to do with mimicing a person's voice.

[judygram]

I have included a link to a thread that has a list of vegetables you can offer your grey:

 

http://www.greyforums.net/forums/showthread.php?59809-complete-veggie-fruit-list.

[LadySerpent]

Thank you for the post and god info.

[Butttaxi]

I agree totally with them not liking everything you give them but I just keep on trying and eventually Rorschach will eat it. He also has his moments where he will love something one day but throw it on the floor the next.

He also dislikes Banana I have tried giving him little pieces, cut with the skin, whole (I held it in my hand) and i have tried eating it while he watched. He usually wants what I have and if i deny him of it he wants it even more, I use this trick to get him to eat something new it's a nice little trick. And speaking of Pasta, he LOVES it!!! I have never seen him gobble anything so fast before but the one day he flew over to me when I was eating spaghetti, I offered him a piece but that wasn't good enough he had to shove his entire face in my bowel and chomped SO much in his mouth and then he spit it out. It was the first time he had tomato sauce and I guess it was a shock to him. I couldn't stop laughing

[Greywings]

I would make raisins an infrequent part of the diet as they are high in iron and our birds don't need that much iron.

[LadySerpent]

I have not make spahgettis just yet. I think I should as soon as we are all better. We've been sick for 2 wks now, on and off. We haven't even had the time to play with him much lately and I feel so bad. He's mad at me for not giving him anytime. I hope he gets over it...

 

I have another question, his perch is filthy with his poop. What can I use to wash it and disinfect it? I was thinking just using soap and water. Let me know what u all think. I also like to let him out of the cage all day. He has the open cage. Is that ok for him to be out all day like that? The only time he is inside his cage is when I am not home(not often do I leave) and when I go to bed. He sometimes get lonely and flies down to the couch to be with us, but we dont' let him stay on the couch long. He poops too much. Thanks again!

[Dave007]

I have another question, his perch is filthy with his poop. What can I use to wash it and disinfect it? I was thinking just using soap and water. Let me know what u all think. I also like to let him out of the cage all day. He has the open cage. Is that ok for him to be out all day like that? The only time he is inside his cage is when I am not home(not often do I leave) and when I go to bed. He sometimes get lonely and flies down to the couch to be with us, but we dont' let him stay on the couch long. He poops too much. Thanks again!

 

As far as pasta ( spagetti). Try buying other pasta products that your bird can hold while eating it ( gnochhi---cavatelli--bowties--ziti. They like to hold things when they eat them. Spagetti is difficult to hold.

 

Perches in the cage... You can take the perches out and soak them in water and use soap ( dishwasher fluid or other liquid soap). Let them thoroughly dry. In the summer let them dry in the sun. If your perches are very dirty right now, that's what should be done now. Then in the future, keep up with the minimal mess. For now pick off the crusty pieces first and scrub down. In the future use a mixture of vinegar and water and wipe down things. That should help to solve your problem.

It's alright to let him out of the cage all day as long as you keep an eye on him. Parrots like to get into many things and investigate and sometimes chew things. Having him out and mixing with the family is a good thing. Pooping all over the place? So far, there's been no solutions to that but I and some scientists are working on it.

[LadySerpent]

Thanks Dave for the great suggestions. Yes, Baby is out all day everyday! LOL he stays on his open cage and will fly down when he wants to be with us. Although every time he lands, he'd poop!!! LOL He likes to climb on the couch and hang out with us. So far, he's not chewing anything up but the couch. We try not to let him by giving him a raisin. I think he's going to catch on with chew on couch and get raisin! LOL He makes me so happy beside my snakes... I love my snakes and my bird.