Another new Grey :) And Questions about his diet (not good)

[CTKatie]

Hello All!

 

I'm new to this forum and had posted about our other Grey, Luigi, a few months ago. He's doing well and is a wonderful bird Even though he isn't too trusting of me yet. He's very much my Fiances bird. I still adore him though!

 

Yesterday, after a few weeks of visits and thinking, we took in a 17 year old CAG. His previous owners loved him, but were terrified of him. We decided to add him to our flock, knowing his aggression issues. We brought him home yesterday, and we decided as a couple not to use the sticks that were given to us to move him and show him no fear. So very hard with a bird who has a long history or terrorizing a family! Needless to say, he came out of his carrier onto my hand with no biting. I placed him in his cage and within an hour he was asking to come out. So I opened the cage door and he stepped right up. No biting like he did in his prior home. It's only been 24 hours, but he's showed no fear and no aggression yet. If I leave the room, he calls for me and will hop off his tree to follow me. I can only hope he stays like this! And I'm amazed how well he is doing. We were told by his last owners that he flips out at change and his cage has to remain the same and he won't eat for days. Well, he happily ate part of my sandwich last night

 

And here comes the question I have. This bird was given one slice of bologna for ever. Every morning. And I was told he would demand his bologna. I don't eat it, so I had NO idea how salty it was. I had a piece and flipped out over the sodium. We've noticed he's drinking a lot and he has a ton of liquid in his poop. The part that is solid is in fact solid and not funky in color. But I suspect the amount of fluid is due to the tons of water and that is directly related tot he salt. This morning, instead of a huge slice of it, he got a tiny piece. I want him to be happy he gets it, but don't want him having a whole slice. I want to wean him off of it ASAP. I was also told he only eats human food and so far, that seems right on with the behaviors we are seeing. He hasn't touched his pellets. We have him weighed so we know if he's loses weight.

 

But, how bad is that bologna? Do I need to worry about kidney problems? His feathers look ratty, but he's not been preening at all.

 

Any suggestions on the food swap??

 

Katie

[Talon]

Congrats on yor new sweetheart. He seems to adore you and see something in you that makes him feel safe. I would offer him any new foods that you want. Offer him seed mixes with pellets in them or you cN make some birdie bread and hide the pellets in there. I DEFINATELY would get him off the bologna ASAP. Offer him a substitute that Hester's you eating, perhaps a small pieceof cheese, that's hard for a parrot to not want. Good luck, keep us posted, he sounds like a wonderful grey. Perhaps one that was totally misunderstood and maybe that's whyhe acted out towards the other family he was with. I am happy you took him in and offered him a better life!

[Inara]

Congratulations on your new companion, and my admiration for opening your hearts and home. My girl came to me having been very lovingly fed a diet of southern comfort food and human food and I was able to wean her off of that within in no time. Although, I don't feed her a pellet diet, she does get a few mixed in with her food, and she still just spits them out. I refer to them as her "untouchables" and I toss them outside for the wild birds and squirrels since I know that Inara is disease free.

 

Perhaps you could mix some of the pellets with a bit of warm water to the consistency of bologna, then add in a few little bites of bologna. Then over a few days or a week, gradually reduce the amount of bologna, as you add more dry pellets into the "mash" until you've quit the bologna and the warm water and have pellets only. This would allow your new guy to get used to the change in texture, etc. over time.

 

Apparently your new companion is relieved to be with you and I'm confident that his dietary changes will go smoothly too. Will be looking forward to updates

[judygram]

Kudos to you for taking in this 17 year old grey and giving him a new forever home and though it appears he is adjusting fine do be prepared for his true personality to show thru after he settles in and feels more comfortable for this is the honeymoon phase of a new relationship. Many greys who were described as problems when rehomed acted very nice to start out with but as they unpack their baggage their true personality begins to show itself and it could surprise you but just take it all in stride and let him be the one to make the first move for more interaction.

It could be that the people you got him from just didn't understand greys, they showed fear so he reacted accordingly and then it became a vicious cycle and they labeled him aggressive when he was only reacting to their fear, I am surprised they had him for as long as they did.

The bologna has got to go for it does contain a huge amount of salt not to mention the other ingredients that he shouldn't have, just offer healthy choices and do not be discouraged by his reluctance to eat them, just keep offering for one day he may decide to try it and like it, many times food is tossed out or ignored for the longest time and wham one day he eats it.

[Parrot Lady]

congrads on your new grey we have a rescued grey named Smokey he will be 3 years old Friday , it took a little time for him to trust us , he pretty much stayed in his cage for 3 or 4 days then ventured out , now he will step right up and loves scritches plus he loves lots of attention , we have had him for about 2 or 3 months, he still isn't that good at eating pellets but he loves the Goldenfeast mix he gets and he eats veggies pretty good I have been trying to get him on Harrisons but so far he isn't to interested in them but everyday I put some in his food bowl hoping some day he will actually eat them , my major problem with him right now is he plucks his feathers but he wearing a sock buddy so that helps , he may have to wear it for a very long time , we shall see and he gets aloe baths 3 times a week

[CTKatie]

He's been amazing so far. I've been fully expecting him to start biting, so I'm on guard all the time. He has beaked me a few times, but I never react to it and he's actually coming to me for attention. Pretty remarkable seeing I've had him 3 days. He asked to be let out-clearly saying "let me out" and then after perching on his cage for a few minutes, he hopped down. He then walked over to me, tugged on my pant leg and then sat next to me on the sofa. Within a few minutes, he was putting his head down and walking towards me. He let me scratch his head and each time I stopped, he nudged me for more. I'm just shocked that he allowed me to touch him so quickly. And it was all HIS decision. I sure hope he stays like this and that he was reacting to their fears in his own home.

 

As for the bologna, it's been a pain in the butt. He ASKS for it. I bought some low sodium stuff, and only give him a tiny piece verses the whole slice he was used to. As far as other "parrot" foods-he hasn't touched them. He will though, eat out of any bowl or plate I'm eating out of. So I've been sneaky and have been putting pellets in there. He's tried a few and has eaten eggs and salads with me. I've weighed him to make sure he doesn't loose too much. And I made a birdie bread that he won't touch. Go figure!

 

I'm hoping that there isn't any damage done already to his body by the years of bologna. His poop is already better. The first few days it was fully of water and very little solid. I'm sure that's because of all the salt and all the water he was guzzling. But not that he's eating what I eat, it looks so much more normal!

 

Katie

[Greywings]

good job getting him interested in new foods the Bologna is terrible with the salts and fats. Eggs, Chicken bones and meat, Tuna, Salmon are all safe choices. You are doing so well I know he can leave those lunch meats behind him. How wonderful to hear he is seeking you out for attention. This may just be your honey moon period so don't feel badly if he gets nippy after the first few weeks.<li class="mod fwm">% Daily Value*

Total Fat 6 g9%Saturated fat 1.9 g9%Polyunsaturated fat 0.6 g

Monounsaturated fat 2.7 g

Cholesterol 17 mg5%Sodium 254 mg10%Potassium 79 mg2%Total Carbohydrate 0.2 g0%Dietary fiber 0 g0%Sugar 0 g

Protein 4.3 g8%Vitamin A0%Vitamin C0%Calcium0%Iron1%Vitamin D4%Vitamin B-65%Vitamin B-125%Magnesium1%

[katana600]

Your introduction to your new friend has been wonderful. What's his name? I am hoping his biting was a learned behavior that he will be ready to let go and that he does the same with his former bologna habit. As you get to know each other better he will probably stop asking for bologna. The health food stores have substitutes for chicken and such made from veggies or tofu. Maybe you could find something like that with a similar texture that would be helpful in turning the corner to a healthier diet. Also maybe you can enlist Luigi in for setting a good example by letting him watch Luigi eating good stuff while you model and eat some of the fresh veggies and other things you would like for him to want.

[Talon]

He sounds like a sweetheart. Could you possibly substitute a small piece of turkey for bologna? My birds didn't like bidie bread for a while, so I froze it and offered it later, over and over. They will eat a bit now, but they love the breads I eat as a rule.

 

How about a whole wheat wrap as a substitute & call it bologna...he might be fooled..

[CTKatie]

Thanks all!! His name is Bailey As we "speak", he is going through a bowl of good foods that I hid a few tiny pieces of bologna in. He can't be fooled. He has to be eating good food at some point though, because his poop has gone from all (tons) water to mostly solid and the size is down quite a bit. I'm so happy to be seeing normal poop!

 

I love the idea of tofu! And I can use beets to make it a pinkish color! That is such a great idea

 

I, too, hope this isn't a honeymoon phase. But with his last owners, they were terrified of him and I'm sure it's the same. Neither one of us here show him any fear. He tried to nip both of us in his first hour here, but since we ignored it and continued on with what we were doing-he's been fine. I am hoping that was him testing us and now he knows we aren't scared. His last owner told us he loved the vet and the woman who trimmed his nails and beak. So he CAN like people. But it seems only people who don't show fear.

 

He's been an amazing bird so far. He's taken all this change in stride and I'm just thrilled with it.

 

Katie

[danmcq]

Kudo's for taking Bailey in and providing a good home that knows how to give the proper diet and act as if he started from a blank slate with no past. Greys feed off emotions. The previous owners it seems had fear or probably anger every time they interacted with Bailey. A Grey will reflect the same emotions right back at the person. Your doing a GreYt job!

[SRSeedBurners]

There are bird people and there are other people. Sounds like you guys know what you're doing and Bailey has surely picked up on that.

 

I'll repeat this story here: I took our Greycie to one of my daughters races and lots of people were interested in having a look at Greycie and most wanted to touch her but of course most showed fear that even I could pick up on. You can bet Greycie was picking up on it AND using it to her advantage to keep them away. One of my daughters friends, Sherry (who is my age), came up and asked if she could hold Greycie. I asked if she just want to pet her first. She said "oh birds love me - watch". She commenced to boldly tell Greycie to step-up and shoved her finger right onto her breast bone. Greycie stepped right up without a growl as if she had known Sherry her whole life. I laugh about it and tell people, yeah 'Sherry' could have told even me to step-up and I would have....she was that confident with Greycie.

[danmcq]

Love that story Sterling! Step up??

[CTKatie]

That is a great story! My best friend has two daughters, 8 and 13. They are the ONLY children that can walk into my house and handle any of the 3 (before Bailey) birds and I can trust the 5 dogs with them. Others, I cannot trust. The birds won't go near some and two of the dogs can get nippy with poorly behaved visitors. Anyhow, when the met my Senegal for the first time they both were able to get him out of his cage without a fight. He can be a bugger around his cage! I think some people just have a gift. I've only been around birds for a year. I was a dog person But my Fiance wanted birds and seeing he dealt with my dogs, I figured why not:) The funny thing is, they seem to take to me better. But I am the more patient one!

 

I've been keeping Bailey's past owners in the loop. The love the updates. She called me the "bird whisperer" because Bailey has NEVER allowed any of them to scratch him. Ever. And he begs for it from me.

 

On a funny side note, this morning was an adventure. Bailey has this tree he came with and he's been glued to it. So I figured it would be OK to sit him on it while I showered. I've been told he hates water. Sometime during my shower, I hear this "tap tap tap" on the bathtub. So I pulled the curtain back just in time to see Bailey jump into the shower with me. I'm not sure who was more surprised-him or me! He instantly started to panic, I don't think he realized there was water involved. So I am in the shower hopping from foot to foot to avoid stepping on one very angry Grey that was screaming his head off while trying to pull himself up my bare legs. I eventually got out and turned the water off and rescued him. It seemed like an eternity but I'm sure it was just a few seconds. Once I got him out of the tub, I placed him on the floor. He then started laughing. He's quite the character

 

I bought some tofu tonight as well. Good thing I'll eat it because I wore the piece I gave to him. Baby steps I suppose. He did dig right into my dinner tonight so I know he got some good food into him

 

Thanks all!

 

Katie

[Timbersmom]

Haaaaa... I'll bet "panic in the shower" wasn't funny while it was happening! I can just see Timber chiseling footholds up my bare legs... That's the kind of thing you can have a good laugh about when it is over though Timber won't do tofu either. I can't say that I blame him! He is always game for a bit of chicken, pork chop, roast beef, or just about any meat I've tried though.

[Brat Birds]

This is a great story. At least Bailey got a shower out of it!! LOL I am thinking that as long as you continue to let Bailey set the pace for your friendship you will have a long happy one!!