aunali9 Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 i think im a month late to the welcome room, but just wanted to say hello to all of you here who i havent met yet, and a big thanks to those i already have. im a 4th year MBBS med student in pakistan (meaning im a year away from becoming a doctor). im also one of those people spoken of all over the internet who made the erroneous choice of purchasing an unweaned parrot, and though i dont regret it one bit, i must say i might have done a lot wrong without the help ive gotten here. on the 13th of may i got my bird at 4 and a half weeks of age. honestly feeding it the first few times was like inserting a naso gastric tube in an infant for the first time. and i almost wet myself the first time i saw it cleaning its beak out with its tongue after a feeding thinking it was choking or something. Dave of course corrected me in this and many other things along with other members. i'll put up some pictures of Echo and how he has grown over the month and a half he/she has been with me (gotta dna sex soon). i'm in the process of weaning my parrot and discovering what kind of food it prefers, how it wants it etc etc. its too much fun playing ball and watching the shock on its face when it rolls away every time it knocks it with its beak. step up lessons daily and all. and the chattering after meals and before preening ritual is hilarious! i dont know where it learned to make the farting noises but im sure it wasnt me! here is a link to follow for pictures of him in order according to age: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Wow look at how he's grown! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvparrots Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Very nice introduction. Looking forward to watching Echo grow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ray P Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Welcome to you and Echo to the grey forum. Echo looks awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aunali9 Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 Thank you all ^^ I hope I can contribute to the knowledge and assistance available on the forum as much as I'm benefitting from it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brat Birds Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 Welcome. While introducing Echo to foods, please don't wean him too early. Mine took an evening feeding until he was almost 6 months old. I have heard others who took them even longer. Abundance weaning lets the bird pick when he has had enough. Adorable little guy/gal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 I looked at those photos. Congratulations on bringing up baby Echo. I went and looked at his album and it nearly makes me cry to see your beautiful baby and to know what you went through to get through those long nights of uncertainty and worry. You are already a valuable contributor to advise newcomers that its not easy and not the best way to get initiated. We all have different life experience and you have really made the best of your circumstance with Echo. All this while having a difficult course of studies. Well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aunali9 Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 Oh yeah. I'm feeding formula both morning and evening. When I leave for the hospital in the morning I leave the drier food for him and when I return at about 3pm I try out different veggies or fruits. Then I feed formula again before or after I'm having dinner myself he makes this sound that I can't quite figure out. He does it all day. If I make eye contact with him he starts no matter what. Whether he is full or hungry, in the cage or out, it doesn't matter. It's like a begging sound. If he I'd hungry it gets different. But it changes only in quality. I can clearly tell the difference. Which just makes me wonder what it could be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2birds Posted July 1, 2014 Share Posted July 1, 2014 (edited) Ahh, He's beautiful. It looks like a boy to me. Edited July 2, 2014 by 2birds Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aunali9 Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 Thank you katana! It really has been a roller coaster ride! I've driven quite a few people up the wall recently. I'm happy things turned out for the best! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aunali9 Posted July 1, 2014 Author Share Posted July 1, 2014 Ahh, He's beautiful. It looks like a boy to me Yeah that's what my girl friend thought too. He's huge also. He looks bigger than my friends adult male grey and even the one at the pet store I get my supplies from! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katana600 Posted July 2, 2014 Share Posted July 2, 2014 You are his flock, his mama, his everything. It may be that he is begging, but less intensity than when he wants food could be he wants you. He is learning everything about the world from you. It's a tough call when to hold him and when you give him toys and textures to explore on his own. If you hold him too much he won't learn to become a parrot and be independent later which could lead to insecurities. If you don't hold him enough he may be insecure and clingy. He will learn when it's cuddle time, meal time, sleep time etc in your life. You do have great instincts. Unfortunately I didn't have a healthy baby from that age so I am not much help to guide you. Others will check in with more experience. My advice is to love him and cuddle him as much as you can because it will be a blink of an eye and he will be mature and not like the snuggles and hands on time as much as he does now. You are learning just as much from him as he is learning about you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inara Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Echo is beautiful, and it's apparent how well loved and cared for s/he is. You're doing a wonderful job, in a difficult and less than ideal situation. If your bedside manner is anything at all like the care and interest that you are giving this little helpless companion, you are going to make a wonderful doctor. If you're not doing it yet, may I suggest keeping a journal with the occasional photo? It will be really great for you later to look back at physical/emotional and vocal development. It's also great to add a weekly weight into it as it can be easy to start forgetting as one goes along. So glad you are here! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murfchck Posted July 3, 2014 Share Posted July 3, 2014 Welcome to the both of you! Echo is a cutie pie and will flourish under your care, congrats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danmcq Posted July 5, 2014 Share Posted July 5, 2014 Welcome! Your doing a great job in raising this very young chick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aunali9 Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share Posted July 5, 2014 Echo is beautiful, and it's apparent how well loved and cared for s/he is. You're doing a wonderful job, in a difficult and less than ideal situation. If your bedside manner is anything at all like the care and interest that you are giving this little helpless companion, you are going to make a wonderful doctor. If you're not doing it yet, may I suggest keeping a journal with the occasional photo? It will be really great for you later to look back at physical/emotional and vocal development. It's also great to add a weekly weight into it as it can be easy to start forgetting as one goes along. So glad you are here! You are right inara. I do need to start adding weight. I haven't been doing that actually. Its the one thing that kept slipping my mind. I did weigh him at a friends place every week till he was feathered. I do have many photos and videos of him. When I get some time I'll organize it all and share them with you guys. I'm starting to realize all this katana. I make daily discoveries like pink toys turn him into a homing missile where as blue toys mean perch-aim-poop. Things that move are more attractive than anything that makes noise. And lying on his back in my palm = nap time he is frightened of books. If he sees a book miles away he starts growling at it. So I put one of the books acceptable to him far away but in sight where it doesn't affect him. I'll bring it a little closer after some time to see if he reacts. I hope he doesn't because the whole house is full of them. News papers he loves. And thank you all for the warm welcome ^^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aunali9 Posted July 5, 2014 Author Share Posted July 5, 2014 Oh today he flew up and tackled a tennis ball I was casually tossing in the air and catching. He was so shocked he proceeded to crash into a shirt I had hung up and promptly ripped up the pocket with his claws. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timbersmom Posted July 6, 2014 Share Posted July 6, 2014 I'd love to know why they respond to colors like they do. Timber does not like orange toys. He dislikes them in the "if I touch that toy I will die" type of dislike. On the other hand, he will always eat warm sweet potato (orange) off a spoon. I have to think some instinct from the wild is involved? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aunali9 Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 i'd assume so. today was first targeted flights and he has turned away formula after tasting it for the third day in a row! he doesnt just cartwheel in the air now, or propel himself across the ground. he flies correctly to exactly where he wants to go something needs to be done about his claws. ive got some too many scars now! plus he tends to take off from sitting around on some part of me, and jeans no longer make the departure less painful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aunali9 Posted July 8, 2014 Author Share Posted July 8, 2014 You are his flock, his mama, his everything. It may be that he is begging, but less intensity than when he wants food could be he wants you. He is learning everything about the world from you. It's a tough call when to hold him and when you give him toys and textures to explore on his own. If you hold him too much he won't learn to become a parrot and be independent later which could lead to insecurities. If you don't hold him enough he may be insecure and clingy. He will learn when it's cuddle time, meal time, sleep time etc in your life. You do have great instincts. Unfortunately I didn't have a healthy baby from that age so I am not much help to guide you. Others will check in with more experience. My advice is to love him and cuddle him as much as you can because it will be a blink of an eye and he will be mature and not like the snuggles and hands on time as much as he does now. You are learning just as much from him as he is learning about you. you were 100% correct about spending time with him he actually stopped making the begging noises since ive started giving him upto 5 hours of out of cage time! even if im sitting on the computer for a while i sit him down on the arm of the chair and he loves watching me do whatever it is im doing. makes exclamations at the right time in movies even haha. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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