give up

[kevindunn]

losing hope very fast ! 3 yr old cag had him 8 months is on a pellet diet with fresh fruit and veg palm oil 4 times a week sparyed with aloe vera juice 3 times a week lots of toys and out of cage time but still he plucks...bites...and he knows where to poo but continues to do it anywhere he wants my previous cag i had 20yrs was no problem and a joy to be around give up

[SullysMom]

I'd want to look deeper before giving up! Clearly something is wrong Noodles is upset and maybe you can figure out why. How long has he been plucking and biting? When does he bite? What's going on? What changes have happened recently? Etc.

[kins2321@yahoo.com]

Dont give up! We are here for you! Nancy

[Muse]

Eight months is a very short time. Megan plucked for well over a year after Marden died and it took a lot of money and many attempts to "fix" the problem before I finally just gave up. Then I found a 'calming' tea made especially for birds and that did the trick. She still plucks on occasion but it's rare and not very noticeable. She bites me when she wants to let me know she's unhappy with something I am doing (90% of the time it's putting her in her cage). She used to bite me all the time. Often several times a day. It took a LOT of time, love, patience and band-aids to work through our relationship but it's been worth it.

 

A bite is a form of communication to a parrot. You just have to figure out what they are trying to tell you. Sometimes it's "I'm scared" or "that bothers me" or even "I just don't want to do that right now!" Figuring out what it is and finding a way to react appropriately to their communication will eliminate most bites. Like with Megan, I often have to explain "I need you to go back right now," and give her a reason or a promise that I am coming back for her and she complies with out a bite. Build a good relationship and the behaviors will all begin to resolve. I work with 75 parrots every single day, from wild-caught ex-breeder birds to clingy hand-raised pets and I rarely get bit any more. It really is all about the relationship and at only eight months, that's not much time to build one. With Greys, sometimes building that relationship can take years but it is OH so worth it when that moment of them giving you their trust happens.

[katana600]

Kevin, I know your frustration. It seems like doing all the things you are doing and the effort you are making, he should be grateful and reciprocate your overtures. It is hard to accept but it isn't personal against you. What do you know of his previous home? There may be some things you could use to gain his favorable attention. He had a way of life that to him was predictable and stable and then came to a new home. Like Muse says, eight months is a relatively short time in his lifetime. The efforts I have made with Miss Gilbert are often futile... and then there is the day she will show me a little kernel of who she really is and it is a magnificent triumph. If you can forgive him for not being the joy of a CAG that you had for decades, he will also forgive you for not being his first love. It really does take time, there are many days I wondered if it would ever be a good relationship with Miss Gilbert and in five years, the big picture is looking good.

[Dave007]

losing hope very fast ! 3 yr old cag had him 8 months is on a pellet diet with fresh fruit and veg palm oil 4 times a week sparyed with aloe vera juice 3 times a week lots of toys and out of cage time but still he plucks...bites...and he knows where to poo but continues to do it anywhere he wants my previous cag i had 20yrs was no problem and a joy to be around give up

 

Go to the Health Room on this board----read this. It's a sticky.

 

Chronic Plucking ( Different than acute plucking)--Some Facts

[Elvenking]

losing hope very fast ! 3 yr old cag had him 8 months is on a pellet diet with fresh fruit and veg palm oil 4 times a week sparyed with aloe vera juice 3 times a week lots of toys and out of cage time but still he plucks...bites...and he knows where to poo but continues to do it anywhere he wants my previous cag i had 20yrs was no problem and a joy to be around give up

 

I know this pain you feel. Look up anything with Isaac and Plucking and you'll come across the myriad of things I have tried. It is tough. I can tell you, the bird you have now will never be like the bird you had before. It's like people and personalities. We are all brought up in different environments and from different origins. When you threaten to "give up" the only one you are condemning to a fate of suffering is your parrot. So please, if you don't feel like you are up to the task of caring for the bird without feeling resentful.....no matter what happens.....then do find someone who can handle the situation. I have had to accept for myself that my baby might be something of a plucker in some way for the rest of our lives. I continue to be hopeful...even after 3 YEARS of this. If yer nervous a lot about this, the first thing is to definitively decide where you stand in the situation. Are you going to help the bird through life or is it far too much. I can understand if it is far too much....it is gut wrenching...I know. However, I am committed if it kills me....I am just a nut over my bird that way. So do decide. It's fine if you can't but help find him someone who has the time to care for your bird.

 

Hopefully I don't come off too strong. But when you title a thread 'Give Up' in a forum of a bunch of people who value some of these companions more than humans, you have to expect something right? LOL. So that is my piece. Help save the little struggling life inside that bird. Not sure how much plucking you are referring too, Isaac fuzzed up his tummy and the upper back of his wings. It's broken my heart multiple times, and yes...it makes you mad when you love a bird sooooo much and the universes return to you is that. It hurts really bad. I have cried over my baby a few times. Please don't get angry with your feathered friend. That will only magnify the triggers for plucking.

 

On a final note....for the sake of animals that do not have a say in their own lives but to be born into a completely random situation....in some hope that they are loved......do not give up. You'll be tested, but try to think from the bird's point of view. Thanks.

 

 

Stephen

Edited January 29, 2016 by Elvenking