renee Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 I would appreciate any advice on my grey I am new to the forum. my grey is 2 year old feeding on seeds, he is plucking feathers badly so we were told to change his diet and make him go 'cold turkey' it has been a week now and I am really worried about him, he has stopped talking and is just making squeeking sounds he will not eat the pellots at all, the main reason I am needing advice is ' why has he stopped talking he was such a brilliant speaker and I feel he is trying to talk but cant' I am so confused please help ! thankyou Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Hi renee & Welcome, Does he only eat seed ? does he eat any vegetables or fruit ? going cold turkey will not make him eat pellets.Has he been seen by the vet regarding the plucking ? Has medical issues been ruled out ? Did the vet say the plucking was due to a poor diet ? He may have stopped talking for a number of reasons, but that wouldnt be my main concern right now,id focus on improving his diet & the plucking issues.Any additional information will help us Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renee Posted April 3, 2008 Author Share Posted April 3, 2008 Hi ! He eats veg/fruit also along with seed but I have been in touch with his breeder who suggested changing diet as he thought he was over eating on sunflower seeds which could cause the plucking. He seems a healthy bird, only now I am worrying about his drastic change of personality. Thankyou for your quick reply its much appreciated as I am very concerned for him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casper Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Have there been any changes in the home or change of routine? How long has the plucking been an issue? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renee Posted April 3, 2008 Author Share Posted April 3, 2008 He has been plucking for about 8-9 months now, No changes that I can think of. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Who ever told you to completely take one type of food completely away and replace it with another is giving bad advice. Any food changes are done over different periods of time depending upon how receptive the bird is to change. If he's doing a lot of plucking right now, that can stop or at least diminish the bird's desire to chat away. That also happens to birds who are naturally losing feathers during the year ( molting ). Whether you think it's right or wrong, you need to put a decent type of parrot mix in the cage so that the bird can eat during the day when it wants to eat or else that bird is gonna get edgy and pluck and chew some more. The parrot mix should have many varieties of seed in it and if you're worried about sunflower seeds, then get the same mix that has safflower seed instead of sunflower. Along with that parrot mix, you give separate things you know he'll like such as veggies and fruit. If he won't touch the pellets, don't give them to him. Your bird is not the first bird that hates pellets. Because he has a feather problem, and because he's an african grey, there's one more important product that he should have for quite a long time which is palm oil which has concentrated amounts of different vitamins and is good for the internals of feather areas that haven't even produced any feathers yet. Palm oil isn't that easy to get but you should try to get some.It can be purchased online in different quantities. Many here will tell you about the advantages and benefits that exist when using palm oil. As a matter of fact, that palm oil should be a permanent part of his diet from now on ESPECIALLY with a plucker.<br><br>Post edited by: Dave007, at: 2008/04/03 00:06 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renee Posted April 3, 2008 Author Share Posted April 3, 2008 Thankyou Dave for that advice I do agree about changing diet drastically but as I am not an expert on greys I went along with the advice given to me, I am going back to pet shop in the morning to speak to the owner.I will buy some more seed as we have done away with what we had, I am so angry with the advice given to me by the shop owner as I am now concerned that my grey will not go back to how he was a week ago, Do you think once he starts eating seed again he will be ok ? I will ask about the safflower and also try to get palm oil, thankyou very much - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Thanks Dave..I have 4 greys who hate pellets ,they have a varied diet of fruit,veg,seed,pulses,various soak mix's + much more,dont worry to much about the pellet at present as long as your grey is getting a nutritional diet.There are many useful threads in the bird food room, you may like to read through them Hear are a few links about palm oil to which Dave was refering.. http://www.greyforums.net/forums/bird-food/68132-red-palm-oil.html http://www.greyforums.net/forums/bird-food/46302-red-palm-oil.html#46549 http://www.greyforums.net/forums/bird-food/46302-red-palm-oil.html#46549<br><br>Post edited by: lovemyGreys, at: 2008/04/03 00:10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renee Posted April 3, 2008 Author Share Posted April 3, 2008 Thanks to everyone ! Im off to bed now and hopefully sort things out in the morning ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 Good night, i see your in the UK, you can find the palm oil at ... Rob harveys, northern parrots & they sell it on ebay too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave007 Posted April 3, 2008 Share Posted April 3, 2008 """"Do you think once he starts eating seed again he will be ok ? I will ask about the safflower and also try to get palm oil, thankyou very much -"""" This is what I believe and I've seen it in the past...I believethat your bird will calm down more and start to get back to chattering more even though it might not be words. The important thing here is that the bird should be making noise. I've seen birds that had food withheld from them and eventually, the bird starts to bash and knock the food bowl right out of it holder. They are obviously distressed, nervous, high wire but as soon as they eat all they can consume, they calm down , puff up and take more naps during the day. That's a sign of relaxation and contentment. That kind of result should always be aimed for by the owner. Relaxation and excersise and distraction eases the urge to constantly pluck. How long will it take to see decent results concerning the feathers. Approx 2 full molts which means about 1 year. Don't get scared. That's the time it takes to see results. If your bird isn't a serious plucker who doesn't mutilate his whole body, then lessen that time. I'm not trying to scare you but when someone mentions *cold turkey* where food is involved, I get a chill up my back. Another thing about pellets..I've got a TAG that refuses to eat most pellets, very little veggies and just some fruit. He's as healthy as a horse, is a very good weight, very active, not a feather plucker and is also a good feisty bird who likes to nip a bit and put the other greys in their place. Just don't cold turkey him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renee Posted April 4, 2008 Author Share Posted April 4, 2008 I have been to speak to the shop owner today, he was very helpful, we have now got a bag of AG seed which he told me to give him some on a night, as he could tell I was distressed about the whole thing and he said it wont be doing my AG any good if im upset about it, He also said if I give him a bowl of fruit/veg on a morning then im not worrying that he will starve to death ! I will still put the pellets in to see if he nibbles on them. I feel a lot better now I have got professional advice. Thankyou to all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lovemyGreys Posted April 4, 2008 Share Posted April 4, 2008 If you are distressed then greys are clever enough & will pick up on our moods.I'd would give him a little seed in the morning along with either some fruit or veg,then in the afternoon try some cooked warm or mashed veg,then some seed in the evening so he can fill his crop before bed.good luck ,keep us updated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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