How can i improve my parrots life?sorry long!

[dizzybird]

I am new and have been given a grey by friends as he has been getting miserable as he is on his own for long periods each day.They are lovely people who took him in because he was being abused.

He is a lovely boy and i am determined to give him the best life possible, but i have a few questions.

He has very long claws and sore patches on his feet which i think is caused by concrete perches and round dowel? I have ordered a sandy perch and will get some branches but will this sort his feet out as he is so scared of being handled that i would rather not take him to have his nails clipped.

He has come with a pet shop mix but it is poor and dusty looking and he wont touch it with a supplement on and he screams for our food.Ive ordered something called tidy mix but is this enough?

I have ordered some toys from the same place Northern parrots and started to stick train him but he is so scared of people i am not sure where to start.

Any ideas welcome as he is a cute guy who deserves the best and he now talks to me and whistles etc and has stopped the screaming.

[Luvparrots]

Isobel, first I want to commend you on giving an older grey a new forever home. What is his name? Secondly, greys can eat a lot of what you eat. Vegetables and fruit are great. Oatmeal and cherios. If you look in the food room there is a list of foods they can eat and some that are toxic. Also, be careful of what wood you choose because some are toxic. There is also a list of non-toxic woods. You should look at all the information threads posted here. There is alot of information for you. Just type in the "search forum" boxes with a topic, i.e.,"good vegetables", "fruits", "foraging", or similar words and a whole string of posts will come up. Just look around. We have some great experts here. Dave007 is our health room moderator. PM him and ask him for some information, he will help you, or DanMcq is also a great guy who can answer your questions. There are many knowledgeable grey owners here just ask and they will be happy to help. If you have any pictures we would love to see them.

 

Post edited by: luvparrots, at: 2008/11/09 01:18<br><br>Post edited by: luvparrots, at: 2008/11/09 03:09

[she]

I am proud of you. you want to give your grey the best. I use Northern Parrots and they are fantastic. I would recomend harissons pellets but this is a personal thing. Natural perches are the best . Read all you can on the care of greys and just take things slow with the training. I recomend a vet visit to ensure all is well with your new friend and so you have a vet contact for any future problems.

[BaxtersMom]

Hello and welcome to the forum. Congradulations on getting your grey and I also commend you for taking in an older grey especially since he has had a troubled past. It sounds like no one really knew how to take care of him properly and give him the time and attention he needs and deserves. Thank goodness you have come to the right place to get advice and give your new friend the best life possible. I got an older 12 year old grey last July and the members on here talked me through everything I needed to know and I am still learning daily.

 

I would start with a good pellet diet, about 65% to 75% pellets and the rest maybe some seeds or fresh fruits and vegetables daily. No apple seeds,fruit pits, fruit seeds, chocolate, avacados, coffee, pop or alcohol. There are some real good threads about what greys can eat and what they shouldn't in the bird food room.

 

I feel so bad for him having sores on his feet. That is the only way he has to hold himself up. I do not know what causes that but would take him to and avian vet to see if he can relieve the pain and get his feet back healthy because they are so important and stand on them all day and night. Also the vet can check him out to see if there are any underlying problems that arent easily detected. Greys hide their sickness so it can be hard to tell. An avian vet can also guide you. Even if he is nippy and scared they are trained to handle the meanest of birds. If he is in pain from his feet or anything else he will be nippy and a biter too cuz he may not feel good.

 

If he has not hand any or much handling then go slow with him. Talk to him as much as you can, read books, talk to him about the weather, just let him know you are there and will be there for him. If you have to leave him alone, leave the tv or radio on for him when you are gone.

 

I am glad that you are dedicated to giving this grey the best life possible. Please read through all the threads and you will get so much information and please ask any and all questions you may have. There are no silly questions on this site and alwasy someone here to help you out.

 

Please let us know your greys name and a picture if you get the chance. We would love to see him.

[dizzybird]

Thanks for the replies i will definately be making some changes.I have put in a big order with northern parrots so cant wait for it to arrive.I will also try my local vets for harrison pellets or try to add that to my order.He is scared of new stuff though he was petrified of a toy i bought him then days later he found out how to play and spent days removing the beads and destroying it.

[danmcq]

Hello Dizzybird. What a wonderful thing you have done in rescuing that poor Grey. You have already started well on your way to providing him a good home by taking stock of his physical attributes and ordering what whats like a great starting point.

 

It sounds like the first order of things to do, as others have mentioned is to find a good Avian vet that is not afraid of handling a bird that will not readily accept it. Have that new grey checked out and the foot problem addressed along with a nail trim if needed.

 

The foot pad sores sound like a common problem with Parrots that in which there are usually a number of contributing factors, such as:

 

• Inappropriate perches – perches that are of uniform size and made of improper materials (e.g. hard plastic or covered with sandpaper) are detrimental to birds’ feet. Get natural perches like manzanita that vary in diameter are of course not straight as an arrow

 

• Poor hygiene – if perches are infrequently cleaned, bacteria can accumulate and spread to a foot that has already been damaged and lost its protective scales

 

• Poor nutrition – fatty diets, a dietary deficiency of vitamin A, and diets that are high in cholesterol and low in calcium (e.g. day old chicks) are all associated with pad problems

 

• Obesity and inactivity

 

• Compromised immune function – birds that have concurrent illnesses will be more susceptible to disease

 

In regards him showing high interest in your food, leverage that to your advantage. Offer him some by hand and try to get him to take it. This will slowly make you his friend and lessen his fear of your hands. Perhaps try this from outside the cage first through the bars, unless you have already become confident he is not cage possessive and will allow you to place your hands in the cage without him attacking you.

 

One thing to note also on getting him to the vet, you will probably need to towel him and you will need a small carrier of some sort.

 

Looking forward to hearing more and how things are progressing with your new Grey. :-)

[nims]

Hi Dizzybird,

 

I too have taken on an older bird. These guys have given you some great advice. I make my own perches too. Go to your local hardware store and find some decorative dowels (i have got a twisty one and a ridged one) they come in all sorts of thicknesses too!

 

I would avoid using sandy/concrete perches as they can lead to sores, go for natural perches as Dan has suggested.

 

If he seems scared of the toys leave them out by his cage so he see them and get used to them before placing them in his cage.

 

I hope this helps! Please keep us posted on how the little guy is doing.

[BaxtersMom]

If you find you get him a toy that he doesn't like or play with. Hold on to it anyway. Sometimes my grey won't touch something for a month and then one day it turns into the best thing he has ever seen. :laugh: They are so funny sometimes.

 

Sounds like you are getting alot of excellent advice from the other members. This is definately the place to ask about anything that concerns you. Keep up the good work.

[kittykittykitty]

Hope you find theanswers here as helpful as I have.

[Crzy4Greys]

Hi Dizzybird!

 

I am new here as well and about two years ago I also rehomed an older Grey. She was 15 years old when she came to us. All I can say is patience goes a long way! I am a member of a local parrot society and have had opportunities to hear many people speak on various parrot topics and there is one statement (for whatever reason) that I found quite usefuel: "Show the parrot respect and the parrot will learn to respect and trust you." Learn their body language as this will help you understand your grey better and what your grey might be trying to tell you.

 

Good luck w/ your Grey!