New parrot owner, not new parrot

[MokonaRu]

Hello!

 

I joined a while ago but haven't gotten around to post anything until now! After doing extensive research on parrots in general and AGs in particular, I had decided to get an AG. I thought it would be nice to have an animal companion for a long number of years to grow older with me (I'm in my 20s now). I also researched importing a bird to my intended country of residence (from USA to Japan) to see if it was allowed and therefore wouldn't have to give up my bird to continue my career (I can bring him).

 

Well I adopted a bird that deserved a chance at a good home. The bird that I found was a plucker, had no tail and only one wing with flight feathers on it, and his chest, legs, and back were all picked through so that only the white fuzz was left. He was in a smallish, dirty cage with one perch and one tiny, chewed up toy. Needless to say I got him outta there pronto. I don't have any experience with parrots but I've had a canary since I was 12 (he's still alive too!) and knew I could provide a better home than the one he had.

 

He had been in this home for 6 months. Prior to that he was in a situation that no bird should ever be in; even LESS feathers, being poked with a stick, and generally harassed and terrorized. I honestly don't know much about this home, but it was a bad situation all around, so the previous owner rescued him from that and did the best he could. They had two other birds and a nice big tree out on the patio, but this AG was more timid than the bigger parrots (think they were amazons).

 

Now I will admit I almost walked away. This bird was a plucker and I knew that it was a difficult thing to get a bird to stop doing, and I wasn't sure I could handle it for the sake of the bird. I didn't want to make it worse. But we (my boyfriend and I) hung out for a bit and watched him interact with the owner, and he really seemed like a nice bird. He was affectionate and had this piercing look. He liked to get his head scratched. He made cool noises. In my heart I couldn't let him stay like that, and I thought he had potential.

 

Sorry for the long post! Will break it up into two separate posts!

[MokonaRu]

Continuing the story!

 

Well we brought him home (Tampa FL 8/11/08) to a huge cage with tons of toys. I would say he is quite happy here, after reading luvmygreys's post on parrot body language, and a few other books on my own. The first night he had no problem letting me scratch his head. He took forever to start playing with his toys but now he tears them up. Also living in FL we got tons of political campaign mailers made of really thick cardstock he absolutely loves to shred (take that Charlie Crist!)

 

He also got a new name, Niko Bellic. He doesn't say very much, even though I think he is 12 (the ring on his leg says "96" on it) but he whistles quite a bit and we have taught him the themes to Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly (gotta raise him right). He says a few phrases (good morning, good boy/girl, whatcha doin, what) but mostly makes noises. So, either he isn't the talkative type or he was not in a situation where he could pick up lots of words when he was young. If it's the first case then it really isn't an issue; if the second, then hopefully I am providing him with a good enough home to stimulate some learning (or acquisition) of language.

 

As for the plucking, I would say it has decreased in proportion to the increase in toy destruction. It hasn't completely stopped and I'm not expecting a miracle; he still has bad days where all he does is try to pluck and other days where he plays with all his toys. I have however noticed that there are some scenarios where he seems nervous and starts plucking. I was hoping some advice from those more experienced could help me go in the right direction.

 

The pluck-inducing scenarios are:

 

-sometimes when someone (bf or I) is holding him

 

-when he's bored

 

-when he goes to sleep at night in his sleep cage

 

 

I'm not sure what the best approaches are but what I have been doing thus far is: to move my hand a brief second to make him focus on his balance and roll treats up in paper and put in dixie cups for something to do. I've started working on training him to step up using positive reinforcement as he gets skittish and runs back inside his cage when you try to have him step up.

 

It's this last scenario that is causing me the most doubt. Is it better to take him upstairs quickly and be done with it or sit with him until he settles down? As soon as I put him in his sleep cage he starts getting antsy and overpreens which leads to plucking. There is white fuzz all over the cage as he pulls it from his lower torso area. He climbs all over the cage and doesn't go to sleep right away. I don't want him to be scared when he goes to sleep; so should I worry about this? As of now we have been making bedtime kinda quick (bed at 8-8:30, hear him making contact calls around 6:30 am), but what should I do?

 

Any advice would be appreciated. Niko eats fruits and vegetables with zupreem pellets (won't eat Harrison's right now) and aside from the nervousness and plucking from time to time seems like any other normal happy bird. Perplexing to say the least. Thanks to all who read my way long intro and also thanks for any input.

 

Lu

[kittykittykitty]

Thank you for the excellent intro and may I say welcome to the forum? And thank you for rehoming a bird that needed a loving, caring family. I'm not the person to help you but there are lots of threads you may read and there are many experienced members here who can. Have you taken your AG to an avian vet to determin if there are any medical/health conditions that might contribute to the plucking? Do you bathe him twice a week and spray him with pure aloe vera juice? That helps with dry skin and itching and may decrease the need to pluck. It takes much patience and time to help a Grey adjust to a new home, even a really super one like yours. However, it seems to me that you are doing many right things to help your AG.

[danmcq]

Welcome Lu!!

 

Very nice and complete introduction regarding your new rescued Grey. You really did your homework and have taken all the right steps in making his new home a safe, enjoyable and loving forever home. :-)

 

He has been plucking a long time and as a result, he has all those pin feathers coming in, along with chewed feathers sticking him which equals a lot of irritation, itchiness and maybe even some painful burning sensation if you see any redness on bald spots.

 

They naturally preen at different times of the day when at rest and relaxed. An example of this may well be when he is sitting and relaxing on you just comfortable and quite, then the preening and plucking of the offending feathers and pin feathers may begin, from what you describe.

 

As Kitty^3 suggested, misting him with a standard spray bottle until he is drenched atleast 2 to 3 times a week with 100% pure Aloe Juice will help relieve that itchy skin and make it supple. Also, on any bald spots that you see and they seem reddish, get 100% Aloe Gel and rub it into those areas 2x a day if possible. This will absorb quickly into the skin and start the soothing and healing process.

 

You should also purchase some Red Palm Oil from somewhere, like Swanson's health food online and heat a small portion in microwave for maybe 10 seconds and drip 10-15 drops on his veggies, fruits, pellets etc. It is a natural food that they eat tons of in the wild and provide oils and fatty acids along with some vitamins they need.

 

This re-feathering process is going to take a long time with the amount of damage you describe, say 1 to two years, but don't ever give up, it will happen with you love and patience along with the above described Aloe and other products.

 

You putting to bed and it takes him a while to go to sleep is fine. When he starts making contact calls in the morning, go get him and make it a happy good morning, if your ready to interact with him. :-)

 

It's GreYt having you here and looking forward to hearing more from you and seeing some photos of your precious new Grey!!

[MokonaRu]

Thanks kitty and dan for the encouragement! This has to be quick because I am at work. But we did take him to the vet a week after we had him and he does get regular baths. I haven't been able to find any aloe juice anywhere (have checked grocery and pharmacy stores). Vet said it was a behavioral issue with his plucking, did a gram stain and that was it.

 

He let a bunch of feathers around his neck and shoulders grow in and didn't pluck at all (just chewed the tips off some). He looked like a little porcupine, it was so cute!

 

Thank you dan about the advice on the Red palm oil and stuff. I will search out these remedies hopefully during the semester break coming up (I'm in grad school). I know I need to be patient and it's okay if he looks scruffy, because he has a great attitude.

 

Also thanks kitty for the advice to search previous posts. I have done that and learned a lot, but wasn't so sure about proper bedtime procedures, hehe.

 

I'll post some pictures hopefully soon, as I am really lazy when it comes to that sort of thing. Good days to everyone!

 

Lu

[judygram]

Hello Lu and welcome to the family, so glad you could join us and we look forward to hearing more about you and Niko.

 

I'm so glad to hear you rescued him from the situation he was in, no animal should have to live like that and you are doing exactly what you should do to help him.

 

You have already been given some excellent advice but we do have one member who will be able to give you a better insight into what more you can do to help him.

 

Poor thing probably doesn't see his cage as the safe haven that most greys do, if he was a prisoner in his for so long he probably only has bad memories and mistreatment and that will take a lot of time to erase if at all. Keep doing what you are doing, it may seem like you are not accomplishing much but you are, greys are slow to take to changes and he certainly has baggage but you are enriching his life so much.

 

You will find lots of useful information in our many threads so read thru them at your leisure and do not hesitate to ask any and all questions you may have and we will help you in any way we can.

 

If you have some pictures of Niko you would like to share with us we would love to see him, feathers or no feathers, we see the beauty that shines thru.

[BaxtersMom]

Hello and welcome to the forum. And I would like to thank you for taking in a grey with needs and issues. I'm sure under your care he will thrive and you will find this transformation very rewarding. If you have any questions all you have to do is ask. There is always someone on here ready and willing to help or to just cheer you on with all the accomplishments you will be making. Please keep us posted on how things are going. Sounds like you are doing wonderful already. Karma to you!

[Luvparrots]

Hey Lu what a wonderful thing you have done for Niko and you will be rewarded a thousand fold. You have received some great advice from some of our experienced members and all you have to do is shout out and someone will pop in to encourage and help you. Can't wait to see Niko's pictures when you get a chance.<br><br>Post edited by: luvparrots, at: 2008/11/20 19:09

[Lyric]

Hello Lu, welcome here. It sounds like Niko has found a great home and someone who is eager to help him and make him feel at home.

It seems to me like he might be uncomfortable with his sleep cage for some reason. You may want to try the following and see if either helps- try putting some destructible toys in the sleep cage that he can preen and chew on before he is ready to go to sleep. If this doesn't help have you considered leaving him in his other cage to sleep at night? Perhaps there is something about the sleep cage that is making him feel uncomfortable. Just a suggestion- once a grey starts the habit of plucking it can be hard to get them to stop. Fortunately for Niko it sounds like you'll love him regardless of his feather situation and this is exactly what he needs. Best of luck to you.