My grey eats tooth picks

[judygram]

SnowMan wrote:

I will have to make another video of him, just being him. He is so entertaining! He is saying something new everyday. I asked him if he wanted an apple today, and he said "No thank you!" That just floored me! I guess he learned that from me, since he has been saying " Do you want an apple", and I guess I must have been saying No Thank You to him, without even thinking about it.

 

If you had been lucky enough to have caught that on video it would have been priceless.:lol:

[Talon]

Snowman, That is good news. Maybe all he did want is your attention. Sounds like he want to interact with you alot! I'd love to see a video of the two of you.:woohoo: :woohoo:

 

Thanks for the update!!

[Richardsmommy]

If this were Richard's problem, I'd walk out of the room and ignore him every time he picked up the toothpick, making a big deal of it..."Good-bye, Richard!" But then play with him when he's not holding a toothpick. It worked for my kids when they cried, anyway (it wasn't as barbaric as it sounds...you'd have to be there).

 

I'd try giving him paper, since it also comes from trees. Maybe try rolling them up to look like toothpicks.

 

These are just suggestions, but I have to say it sounded a lot worse until I saw it on video. It looks like he's chewing them up into itsy bitsy teeny pieces, unlike the large jabbing pieces I was visualizing. I would think the wood would soften up and disolve in his tummy and he'd pass it on through. Have you tried soaking the toothpicks before offering them to him so they would be softer when he ingested them?

[judygram]

Very good suggestions, Richardsmommy.B)

[Richardsmommy]

Thank you Judygram. It takes me forever to get around to these threads. LOL!

[judygram]

You must be a busy person and not like me, I love being here and talking with the others and there is other things I should be doing but I am drawn here like a magnet. Pitiful, just pitiful.:silly:

[SnowMan]

I just wanted to update everyone On how Jessie is doing as there might be another Grey owner out there with the same problem. I eventually just gave in to his toothpick fetish and he has been healthy and happy ever since. He is in almost perfect feather and just talks and plays all day. He is by far the most interesting bird we have ever known. Almost 2 years old now and there is no way to number his vocabulary. literally hundreds of sounds, words, phrases, and sentences. I don't even know where he learns it all from. I think he invents some of things he says and does out of his own imagination. If anyone would like me to make a video of him, I would be happy to.

[Talon]

Thank you Snowman for the update. I really appreciate hearing from you. It's interesting that toothpicks must be his "comfort" thing to do. Please don't be a stranger. We'd love to hear from you more often. Just join in the fun, you don't have to have a problem to post!

[judygram]

Well whatever makes him happy and if there are no ill side effects of this weird habit of his then all is good. Thanks for letting us know about him and please do join in, like Talon said you don't have to have a problem to post here.

[SnowMan]

I just thought I would update this thread as it has been a few years now.

 

Jesse is still eating wood and is in perfect health. He eats it in a very measured amount. There are certain nuts where he eats the shell as a substitute for his toothpick. He still loves his round toothpicks and generally gets one a day. He is not allowed to chew on any of the trim around the house and any attempt on his part to do so is met with my immediate disapproval! He has never had any health issues other than the initial feather plucking years ago when I was trying to intervene in his eating wood.

 

He has been by far the most entertaining and most affectionate parrot I have ever known. He has also been the most irritating and annoying bird I have ever known. I know that sounds like a contradiction, but that is the truth. There is no way for me to begin to number his vocabulary except to say that anything he wants to say, he can say it. While he can be very entertaining when the grandkids or guests are over, he can also act like a spoiled brat when he doesn't get his way. I raised two children who came out great and never acted like a spoiled brat, so I didn't raise this bird to be that way. It is just the way he can be sometimes. I guess I will take the good with the bad. I love him and he will be my buddy for life!

 

The reason why I am updating this after so long a time, is that should anyone else have the same problem and are searching for an answer, it will help to alleviate fear. I buy the diamond brand round toothpics which are safe for humans and they have never caused a health issue for my Grey. He eats the shell of some woody nuts. He likes peanuts but not the shell. I buy him the KAYTEE Fiesta Max which has a variety of hard shelled nuts. He likes some people food. He likes a little bit of egg white from my breakfast in the morning. He still likes his green grapes on occasion. He used to eat some green veggies but never really loved them. He now won't eat them at all. It amazes me that of all things that go into a 5lb bag of Parrot mix at a cost of $20 a bag, that my bird only eats a small portion from the mix. Seems like such a waste, but he knows what he wants, and is healthy and happy.

 

I hope all of you are doing well and thank you so much for this forum and the help and loving support we received.

SnowMan

[judygram]

Welcome back Snowman and I remember how well Jesse loves his toothpicks but frankly I thought he would have gotten over it by now but i guess not. It is good to hear that he is doing fine and is a delight to you, so affectionate yet so annoying but like most things you have to take the bad along with the good.

Now how about sharing some pictures of Jesse so we can see how good he really looks.