Parrots - Baby Senegal

Hughesy84

Hi all,

Iv just ordered a baby senegal parrot (its only 6 week old at the moment) so should get it in another 6 weeks or so.

Anyway it will be the first ever parrot we have had - anyone have any experience of them and good advice to give?

Iv read that you can litter train them...is this true?

Should be a fun addition to the family!

YorkiePud_3

Congratulations!

First bit of advice I would give is to buy one of those steam cleaners because once you get a parrot, you can never again use ANY of the spray cleaners in your home!!!
Good ole steam and water is the order of the day ... it is shocking what goes into ANY household cleaner and it is all fatal to parrots.

So too are non stick pans ... once the non stick element gets heated to a certain temperature, it gives off something that is poisonous to them.

Carpet cleaner, aftershave, perfume, scented candles, air freshner ... ANY type of sprays ... the fumes given off tin foil when you put it on top of your roast in the oven ... oh, and oven cleaner ...

As much as I love having parrots, it is an absolute minefield, I can tell you!!

I never spray perfume on myself downstairs where the birds are ... and out of the window went the baths with essential oils in them.
Oh and if someone has a cold and is inhaling menthol ... banish em outside to do it ... it is very nasty and has been fatal for parrots to breath it in.

As for fruit and veg .... green beans have been found to be carcinogenic for parrots, grapes are pure sugar and water with no nutrition, strawberries and bananas are sprayed with that much before being imported into our country ... I feed mine clementines (making sure there aren't any pips left in!), carrots and cherry tomatoes.

I boil a bit of broccolli and cauliflower a few times a week and give him some of that (when it has cooled down) ... just plain, not dripping in butter!! Anything oily or fatty is terrible for them ... so too is salt, so I'm afraid folk who give theirs crisps are setting them up for some health problems in later life, and when you reckon how long these fab birds can live, then it makes you extra cautious about caring for them!!

Avocado and chocolate are deadly poisonous to them ... anything straight from the fridge will cause stomach aches and upsets ... a lovely treat now and then would be a few cubes of red leicester cheese, but not straight from the fridge.

A hard boiled egg once a week is a nice treat too, but NEVER give them the white of the egg ... only the yellow bit, and when I say hard boiled, I hard boil my eggs for ten minutes!!

When you're cooking, make sure the door or window is open for the cooking fumes to go out .... if you are painting the house I would let a friend or family have the parrot till the fumes are gone ...

A lot of people get the cages that have metal grills across the bottom of them .. supposedly to make it easy for people cleaning them with the mess dropping through to the tray below.
Great idea but a lot of parrots are getting their legs caught in the grills, panicking, having heart attacks and dying .... so I never leave the metal grill in. The lucky parrots get away just with broken legs ....

I just put newspaper on the bottom of the tray .... you can get some wood chip stuff but it's been found to harbour bugs that can cause illness in parrots (told you it was a minefield, didn't I?!!)

I am having the devil's own job finding a decent cage for my bird ... this old one is on its last legs. Ideally, you want a cage that is zinc free and lead free - a lot of breeders have lost birds and, having had autopsied (incase they had died of something infectious that could infect the rest of their birds), they found the poor souls had been poisoned by the zinc and lead from their cage.
Obviously, you can't stop a bird "mouthing" the cage bars, so if you really want to be on the safe side, a zinc and lead free cage is the way to go.
That's what I am looking for ... you can also get "powder coated" cages ... the paint is baked on and supposedly covers the underneath metal.
Jury's out on those, but it's just personal choice I guess.

From the start though, get everyone to handle your bird ... so that he or she is used to other people ... if it gets used to being handled and cleaned out by one person and that person is ill and cannot clean the cage or be with the parrot for a few days, you could end up with a parrot that goes into a mad sulk and refuses to eat ... perhaps getting in such a state it starts to self mutilate!!!
So if it is used to other people and will allow them to handle him or her, so much the better!!!

.... now that I have probably half scared you to death ... *L* .. sorry, just wanted to give you as many tips as I could!!

Just remember that this little bird is going to be TERRIFIED when it comes ... it will need lots of cuddles and attention at first (oh how I love the baby stage!!) ... and will eventually have the intelligence of a 3 year old child ... and you know what comes with that??
Tantrum city!!! Yup ... your bird is going to try boss you about from time to time and may get mad if it can't have its own way.

A lot of people say tap their beak ... RUBBISH!! ... cos when that baby becomes and adult and that beak is strong enough to go straight through bone, you do NOT want your bird getting mad at you for tapping it and decapitating one of your fingers!!!!
Plus, you don't want them to associate your hands and being handled with anything negative!!

If my birds do anything wrong, then I say a sharp NO to them and put them straight back in their cage.
Now, I just have to say NO to them and they will immediately stop what they are doing ... much better than getting them to be scared of me or my hands.

If you buy a book on parrots, make sure you get an up to date book because there is so much being found out about parrots and their care (on a weekly basis!), so you need to be armed with the latest information.

It's a hard job to care for a parrot ... it involves such a lot of work, and you need to devote so much time and attention to them but hand on heart, I can say they are worth every second of it!! I promise!!

Hughesy84

Cheers mate - sounds like you know your stuff!! It wont put us off, just make us more aware.

Anything else? ha ha!

YorkiePud_3

*LOL* well I don't know it all but I am totally OCD about parrot care ... a friend of mine lost a parrot of hers due to aspergillosis (which they can get from seed) so since then I find out as much as I possibly can to keep my parrot (Elvis) in A1 shape!!

Oh yes ... something else .. the most important thing of all .... you need to give your bird a Calcium supplement ... (how did I forget to say that?!!)
They cannot absorb all the calcium they need from their fruit and some birds end up having breastbones like glass ... if they fall when flying they can easily break them or break bones, so it is an absolute must.

I use a supplement called CALCIVET ... I put 3mls in Elvis's water twice a week and that is plenty to keep their bones strong. Dependent on how big your bird's water bowl is, you might need to put more or less in. I've found they don't mind it in water and quite like the fact that it turns the water a funny colour, whereas if you put it on their food they tend not to eat it ... little stinkers, they are!!

You can get it from a website called 24parrot.com it does seem expensive, but believe me, the small amount you will use, a bottle will last you a good 10 or 11 months and the good it does is worth it!!

You'll have to decide whether you are going to feed your bird a seed diet (with added fruit for extras) or a coloured pellet diet.

The good thing about pellet diets is that it contains ALL the vitamins and minerals your bird needs so anything else it eats (in the way of fruit) is just a bonus ... it will get everything it needs in the bowl of that.
Elvis is on a pellet diet called Nutribird P15 and has had it since he was a tiny baby ... it's multi coloured and all different shapes so it keeps his interest.

I used to feed a seed diet till my friend's bird died from aspergillosis from a seed diet ... it's definitely not a given that a bird fed seed will catch it, but apart from the risk, a parrot will go mad for sunflower seeds and they are absolutely loaded with fat and have little nutrition.

I do know birds that have been on a seed diet for years and are happy and healthy, so it's a matter of personal choice really, but if you stick to a seed diet you will need to supplement with other vitamins and minerals to keep your bird healthy. That's why I feed the pellet ... all you need then is the calcium and you've nothing to worry about!

Yup, you hit the nail on the head ... it's all about being aware of what is out there, what's been found about certain things etc .... what other people have discovered, then see what makes sense to you and what seems to suit your bird and then take onboard what bits of advice feel right to you!

A lot of it is trial and error of course but if you avoid the "nasties" ... ie anything that gives off fumes, sprays etc ... you'll get off to a great start!!

Ruby_Moon

Hughesy84 wrote: »

Cheers mate - sounds like you know your stuff!! It wont put us off, just make us more aware.

Anything else? ha ha!

The best piece of advice I know to give about Parrots is, "leave them in the Tropics" unless, of course, you have a conservatory that you can devote to them giving them the room and temperature they deserve.

YorkiePud_3

Whilst I agree with you about wild-caught birds and would in NO WAY recommend anyone buying one (because of the sheer stress it causes the birds themselves and the psychological damage it can cause them), it is a complete fallacy that they need a warm/hot temperature.

A parrot can withstand a temperature ranging from 40 to 90 degrees fahrenheit but if someone has an indoor parrot and wants to put it in an outdoor aviary, the parrot can easily adapt to the difference in temperature if exposed to it for a short amount of time each day, allowing it to get accustomed to it.

No parrot should be kept in a conservatory.
Because of their "fright and flight" attitude it would be an absolute death trap as they would fly straight into the glass window panes.
The slightest thing can freak out a parrot. They can be very highly strung birds and even a leaf falling from a tree could frighten it and cause it to crash straight into the glass in fear.

Ruby_Moon

YorkiePud wrote: »

Whilst I agree with you about wild-caught birds and would in NO WAY recommend anyone buying one (because of the sheer stress it causes the birds themselves and the psychological damage it can cause them), it is a complete fallacy that they need a warm/hot temperature.

A parrot can withstand a temperature ranging from 40 to 90 degrees fahrenheit but if someone has an indoor parrot and wants to put it in an outdoor aviary, the parrot can easily adapt to the difference in temperature if exposed to it for a short amount of time each day, allowing it to get accustomed to it.

No parrot should be kept in a conservatory.
Because of their "fright and flight" attitude it would be an absolute death trap as they would fly straight into the glass window panes.
The slightest thing can freak out a parrot. They can be very highly strung birds and even a leaf falling from a tree could frighten it and cause it to crash straight into the glass in fear.

You take my words very literally.
Conservatory to you is all glass I assume?
I mean a conservatory like birds are kept in in the zoos. Big airy tree lined aviarys.
As for temperatures. Sure, a parrot can live in low temperatures (lots of animals/birds can) but it doesn't mean that they should!
Ask yourself this, why don't we have parrots naturally in the wild in the UK?

YorkiePud_3

We do!! There has been a huge explosion of feral parrots in the UK. I am referring, of course, to the green parakeets that are establishing themselves all over the UK.

There are an estimated 20,000 in the UK with half of those being in and around the London area.

The idea is that some initially escaped from airport quarantine quarters or escaped from a cargo ship that capsized near London.
They can live anything up to 35 years and, having no known predators, I reckon they will only become more widespread.

Were any other parrot released here I am sure that they would have the same success in adapting to life in the UK.

There are a great many parrots kept outdoors in the UK (I know of a number of macaws in Bournemouth) and let out for flights each day, living outdoors through the day before coming home to roost at night so I daresay adapting to roosting in the trees at night wouldn't be out of the question.

Belisarius

There's a section about a problem parrot on this show:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00mvcdm/Britains_Most_Embarrassing_Pets/

The vet gave some interesting tips & info

YorkiePud_3

Unfortunately that's what happens when you get an owner who doesn't understand their parrots ... she was causing the aggression herself. The poor bird was showing signs of being upset and scared and that is when she should have put him back in his cage so he could feel secure and calm down.

He was fluffing up and bending up and down to her ... this is one of the first signs that says, "I feel threatened by you and if you continue, I shall bite you" ... so what did she do?
She kept moving her hand near to him, moving it up and down and making the bird feel even more threatened.
How else can the bird defend itself but to bite????

Every animal shows signs which, if interpreted correctly, you can use to ensure the pet's behaviour does not scale up to an attack. It is the same for dogs, too.

The mother and daughter did nothing to make the parrot feel secure so the parrot tried to be "in control" .. and of course, thought it huge fun to hear them squeal when it went for them.
When he did that without being provoked into an attack, he should have been put straight back into his cage to show him they were displeased. As soon as he "fluffed down" then they should have brought him out straightaway ... a parrot will learn within a day or two what behaviour is accepted .. and when it knows the boundaries it will feel calmer and much more settled.

This is exactly what happens with dogs ... if they are just left to get to that state without being corrected they end up unhappy, unsettled and aggressive ... you can teach a parrot that you are the boss and you are a nice boss who will NOT make it feel threatened ... or you can laugh when it feels unsettled and shows signs that it feels the need to defend itself .. you can keep pestering it so it gets into such a state that it actually does attack ... and to be honest with you, that mother and daughter didn't deserve to have that poor bird.

It is such a shame ... people get these wonderful birds without finding out about them, how to read the signs of how they are feeling ... parrots communicate with each other by body language and if you take a parrot on then you owe it to them to understand what they are trying to tell you ... I am surprised that poor parrot wasn't in such a state (being wound up by that silly woman not backing off when it was patently obvious how upset and scared it was) that it started to feather pluck and self mutilate.

That's why I try to say to people that taking on a parrot is a HUGE thing ... it's not just a case of sticking it in a cage and teaching it to talk ... they need exercise and time out of the cage every day ... they need attention and not just when you feel like it and you need to learn to read the signs ... putting their heads down towards you can mean "come, stroke me" but if they fluff up at the same time or make clicking sounds then an attack is imminent so you need to give them space because they are feeling threatened ...

But if you are willing to learn all about that and to respect your bird instead of using it to show off to friends and pester the life out of it, then you will have a friend for life.

UKTigerlily

I saw a parrot sanctuary on animal 24:7 (I think) once & the guy there had tons & said most get given away by 5 years old as the Owner's had no idea what they were taking on, so sad. Apart from anything else, they can outlive us (Or the African Greys can, I know nada about parrots!) & who'd have it after we die!? They summed it up well for me @ Longleat by saying spend the £1,000 on buying one of these on seeing it in the wild!

It's great there are those like Yorki who have the knowledge on their animals & can provide for all of their needs