Chewing and Pulling wing feathers

[siavash]

first of all, thanks everybody. i really appreciate the help. i'm having a great time here, so does my parrot (he rest on my hand and as i'm typing he does cha cha dancing ) and we both are learning a lot. i only hope it is helpful to you all, too. i hope you're learning from each other...
second, yeah "InTheAir", tell me about it. i tried somethings in the pellet, OH MY GODDDDD do they taste BADD. to be fair, not everything in it, but still...
third, i'll test everything suggested here and in the article. i'll experiment, and i will report back. rightnow though, he does eat the pellet, but he's tasting and playing and experimenting, i can tell. specially with the mix, he went nuts...

Cheers

 

[siavash]

Report #1:
a) Happy couldn't eat dried corns in the pellet. so, i tired two things, and both worked:
- I put couple of corn grains in water for 24 hours then served it.
- I broke the corn grains into couple of pieces.
both worked. first method tends to waste more corn 'coz he just eats the tip of the corn (maybe it's tasty(er) or something). the other method is good 'coz he eats almost every piece and seem to enjoy it. (he CAN break the corn, but it shoots out of his mouth )
b) generally, if you're worried about the food that gets wasted i think i found a way:
I put newspaper in the cage so that when he drops food or however some food find its way to cage floor, then it gets accumulated on the newspaper. then i take that and throw it in our yard and garden; sparrows, crows and other bird go nuts. they ate every last bit ..... i studied the layer and architecture of houses and streets and parks of some of your cities like New York, Philly and so on. i'm SURE u can ,at least, find a park that's near. though, most of the houses have yards, even big tall buildings have a big yard that's in front of the them. many of them had balconies. (i hope there is no misunderstanding. i mean no disrespect to ur cities or houses . it's just that the architectures was so different; that's why i mentioned it.)
c) using Ice Cube Trays for portioning and freezing the mix. great idea. made my life easier, don't know about u guys. try it. credit => Calpurnia
d) taking out sunflower seeds from the pellets and using them as treats; worked like a CHARMMM... credit => InTheAir
e) if u haven't read the article about nutrition, plz read it. it's the article in post #6. great stuff. credit => JLcribber

* a complaint: JLcribber, why did you tell me the REAL reason my bird is flapping his wings????? now every time he does it, i get depressed; LIE TO MEEEEEE man.

Question(s):
when we freeze the veggies and other stuff, won't their cells DIE? at least that's what i figured (from reading the stuff u guys wrote and mentioned). if that's the case, isn't it BAD?

Thanks everybody and excuse my English. i know it's bad.

 

[JLcribber]

* a complaint: JLcribber, why did you tell me the REAL reason my bird is flapping his wings????? now every time he does it, i get depressed; LIE TO MEEEEEE man.

I can do that. You're a very handsome man with impeccable English.

The truth is depressing sometimes. But that also means your conscience has been awakened to a higher level. The great thing about that is you also have the power to change it.

 

[siavash]

Thank you sir. you are very kind, and i hope you are right about my English and specially my appearance
more importantly, i REALLY hope my conscience is improving (from any perspective possible). also, i promise i'll do what i can (as far as i'm able) to make him fly sooner and be a little free and more comfortable. these things are possible only if you people help me; as you kindly have already...
Thanks

 

[siavash]

Look what I got him; now he won't come down to eat or ANY OTHER THING....

 

[siavash]

Hello everybody, hope u r all good:

couple of questions:
1- I asked before; does freezing veggies (and food, in general) KILL their cells? if so, ain't that bad?
2- it seems Happy is starting to molt. should I bathe him more now? (I read that their skin gets dry bla bla bla.) if not, then generally, how often should I bathe him? (and no, he doesn't use his bath bowl; maybe he doesn't know how to or just don't want to. but he enjoys bathing when i take him with me.)

Thank you

PS:I find many "snow flake like" feather and couple of body feathers every day. he's getting, like, shy. well, not shy, but he likes to be left alone. he's less active and so on. as I read and understood, these are the signs of molting. at first i thought it's just for a day or two; but it's going on. he eats very well, the "mix", "pallets" and some other things that i was giving him before. everything is fine, it just seems he's beginning to molt...

 

[Laura729]

Hello everybody, hope u r all good:

couple of questions:
1- I asked before; does freezing veggies (and food, in general) KILL their cells? if so, ain't that bad?
2- it seems Happy is starting to molt. should I bathe him more now? (I read that their skin gets dry bla bla bla.) if not, then generally, how often should I bathe him? (and no, he doesn't use his bath bowl; maybe he doesn't know how to or just don't want to. but he enjoys bathing when i take him with me.)

Thank you

PS:I find many "snow flake like" feather and couple of body feathers every day. he's getting, like, shy. well, not shy, but he likes to be left alone. he's less active and so on. as I read and understood, these are the signs of molting. at first i thought it's just for a day or two; but it's going on. he eats very well, the "mix", "pallets" and some other things that i was giving him before. everything is fine, it just seems he's beginning to molt...

Vegetables should still retain nutrients if you freeze them, so it is ok. I freeze a lot of veggies/mash for my birds if I make a large amount.
As others have mentioned, and it sounds like you've been trying, sometimes breaking the pellets into smaller pieces helps encourage birds to eat them. I actually crush/grind pellets into tiny pieces (almost a powder even) and mix this into foods like sweet potatoes for my bird Lucius, and he has no idea (sometimes you have to be sneaky, in a good way, with parrots, hahaha).
It sounds like he could be moulting.
Sometimes it can be uncomfortable for birds, which can result in the change in behavior. But if you are able to find an avian vet in your area, it's always recommended to get any "changes" (feather condition, behavior, lack of energy, etc.) checked out.
Your Happy bird is adorable. Sounds like you are doing lots of research, which is great!

 

[siavash]

Report #2:
what my parrot WAS eating:
some almonds, apple, some coconut, walnut, some broccoli, millet, sunflower seed (red and black), some pistachios
What he eats now:
1)Greens: parsley, kale and 5 more that i don't know the English word for it... i don't know HOW MUCH he eats these; but his beak is all veggie-y
2)Vegetables: bell pepper, cauliflower, beets, green beans, zucchini, broccoli ... he eats these like a horse...
3)Beans: NOT COOKED, i wet them for 5+ hours; i don't know what u call them but Red, White, and some other beans
4)Corn: NOT COOKED, wet for 24+ hours
6)Fruits: Apple, Pomegranate, Banana, Coconut

*** except greens, he eats the other like a cow (it's an expression in Persian; i don't know if u say "like a cow" in English )
*** Add everything he was eating before to these foods...

Siavash
Thanks for everybody's help

 

[siavash]

Report #3:

-One of his tail feather dropped (another is growing, i can see it. it's adorable).
- He pulled another feather from his right wing.

Therefor:
I think we have the answer; it's what you all been saying all along... LET NATURE DO ITS THING; or in laymen's terms: "Don't be an idiot and pull out the feathers".

Thank you again

 

[CrazyBirdChick]

It's great that your little guy is eating such a good variety of foods! Congrats!

I'm not sure but I always thought beans need to be cooked? I hope someone can either confirm or deny that?

 

[siavash]

It's great that your little guy is eating such a good variety of foods! Congrats!

I'm not sure but I always thought beans need to be cooked? I hope someone can either confirm or deny that?

First: thank you.. yes he eats well; and that's because of you guys. every and each one of you.. every tip, every note, every suggestion REALLY made a difference. (Specially JLcribber to introduce those articles and comment...)

Second: I don't do ANYTHING carelessly. not 'coz i'm a nice guy; but because I like to observe and learn. So: i don't know FOR A FACT that beans MUST be cooked or not, BUT: i check everything; his behavior, his sleep pattern, his poop, even his expressions (trust me, HE DOES HAVE expressions ); NOTHING seems wrong, if anything, he's happier and more relaxed, his feathers started to fall (or rather, grow) faster... now, any food that i added, i gave it 12 hours; meaning if I gave him beans, i JUST gave him beans and observed for 12 hours to make sure it's not hurting him or anything. so what i can tell you FOR A FACT is this:
beans NOT COOKED, won't hurt you bird (IRN in particular); if there is something bad about it, it'll show in the long run. i don't see anything... it's been more than 5 days that he's eating all kinds of beans and, boy does he like them...


***PS: i don't cook them, but you gotta let them be in water for at least 5 hours... that's for beans... for corn, at least 24... and so on (check them yourself, check to see if they are, like, soft, chewable, mushy or something... i don't know the English word for it; sorry)

 

[Doublete]

Beans do need to be cooked. Something about a toxin.
They do need to be soaked as
Well...

 

[Calpurnia]

@siavesh I'm so glad to see Happy's updated diet. You've been so open-minded and really great about taking our suggestions. Can't wait to hear more updates on your progress with Happy. BTW Doublete is right, some beans contain a toxin that is only removed through cooking. Kidney (red) and white beans seem to be the worst....

"The toxic compound phytohaemagglutinin, a lectin, is present in many common bean varieties, but is especially concentrated in red kidney beans. White kidney beans contain about a third as much toxin as the red variety; broad beans (Vicia faba) contain 5 to 10% as much as red kidney beans.

Phytohaemagglutinin can be deactivated by cooking beans for ten minutes at boiling point (100 °C, 212 °F). Insufficient cooking, such as in a slow cooker at 80 °C/ 176 °F, however, can increase the toxicity up to fivefold.To safely cook the beans, the U.S Food and Drug Administration recommends boiling for 30 minutes to ensure they reach a sufficient temperature for long enough to completely destroy the toxin. For dry beans, the FDA also recommends an initial soak of at least 5 hours in water which should then be discarded. Outbreaks of poisoning have been associated with cooking kidney beans in slow cookers."

 

[siavash]

Awesome... Wow! you guys really do know your stuff thank you Calpurnia
you have no idea how much fun i'm having learning this stuff. (and thus, Happy is having and benefiting)....

anyway, So:
I'll soak the beans before i sleep; in the morning, i'll cook'em for half an hour on high temperature. i think it'd be fine then. i'll report back IF Happy changes how he easts. if he eats them better this way, or worse...

Thank you all

 

[siavash]

Report #4:

So, when you brought up the word "poison", that was it for me: I COOKED EVERYTHING

Beans, he eats them well. as well as when they were not cooked.
Corn, he doesn't eat them as well. he likes them NOT cooked.

I added pasta; cooked, not cooked, soaked, not soaked. (I recently learnt this word, "Soak" ) thanks for that...
he doesn't like the pasta cooked either, but he eats it anyway. he likes the pasta dry.

** I soaked beans and such for 5 hours and corn for 24; then I cooked them for 35 mins on high temp..

 

[siavash]

Hey everyone,
Got a question, not related to this topic but it's bugging me..
I don't care whether my parrot talks or not; but i'd be lying if i say: "i don't like it or it's not cool" . so, outta curiosity:
can i teach him? if i wanna, then how? i'm always studying or grading university papers or solving equations; so i don't talk much. i read somewhere (which i don't remember) that u can record ur voice and play it for him... is that the way? if not, what is?
*** most importantly: will it irritate or bother him in any way if i do try to teach him (whatever the method)?
please explain this for me (in detail if possible .. sorry i know i'm asking a lot. i asked too much already )

Thank you

 

[Calpurnia]

IRNs are actually known to be very good talkers! I think there's a really good chance Happy could learn, and if you start now while he's young he should soak up everything like a sponge. BTW are you sure Happy is a boy?

You can definitely record your voice and play it back to him throughout the day. Start with 3-4 short phrases that you want him to learn. In my experience, if a bird is inclined to talk all it takes is repetition. Our biggest talker right now has picked up 5-6 words/phrases from his everyday life, things we say all the time like "who's a good boy?" and "Kay-kay!" (the nickname of our other bird). This kind of "ambient" learning took him a couple months or absorbing and practicing.

If you want to put in the effort of more focused teaching he will likely pick up things much faster. I've taught new phrases to our boy in as little as two weeks with short training sessions. I've read that the key is making sure your bird is having fun (so there are lots of positive associations with the words) and trying to focus their attention on what you're saying (make eye contact or have them focus on your mouth when you're speaking). For example, to teach something new I'll often sit with the bird on my finger, close to my mouth, and just repeat the phrases slowly and clearly while giving them scritches. I've noticed they will often sit quietly and watch my lips move very intently, as if trying to memorize each syllable one-by-one.

Don't ever worry about asking too much. We're here to help!

 

[siavash]

Well, I know he's a boy because:
1- I (almost trust the person who "sold" me.
2- couple of months back, i read an article that was describing the signs of a boy IRN. he had them.

BUT: obviously, i'm not an expert. i don't know what i read and saw is what i WANTED to see or the real thing.
if you know a definite way, please tell me, and i'll check thoroughly. (He must be about 8 months old now, according to the "seller")

 

[metalstitcher]

DNA testing is one way to find out if you IRN is a boy for sure or to have the vet check for you.

Happy is a very pretty IRN. And is being very well cared for. Your not asking to many questions at all. I had my birds for 15 years before I found this site and I asked tons of questions I needed answered years ago lol.

This place is a god send for me because I do run into the odd and strange things I need help with for my lovebirds. They helped me a lot with getting my parrots onto a new diet and they are both doing so much better. Still cranky but they are just older birds so it's expected

 

[siavash]

DNA testing is one way to find out if you IRN is a boy for sure or to have the vet check for you.

Unfortunately, it is not that easy to find a bird vet in my country. there are general vets; MAYBE you can find, like, 5 bird experts in Tehran (and that's our capital). those that i found, the NEAREST to me is 95 KM (about 80 miles) and his days in clinic is the days that i'm at work.
I took him to a general vet, he said he is healthy but for any special check up, u gotta go to experts.
DNA Testing IS possible here; but i think by the time the results come, me and my bird are in hell or heaven (if there are such things

and thanks to all of you for ur kindness and time and of course the knowledge u r sharing