Hello all!
I've been lurking around reading a lot of really helpful posts here, but I have to admit I have a few more questions than I've found answers for. I apologize in advance if this is too long.
So the backstory: December of last year (2018) I re-homed a 9 year old cockatiel. I'm at least his 3rd home and I plan to be his last stop. I got very little information about the little guy, and was even misinformed about his gender. (It's how he has the name Yuna) I took him to a vet a month or so afterwards and he got a clean bill of health!
Unfortunately as a first time bird owner, I may have been a little to excited at the opportunity to bring a friend home, and I may have bitten a little bit more than I can chew. He's got a few missing toes, poor grip, and one of his wings simply doesn't grow flight feathers (the other wing is totally normal). He's hand tamed (sorta), he'll step up on your finger, but he's usually not terribly willing, so I only bother him about it when it's time for bed. (He has a sleeping cage in a quieter corner of the home than his daytime cage.) I knew about his disability beforehand, and I read up as much as possible. Unfortunately he has also had quite a number of other issues going on, some of which I know how to deal with, some I don't.
Phew, okay, so now for the actual questions I need help with.
He spooks a lot, and sometimes throws himself from my hand, or the cage. Sometimes when he lands his poor little face gets beat up. Can I do anything to stop that from happening? It has even happened on carpeted floors. Should I trim the good wing so maybe he's not so lopsided?
He only kind of knows how to bathe. I've had the best luck with the spray bottle, but it takes a lot of coaxing, and the last time he never once did the little bath dance I know birds do. He gets dusty and I wish I could bathe him more often. Is there anything that can help with that? Bird videos will not work. He just screams at them, and screams at the outside birds any time they sound remotely close. He wouldn't use a dish, and the sink didn't work either.
I could probably ask even more questions but these have been my biggest problems.
Many thanks in advance.
I've been lurking around reading a lot of really helpful posts here, but I have to admit I have a few more questions than I've found answers for. I apologize in advance if this is too long.
So the backstory: December of last year (2018) I re-homed a 9 year old cockatiel. I'm at least his 3rd home and I plan to be his last stop. I got very little information about the little guy, and was even misinformed about his gender. (It's how he has the name Yuna) I took him to a vet a month or so afterwards and he got a clean bill of health!
Unfortunately as a first time bird owner, I may have been a little to excited at the opportunity to bring a friend home, and I may have bitten a little bit more than I can chew. He's got a few missing toes, poor grip, and one of his wings simply doesn't grow flight feathers (the other wing is totally normal). He's hand tamed (sorta), he'll step up on your finger, but he's usually not terribly willing, so I only bother him about it when it's time for bed. (He has a sleeping cage in a quieter corner of the home than his daytime cage.) I knew about his disability beforehand, and I read up as much as possible. Unfortunately he has also had quite a number of other issues going on, some of which I know how to deal with, some I don't.
Phew, okay, so now for the actual questions I need help with.
He spooks a lot, and sometimes throws himself from my hand, or the cage. Sometimes when he lands his poor little face gets beat up. Can I do anything to stop that from happening? It has even happened on carpeted floors. Should I trim the good wing so maybe he's not so lopsided?
He only kind of knows how to bathe. I've had the best luck with the spray bottle, but it takes a lot of coaxing, and the last time he never once did the little bath dance I know birds do. He gets dusty and I wish I could bathe him more often. Is there anything that can help with that? Bird videos will not work. He just screams at them, and screams at the outside birds any time they sound remotely close. He wouldn't use a dish, and the sink didn't work either.
I could probably ask even more questions but these have been my biggest problems.
Many thanks in advance.