Help me help this baby

[cathybill7]

Hi, I need some help. You were all so helpful in my decision to take Zeus my macaw and in getting him settled in. He and his Ekkie buddies are doing great. Now to my point. Went to a yard sale this past weekend and saw a tiny mostly featherless little Goffin cockatoo sitting on the porch in a parakeet cage. A cat was attached to the side of the cage trying to get it. Long story short couldn't leave it there in those conditions. I had to pay the people 350.00 when they wouldn't just give it to me and brought home little Pebbles. They said she is about 2 yrs old, which I don't know that for sure. Apparently they were proud of the fact they fed her pizza, pretzels and beer along with her seed diet. She is such a precious little thing and knowing I didn't need or have plans for another bird, I just couldn't leave her there. I have already got her on chop and some Harrisons pellets. I am going to get her to a vet as soon as I can get a paycheck under my belt to recoup the money I had to spend to get her. She will jump on my shoulder, but doesn't really want to step up on a hand. She will just put her head down for a pet when offered a hand and if you push her further, she will bite. I got a perch to see if she would step up on that and she cowered and then ran from it. She is deathly afraid of the perch and a mister bottle. She does have some down feathers, but her wings are absolutely bare. She appears to have had one wing broken as when she spreads them, one will not fully extend. She also has one foot that she has trouble hold food in. She climbs very well and both injuries appear to be old and already healed, just not properly. For the most part seems really sweet. If anyone has any thoughts on the best way to help her settle in and to help her plucking please advise. I've never taken in a bird this abused before.

 

[zoo mom]

Awwwwwww. Thank you for taking her in.

 

[cathybill7]

I could not do anything else, and as you see I probably needed another bird like a hole in my head. LOL The lady at this house tried to tell me she had rescued her a yr ago, but the man let it slip that she had been on "good" people food. The bird was terrified of the woman and the man.

 

[Mizzely]

I think the best thing you can do for her is a diet change (Like you are doing) and giving her plenty of things to do, and lots of patience!

Are you quarantining just in case she has anything communicable?

 

[MommyBird]

oh good heavens.
You are a godsend to this bird.
As for the plucking - get the vet visit first with bloodwork and any other skin tests vet may recommend.
It could have a physical cause, and may include discomfort from a broken wing that started it all.
An improved diet may also help.
As would less stress from having room to move around and not being attacked by cats.
Plucking is a hard thing and may always be around, but there are so many obvious good changes you will be starting with I would let the dust settle before getting more in depth on it.
You may want to try stepping her up onto a cage grate or refrig/freezer/oven grate. They are used to the appearance from their own cage. And it's not a stick which may have bad memories.

 

[cathybill7]

Yes, I am quarantining. She is very bright eyed, nostrils are clear, so I'm hoping she will get a good vet check. My main concern is they were giving her alcohol and loads of junk food. Her beak doesn't look too bad as far as over growth, but she seems to have problems eating dry pellets or sunflower seeds. She will pick them up turn her head upside down and put a foot over her mouth and the seed or pellet will just shoot across the room. I've never seen anything quite like it. She also has a neurotic habit where she will shred little bits of news paper, take them in her beak and then press them against her little bare wings and then they shoot across the room. It looks like someone had a spitball fight in my house. LOL I don't know if she is doing that to take the place of feather plucking since she no longer has feathers to pluck, or what that's about.

 

[Macawnutz]

Aww What a little cutie.

I'm sure time and patience will heal all. A trip to the vet will rule out any medical conditions for the plucking.

 

[cathybill7]

Her skin looks really dry, but she is terrified when she even sees the mister bottle. She hides behind her cage. I am going to try putting a dish of water on her cage, but she is scared of anything new including some toys. I know bathing is very important for pluckers from what I understand. At this point, I'm not worried about feather regrowth, I just want to keep her from starting to mutilate herself. I don't know if feathers will ever regrow, but I want to see her happy enough she won't pluck anymore if possible. If they don't regrow, she is still a beautiful little soul. She says her name Pebbles and she says Aflack. She also says hello. Then she says some other things we can't understand. She already looks for me when I leave the room and will call to me. I just call back her name to her and she gets quiet. I am also concerned about keeping her warm with fall already in the air.

 

[MommyBird]

Her skin looks really dry, but she is terrified when she even sees the mister bottle.
I am also concerned about keeping her warm with fall already in the air.

dry skin - get a humidifier, feed some foods with good oils like walnuts, flax oil or red palm oil is great.
keeping warm - check out avitec heat panes, size xs. Or use an oil-filled radiator.
I've had my Goffin 33 years. If you use the heat panel get the deeper hangers or she will be chewing the cord. I don't like the heated perches for a goffin who is allowed out because they will definitely get the cord. The heat panel is very easy to take on and off to prevent cord access. For my goffin I actually prefer the oil-filled radiator with the cord blocked off along the wall using plexiglas.

[QUOTE="cathybill7, post: 2682561, member: 22268" She will pick them up turn her head upside down and put a foot over her mouth and the seed or pellet will just shoot across the room. I've never seen anything quite like it. She also has a neurotic habit where she will shred little bits of news paper, take them in her beak and then press them against her little bare wings and then they shoot across the room. It looks like someone had a spitball fight in my house. LOL I don't know if she is doing that to take the place of feather plucking since she no longer has feathers to pluck, or what that's about.[/QUOTE]

Don't worry about these behaviors just yet. Goffins do these things just playing around and investigating how they can do things. Does she have wood to chew? you can hang a phone directory or paperback over the top of the cage for chewing. Give weird shaped hard or soft plastic toys (supervize till you know no ingestion). Put things (toys and food) on a kabob. Got cork? fun!
Note - They are houdinis at opening cage doors, feeder doors, removing grates and getting out. Put some locks on any openings

 

[cathybill7]

Thanks MommyBird, Makes me feel better that it is play and not neurosis. LOL. She will sit and shoot paper for more than an hour at a time. I have given her wood toys to chew, but she so far doesn't approach them. The only toy she has played with and chewed on is one that has little woven type balls on it. She pulls the little individual wood pieces off the ball and chews those down. She actually seems scared of most toys. I want to be able to take her outside, but am worried about her getting cold, but I think trying to put any kind of a covering over her would probably stress her and cause her to bite. I am trying to let her set how fast we move on interaction so as not to frighten her. If you have food on a plate near her, she is all ready to come over to you. If you approach her on her cage top, she will bend her head down for a scratch, but will bite if you try to make her step up. I can put my shoulder near her and sometimes she will step up and sometimes she won't.

 

[Tiel Feathers]

I'm so happy that you took her home! Poor, sweet little bird, Im sure she's going to think she's died and went to heaven with your care. I can't wait to read about all of her progress over time!

 

[Fritzgerald16]

Thank you for taking this little bird in! Some people are so crazy, that makes me so mad! why on earth would it be ok to give a bird ALCOHOL!?!

 

[Tanya]

What a cute little fuzz ball!

I'm so glad you took her in!

 

[sunnysmom]

Thank you for helping her. I am relatively new to the Goffin world. I got my Elvis about 5 months ago. He constantly shoots things across the room. So don't worry about that. I get pinged by pieces of pellet on a daily basis. My Goffin also doesn't step up and does the hop on shoulder thing. We're working on step up but he has no interest- other than he now tells me to step up. LOL. My Goffin is a big chewer. He loves chewing popsicle sticks and toys made from balsa. Also his new obsession are these: Amazon.com : 100 Plastic C-clips Hooks Chain C-links Sugar Glider Rat Parrot Bird Toy Parts : Pet Supplies

He loves unhooking them from his cage and then he chews on them and shoots pieces all over the room. He also buries them in his food dish. Not sure why. Also, be aware that Goffins are very mechanical. My Goffin can unlock the top of his cage faster than I can lock it. Hopefully the plucking will stop with your bird with better diet and toys, etc. And no cat- the poor thing was probably so stressed out.

 

[MommyBird]

My G2 essentially plays "pool/billiards" for hours a day. He shoots 5/8" balls between his cage bars. Pings them off with great accuracy. He has several dozen to work with in various foraging containers he must get them out of. I cannot even count how many times per day I reload him.

 

[cathybill7]

It makes me feel much better hearing all of yours do that shooting things across the room too. LOL She shoots newspaper off her wings until the room looks like a spitball fight took place. She's only been here since the weekend, and hadn't been chewing on much wood, but I left for awhile this morning and came back from the store, to see she is working steady on the wood perch in her cage. Looks like I'm going to have to get more perches. I have untreated Pecan trees, so I'm going to cut her some natural branches. She doesn't seem to like any larger size branches but I'm going to put in a couple for exercising her feet. Sunny'smom, does your Elvis bite when you try to push him to step up? She will and it is quick and lethal when she feels pushed at all, so I've just backed off for now until she has time to settle in more. The only problem is getting her back in her cage, but he nightly tsp of seeds for her night night treat, does the job.

 

[Birdbabe]

Your awesome! Thank you for helping her.

 

[Lady Jane]

@JLcribber

 

[Alien J]

Can't offer much in the way of advice... just wanted to thank you for getting this beautiful bird out of that house!

 

[MiniMacaw]

Thank you for helping her. I know love will go a long way in healing her, body and spirit.