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My foster baby Elvis :)

sunnysmom

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It's been in the works for a bit but I thought I'd wait until I had him to introduce my foster birdie- Elvis. :xflove: Never say never- because I never thought I would have a cockatoo. LOL. But he is a love and I keep waiting for him to get the memo that he's a too and is supposed to be crazy, etc- but he's not- he is very sweet and gentle. He's a goffin. And has an import band- so wild caught :( which means I believe, he has to be at least 25 years old. He's been with us since Saturday, and although he's still settling in, he seems to be doing well. I've discovered he will do anything for an almond- or maybe I should say he is training me to give him almonds. ;) I welcome any advice from our too people. Right now, my big concern is trying to figure out a good diet for him. He eats pellets and almonds....... My attempts at veggies/fruit have been ignored but I will keep trying. What type of balance should I try to strike though? I knew what to feed a tiel but should I even try to give him seeds?

Elvis.jpg
 
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WendyN

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That is exciting news!
I have gotten Joey to eat his chopped greens by putting a little almond butter on it.
 

sunnysmom

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That is exciting news!
I have gotten Joey to eat his chopped greens by putting a little almond butter on it.
I recently bought some almond butter. That's a great idea- thanks. I will try it.
 

webchirp

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Aww what a cutie...congrats on getting to foster that sweet face.
 

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Seeds are not of much or any value for the larger parrots. They don't shell the seeds, so very little is digested. One thing with him on pellets (what kind) and almonds you don't need to worry about his health while converting him to veggies.

About time!!!
 

sunnysmom

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Seeds are not of much or any value for the larger parrots. They don't shell the seeds, so very little is digested. One thing with him on pellets (what kind) and almonds you don't need to worry about his health while converting him to veggies.

About time!!!
Roudybush Maintenance and Zupreem fruit blend - I mix them together. I know the fruit blend isn't necessarily the best choice but I was told that's what he liked. I've been trying to figure out which he's eating. I think he is eating both. Pine nuts and pumpkin seeds are also ignored........... Just almonds.

And yes, I guess it is about time. LOL. :)
 

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Oh Michelle, I'm so happy you have another foster! Elvis is so adorable! :heart:
 

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He is very cute :)
 

iamwhoiam

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Congratulations. Thanks for fostering Elvis. I would provide a good hookbill seed mix as well as pellets and fruits and veggies. My Goffin's gets Volkmans Avian Science Super Hookbill, Caitec Oven Fresh Bite pellets and mixed veggies. She is not into eating fruit. She also likes nuts in the shell: almonds, walnuts and pine nuts. In addition she gets Avicakes and Avian Organics baked treats although not daily. You can try providing your Goffin's with mashes or birdie breads and can get fruits and veggies into her that way. None of my birds will eat that but many here have success using those products.

Goffin's are very inquisitive and mechanical and it's good to provide them with problem solving and foraging toys. They are excellent at escaping from cages so make sure that the cage is escape proof.
 

sunnysmom

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Congratulations. Thanks for fostering Elvis. I would provide a good hookbill seed mix as well as pellets and fruits and veggies. My Goffin's gets Volkmans Avian Science Super Hookbill, Caitec Oven Fresh Bite pellets and mixed veggies. She is not into eating fruit. She also likes nuts in the shell: almonds, walnuts and pine nuts. In addition she gets Avicakes and Avian Organics baked treats although not daily. You can try providing your Goffin's with mashes or birdie breads and can get fruits and veggies into her that way. None of my birds will eat that but many here have success using those products.

Goffin's are very inquisitive and mechanical and it's good to provide them with problem solving and foraging toys. They are excellent at escaping from cages so make sure that the cage is escape proof.
Thank you. I will look into all of that. I was going to try to make some birdie bread this weekend but somehow ran out of time. Good to know about the cage. I'm going to have to do a cage inspection when I get home and see how hard it would be for him to open the latch. I can tell already that he's really smart. It took him less than one day to learn that going back into your cage means getting an almond....... And he does not like to be put in his cage, he wants to put himself back in (like my sweet Sunny :heart:) and will go back in if you show him an almond. I also got him a foraging wheel but haven't put it in his cage yet. I'm still trying to find other foods that he would like to put in the wheel as the almonds are too big. I guess I could chop them up.......

Is there such a thing as giving too many almonds?
 
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cassiesdad

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Oh Michelle, Elvis is beautiful!

I totally agree with @Hankmacaw ...seed mixes for him...nah. If he eats the Roudybush/Zupreem mix, cool. (Milton eats only Zupreem fruity) I would keep trying fruit/veg mashes and birdie bread, as has been already suggested. How about some cooked pasta...it's another Milty favorite.
 

sunnysmom

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Oh Michelle, Elvis is beautiful!

I totally agree with @Hankmacaw ...seed mixes for him...nah. If he eats the Roudybush/Zupreem mix, cool. (Milton eats only Zupreem fruity) I would keep trying fruit/veg mashes and birdie bread, as has been already suggested. How about some cooked pasta...it's another Milty favorite.
Thanks! And I had forgotten about pasta- which is dumb of me because that was one of Sunny's fav's too. I'll try to make some tonight.

And Elvis likes to take a piece of food out of his dish, climb out and go to the top of his cage, eat it, climb back in, and repeat. Any thoughts on this? Is that something a too does?
 

cassiesdad

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And Elvis likes to take a piece of food out of his dish, climb out and go to the top of his cage, eat it, climb back in, and repeat.
Maybe he likes to get out and dine in the outdoors...:)
 

sunnysmom

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I've discovered that Buddy, our newbie, likes to eat from your hand. He also likes to imitate the sound of the keystrokes on the computer...
Cute. :) Elvis says "Hi" and "Hi Elvis". This morning I was greeted with "Hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi, hi Elvis. " LOL.
 
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Tiel Feathers

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I'm so glad you are fostering Elvis!!:fairy2: He is adorable, and I'm sure you will have a lot of fun with him. What a lucky guy to be in your home and getting spoiled already!:heart: When I had my BE2 my vet recommended 25% seeds and 75% pellets, and as much fresh foods as he would eat. My Too liked cooked foods best, like broccoli, carrots, green beans, zucchini, and squash. He would sometimes eat them raw, but preferred cooked much more. He also liked cantaloupe, apples and grapes. I could get him to try most anything by eating it in front of him a few times until he was dying to try it. Cashews were his thing, and I would get him to go anywhere for a cashew, but he did gain some weight, so you should probably break the almonds up a bit. I can't wait to hear all about Elvis and his antics!:heart2:
 

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Thanks! And I had forgotten about pasta- which is dumb of me because that was one of Sunny's fav's too. I'll try to make some tonight.

And Elvis likes to take a piece of food out of his dish, climb out and go to the top of his cage, eat it, climb back in, and repeat. Any thoughts on this? Is that something a too does?

My Goffin's generally takes food out of her dish and eats it away from the dish. This includes pellets and seeds. I never find any hulls in the dish, only on the bottom of the cage. My Bare-Eyed will also take certain items out of the dish and eat them elsewhere.
 
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