New Linnie

[Choxspr]

Anyone around? I have a new baby, a mauve Linnie named Roderigo/Rigo. He's about 11 weeks old, and he seems to be settling in well.

He was stepping up for the breeder and cuddled with me at the bird fair. Now he's reluctant to come out of the cage, but that might take time. He's eating well -- a lot! He seems to enjoy climbing around in his cage and going from perch to perch. He's chirping and tweeting, so that's a good sign.

My sister (not a bird person) went with me, and she couldn't believe that with all the brightly colored birds at the fair, I came home with one that's basically gray , but I think he's beautiful. It's like a steely green, and he has blue on his back. I'd like to get some pictures of him in natural light, but this is what I've got so far.

I haven't yet found a food that's really tempting to him -- he likes apples so far. Does anyone's linnie like bananas? I'd like to find something I can give him as a treat if he comes out of his cage or when he goes back in. I crumbled up a Nutri-berry for him today, but I don't think he ate it.

Anyway, I'm thrilled and would love to hear from others who have a linnie for a companion.

 

[Matto]

My linnies don't seem to like any "treats". They don't like nuts, dried fruit, or nutriberries. Some like millet, others couldn't care less. But they all gobble down pellets and chop. They love beets.

 

[Choxspr]

Great, thanks Matt. I'll start with a variety of veggies and see what takes. He sure gobbles down his pellets!

 

[Choxspr]

Actually, Matt, would you (or anyone) share your chop recipe? The ones I see look like they’d feed an army, and I just have the one Linnie. Do you include uncooked tiny pasta like orzo?

 

[sunnysmom]

Congrats on your new linnie!

 

[Matto]

Actually, Matt, would you (or anyone) share your chop recipe? The ones I see look like they’d feed an army, and I just have the one Linnie. Do you include uncooked tiny pasta like orzo?

I don't really have a recipe... I just throw a bunch of veggies, quinoa and steel cut oats together and freeze it.

 

[Dona]

Welcome! I have a 9 month old natural green Linnie named Gigi! Your boy is gorgeous and I love the mauve color. The adorable cocked head in the first pic is how Gigi looks at me so often. It just melts my heart.

Gigi has Roudybush pellets available to her all day and eats them with enthusiasm. At breakfast or dinner I offer a warm mash of whatever we are eating like chicken/broccoli/brown rice or the Worldly Cuisine brand mixes that you add boiling water to. Sometimes she likes it and sometimes not. I also give her 2 Nutri-berries late afternoon. She loves them. She likes them whole and eats them like a big parrot with her feet. She leaves the pieces in the bowl. Gigi has never taken food from my hand so I don't use food as incentive to do anything.

As far as leaving the cage, Gigi had a step up from her cage only briefly. I found I chased her around the cage a few times so I stopped. Now I open her little moon door and she comes out when she's ready. Then her step up is great. Most Linnies are funny with hands. They love their people but not so fond of hands.

 

[Choxspr]

Thanks, everyone. He's eating pellets I got from the breeder, and finch seed (I think that's what he really likes). At the store today, I got some bean mix, frozen beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes, and some orzo (should I cook that?). I have some natural, organic Chex-type cereal and oatmeal (again, not cooked?). This morning I put out a little dish with a green bean I'd slit open and the top of a little orange pepper, and I think he's eaten the seeds out of them. I'll figure out what he likes, but maybe as you say, Dona, food won't be a big motivator.

Did I hear you're supposed to take the lima beans out of the bean mix? I hope I can identify them, lol.


The issue is with him coming out of the cage is that I have a dog, so that process would have to be monitored very carefully -- dog outside or on a very short tether in the room. I also took him to daycare the other day so Rigo and I could have some time alone. So I can't just leave the door open and let Rigo come out when he's ready -- I'm not taking chances with that.

So far he's doing well! He has a round, swinging perch in his cage with pieces of fabric on top, and while he hasn't sat on it yet, he did push it around in circles a few times this morning.

 

[Dona]

Aww it's so fun when you are figuring it all out. The food you bought sounds great and you will find out what your boy likes and then he'll change his mind, lol. I would think you cook orzo, isn't it a wheat grain? And I do cook oatmeal too but I guess some people eat it raw, maybe in a granola. I haven't heard that limas are a problem. Maybe someone will chime in about that.

I get it about not letting your boy choose when he comes out since you have a dog. Maybe you will have better luck with a step up in the cage. Gigi kinda gets to do whatever she wants, lol. If I insisted maybe she would have responded in time.

Sadly, the Linnie forum is very quiet. I always look at it because Gigi is my only and I am delighted to talk about Linnies. Most of the other Linnie owners have multiple species of birds. I find that posting on the more general topics gets more traffic.

 

[Choxspr]

Orzo is a tiny pasta, though to Rigo I don't think it's so tiny. I forgot to get some quinoa to try. And I just read that the issue with lima beans is feeding them raw or sprouted -- so if I cook the bean mix, it should be okay. The problem is that the portions he'll eat are so tiny! I know they like broccoli (or many do), but I personally don't care for it, so I think that frozen is the way to go, and just take one piece out at a time. Maybe I'll mix up a bunch of stuff and freeze it in ice cube trays, then take out one cube at a time.

 

[Dona]

I do like Higgins Worldly Cuisine. They sell it everywhere, not sure where the best price is. Lots on this board serve it to their birds. With just Gigi, I take about a tablespoon out, add boiling water in a tiny bowl, cover for however long each flavor says on the the bag. The rest is dry and sealed, so it lasts a long time. I sometimes add a few things to it, like a bit of our dinner or some mixed veggies. I did the ice cube tray thing once too. It worked well.

 

[Dona]

I said that I don't use food as incentive but forgot something. Gigi is a big fan of Nutri-berries. When it's time for her to return to her cage, she rides on my shoulder into the kitchen and I get 2 out, put them in a bowl and carry them to her cage. As I put them in, she hops in too.

 

[Choxspr]

Aw, that's cute. So far, Rigo hasn't gone for the Nutriberries, but maybe he will. And thanks, I found the Higgins mixes on Amazon.

 

[Leih]

My linnies eat nearly anything, maybe he needs a little settle in time. He's beautiful! I love the mauve color! My boys are turquoise and cobalt. If I were to get a third it would be mauve for sure.

 

[webchirp]

Linnies are adorable...your baby is cute!

 

[Leih]

Here's Caspar chowing on apple, I love that you can see his beak bites. Emrys is shy and on the other side.

 

[Dona]

Here's Caspar chowing on apple, I love that you can see his beak bites. Emrys is shy and on the other side.

love that face! and the bite marks!

 

[Choxspr]

Thanks, everyone! I think he's settling in well. I had my hands in the cage today, moving some toys around, and he didn't move away, which is a step. He's playing all day with his toys -- he loves one that has ruffly paper on it, and he likes a mirror ball too. I think he's doing well.

I made up some mash and put it in ice cube trays, so I've been alternating that with birdy bread I made. He's pretty much eating only seed at this point -- he'll nibble on an apple, but I haven't seen him eating any of the mash. I've been sprinkling seed on it in the hope it might tempt him. I'm not going to give up, though. He's still very young -- only about 12 weeks at this point.

 

[Choxspr]

Here he is with is favorite toy --

 

[Dona]

he likes a mirror ball too.

I had to chime in about the mirrored ball. Gigi had one and became very attached! She got mad when I got near it so much so that I called it her boyfriend. . I removed it from her cage. Keep an eye out. The mirrors, the shape, it might be a love interest waiting to happen. Or maybe it's more a negative thing for a female.